Alright, boyz!! Here we go...Madden 08 First impressions

[Kodos]

Reportedly, EA has finished the 2nd patch, which addresses fumbles and some other problems. It still needs to be approved by Microsoft, but ETA is sometime in the next 2 weeks.

[gstelmack]

Any idea if it will apply to NCAA as well, or is it just Madden?

[Kodos]

As far as I know, it's Madden only. And this one is Xbox 360. Not sure if it applies to PS3 version.

[Icy]

Link?

[Kodos]

hxxp://forums.operationsports.com/vBulletin/showthread.php?t=225949

[Raiders Army]

Huge roster update out supposedly today as well. EA still sucks the big one.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Kodos

Reportedly, EA has finished the 2nd patch, which addresses fumbles and some other problems. It still needs to be approved by Microsoft, but ETA is sometime in the next 2 weeks.

Thanks for the news. I was about to trade Madden in towards College Hoops, but I'll give the game another chance post patch.

[MizzouRah]

I'll buy Madden again if you guys say the patch finally does something.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

I'll buy Madden again if you guys say the patch finally does something.

If you do buy, PM me and I'll sell you my copy. Hardly used. I don't think there is a patch that can fix this game.

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

If you do buy, PM me and I'll sell you my copy. Hardly used. I don't think there is a patch that can fix this game.

Will do.

[Anthony]

i can't wait to trade him my Halo 3 for COD4. just 2 more weeks.

[Eaglesfan27]

A new madden producer blog is up talking about the patch process as well as what will be fixed. The patch will be released "within a couple of weeks" once it goes through all of the checks.

http://maddenfb.com/blogs/game/archi...08-update.aspx

It will reportedly fix:

Fumble Fix - Reduced fumble chances in certain situations. This has been tested thoroughly and we feel that people will be happy with a more realistic (and more fun!) number of fumbles. This was priority number 1 for us.

DB Reactions- changes to the way that DBs play man coverage. Defenders in man coverage won't be able to react to passes that they cannot see. This should make it easier to throw against man coverage.

Favre "Moonwalk"- I love the names that you guys come up with for issues such as this one. You can rest assured that you won't see Farve (or any QB) dancing toward the sideline anymore.

Hook Zone Flip Bug- I saw a post on a community forum talking about this bug and it turns out the fix was very minimal risk. You can now flip plays with hook zones without the players leaving their zones.

Franchise - Fixed NCAA import issue where players would turn 26

Franchise - Fixed bug where HOF Unlocked players cannot be released in Franchise.

[gstelmack]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

DB Reactions- changes to the way that DBs play man coverage. Defenders in man coverage won't be able to react to passes that they cannot see. This should make it easier to throw against man coverage.

Heck, if they fix this I'll have to buy the game on principle...

[Raiders Army]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

A new madden producer blog is up talking about the patch process as well as what will be fixed. The patch will be released "within a couple of weeks" once it goes through all of the checks.

http://maddenfb.com/blogs/game/archi...08-update.aspx

It will reportedly fix:

Fumble Fix - Reduced fumble chances in certain situations. This has been tested thoroughly and we feel that people will be happy with a more realistic (and more fun!) number of fumbles. This was priority number 1 for us.

DB Reactions- changes to the way that DBs play man coverage. Defenders in man coverage won't be able to react to passes that they cannot see. This should make it easier to throw against man coverage.

Favre "Moonwalk"- I love the names that you guys come up with for issues such as this one. You can rest assured that you won't see Farve (or any QB) dancing toward the sideline anymore.

Hook Zone Flip Bug- I saw a post on a community forum talking about this bug and it turns out the fix was very minimal risk. You can now flip plays with hook zones without the players leaving their zones.

Franchise - Fixed NCAA import issue where players would turn 26

Franchise - Fixed bug where HOF Unlocked players cannot be released in Franchise.

The problem is there is no fix for the franchise freeze with FAs. That's the biggest problem out there.

[MizzouRah]

This is another chance for me to mention that I miss the NFL 2k series.

