Madden 12 Online Communities and Beyond

[ChaseB]

We posted a lot of stories about Online Communities in Madden 12 yesterday, but I wanted to write one more feature about these Communities to better explain and detail a couple elements at work here. So hit the jump to read a bit more detailed look at what Online Communities is trying to accomplish in Madden 12 and beyond.

Read More - Madden 12 Online Communities and Beyond

[RUFFNREADY]

Sounds like you all have given this OC thing a second glance or chance; and are encouraging us to try it out.
I hope this doesnt have anything to do with Operation Sports being billboarded within Madden12...? lol
cheers

[vln13]

Wait, there is an in game ticker? Are they just talking about the NFL.com ticker in the menu or have they added that to games? If so, another much needed element from NFL 2k5 haha.

[labguy]

My question remains why add a new feature and neglect a current feature that is incomplete? Oh for the second straight year by the way.

I don't think the online community feature is the worst idea EA has ever had ( I reserve that for Madden IQ and pretty much everything else from '09). I just question why you would not push it to next year and finish online franchises that they boasted about for '10 and have abandoned. I'm sorry but I do not see this feature taking off like the NHL one.

I certainly don't think it is a good business practice to put in a feature that is incomplete. Admit it is incomplete. Talk about how you are excited to finish it (server side) and then ignore it for TWO years. For that they have lost my respect FOREVER. Fortunately for them they will not lose my business because I love football gaming too much and there is no other game in town.

[DaSmerg]

For this long, long time customer of the Madden series, it's really a trust issue now. Do I trust that this will be a fully functioning feature addition to Madden or will this be another half done feature thrown into the game that's just going to disappear in 2 years? Do you?

Is this "Community" feature really going to be that much of a revelation in online Madden gaming or is it something else that we'll just have to skip through to get to the good old lobbies?

Put another way, I know with a fairly high level of certainty that there would be keen interest and vibrant discussion just here @ OS about a robust Online Franchise system, at the very least equal to it's sister game in NCAA.

Anyways, congrats to OS on being in Madden at release.

[Danimal]

Re: Madden 12 Online Communities and Beyond

Why do I feel everywhere I turn I'm getting the hard sell on how wonderful this feature is?

Perhaps there is already concern thanks to the lukewarm reception. I think it is telling this huge announcement garnered only a small thread of discussion and most of it wasn't positive.

I see the point of the feature and what they are trying to accomplish but it's really not an excitement worthy announcement IMO.

[at23steelers]

Re: Madden 12 Online Communities and Beyond

Why do I feel everywhere I turn I'm getting the hard sell on how wonderful this feature is?

Perhaps there is already concern thanks to the lukewarm reception. I think it is telling this huge announcement garnered only a small thread of discussion and most of it wasn't positive.

I see the point of the feature and what they are trying to accomplish but it's really not an excitement worthy announcement IMO.

You're 100% right. This feature was really hyped up at E3, saying this feature will change online gaming forever. Just like a lot of their features, it doesn't reach all the hype given to it. Still seems like a decent feature though.

[GiantBlue76]

Re: Madden 12 Online Communities and Beyond

Why do I feel everywhere I turn I'm getting the hard sell on how wonderful this feature is?

Perhaps there is already concern thanks to the lukewarm reception. I think it is telling this huge announcement garnered only a small thread of discussion and most of it wasn't positive.

I see the point of the feature and what they are trying to accomplish but it's really not an excitement worthy announcement IMO.

I couldn't agree more with this. I feel like it's groundhog day with this team. Every year they make a massively huge screw up with priority, they acknowledge the screw up at the start of the following year's cycle, then proceed to make yet ANOTHER large screw up topping the year before. The majority of people who play online ranked games were fine with the lobby system they had. They are a win at all costs type of crowd. They already had what they needed, because they will play against anyone, it doesn't matter. As an older gamer who has been playing football games since the stone age, and has had an xbox for 11 years, this is something I already have. I have a friends list which I use to play guys frequently. I already know how they play and that I will get a good sim game. What I really needed was a rich, robust online franchise mode to allow that group of friends to enjoy madden together the way we have wanted for years now. Online franchise is not just for leagues. I want to be play with a few friends. I still can't do it. Sometimes I feel like working at Tiburon must mean that you live on a different planet. The most logical ideas and thought processes seem to be completely absent. The announcement coming with this said that it would completely revolutionize how I played Madden. That announcement in itself is absolutely unbelievable to me. This is nothing revolutionary, and I can already see the problems that will arise from this. There will be tons of issues with people getting booted from communities that shouldn't be and people being added to communities that shouldn't be.

[ChaseB]

Again, not trying to sell anyone on the idea, simply was trying to point out some of the options and things it allows -- and what in general has been added to Madden's online area this year.

More or less, much like with everything else in the gaming world, I just want it to get a fair shake.

[lofeazy]

Re: Madden 12 Online Communities and Beyond

Why do I feel everywhere I turn I'm getting the hard sell on how wonderful this feature is?

Perhaps there is already concern thanks to the lukewarm reception. I think it is telling this huge announcement garnered only a small thread of discussion and most of it wasn't positive.

I see the point of the feature and what they are trying to accomplish but it's really not an excitement worthy announcement IMO.

I totally argee.Only thing they did(EA) was make a better friends list.WOW

But we knew the hype was coming for this feature.

[siznit]

Re: Madden 12 Online Communities and Beyond

They just said on the Ustream that the Online Communities are replacing lobbies. I feel like there is going to be a lot of boosting with this replacing the original lobbies. Hopefully it doesn't but I guess we will just have to wait and see when the game releases.

[Danimal]

Re: Madden 12 Online Communities and Beyond

Again, not trying to sell anyone on the idea, simply was trying to point out some of the options and things it allows -- and what in general has been added to Madden's online area this year.

More or less, much like with everything else in the gaming world, I just want it to get a fair shake.

I wasn't trying to imply that you were selling me on it. Just in general everything I have seen posted everywhere is like one big regurgitation of a press release. Part of the reason for that feeling is I doubt anyone has seen this feature in action.

[ODogg]

This sounds like a really great feature and by far is the one thing I'm really most excited about since I am a big online guy but have a hard time finding noncheesers (since most of my friends are NCAA football gamers and not Madden gamers). I really do agree with EA here that this could be a huge feature that will change online and probably get much more people into online gaming.

I have been saying for years I wanted a way to play against friends and have a record from doing so that is separate from when I play random games. Whenever I play my friends we'd always want to play 7 minute games so we'd have to do unranked. Having a record now versus my friends and being able to customize sliders, minutes, etc is HUGE in my book..

[RogueHominid]

"Anything you can do offline in terms of customization you should be able to do for head-to-head games in an Online Community."

"Should" is not a confidence-inspiring word in this context, given that the whole point of the feature is an unprecedented ability to customize the online experience. Was that a typo for "will," or has EA not been clear on exactly what you can customize when you set up your Community?

[ebugaloo]

Checking....checking...nope, still bitter about the Online Franchise. And even more insulted by this OC crap that was probably cobbled together in an afternoon. Congrats on Operation Sports being in the game, though.