Madden NFL 12 Blog - No Additions This Year For Online Franchise Mode

[JaySmooov]

I know people are upset that OF will apparently be the same (I never joined an OF, so I don't know what to expect) because they "ran out of time." But I do play offline franchise and I'VE always felt it was boring and dry. So for me, upgrading that was huge because there are a lot of players who either

A) Choose not to play online.
B) Don't live in an area with a reliable internet service provider. (I've heard HughesNet sucks )
C) Simply can't afford it/don't have internet connection. OR
D) Aren't allowed to (Younger kids - those cheesers haha - come to mind.

I've been in boats B and C, and trust me, offline is more important than online. As much as you guys don't wan't to hear it, online is just an optional feature in video games. The core of ALL games is the single-player experience; multiplayer and online are (technically) optional. This misconception that Madden is losing fans in a big way is absurd; that's as bad as EA saying the two words "next year" every year.

Now, I'm not bashing anyone here, but I'm being honest. When you create expectations, you also create the possibility of disappointment. If they do this every year, then it should be of no surprise to you. See, this doesn't disappoint me because I never expected them to update it. Part of it is me never being in one, but the point remains the same with offline dynasty. I thought it would be the same, so all the new info/additions blew my mind.

Besides, what if they just half-assed both modes. What if they only added player roles and new presentation to both? Forget the reduced suction, etc.; forget the DDP; forget the smoother gameplay and realistic brodcast cuts/presentation, forget the team entrances, flak jackets, back pads, etc. What if they only added New facemasks, Cutters Brand gloves, Under Armour cleats, Player roles, and team entrances?

[GGEden]

I really suck at google searching, so far all i can find, will keep looking...

http://camelclutchblog.com/online-fr...n-madden-2010/

Quote:

The new mode is very detailed and offers a ton of features. I predict that this will change the face of sports video games forever. EA promises to fix bugs and continually update the mode.

http://gomadden.com/news/footballgam...ranchise-mode/

Quote:

In a blog earlier today EA Sports acknowledged that franchise mode as a whole was overdue for a much needed make-over. Their reasoning for not tending to the needs of one of the football video game’s most popular modes is, well, they have been tending to other core areas of the game. Working on improving old features and adding new ones such as GameFlow, Game Planning, Locomotion, Dual Stick Control, and improved offensive line play is what developers focused on in Madden 11. EA Blog: “To re-write Franchise mode to take full advantage of the PS3 and Xbox 360 would take well over a year to do, which is why we’ve taken the approach we have up until now. With that in mind, we made the decision to focus this year’s development on making the core areas of Madden NFL better, namely the AI, animations, playcall, and online play. While that meant not making any major overhauls to Franchise or SuperStar, we were still able to make some notable improvements while we prepare for the future.” Franchise Mode has badly needed a face-lift, so perhaps it is better that Madden developers set aside more time for it. With time comes the opportunity for Madden developers to change franchise mode forever, as we’ve consistently been pushing.

[JaySmooov]

