EA is Definitely More Serious About Franchise in Madden (Analysis)

I think having to wait to find out rookie superstar traits is wonderful, much more realistic.

Some good stuff in the stream. Better hope in franchise then the last 10 years thats for sure. The stuff I don't see talked about though worries me. Like contracts, salary, trades.
Normally you say they didn't talk about it but common sense said they touched on it. With EA if they don't talk about something and give it some marketing name it didn't change or get touched on.
So what I got from the stream is. There is no changes for contracts, salary, trades. You won't know who won the SB in 2020 in your 2021 season. If a player gets traded you won't know what team he previously played for. You can't offer contract extensions. No good players will hit FA, nobody will ever be available for trade.

Contract Updates
We’ve taken a meticulous pass on existing player contracts to ensure they match the NFL. This will not only be more authentic, but it will also make managing your roster’s cap space more realistic.
The greatest thing that I have read in a very, very long time. Literally the only thing I wanted from this game.

All to be ruined in 2 seasons if the auto backloaded contracts continue to be all you can offer in game. If we cannot offer extensions, restructure deals etc their accurate contracts on base rosters don't really change much in terms of franchise.

So that's exactly what i was afraid of. All of their efforts are completely useless if they didn't redo the entire structure of the game.

At least hopefully whoever did the contract fixing realized that in game "bonus" means guaranteed money not the actual signing bonus. They've been rather hit or miss on that in the past

Interesting that the defense scheme is blocked out????

Excellent read. I am super optimistic that I will at the very least finish a season for the 1st time since Madden 25. Sounds intriguing and immersive.

It's probably one of the new schemes they've been working on that they didn't want to reveal the name of for whatever reason.
It's still crap that you can't set multiple archetypes in schemes for positions like WR & DT.
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^^^^^ THIS......

I will never take them serious until they bring in a PROPER 32 team control for franchise. not a 32 profiles spend all day starting one franchise. to use workarounds.

Yeah that would be nice. I still like what I'm seeing so far with more to come. Best time of the yr besides football season.

Seeing is believing.

I'm pretty sure we see a piece similar to this pop up every year.

I know some might be disappointed or wanted a lot more from Franchise mode. But I'm trying to be optimistic. I think they are stepping into the right direction. I think this is a year where the devs were finally able to take a step back and work on legacy issues with gameplay and Franchise. I rather them get core gameplay and franchise to a solid level before adding more to it. That would be adding layers onto a bad foundation. I would love to see Coach Carousel, but it wouldn't be as satisfying if we are dealing with ton of bugs.
So if they get the core franchise to a solid level this year, I can see Franchise getting a big upgrade next year. Like they said, this isn't a one year plan. This might take 2-3 more years before we get a very in-depth Franchise. My only concern is the transition to next generation of consoles. These last two generations, Madden has taken a step back in Franchise.

THIS. SAYS. IT. ALL.

I just want to get out a thank you for anyone that played a role in all the new franchise stuff for M20. I am so happy. :appl:
M20 and Borderlands 3 just blew me away the last week. I didn't expect much from both.

I'm hopeful that there seems to be a draft experience after seeing the player in QB1 holding up his jersey at the draft. It's something I've been calling for probably over 10 years now. The draft is one of the highest rated events that the NFL puts on. It just seems criminal that it hasn't been a priority in the franchise mode after all these years. My hope is though that the draft experience applies for at least your top pick if you're playing in coach mode as well. Would seem like a huge waste for the draft not to be comprehensive in both modes.
P.S.
EA, the guy should be displaying the back of his jersey with his name, not the front.

I'm fine with the development traits being hidden until the season begins BUT 1) it should be determined by snap counts (both in-game and practice) instead of games; and 2) can we at least get an indication of what it might be (i.e. college GPA and major). Give me their GPA instead of any development traits and I'd be fine.
Hopefully they work on scouting. Why do I not know how fast a player is until he runs the 40 at the combine. There should be an estimated 40 time beginning in Week 5 based on college game scouting. You can watch tape on a player and at least guess how fast a player is. Better scouts mean more accurate estimates. I find myself spending all of my scouting points in the offseason based on 40 times because a guy was labeled a Red Zone Threat but ran a 4.42.

