Franchise Changes

[XSafety20]

I just wanted to try to get some support for franchise mode. I've noticed that Ian and Co. are much more devoted to these boards rather than the EA forums so...

First, I would like to know how many people actually play franchise mode long enough to want major changes to it.

Second, throw out some changes you'd like to see. Here's mine:

Scouting/Drafting:
-Make scouting during the season exciting. Bring back PS2 2006: make us earn info about the players
-Include the draft preview throughout the season, not just in the offseason. Show rise and fall in prospects' draft stock
-Picky but include the 40, cone, shuttle, vertical, etc. in the prospects' listings: don't make us find it by selecting that individual player
-Make rookie ratings more like PS2 2006 (great prospects are mid-80's, decent prospects are 70s, bad prospects are 50's and 60's). To have Tim Tebow rated at 93 as a rookie is ridiculous, I don't care if he's the best QB in the draft, there were decent talks of him changing to a HB because he would be better as a runner than a passer.
-Draft day trading: have the CPU initiate the trades, not only the user
-Future draft pick trading
-Scouting/Draft help: just like NCAA 09 scouting - assign need to certain positions and certain styles of each position.

Rosters:
-CPU roster movement: have the CPU cut, trade, sign players throughout the season between other CPU controlled teams and user controlled teams. I would love to have the CPU come to me with a trade proposal instead of me going to the CPU or the trading block.
-5 to 10 man practice squad
-Position changes: if I'm at the minimum requirement for a position and I want to move a player to another position, I don't want to be told I can't because it will set me below the minimum. Allow me to move him, but don't allow me to play my next game.
-Have the ability to have a roster larger than 55 players during the offseason - add in roster cut dates
-Custom packages: same as substitutions option in main menu of PS2 2006 version
-Give me the ability to sub in an offensive player into a defensive position which is similar (example: WR subbed in as a DB, OL subbed in as a DL or FB, etc.) for both package substitutions and depth chart
-Larger free agency list: if NCAA 09 can fit 150 70 man teams, Madden should be able to fit 32 55 man teams plus 8740 free agents (70x55 - 32x55 = 8740 extra players)
-Fix contract lengths: Eagles only had less than 10 players with correct contract lengths (example: Reggie Brown's contract doesn't last for only 2 more years, it lasts for 9). I'm sure this is the case for many other teams as well in Madden

Strategy:
-Game-plans: PS2 2006 version of Madden (e-mails too-PS2 2006)
-Bring back training camp and lower the ability to train players up to five times throughout the season: bring it down to 2 times a season for players who weren't used in training camp
-Player hot/cold streaks (NCAA 09). If a player gets on a hot streak: boost his ratings while he's on the streak, it he's on the streak long enough ("long enough" is TBD) boost his ratings permanently and vice-versa for cold streaks but add in more cold streaks than NCAA 09 (if they exist - I have yet to have one)
-Crowd factor (12th man): like NCAA 2009 (example: Cowboys at Eagles in Week 17)
-Contracts: have actual negotiations with players on why you want to pay them less (example: Tom Brady taking less money for more playmakers to win more games)
-Timeouts: when a timeout is called, coach the players (NCAA 09)
-Challenging: if I want to challenge a bogus play-let me
-Ice the kicker (NCAA 09)

Presentation:
-Pre-season, regular season, playoffs, superbowl, pro-bowl should all be distinguishable by presentation (commentary, field art, field atmosphere, crowd)
-Refs/Chain gang: rumored to be back, but I don't want rumors, only facts matter
-Commentary: have the commentators pronounce players' names correctly! (Quentin Mikell - Mikell as in MICHAEL Jordan, Kevin Kolb - Kolb as in Corn on the COBB)

Gameplay and Miscellaneous:
-Fix speed differences between players (example: Brian Westbrook should be able to burn Backers and D-Linemen, Asante Samuel should be able to burn O-Linemen). Make it more like NCAA 09
-Bring in off-field issues (example: TO)
-Ability to move more than one man into motion
-Accelerated play clock
-Updates from around the league (in game and main menu)
-Progression/Regression: use idea above under strategy (3rd bullet) - Player hot/cold streaks.
-Beginning Franchise Option: Give us the choice of when we would like to start our franchise. Let us pick between starting the franchise in the start of the pre-season (as it is now) or starting in the beginning of free agency of last off-season when all of the new roster/coaching moves are beginning; maybe we wanted our team to sign that big free agent, make that huge draft day pick, or trade for a huge playmaker. Start us out at day 1 of the off-season after the pro-bowl and let us roll. Have the CPU teams make the same decisions as their real-life counter parts, but if I want to try to sign Albert Haynesworth let Haynesworth decide between my offer and the Redskins' offer. Same with trades, cuts, etc.

I know this is an enormous list, but I've been holding this all back for a long time. Hopefully Ian will see this.

I've highlighted my 10 most important improvements in bold.

Does anyone know when franchise info will start coming out?

[Derrville]

awesome stuff man

[ST2SC]

See this like combining both Madden and Head Coach. And that would be awesome!

[FadeEmAll]

Once again we get a post from a first time poster rehashing what everyone else has already said a million times with absolutely no new insight. Nice list man, however, everything you posted has already been listed in the WISHLIST where it belongs a million times. Please try to read a few posts before clogging up the boards.

[salbowski]

nice ideas.... certainly wouldn't object to any of them appearing M10...****ns of the popular paradigm of copying and pasting head coach with actually gameplay (i for one would accept that entirely as franchise update for m10).
Can't say the poll was the most imaginative i've seen but nice ideas.

ps. i'd be interested to see if anyonee actually says they don't pay franchise?!?!

[XSafety20]

I'm really high on the Progression/Regression idea here, I think if it were more sensitive than NCAA to cold streaks, and a little less sensitive to hot streaks, this would be a great way to get rid of their current progression/regression issues all together.

I also think the option to choose when to start a franchise would be great as well and would bring in a lot more players. Think about it, (if you follow a team in detail) how many times did you want your team to make a specific trade or sign a specific free agent? I've seen so many players saying that they've spent all this time simming through every single game to get the same exact records just so that the draft order is right; or people who have done the same thing for free agency. It's amazing how much time people spend to make things authentic. Why not introduce that into the game and allow it to be customizable for the ultimate fan?

And I know a lot of these are repetitive, but I just wanted to sum it all up into ones I think are most important. So I apologize if this post got on anyone's nerves.

[Outkizast]

Quote: Originally Posted by XSafety20

And I know a lot of these are repetitive, but I just wanted to sum it all up into ones I think are most important. So I apologize if this post got on anyone's nerves.

Ya you are pissing me the crap OFF right now...

but anyways on to brighter notes i agree i cant wait for a game with SWEET progression and regression... I always create myself in the game and make my rating really low (because i'm a rookie, i shouldnt be GREAT).. and i expect to get better over time... but regardless of my stats i dont go up all that much... but i guess i'm getting the stats anyways so it doesnt matter right?? i dont know what i'm doing with my life.....

[SwayGod53]

Quote: Originally Posted by FadeEmAll

Once again we get a post from a first time poster rehashing what everyone else has already said a million times with absolutely no new insight. Nice list man, however, everything you posted has already been listed in the WISHLIST where it belongs a million times. Please try to read a few posts before clogging up the boards.

wow....what a nice welcoming....