Madden 12 News Post

Making the Most out of Madden NFL 12's Muddled Franchise Menus

12:30 PM - October 26, 2011 by RaychelSnr

The “Y” button on my Xbox 360 controller makes a horrible squeaking noise, as if Ndamukong Suh had squashed it like Jay Cutler.

For anyone who has logged any significant amount of time playing Madden 12's revamped franchise mode, they probably have a similar controller-busting story of navigating the muddled menus the mode has to offer.

That poor Y button — the good ol’ “triangle” for you PS3 users — is getting a lot of work these days. The poor menu system is one of the most popular gripes on forums filled with Madden fans willing to vent their views on the game.

It has me asking 'Why?'

But don’t fret, there are ways to mitigate the muddled mess of the franchise menus.

Read More - Making the Most out of Madden NFL 12's Muddled Franchise Menus

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

# 1 GrandMaster B @ 10/26/11 12:44 PM

I don't find it complicated at all.

# 2 C the Lyte @ 10/26/11 12:46 PM

2k's right-stick crap is way worse than this.

# 3 huskerwr38 @ 10/26/11 01:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kpkpkp


	Man... I wish this were the only problem with the new and "improved" franchise mode in M12. Then I'd be a happy gamer... Unicorns and Glitter!! But in general having to hit a button or flick a stick to access a main menu from the main menu is redundant. The Madden dev team should really consider help from someone who is an interface expert. Or just go back to last years interface...

For some reason I really thought we would be getting an interface like Head Coach 09. That is probably one of the best interfaces I've ever seen in a game. It was really nice to look at, everything flowed perfectly, very intuitive, and everything was really easy to access.

# 4 AgaliareptX @ 10/26/11 02:36 PM

You guys have got to be kidding. When Madden first came out, everyone was complaining about this. I guess people must've gotten used to it or something.

Anyway, I still hate these menus. They take forever to pop up and they're ugly as sin. Half the tabs are useless and they're nowhere near as detailed as they should be for a franchise mode. NBA 2k is lightyears ahead, especially with their actual news displays and intuitive right-stick controls.

# 5 Cardot @ 10/26/11 02:42 PM

I also am not a fan of the menu's. I am not sure why EA (or 2K and their right thumbstick for that matter) need to mess with this. No need for them to get clever as menu's were perfected back on Tecmo Superbowl.

On a related note, the stat screens annoy me too. As I scroll down, each player is expanded by about 4X....Why????

# 6 ghostlight85 @ 10/26/11 03:31 PM

I don't care at all about the "Muddled" aspect of these menus. I think you guys missed the point here a bit. I think the more annoying part of it is the significant delay that is involved every time you do something. 5-7 seconds to open edit player? That plus the UDFA problems and you get a painstaking, time-wasting franchise mode.

# 7 EccentricMeat @ 10/26/11 04:07 PM

The funny thing is, NCAA Football 12's Dynasty menu and layout are IMO perfect! Why can't EA just copy that over to Madden for next year? I pray that they do. That, and make Free Agency a lot like NCAA 12's recruitment, and the game would be amazing!

OH, and leave UDFA's out, if you're not gonna put in the time to actually make sure that it works and is useful. The most troublesome and worthless "major" gameplay addition in gaming history.

/rant

# 8 Beeks @ 10/26/11 05:49 PM

I just don't like how it exits back to the Game of the Week screen every time you finish doing something... It should just exit back to the menu... other than that, I don't really care.

# 9 raguel @ 10/26/11 05:55 PM

I don't know if anyone else has pointed it out, but under the coach menu, one can edit the off/def playbooks.

My main problem with the menus is a "legacy" issue, there should be a "skills" tab for players in the "free agents" option.

# 10 Sabredj @ 10/26/11 05:55 PM

I have never been so disappointed with Franchise mode as much as this year, and it begins with the poor menu design and clunkiness of it all. It ends in a total lack of immersion because each game feels like a play now game. As eccentricmeat said above NCAA 12 had great menus and at least it has different text sections/news items that hyped the week, connected the goings on of the season, and mentioned players who had led their teams etc... The Madden team has managed to suck the life out of one of my favorite modes. I'll be exchanging this soon for one of the many November releases.

# 11 PacMan3000 @ 10/26/11 06:01 PM

The menu's don't bother me in the slightest. I actually think the little menu that expands into several bigger menu's is pretty cool.

What bothers me is how they break down the ratings in this game. I hate scouting a rookie/NFL prospect, for example, and having to scroll and scroll and scroll and scroll all the way to the right to find out his PASS BLOCK rating. Or his injury rating.