I completely disagree. with this idea of their  re-commitment to franchise. This is a paint job and a bad one so far...You don't come out this underwhelming with a recommitment to a mode. 
- Face of franchise - Longshot repurposed with a link to franchise mode. Reusing franchise screenshots? Text messages? the most boring execution possible, even the player in the screenshot looks bored. 
- The scenario engine feels  like the news section that we end up with bad data and bored with it and ignoring it after game 5. Maybe it helps make things more immersive, but you don't communicate with players via text messages all the time...thats not coaching thats Minimal viable product.  Hold outs, are they in the game or no? 
- X factor traits -  "Boss battles" have no place in football. thats arcade style gaming. Double teaming and scheming does. They just keep changing the dev traits names, no more slow , now its  quick, wait no more quick, now its Factor, it all feels like change for change sake.
-Probowl - When they lead with the probowl you know we're in trouble. This is a MUT Game with helmets. Its all they know.
- Ratings fix? new draft names? - two things you can get from a download in the community and how long will the draft rating last anyway? How about fixing custom draft class issues, not everyone is the best player in the draft. How about a real investment into the draft experience
- Smoother UI - What??  1990s graphics and an uglier UI pulled from MUT. thats a benefit? that screen shot looks like Microsoft paint design
- Contracts - Thank the lord but will it make sense after a few years , you need extensions and 5th year options and restricted FA, or its just lipstick on a pig
- Schemes - Hey they didnt work last year so we made them less of an impact...so what are they there for then? Still not how nfl teams are built. I dont need 5 of the same WR
- Coach mode - nothing, just nothing.of note other than scenario engine which seems like just annoying addons, nothing for team building. Im tired of reading tweets and texts from trey wingo. now just more texts. Like answering questions in owner mode,.. no one cares
- The Draft - How about more than " the giants are on the clock" damn man HeadCoach was the gold standard back in 2009!
I'm just completely underwhelmed and see through the "Recommitment" smokescreen. This is the difference between what companies say and what they do. All of these features are like Longshot and MUT code investments going into franchise. They aren't fixing code on this gen,  it's too late for that investment. Our only hope may just be that they recommit for next gen.

That is a heckuva long articulate hot take. Following.

Yup, except for last year, this in reality is really no more than in years past done for franchise.So i guess they can call it a "recommitment" since last year they just basically gave tunings.

Yes, i agree here. Did they do something? Sure, but was it something big built from scratch in a year, not at all, this is just what they added onto Longshot. So Longshot 3.0

Honestly, ive never bothered reading the stories in our league. They have always bored me . My question is, how many people are going to be "holding out" or demanding trades? While sure its great they added it, but only if it seems realistic. In real life there has been about 4 people maybe in the last two years to do this sorta thing in the NFL? So is it going to result in 10-15 players per season or more doing this ? If so thats way outside the realm of realistic and is overkill. As an online commish, i could see that causing me and our admins a ton of headaches IF its not done correctly. Guess we will have to see, but based on their history of new stuff working right..... ehhhhh i have my doubts.

Agreed. I am not playing Madden to have a boss battle.Changing dev trait names really is not that big of a change , nor is simply tying different animations and ratings boosts to guys with X factor . Sorry , thats not like they did a ton of work there imo. Do i think the real superstars should play different? Sure do. Will this really make them feel like stars, or will it make them feel OP ? Again , have to wait n see.

This is another one. They took something they already had built ( h2h game) and slapped the helmets and unis in and added the option to play it. Its not a brand new whole thing made. However, i am willing to gladly say i was wrong that it would not be playable in online leagues . I was surprised by that addition and will galdly give them props for it :appl: where props is due imo. Eventhough i still may not play it, it was cool they found a way to make it so most in an online league could give it a go if they wanted.So depsite what some may think, i have no issue giving them props where i believe its due.

I for one do like to sounds of them changing players overalls ratings to give a bigger difference feel from average players and stars. I think many here have asked for this for years now. My only two questions on it are:
- Are they going to revert back to the old system of overalls if people start crying their fav player is 60 overall or if the players themselves cry about it?
- I still do not get why this change in and of itself would not be enough to differentiate the feeling of playing with a star player over an average player without the whole X factor stuff? Seems like all that could have just been done in this one step instead of spending time on this and changing the dev trait stuff again too.

Yes, unless they are actually working on adding real options to contracts.... its just makeup or basically a tuning. They dont give a ton of details really in the blog so hard to know , but i have strong doubts about things like your talking about since they clearly didnt mention them.So its kinda a mehhhh addition imo.

Here my first thought was, if your going to make it so people who dont fit a shceme progress faster than last year, what really is the point in schemes at all? It was supposed to be put in so you were trying to find players who fit your scheme to help them and your team improve faster and better. i also agree , you shouldnt need 5 of the same type wrs , but instead of working on a real system to include say 2 deep threat, 1 possesion and 1 route runner. They just took the easy and simple route of , well we wont really penalize you much if you have a guy who dont fit the 1 scheme "fit" we originally put in. So in other words, instead of actually working on what needs to be added and fixed, they just take the shortcut and make it almost pointless to even have in the game at all.

