350,000 Played Madden NFL 10 Online Once, Then Never Went Online Again

[Valdarez]

Re: 350,000 Played Madden NFL 10 Online Once, Then Never Went Online Again

Online gaming isn't the way of the future, it's the way of the right now.

They want to get you online, because they can make more $$$ that way. They make $$$ from Madden Ultimate Team, they can make money from online advertisements (huge untapped revenue stream there). They WANT the casual fan to get online, they want those revenue streams. One thing I'll say about Peter Moore, he's turned EA Sports from a gaming company, into a business company. So far the results for the gamer are an extremely mixed bag.

[Rocky]

Re: 350,000 Played Madden NFL 10 Online Once, Then Never Went Online Again

I know you meant this comment in the context of Madden, but let's not go overboard here. One of the biggest selling games of all time was Modern Warfare 2. Yes I know that it is listed as THE best selling game of all time, but they use the total dollar amount as the measuring stick and since games cost more than they used to, it actually didn't sell as many copies as some older, less expensive games. Kind of like how Avatar has the top box office title without them factoring in increased ticket prices and the fact that IMAX 3D is even more than a regular movie ticket today, but I digress.

The fact is that most top games today have competitive online at the forefront. Don't confuse these numbers with people not caring about playing Madden online. Plenty do. Even more would if Madden was a better game, so I don't think that they are focusing attention in the wrong area. Like it or not, online is where it is at. Period.

No. Evidently not. If it was where it's at, than a large part of Madden's mantra this year wouldn't be dedicated help to getting gamers to stay online.

Like I said, the top selling online games are subject to 2 or 3 genres. Sports games online have a nice niche, but to alot of people, sports games have been about winning the championship with your favorite team...and have been that way for 25 years.

[Only1LT]

Re: 350,000 Played Madden NFL 10 Online Once, Then Never Went Online Again

They want to get you online, because they can make more $$$ that way. They make $$$ from Madden Ultimate Team, they can make money from online advertisements (huge untapped revenue stream there). They WANT the casual fan to get online, they want those revenue streams. One thing I'll say about Peter Moore, he's turned EA Sports from a gaming company, into a business company. So far the results for the gamer are an extremely mixed bag.

True and not true. There is a difference between going online and playing online.

I think that more of the offline players would be more interested in the online downloadable content. It is mostly geared towards franchise players and would be of little interest to an avid online gamer.

I think they focus on online because they see that online games sell more copies than offline games generally. Not that they don't want to get online content dollars, but to say that this is why they want their game to be an online powerhouse is only partially the truth.

Afterall, the amount of people that buy map packs for a shooter like COD is only a fraction of the number of people that buy the game. Extra money never hurts, but it is the online component that moves the games, more than the online content that they sell that lines their pockets.

[Only1LT]

Re: 350,000 Played Madden NFL 10 Online Once, Then Never Went Online Again

No. Evidently not. If it was where it's at, than a large part of Madden's mantra this year wouldn't be dedicated help to getting gamers to stay online.

Like I said, the top selling online games are subject to 2 or 3 genres. Sports games online have a nice niche, but to alot of people, sports games have been about winning the championship with your favorite team...and have been that way for 25 years.

Again, don't confuse people not playing a game online, with the quality of the product. There are many games in the genres that are known for being online that people don't play online because the game just isn't any good. Haze is a shooter. You won't find anyone playing it online. Are you telling me that's because people don't like to play shooters online?

No matter what you think, online IS where the videogame market is trending. That goes for all genres. You can choose not to believe that if you want. Ask yourself this though. If no one wants to play Madden online, why is this the first time we are hearing this stat?

If they build it, they will come.

[sois]

Re: 350,000 Played Madden NFL 10 Online Once, Then Never Went Online Again

Again, don't confuse people not playing a game online, with the quality of the product. There are many games in the genres that are known for being online that people don't play online because the game just isn't any good. Haze is a shooter. You won't find anyone playing it online. Are you telling me that's because people don't like to play shooters online?

No matter what you think, online IS where the videogame market is trending. That goes for all genres. You can choose not to believe that if you want. Ask yourself this though. If no one wants to play Madden online, why is this the first time we are hearing this stat?