Quote: Originally Posted by tazdevil20

I've read this entire thread... Here is what I will say regarding this. Those of you who know me on here, (and I do know and respect just about all of you on here), know that I have been a harsh critic of Tiburon. I've been developing software for a large company for about 15 years now. I spent most of my career working on a flagship product that has millions users worldwide. I will say this... When you have a development team, and you have feature ares in the product, all of the developers don't just simply work on the same thing. Common sense, right? You have art guys, gameplay guys, testers, product managers, etc. etc. When it comes to certain features, you have people that "own" those features. Or maybe a small team of folks who own those features. Once they decided to build online franchise into the game, (which from a company standpoint was a huge mistake because it wasn't complete), they now have a responsibility to their customers to put resources on that area to own it. The whole "we worked on these other areas so we couldn't get to it" stuff is absolute nonsense, and if you believe it when they say it, you are being fooled. That's not how it works. When you implement something and put it out there, SOMEONE has to own it to add features or simply maintain it. Especially if it's a feature that folks are always clamoring for. Let's take a look at a couple of terms that are commonly used on here, the words "offline" and "online". Those days are gone now. It's 2011, there is no concept of "offline" or "online" anymore. It's single player or multiplayer and multiplayer just so happens to be accomplished through network connections as opposed to the person being in your living room. The point I am making is that everything is "online" all the time. Why is the Madden franchise living in the stone age with how they develop their features? The answer to this is simple. I won't beat a dead horse by mentioning reason #1, since we all know that's a HUGE part of it. However, the other reason is that it makes the game much more compelling (in their mind) the following year. Think about all of the people who may have skipped out on Madden 11. No franchise improvements (even though they knew people were dying for it) but now this year they did a few things (which really isn't alot) and it's got everyone talking about it. Great! Sales should surge! Why not invest in MAYBE 2 developers tops to put the work into making franchise mode online enabled? Nahhhhhhhhhhh, we need to hold that off until next year or the year after! That way we will get them coming back for more! This is exactly how the marketing people at EA/Tiburon think and no one will ever be able to convince me otherwise. They forgot about the fact that quality ultimately sells and makes you an *** load of money. Crimson said it best last year when he spilled the beans about a meeting some friends of his who work at Tiburon attended. The meeting was to discuss MLB the Show. The consensus of the meeting actually ended up being that the problem with MLB the Show was that the game was TOO GOOD. Yes, you read that right. Since the game was so good, it did not leave for a compelling enough reason for gamers to buy the game the following year. This was the info I needed to get me into a better place when it comes to Madden. I don't get angry anymore, I don't get frustrated. At the end of the day, there is nothing you can do except to try and make responsible suggestions and have meaningful discussion. To sum it up, we all knew there would be no improvements to online franchise. This team makes a living out of fixing 2 or 3 bugs and adding one or two items to the game per year. That's just how it is. No surprises. The best thing to do is to enjoy things the best way you can. For some that is not buying the game and for others it's "making due". If you run an online league, the best thing to do is use League Manager and get the best group of guys together that you can. Just think guys, at this time next year, we will be here saying all of the exact same things again.

It's sad that that's the way sports games with an annual release date are, but we have to deal with it.

But we also have to understand, this isn't real life. Madden, 2K, NCAA Football, whatever, will NEVER be super-close to real life, for the simple fact that every player acts/thinks individually. A CPU can't replicate feelings and emotions; if that was the case, we'd be useless.

The day I can't tell that a video game is indeed a video game, is the day I put down the controller and stop gaming.

Besides, who wants to be in a dynasty, and see a Ki-Jana Carter - type situation in Madden, where a guy cuts and blows his knee out? As the saying goes...

"It's funny, it' true, except when it happens to you."

Or, how about if you're gearing up to throw the game-winning pass, and the WR is running a go route, and all of a sudden...he slips. Just flat out slips.

Video games are just that, video games. I want my games to be realistic. I don't want them to be real. And even then, you can never tell, because s%#t happens.

Sorry, I'm done ranting haha

[GGEden]

http://www.pastapadre.com/2010/06/11...ranchise-modes

from

http://www.operationsports.com/forum...hise-mode.html

last few posts deja vu of today.

[The Real Ma$$ive]

Quote: Originally Posted by GGEden

A company should never take that attitude of "oh well, they can just not buy it, we'll pick up sales elsewhere." It's a reason why Madden global sales remain quagmired in the 5-6 million sales across the main two consoles. If that number is to ever rise to the 26+ million console owners (ps3/360), which even 50% of is a realistic potential, an attitude adjustment in EA HQ is required. In the 7 years of NFL exclusive license, that attitude has been in play, and is probably a big cause for where EA-consumer relationship is right now. It's not just the announcement tho, the fact it wasn't touched, but that it joins a laundry list of letdowns and broken promises, and resulting excuses + what consumers see they ended up focusing on yet again (cosmetics, cut-scenes, cheerleaders, entrances, etc), and the "next year" talk. Like others have said, they made announcements/promises about the OF server existing to allow constant upgrading etc, they promised end of M11 that online would get focused on, etc. Btw, I respect your input, just responding.

Yep... I agree.

