Madden NFL 12 Blog - Franchise Mode in Madden 12

[Evan_OS]

I don't have time right now to read the blog in detail, but I scanned through the headings and a little bit in the paragraphs and I AM PUMPED! Can't wait to look through the rest later tonight.

[Thinking Out Loud]

Quote: Originally Posted by LorenzoDC

Um, no. You don't understand my question. I don't control all 11 players on the field, and I'm taking a wild guess no one else does either. So, let's say I'm not controlling my #1 CB, who is an 88 OVR (I like to control on the line). He has a lousy game. I have a deep CB corps and now, going in to next week, my dude has the frost icon - he's cold. His OVR is now more like a 78. Now, purely from a depth chart perspective, his OVR makes him my #3 corner. If his cold streak is rigid, then I should play him at the nickel until his three weeks are up. But if the streak duration is itself dynamic, maybe based on some player attribute (maybe some players are more streaky than others), I may play him as a #1 next week anyway hoping he snaps out of it fast. Or, if I'm decent playing user controlled corner, I can take him over and try to force him out of it myself, even though his OVR at the start of the game is low. But, if the streak duration is fixed, and no user control will make a difference, I should just stick to my preferred control of a DT and drop him on my depth chart. Now, I actually think streak durations will probably be variable, but no more than 3 games. But I have not seen that made explicit anywhere. So that's why I'm asking.

I understand what you are saying but I think you are looking at this the wrong way.

First off, the Madden Franchise Playbook video says that there are NOT just hot and cold streaks but in between streaks as well. So this would imply a gradual scale that resets in 3 weeks, bye weeks and at the end of the season.

The fact of these being static time frames actually adds to the challenge of making hard decisions, not lessens it. If a players gets on a gradually declining cold streak, benching him until the static duration of the streak wears off, is NOT an easy fix due to the risk/reward balance of player roles and in season progression.

You get the reward of not playing a guy for a set duration until they are back to normal. However, the risks of having to potentially play a lesser skilled back-up until then, having the benched player's permanent skill ratings potentially not progress like they naturally would from playing or even actually regress and that could lead to losing player roles or not earning one. Multiply that risk/reward potential for ALL your starters because the more a player actually takes the field, the increased chance of them getting on some kind of streak.

All that together makes for a very realistic risk/reward situation because of static streak durations.

[Gotmadskillzson]

Quote: Originally Posted by rgiles36

Can't wait til E3 so we can hear about the Dynamic Player Ratings...let's say a QB tanks one game, causing his ratings to dip. He comes back next week with his ratings a pinch lower. If I take that QB and play methodically, putting together a 120+ QB percentage the following week, does that stabilize the cold streak? Or is the cold streak in effect for 3 weeks regardless? Interesting...

From the way they explained it, it was all performance driven. So if that is the case, if you carefully play better the next game, that person should snap out of his cold streak.

Since they said the max was 3 games straight, not that it was a guranteed 3 games straight.

[BlueNGold]

Quote: Originally Posted by xtremedunkz

I am in the facebook discussion group and Josh mentioned that to us about a week or so ago.

****, that really sucks.

Does the CPU just trade draft picks during the draft or do they trade players as well?

Also did you get any reason why this is still the case? I'm pretty sure HC '09 had in-season and off-season player trades between two CPU teams, so I was hoping that would make it in as well.

[LorenzoDC]

Quote: Originally Posted by Thinking Out Loud

I understand what you are saying but I think you are looking at this the wrong way. First off, the Madden Franchise Playbook video says that there are NOT just hot and cold streaks but in between streaks as well. So this would imply a gradual scale that resets in 3 weeks, bye weeks and at the end of the season. The fact of these being static time frames actually adds to the challenge of making hard decisions, not lessens it. If a players gets on a gradually declining cold streak, benching him until the static duration of the streak wears off, is NOT an easy fix due to the risk/reward balance of player roles and in season progression. You get the reward of not playing a guy for a set duration until they are back to normal. However, the risks of having to potentially play a lesser skilled back-up until then, having the benched player's permanent skill ratings potentially not progress like they naturally would from playing or even actually regress and that could lead to losing player roles or not earning one. Multiply that risk/reward potential for ALL your starters because the more a player actually takes the field, the increased chance of them getting on some kind of streak. All that together makes for a very realistic risk/reward situation because of static streak durations.

I get your point, but one thing I just checked after reading your post was the progression portion of the blog. It doesn't actually say anything about in season progression. It seems to imply an end of year evaluation where baseline progression either goes up or down based on player rank in the context of his same age peers.

If that's the case, then progression is an end of year change just like assignments of roles. In season progression or regression is, in this scenario, more akin to a fluctuation based on performance with the baseline attributes and OVR as the starting point.

Now, in my CB example, maybe my cold streak #1 CB is 30 years old and I have two guys behind him with decent potential who are younger. Maybe then I risk seeing him get stuck cold and play fewer snaps while I invest snaps in my up and comers. Ok, I get that part.

I guess all I really want to hear is that better play can cut a cold streak short, or worse play cut a hot streak short. And I'd like to know if stable, consistent players not only have more shallow streaks, but can maybe have streaks of shorter duration. Because in the real NFL, some players can come back from an off game better than others can.

But I get what you're saying.

[Jr.]

Quote: Originally Posted by LorenzoDC

I get your point, but one thing I just checked after reading your post was the progression portion of the blog. It doesn't actually say anything about in season progression. It seems to imply an end of year evaluation where baseline progression either goes up or down based on player rank in the context of his same age peers. If that's the case, then progression is an end of year change just like assignments of roles. In season progression or regression is, in this scenario, more akin to a fluctuation based on performance with the baseline attributes and OVR as the starting point. Now, in my CB example, maybe my cold streak #1 CB is 30 years old and I have two guys behind him with decent potential who are younger. Maybe then I risk seeing him get stuck cold and play fewer snaps while I invest snaps in my up and comers. Ok, I get that part. I guess all I really want to hear is that better play can cut a cold streak short, or worse play cut a hot streak short. And I'd like to know if stable, consistent players not only have more shallow streaks, but can maybe have streaks of shorter duration. Because in the real NFL, some players can come back from an off game better than others can. But I get what you're saying.

I remember reading that there is a consistency and confidence rating for every player that will help determine how much their ratings may fluctuate from week to week. The higher those individual ratings, the less the player's overall rating will fluctuate

[sniperhare]

Quote: Originally Posted by BlueNGold

****, that really sucks. Does the CPU just trade draft picks during the draft or do they trade players as well? Also did you get any reason why this is still the case? I'm pretty sure HC '09 had in-season and off-season player trades between two CPU teams, so I was hoping that would make it in as well.

They can't fix everything, they don't want to put in things that aren't working right into the game. It seems like a pick your battle kind of situation. They had a list of things they wanted and a finite time to get them in place.

[Vikes1]

Great to see franchise mode get it's due.

Also, kind of comforting to see that apparently EA Sports does understand the importance of off-line gaming to many of us, still.