If they build it, they will come.

I disagree. Football fans want simulation. If they didn't, Madden arcade would be flooded with players.

Online, you don't get simulation due to the nature of the beast. Time constraints, anonymity, glitches, ragequits ... etc ruin the simulation experience.

Online will never work for football. I will never play simulation football online again unless there is a guarantee I'm not throwing an hour down the drain against someone who will just glitch disconnect me and give me a loss and not save any of my stats.

The only option now is to join a league which requires commitment and skill. For a casual simulation gamer, online is a wasteland and will always be.

EDIT: This isn't a Madden specific issue. I got the same crap on APF. I want sim football, but I am a casual gamer. I don't want to master the sticks. Offline is what I want.

[ODogg]

Re: 350,000 Played Madden NFL 10 Online Once, Then Never Went Online Again

sois - I completely disagree, online will always be better than offline despite the cheesers due to the fact that we are so far away from ever having AI that can effectively mimic a human being's playcalling and play style. Offline you don't get the true nature of the beast IMO UNLESS you are playing a friend who is sitting beside you.

The issues you speak of are not flaws in the online experience, it's a flaw in the people that you are playing. You do not have to join a league to play others in a simulation style, you simply have to take some time to find friends who play sim style and add them to your friends list. You're at OS, there are a wealth of them here.

[sois]

Re: 350,000 Played Madden NFL 10 Online Once, Then Never Went Online Again

sois - I completely disagree, online will always be better than offline despite the cheesers due to the fact that we are so far away from ever having AI that can effectively mimic a human being's playcalling and play style. Offline you don't get the true nature of the beast IMO UNLESS you are playing a friend who is sitting beside you.

The issues you speak of are not flaws in the online experience, it's a flaw in the people that you are playing. You do not have to join a league to play others in a simulation style, you simply have to take some time to find friends who play sim style and add them to your friends list. You're at OS, there are a wealth of them here.

That's true. For me though, it's a matter of convenience. If I want to play the game NOW, then Offline always gives me that. I guess if I get a big enough pool of casual OSers on my friend list, I can get that, but then I still have to deal with setting up a time to play.

Shooters work great for me online because I can go online NOW, play a game in 15 minutes and then do something else.

[Rashad19]

Re: 350,000 Played Madden NFL 10 Online Once, Then Never Went Online Again

Online gaming isn't the way of the future, it's the way of the right now.

In my youth I would travel to friend's houses or they would come to mine, or I would play my family members, and we would play game after game of Madden. Between going to school full time and working full time, who has time to do that? I know I don't.

People are complaining about playing people online. Do you have friends that you play offline? What is stopping you from playing against them online? You don't have to leave your house. You have your own screen and you don't have to worry about someone stealing plays or looking at your play art. It is just so much better than playing offline.

If you have friends that have the game and have Internet, I don't see why in the world you would want to play offline. Even if you don't have friends that Madden, you're on OS. If you don't want to play cheesers, there are plenty of people on here that you could swap screen names with and play.

I played exactly zero online games of Madden 10, but it has nothing to do with the online experience and everything to do with the game itself. I am a huge online gamer and rarely buy a game that doesn't have an online component. Again, I think these numbers point are more commentary on the quality of the game itself, as cheesers and lag have always been there. To think it's anything else, I just don't see how you could make that claim.

This wasn't directed towards you Rashad. Just using your response as an example.

No offense taken Only1LT! You made your reasoning quite clear and I completely agree with you. In a nutshell human vs. human games which allows you to play against competition worldwide is what competitive gamers clamor for. Too me nothing is more satisfying than defeating a 'Sim' gamer who made me fight for a victory.

As for the casual gamer I truly feel sorry for the EA team. They don't want to take the time to learn and delve into the game but want a satisfying experience every time they boot it up. How can EA make someone like that truly happy when football in it's pure essence is a very in depth and detailed game? I just don't get it.

