How to avoid the frustrations of Madden...

[SpectreBugg]

I've been playing madden for a long time. Since the sega days when it was fun just to play and no one cared how realistic it was. But Its human nature to expect a game that now looks like real football, to play like real football. Understandable, I expect it too. Especially with all the technology we have now days. Up until 2009 I bought madden every year, on the day it was released, and started playing it. And every year since probably 2001, maybe 2002, I have been frustrated for months trying to fix things in it. Trying to perfect the game and make it as real as possible. Trying to adjust this setting and that setting to get the outcome I wanted, only to have it patched and start over again.

Since madden 09 though I have gone about things a little differently. I started playing the NCAA game in 2008. What I do is I wait about a month after the new NCAA game comes out to start playing it. Lets be honest, NCAA has been better out of the box then madden has been for years. Its a fact. But i still give it a month or so just to make sure any really serious bugs are patched. then I pick a slider set that looks reasonable from OS and spend about a week tweaking it to my liking, and im done. I have a fun, 80% to 90% realistic football game to play. Then Madden comes out. But instead of buying madden when it comes out, I wait till around January or February come around and buy it then. with around 5 to 6 months since release the major issues have been fixed and a good slider set is available on OS for me to plug in and spend a week or so tweaking. Then I have madden, patched, tweaked, and ready to play without frustrations.

I realize this isnt going to work for everyone, as some people probably dont play the NCAA game, but if you just try it I assure you you will experience a lot less frustration from these games.

Basically, buy NCAA around the end of august. Tweak it, play it, get a bunch of draft classes, whatever you want. Around SuperBowl time buy madden, patch it, tweak it, play it. Enjoy the fact that you didnt spend months frustrated. Do this every year and it will become normal for you. you have anew game once a year, just not when its first realeased. you will get used to it.

Thank you.

[Gosens6]

Valid points, but I find it a lot easier to just realize we're playing a video game, a fun video game at that, and it's the closest thing we have to replicating the sport we love.

I believe once people start to realize this, they would be a lot less frustrated.

[SpectreBugg]

Quote: Originally Posted by Gosens6

Valid points, but I find it a lot easier to just realize we're playing a video game, a fun video game at that, and it's the closest thing we have to replicating the sport we love. I believe once people start to realize this, they would be a lot less frustrated.

I agree, It would equally be less frustrating if we just didnt care so much about making it more realistic. But I completely understand where people are coming from with it. I dont play the game online at all. And i rarely play against friends. We are talking maybe twice a year at most. I'm a franchise person. Always have been. thats why i strive for realism. The idea of franchise makes you. You cant help but to want realistic stats when the season ends. It doesnt feel right when your team has allowed 500 less rushing yards then any other team, but 1000 more passing yards then any other team. that you have 4 players with 10+ sacks. And 100 less penalties then any other team. You cant help but to want to fix it. Atleast i cant. but i do agree that before tweaking the game was an option it was probably more fun for everyone.

[ClassActFan]

Quote: Originally Posted by Gosens6

Valid points, but I find it a lot easier to just realize we're playing a video game, a fun video game at that, and it's the closest thing we have to replicating the sport we love.

Exactly! Well said, ma man.

Last night, I played 'JJ Sticks' (some of you may know him). He took the Eagles and I rolled with the Falcons.

He beat me 45-42 (after once holding a 28-7 lead). I had so many urges to pull up my dashboard button and verbally choke him with a litany of cuss words and over the top insults that would have made me sound like a old man-turned fifth grader. I wanted to literally morph into a virtual dog onto the game so that I could chase Michael Vick around a little bit faster than I could with John Abraham.

I was aggravated. He had bread and butter players. I couldn't stop him whatsoever. He lived up to his gamertag -- the 'sticks part'. His stick skills are second to none.

I was so mad after the game that... that... that... I started laughing. Hard. I laughed because I had a good time, and although I was mad, playing the Eagles is a challenge if your opponent seriously knows how to use them. He didn't glitch me -- he just continuously found ways to exploit my defense, and I would have done the same.

Apologies for writing a novel. Just wanted to say that I agree with you, Gosens. It's a video game that we all paid for, so why not enjoy it?

[qwikphaze01]

It would be less frustrating if I didn't spend 60 bucks or more on a game that was promised to have all these features to find out they either don't work or have problems. Maybe next time you have problems with your cable or satellite service you should just blow it off and not get frustrated. We pay good money for items and services and we have the right to expect those things to work as they were intended.

[ultralow36]

edit: double post

[ultralow36]

Its a video game period.....Its not real life and i very seriously think it wont be close to it for the next 10yrs...no way ....its fun enjoy..

[Gosens6]

The game of professional football is too intricate and complicated a game to make a video game an exact 100% replication of the sport. Finally this year, the Madden team finally got it right and people still find the most minute things to complain about.

Franchise is at it's best since god knows when, i'm having the time of my life, yet people are finding the most minor things about that to complain about. It's like some people are so cynical and are incapable of having fun with this game, yet they buy it every single year and expect HUGE leaps and bounds of changes.

This is what we got, it's improving, but for some people it will NEVER be good enough. It's a game, a video game, it will never be 100% true to life, it's too hard.

And before anyone mentions NFL 2K5 or APF 2K8, those games weren't 100% true to life either, it's just not possible to do.