Madden NFL 18 News Post

Madden NFL 18 MUT Squads Bring Back Online Team Play

11:00 AM - May 31, 2017 by RaychelSnr

Hey Madden Fans!

My name is Jake Stein, a Producer on Madden Ultimate Team, and I have the privilege of writing the first developer blog of the Madden NFL 18 season. It’s such an exciting time as both a developer and a fan of Madden. From the developer side, we can finally see the finish line as all the planning, long hours, and polish are starting to translate into a fun, cohesive game. From the fans side, it’s your time to start getting drops of information about the new game and imagine what your experience will be, come launch night.

It’s also a time where fans love to analyze any officially released information, tweets, or videos in order to predict what Madden might be teasing.

So let’s talk a little bit about what was found by a few internet sleuths – “2-6 Online Competitive Multiplayer.”

Read More - Madden NFL 18 MUT Squads Brings Back Online Team Play

Game: Madden NFL 18Hype Score: 6/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS3 / PS4 / Xbox 360 / Xbox OneVotes for game: 9 - View All

Member Comments

# 41 johnnyg713 @ 05/31/17 08:53 PM

Not one comment about the mention of "several gameplay changes." No one seems to care about the team making it fun to play different positions - like maybe say corner back or heck maybe even offensive lineman? The team brings back 3 vs 3 mode and alludes to the user having more control of different positions and brings more fun to the game and all i see is "EA only cares about MUT and making money" when LAST YEAR they revamped Franchise mode.

It seems like the gameplay is going to be extremely different this year. I'm excited.

# 42 JoshC1977 @ 05/31/17 09:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnnyg713


	Not one comment about the mention of "several gameplay changes." No one seems to care about the team making it fun to play different positions - like maybe say corner back or heck maybe even offensive lineman? The team brings back 3 vs 3 mode and alludes to the user having more control of different positions and brings more fun to the game and all i see is "EA only cares about MUT and making money" when LAST YEAR they revamped Franchise mode. It seems like the gameplay is going to be extremely different this year. I'm excited.

If the gameplay changes allow CPU-controlled players to play more to their ratings, then yes...it is exciting. If it is just a user mechanic, then no...I really don't care. Just my opinion.

# 43 XtremeDunkz @ 05/31/17 09:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnnyg713


	Not one comment about the mention of "several gameplay changes." No one seems to care about the team making it fun to play different positions - like maybe say corner back or heck maybe even offensive lineman? The team brings back 3 vs 3 mode and alludes to the user having more control of different positions and brings more fun to the game and all i see is "EA only cares about MUT and making money" when LAST YEAR they revamped Franchise mode. It seems like the gameplay is going to be extremely different this year. I'm excited.

What exactly did they revamp? Just because they said it on the back of the box doesn't mean they did. You can bring guys back from injury a week or 2 early, and you can set your own season goal. So revamped......

# 44 OhMrHanky @ 05/31/17 09:44 PM

Yeah. 3 v 3 makes sense for esports, for sure. Now, u will really have 'teams' of people that play together. And, the better they play together, the better, overall, they should be. And, I can see scenarios for gameplay conditions, too. Like, u might have 1 guy who is a great QB, but struggles as WR or something. But, u give the teams 3 rounds. And, they have to play a different position each round. Lol. So, the guy who can't QB will struggle. So, yeah, I can see this being interesting for esports. I don't see 5 v 5 coming soon, though. Based on normal formations, I mean, u would force players to be Olinemen. I guess some might enjoy that, and if they made mechanics specific to every position, then maybe. But, I think, in general, and speaking for myself, I'd rather play a skill position, so I think that's why 3 v 3. Soccer, u might do 11 v 11 or 10 v 10 as goalie is always wonky to try and play yourself. U have all players moving and can get the ball at anytime. Same with BBall. It's about who can get the ball, imo. And, football is just a little more limited in that regard.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

# 45 fballturkey @ 05/31/17 10:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnnyg713


	Not one comment about the mention of "several gameplay changes." No one seems to care about the team making it fun to play different positions - like maybe say corner back or heck maybe even offensive lineman? The team brings back 3 vs 3 mode and alludes to the user having more control of different positions and brings more fun to the game and all i see is "EA only cares about MUT and making money" when LAST YEAR they revamped Franchise mode. It seems like the gameplay is going to be extremely different this year. I'm excited.