I agree with Valdarez that getting more people online further bolsters potential revenue gain by EA. I simply choose not to mess with Ultimate Team and AFL DLC. There just not my cup of tea but to each their own. I go online to test my skill set and schemes against others across the world. Not only does it help with my competitive juices but it gives the game longevity when played in it's proper form.

[ehh]

Re: 350,000 Played Madden NFL 10 Online Once, Then Never Went Online Again

Yeah, I'm sure this is a combination of people who rented/gamefly'd the game and those who went online just for a roster update.

[Only1LT]

Re: 350,000 Played Madden NFL 10 Online Once, Then Never Went Online Again

I disagree. Football fans want simulation. If they didn't, Madden arcade would be flooded with players.

Online, you don't get simulation due to the nature of the beast. Time constraints, anonymity, glitches, ragequits ... etc ruin the simulation experience.

Online will never work for football. I will never play simulation football online again unless there is a guarantee I'm not throwing an hour down the drain against someone who will just glitch disconnect me and give me a loss and not save any of my stats.

The only option now is to join a league which requires commitment and skill. For a casual simulation gamer, online is a wasteland and will always be.

EDIT: This isn't a Madden specific issue. I got the same crap on APF. I want sim football, but I am a casual gamer. I don't want to master the sticks. Offline is what I want.

Do they? I know I do. I'm sure you do, but can you say with absolute certainty that that is what the majority of Madden customers want?

Online is a different animal. A huge component of online is about ranking. This is where the cheesing comes into play. People want the ranking. They don't care how they get it. This isn't exclusive to Madden by any stretch. Whether you are talking about glitching in a shooter like COD or cheesing in a fighting game like Tekken or Street Fighter, people will do whatever it takes online to win.

If online doesn't work for Football then it doesn't work for any genre. Football is no different than any other game. There will always be those that want to play online "fairly" and there will always be those that want to "abuse" the game to get the win. I don't care what game you are talking about.

In the end, the glitcher can only glitch as much as the game allows. At the end of the day, most online players want to successful and If the game didn't allow you to be successful by doing un-sim like things, then everyone online would play sim style. There is no doubt in my mind about that.

[Valdarez]

Re: 350,000 Played Madden NFL 10 Online Once, Then Never Went Online Again

True and not true. There is a difference between going online and playing online.

Flashbacks of Clinton... it all depends on what the meaning of is, is.

I think that more of the offline players would be more interested in the online downloadable content. It is mostly geared towards franchise players and would be of little interest to an avid online gamer.

Nah, one does not exclude the other. Their biggest DLC hit, MUT, was geared towards both.

I think they focus on online because they see that online games sell more copies than offline games generally. Not that they don't want to get online content dollars, but to say that this is why they want their game to be an online powerhouse is only partially the truth.

There are plenty of games that have sold very well without online capabilities. Online provides the opportunity for additional sales. All you have to is look at DLC and MUT for proof.

Afterall, the amount of people that buy map packs for a shooter like COD is only a fraction of the number of people that buy the game. Extra money never hurts, but it is the online component that moves the games, more than the online content that they sell that lines their pockets.

For COD, agree. For something like DragonAge, Assassin's Creed, BioShock, or Unchartered, definitely not the case. Even these games want the gamer to be online, so they can push DLC.

[Only1LT]

Re: 350,000 Played Madden NFL 10 Online Once, Then Never Went Online Again

Flashbacks of Clinton... it all depends on what the meaning of is, is.


Nah, one does not exclude the other. Their biggest DLC hit, MUT, was geared towards both.


There are plenty of games that have sold very well without online capabilities. Online provides the opportunity for additional sales. All you have to is look at DLC and MUT for proof.


For COD, agree. For something like DragonAge, Assassin's Creed, BioShock, or Unchartered, definitely not the case. Even these games want the gamer to be online, so they can push DLC.

True and not true lol.

Games like Assassins Creed and Dragon Age are obviously trying to capitalize on DLC by adding more content to the story mode. So that is an obvious nod to what you are saying.

However, games like Uncharted, which you also mentioned, are a nod to what I am saying. There are quite a few games that never had multiplayer components before that are getting them now because the market is such that games with online components are more sellable than those that don't have it. It adds replay value to it. The added value of the online increases sales in general. Even Bio-Shock which you also mentioned added an online component on the second go round. Even GTA IV has online multiplayer.

