Madden NFL 16 News Post

Madden NFL 16: Fixing CFM (Part II)

02:28 PM - October 24, 2015 by RaychelSnr

Chase Becotte is back with part two of his video feature where he talks about what would make up the perfect Madden franchise mode in 2016 and beyond. Check it out and see if you agree or disagree with his thoughts.

If you can't see the video above, watch it here. To see this video on YouTube, click here.

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# 1 khaliib @ 10/24/15 06:38 PM

I wold say that it should start with "Offline" play because even when online, many aspects of the AI is operating during gameplay.
Because of this, very few online games are played centered around "true" football aspects because the AI that is the foundation of the game is still far behind the advancement of other sports game AI's.
But, here is where the problem lies because that would require EA to focus on the Offline build of the game and make Online secondary (we know that's not going to happen).

Unlike most other sports, soccer included, football is the one sport that is difficult to incorporate several Human players playing during a game at the same time.
One Hum player controls one player during a play while the "AI" controls 99% of the rest.
Even with multiple Hum players each controlling a team, they're still restricted/bound by the Offline AI structure.
Because of this, online play is basically a mash-up of 32 Offline CFM's running online to me.

Poor AI is compounded by Madden's "restrictive" nature which prevents the gamer from being pulled deeper into a multiple season experience.
A "Play Now" experience dressed in a "Franchise" uniform is what we are really talking about here.

NBA 2k16 has set the standard for sports games going forth.
A descent/good AI foundation with the ability to "customize/alter" the AI team/player behavior to your liking.
Madden CFM experience will continue to leave gamers with a "blah" feeling after the initial sugar rush has worn off.

Start with the Offline AI and build from there.
Then up the customization of the game!!!
These two would improve CFM experience greatly.

The other thing I think that is that they need to go back to the original camera angle the game is watched from on TV (the side view).
Or even better, allow gamers the ability to customize the camera view they want to play from.

# 2 sportskid84 @ 10/24/15 09:52 PM

Please let us disable all that XP stuff and give us a good ole fashion franchise mode

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

# 3 The JareBear @ 10/24/15 09:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sportskid84


	Please let us disable all that XP stuff and give us a good ole fashion franchise mode Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

This x100000000

Please

# 4 Step2001 @ 10/24/15 11:46 PM

For Madden Franchise mode, IT Must Have everything an NFL Team(s) do/deal with year after year:

Updates from around the League on bottom ticker and w/ Live Break-ins of scores from around the League on Sunday. Keep Ticker running of final score during Sunday and Monday games.
Maybe include some updates of injuries on noted players from around the League...........Insider like Schefter could be used here.

46 man roster

2 Cut Down Days during Pre-Season, First one after the 3rd game, the second one after the Final Pre-Season Game.

10 man Practice Squad (rules on adding a player from your PS & another teams. Being Notified that a player is being targeted by another team and given option to sign on to 53 or let the other team sign the player.) Note: Players on a team PS should have increase knowledge of the teams playbook from a player on the street, this will allow the player a better chance of stepping in and contributing.

Realistic Injuries (Wear & Tear Injury System) & having to list players as Out, Doubtful, Questionable, Probable
Injuries Must carryover into the following Season. Medical/Trainers
keep updated on Players Off-Season Surgeries and Rehab.
(A player who tears an ACL during final games off the Season, is still
rehabbing that injury during the off-season, during Pre-Season & might
miss the start of the new season.)
More wide range of injuries and nagging injuries.
Pulls, strains, tears, sprains (like the high ankle sprain, which can keep a player out for weeks and affect that player all year)
Lisfranc injury

Important! Injuries during practice. (allow this to be turned off/on, as some don't want this, but adds realism)

The P.U.P List. The ability to place players on the pup list, giving them another 6 weeks during the season to get back their playing health. If it's determined they can play after 6 weeks, a 2 week roster exemption is given. If it's determined that the player is not healthy yet, then he can be placed on Season ending I.R.

Full Coaching Staff w/ability to re-sign/fire & block an Assistant

Full Scouting Staff (4-5 scouts) that cover the Nation. Each Scout is different & have their strengths and weaknesses. The info they provide is the info your Draft board is based upon. You have the ability to hire and fire Scouts after the Draft.

Presentation: Keep improving..........
Presentation and Commentary that carryover from Season to Season.
Recognition of Super Bowl winning team from the previous season
is a start.............

Pre-Season, Reg. Season, Playoffs, Super Bowl need ALL New Audio

Individual Team Records (Season, Post-Season, Career)

Each Teams Championship Banners in Stadium. New ones won during

Franchise Mode are put up in Stadium.

Hall Of Fame

All New Draft Presentation. Biggest Event in the Off-Season. It's about
time the Draft becomes a priority.

