Madden NFL 25 Connected Franchise Q&A with Josh Looman

[rootofalleli]

Re: Madden 25 Connected Franchise Q&A with Josh Looman

Yeah but he said you can still re-sign guys before they hit FA so how are you not being able to hold onto them?

OK, think of how much you pay Victor Cruz as an RFA. If you don't know, his tender is a little under $3 million. If you look around at some other quality slot receivers, you will see 32 year old Wes Welker signing a 2 year, $12 million deal this year. Percy Harvin's deal with Seattle is for $67 million over 6 years despite his attitude in MN and his migraines, though he certainly is more versatile than Cruz. On the other hand, Danny Amendola is getting $31 million over 5 years despite being made of glass. Marques Colston works out of the slot a lot and recently signed a deal for $40 million over 5 years. Considering that Cruz is younger than Welker and healthier than Amendola, I'm betting he's worth at least as much as Colston and possibly as much as Harvin on the open market. Whether he's worth $8 - $11 million+ per year or "only" $6 million, that's still a much bigger contract than what he gets as an RFA.

Simply keeping Cruz on the team isn't really the point for me. Maybe I have other contracts I have to do now or dead money that prevents me from signing him to a huge deal this year. Or maybe I'm not sold on him as the long-term answer. I'd like the game to make me ask tough questions and give me realistic tools to answer them. I know this kind of decision making isn't everyone's cup of tea, but then again we could say the same about 7th round draft picks, contract details, jersey prices, spending XP for 3rd stringers, and a host of other things that are in the game. We're encouraged to micromanage so many things that have a lot less impact on a team than restrictive free agency.

[BradyFan12]

Re: Madden NFL 25 Connected Franchise Q&A with Josh Looman

Good discussion guys. I am the person that spoke with Josh yesterday and wrote the original article on VSN. Keep the questions coming as we will be having a follow up in a few weeks with either him or Mike Young.

Do you think you can ask him about CPU vs. CPU in Offline CFM? I've been asking this question and it just goes unanswered.

[jpdavis82]

Re: Madden 25 Connected Franchise Q&A with Josh Looman

OK, think of how much you pay Victor Cruz as an RFA. If you don't know, his tender is a little under $3 million. If you look around at some other quality slot receivers, you will see 32 year old Wes Welker signing a 2 year, $12 million deal this year. Percy Harvin's deal with Seattle is for $67 million over 6 years despite his attitude in MN and his migraines, though he certainly is more versatile than Cruz. On the other hand, Danny Amendola is getting $31 million over 5 years despite being made of glass. Marques Colston works out of the slot a lot and recently signed a deal for $40 million over 5 years. Considering that Cruz is younger than Welker and healthier than Amendola, I'm betting he's worth at least as much as Colston and possibly as much as Harvin on the open market. Whether he's worth $8 - $11 million+ per year or "only" $6 million, that's still a much bigger contract than what he gets as an RFA.

Simply keeping Cruz on the team isn't really the point for me. Maybe I have other contracts I have to do now or dead money that prevents me from signing him to a huge deal this year. Or maybe I'm not sold on him as the long-term answer. I'd like the game to make me ask tough questions and give me realistic tools to answer them. I know this kind of decision making isn't everyone's cup of tea, but then again we could say the same about 7th round draft picks, contract details, jersey prices, spending XP for 3rd stringers, and a host of other things that are in the game. We're encouraged to micromanage so many things that have a lot less impact on a team than restrictive free agency.

Maybe you should DM @Josh_Looman on Twitter. These are good points and maybe you can show him why RFA is important and relevant, it sure can't hurt to ask him more about it.

[jpdavis82]

Re: Madden NFL 25 Connected Franchise Q&A with Josh Looman

Good discussion guys. I am the person that spoke with Josh yesterday and wrote the original article on VSN. Keep the questions coming as we will be having a follow up in a few weeks with either him or Mike Young.

For Mike Young, last year on Twitter he asked us after Madden 13 was released, what historic teams or stadiums we would like to see in Madden. I would like to know if this was followed up on and if the historic stadiums we mentioned(Three Rivers, The Vet, Texas Stadium, Fulton County Stadium, Candlestick Park, RFK, etc...) will be in Madden 25.

