Madden 12 King Of Current Generation For Offline Franchise

[edgevoice]

Quote: Originally Posted by PGaither84

As someone who stuck with 12 over buying 13... and who bought Madden 25, but hasn't received it in the mail to play it [only playing the demo] I want to chime in as well. Madden 12's franchise mode is SOOO BORING. There is no life in it what so ever. The AI treats every team like they run a 4-3 defense, so the 49ers under computer control only keep 2 MLBs on their roster while loading up on DTs, as well as every other team in the game. So unless you spend all your time messing with 32 teams, even year one is a mess. Then they cut MLB N. Bowman because he is the second MLB on the depth chart... and since the game is running on 4-3 logic, he has got to go. However, if I make him a ROLB and make Aldon a DE, Justin a DT along with Ray Mac... only then will most of the team kind of resemble the 49ers I know... kind of. So, you have to user control all 32 teams, but it still doesn't matter because the 4-3 defense is all that matters for simulated games and roster management. Then, there is the whole mess of just how lifeless the thing is. I don't know what Madden 25's franchise will really be like, but all this story lien stuff seems interesting. In Madden 12, you are playing 16 exhibition games, then the playoffs start and we get a dull ending to the season. Rinse and repeat. I have simulate a ton of season in Madden 12, but have yet to complete one season of franchise mode in any madden game since Madden 07 on my XBox. The mode is so lifeless there is no reason to keep going. I lose interest by week 4 or so every time I try. What helped for me in the past is that I have a friend in real life who I would play franchise with in Madden 02-07 and we would always play as the other guy's opponent and use that team's playbook. It was a fun way to use different teams/players/playbooks. That kept it interesting, but so did the deeper franchise mode EA gave us in 06 and 07. For Madden 25, my friend has the game and we want to play online now that I no longer live in the states, and I know a couple people from here at OS I will be inviting as well.

I'm not finding it boring at all and I am in my third year playing it. With the right sliders, the games are very competitive. For the most part, each team really appears to play differently, as previously stated. I definitely turn off the commentary however...... The audio presentation programming in M12 was just bad.

I can see why the storyline, twitter feed stuff interests some people. I would be fine with it, if it didn't negate the ability to edit roster names.

[Cleveland Rocks]

Quote: Originally Posted by gr18

I here what you're saying but I don't think EA will ever be competent enough that 32 team control won't be a must.

Correct, No sport game is; some are better than others but no ai thinks close enough to a human to manage a sport team over several seasons realistically.

[Armor and Sword]

Quote: Originally Posted by PGaither84

As someone who stuck with 12 over buying 13... and who bought Madden 25, but hasn't received it in the mail to play it [only playing the demo] I want to chime in as well. Madden 12's franchise mode is SOOO BORING. There is no life in it what so ever. The AI treats every team like they run a 4-3 defense, so the 49ers under computer control only keep 2 MLBs on their roster while loading up on DTs, as well as every other team in the game. So unless you spend all your time messing with 32 teams, even year one is a mess. Then they cut MLB N. Bowman because he is the second MLB on the depth chart... and since the game is running on 4-3 logic, he has got to go. However, if I make him a ROLB and make Aldon a DE, Justin a DT along with Ray Mac... only then will most of the team kind of resemble the 49ers I know... kind of. So, you have to user control all 32 teams, but it still doesn't matter because the 4-3 defense is all that matters for simulated games and roster management. Then, there is the whole mess of just how lifeless the thing is. I don't know what Madden 25's franchise will really be like, but all this story lien stuff seems interesting. In Madden 12, you are playing 16 exhibition games, then the playoffs start and we get a dull ending to the season. Rinse and repeat. I have simulate a ton of season in Madden 12, but have yet to complete one season of franchise mode in any madden game since Madden 07 on my XBox. The mode is so lifeless there is no reason to keep going. I lose interest by week 4 or so every time I try. What helped for me in the past is that I have a friend in real life who I would play franchise with in Madden 02-07 and we would always play as the other guy's opponent and use that team's playbook. It was a fun way to use different teams/players/playbooks. That kept it interesting, but so did the deeper franchise mode EA gave us in 06 and 07. For Madden 25, my friend has the game and we want to play online now that I no longer live in the states, and I know a couple people from here at OS I will be inviting as well.

Compared to Madden 12 M25's connected franchise mode is like Skyrim (of course I am using Skyrim for effect). A lot of story lines, news feeds....there is life. It feels far more living and breathing.

I am so happy with the gameplay that I am eating up the news stories , reading each and everyone. Following all the draft classes stories....taking notes in my war book on the players talked about.

After reading the weeks stories on various games I then go to the league schedule screen and read the box scores on critical games, ones that had the twitter feeds going nuts etc.

A huge Improvement and the most living and breathing franchise mode Madden has ever had.