Franchise got very little last year, and what we got was mostly stuff we used to have anyway. The biggest additions were post-draft player name editing (should've always had this, inexcusable) and practice squads which had very little point. If that's what they call a revamp I'll probably be disappointed with what we get most years.

# 46 kbomb1upc @ 05/31/17 11:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OhMrHanky


	Yeah. 3 v 3 makes sense for esports, for sure. Now, u will really have 'teams' of people that play together. And, the better they play together, the better, overall, they should be. And, I can see scenarios for gameplay conditions, too. Like, u might have 1 guy who is a great QB, but struggles as WR or something. But, u give the teams 3 rounds. And, they have to play a different position each round. Lol. So, the guy who can't QB will struggle. So, yeah, I can see this being interesting for esports. I don't see 5 v 5 coming soon, though. Based on normal formations, I mean, u would force players to be Olinemen. I guess some might enjoy that, and if they made mechanics specific to every position, then maybe. But, I think, in general, and speaking for myself, I'd rather play a skill position, so I think that's why 3 v 3. Soccer, u might do 11 v 11 or 10 v 10 as goalie is always wonky to try and play yourself. U have all players moving and can get the ball at anytime. Same with BBall. It's about who can get the ball, imo. And, football is just a little more limited in that regard. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You do know that if they did 5 vs 5 that no one would have to be a lineman. On offense there are 6 positions that are not lineman and in a 4-3 defense there are 7 players that are not lineman. But still, I think 5v5 would be hard to pull off due to the amount of coordination needed to be successful. Route combinations would go out the window if everyone was just "trying to get open". Zone defense would fall apart if everyone was "jumping a route". 3v3 or maybe 4v4 might be the sweet spot.

# 47 johnnyg713 @ 05/31/17 11:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoshC1977


	If the gameplay changes allow CPU-controlled players to play more to their ratings, then yes...it is exciting. If it is just a user mechanic, then no...I really don't care. Just my opinion.

I would definitely agree. I'm just curious, is there a feature like that in madden? Something that gives the user more control but is not CPU- controlled?

# 48 OhMrHanky @ 06/01/17 12:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kbomb1upc


	You do know that if they did 5 vs 5 that no one would have to be a lineman. On offense there are 6 positions that are not lineman and in a 4-3 defense there are 7 players that are not lineman. But still, I think 5v5 would be hard to pull off due to the amount of coordination needed to be successful. Route combinations would go out the window if everyone was just "trying to get open". Zone defense would fall apart if everyone was "jumping a route". 3v3 or maybe 4v4 might be the sweet spot.

Yes, I know that they could go certain O formations to allow for 5 v 5, and while many offenses are more pass oriented these days, I'm always prone to first looking at a base pro set offense. Although, even there, technically u could have 1 guy be a TE, 2 WRs, 1 QB, and 1 RB. So, I suppose it would be do-able. I do think it would def be Helter skelter, though. Lol. I wonder what the dimensions are for the gamefield, too. I wonder if safeties and WRs will go offscreen from time to time? Or, will it zoom in/out to keep all players on the screen?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

# 49 johnnyg713 @ 06/01/17 01:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XtremeDunkz


	What exactly did they revamp? Just because they said it on the back of the box doesn't mean they did. You can bring guys back from injury a week or 2 early, and you can set your own season goal. So revamped......

I didn't buy Madden 17. But did they not add things like "play the moments", game planning, tendencies, player focusing, "big decisions, score ticker, full player editing, practice squads? To put all these features and logic in the game seems like they must have spent a lot of time working on it. I mean if this stuff was just a lie then yea i guess I understand why you are so disappointed.

# 50 Americas Team @ 06/01/17 01:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kbomb1upc


	You do know that if they did 5 vs 5 that no one would have to be a lineman. On offense there are 6 positions that are not lineman and in a 4-3 defense there are 7 players that are not lineman. But still, I think 5v5 would be hard to pull off due to the amount of coordination needed to be successful. Route combinations would go out the window if everyone was just "trying to get open". Zone defense would fall apart if everyone was "jumping a route". 3v3 or maybe 4v4 might be the sweet spot.

Isn't this the year of the user, the point of team play type modes is to eliminate cpu control as much as possible and let the users play against each other. The team who works together best will be more successful than those how run around like a chicken with their head cut off.