I have to agree. Are there a few things there i like the sounds of ? Sure. But then im quickly hit with the realization of how often EA impliments something well. Im not saying they didnt do anything for franchise, that would be foolish but for some slow people now in days you gotta specifically spell that out or they claim thats what your saying when clearly its not.
They did some things for franchise , i hope they work well and i hope they do NOT revert back on the overalls because of whinny little ..... However, this really is not any more done than in past years for Franchise ( except for last year) . The difference i see is, somehow people are jumping up and down for them this year like they really went all out. But in past years when they did this amount, people were let down and disappointed thats all they bothered to do . The difference? Last year we got mostly tunings. So now all the sudden people feel like, "yeah they really do care alot about franchise mode." The reality is , its no more than they were doing in past years ( again outside of last year). Sure good to see a couple things added. But im not letting these cats off a hook all the sudden like they really done alot .
Jury still out on gameplay as well. If i still cant pass over the lbs and under the safetys, or my high rated olinemen refuse to block people right in front of their face , my player im usering refuses to even attempt to go for a ball when i clearly hit the button, the one of these- spin/juke/cut move/RPOs are OP, can still cover half the field with an MLB ..... then its all really for nothing then isnt it?
Not gonna hold my breathe, but i hope they prove me wrong , like they did with the probowl . I really hope they do but i seriously doubt it.

Since Madden's inception, there hasn't been many overhauls to any part of the game and I don't see that changing anytime soon.
I will say that I'm intrigued by the changes, including the spreading out of the ratings.
That is a huge win win for user vs cpu sim players, huge.

I'm on the sceptical side of the fence. I was expecting to see slick, brand new menus and screens with new features front and centre but it looks like much of the same. When you're the only game with the NFL license, how do you not have the commissioner on stage at the draft alongside the player? How do you not have NFL Network stuff like they did for NFL Head Coach was on PS2.
https://youtu.be/Gk3istcFRSw?t=41
I'm sceptical like I said.

Will remain skeptical, but at least the thought of things improving has brought me back to the OS boards to see what people think

Basically as for scheme's, they got rid of their point. If you're not going to be penalized at all for not using guys in their proper scheme or rewarded for having them in the proper scheme, what the heck is the point of schemes at all? It's just a gimmick then.
I loved Madden 17 and Madden 18. I even thought '19 was starting to get there with moving us towards a better Franchise.
I'm not an "EA *****" by any means. I buy almost every EA sports game annually. Gameplay and presentation can still save face. But, WOW does Franchise sound like a hot flaming garbage heap infusion of MUT and Longshot 3.0 into the mode.
Also, the scenario engine was something that could have revolutionized immersion in Madden. Instead of cut scenes with NFL analysts discussing storylines or revamping the news feed, or giving us a weekly recap show, they give us the stupid text messages from NBA Live, which is a failing video game franchise that will not exist in 2 years.
I've never been so infuriated by the seeming lack of connection with what the community actually desires in a franchise mode.
There's no longer any excuse for not performing on EA's end. NBA 2k, The Show, and NHL all have pretty deep franchise modes. FIFA even has weekly recaps (albeit limited) in its version of Franchise mode.
This is just awful. Mike Young is an amazingly creative guy and I think the right ideas are there. But, WE NEED DEPTH. Quit making the game broad and then not developing that feature further the next year. Once again, Madden could fall flat like a pancake as it has done on past occasions
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Just to hit on this because I've seen it a few different places now. The whole "recommitment to franchise" came from the GameInformer article and (AFAIK) not from EA themselves so I would take that whole statement with a huge grain of salt.

For the most part, more of the same nonsense. Very little of it is what I care about, aside from contracts. Some of it isn't even franchise mode, but they crammed it in this article to make it look like there's more than there is.
Still waiting to get back to where we were in 2006, when progress was halted.
Still waiting for Madden to be an awesome, immersive NFL GM simulator.

