Madden's future of CFM is alarming

[extremeskins04]

So we all know that two of the reasons EA didn't work on CFM in Madden this year were because of Longshot and the franchise guys that were pulled to work NBA Live 18 right? Well here's the problem, NBA Live 18.

Pastapadre released a review of the game and the details about it's Franchise mode are extremely alarming. This isn't just a battle between Live and 2k. There are issues, glaring issues.

Here is the full review but I'll snip the meaty stuff:


PastaPadre NBA Live 18 Review


This makes me extremely worried about the future of Madden's CFM because of the below, read on.

Quote:

Unfortunately, outside of "The One" career mode and enjoyable gameplay, "NBA Live 18" falls apart. Franchise mode is a mess. The issues with Franchise mode will be especially disappointing to those who look for them to provide longevity out of sports games. While not nearly as deep as either one of the two franchise modes in the other NBA video game, it's the bizarre design decisions, bugs and deficiencies that were identified within minutes of basic testing that are most alarming. Franchise is now separated into weeks instead of days, meaning the simulation of CPU games and transactions only occurs when a week is advanced rather than on a typical daily schedule. This works for a game like "Madden," which has a season structured around weeks, but it does not for an NBA game. Why will the name Alan Hinners mean something to those playing Franchise mode? Hinners is a fake player inexplicably made available in free agency at the start of the first season with an All-Star caliber rating of 90 Overall. Starting at point guard, Hinners is rated as the sixth-best player at the position in the game. The Mavericks always sign him, and he goes on to win Rookie of the Year 100 percent of the time by averaging around 25 points and 12 assists. The simulation engine in Franchise produces some head-scratching results. After the first run had the No. 6 Heat beat the No. 7 Grizzlies in the NBA Finals, I decided to simulate a bunch of first seasons and see if that was an anomaly. It wasn't. Other teams to win the championship included the Knicks, Mavericks, Clippers and Hornets. The Cavs rarely made it to the NBA Finals, and the Celtics never did, while the Warriors were able to win only a few titles. There should always be room for the occasional surprise from simulations, but today's NBA offers little suspense regarding which teams have any shot at a title. It's also worth noting that the CPU does not complete any trades among the 29 teams that aren't being controlled. That's a major oversight. There don't appear to be any injuries that occur during games, but rather that's limited to simulations. Turning off auto-subs breaks the CPU; it won't substitute at all during games. There is no online component to Franchise. Additionally, there remains no ability to edit players, something that the basketball gaming community has continually stressed over the years is critically important.

Yes of course this is an NBA Live 18 review in a Madden forum, but that's the problem. The same devs that worked on this franchise mode. The ones that were pulled away from our Madden CFM were working on Live 18's franchise mode and it's not looking very good.

It's worrisome, at the least.

[Datninja619]

I just want the halftime show experience. Assuming it's similar to The One NBA Game halftime shows.

Saw a video by Chris Smoove and made me realize how stale and skippable madden has been for 3 years or so

Sent from my SM-G950U using Operation Sports mobile app

[DocHolliday]

I know this is Madden but that is unbelievable that a AAA company like EA would release a franchise mode like that for a NBA title.

Honestly that sim engine looks like something a high school kid would cobble together for his final coding project. His name would be Hinners, obviously


Sent from my iPhone using Operation Sports

[csward]

It shows what EA thinks of franchise mode - it doesn't generate any sales. Well, all we have to do is not buy the game. Hopefully, it will be enough show them we aren't all cows to be milked.

[csward]

Quote: Originally Posted by Datninja619

I just want the halftime show experience. Assuming it's similar to The One NBA Game halftime shows. Saw a video by Chris Smoove and made me realize how stale and skippable madden has been for 3 years or so Sent from my SM-G950U using Operation Sports mobile app

I played the demo for live, the half time show was lacking in character compared to 2K. The same could be said of the terribly drull Madden halftime show as well. They have one to say the have one, but no one at EA cares if it's any good. They're collecting a paycheck that's all.

[reyes the roof]

Well at least we know it isn't and probably won't ever be a priority and we can stop kidding ourselves about the future of this game. As long as they patch the major gameplay issues I'll be able to make peace with playing 18 for a few years

[adembroski]

Weird that it's structured in weeks. The FranTK engine can handle any calender-based structure.

Sent from my SM-G930P using Operation Sports mobile app

[Hooe]

Not sure how NBA Live's franchise mode, which is presumably being built from scratch under really aggressive time constraints due to the turmoil that game has been through over the past decade, is relevant at all to the future of Madden's franchise mode, which is an infinitely more mature and stable, if imperfect, feature.