# 51 Americas Team @ 06/01/17 01:39 AM

With MUT Squads I think it's only a matter of time before they ditch Draft Champions, the whole point of DC was to user players into playing MUT, now with MUT Squads they wont need DC to get more players to play MUT.

# 52 jfsolo @ 06/01/17 01:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnnyg713


	I didn't buy Madden 17. But did they not add things like "play the moments", game planning, tendencies, player focusing, "big decisions, score ticker, full player editing, practice squads? To put all these features and logic in the game seems like they must have spent a lot of time working on it. I mean if this stuff was just a lie then yea i guess I understand why you are so disappointed.

It's one of those things, when someone decides that they don't like the direction of a mode, and/or disagree with the what the team chose to implement, how many man-hours they actually spent on the mode becomes irrelevant to them, they're going to paint the effort with a pejorative brush. This is what happened with CFM last year, and it's already starting with team play this year. Because it's in MUT only, some people have already proclaimed that it is a half assed effort.

# 53 StefJoeHalt @ 06/01/17 04:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnnyg713


	I didn't buy Madden 17. But did they not add things like "play the moments", game planning, tendencies, player focusing, "big decisions, score ticker, full player editing, practice squads? To put all these features and logic in the game seems like they must have spent a lot of time working on it. I mean if this stuff was just a lie then yea i guess I understand why you are so disappointed.

I don't claim to know what they worked on or how hard it is..I know the work they do in 1 year cycle sucks and is rushed, so they are hard pressed..but wouldn't say it was revamped either..I'll say this and based solely on my opinion...
1. "Game planning" was nothing more then added bonus to ur players ratings on specific play calls, which if used fully by a HUM put the CPU at huge disadvantage, because they only obtained one level no matter what
2 "play the moment" was more geared for someone who doesn't want to spend all day playing..not bad idea
3. "Big Decision" was already in the game..but now had it own area (streaming of menus)..what I mean by it was there already..this was nothing more then an alert box for players being hurt, needed to make cuts, signings, etc..all things which u already had to do anyway in previous versions
4. "Score ticker" again was in the game in the past cleaned up
5. "Full editing"..was in the game already, cleaned up with not as much glitches
6. "PS", was nice add but was minor in addition..was also in a handled version of the game in the past..now if they added to this inactive and active game day rosters too..would have been huge..
7. "tendencies" not sure what u mean by this but the CPU does not pick up on ur play call tendencies if that is what u meant
8. "player focusing" again not sure what u mean but didn't see anything in this years game which would fit in this, I could be wrong, but bought game at release and still play it.

I do believe they had to do some revamping to CFM i.e. Menus/layout..it was slow, unresponsive, and not user friendly..still isn't great..but better..what I and some others think of revamping..it would have included:

*more coaches (o/d coordinators, position coaches) *game day rosters i.e. Active inactive
*better salary cap management and abilities
*better injury system, wear and tear etc
*correct cut down days
*better trade logic
*better draft logic
*a scouting combine
*better overall experience with yearly draft more presentation but I included it
*retired players coaching
*weekly updates, NFL channel etc, again more presentation
**and most of all, Fixing CPU O/D game plans which haven't been address since the star system was dropped...
I won't touch on player holdouts..or maybe a system to indicate a player unhappy with his contract or playing times..because I have funny feeling the NFL says "don't do that makes our brand look bad."

Edit: sorry forgot to mention the idea of 3v3 is great but unfortunately I don't play MUT so I won't be able to use it

Sent from my iPhone using Operation Sports

# 54 SyncereBlackout @ 06/01/17 07:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by redsfan4life


	I liked it quite a bit back on PS3. Excited to see this in action.

Same. I'm in that camp. It was really fun. I'm not sure what impact MUT with have because I quit after opening one pack, but in general playing with friends and communicating coverages/routes takes me back to drawing plays on a football (a la Little Giants)

# 55 RogerDodger @ 06/01/17 08:06 AM

My reaction to this was "meh". Gameplay. Franchise mode. Both of those carry far more importance for me than online team play. I've played five on five with FIFA and random players turn it into a complete joke at times.

# 56 Mattanite @ 06/01/17 08:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RogerDodger


	My reaction to this was "meh". Gameplay. Franchise mode. Both of those carry far more importance for me than online team play. I've played five on five with FIFA and random players turn it into a complete joke at times.