Agreed. Coach Carousel Is on my wishlist but it’s more important to fix the gameplay and get franchise up to a level where we can really enjoy a feature like Coach Carousel

In my opinion schemes were handled terribly from the beginning, it never should of been an xp reward for a scheme fit. It should of been an on the field bonus from the start. As an example if you run a 3-4 and your OLB is a scheme fit he gets a +3 boost to finesse moves in game. Or in a vertical passing scheme if you have a scheme fit WR a +3 or +4 boost to deep route running. In real life if a guy plays in a familiar scheme he's not going to progress faster, but rather play better on the field because he knows the scheme and is a good fit for it.
If it would of been an on the field boost rather than xp bonus that would of better replicated what you see in real life where players play above their actual talent level because of the scheme that they play in and how it is tailored for a player like them.
As far as the depth of franchise modes, I wouldn't say NHL's is deep. Other than the new scouting system and fog of war feature I prefer maddens franchise mode to NHL. MLB the shows franchise mode hasn't seen any significant improvement in years, this year they really just added new contracts. I would say it's a toss up as far as depth in franchise mode but to be fair the solid gameplay is what keeps me coming back to the Show. I can't speak on FIFA because I don't play it. The one I will give you is NBA 2K, that game while not without it's own set of issues is WORLDS ahead of Madden for depth of franchise mode. If we got even half of the features they've been adding in to 2K in Maddens franchise I would be happy.
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The way they've got it is actually the correct way it's done in real life. There aren't any names on the jerseys because no team knows exactly which guys they will end up with so they just end up with a blank jersey and #1.

Not really. If the player is at the draft, they have people in the back applying name plates as the picks come in.

NBA Live and NHL hockey need the same type of love and dedication. It's been lacking for years and this needs to change. Glad to hear Madden is taking their franchise mode seriously. This is what their fans want. Another game developer we know that makes a baseball game should take note as well. This is how you do it.*

Since they have it in the game now it would be nice in franchise mode if the first round picks would come out and hold a jersey of that team up.

Not sure where you're getting that from. They've literally been doing it over 20 years now.

Show some other ones now. The first pick is a little bit different. Everyone and their momma knew the Cardinals were gonna pick Murray. I don't recall this routinely being the case.

Again, that's a number #1 overall pick. They even had Peyton's number on that one. So me someone else like a trade up that no one saw coming. Show me that they have a jersey with the player's name on it and I'll conceed the point.

https://compote.slate.com/images/889b7e59-10f1-49e2-84c4-cf845ad6f05a.jpeg?width=780&height=520&rect=3635x2423&offset=0x0
Ok, I'm wrong.

Yes i totally agree and to say they are even committed to Franchise is nothing short of a joke. Why do i say this? Simple. Take one quick look at the huge difference between what little EA is adding when they are "recommitted to franchise" compared to what 2K added to its franchise mode last year.
2k19 Franchise Blog
Both have the same amount of dev time, so thats no reasonable excuse. Both have a ton of money to spend , so thats no excuse. So until EA turns this amount of stuff out for franchise mode, dont try to sell me on some BS that they really care about franchise mode, because their actions prove they dont really.They clearly CAN do this amount because they clearly have the amount of money to be able to , they just refuse to. Tired of all the excuses people make for them and their slackness. Even more tired of people trying to praise them just because they did alittle something. That only tells them , why bother doing more when people love us for doing alittle.....

Agree with this, Deuce posted in another thread yesterday that CFM has just taken baby steps and slanted more toward the casual crowd. EA rarely will overhaul anything, so, people should know by now how the game is produced.
I will say I'm interested in finding more about the Scenero Engine, Superstar/X Factors and the ratings and how some of those interact with morale/FA, Franchise Tag, etc.... A big IF here, but IF these are implemented properly, along with the highly requested return of the Pro Bowl, CFM will have some good additions.
All depends on how everything is implemented, could be good, could turn out not good.

2K19 is one of if not the best franchise mode experience I’ve had by far. It absolutely dwarfs Madden 20.

Agreed. 2k could sit on their thumbs for the next 5 years, add nothing to the game, and NBA 2k24 would still have a deeper franchise experience than Madden 24. I don't even care for the NBA and I play it just for the experience.

Yeah i get all that , but people basically running around praise EA like they really doing something , only helps them feel like , "see we have no reason to try to do more" ( not saying your doing this, but i see numerous people on social media and here doing so) .
I fully expected nothing less or nothing more from them this year after doing practically nothing last year. It how they try to spin it like they really care that ticks me off. Actions > words . Thier actions show they dont really care.Maybe some devs do sure, but the company does not ( and yes save me the "it isnt the money maker" whomever was about to type that ignorant statement, we are all well aware how business works, does not mean we like it or agree with it).
2K disproves the whole "they have limited dev time" excuse. What little EA produces ( including this year) is a shame. And giving them praise for doing otherwise only enables them more to feel like thats enough.