[SoxFan01605]

Re: Madden 25 Connected Franchise Q&A with Josh Looman

I don't get why Looman would choose to focus on a Tycoon mode and leave the basic Franchise elements the same as M13. What it seems he/they did was address some basic design flaws, like adding a transaction log and added some needed editing ability but there should have been a 2.0 element to wholesale porting HC09. It seems he took the premise of HC09 with regard to player management and applied it to Owner Mode but I don't get doing that before actually completing that premise for player management in M25.

My guess is to cast the widest net for their audience while also sticking their supposed new direction.

In theory (if the supposed dedication to a new focus and direction is to be believed), the goal is continually building upon a foundation. It is in this context that Owner Mode and the reimplemented user control options makes the most sense in 14 as it would be a foundational feature for a significant segment of gamers (which is why I was so vehemently opposed to it not being appropriately addressed in 13, the supposed foundation year).

Following this logic further would suggest that such foundational aspects need to be right before further depth could be properly addressed. Time will tell if a) EA holds true to such direction and b) if they are even capable of satisfactory execution (and based on track record, this is the aspect which, frankly, concerns me most), but this is where I think we are based on a combination of EA's history and stated intentions.

Personally, I would have liked just the basic function of "owner" mode (i.e. the user control) and more focus on more micro level team and league management, presentation and overall aspects that impact immersion in a franchise. For now though, I am cautiously optimistic that EA appears to finally be adhering to some formula of progressive development, even if I'm not completely satisfied with it (or feel that some other underlying issues still persist).

I think I said this last year, but we probably won't know how well this is working until 3-5 iterations into this new shift in focus. Not exactly a confidence-inspiring journey, given EA's track record...lol...but this is what years of mismanagement and constant retools has left us.

[roadman]

Re: Madden NFL 25 Connected Franchise Q&A with Josh Looman

Good discussion guys. I am the person that spoke with Josh yesterday and wrote the original article on VSN. Keep the questions coming as we will be having a follow up in a few weeks with either him or Mike Young.

Mr. Bill;

I hope you go into a more gameplay q @ a with Mike Young.

Please ask him if the AI CPU is much better at playcalling.

2 issues last year.

1. The CPU would run alot on first down. Hardly saw any passing from passing teams like the Saints, Packers, etc....

2. Late game playcalling from the CPU was to put it mildy, atrocious. 2:00 minutes left in the half, CPU trailing by less than 10 points and running out the clock.

Thanks.

[N51_rob]

Re: Madden NFL 25 Connected Franchise Q&A with Josh Looman

Good discussion guys. I am the person that spoke with Josh yesterday and wrote the original article on VSN. Keep the questions coming as we will be having a follow up in a few weeks with either him or Mike Young.

It was a very good read. Your question about ball trajectory and the ints by CBs in a trail position was excellent. Please keep hammering away at them until you get an acceptable answer.

[jpdavis82]

Re: Madden NFL 25 Connected Franchise Q&A with Josh Looman

Mr. Bill,

Also for Mike Young, since he's mainly a presentation guy, I'd like to know the following:

Can you ask him about the camera and replay work in Madden 25? I thought the cameras and replays regressed a little in Madden 13.

What can he tell us about studio pre-game, halftime, post game, weekly wrap up shows for Madden 25, and future versions of Madden on current and next gen? Will we ever see these in Madden on current or next gen? We've been asking for 8 years seemingly to no avail. The Xtra Point tried to deliver this in Madden 10, but was a letdown at best.

What improvements in commentary were made with Madden 25 and what can we expect from the commentary as we move to next gen?

On next gen with "Living Worlds", will the sidelines and crowd be capable of interacting with fans,players,coaches? Will we see a Lambeau Leap in real time, what about players running into coaches or towards the bench on the sideline and jumping over it, players moving out of the way to avoid ball carriers? Will the players on the sideline, clap and cheer, high five each other during big plays dynamically?

[rootofalleli]

Re: Madden NFL 25 Connected Franchise Q&A with Josh Looman

Good discussion guys. I am the person that spoke with Josh yesterday and wrote the original article on VSN. Keep the questions coming as we will be having a follow up in a few weeks with either him or Mike Young.