Like I said, they definitely want to sell you the online content, but the fact that a game has online multiplayer already makes it more marketable, and that's why you see most games with one, regardless of genre.

[NorrinRadd12]

Re: 350,000 Played Madden NFL 10 Online Once, Then Never Went Online Again

Human vs human is so much better when the game is set to All-Madden, especially with 15 min qtrs/25 sec accel. The run blocking is very realistic, the tackles are alot crisper and you can't just throw into coverage. On All-pro the dropped INTs are ridiculous. On All-Madden defense is on point (especially in the flats) and if you're careless and throw into coverage it's getting picked off. To this day I'm still seeing new animations I've never seen before. There's nothing cheese you can do either. The cpu players elminate it.

The game is dumbed down on All-Pro and it's pretty sloppy. When I play unranked All-Madden 15 min qtrs sometimes I'll get a "lobby" player who thinks he can always go for it on 4th down, run around with Vick, throw into coverage, never sub. Then he ends up quitting late in the 2nd qtr when he's losing 24-0 to the Bucs and his entire DL's energy level is red or white.

Letting people play Ranked on All-Madden without paying and giving the option for 15 min qtrs would really improve the online part of the game.

If anyone wants to play tonight friend request me. My GT is NorrinRadd12

[bewoulf]

Re: 350,000 Played Madden NFL 10 Online Once, Then Never Went Online Again

Unfortunately, I am one of the 350,000 Madden fans who did just that. It was very early in the piece and after having issues with LAG, I then came across some petulant kid who liked the taste of cheese. I countered, clawed back with a 24-21 lead and he disconnected. No reward for my hard work. I was done.

Another reason for not playing online as much as I perhaps should is simply not knowing anyone who plays online. If I did, and I think that will change with Madden 11 as a member here, I guess I'd be playing online a lot more.

Their are a ton of people that play online some guys like the ranked games stuff other guys love the online franchise aspect. If you want to play more quality games online join a league they are a lot of fun. I have been playing with some guys for the last 6 years online going back to the ps2 with the spawn game feature which was not perfect but allowed us to have a franchise league and also play practice games with the teams we had built through the draft and free agency. Do not get me wrong it does take some committment but it is well worth it. If they could get online franchise to the point of making it easy to manage for the commissioners of the league and also give us the full on franchise then you would see a dramatic rise in the # of people who would play online. Just a thought.

[Rebel10]

Re: 350,000 Played Madden NFL 10 Online Once, Then Never Went Online Again

Playing competatively (ie, against real opponents) is not fun for anybody who likes to play a football game like how it is played in real life. There is very little risk online for playing uncharacteristic of an NFL team... in real life, if a coach calls 4 consecutive hail marys, and they all land incomplete or get intercepted, the coach is fired. In Madden, not only is there no risk, but the reward often outweighs the risk.. one of those will be caught and one of those will turn into a touch down (maybe this doesn't happen anymore, but it still applies to the other over-used plays like screens in M'10). It's the same with unconventional playcalling in the 4th quarter, and simply taking the ability away from gamers doesn't make sense, but the lack of penalty or punishment for unconventional all reward no risk play takes away from the online component of football games.

Additionally, games simply take too long online. I don't like being in a 1 on 1 chat room with somebody for 50 minutes... having to make passive small talk if we're both on the mic... It is intensely awkward.

NCAA used to allow you to play the OT Drill mode online, and the mode was tons of fun. It'd take anywhere from 5 - 15 minutes and you'd get in a quick game. If Madden could implement an online mode that didn't take such a time committment, I'd like it.

Additionally, there are few ways to have semi-competative fun with friends. The Madden Ultimate Team mode was something that had the ability to be a blast playing with friends, but the Madden crew totally didn't think the whole mode through and you couldn't play against your friends with the mode... it was ridiculous, the one mode that would be the most fun to play with your friends, building a team and having a unique experience... barred you from playing with friends. I wrote about this topic here and how the mode could easily be improved and include that.