[rkmsuf]

When is the next one coming out? 08 is so yesterday....where can I preorder?

[Kodos]

Well, you do have the APF 2k series.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

This is another chance for me to mention that I miss the NFL 2k series.

I picked up APF real cheap awhile back and can tell you it's a real great game. They are coming out with 2k9 and if it has a dynasty mode and some other minor upgrades, I will probably just pass on Madden altogether. I know it sucks not having the real teams and players, but you kind of get over it quickly once you see how much better the game is.

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

I picked up APF real cheap awhile back and can tell you it's a real great game. They are coming out with 2k9 and if it has a dynasty mode and some other minor upgrades, I will probably just pass on Madden altogether. I know it sucks not having the real teams and players, but you kind of get over it quickly once you see how much better the game is.

Oh I have APF and I agree, it is a great game.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Raiders Army

The problem is there is no fix for the franchise freeze with FAs. That's the biggest problem out there.

Per PastaPadre's website this will also be fixed. Supposedly the following was "accidently" cut from EA's blog:


As I suspected the patch for Madden 08 will include a fix to the franchise mode that has been causing people to prematurely end their franchises. Unfortunately this information was apparently cut off from the previous blog posting by EA that detailed what the patch was fixing. How they managed to miss that and take four days to clarify I don’t know, but now everyone can calm down.
In addition to everything mentioned earlier the patch will will address:

Franchise - Fixed bug where the FA pool would run out of certain positions
Online Game Reporting- fixed a number of issues where games weren’t being reported correctly or people weren’t getting the right number of ranking points for a win. This will also make stats more accurate.
EA SPORTS World- Accomplishment ‘20 consecutive completions’ not awarded when completions ends up under 100%

[Raiders Army]

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

Oh I have APF and I agree, it is a great game.

It's very different from Madden. Love the presentation, but I'm not sure if the actual gameplay is better.

[MizzouRah]

Yeah, APF has runs its course with me. Great game, but I've played a season and well, that's it... wish it had career.

I have some games to trade in and just might pick Madden back up. I really need a console NFL fix.

[Groundhog]

Haven't touched my next gen Madden in like a month, but still having a lot of fun with the PC version. My otherwise excellent RB has a 67 rating for carries and coughed it up at numerous untimely moments in the season I just finished (including once in the conference finals when we were trying to run the clock in order to kick the game winner... ended up losing in OT due to this fumble), got given the "fumble prone" trait in the offseason. This means that he has an increased chance at fumbling in the 4th quarter until he loses this trait, which can happen if he raises his carry rating above 70 and fumbles less than 5 times in the season. Nice touch!

[Pumpy Tudors]

I would still love to play Madden, but there hasn't been any word on when the console patch is coming out, has there?

Edit: Errr, I just remembered that the interceptions were still going to be counted wrong in franchise mode. Maybe I wouldn't still love to play it.

[Kodos]

Some folks at Operation Sports think it'll be out on Tuesday or Thursday. Should be soon, in any case.

[Raiders Army]

Well, I think our 90 day warranty is up today or in the near future. Kudos to them for stringing us along with a patch.

[Sun Tzu]

In case some of you have forgotten, the Interception bug (which pumpy just mentioned) will not be fixed. The sim engine in Franchise mode is essentially broken. Quarterbacks will regularly pass for 5000 yards and 50 TD's, with roughly 4-6 INT's. And we're not talking Peyton and only Peyton, this is half the QB's in the league. The other half *only* pass for 4000 yards, 40 TD's, and 9 INT's...and that's just the QB's...we wont even get into the other positions.

[RainMaker]

Apparently they've been talking about a patch for awhile now but it's still not released. They claimed it was in the hands of MS, but then backed away from that statement and have gone dark on the topic. Makes you wonder if they're just stringing people along to grab a few holiday sales before laying the boom down on people that there will be no patch, or that the patch won't fix crap.

[Icy]

The patch for Xbox360 is out already!!