I really appreciated the detail in the interview - thanks for asking such good questions. In this thread I highlighted some concerns about the Josh Looman's take on RFA, and if you have the opportunity to follow up with any questions about that or about more nuanced roster management options in general, that would be awesome.

[LorenzoDC]

Re: Madden NFL 25 Connected Franchise Q&A with Josh Looman

It was a very good read. Your question about ball trajectory and the ints by CBs in a trail position was excellent. Please keep hammering away at them until you get an acceptable answer.

A lot of that has to do with the way the user QB Accuracy slider is set along with the other side's INT slider. The WR catching slider also comes into play.

If the QBA or WRC catching sliders are very low relative to the other side's INT, a dice roll under the hood may come up with an INT and the ball trajectory animation will reflect this. Likewise, if the INT slider is high relative the the QBA or WRC, you can get these way off target INT's , even if QBA/WRC are pretty normal.

The differences herre get really sensitive: one or two points difference in any of these sliders can turn out to make a HUGE difference. It's really hard to get these just right to get sim results on completion rates, the passing game, turnovers, game scores, etc. And even when you think you have it, because CPU AI is so bad, the user still ends up over powered unless you totally gimp offense in a way that looks totally unrealistic. It's part of a bigger problem with gameplay.

When you get into trying to create sim outcomes with slider changes, you have to play with this stuff and this is what you see. The off the shelf difficulty settings don't do any of this balancing well.

The actual trajectory settings are actually pretty good and varied. But the dice roll feature under the hood can override the physical proximity mechanics between the receiver and the nearest defender, and therefore make the trajectory look way off.

[Big FN Deal]

Re: Madden 25 Connected Franchise Q&A with Josh Looman

My guess is to cast the widest net for their audience while also sticking their supposed new direction.

In theory (if the supposed dedication to a new focus and direction is to be believed), the goal is continually building upon a foundation. It is in this context that Owner Mode and the reimplemented user control options makes the most sense in 14 as it would be a foundational feature for a significant segment of gamers (which is why I was so vehemently opposed to it not being appropriately addressed in 13, the supposed foundation year).

Following this logic further would suggest that such foundational aspects need to be right before further depth could be properly addressed. Time will tell if a) EA holds true to such direction and b) if they are even capable of satisfactory execution (and based on track record, this is the aspect which, frankly, concerns me most), but this is where I think we are based on a combination of EA's history and stated intentions.

Personally, I would have liked just the basic function of "owner" mode (i.e. the user control) and more focus on more micro level team and league management, presentation and overall aspects that impact immersion in a franchise. For now though, I am cautiously optimistic that EA appears to finally be adhering to some formula of progressive development, even if I'm not completely satisfied with it (or feel that some other underlying issues still persist).

I think I said this last year, but we probably won't know how well this is working until 3-5 iterations into this new shift in focus. Not exactly a confidence-inspiring journey, given EA's track record...lol...but this is what years of mismanagement and constant retools has left us.

The bold is exactly what I am talking about and it makes it seem as if somehow Looman and career modes, are not on the same blue print as game play. I keep thinking back to AJ's tweet about career modes future in Madden and basically that Looman is on some other stuff. This seems like the fruition of that warning and I think itcould get worse. The things he is doing with the career mode just seem scattered and all over the place, like what I stated about going from XP, to real world variables for Owner mode.

I hope I'm wrong and he revisits some of the decisions for player management but right now it seems as if he is beyond reason. Meaning, maybe he has wanted to expand on this stuff for so long, now that he finally has the green light, it's just going to be his way, with very little input or difference of opinion from others.

[DeuceDouglas]

Re: Madden NFL 25 Connected Franchise Q&A with Josh Looman

Not this year. To be honest it is not a high priority for me personally. Typically what I do when I am designing stuff is to look at trends around the league or things that are a big deal within the league and try to figure out how to incorporate that into the game. I watch Restricted Free Agency very closely this year and not a single player got signed or even received an offer. If it isn’t being used in the NFL we aren’t spending a lot of time on it for the game. It almost feels like it is a dying part of the league.

