Every single person in this specific forum is a football fan. We love football, we love to follow it. Every year, we get excited at the start of the season. And there's one underlying reason: the questions of how your team will do this year! "How will the kid play? Will the defense improve? Let's see what the new FA signings can do." We all want to find out how this year's team is going to perform.
Now, with Madden, you might be a franchise guy, or an online guy, or something. But nobody ever says "I don't watch football on Sundays. I just read about the off season transactions." When Sunday rolls around, you watch football! When the rookie hits your team, in Madden, there is no question of what he can do. Look at his ratings. You know what he can do. Is the rookie better than the vet? Look at his ratings. There's no mystery, there's no wondering what the team can do.
EA hit the nail on the head when they thought of "any given Sunday." THAT is why we watch football. Because on any given Sunday, anything can happen. We want to see what the rookie QB can do, we want to see the new 3-4 defense in action. But in Madden, it's ratings. Will the rookie make the throw? Do some math and find out. I don't know about you, but math is boring.
I think the devs are on the right track in trying to simulate this "any given Sunday" idea. It's a step in the right direction. But really, so long as we can simply look at a list of ratings and compare players, that mystery isn't going to be there. I like what they're trying to get at with preseason, and hidden ratings. I like that. Traits help define players and give them more character. It helps extend a player beyond a list of values. Evaluating a team is very crucial to a franchise.
What's the answer? I'm not sure. I can't say "hide all the ratings" because boy would that be crazy. But I think if the devs want Madden to get closer to real football, then a philosophical change is needed in regards to how player performance is "calculated." This goes beyond RBP, oline/dline play, and animations. It's about the core value of football itself and why we watch football in the first place. Now don't take this the wrong way, I'm PUMPED for Madden 12. I loved Madden 11. I'm going to rock the franchise mode of M12 until my eyes are blood shot. Anybody who has talked with me on this forum knows I'm jazzed for M12. But you can't stand still, and nothing great comes from stagnation.
Now, with Madden, you might be a franchise guy, or an online guy, or something. But nobody ever says "I don't watch football on Sundays. I just read about the off season transactions." When Sunday rolls around, you watch football! When the rookie hits your team, in Madden, there is no question of what he can do. Look at his ratings. You know what he can do. Is the rookie better than the vet? Look at his ratings. There's no mystery, there's no wondering what the team can do.
EA hit the nail on the head when they thought of "any given Sunday." THAT is why we watch football. Because on any given Sunday, anything can happen. We want to see what the rookie QB can do, we want to see the new 3-4 defense in action. But in Madden, it's ratings. Will the rookie make the throw? Do some math and find out. I don't know about you, but math is boring.
I think the devs are on the right track in trying to simulate this "any given Sunday" idea. It's a step in the right direction. But really, so long as we can simply look at a list of ratings and compare players, that mystery isn't going to be there. I like what they're trying to get at with preseason, and hidden ratings. I like that. Traits help define players and give them more character. It helps extend a player beyond a list of values. Evaluating a team is very crucial to a franchise.
What's the answer? I'm not sure. I can't say "hide all the ratings" because boy would that be crazy. But I think if the devs want Madden to get closer to real football, then a philosophical change is needed in regards to how player performance is "calculated." This goes beyond RBP, oline/dline play, and animations. It's about the core value of football itself and why we watch football in the first place. Now don't take this the wrong way, I'm PUMPED for Madden 12. I loved Madden 11. I'm going to rock the franchise mode of M12 until my eyes are blood shot. Anybody who has talked with me on this forum knows I'm jazzed for M12. But you can't stand still, and nothing great comes from stagnation.
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