This game blows away Madden 12 everywhere on the field.....and off.

I am digging the XP system big time. Cranking out goals, trying to hit my performance goals....upgrading my coach as well. Owner mode is very cool too.

I played Madden 12 a ton....enjoyed the heck out of it. It pales in comparison on and off the field to Madden 25.

And I despised 13.

I think your going to love it.

If your a control freak......maybe not so much. But if your willing to run your team and let your virtual NFL universe take on a life of its own....you will be rocking this game for many many seasons.

[Robo COP]

sim stats are terrible. What's the point of finding sliders to make the game realistic if the players on your team are going to be the only ones with regular stats come seasons end?

[allhailben7]

Quote: Originally Posted by hyacinth1

I remember when 12 came out people were surprised and positive. 11 was a step back from 10 so 12 came as a shock that it was half way decent. As for running the ball in 25, it gives you options but the RB system is too much in favor of the RB. I don't mess with sliders and only play on default, but running the ball is way too unrealisitc in 25. Now I LOVE running the ball in FB games and I see lots of potential with 25 running game being toned down int he next patch. The best Madden game for running the ball this gen was 10. It was near perfect balance.

Then it's your fault for not adjusting sliders... In my offline Chargers CFM, Mathews just went for 95 yards on 22 carries and Kendall Hunter had 54 yards on 3 carries, with a 47 yard TD on a draw play after passing down the field.

I played against the Eagles whose LeSean McCoy 119 yards on 15 carries out of the read option until he got injured. When Bryce Brown stepped in, they couldn't really move the ball on the ground, opening up Mathews and the Chargers for a chance to win. I won 21-20.


If you can change your experience, but you don't... that's your fault.

[PGaither84]

Quote: Originally Posted by Robo COP

sim stats are terrible. What's the point of finding sliders to make the game realistic if the players on your team are going to be the only ones with regular stats come seasons end?

...because you don't play for stats. This isn't baseball. You play for game play. You try to build a champion. If the game is too easy, then winning is hollow.

Colin Kaepernick did something no other QB had ever done in that Green Bay playoff game. The 49ers offense ran for over 300 yards and threw for over 300 yards in one game against the Bills early in the regular season, another first in NFL history. Only two QBs have ever throw for over 5,000 yards before two years ago, then three did it in one season. We hear about crazy stats all the time and records being broken. We don't live for "average" stats. Stats should just be a measuring stick, not the end-all be-all of your game play.

[hyacinth1]

Quote: Originally Posted by allhailben7

Then it's your fault for not adjusting sliders... In my offline Chargers CFM, Mathews just went for 95 yards on 22 carries and Kendall Hunter had 54 yards on 3 carries, with a 47 yard TD on a draw play after passing down the field. I played against the Eagles whose LeSean McCoy 119 yards on 15 carries out of the read option until he got injured. When Bryce Brown stepped in, they couldn't really move the ball on the ground, opening up Mathews and the Chargers for a chance to win. I won 21-20. If you can change your experience, but you don't... that's your fault.

not my fault. I want a game playable out of the box. doesn't have to be 100 percent perfect, but let's say maybe 80 percent? I don't have time to mess with sliders and tweak this and tweak that.

The fault is still with Ea/tiburon, not me or any gamers who want to play a game out of the box that works. is that too much to ask? When I play NBA or The Show, I don't need to mess with any sliders in those games.

[rootofalleli]

Quote: Originally Posted by Bluesman

The simple fact is that the development/testing cycle for this game is not long enough to include everything that is desired and marketed. The decision to either lengthen the cycle or trim back features resulted in the usual decision made by Business in this scenario: neither

Nailed it. Each year has its problems and its strengths, but none of them work very well even after a few patches. Other sports game franchises are more polished with the same development cycle, and I think it's most reasonable to attribute that to better management. I really doubt that EA Tiburon is staffed by a bunch of stiffs while other studios manage to snag all the hard-working talent. But it's pretty easy to believe Tiburon bites off more than it can chew every year.

Obviously games are never perfect. Still, I can't remember the last time I was happy with the franchise experience. Some years it takes a ton of work to set up a franchise (priority sliders FTL) or to maintain it (32 team control w/ editing and UDFA nonsense) or the experience just sucks because of basic failings (sim engine, roster management AI, killer bugs, etc.).

Tiburon just doesn't feel the need to put out a finished product. If they did, they'd have to settle for fewer marketing features (because they chose achievable goals) or less money (because they allotted a sane amount of time to release something a *little* bit polished). Instead their answer is to let the user customize the experience. However, Tiburon doesn't use "customize" the way really good developers do: Tiburon want us to finish their job using tools (settings, ratings, etc) that we barely understand through extensive trial & error. Thus we have thread after thread about how one Madden or another is the "best," depending on which tools different people have figured out how to use adequately.