Madden 22 Franchise Mode: Improvements Are Only a Step in the Right Direction

[ChaseB]

While franchise mode in Madden games had been stuck in a bit of a holding pattern...

Written By: Kevin Scott

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[jrp1918]

Re: Madden 22 Franchise Mode: Improvements Are Only a Step in the Right Direction

Really good write up.

"players will have a good game because they got better rather than them becoming better players because they had a good game"

This echos how I think about franchise mode progression and the problem I've had with the XP system.

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[threattonature]

One thing that unfortunately has not changed within franchise mode is the way that you will periodically be presented with opportunities to upgrade the dev traits of a player, meaning that you can take a player who currently develops at one rate (star, for example) and then get them to develop at a better rate (superstar, for example) so they can then become a better player faster. The way that you achieve this upgrade is by accomplishing some sort of statistical goal in a game, which has always seemed counterintuitive to how improvement actually happens in real life in my opinion.

Exactly how I feel on the issue.  Great write up overall and fair judgment of highlighting the positives while pointing out areas where they fall short.

[malky]

Franchise presentation needs better immersion as well

[griffkhalifa]

Re: Madden 22 Franchise Mode: Improvements Are Only a Step in the Right Direction

Really good write up.

"players will have a good game because they got better rather than them becoming better players because they had a good game"

This echos how I think about franchise mode progression and the problem I've had with the XP system.

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Both ways are "unrealistic" and I don't really think either one is more realistic than the other. I think the way they do it now makes the most sense. And players don't solely have a good game "because they got better." I can take a 60 OVR player and slot him into the starting lineup and feed him the ball and his stats will increase due to XP gains.

If you sit an 80 OVR rookie and he gets no touches, that doesn't mean he isn't still an 80 OVR rookie that won't progress in practice.

At the end of the day it's a video game and it's impossible to simulate real life "progression". The way they do it is fine imo.

As for the actual writeup -- I'm so tired of hearing "it's a step in the right direction." I swear to god I've read that phrase for 20 years straight regarding Madden. It's called incremental improvements. Sports games have short dev cycles compared to regular AAA games that have multiple years of development; this means all new features and improvements are incremental and seem small, but when you skip a year or two, changes feel bigger.

At this point I think Madden (and most sports franchises) should go to a free-to-play model. It blows my mind people pay $60 (or more) per year for the game and then pay additional to upgrade their MUT teams -- only for their teams to be arbitrarily reset 12 months later, rinse and repeat.

Weird consumer psychology.

[Dagan]

Re: Madden 22 Franchise Mode: Improvements Are Only a Step in the Right Direction

One thing that unfortunately has not changed within franchise mode is the way that you will periodically be presented with opportunities to upgrade the dev traits of a player, meaning that you can take a player who currently develops at one rate (star, for example) and then get them to develop at a better rate (superstar, for example) so they can then become a better player faster. The way that you achieve this upgrade is by accomplishing some sort of statistical goal in a game, which has always seemed counterintuitive to how improvement actually happens in real life in my opinion.

Exactly how I feel on the issue.* Great write up overall and fair judgment of highlighting the positives while pointing out areas where they fall short.

Agreed. I would expect such a thing affects more how the player suddenly wants to be a diva, hold out for a contract negotiation, pull an A A Ron, etc. haha. Player ability increases might should be half goal related but more so in the context of this fatigue system they are trying to implement. As in, if a player can do more in expected lesser than scenarios - say you have the worst O line in the league, but you are a RB that's still tearing it up - that warrants leveling up or the gamer version of being a breakout player..?

[NYJin2011tm]

Re: Madden 22 Franchise Mode: Improvements Are Only a Step in the Right Direction

Practice injuries are nice. But I would like to see random length of injuries from it, not just one game.

[oneamongthefence]

Re: Madden 22 Franchise Mode: Improvements Are Only a Step in the Right Direction

This game really needs holdouts. That's the thing that's missing from scenarios. Would rather have seen this than random retirements. It's a better mode but too much of it is offhands and the players still lack personality. They have personality traits but I don't think they amount to anything. I think they should have taken the gameplanning drills and put them before the preseason and let that stand in as the minicamp. Just a small way to earn a bit of xp and it's not something you wouldn't mind doing since it happens once a year rather than every game.

It is a step in the right direction and I can see myself really enjoying franchise this year once the bugs get ironed out.



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[JimmyK]

Re: Madden 22 Franchise Mode: Improvements Are Only a Step in the Right Direction

Can you or anyone confirm if the OL and DL disparity/issue is still there? I went about 20 years deep and found consistently there are about 2 Superstar OL drafted in that time of every draft. And since they somehow think everyone gets better in a game except a OL, star OL never improved to a SS, and their were no xfactors. So you would have a draft class every year of 5 x factor pass rushers, 8 super stars, 20 stars, all of them get dev games, all improve after a good year, all DE or OLB.