Not to mention players hijacking the game. I get it in MyPark 4v4 or ProAm where a player will bail to the side line for a while as you're not feeding him the ball.

# 57 johnnyg713 @ 06/01/17 10:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StefJoeHalt


	I don't claim to know what they worked on or how hard it is..I know the work they do in 1 year cycle sucks and is rushed, so they are hard pressed..but wouldn't say it was revamped either..I'll say this and based solely on my opinion... 1. "Game planning" was nothing more then added bonus to ur players ratings on specific play calls, which if used fully by a HUM put the CPU at huge disadvantage, because they only obtained one level no matter what 2 "play the moment" was more geared for someone who doesn't want to spend all day playing..not bad idea 3. "Big Decision" was already in the game..but now had it own area (streaming of menus)..what I mean by it was there already..this was nothing more then an alert box for players being hurt, needed to make cuts, signings, etc..all things which u already had to do anyway in previous versions 4. "Score ticker" again was in the game in the past cleaned up 5. "Full editing"..was in the game already, cleaned up with not as much glitches 6. "PS", was nice add but was minor in addition..was also in a handled version of the game in the past..now if they added to this inactive and active game day rosters too..would have been huge.. 7. "tendencies" not sure what u mean by this but the CPU does not pick up on ur play call tendencies if that is what u meant 8. "player focusing" again not sure what u mean but didn't see anything in this years game which would fit in this, I could be wrong, but bought game at release and still play it. I do believe they had to do some revamping to CFM i.e. Menus/layout..it was slow, unresponsive, and not user friendly..still isn't great..but better..what I and some others think of revamping..it would have included: more coaches (o/d coordinators, position coaches) game day rosters i.e. Active inactive better salary cap management and abilities better injury system, wear and tear etc correct cut down days better trade logic better draft logic a scouting combine better overall experience with yearly draft more presentation but I included it retired players coaching weekly updates, NFL channel etc, again more presentation *and most of all, Fixing CPU O/D game plans which haven't been address since the star system was dropped... I won't touch on player holdouts..or maybe a system to indicate a player unhappy with his contract or playing times..because I have funny feeling the NFL says "don't do that makes our brand look bad." Edit: sorry forgot to mention the idea of 3v3 is great but unfortunately I don't play MUT so I won't be able to use it Sent from my iPhone using Operation Sports

Thanks for the response. I personally do not play franchise in madden. Last time I played a franchise mode in a sports video game, it was in NCAA 14. I played online and thought it was a blast. I don't find madden's franchise mode appealing - for whatever reason. Like many other sports games, I play the modes I enjoy most and the ones I feel the game does well.

I also do not play MUT. I don't like the idea of making you're own fantasy team or trading cards. Never liked it, probably never will.... However I am going to give 3 v 3 an honest shot. Just like the new story mode. Sometimes it's good going into a game having an open mind. 3 v 3 could be the greatest thing that ever happened to madden and it would be a shame if people didn't at least try it just because it is in MUT.

# 58 Rifle_Man81 @ 06/01/17 10:39 AM

All the TEAM based sports games should have elements of co-op. It might be difficult to implement, but ideally should be a goal for every development team of a simulation based sports title. I can only imagine what could be developed with the allocated resources for exclusive licensing deals focused into gameplay and customisation options.

# 59 xBatmanx @ 06/01/17 12:16 PM

I can't believe (well let's be honest I can) that Madden is screwing people over again. All we wanted was OTP back, the regular OTP where one would control each of the three major classifications on both sides of the ball. 3v3 how God intended it. Locks to QB, RB, WR, DL, LB, DB all of this made Madden OTP great. Now they are monetizing it for no apparent reason. I am beyond upset at this. I was excited to buy madden for the first time in since Madden 25 on the xbox one because all I did was play in the competitive team play leagues. Now that winning or losing will be solely based on how much money you can dump into the game and not based on actual skill, I'm throwing my $60 toward something else. I'll probably buy 2k. 2K football needs to hurry and make a return. Madden has been putting out the same trash game year after year and people only buy it because it's the only way to play the biggest sport in the U.S. in video game form. UGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH

# 60 Thunderhorse @ 06/01/17 02:04 PM

I'm hot they had to tie this in with MUT.

2K's myplayer is worth the $ because that player is yours and is truly unique.

OTP was going to make me buy the game this year day 1. I won't be doin that now.

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