Would You Start A Franchise Right Now W/O Controlling All 32 Teams? Is It Worth It?

[KingV2k3]

Quote: Originally Posted by KBLover

Exactly what I'm doing with my "converted" franchise. I set everything but cut days and scouting (for some reason, that's "global") to CPU, and on draft day, just sim each pick until "my" pick comes up. "My" team is all User and I play as per a 1-team franchise otherwise.

Quote: Originally Posted by Armor & Sword

I have had little to no issues with UFDA in my year three 32 team franchise. I let the CPU do all their cuts. I do all resigning for all 32 teams via random number method. I let the CPU do all it's own scouting. I just scout for my team. I let the CPu do all it own free agency auctions. I just handle my one team. I handle all realistic trades pre-season, in season and during the draft. I let the CPU make almost all of it's draft picks save for the first 2 rounds where I draft either biggest need or best player available for the cpu. I have seen some very cool turnover and some nice big name free agents leaving teams. I am loving my 32 team franchise and Madden 12.

I have run about a dozen test Franchises with various rosters (DaRebirth, Shaggrugg, Default and Current EA downloaded version) and:

1) The UDFA idea was nice, but implemented pretty poorly...too many 2-3 round picks and mid level vets getting cut for these guys...too much work for me (to do all 32 teams), so I can live with it or not..

2) Sim stats need some Coach Philosophy Run / Pass tweaks or some QBs throw well over 600 passes...seems keeping things in the 50-60 range with the Pats being the only 70% team gets things close...however, the punt attempt stats are insanely high, with no workaround (as far as I can tell)

3) You pretty much have to set "Re-sign Players" to User...Manning, Cutler, Shaub and a few other major dudes can end up on the FA list after year one...and that's just the QBs...it doesn't happen with EVERY sim test...but often enough for concern...

4) If you want to see 2011 play out with Manning on the bench, you have to set "Reorder Depth Cart" to user...however, it seem no matter how crappy I make Painter, or how good EA updates Alex Smith, Painter turns out pretty good and Smith does not...ratings are not the sole equation for the sim stat engine...so who know what the workaround is here...

5) If you want to trade the IRL Draft Picks around for the 2012 draft, you'll need to control that too...since it really affects Bengals / Raiders (Palmer trade), Pats (Ochocinco / Haynesworth), 'Skins and a few others...I like it to be fairly accurate...

Lastly: The NCAA draft class glitch (doesn't import IRL players and substitutes generated rookies if you don't save at a certain point) is also a franchise issue...

Good news?

You can control as much of this as you like and then switch it up and control as many or as few teams as you like at the beginning of each off season...

Some of the HC firings are questionable (Coughlin), so if that bothers you...prepare to control that too...

Bottom line:

I've been on top of the "state of the art" Franchise workarounds for a decade and this years shoddy version (based on the advertised "improvements") have created a hornets nest of workarounds for even a casual sim franchise player...

KB and A&S have some great insights and suggestion (quoted), but those along with what I've seen will either make this title:

1) A LOT of off field work for user

2) A year where things like "Fantasy Draft" start looking like a desirable option...it's going to take a lot of time and effort to keep it from turning into that playing a "normal" franchise...

3) Need to lower / eliminate "Sim / Realistic" expectation...believe me, despite this detailed post, I'm pretty accepting of what we end up with, as far as these titles are concerned...but after running these tests, the "complaints" re: NCAA12 seem VERY slight by comparision

Very disappointing findings, IMHO re: these tests...

Any insight appreciated!

[xcef2005]

Quote: Originally Posted by Armor & Sword

Lol. No offense but after years of playing Tecmo Super Bowl, Atari Real Sports football and Intellivision football, sprite versions of Madden, shoulder pads being ugly will not sway me from enjoying this game. It's all about perspective.

I'm not saying its unplayable or that it would stop me from playing the game. I'm just asking if its very noticeable when playing, like almost distracting? And if EA was going to make any attempt to fix it.

[Cre8]

The biggest problem I see is late game decisions by the CPU. Making stupid roster cuts and stuff like that won't make me want to dive into all 32 teams. I figure that some of the moves I will make will be stupid too.

Some people just want to complain. Feel free to hate it but don't act there isn't an option.

[Armor and Sword]

Quote: Originally Posted by ernestoRIP

How do you configure a 32 team franchise to have the CPU do its own scouting? Just assign it to CPU and do it manually for one franchise? I need some help with how exactly you go about this, because this would be a huge time saver and would help me do a 32 team franchise...

Right. Scouting is a universal issue. If you set to user all 32 teams will be user. So I set it to CPU but manually scout for my user team.

Really easy workaround in that regard.

[ernestoRIP]

Thanks man. I'm going to get started on a 32 team franchise and see how it goes...

[RogueHominid]

Quote: Originally Posted by Armor & Sword

Lol. No offense but after years of playing Tecmo Super Bowl, Atari Real Sports football and Intellivision football, sprite versions of Madden, shoulder pads being ugly will not sway me from enjoying this game. It's all about perspective.

When you go into the player edit screen the pads are so horrendous it's hard to imagine overlooking them, but on the field from the normal camera view it's only slightly noticeable, and the only time it really stands out even from that point of view is when you get an OL who weighs 220 with huge pads. Those guys are easy to cut.

That aside, I think I'm going to let a few robocops stay and just drop the ones in the 40s that cause teams to really screw up their rosters.