Injuries discussed during Pre-Game, Halftime, Post Game. A BIG part of
the game.

Off-Season Weekly updates/recap show OR Just noted Breaking News.

Situational Subs without having to reset them during the game or prior to playing the game. (PS2 version had this...)

Remove Dynamic Drive Goals in Franchise Mode (OR allow DDG to be turned on/off) - Football is a team sport, never have I seen a Offensive drive built around getting a specific player personal stat goals.

Customization is key, Give us the whole NFL experience & who ever doesn't like it allow them to turn some off.

It's all about laying a solid foundation & you start with everything that goes on during a NFL Year (and carry it over to the next year).

I'm not tired of posting in a wish-list thread, but all of this should already be the foundation of Offline Franchise mode. I'll keep posting it until "It's in the game!!"
EA says they read the boards, only way I know how to communicate with them in detail.

# 5 CyberRudy25 @ 10/25/15 03:19 AM

It's exhausting asking for same things over and over. EA Sports has no competition.

# 6 Jershy88 @ 10/25/15 04:01 AM

The issue is that I don't think EA's prerogative is making a solid franchise mode in their games. When Ultimate Team hit it big they understood that it could be their cash cow, and it became the main priority. I am sure the CFM team did the best they could with the resources they had. Now as football fans we are stuck with the franchise mode we should've had in the PS3/360 years. There is a major need for a total rebuild, and unfortunately that means a few years of incomplete franchise modes. It will never be to the level of the NBA 2K series, until at least they give it the full attention it needs. We need depth, and that's all it boils down to.

# 7 Jershy88 @ 10/25/15 04:03 AM

With the above being said, I can still go back and play Madden 2001-2006 and have an enjoyable experience. Madden team, please bring back the glory days!

# 8 Dazraz @ 10/25/15 04:36 AM

FIFA has been the only game that EA have really invested in for the last few years. Madden, NHL, PGA...all have a few tweaks here & there & although they may look a little prettier on the latest consoles, fundamentally they still suffer age old issues. Limited presentation, repetitive commentary, predictable AI & the menus of course. Menus that look like something coded in the dark ages, which may be somewhat acceptable if they were quick to navigate. Instead they're sluggish, cluttered & require far to many button presses to get to a required screen.
Madden can only get where it needs to be with a heap of investment & a complete rebuild from the ground up. As it stands the long running series has turned into a patchwork quilt where one year a problem will be addressed but another 1 will arise. Maybe if EA had some competition from another developer they would be forced to push the series forward as they did with FIFA.

# 9 Flazko @ 10/25/15 11:02 AM

They also need to fix auto subs in cfm
I get better rotations in play now.

# 10 cedwebb @ 10/25/15 03:19 PM

Cannot disagree with the beginning of this video and his reasoning more. Online will not succeed in bringing you into a immersed experience because people just don't have time to dedicate to 31 other people, let alone create an experience around 31 schedules. The point of franchise is not to play with friends etc...that is what single exhibition is for. Single franchise is where I get to get lost in my own nfl experience and should have completed control of all aspects. That does not currently exist because my franchise is geared towards hooking up with others which has caused a ton of problems that have been discussed in multiple threads.

# 11 jfsolo @ 10/25/15 10:28 PM

IMO, they made a critical error when they decided to revamp the franchise mode in order to attempt to make it more appealing to casual Madden players. Every mode doesn't have to appeal to every one of your customers. Nothing could be done to make me play MUT or Draft Champions, and that is totally OK. I'm glad those modes are there though to keep the sales strong enough to let the gameplay team do its thing, and to theoretically let CFM, be a mode for the hardcore. They need to stop trying to nurse people through CFM, it's hurting the mode greatly.

# 12 onin9190 @ 10/26/15 01:41 AM

This video is spot on about what would make this mode more worth the time investment the issue is there's no need for EA to invest time in CFM when they have a cash cow in UT and CFM user only make them $60. They don't see a need in it. If us CFM user stopped buying madden they would still make their money because UT is king in sports games now.
I just honestly want there to be strategy in FM that would make it worth the time invested.

# 13 Cnada @ 10/26/15 08:40 AM

Well said about it all

About connecting to the other teams

Depth in contracts, draft etc

Storytelling always works!

# 14 Hassan Darkside @ 10/26/15 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cedwebb


	Cannot disagree with the beginning of this video and his reasoning more. Online will not succeed in bringing you into a immersed experience because people just don't have time to dedicate to 31 other people, let alone create an experience around 31 schedules. The point of franchise is not to play with friends etc...that is what single exhibition is for. Single franchise is where I get to get lost in my own nfl experience and should have completed control of all aspects. That does not currently exist because my franchise is geared towards hooking up with others which has caused a ton of problems that have been discussed in multiple threads.