Thats is what I want for Madden. To have a deep offline Franchise Mode that is up to par to other Sports games.
The thing is with NBA2k is that in the last 3-4 years they haven't really haven't added anything new to MyLeague. This year was MyLeague Online and Mentorship, Last year focus was on MyGM. But you haven't hard any complaints from hardcore crowd because MyLeague has vast depth. Where 2k put a heavy focus to add as much of core depth into thay mode. Its not perfect, but it pretty much hits the important aspects of a basketball season.
That is what Madden should strive for. They need to spend the next couple years putting a major focus into Franchise. Not just a new feature here and there. So that by Madden 22, Madden should be heading into new generation of consoles with a very deep Franchise mode. Then after that they could just focus on adding depth to the mode each year. So we wouldn't complain that they are trying to implement back of box features because Franchise has the depth it deserves

For me I don’t even truly need all that 2K has done. It would be great but honestly I just want Madden to focus on the main pillars of the NFL.
Coaching Changes
Scouting (season, off season should have different features)
Free Agency
Draft Experience
Training Camp
Game Day Prep in Season
Post Season
Super Bowl Experience
In 2K19 you get to play a game in the offseason prior to the draft to get a feel for some of the draft prospects. This could be the Senior Bowl in Madden. Or let us play with 5-10 prospects running drills at the Combine. Or both!
Free Agency should feel like it matters. In 2K you literally can bring LeBron James into your office and ask him questions about how he feels on the market of the city, the team, etc. Then you can make him an offer and even pitch him.
Draft day has higher ratings than some big NBA games and other events. It’s a huge part of the NFL. 47.5 million TV viewers over the three day draft in 2019 according to Neilson. We should see the first three picks walk out on stage. I don’t care if it has the nameplate, but to get some presentation and extra analysis on those picks will also give players the incentive to hold one of those picks at some point during the draft. The graphics should be just as good at the draft as they are during the games you play. The draft stage and fans they have in attendance for Madden 19 looks offensive compared to what you see during pregame and on the field.
The Super Bowl should be the biggest event in your Franchise Mode. There should be a lot of different presentation elements that are different from any game you’ll play in the season or the other playoff rounds. If you only make this stuff accessible during the SB it gives players more incentives to get there. Maybe a full pregame show and post game show, coach/player interviews, etc etc

I discussed this last year and some people agreed with me. I really feel marketing and the suits all feel if they dumped everything into either CFM or game play, what would be the reason for consumers to purchase again the following year?
I think that is why we see incremental improvements every year.
Honestly, if game play was perfect in Madden, if I can download updated rosters, I'm not sure if I would make a purchase the following year.
Two different companies going in different directions on how they produce a video game.

Keeping a history of the past seasons like Madden 2008 PC would be nice, for a start on the PC and not just pushing out another console remake.

I dont have any faith or expectation that Maddens franchise will ever rival 2Ks. I dont have any expectation it will ever rival EAs own Head Coach. And its not because of dev time; we see what 2K does annually with the same window. It's not the suits; 2Ks president or CEO mentioned wanting to monetize more. Still, MyLeague is as robust as ever. These things are not mutually exclusive. The Show has a relatively small dev team, their franchise is really deep and fun and I play it year around.
What it comes down to with Madden, IMO, is that a deep robust franchise that "we" (OS types) want isn't their vision. It hasn't been since CFM became a thing. DeuceDouglas made a magnificent post that we know has reached EA. Yet here we are. I'm cool with that. I accept that as the reality. I wouldn't have flinched if they had not added a single thing to CFM.
The CFM stuff that has been revealed so far, even if it's an old feature reskinned, has me intrigued. I like it. I support it. I'm going to preorder. I hope theres more, but I dont expect it. I'm willing to sit back and see what their vision of a deeper franchise looks like. I guess for me when you expect nothing and get something, even a little, that's a positive development. I dont think we should be singing the praises yet, but I also dont see what good constant negativity or comparisons do. If it's a dud, I move on as usual. If it works, hey, I have a new game for the rotation. Worst case scenario, I get to play a morsel of college football on these new systems. That's worth 65$ to me alone.
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I can see that. But I still don't think it would put a dent in sales if they got to 2k's level of depth in Franchise and got gameplay to a great level. I think it could actually help them. They're not going to lose out on competitve or casual crowd because they are always going to want the newest edition. I'm sure the sim/hardcore aren't going to pay full amount for a roster update if CFM and gameplay was great. It would force EA to add depth and features that appease to all crowds. For me, I would take PS2 era Franchise and Superstar mode and great gameplay. Felt like they took a step back since then.
That leads me to a bigger question, does it feel like Madden has peaked for the current gen? I don't believe it has. Where last gen, you could feel it peaked due to the limitations of consoles. But I don't think it has peaked. I think we're at this point due to the direction Madden was forced in. Madden went the whole simplistic online route. Where it kind of has me waiting for next gen. But at the same time, Madden has it to set it self up for future. Madden needs to have a smooth transition into next gen. You can't have another generation of consoles where Madden takes a step back and takes them several iterations before they start progressing

