Madden 2010 News Post

Madden NFL 10 Blog: Franchise Mode Improvements

06:28 PM - April 6, 2009 by buddyhobbs321813

EA has just posted another Madden NFL 10 blog. This one covers franchise mode improvements.

Quote:


	"This week I wanted to give you an update on what we�re addressing in franchise mode this year. We�re probably going to have a few blogs about franchise mode from now until August, so I�m just going to touch on a couple of things we�ve been working on since I joined the team. One thing we learned on NFL Head Coach �09 was that in order to have a great franchise mode, you need a solid base. You wouldn�t put a 2nd or 3rd addition on your house if the foundation is crumbling, right? Since our �foundation� is the logic behind every decision made in franchise mode, we knew we really wanted to address that foundation before anything else major was applied. I know some folks may be expecting the entire NFL Head Coach �09 game to be dropped into Madden this year, but that�s not going to happen. We have a lot of work to do and it�s going to take us some time to start with the core of franchise mode and take it where we all want it to be. I�ll break down some of the problems we�ve encountered so far and talk about how we�re addressing them below."

Game: Madden NFL 10Reader Score: 7.5/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS3 / Wii / Xbox 360Votes for game: 76 - View All

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Member Comments

# 101 PGaither84 @ 04/06/09 09:46 PM

I think it would be worth looking into. If ERTS drops a little more it may be worth jumping in early to secure lower prices as in about 5 months we should expect a major increase after Madden 10 hits store shelves.

# 102 PGaither84 @ 04/06/09 09:47 PM

You can clearly see here that when madden 09 dropped there was HUGE hit in EA's stock. however there has been a huge finacial crisis since then as well.

The week of 8/25/2008 was the last "high" for Ea and it has quickly gone down hill from 48.81 to the now 19.69

However, you can tell that the wek of 3/02/09 to 3/30/09 it has gone from 15.31 to the now 19.69 I hope all of this helps us Madden gamers understand what confidence and small impact Ian and his crew may be having on the trading floor.

# 103 N51_rob @ 04/06/09 09:50 PM

Nothing earth shattering but overall there were some really nice thing mentioned in the blog. Can't wait to hear more infomation about franchise mode.

# 104 Step2001 @ 04/06/09 09:54 PM

Players in the draft.

Too many Good players in the Undrafted category in Head Coach!

The gems need to be hidden more.

Please don't release a strategy guide with a listing of who's good. Defeats the whole purpose of scouting.

ax - the draftable player comparisons to a NFL player. To many people that played H.C. were using this to get good players. The better the player was compaired to gave them an idea how good theplayer would be.

This is were a scouting staff would come in. Each teams scouts have different opinions on players. You have a good staff, you get good info. Bad staff, you get weak info.

-----------------
Playbook knowledge is always key. Some players pick it up. Some take awhile. Hopefully that makes, but with a tweak.

Too many players were losing the knowledge they accumulated. Players don't just lose it that fast, they have to be really stupid. Just like riding a bike? Once you learn you never forget.

Signing a player in free agency - Playbook Knowledge should come in to play.
It's usually the terminology that is the difficult learning curve. Some player pick it up quick, others need the off-season to get on the same page.

# 105 seveb @ 04/06/09 09:55 PM

What kcarr said.

Now, I'm generally a little confused by progression influenced heavily by production, but I accept that that's the way it is. But I have a question for the guys who don't want players to decline with age if they have a great season.

Imagine I have a great 29 year old running back. Total stud. Presumably, he'll have a great year. So you guys would have him come back as good (even improved!) the next year. One would think he'd have another awesome year (because he's awesome), so no decline again. So when do these guys ever decline? It would seem 30 something running backs would dominate the league, not be some rare exception (I really think you guys overestimate how often a 30 something is any good-its like Curtis Martin for one year and that's it-for reals). It would break the whole system and be unrealistic, unless I'm misunderstanding your angle, which is quite possible because I am stupid.

