Madden NFL 10 Q&A Blog with the Dev Team

[sois]

Are there any plans to have more than one progression point a season? Once a season is not a very good method at all. How about a weekly "zero sum" progression system? Slight ratings changes based on game performance? Then do the potential performance at the end of the season. Either way, what are the plans for M11 progression?

[Snoop24]

Hey Ian,

Just two quick questions

Why in offline franchise do the games need to be played in order for user assigned games to not be simmed? But if you go to the last game of the week that is cpu assigned you can sim it out of order without all of the other games simming?

Second, is there a way to find out why a player is inactive? I have come across this a couple times and the only way I have ever been able to get the play off the inactive list is to trade him away and then try and trade for him back to my team. I don't mind them being inactive I just want to know why they are.

[mixxx01]

Ian is there anyway that OFFLINE franchise players like my self will have the ability to create players that are added in say week 11 after we have already started our season. ie someone may sign JP Losman after he finishes in November playing with the UFL or even pacman jones. one year Chirs Carter joined the dolphins in the middle of the season, roster update did not help my already existing franchise but because it was the ps2 i was able to create him and add him to the dolphins. If you can explain in the blog why you guys took away the ability to create players within a franchise mode that would be helpful. also can you give an indication on whether you will reintegrate this feature into madden 11 next year. thanks alot. this may not be important to online players but to some others it is an important feature.

[SoxFan01605]

Quote: Originally Posted by sois

Are there any plans to have more than one progression point a season? Once a season is not a very good method at all. How about a weekly "zero sum" progression system? Slight ratings changes based on game performance? Then do the potential performance at the end of the season. Either way, what are the plans for M11 progression?

I agree. I actually liked the preseason, postseason, and quarterly progression points they had on the last gen Madden (as of 06...not sure after that). I'd love to see progression get some needed attention.

[sois]

Should be a simple legalese-type answer: Why aren't the real player contracts used in Madden? You should have access to the info. If anything, it would be a good learning tool for Madden players to see how real contracts are structured.

[helix139]

Is there any possibility of getting true run blocking schemes, if not in a patch then next year? Even something as simple as the inside zone is flat out wrong as there are no double teams at the point of attack, no creation of blocking angles, and no logical advancement to the second level.

Also, what is up with all the drops by WRs in the madden test? I thought it was supposed to test my ability to read coverage, not the computer's ability to hang onto the ball.

[DaFunk4]

Just wanted to thank you Ian for finally having a pocket to stay in and throw in Madden after all this years. Also love the new ratings where every player is not rated the same with 90+ speed.

I am as fussy as it gets with Madden and use to be ranked #1 online back in the old xbox days but nowdays I dont play online and just enjoy playing a franchise.

Only a few things that bother me that problyhave already been mentioned.

A Wr with 99 speed running deep will never get ahead of the DB. DBs 99% of the time are ahead of the WR and I cant stand that.

CPU on defense does so many stupid blitzes most the time. They need to play some good cover 2, or cover 3 and alot of man and mix in blitzes unless they are a blitzing team.

Alot of teams are running the 3-4 defense now and the ratings for these LBs are broken. For example Broncos Dumervil, and my Packers Kampman. If you put Kampman as a DE he is well beyound a 99 overall and Dumervil is a pro bowl type DE rated as a 3rd teamer at OLB.

Anyway can't wait for the 1st patch and week 1 rosters so I can finally play a season.

[hee163]

Quote: Originally Posted by WdnUlik2no

When are you going to fix the playoff system bug that occurs when a wildcard team has a better record than a division winner and both those teams win their wild card game? (has been in the game since Madden 2003) Bug explanation: The only way to get this bug to happen is you have to have at least one wildcard team have a better record than a division winner; AND that wildcard team has to win their playoff game in addition to a division winner with a worse record winning their game as well. (This happened in real life during the 2005 - 2006 NFL playoffs) Here's what I got in Madden 10. AFC results as shown in Madden on AFC standings screen (division winner are bold) 1. Patriots (13 - 3) -- Division winner (1st round bye) 2. Steelers (12 - 4) -- Division winner (1st round bye) 3. Chargers (10 - 6) -- Division winner 4. Ravens (11 - 5) -- Wild Card 5. Titans (9 - 7) -- Division winner 6. Broncos (9 - 7) -- Wild card However these teams needed to be reseeded as shown below to always have division winners seeds 1 - 4: Playoff seeds 1. Patriots (13 - 3) Div winner 2. Steelers (12 - 4) Div winner 3. Chargers (10 - 6) Div winner 4. Titans (9 - 7) Div winner 5. Ravens (11 - 5) Wildcard 6. Broncos (9 - 7) wildcard. AFC Wildcard match ups/results #3 Chargers defeat #6 Broncos #5 Ravens defeat #4 Titans. In real life with the correct seedings in place, these wildcard results would create the following matchups in the divisional round. Because the lowest remaining seed from the wildcard round always plays the top seed; and the highest remaining seed plays the 2nd seed: Divisional round matchups (what its supposed to be doing) #5 Ravens (11 - 5) vs. #1 Patriots (13 - 3) #3 Chargers (10 - 6) vs. #2 Steelers (12 - 4). However Madden creates the following matchups Maddens divisional round matchups (not correct) #3 Chargers (10 - 6) vs. #1 Patriots (13 - 3) #5 Ravens (11 - 5) vs. #2 Steelers (12 - 4) This is occurring because Madden is still using the regular season rankings, and because the Ravens have a better record than the Chargers, Madden automatically assumes they have the higher playoff seed too when in fact they don't.

Is it getting the matchups right though? Conference standings are usually shown by record and not in seeding order.

See last season's AFC standings on NFL.com The colts are listed 3rd as they have the 3rd best record, despite taking the 5th seed as a wildcard team.

http://www.nfl.com/standings?categor...&split=Overall

I personally prefer the system they've been talking about the last few seasons where the 3 to 6 seeds are sorted on record regardless of division wins. No way the Chargers deserve a home playoff game for an 8-8 season.