Meanwhile OL in the league are all high 70s and low 80s compared to high 90s pass rushers all over, and they are stuck with no way to improve. I have no idea why they think everyone improves in a single game except OL but I'd love to know there is at least better balance. We had a long standing online league and this issue broke it.

If they aren't going to test this stuff, we should get sliders in our own leagues to fix what would be an easy problem.

[mtmetcalfe]

Re: Madden 22 Franchise Mode: Improvements Are Only a Step in the Right Direction

This game really needs holdouts. That's the thing that's missing from scenarios.

It would be great if this in one of the franchise updates this year!

[kehlis]

Re: Madden 22 Franchise Mode: Improvements Are Only a Step in the Right Direction

This game really needs holdouts. That's the thing that's missing from scenarios. Would rather have seen this than random retirements. It's a better mode but too much of it is offhands and the players still lack personality. They have personality traits but I don't think they amount to anything. I think they should have taken the gameplanning drills and put them before the preseason and let that stand in as the minicamp. Just a small way to earn a bit of xp and it's not something you wouldn't mind doing since it happens once a year rather than every game.

It is a step in the right direction and I can see myself really enjoying franchise this year once the bugs get ironed out.



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Holdouts would be really hard to program in a realistic way, kind of like what we’ve seen with these random retirements. Almost feels scripted and I believe holdouts would be the same way.

I would like to see it, it would be nice if they could do it well but I just think more people would be frustrated with it than they would be happy.

[Hooe]

Re: Madden 22 Franchise Mode: Improvements Are Only a Step in the Right Direction

Holdouts would be really hard to program in a realistic way, kind of like what we’ve seen with these random retirements. Almost feels scripted and I believe holdouts would be the same way.

I would like to see it, it would be nice if they could do it well but I just think more people would be frustrated with it than they would be happy.

The NFL and NFLPA also effectively did away with holdouts in the most recent collective bargaining agreement. The fines issued to a player withholding services from a club are draconian and excessive, the CBA requires teams enforce those fines on players with unexcused absences, and the CBA prevents clubs from rescinding those fines. Players on rookie contracts also are entirely barred from negotiating contract extension until after they accrue three years of league service, if I recall correctly.

Players who want new contracts such as Jamal Adams or Xavien Howard now "hold in", where they go to practice and play games but are actively grumpy hahaha. I think EA could add hold-ins with the Scenario Engine via the application of a ratings penalty - maybe tie that penalty to a player's dev trait increasing at the end of the season in combination with the player's Unpredictable or Spontaneous personality trait - until the player receives a new contract or is moved to a new team's roster, but I also think that requires a better contract system in Madden franchise mode first.

[jrp1918]

Re: Madden 22 Franchise Mode: Improvements Are Only a Step in the Right Direction

Can you or anyone confirm if the OL and DL disparity/issue is still there? I went about 20 years deep and found consistently there are about 2 Superstar OL drafted in that time of every draft. And since they somehow think everyone gets better in a game except a OL, star OL never improved to a SS, and their were no xfactors. So you would have a draft class every year of 5 x factor pass rushers, 8 super stars, 20 stars, all of them get dev games, all improve after a good year, all DE or OLB.

Meanwhile OL in the league are all high 70s and low 80s compared to high 90s pass rushers all over, and they are stuck with no way to improve. I have no idea why they think everyone improves in a single game except OL but I'd love to know there is at least better balance. We had a long standing online league and this issue broke it.

If they aren't going to test this stuff, we should get sliders in our own leagues to fix what would be an easy problem.

Not excusing, but I'm pretty sure O-line not progressing is tied to the XP system relying on what stats players put up. O-linemen don't have any stats besides games played, sacks allowed and pancakes so they don't progress.



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[Hooe]

Re: Madden 22 Franchise Mode: Improvements Are Only a Step in the Right Direction

Not excusing, but I'm pretty sure O-line not progressing is tied to the XP system relying on what stats players put up. O-linemen don't have any stats besides games played, sacks allowed and pancakes so they don't progress.

Offensive linemen have always earned XP in games based on downs played and team offensive output (rushing yards, passing yards, offensive touchdowns, dynamic drive goals, milestone goals).

In addition, Madden 22 has changed XP payouts so that every player on the team earns XP in practice, unlike past Madden games where only two position groups on each side of the ball got practice XP each week.

According to some preliminary research in the Franchise XP slider threads I'm perusing, some are reporting that OL progression in M22 makes the player population at those positions outpace what exists on the stock game roster. So the opposite problem might exist in M22.

[fballturkey]

Re: Madden 22 Franchise Mode: Improvements Are Only a Step in the Right Direction

Really good write up.

"players will have a good game because they got better rather than them becoming better players because they had a good game"

This echos how I think about franchise mode progression and the problem I've had with the XP system.

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk

Absolutely this. If I could have two wishes in Madden the first would be fuzzy ratings (seeing a range where a guy’s ratings are that tightens the more you scout him) and reworked progression.

Reps should matter some. But not stat based progression. It’s totally backward.