Gaming Examiner: Madden 13 Interview with the Developers

[roadman]

Quote: Originally Posted by bucky60

Very inflammatory remark. Many would be elated to hear some guarantee that missing features would be in next year. Next year would sound like a sure buy for me. And NCAA draft class is only one of those missing features. What did the web page say about the others. Why do you have to disrespect and trash talk those with legitimate complaints?

Bucky:

That was the last question asked and it was only specific to NCAA draft classes. No need to pin that on the questioner.

I also feel that the above poster is just going on what has been repeated over and over again for the last three weeks. It doesn't appear to me any answer what be suitable. This was the best detailed answer and yet, it's still met with ungratefulness.

[bucky60]

Quote: Originally Posted by jaymee13

As the answer is most definitely a reasonable response, the bigger question is why the wouldn't have budgeted more time to get it done. In customer service, you need to juggle between what keeps your current customers happy and what changes need to happen to make your unhappy customers happy. You don't alienate your current happy customer base to meet the demands of an unhappy customer. You find middle ground to accommodate as much as possible but not anger your happy customer. EA decided to make the unhappy customer a priority and it may bite them in the butt. This should have been a two year cycle if they want to get all this in. Make the unhappy customer suffer an extra year, not the happy customer.

Meh, online franchiser's and leagues have waiting far too long. In fact, offline waiting until last year to really get anything. That's one of the things that ticks me off about this gen console and EA/Tib. They should have found a way to have a transition period with both the new CC and legacy franchise for one year.

[bucky60]

Quote: Originally Posted by Aggies7

I just hope EA doesn't try to hype these features as new features when they come back.

That's been there MO. They've been doing that for decades. I expect them to continue doing it. Keeps people buying every year. We really should have had an online/offline kick but game by now.

[bucky60]

Quote: Originally Posted by jpdavis82

Barring something crazy happening at EA that shouldn't happen any more.

Hope so, but history is against this. I'll believe it when I actually see it. Let's see 5 years from now where we are and if their business practices change.

[bucky60]

Quote: Originally Posted by jpdavis82

Oh and how is Connected Careers not ready to be included into Madden?

It may be ready to add to Madden, but it wasn't ready to replace what was their. Too many significant missing features. It wasn't ready to REPLACE. I'm all for ADDING it this year.

[Sheen_O_Mack]

Quote: Originally Posted by ManiacMatt1782

I disagree, to me it show that they rushed a back of the box feature in the game. They shouldn't have included connected careers until they could make it work with all the features they had in previously. Connected Careers was rushed in as a feature to promote, but it is not 100% operational, hell its barely 75% operational.

I'm not disagreeing with you that CC should have all the features of last years madden.

My take on why it came out this year instead of next (or year after) is because of the low sales from madden 11 and 12.

M11 and M12 both sold roughly 5 million copies from release date through the end of December.

http://www.vgstrategy.com/fifa-madden-12-sales-totals/
^^^^
M12

http://www.pastapadre.com/2011/01/14...-games-of-2010
^^^
M11, third paragraph in

That 5 mil is considerably less then the 9+ in 2007 their best year since 2005
^^^^
http://www.operationsports.com/ncaa/...bers-analysis/
2005-2010 chart; 7 posts in

I highly doubt this is something anyone at EA/Tiburon will ever admit to.

Basically the implementation of RTP and CC is to add some realism and appease the SIM players even if some things that people are used to having are not in it anymore I would bet that EA/Tiburon are banking that there will be more people that buy the game for the game play and a more in-depth "Franchise" mode then people who don't buy the game because of not having Fantasy draft/editing/compatibility w/NCAA.

We won't really know the full extent of that risk until next year on how well the game sold.

[bucky60]

Quote: Originally Posted by jpdavis82

Connected Careers is way deeper than Franchise ever was. I don't think you understand CCM and how it works completely, heck I don't know if anyone who hasn't played it yet does, I know I don't fully understand it. Maybe someone who has played it can explain it and how deep it is.

We understand what's missing. What don't you understand about that? The things that are missing are the reasons I enjoyed 12. Those things are gone, I won't buy this year. It's that simple.

[bucky60]

Quote: Originally Posted by jpdavis82

This is just my theory, but I believe fantasy draft was not included this year because it is not realistic. Just like it's not realistic to be the coach of the packers in your career and then play as another team's coach in the same week(the reason why you can't play other games on the nfl schedule this year, barring Shop's workaround he figured out).

Choosing abilities/ratings to increase by how many XP points are gained is unrealistic. That made it into the game. Make things options. Let someone have mega realistic franchise all the way down to very arcadey/gamey and options form the user to choose what they want to be realistic or arcadey.