I agree with you, but I've reached a different conclusion. EA only listens when consumers talk with their wallets. People shell out a ton of money for MUT and EA spends a lot of time on that mode. That's fine.
EA takes for granted that franchise die-hards will buy the game, no matter how much they want CFM to be something more. That won't change until the numbers tell EA differently.
I'll read the reviews and maybe even play the demo, but if it's not a substantial improvement, I'm just not buying the game. I hope others end up doing the same and show EA that their bottom line will take a hit if we're marginalized.

exactly ^^

Whilst undoubtedly MUT does make a ton of money I doubt it consumes vast resources to do so , it's a golden goose not a money pit , indeed it probably funds most of the development we do see
Secondly I believe it has been stated here by an ex EA employee that , as disc prices have remained virtually unchanged for many years , disc sales make little profit in themselves ( downloads make more as costs are less )
Thus , unless you habitually spend on MUT , losing your purchase , or even that of thousands like you will barely touch if effect at all " the bottom line"
In my mind the best hope we have of EA ever giving us the franchise mode we ask for is for somebody like Axis football to introduce features we want and thus "shame" EA into doing likewise to avoid the criticism they would undoubtedly receive in the media given the disparity in resources available

The 4 majors (Madden Classic, Club Championship, Madden Challenge and Madden Bowl) plus the Last Chance Qualifier (for the final major) pay out a combined 1.225 million dollars in cash prizes. Also in the cost for MUT you have include the likeness fees for all the legends ranging from Terrell Owens all the way down to Willie Roaf. Those could range anywhere from a couple thousand up to 100's of thousands depending on the player. And there are usually around 30-50 different legends in each game. So for the cost to actually develop the mode, it's probably real small but the non-development costs are huge. And that's not even factoring how much they spend producing each tournament live for ESPN/Twitch.

Which is obviously comparative chicken feed compared to the revenue it brings in , or else they wouldn't do it , how much do you think it costs to develop , pay staff , manufacture discs , pay licences , transport and package each game ?

Axis Football is garbage, they can't even get the change of position correct on the field, bad example.

To be totally frank , I dont care how good or bad any other game may be , I'm hoping they succeed and thrive , add franchise features we have been requesting from Madden for years and hopefully shame the EA brass into a response , any more than that would be a total bonus
By the way many people refer to madden in the same language , despite one being the product of a multinational corporation with 30 years of experience in football gaming and the other being basically made by 2 men in a shed by comparison

Let’s hope we have the option to control all 32 teams without the switching between profiles BS workaround. That is a hassle.
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Brian Mazique writes articles for Forbes with an emphasis on sports gaming titles. The writer has visited with EA and let them know what he would like to see for CFM. I will be opening a new thread for that, but here is his Twitter Account and someone already tried the ole standby, and oldie but a goodie, Madden 20 Franchise looks the same.
Brian's response, that's actually not true, but cool.
So, for those that have already played the game and said, underwhelming, lacking effort, looks the same, cool story.
By the way, this writer has stated in the past how under performing Madden has been in both gameplay and franchise.
https://twitter.com/UniqueMazique/status/1125842816200998913

Don’t release a game in that condition, stealing people money, they stole mine.
Madden is nowhere near garbage, improvements needed but nowhere near garbage.

I agree, and I understand that. But people are speaking with their wallets. Madden is still around the top 5 games sold every year. That's not even factoring in the additional MUT stuff. CFM has been uninspired, stale and restrictive since its inception but it hasn't hurt them.
Gaming has changed. I dont think its necessarily taking the franchise gamer for granted. I think franchise modes are analogous to campaign mode in shooter games. It's something to get your feet wet or a value add for later. It doesn't move the needle like it did in the early 2000s. They want you online. I say this as a franchise gamer. That's where my 60$ is earned. I'd argue that harcore franchise players have already dropped off Madden. The last few years I haven't even finished the EA Access trial, and I picked the game up during the holidays for 20ish bucks.
2K puts effort into the mode, but I see that as more of them wanting to soak up every possible sale. If you have the slightest interest in basketball, theres something for you in their game. I think it has paid dividends by how well the game sells now.
EAs philosophy seems different. Madden is a product that is good, even if not great. It sells and makes money. The end. Its COD. I dont think it's any deeper than that.
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It’s a one man team. And I think he has another guy who helps him sometime. It’s pretty impressive for what it is.
Compared to other sports games, madden isn’t very good. I mean when football games from 10-15 years ago have better animations and way more features something is wrong.
I don’t think you can really compare axis and madden. One is a indie game and the other is made by one of the biggest game company’s ever.

