Madden NFL 11 Title Update #4 Details

[JaymeeAwesome]

I'm gonna sum up exactly what is going on. The madden community as a whole is fairly disappointed with what was update in this title update, but with proper sliders this game plays great with sliders offline. We all wish gameplanning is tweaked too.

When you take this game online you are taking a sim game and turning it into an arcade style because human interaction is involved on both sides. All games that can go online has a disclaimer saying that things may change online and can't be rated the same way.

[havokeff]

Quote: Originally Posted by bwquinn13

Is this patch going to help with the freezing? On my offline franchise, I cannot even get through a game without it freezing. Heck I am lucky if it even gets through the opening game stuff. VERY frustrating. NCAA is much better because I can actually play a whole game... Never thought I would say that.

I have played hundreds of games in offline franchise and it has never frozen on me.

Try loading the game to the hard drive and playing that way.
Also, and I know this is one of those 'duh' things, but make sure the disc is clean or doesn't have any scratches on it.

[SteelD1974]

Quote: Originally Posted by havokeff

I guess we are playing different games. I have played hundreds of hours of Madden since it was released and the AI hardly all out blitzs half the time. That aside, you just said in you post that there is nothing wrong with game play that the sliders, and to you, game planning doesn't fix. It's also very apparent that gameplaning breaking was a screw up on EA's part that is going to be fixed. As for game planning, as I said, I have never even used it. In fact, I never even looked to see what it was, despite that, I have seen Brady throw to every receiver on the field and I have seen 200 yards run on me, so I am not getting where the game play is 'broken', again, in a way that sliders, or for you, game planning can't compensate for.

And where have they said they are going to fix gameplanning?

[falconfansince81]

Quote: Originally Posted by St. Chaos

Do understand one thing about your overwhelming proof... "Online connected game sessions" does not mean games played online in a Vs. situation. It means games played while said console was able to access the internet. With that said, somehow I bet if I went and compared the number of copies of Madden sold to that 2 million GAMES played, it would pale in comparison to how many games are played "offline" (lets refer to this is single player henceforth for the sake of preventing confusion). Seeing as Halo reach averages around 1.2 million actual players per day, and Madden was last pegged nearly out of the top 10 games played while connected to XBox live at 8th... let's try to workout some numbers here. Halo 3 is 3rd, and you know how many people play it on average in a day? Only about 130,000. So it's pretty safe to say that Madden on X360 doesn't even see 50,000 people a day in 8th place. Let's say it sees 20,000 (which, it very well may not...) Madden has sold, surely, at least almost 1,000,000 copies. But let's say it only sold 500,000 (250,000 to the X360) just to be safe. You've got to wonder where those other 230,000 owners are if the total connected online players PERIOD (which doesn't mean they're playing online) is only around 20,000 gamers. The single-player/offline gamer base is actually much larger than some of you people seem to comprehend. Not only are they the majority, they are the majority by a very large margin. Hell, I've had XBox Live just about since it launched, and even I have probably played more single-player/offline games than online ones. Especially in the latter years of my XBL career because quite frankly kids, cheaters, and flat out jackasses have made that a preferable style of play. That goes 10 to the 23rd power for Madden. Nothing but idiots and cheaters running about there for the past few years. Franchise and Play Now gamers outnumber online multi-player gamers 5:1 more than likely, and that's quite possibly an underestimate.

its not overwhelming proof, its proven statistics that people are playing online so of course THATS where ea's focus will be as its going to generate FAR more revenue than offline modes based on trivial assumption statistics. which from a marketing perspective, would be a arbitrary investment.

im not saying i don't miss an in depth offline mode, i still actively play ncaa11's offline dynasty mode and love it. but in relation to patches and updates its just not going to be a concern or priotrity to ea.

i'm trying to make the point that you shouldn't expect fixes to offline features with the company's agenda focused on other modes that will generate more money. they already got your 65, so why invest more resources into something that has no means of measuring games played, whether it be a 5:1 ratio or not? its irrelevant.

do i agree with the direction they take? absolutely not, but i CAN see why there are limited improvements to it as there is no reason to improve a feature that statistically generates no additional income once the product was purchased. the focus now is online, and will continue to be. investors will see online numbers and want to advertise and purchase stock, its a smart marketing decision but i think in the long run is ruining the legacy of the game itself.

[jonmchugh007]

Hey guys I have been unable to download the latest title update in Madden. I just got my 360 a week ago and I am borrowing a friends copy of Madden. I connect to Live just fine. I do get a message saying some XBox Live content is unavailable. When I turn on Madden and try to download the update, it just sits there and gives me the UNABLE TO CONNECT TO NETWORK error.

I popped in 2k11 and download rosters from 2kshare without a problem. Is it because my friend already used his online code or what? I don't plan to play online I just want the updated rosters and the patch.

thanks.

[blklightning]

Quote: Originally Posted by Armor & Sword

Legacy issues can't be patched. Defense was eased in this game it is wired that way and it's not changing. The game plays like it plays. At least they have addressed the Franchise disconnect issue which was huge.

that doesn't seem accurate to me. they have addressed defensive issues in the past. coverage in the flats being an example. and in a previous update, they claimed to have addressed pass coverage awareness. or something to that effect.

[Gordy748]

Quote: Originally Posted by huskerwr38

I think that EA has all these data and numbers, however, I don't believe they are interpreting it correctly. They are twisting the facts to fit their belief...I believe.

Lies, damn lies and statistics!

Numbers are always factually accurate but are designed to disquise the truth. To me, 2 million connected games a day sounds mighty impressive, and to shareholders who don't understand gaming it certainly would. But Halo is the king of online play, and the 130,000 mentioned earlier sounds right. 2 million games is definitely not coming from 2 million players... so many online players really are there?

Of course, EA want to push online, and ultimate team, because they want to earn more money. Frankly I don't see why, from their view, why they should spend resources trying to improve offline franchise if it's not going to earn any money for them.

Of course, my view as an offline franchise player is a little different from theirs.

[St. Chaos]

Quote: Originally Posted by falconfansince81

its not overwhelming proof, its proven statistics that people are playing online so of course THATS where ea's focus will be as its going to generate FAR more revenue than offline modes based on trivial assumption statistics. which from a marketing perspective, would be a arbitrary investment. im not saying i don't miss an in depth offline mode, i still actively play ncaa11's offline dynasty mode and love it. but in relation to patches and updates its just not going to be a concern or priotrity to ea. i'm trying to make the point that you shouldn't expect fixes to offline features with the company's agenda focused on other modes that will generate more money. they already got your 65, so why invest more resources into something that has no means of measuring games played, whether it be a 5:1 ratio or not? its irrelevant. do i agree with the direction they take? absolutely not, but i CAN see why there are limited improvements to it as there is no reason to improve a feature that statistically generates no additional income once the product was purchased. the focus now is online, and will continue to be. investors will see online numbers and want to advertise and purchase stock, its a smart marketing decision but i think in the long run is ruining the legacy of the game itself.

It is far from a smart business decision to cater to a group of customers that is MICROSCOPIC by comparison to the overwhelming number of gamers you leave out in the cold.

The only snowball's chance in hell it has at being a smart decision is if they could guarantee they NEVER lose the NFL license.

I assure you, they aren't making an addition $65 per gamer from online multi-player gamers buying content. If anything the smart decision would be ignoring online play entirely, albeit a bit extreme.

In fact it was proven a while back by an interview with MS that, as far as XBL is concerned, many online gamers don't buy content for most of their games, if at all. Count me in that group. I've probably only spent around $70 or $75 total on game content in the past 5 years, and ZERO of that was on Madden.