Madden NFL 15 News Post

Madden NFL 15 Connected Franchise Details, Trailer and Screenshots

11:49 AM - August 6, 2014 by CM Hooe

EA Sports released a plethora fresh new details of connected franchise today, with big changes coming to the mode and how it will work this year. You can check out the full details here.

Here are some highlights:

Confidence is new this year, and replaces hot and cold streaks. Really high or really low confidence is going to affect player ratings, all players start at a neutral 50 confidence level.
Game prep will allow you to earn XP or increase player confidence from week to week, allowing you to practically choose whether you are a rah-rah coach or a down to business type of coach.
CPU teams have extensive logic that determines what they work on every week. Bad teams will focus mostly on developing their players, while contenders will focus on confidence first and then earn XP if confidence isn�t an issue.
Free agents now take much more than money into account when deciding to sign with you or not. Playing time, scheme, your coaching prestige and more will be factors.
Draft classes are now random.
Owner Mode is now much more challenging when it comes to making a profit, and teams with older stadiums in smaller markets may be better off building new stadiums or relocating altogether.
You can now sim to points in the season, with an option to actually sim 10 years into the future.
New screen to see how players progress/regress.
Relocations are tuned way down and can be turned off.
You can now fire your head coach during the season.
The simulation engine now includes things like consistency, confidence and development. In Madden 15, young players with great development traits will have slightly better �simmed� stats than normal. This allows great young players to progress quickly and become stars in the league.

What do you think of the additions to the mode this year?

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Member Comments

# 261 kidanything2 @ 08/06/14 11:50 PM

Every single thing they touched on seems good. The practice, the free agency, random over fixed classes. All sound great, but have the potential for EA to screw them up, but that's another topic.

However, it is all wasted on me because without editable draft classes, I won't play this game. I'm not even mad about it at this point, I haven't bought madden in like 5 years. To apply an appropriate sports cliche "We'll get em next year."

# 262 Desolationmike @ 08/07/14 12:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeuceDouglas

Maybe I'm a nerd but does anyone else really like that ticker at the bottom with the remark about McCoy liking his incoming rookie receiver? I'm sure it's one of those things you'll see a bunch of times throughout a franchise, but I still think it's a good step. Hopefully it will change based off of confidence and player quality. I hate seeing sories or quotes like this that make no sense (i.e. player A is upset about playtime despite playing entire games.)

# 263 DeuceDouglas @ 08/07/14 12:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big FN Deal


	Ah, ok, I can understand that my frustrate some but I like it, lol. It at least puts some onus for game planning before FA with regard to personnel moves like real life versus ad libbing. I'm sure there are better ways to implement a system that's more realistic and I doubt it's an intentional design decision but I'm for anything that that makes player/team management more realistically challenging.

Yeah, I would never be averse to something that clouded the ratings and still left some mystery behind them whether it be letter grades or number ranges but being completely in the dark on guys like free agents would definitely peeve me. Although, chances greatly being that I'll be using 32 team control this year it might make things a bit interesting.

# 264 Cowboy008 @ 08/07/14 12:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Desolationmike


	Maybe I'm a nerd but does anyone else really like that ticker at the bottom with the remark about McCoy liking his incoming rookie receiver? I'm sure it's one of those things you'll see a bunch of times throughout a franchise, but I still think it's a good step. Hopefully it will change based off of confidence and player quality. I hate seeing sories or quotes like this that make no sense (i.e. player A is upset about playtime despite playing entire games.)

I could be wrong but I think that is real NFL headlines.

# 265 DeuceDouglas @ 08/07/14 12:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Desolationmike


	Maybe I'm a nerd but does anyone else really like that ticker at the bottom with the remark about McCoy liking his incoming rookie receiver? I'm sure it's one of those things you'll see a bunch of times throughout a franchise, but I still think it's a good step. Hopefully it will change based off of confidence and player quality. I hate seeing sories or quotes like this that make no sense (i.e. player A is upset about playtime despite playing entire games.)

I love the ticker but what across the bottom is just real life stories from NFL.com and has nothing to do with your actual franchise. It's a huge missed opportunity. I'm not trying to plug myself but if you go to the Expanded Broadcast link below I actually made some mockups of the possibilities that they have with it. They are really missing out not utilizing it though. I think I would actually prefer the storylines running through that than the story feed UI currently being used.

# 266 RandyBass @ 08/07/14 12:41 AM

For context, I have been disappointed with Madden for quite some time, like close to a decade now.

With that out of the way, I like what I am seeing!

The series obviously still has a ways to go, but between this here franchise news and the defensive improvements it looks like it's at least a few steps closer.

Hopefully it all comes together for a solid and worthwhile release.

# 267 Sheba2011 @ 08/07/14 12:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CT Pittbull


	My problem is if I let the CPU have any control what so ever the Broncos release Wes Welker after training camp. I just want to play the real games from the real season with the real rosters. NO bs CPU moves/cuts/trades. I don't want to babysit the CPU's braindead football management skills. Maybe this year will be different but I doubt it

You mean like how Chip Kelly cut Desean Jackson at the end of the season (i know you said training camp) or Tampa Bay with Derrell Revis or Chicago with Julius Peppers? If that happened in the game last year you would have been talking about the braindead cpu moves.

# 268 Sheba2011 @ 08/07/14 12:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LorenzoDC


	I don't think off season was touched at all, from what I can tell.

Except for player regression/progression explanations and the new Free Agent system...

# 269 CyberRudy25 @ 08/07/14 01:06 AM

I wish they brought back the extra point.

# 270 tdogg097 @ 08/07/14 01:06 AM

Wow! I'm sold.

As long as the sim engine doesn't allow half of the starting qb's to throw for less than 50% cmp pct I'm good. I spent weeks tweaking rosters before ever playing a game just to get palatable qb sim stats.