I agree, it shouldn’t be compared to anything at this point.
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I disagree with this. EA is already looked upon negativity by the gaming community. I think its better to work with them when they do put features into franchise and hope that over the years it evolves into more of what we want.
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Front Office Football would be a better Franchise intergration.

What irritates me the most about Madden's franchise mode is how it pales in comparison to the NHL series franchise mode. Both are EA games so what gives? How can EA put out 2 dramatically different sports games? I realize we're talking about different developers for each game but still. Everything about the NHL series blows away Madden. The create-a-team and create-a-player. The depthness of the franchise mode. Did you know that on the NHL series they've got 7 full years of draft picks to play with? That means you can make trades using draft picks for 7 years into the future!! That's incredible!! All in that the NHL series has the real life NBCSN TV package and announcers and it's ridiculous that Madden is so stuck where it's been for a decade now.

That's said every single year along with how this upcoming Madden is going to be great. It's the same old song and dance. I'm going to go take a look at what this writer has to say.

Seems like he is portraying this years CFM to a different song and dance.
I'm sure many are hoping he is right.
Another oldie but a goodie, we shall see.

I'd absolutely agree with the idea of working with them telling them what we want etc , that does imply they want to listen though . How better to show them what is required than to be able to point to features we want , currently missing from madden , that have been or are being added by a developer with a fraction of their resources

He listed things he wanted in CFM (or back in CFM). That was most of his article. Not much on why this years CFM is so great.

Sure
10 char

Well, he has one short paragraph on what he likes in CFM. He briefly mentions the Scenario Engine which is really a repackaging of XP/goals and twitter news. He mentions player differentiation with ratings span and X-Factor. Ratings spans have been talked about many times by EA in previous maddens as some kind of feature. And X-Factor is repackaging XP/Goals, traits, and and XP development. He briefly mentions updates to draft classes, which is another thing that gets talked about by EA every year.
Then he has 5 big sections on what he wants in CFM.
The part I agree with the most in his article are his 5 big things CFM needs added.

I appreciate you pointing that out, thanks.

I'm sure they see the 2K ML blog and how deep it is and has been. 2K has even taken shots at how "other" devs dont care about franchise mode. We all know about Deuces post. OS, twitter and Facebook posts have spoken at length about franchise. It's clear that EA is married to whatever CFM is, for better or worse.
At this point, I think it's more realistic to try to "sim" up the stuff they do add. Take that scenario engine conversation about the owner wanting the QB cut in preseason if he didn't light it up. That was brutal and nonsensical. But, replace owner with head coach, and the head coach with offensive coordinator (I know...) and we may have something. I'd love to play the preseason game and have Brandon or Charles comment about how the coaches want to see something from QB X, or he may be cut.
Like you said, though, it requires a receptive ear on EAs part. But the infrastructure is there already, you know? I think theres a better chance of that happening than there is of CFM modeling ML or NFL Head Coach. I could be wrong. EA could scrap all this next year and be on to some other stuff.
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Actually the scenario engine thing seems like a whole new thing. When in years past have your decisions on who to cut or who to trade impacted the performance of the team on the field? It hasn't. If this aspect works correctly it would go a long way towards making CFM fresh and exciting, but most of all unpredictable. It would be great to know that if I cut a player that is popular in the locker room then my team's morale will decline and their play on the field will suffer. On the same token the fan support will go down with the release or trade of a popular player. I have my doubts about it working correctly but if it does then I'm excited for it.

OK, but morale isn't a new feature, it a feature that's being re-introduced. Morale is a nice re-introduction, but not a major addition.
This seems like a continuation of recycling features and repackaging features.
I do like his 5 CFM wants. If you take the M20 CFM smallish steps plus his 5 CFM wants and you may have a franchise re-dedication that EA is marketing as this year.

It can only be called a "re-dedication" "focus" whatever hype word they want to sling because last year it was simply tunings . But it in no way is more so than past years before last year.