I can't stand how when I want the tackle or power ratings for an LB prospect, I have to pass junk like his KAC or CARRYING ratings. They're so not relevant, and would save time if the rating categories were broken down into what mattered for a player's given position, rather than some random free-for-all.

And if they could put that information in a nice, easily packaged place, that'd be even better.

# 12 raguel @ 10/26/11 06:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PacMan3000


	The menu's don't bother me in the slightest. I actually think the little menu that expands into several bigger menu's is pretty cool. What bothers me is how they break down the ratings in this game. I hate scouting a rookie/NFL prospect, for example, and having to scroll and scroll and scroll and scroll all the way to the right to find out his PASS BLOCK rating. Or his injury rating. I can't stand how when I want the tackle or power ratings for an LB prospect, I have to pass junk like his KAC or CARRYING ratings. They're so not relevant, and would save time if the rating categories were broken down into what mattered for a player's given position, rather than some random free-for-all. And if they could put that information in a nice, easily packaged place, that'd be even better.

I have to agree with this. Even if they keep these ratings, they should at least be kept in some sort of logical order.

Menus also seem to be a bit slower. Problems accessing the database I suppose.

# 13 knighthawksfan @ 10/26/11 07:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dukebeatsuncagain


	People really complain that much about the menu in this game? Wow. People will find any reason they can to complain about a game I guess. I would say there are thousands of things more important in my life than the menu of a video game.

I agree with you on that

# 14 C the Lyte @ 10/26/11 08:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JerseySuave4


	are you kidding me? NBA 2k12 has the best menu in a game. Right from the main menu you have all of your stuff set to jump right in. 1 button can load up your association, or your My Player or a quick game or the legends feature all just with a 1 button push. Then if you want the full menu you flick the right stick and there it is. And the menus are fast and easy to scroll through. Plus the layout isn't boring like Madden & NCAA Football. I wish EA had a menu like 2k12 for their football games. Since i don't really play Madden i don't know about their menus as much but i know NCAA Football's menus are sooooo slow to navigate through. You notice the menus when its as bad as NCAA Football's is.

Alright maybe "way" is a bit overstating. However, the Y or Triangle button is used menu wise in other games to some degree. The right stick method in 2k, is not (at least not to my knowledge). As for the "best in a game", I believe that is a bit of an overstatement as well. Very awkward.

Bottom line, EA AND 2K should change this going forward.

# 15 RedZoneD25 @ 10/26/11 09:41 PM

I don't see the big deal. It's the same as last year with one extra button push.

# 16 C the Lyte @ 10/26/11 10:48 PM

That isn't what this article is about though. Franchise can be accessed the same way with Madden (Resume Franchise). This is about the in-franchise menu. I can see now though that we will just have to agree to disagree. I don't want to take this any further OT, and I'm sure others would appreciate it.

# 17 Dazraz @ 10/27/11 04:58 AM

Madden menu system is bad. No doubt about it. As this blog suggests, there are ways to make it more bearable. Still doesn't excuse how the hell EA came up with such a navigation method.
For instance sign a Free Agent in NBA 2K & you are instantly asked if you want to go straight to your line up page to make adjustments. In Madden you have to navigate back through the menus to go to your depth chart.

# 18 macbranson @ 10/28/11 12:00 PM

To Pacman3000, I feel the same way. But if you go to player info (L3 button after highlighting player on PS3) and go to Contract/Skills, they actually show the important ratings for that player's position. I recently discovered this and thought you should know about it.

As far as menus go, yes they do suck. They are not user friendly at all. I shouldn't have to press a button to bring up the menu screen, it should already be incorporated into the screen. Then some of the menus are redundant. I can go to Free Agents under Player Management instead of going to the Free Agent menu (And why do contracts work differently in each Free Agent menu?). And the whole having to hold R2 or L2 while moving through things is pretty annoying. Then there are the menus that are just going to get skipped, anyway. Like News and The Details. Most of the stuff in those menus should be buried somewhere else because I never use them. And what ever happened to team matchups? I would like to see a matchup screen where I can see how well my next opponent is rated and their key players/ injuries.

As was stated by someone else, the menus are bad, but they are really the least of the many problems plaguing Franchise Mode in this year's game.

# 19 ravensafcchamps12 @ 11/07/11 11:19 AM

how do i download roster off of here

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Making the Most out of Madden NFL 12's Muddled Franchise Menus