It fixes the following:

Fumble Fix - Reduced fumble chances in certain situations. This has been tested thoroughly and we feel that people will be happy with a more realistic (and more fun!) number of fumbles. This was priority number 1 for us.

DB Reactions- changes to the way that DBs play man coverage. Defenders in man coverage won't be able to react to passes that they cannot see. This should make it easier to throw against man coverage.

Favre "Moonwalk"- I love the names that you guys come up with for issues such as this one. You can rest assured that you won't see Farve (or any QB) dancing toward the sideline anymore.

Hook Zone Flip Bug- I saw a post on a community forum talking about this bug and it turns out the fix was very minimal risk. You can now flip plays with hook zones without the players leaving their zones.

Franchise - Fixed NCAA import issue where players would turn 26

Franchise - Fixed bug where HOF Unlocked players cannot be released in Franchise.

Franchise - Fixed bug where the FA pool would run out of certain positions

Online Game Reporting- fixed a number of issues where games weren't being reported correctly or people weren't getting the right number of ranking points for a win. This will also make stats more accurate.

EA SPORTS World- Accomplishment '20 consecutive completions' not awarded when completions ends up under 100%

There is a long thread at OS forums and people seems so happy about it, reporting even more fixes like no more Interceptions x2 in simmed games and more stuff. Sadly no PS3 patch yet.

[Eaglesfan27]

The patch is out for the 360 version. Surprisingly, per a mod on OS, the interception bug has been fixed and interceptions no longer count for 2 in simmed games. Also, a few users are reporting simmed stats look "better" but no one has posted much except for the top 5 in a simmed season. The FA issues have also been addressed. Early reports are that the passing game is noticably improved with interceptions being toned down.

Here is the thread on OS:

http://forums.operationsports.com/vB...=229952&page=6

Edit: I see Icy beat me to it. I started this post 30 minutes ago, and then a patient showed up

[Icy]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Edit: I see Icy beat me to it. I started this post 30 minutes ago, and then a patient showed up

What?? a patient more important than posting gamming news in FOFC? what kind of doctor are you?

[rjolley]

Does NCAA need a patch to be enjoyable, or should I hold out on buying it? That'll determine whether I'll get Madden, since I like to have my college players get drafted into the pros.

[Icy]

Originally Posted by rjolley

Does NCAA need a patch to be enjoyable, or should I hold out on buying it? That'll determine whether I'll get Madden, since I like to have my college players get drafted into the pros.

NCAA doesn't need it as much as Madden did, it's a way better an polished game. The main issue that NCAA has is the high amount of interceptions both by the computer and humans, mainly because the defensive backs are too good and seem to have eyes i their back, being able to turn back to pick the int while the WR keeps running ahead. The Ps3 version already received a patch that fixed it somewhat, and the 360 version should receive it too, but it has not been totally confirmed.

[Groundhog]

NCAA has had a patch released for the PS3 that apparently vastly improves gameplay by reducing fumbles and ints. Last I heard, the patch was expected on the 360 at some point in the not too distant future.

I've been tempted to pick up NCAA ever since I got my PS3, but I'm not sure It'd get much play with the amount of time I've been spending on NBA 2K8/College Hoops 2K8.

[Eaglesfan27]

Pastapadre (who has usually been reliable) has confirmed that the NCAA patch will be released on the 360, and that it should be out "sometime early in December."

[Groundhog]

I haven't been going to his site for very long, but Pastapadre's blinding love for the EA brand has really turned me off lately. His post on the frontpage right now listing the top sport games of the year includes NBA Live, but not NBA 2K8. Riiiight... I actually hired NBA Live 08 this year just for giggles. It was every bit as awful as I thought it would be.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

I haven't been going to his site for very long, but Pastapadre's blinding love for the EA brand has really turned me off lately. His post on the frontpage right now listing the top sport games of the year includes NBA Live, but not NBA 2K8. Riiiight... I actually hired NBA Live 08 this year just for giggles. It was every bit as awful as I thought it would be.

I agree completely. I only ever go to his site because he does seem to get the info on patches first.