And hopefully it's not going to display a jersey with the "NFL 100" logo every year after the first season LOL
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So you scream at the devs over the years to “fix” what’s there and stop adding things.
They make an attempt to fix what’s already there, then you scream it’s wasted time and resources on a “repackaged/renamed” aspect.
Geez, reminds me of getting spanked extra for not responding after being told don’t talk back!!! lol

I'm excited for the additions this year, but I feel like a broken record here: Build upon and refine the system and all of it's parts every year!
Madden, and NHL's biggest issues over the years has been recylcing and abandoning features and aspects of the game repeatedly.
A lot of the features this year are repackaging whay they've done before. X-Factor is just the Weapons system for Superstar players. Scenarios is the news and twitter feed system with a fresh coat of paint and added impact.
As others have said, the changes to scheme seem to be a step back instead of refining what was there.
Ratings be wider is certainly a welcome change, but we've already done this once have we not? There was a time when 70s wouldn't be starters. This new spread seems like a bigger leap, but again, what is the purpose of 1-55? How many players will truly be in the 55-75 range that actually start?
Contracts being more accurate is good, but does that mean we get to make real life offers by being able to front load contracts and what not? And if so are we going to get a proper view of our team budget when making those offers?
What about the areas that currently cause issues in Franchise? What's being done with the simulation engine? How will it work with the new ratings? Will teams do a better job of drafting? Signing? Planning better to keep key players?
In the field will teams actually play like the teams on Sunday? Will the CPU abandon the run game and all play a similar offense? Will CPU QBs be immune to preassure and still complete 80%+ of their passes unless they throw a few picks? Will the CPU be able to actually run the football? Will we still get block shedding instantly upon hitting turbo like we're still playing on the GameCube and PS2? Will blocking commit and not wiff past obvious blocks on plays to the outside and with pushing or pulling linemen? Will WRs and TEs ever drop balls for the CPU upon instantly being crushed when trying to make a catch? Will defensive players stop being so brain dead and allowing easy completions to guys in their zone or approaching it? Will the battles between the defense and offense be more dynamic rather than just winning or losing the same animation at the snap? Will QBs still be picked off over the middle by LBers close to the LOS while tossing deep and medium balls?
Madden isn't a bad game if you take each one as if there has never been another. They each stand to be a solid foundation on a Franchise.
The problem for Maddden us that it is a Franchise released each year. However, instead of treating it as such and building upon what's there, making additions, and continually refining the product, they are constantly recycling old ideas and making new additions to add "popc to "the back if the box." So instead of feeling like your playing a continually improving series, it feels like you're playing the same game with a different combinations of gameplay year in and year out. The worst part is dealing with issues that have plagued the series for years if not decades. It feels like the deck chairs are being shuffled around, but at the end of every year not much seems to have changed.

^This is my approach.^

Yeah, I remember on Madden 16 that the Falcons always had their 50th year patch on the uniforms and it was annoying to see after the first season of CFM. I wouldn't think it would be that hard to program it to only happen the first year and then go back to normal afterwards.

Hopefully it'll be different for a league-wide thing. IIRC, Tiburon was able to make sure the gold 50 yard lines would revert to normal after the 2015 season in M16.

What? I think when it comes to franchise mode, and even more so in the last several years, the last thing I've ever seen the franchise community do is asking, let alone screaming, for less things to be added.
There's even some psycho here on OS who posted a dissertation on everything that franchise mode needs/should have.
Tuning and fixing what's there is great and it helps the mode but it doesn't create a new experience or really do much to provide much of a fresh experience either. And IMO, people are desperate for that "fresh" experience and something that feels new or adds a new dynamic to playing through franchise. Even last year where I was in favor of just about every addition made to franchise, the core experience was still almost exactly the same as the year prior. There are plenty of things that would accomplish that which have been high-tier requests for years (coaching staffs, new scouting, etc.)

I don't know if this has been said previously... but the hiding of Superstar and X-Factor dev traits is REALLY DUMB unless you're also hiding the Normal and Star traits too!
All I have to see is that the dev trait is hidden and then I think "well I'm definitely not cutting that player!!!!". There's no intrigue, no suspense. Well done, you've hidden whether he's a really really good draft pick or a really really really good draft pick.
Hide ALL dev until midseason for ALL rookies and then you've actually implemented a decent system that reflects the unknown potential of NFL rookies.

I forgot what madden it was but few years ago iirc you couldn't even see rookie ratings till the end of preseason. They would be gradually revealed throughout, added intrigue.
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Madden 12 had that.

I'll believe it when I see it. IMO EA still is going to put the majority of their attention to online and MUT because that generates the money. Sadly I think the offline franchise experience isn't something they know sells the game or makes extra money.
I wish they would go all in and revamp franchise mode but I will not hold my breath. Everything is going online now I think.

I agree, they should hide the dev trait and space out the reveal. Like normal gets listed right away maybe preseason, where as the others show up as you play. I don't know why they are going to only hide two of them, it makes no sense to me.

It amazes me that last gen had a better Franchise mode than this gen. And two generations previous even had a better Franchise mode than the last generation. When can we just get back to what we had in 2007?? That's all we're asking. It's amazing to me that this is not comprehended in Orlando.
Just look to the YouTube streamers. Quite a few are playing Madden 07 or Madden 12 right now.
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