So glad practice is gone. It was a laborious, overpowering part of the game and added zero enjoyment. I love the idea of being able to develop a young qb while at the same time preparing my starter to be at his best week in and week out.

I would have liked to seen some type of homefield advantage tied into the confidence rating. If you play in Seattle the Seahawks should get a boost while the opponent takes a hit. Homefield isn't as profound in the pros but it definitely exists.

# 271 Sheba2011 @ 08/07/14 01:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mckinley Cash


	Coaches this year also affect your player's confidence.

They also affect whether a free agent signs with your team.

# 272 Sheba2011 @ 08/07/14 01:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PainTrain43


	Sales have already dropped quite a bit and I know quite a few people who skipped Madden last year for just that reason and are skipping it again for that reason. Not saying they will lose millions of customers...but probably in the thousands. That is a big deal to ALOT of people, and a big reason alot of people even bought NCAA to begin with when it was still being made.

Sales dropped in the first few months but that had more to do with two new consoles about to be released a few months later. Once sales from the PS4 and XB1 were added in the overall sales were down compared to 13 but not by a significant number. The difference could be explained by the down economy and high unemployment rate just as much/more as draft classes.

# 273 Sheba2011 @ 08/07/14 01:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by badluck22


	im 90% sure you can build a new stadium in your current city if the current stadium is bad enough.

As long as your current stadium was below a certain number last year (don't remember what it was) you could build a new stadium in the same city.

# 274 Sheba2011 @ 08/07/14 01:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Azcardinal32


	This looks great, this year they made progressing players less tedious. Hopefully next year they can fix scouting. From the screen shown it doesnt look like scouting has changed at all so I still have to spend ridiculous amounts of points on things I can learn for free at the scouting combine like speed, strength, etc.

While I would love to see a combine, realistically you can't take much from it. Real NFL scouts/coaches call it the underwear Olympics for a reason. 40 yd dash was originally designed for gunners because the average punt was 40 yds. It doesn't tell you how fast a player will be in an actual game situation, it tell's you how fast he is in perfect conditions, running in a straight line while wearing underwear. While we have to spend points to determine speed, NFL teams have to spend ridiculous amount of times in the film room to determine just how fast or strong a recruit really is. They mainly use the combine for two reasons: one it's the first chance you have all the recruits practicing together and interacting with one another. Two it's the first chance many teams have to interview every player on their draft board.

# 275 DeuceDouglas @ 08/07/14 01:40 AM

I wonder if the relocation issues have been fixed. I'd love to move the Raiders or Rams back to LA but if it's going to still say Oakland or St. Louis in the end zone it's a complete waste of time. I'd like to see some more stadium variance as well but I think that would have been mentioned.

# 276 Sheba2011 @ 08/07/14 01:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeuceDouglas


	I wonder if the relocation issues have been fixed. I'd love to move the Raiders or Rams back to LA but if it's going to still say Oakland or St. Louis in the end zone it's a complete waste of time. I'd like to see some more stadium variance as well but I think that would have been mentioned.

That (along with the horrible relocation team uniforms/logos) is what killed owner mode for me last year. I ended up giving up after a few attempts and just playing coach mode. I don't want to play with the San Antonio Rams of St. Louis, I want the San Antonio Rams. I would even settle for just generic endzones rather than seeing St. Louis Rams in the endzone.

# 277 crf2012 @ 08/07/14 02:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Caveman24


	So will Ray Lewis at 45 still pop up out of "retirement"?

it will probably be tony gonzalez this year

# 278 Rjrosco @ 08/07/14 02:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CT Pittbull


	On the CFM changes I just don't understand why we still cant edit ratings in season. Online ok, I understand, but offline CFM's lack of the ability to edit ratings is ridiculous. They also have to make it easier to control all 32 teams offline. How hard can it be to give the offline guys some options.

Exactly

# 279 Sheba2011 @ 08/07/14 03:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr.Smif


	So Madden 15 two biggest features in CFM (Confidence & Game Prep) are features that have been in other sports games for years, smh. To me those shouldn't be the BIG features, they should be complimentary features at the bottom of the feature list. I have not played Franchise in Madden since Madden 05 on PS2 and it looks like it's still not to the point worth sending my valuable time on. Looks like I will be spending most of my time playing online matches for a couple months before I get bored with it. Like someone mentioned in another thread, I wish they had a single season mode. Game Prep is so basic, its about boosting up players stats to get them to play better in a game. Game Prep should be about preparing for what plays the opponent is going to run next week and preparing a gameplan for them, thats how Game Prep is done in real life.

If the confidence addition works as advertised it will be a ground breaking addition unlike anything we have seen in most sport's games. Game Prep gives you the option to either boost a single players XP or Confidence but you can also work with an entire position group to prepare them for the game your about to play.

# 280 Desolationmike @ 08/07/14 04:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeuceDouglas


	I love the ticker but what across the bottom is just real life stories from NFL.com and has nothing to do with your actual franchise. It's a huge missed opportunity. I'm not trying to plug myself but if you go to the Expanded Broadcast link below I actually made some mockups of the possibilities that they have with it. They are really missing out not utilizing it though. I think I would actually prefer the storylines running through that than the story feed UI currently being used.

Damn, I forgot they added that IRL ticker. While I think that's a cool concept, and I like it for main menues and Play Now, why the he'll would it be in CFM? What if I summed ahead 10 years? How is it at all relevant to what's going on? I feel like it would help their "storylines" a lot if they changed it. I'm still looking forward to Madden and CFM but that's a nagging detail, and I'm such a stickler for little details like that. Especially for CFM and "career" mode, if you can even call it that. I miss superstar mode which was immensely better and after playing NBA2k's MyPlayer, Maddens "career" is a joke.

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