Edit: Also, I have no idea if I will play NCAA or Madden much even with the patch. College Hoops, NBA 2k8, and Mass Effect are going to use up my gaming time for the foreseeable future.

[rowech]

Does the Madden patch fix the franchise bug with not having free agents for a certain position?

[Icy]

Originally Posted by rowech

Does the Madden patch fix the franchise bug with not having free agents for a certain position?

yup

[rowech]

Man....now I want to get the stupid thing but the season's all but over.

Is there anything it doesn't really fix?

[Groundhog]

Originally Posted by rowech

Man....now I want to get the stupid thing but the season's all but over.

Is there anything it doesn't really fix?

Well, it's still Madden.

It doesn't affect the ability to scroll down when importing custom teams, meaning that no matter how many you create only the first 10 or 12 are selectable, but it's probably only me and three others who have even noticed that bug exists.

I'd tell you to wait until next seasons version, but then we all know that half of these problems and a whole lot more will be in that release as well.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by rowech

Man....now I want to get the stupid thing but the season's all but over.

Is there anything it doesn't really fix?

I'm still not convinced it fixes the interception glitch. I re-read the mod's post on OS and he said that QB's were now throwing odd numbers of INT's. That was never the problem, the problem is that all DB's were getting double credit for INT's in simmed games. I think he forgot the problem and hasn't proved that it is fixed.

[Icy]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

I'm still not convinced it fixes the interception glitch. I re-read the mod's post on OS and he said that QB's were now throwing odd numbers of INT's. That was never the problem, the problem is that all DB's were getting double credit for INT's in simmed games. I think he forgot the problem and hasn't proved that it is fixed.

I underestood the "odd number of ints" as a fast way of seing that it was fixed, as if the ints are doubled, the stats won't be ever odd but always pair. I might be wrong, but isn't "odd" used in English to say that something is not pair?

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Icy

I underestood the "odd number of ints" as a fast way of seing that it was fixed, as if the ints are doubled, the stats won't be ever odd but always pair. I might be wrong, but isn't "odd" used in English to say that something is not pair?

I think he was using it to say that the QB's threw a non-even number of interceptions say 11 or 13. That was never the problem. The problem was that in a simmed season, the number of INT's of DB's would all be even numbers because they were getting credited 2 INT's for every 1 INT in a simmed game. I'm almost certain that was how he was using it in that post.

[Kang]

Well, I only played one half with 7 minute quarters, but there were no fumbles on either side, and the CPU didn't throw any interceptions. I threw 2, but I attribute that to rust and my suckiness in general. Seemed easier to put some loft on throws.

I'm cautiously encouraged...

[jaygr]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Edit: Also, I have no idea if I will play NCAA or Madden much even with the patch. College Hoops, NBA 2k8, and Mass Effect are going to use up my gaming time for the foreseeable future.

That's the thing with these patches. They always come so late. I've done my time with Madden and there are so many other games out right now that I have/want that there isn't much time to go back to Madden right now. I might in a few months or something after the football season is over when I get the football itch. But I could have used the patch two months ago.

[Icy]

Originally Posted by jaygr

That's the thing with these patches. They always come so late. I've done my time with Madden and there are so many other games out right now that I have/want that there isn't much time to go back to Madden right now. I might in a few months or something after the football season is over when I get the football itch. But I could have used the patch two months ago.

Exactly, i'm well served with choops2k8, nba2k8 and FM08 right now, if i play ncaa or madden will be probably later, during the playoffs.

[Grammaticus]

Do you have to start a new franchise for the franchise fixes to affect your game or will it fix franchises saved prior to the patch too?

[MizzouRah]

I'm happy!!!

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Grammaticus

Do you have to start a new franchise for the franchise fixes to affect your game or will it fix franchises saved prior to the patch too?

You have to start a new franchise. Also, two people have confirmed that the interception glitch is not fixed. DB's still get double credit for each INT in simmed games. The mod on OS misunderstood the problem. I'm still looking forward to trying the patch out at some point in the future as the gameplay is reportedly better.