Madden 12 News Post

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

01:18 PM - July 8, 2011 by CRMosier_LM

Justin Dewiel, Community Manager of Madden NFL, has made a post on the EA Forums detailing the current status and future of Online Franchise in Madden NFL 12.

Quote:


	Hey guys, Justin Dewiel, your EA SPORTS Community Manager for the Madden NFL franchise, here with a short update on where we currently are with Franchise mode, and a look at where we�re heading. So many times throughout the year I get the pleasure of revealing features that you, the community, have been asking for. Revealing our Offline Franchise mode feature set was one of those days. It�s no secret that our Franchise mode was lacking features that our fans expected. This community feedback was the #1 reason behind the renewed focus on Franchise mode in Madden NFL 12. For those of you who missed all of the details on the improvements/additions made to Offline Franchise, you can catch up on everything by clicking here. I feel confident in saying that you�ll be impressed with the experience this year and I look forward to hearing your feedback. Since we revealed the details of the Offline Franchise mode, the most requested question has been, �What upgrades have you made to Online Franchise mode?� We set aggressive development goals for Madden NFL 12 � from the improvements to Offline Franchise and Superstar modes, to the complete overhaul of visuals, addition of custom playbooks, a new collision system, our yet to be discussed Online Communities feature, and more. When it comes to the tight schedule of an annual development cycle, we have to make tough decisions, and it became apparent as we continued to work through our campaign that there was no way to deliver a deep, fully connected Online Franchise experience that you deserve this year. Therefore, there will be no additions to Online Franchise mode in Madden NFL 12. That said, I can say with absolute certainty that delivering a feature-rich Online Franchise mode is a top priority for the Madden leadership as we move forward. It�s crucial that we transform how and where fans interact with our games and each other. Modes like NCAA Football�s Online Dynasty or FIFA 12�s Football Club are leading the way in building connected experiences, and you can expect that the Madden NFL franchise will aggressively work to meet and exceed your expectations for Online Franchise. Community is the heart of everything we do at EA SPORTS. We hope you�ve felt represented in everything from the Madden NFL 12 Cover Vote to the new features in this year�s game. Bringing passionate fans together, like you, is the focus of Online Communities feature that we�ll detail on July 25th. We�re excited about sharing more information soon and seeing what you�ll create. As always, we look forward to hearing your thoughts!

Game: Madden NFL 12Reader Score: 6.5/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS3 / Wii / Xbox 360Votes for game: 44 - View All

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Member Comments

# 161 GGEden @ 07/09/11 01:50 AM

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.

# 162 GGEden @ 07/09/11 02:08 AM

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.

# 163 The Real Ma$$ive @ 07/09/11 02:13 AM

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.

# 164 tb24ster @ 07/09/11 04:32 AM

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.

# 165 GGEden @ 07/09/11 05:30 AM

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?

# 166 ANDROMADA 1 @ 07/09/11 09:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by g2thecore


	And you don't feel that the resources were allocated accordingly? I tend to believe that the areas of the game that were improved upon, were in dire need of improvements for quite some time. I know that online franchise being untouched isn't ideal, but it's a necessary compromise at this point. Offline franchise, and presentation have been lacking since the beginning of this gen of gaming. Wouldn't you agree?

No. We'll just have to agree to disagree. From my perspective this remains an incomplete product.

# 167 jlandryst @ 07/09/11 10:48 AM

to me there are a few things fishy about this.

1. He not getting paid for this so how do we know as a Madden Community its going to be a reliable product

2. If anyone has used league manager in the past you know its been down for weeks at a time.

3. The security issue people were able to make duplicate leagues change things ie player salaries and salary caps of teams

4. HE NOT GETTING PAID TO DO THIS....LOL

# 168 yanknicks @ 07/09/11 11:41 AM

Ok everyone need to know EA needs a sale pitch as a new feature in madden every year. Madden 10 it was the year of fight for every yard and all new pro-tak. Madden 11 was the year of online team play and all new playcalling system. Madden 12 the year of offline franchise and presentations cut scenes. Madden 13 year of online franchise hopefully, EA is saving that sale pitch for next year I guaranteed it.

# 169 JKHERD @ 07/09/11 12:18 PM

just unbelievable that a company can put out NCAA with one of the best set of online features on the market and turn around and give us Madden - the best selling sports franchise of all time and the online features are a joke.

# 170 Automatik @ 07/09/11 02:05 PM

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?

Could not disagree more. Call of Duty, Gears of War, Halo's core is multiplayer most of my friends never finish half of the campaigns they just play multiplayer.

# 171 bigbuddah180 @ 07/09/11 02:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by g2thecore


	And you don't feel that the resources were allocated accordingly? I tend to believe that the areas of the game that were improved upon, were in dire need of improvements for quite some time. I know that online franchise being untouched isn't ideal, but it's a necessary compromise at this point. Offline franchise, and presentation have been lacking since the beginning of this gen of gaming. Wouldn't you agree?

presentation???? grass?????? entrances????? apf 2k8 still has madden blown out the water in gameplay...4 YEARS AND COUNTING..u would think that they would work harder on gameplay. it is going in the right direction and ill gladly admit that. the game is worth buying just for that ill admit it. BUT...online franchise is a basic mode they should be touched every year. offline franchise is a basic mode and should be touched every year. gameplay is the most basic feature that should be touch every year. entrances that we wont watch after the first few weeks if at all are pointless. im done being mad. im in the depression mode now.

i just find it funny that they give access to another site to make thier game better. just proves my point that they are lazy and proves my point that they dont care about what fans truely want. the only thing that makes this game half way different from 11 is the "collision system" that is 4 years old. still skating and guarantee still suction and canned animations. like i said in a previous post. what are we going to do? NOTHING...besides buy this rabbit *** game because its the only game in town and they know it and take advantage of it.