[GiantBlue76]

Quote: Originally Posted by JaySmooov

I know people are upset that OF will apparently be the same (I never joined an OF, so I don't know what to expect) because they "ran out of time." But I do play offline franchise and I'VE always felt it was boring and dry. So for me, upgrading that was huge because there are a lot of players who either A) Choose not to play online. B) Don't live in an area with a reliable internet service provider. (I've heard HughesNet sucks ) C) Simply can't afford it/don't have internet connection. OR D) Aren't allowed to (Younger kids - those cheesers haha - come to mind. I've been in boats B and C, and trust me, offline is more important than online. As much as you guys don't wan't to hear it, online is just an optional feature in video games. The core of ALL games is the single-player experience; multiplayer and online are (technically) optional. This misconception that Madden is losing fans in a big way is absurd; that's as bad as EA saying the two words "next year" every year. Now, I'm not bashing anyone here, but I'm being honest. When you create expectations, you also create the possibility of disappointment. If they do this every year, then it should be of no surprise to you. See, this doesn't disappoint me because I never expected them to update it. Part of it is me never being in one, but the point remains the same with offline dynasty. I thought it would be the same, so all the new info/additions blew my mind. Besides, what if they just half-assed both modes. What if they only added player roles and new presentation to both? Forget the reduced suction, etc.; forget the DDP; forget the smoother gameplay and realistic brodcast cuts/presentation, forget the team entrances, flak jackets, back pads, etc. What if they only added New facemasks, Cutters Brand gloves, Under Armour cleats, Player roles, and team entrances?

Sorry Jay, with all due respect, but I will have to disagree with just about everything in your post. The reason being is that you are taking the view point that you don't play online, therefore it's not really that important because most people play offline. I would hate to break it to you, but there are probably just as many people who play Madden online as offline. As far as games in general, online gaming is MUCH larger than offline gaming. PCs have had online games for years upon years. Consoles are still relatively new to it, but it's an explosion of **** proportion. If you read my prior post, I made a point to explain that there should not be any online or offline mode. THere should just be a mode (franchise) which you can choose to play alone and have the cpu control the other teams or you can invite friends and have a multiplayer experience. There should be only one franchise mode in Madden. Period. This is exactly why online dynasty in NCAA is so successful and Madden's online franchise is not. NCAA has one dynasty mode in which you can choose to play with as many people as you want, including just yourself. If I want to play franchise mode in Madden, I should just be able to play it solo or invite others to join in. Nothing should be different. Tiburon is making a mistake by separating the modes. From a development standpoint it's a nightmare. Every change they make to "offline" franchise they have to duplicate for online franchise. That's pure insanity, and given the fact that they are the only game available, they are not going to put that kind of effort in, let's just be honest here. Fix the mode and do it right and you will see online franchise become bigger than big. Think about it, you wouldn't need to get a million people to play in it. What if you had 4 or 5 guys and you wanted to play a franchise together. You can't do it today because there is nothing in online franchise that makes it "franchise" mode. It's seasonal multiplayer is all it is. I guarantee you that a lot of the guys who play franchise by themselves would drool over the game if they knew they could do it with a few buddies over the wire. Just think about fantasy football and how huge it is. Playing in a madden online franchise is just like fantasy football, but you get to actually play. Managing the team, making the tough roster moves, etc. etc. makes it an amazingly fun experience.

The reason online franchise has been ignored is because they think not many people use it. Hearing that from Tiburon is frightening. It showed me how ridiculously out of touch with their customer base they really are and also how limited they are with their thinking. How many people do you think would run out and buy a car that I made that looked better than a ferrari but had no wheels or a gas pedal?

The dev team took a lot of heat from OS and the personal attacks were uncalled for. However, they earned the harsh criticism from a lot of us with boneheaded thinking like this.

[tb24ster]

do we have more than 4 playable camera views on madden 12 Please give us the E3 demo view! ",that was sick! dont disappoint us again with the same camera angles year after year.

[GGEden]

Btw, does anyone know how the exclusive agreement LM has gotten from EA will affect XFN?

I would say XFN wont become obsolete at all, but there'd have to be something that will give LM an advantage?

Can anyone with knowledge or software development skills hazard a guess how the two might differ from each other due to the exclusive agreement?