I think you're missing the point he's making with Online Franchise. It sort of ties into the point that Madden's franchise overall lacks in creating a "living world" that you're apart of, however, with online franchise and playing with your friends, you and your peers can create a similar atmosphere. The point about Online CFM not being able to be immersive because people can't dedicate time to 31 other people isn't a fault of online CFM; that's a fault of the users themselves.

But overall, couldn't agree more with both Fixing CFM videos. The lack of immersion really kills the mode for me, and it's been that way for years. I have to dig through menus to figure out what teams are playing well, what players are playing well, who's hurt, etc. The news section and faux twitter feed was a nice addition when it was first added, but nothing has been done with it and it provides little context to the CFM world that I'm in.

The ticker is useless as it only gives present day NFL scores and updates. The ticker in-game only gives Drive Goal info which is annoying. The commentators don't acknowledge anything that's happening in the NFL outside of a quick overlay of division standings.

I wish these vids would get more exposure and hope EA gets a chance to see them.

Good stuff Chase.

# 15 jmaj315 @ 10/27/15 02:28 PM

I agreed with everything you said until this...

Quote:

Originally Posted by khaliib


	The other thing I think that is that they need to go back to the original camera angle the game is watched from on TV (the side view). Or even better, allow gamers the ability to customize the camera view they want to play from.

I feel like running between the tackles would be nearly impossible and passing down the field would be throwing blind past like 10 yards.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Step2001


	For Madden Franchise mode, IT Must Have everything an NFL Team(s) do/deal with year after year: Updates from around the League on bottom ticker and w/ Live Break-ins of scores from around the League on Sunday. Keep Ticker running of final score during Sunday and Monday games. Maybe include some updates of injuries on noted players from around the League...........Insider like Schefter could be used here. ....... ....... ....... It's all about laying a solid foundation & you start with everything that goes on during a NFL Year (and carry it over to the next year). I'm not tired of posting in a wish-list thread, but all of this should already be the foundation of Offline Franchise mode. I'll keep posting it until "It's in the game!!" EA says they read the boards, only way I know how to communicate with them in detail.

Agree, that game you've described just doesn't sound like madden though. lol

I think the easiest things would be injuries (i swear they did that before) and defensive matchups/situational subs

# 16 G0DZGiFT @ 10/27/15 03:32 PM

I'm not sure I understand this, but what is most active roster? I only have one roster on my drive and it keeps loading some old roster.

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# 17 Ueauvan @ 10/28/15 11:08 AM

i have to take umbrage at this

The point about Online CFM not being able to be immersive because people can't dedicate time to 31 other people isn't a fault of online CFM; that's a fault of the users themselves.

it's the fault of the customers they dont conform to what the seller thinks they want without having undertaken serious market research???

firstly more parents are recognising that online is not ideal especially with multiple hacks of personal data and instances of online abuse/stalking of other players (in a variety of games)

why not send an email to every id on xbox, xboxone, ps3, ps4 that has played a madden and ask certain questions on a survey designed correctly by identifying if the participant is the person who owns the game or console, or a player of someone elses property

# 18 Hassan Darkside @ 10/28/15 03:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ueauvan


	i have to take umbrage at this The point about Online CFM not being able to be immersive because people can't dedicate time to 31 other people isn't a fault of online CFM; that's a fault of the users themselves. it's the fault of the customers they dont conform to what the seller thinks they want without having undertaken serious market research??? firstly more parents are recognising that online is not ideal especially with multiple hacks of personal data and instances of online abuse/stalking of other players (in a variety of games) why not send an email to every id on xbox, xboxone, ps3, ps4 that has played a madden and ask certain questions on a survey designed correctly by identifying if the participant is the person who owns the game or console, or a player of someone elses property

EA does do market research and surveys. I know I get them in my email, at least. Regardless, what market research have you done to form your opinion?

You're missing my point anyway. It's a mode that exists for people who want to play the game together. If they don't want to or have time to or can't coordinate, there's the solo CFM mode that exists. The main takeaway of the entire video being that modes both falter in creating the desired experience.

# 19 Moegames @ 10/28/15 05:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MMChrisS


	Chase Becotte is back with part two of his video feature where he talks about what would make up the perfect Madden franchise mode in 2016 and beyond. Check it out and see if you agree or disagree with his thoughts. If you can't see the video above, watch it here. To see this video on YouTube, click here.

See how this man is not freaking out? He's giving some great opinions on what can be fixed and improved on without bursting a blood vessel. It's mature, clean and straight to the point with audio and visual explanations on what he feels needs to be improved on.

This should be the staple for all the angry boys fapping at the mouth uncontrollably at madden for every bug or flaw found under his microscope.

Good stuff, indeed

More Links

Madden NFL 16: Fixing CFM (Part II)