# 106 PGaither84 @ 04/06/09 09:55 PM

You can see in his chart the Stock of ERTS in the last 5 years adn what has come of EA since the Exclusive licensing deal. Keep in mind that Madden isn't the only thing EA makes, but it is one of it's largest and highest selling products.

In the second chart we will also notice the stock of EA prior to the exclusive licensing deal and afterwards in this 10 year chart.

# 107 kmart2180 @ 04/06/09 09:56 PM

Great read and once again there steadily progressing foward. I am more excited for this game than any game ever created. Every monday Ive got to be the only person at work with the biggest smile on my face. Love mondays now lol

# 108 ch46647 @ 04/06/09 10:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kmart2180


	Great read and once again there steadily progressing foward. I am more excited for this game than any game ever created. Every monday Ive got to be the only person at work with the biggest smile on my face. Love mondays now lol

What he said!

# 109 Step2001 @ 04/06/09 10:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seveb


	What kcarr said. Now, I'm generally a little confused by progression influenced heavily by production, but I accept that that's the way it is. But I have a question for the guys who don't want players to decline with age if they have a great season. Imagine I have a great 29 year old running back. Total stud. Presumably, he'll have a great year. So you guys would have him come back as good (even improved!) the next year. One would think he'd have another awesome year (because he's awesome), so no decline again. So when do these guys ever decline? It would seem 30 something running backs would dominate the league, not be some rare exception (I really think you guys overestimate how often a 30 something is any good-its like Curtis Martin for one year and that's it-for reals). It would break the whole system and be unrealistic, unless I'm misunderstanding your angle, which is quite possible because I am stupid.

I understand the concept. But every player does not just crash when they turn 30!
Some lose some quickness and maybe some speed.

We have seen Rb's (Eddie George and Shaun Alexander) just hit a wall.
But then rb's that have little wear on them continue to produce. But i'm not saying that those players have not lost a step. You just don't see it.

In 2007 T.O. had a good year. Jerry Jones signs Owens to a contract exstension. Owens struggles in 08. Clearly he has lost some quickness at age 35 yrs.
This slows him when he get's jammed at the line. His speed is still there, but the quickness hampers him getting open.

It has to be spread out. OL tend to play at a top level into there mid 30's!

Wear and Tear has to play a roll.

Older Rb's still have a roll. They may not be able to carry the load anymore. But the RB's with the right tools (catching and blocking) can continue to be a 3rd down back (ala Marcus Allen).

But that is a rarity and had more to do with him riding the bench in L.A.! Lessening the wear and tear & keeping him more healthy for being an older back.

# 110 Blkcanes @ 04/06/09 10:25 PM

I am having mix feelings about this right about now. I'll wait for some more Franchise blogs before I post my opinion on Madden 10. Idk for others but this is what lets me know if I want to buy this game. I wondering if they are going to talk about When a team gets a new coach that runs a different System. either it be on the O side or the D side does it change when the new coach comes in? and 10 points for a good season seems to be a bit high 5 sounds better to me, it's not to high and not to low, and during the season like maybe a point if they are having a good year. Or we have a rookie that is a super star by his second year usually takes a bit longer.

# 111 seveb @ 04/06/09 10:36 PM

Step2001,

Doesn't really sound like we disagree that much. The 30 year wall is pretty much a RB thing. Some positions play well longer.

On the whole, I'm just happy that it sounds like most players primes will be 25-30 or so cause that's just how it is for most positions and most players. I do hope that exceptions are possible.

# 112 seveb @ 04/06/09 10:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by salbowski


	They mean regress right?!?!? Cos digress doesn't make sense unless he means older players will develop some form of alzheimers and start changing the subject randomnly (sic) more often.

# 113 Step2001 @ 04/06/09 10:49 PM

Kurt Warner 2nd in the league in Passing Yards

Thomas Jones 5th in rushing yards

Tony Gonzalez
Terrell Owens
Santana Moss
Hines Ward
Derrick Mason
Donald Driver all in the top 20 and over 1000yds receiving

I can continue to dig and find 30 something players still producing. Have they all lost some quickenss or a step, no doubt. But they are still producing.