# 172 bigbuddah180 @ 07/09/11 02:58 PM

im a very simple person. i play a football game for the gameplay. i dont care about grass, cut scenes that lengthen the game, referres on the field, grass, cheerleaders like they are apart of the game, lighting, entrances, grass, uniforms options, more grass

there is a reason a good amount of ppl still play apf2k5 and apf2k8 regardless of graphics, GAMEPLAY. online franchise updates are needed to improve the game. its like the heat. all the cosmetics and the name and make improvements BUT its a failure if they/it doesnt go all the way. this game wont go all the way. jus ike the heat...hahaha they ran out of time...unbelievable EA...unbelievable

# 173 CMH @ 07/09/11 03:41 PM

Stop bringing up other games in here.

# 174 SoxFan01605 @ 07/09/11 04:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigbuddah180


	im a very simple person. i play a football game for the gameplay. i dont care about grass, cut scenes that lengthen the game, referres on the field, grass, cheerleaders like they are apart of the game, lighting, entrances, grass, uniforms options, more grass there is a reason a good amount of ppl still play apf2k5 and apf2k8 regardless of graphics, GAMEPLAY. online franchise updates are needed to improve the game. its like the heat. all the cosmetics and the name and make improvements BUT its a failure if they/it doesnt go all the way. this game wont go all the way. jus ike the heat...hahaha they ran out of time...unbelievable EA...unbelievable

This is one of the most all over the place arguments I've seen here. You spend half of it arguing for gameplay and comparing it to APF and then try to relate that to OF. If you play football for the game play, then that has nothing to do with an argument for or against online franchise. It has nothing to do with game play. This is a depth issue, not a game play one. It almost reads as an excuse just to bring up APF (which, ironically enough, would be a terrible example of depth of modes).

Personally, I don't pretend to know how EA's programming is set up, so it seems perfectly plausible that they would have to get the offline portion of franchise right before online can be handled. Given that franchise mode has been mostly untouched since it came on this generation of consoles, the time frame for OF doesn't surprise me either.

It seems they got a lot done this year both on and off the field. If everything they added and added back works anywhere close to as advertised, I think OF not being touched is an acceptable casualty (generally speaking...I know everyone has their own priorities).

IF any of those features are broken, poorly implemented, or in any way not as advertised, I think EA's in some ****...lol...and deservedly so. I just think a lot of the arguments that EA is being stupid, short-sighted, out of touch, etc are overblown at this point. Until 12 is released and we see the fruition of what they added we can't know for sure.

That said, while I think it's an acceptable sacrifice in theory (since the game has so much to fix that something was bound to be left out), it's also perfectly understandable that people would be upset. I don't think anyone should be acting as though it's unreasonable that it's a deal breaker for some people, especially given EA's recent history.

Hopefully the features worked on this year are up to snuff and OF is able to get some love next year.

# 175 kevj349 @ 07/09/11 05:18 PM

I was so pumped for Madden, now I'm not buying it.

# 176 permanent1 @ 07/09/11 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Automatik


	Could not disagree more. Call of Duty, Gears of War, Halo's core is multiplayer most of my friends never finish half of the campaigns they just play multiplayer.

And i could not disagree more with you,while i love halo multiplayer heck we have had partys and we sit around drink and all play halo BUT 90% of my friends beat the single player portion of the game before going to multiplayer.

# 177 Elgin2311 @ 07/09/11 07:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by permanent1


	And i could not disagree more with you,while i love halo multiplayer heck we have had partys and we sit around drink and all play halo BUT 90% of my friends beat the single player portion of the game before going to multiplayer.

I agree with your disagreement, but trying to use inaccurate statistical data to back up your argument is a fallacy. And unless your friends represent at least 51% of the gaming population it really doesn't matter.

# 178 Meast21Forever @ 07/09/11 07:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elgin2311


	I agree with your disagreement, but trying to use inaccurate statistical data to back up your argument is a fallacy. And unless your friends represent at least 51% of the gaming population it really doesn't matter.

hahaha.. dude has a lot of friends

it's just science.

i never really enjoyed online franchise. i prefer to tweak sliders and have an enjoyable experience against the cpu. i can see how guys who enjoy online franchise would be upset, but time is limited. all the stuff they added to offline, all the testing and man hours that go into all the other features - there just isn't enough time in the day. i was pissed off about the lack of improvements for offline franchise last year, but they've really stepped it up and improved it ten fold this year. i can see them doing the same with online franchise next year.

# 179 BlAcK_OpS @ 07/09/11 07:50 PM

This is very disappointing to hear, but I kind of just assumed this was the case anyway since there wasn't a single bit of news on OF up to this point. Oh well, I'll just rent Madden from Gamefly for about a month and send it back once Gears Of War 3 drops.

# 180 JohnnyWadd @ 07/09/11 08:59 PM

Not buying. When I read last year after they added NOTHING to OF that the following game would be the "year of the franchise", I expected it would mean BOTH franchises (as stated earlier, it should connected as one anyways). This is pathetic, 3 years and not a single update. I'd have even bought the game if a lousy practice mode/scrimmage was added but nothing is inexcusable.

It's also pretty sad you guys are arguing about TURNS on who should get their game mode fixed first. Are you serious? It's 2011 and the most popular sports game in America is being released, hire enough people to get this done. We shouldn't have to wait every other year and swap out TAKING TURNS on who gets what!!!!! Absolutely pathetic.

The game looks better too so I'm really disappointing that the only game mode I really enjoy to play goes untouched again. It's been a long time since I've not bought Madden at midnight but I won't be buying this at all.

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