This is a bit annoying. I, honestly, don't really care if it feels like a dying part of the league, it's still a part of one of the major events of the offseason. Not to mention the impact it could have on teams. Look at Mike Wallace last year. In Madden, the Steelers would have lost out on him because he would have wanted a huge payday because he's classified as an unrestricted free agent. Instead, they were able to slap a first round tender on him as a restricted free agent, he held out until after the third preseason game, and he ended up playing for them for another year at essentially a discount price. But it's not being used and is a dying part of the league.

And if I wonder if the draft was watched as closely to notice the 32 compensatory picks that get awarded to teams every year. Here's a trend, nine players drafted in the supplemental draft over the last eight years.

[/rant]

Certain things like that just really annoy me. To a certain extent I get it but at the same time, I just don't. It's all good though, because with 32-team control, I'll mock up my own restricted free-agency and compensatory picks!

[gzenius]

Re: Madden NFL 25 Connected Franchise Q&A with Josh Looman

its kinda crazy this is a response from a professional company

I have talked to people a lot about that one. I’ve spent a lot of time based on feedback from the community guys making sure that things like OLB and CB goals have more realistic goals. The issue that we have seen when we try to do this is that the CPU teams gain XP and progress too quickly. We are looking at ways that we can scale stats for next year but it will still be based on 15 minute quarters this year. I’m paying a lot of attention to things like how many tackles you can physically get as a LB in the game. It’s impossible to get 15 tackles per game controlling the LB.

we know the goal is impossible to reach and broken but we couldnt figure it out so we'll deal with it next year

[MrBill]

Re: Madden NFL 25 Connected Franchise Q&A with Josh Looman

Can someone please elaborate on what the new commissioner tools are in the online franchise portion of CCF

I know that the ones that I wanted are not in the game. I specifically asked about the ability to put an owner on auto-pilot through the web and appoint a co-commissioner. When I pressed for an answer on commissioner tools, he mentioned that the restarts stat was something they were looking at but no final decisions had been made.

Do you think you can ask him about CPU vs. CPU in Offline CFM? I've been asking this question and it just goes unanswered.

What is the specific question? You are wanting to just sim a CF?

For Mike Young, last year on Twitter he asked us after Madden 13 was released, what historic teams or stadiums we would like to see in Madden. I would like to know if this was followed up on and if the historic stadiums we mentioned(Three Rivers, The Vet, Texas Stadium, Fulton County Stadium, Candlestick Park, RFK, etc...) will be in Madden 25.

I'll add that to the list for our discussion with Mike.

Mr. Bill;

I hope you go into a more gameplay q @ a with Mike Young.

Please ask him if the AI CPU is much better at playcalling.

2 issues last year.

1. The CPU would run alot on first down. Hardly saw any passing from passing teams like the Saints, Packers, etc....

2. Late game playcalling from the CPU was to put it mildy, atrocious. 2:00 minutes left in the half, CPU trailing by less than 10 points and running out the clock.

Thanks.

I think all of us would like to see improved CPU AI. It will be brought up in our discussion with Mike.

It was a very good read. Your question about ball trajectory and the ints by CBs in a trail position was excellent. Please keep hammering away at them until you get an acceptable answer.

Thanks, we are not afraid to press for answers.

[jpdavis82]

Re: Madden NFL 25 Connected Franchise Q&A with Josh Looman

I know that the ones that I wanted are not in the game. I specifically asked about the ability to put an owner on auto-pilot through the web and appoint a co-commissioner. When I pressed for an answer on commissioner tools, he mentioned that the restarts stat was something they were looking at but no final decisions had been made.



What is the specific question? You are wanting to just sim a CF?



I'll add that to the list for our discussion with Mike.



I think all of us would like to see improved CPU AI. It will be brought up in our discussion with Mike.



Thanks, we are not afraid to press for answers.

Thanks Mr. Bill,
Can you also ask Mike Young about presentation improvements in Madden 25, audio and visual? I know my questions about presentation for this gen and next gen was probably too loaded so I'd simply like to just know about presentation improvements this gen.