Again, some hit the wall & there career's are over. Other slow down at a slower pace.

Exceptions on both ends.

# 114 Spartan_1 @ 04/06/09 10:50 PM

This is the first sign that things are coming back to reality.

"Younger players will progress quickly if they play well"

You kinda left that one a little open. I hope this means that if they play Poorly that they will still progress. Just not as quickly?

I would just like to add one comment that hopefully gets consideration since this blog sounds like some issues are still tbd.
Player Potential should be just that. POTENTIAL. Meaning thats it, that's the max, nothing more. This includes every possible scenario of a player given the best excersice program, best coaching, best steroids or whatever. Please do not allow a player to go above his potential because of a coach. A better coach may allow a player to actually achieve his full potential but the Potential had to have been there or it would be impossible. Think about it.

Also, I agree with some of the other posts. Do away with the scripted drafts players. Random players work just fine. Let a players Potential be the signal to the draft day speeches if you really think you need that. Which IMO is a waste of time anyway.

# 115 Step2001 @ 04/06/09 10:53 PM

No one is complaining. Just voicing opinions. Hopefully the devs read.

Just don't want to see 30 something players across the board (at all postitions) crash and burn.
Because that's not the case.

But more likley happening to the RB position. Most likely caused by wear and tear on the players body.

Again looking forward to hearing more from Looman and Moore

# 116 lightning_78 @ 04/06/09 10:55 PM

I remember in last-gen Franchise a QB's arm strength never regressed until the player hit 16 years of experience and that only their speed and agility would drop after 10 seasons or so until they retired.

I'm hoping that QB progression has a player's arm strength lowered 1-3 points every season so that QBs eventually do become washed-up (Mark Brunell, Brett Favre at the end of his career). But make it so guys that don't have elite arm strength to begin with (Pennington, Garcia) are able to keep their ratings (mid-80s in the old ratings system) for 10-12 years. Just like a fast WR may lose a step when they get into their 30s but guys that weren't burners early in their careers (Driver, Toomer) can play much longer because of their agility and technique.

So what I'm basically saying is that we should see more regression from speedy and athletic guys (Owens, M. Harrison) than guys like Driver and Rice (who have elite agility, hands, and technique) so that we have guys that may play 15-18 seasons.

Also I hope that the dev team took out the "set" retirement ages for each position. I hate having Warner throwing for 4500 yds and 30 tds, or some back-up defensive end who's a 14-year-veteran come in and have 12 sacks but have both retire because they're "38".

'End rant'

# 117 Bgamer90 @ 04/06/09 10:56 PM

This is what I was going to post in the thread that I made (but it has been locked)...

I was expecting a little bit more from the blog too but I'm not going to complain about it. Why? Because it's early and they are going to say more about the game in upcoming months. There's absolutely no reason to hate this early since again... we could be getting practically no news at all during this time which was the way it was in previous years.

# 118 Bump101 @ 04/06/09 11:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seveb


	I don't get it. Guys produce because they have good attributes, not vice versa. I think everybody is harping on age 30 because he mentioned that for RB's, and I imagine other positions have different ages where decline becomes likely. But seriously, football is a young man's game. At most positions, guys on the wrong side of 30 might not be finished, but they're past their prime. The wider range of ratings should help, since a great player can fall off a bit and still be very good, but he'll still fall off. Brainy players will be less affected because awareness and technique won't be hurt... I hope there are rare exceptions, but they should be just that - rare. Just because my guy just had a great year doesn't mean he's still not one year older and one year more beaten up. Just got an idea (obviously won't make it this year), but what if, for example, the amount of career carries a RB has factors into his decline? A guys whose carried the load for 7 or 8 years might have not have anything left, but you might be able to squeeze a couple more years out of a guy who was a late bloomer and rode the pine when he was young. The Durability rating could also play a role. Just a thought.

The thing that's bothering me is the "will decrease a warp speed" comment. So basically, once a player(running back or any position for that matter) turns 30 it's all downhill for that player and it should not be that way. If that's the case, then it would be no Kurt Warner type season from a player in madden 10 franchise.

Look at it this way, when madden 10 is release, Kurt Warner probably is going to have a 90 overall rating or higher. Yet, if we were going off of the new madden 10 logic, if Warner have the kind of season he had in real life, in the first year of franchise in 10, his rating would either decrease "at warp speed", or he probably would retire, just because he's over 30. It just doesn't make sense. I mean if a player get old, I can see him decreasing in certain physical ratings such as spd, acc, agl, etc. But to say a player is going to fall off at warp speed because he turns 30 is crazy.

A player should be judged by what he does on the field as well as other factors. But to say a player is going to decline just because he turn 30 makes no sense. I can put together a list of players in the nfl that's over 30 and still playing at a high level.

And one more thing. There should be some type of way to talk a player out of retirement. The cpu should not decide when one of my players are going to retire. I should at least have a chance in talking my players in to coming back for another year.

# 119 kcarr @ 04/06/09 11:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mofficial


	Quote: Donny Moore did a lot of good work with progression prior to my joining the team and I�ve been able to keep tweaking it since. Here are the major changes we�ve made so far: � Older players will digress much faster. In fact, when a running back hits 30, he�s going downhill at warp speed. =[ Can players below an elite status go downhill at "warp speed" and elite players just go down a noticeable speed? like decrease over the span of 2 years or so? ... I'm probably biased but i am not looking forward to LT retiring or being no good after my first season in franchise mode this year. Also, can there be like a rating or something for regression? so that way if a player knows he can keep going for a couple more seasons (like Brett Favre and his 23 retirement false alarms) then they won't regress as easily and even if they are old, they won't retire? And on the reverse side if a player is relatively old and knows that they are really regressing, could this make their retirement more inevitable? just some more food for thought. At any rate, GREAT POST! I LOVE WHAT I'M HEARING!

Ok, first off I wanted to point out the fact that he said running backs at that age. They probably therefore realize other positions don't take the same high impact beating that running backs take.

As far as LT goes, I see him probably still being borderline elite, low 90s, his first season. Even if he regresses really harshly (10 points overall) that still makes him low 80s which with the spread out ratings should still be good enough to be effective in a lot of situations. Especially in the case of LT and guys like westbrook their catching ability, their vision, and their leadership and awareness abilities should really allow them to maintain a role on the team for a couple more years.

Sure, when he drops down to an 82, hopefully with lower endurance/stamina/injury type ratings, you will want to start looking to use him less. Maybe lowering his carries more and more, getting a replacement ready, and trying to protect him from taking the beating of trying to run 20 or 25 times a game. This forces you to play more to their strengths once they start to decline if they want to still make the proper impact, somewhat like how bettis was used primarly in short yardage situations at the end of his career.

# 120 cedwebb @ 04/06/09 11:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lightning_78


	We mean that though a lot of guys do drop off around age 30, there are guys like Thomas Jones (who rushed for over 1300 yds and 12 TDs if I remember), Jerome Bettis when he was playing, and guys like LT and Westbrook who are either or almost 30 who are all still playing at a high level. We don't want our 29-year-old HB who just rushed for 1800 yds and 25 TDs (aka Priest Holmes in 2003 when he turned 30) to have that kind of season and then drop from a 97 OVR to a 92 OVR just because he turned 30. Though that's where the potential rating could come in handy if done correctly.

Yeah I hope its not a thing where as soon as they are 30 the switch goes off and boom..your RB dies. I don't think they would do that but at the same time I do want to see a decline in players over 30. What will be KEY I think in this is that even though you have older players, and they loose some physical attributes causing a decline in overall rating, the other ratings such as AWR or experience become a factor. Older players can play longer and lose speed because they become smarter. I hope this is somehow protrayed in 10. I also realize that my 31 year old LB is going to start to lose a step(Ray Lewis) but they should still be able to contribute because of there experience. I would love it if we could sign them vets to a one year deal because they have high AWR to fill a spot until I find a younger fix. They should drop from say a 94 to a 89 just because they loose that speed and acceleration. I hope thats what they are getting at.

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