Madden NFL 15: Everything You Need to Know About Connected Franchise

Feature Article

Submitted on: 08/06/2014 by Guest Post

EA SPORTS is excited to finally bring you news about the big changes we made in Connected Franchise Mode (CFM) this year. I hope you agree that we definitely saved the best for last!

This is the stuff you hardcore fans wait all year to hear about, so it's time to break down every major change we made this year.

Game Prep and Confidence
The biggest change to Madden NFL 15’s Connected Franchise are the additions of Game Prep and Confidence.

These new systems replaced two features from Madden NFL 25: practice and hot/cold streaks. Game Prep allows players to make sure their team is prepared every week, AND allows them to earn valuable XP for backups and young players.

Confidence
Every player now has a confidence rating between 1 and 99. That confidence rating is dynamic and will change based on what happens to the player and his team from week to week, and is is NOT an indication of how confident the player generally is in real life.

Among the things that can change a player’s confidence are losses, poor performances, trades, etc. How much confidence fluctuates is determined by several different factors: whether the player is a starter or backup, their consistency rating, and how big the game was. Get blown out by a rival at home? Confidence drops more than a one-point road loss.

Wondering how much each player’s confidence changed after a big win? There’s a screen that shows every player’s individual changes, allowing players to go back and track the changes in confidence.

So what does confidence do? Simple. If a player’s confidence is high, their key ratings temporarily increase. If it gets too low, those same key ratings drop.

This was done to represent players that outperform their expectations, as well as players that are struggling. Before last season, did anyone think that Josh Freeman would be a free agent at the start of October? That’s what Madden 15 is trying to capture with this new system.

Quick Tip: Every player starts Connected Franchise with a “normal” confidence rating of 50. Once confidence start dropping to below 25-30 or increasing to 75-80, that’s when ratings changes will occur.

Game Prep
Game Prep replaces Madden 25’s practice mode, and was designed to allow you to make the ultimate choices in developing your team. Each week, players are given a set amount of time to prep each week.

This time fluctuates based on season schedule, so bye weeks or Monday night games will impact preparation for the following week, just like the real-world NFL.

Players have multiple activities to choose from each week, and each activity costs a specific amount of time per player.

There are two types of activities in Game Prep – one increases players’ confidence, while the other earns XP. If you’re trying to develop a young team like the Jaguars or Bucs, focus most on getting your players XP. If you’re a team like the Seahawks or 49ers, it’s better to focus on increasing confidence, so that the team is prepared each and every week.

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.

How much XP or confidence each player earns depends on factors such as coach traits and a player’s development trait. If a QB possesses the “Superstar” development trait and has Jim Harbaugh as a coach, that player will earn more XP or confidence than a player with an average coach/trait. NFL coaches like Andy Reid and Jim Harbaugh are known for developing QBs, and that is what the development team attempted to capture.

Players also have the choice to run in-game skill drills for XP or Confidence, with points rewarded based on success in the activity. We want to reward players for putting in the time with in-game skill drills, so those are more valuable than activities that do not occur in game.

Game Prep is not designed to be a grind. If players choose to ignore Game Prep on any given week, we’ll use the same logic that CPU teams use to automatically reward a player with XP or Confidence. It’s up to you when you want to jump in and control how players are developing.

Quick Tip: Check out the depth chart to see which key ratings have increased or decreased.Ratings that have increased will be green, while decreased ratings are red. This carries into games, as well.

Free Agency Redesign
Offseason Free Agency has undergone a redesign that adds several different factors when attempting to sign a player. When a player evaluates whether they want to sign with you, they no longer take only money into account. Now they evaluate your team’s needs, scheme, coaching ability, etc. All of those factors are displayed on the screen, which makes it easier to see why a player spurned an offer. The other team may have just been a better fit.

Random Draft Classes
For the first time in CFM, draft classes are entirely random. Every name, rating, trait, face, etc. is randomly generated every season. No two classes are alike or predictable. This is something we’ve wanted to do for the past few years. Our fans have been very passionate about random draft classes, and this addition adds unlimited replayability to Connected Franchise.

Random Branching Storylines
Rookie Branching Storylines are now completely random. This allows us to have more players change throughout the season, and also opens up the ability to have a lot more commentary during the NFL Draft. All storylines are based on the storylines we’ve added to the game over the last two years.

In-Game Overall Ratings
Another big change in Madden NFL 15 is seeing the same overall (OVR) ratings in game as the depth chart. If a QB is an 85 overall in your scheme in the front end, they’ll be an 85 OVR in game as well.

Completely ReDesigned Relocation Uniforms
The uniforms shipped with last year were not up to our team’s quality standards, so I took it upon myself this year to learn how to make uniforms in Madden and redesign every relocation uniform in CFM.

You’ll no longer see the same uniform style for every team; each team has different styles that reflect what future uniforms might look like. We also were very excited to work with the community in the Uniform Design Contest, and incorporated several of the winners’ designs into the game.

Redesigned Buy Packages Screen
One of my favorite changes this year makes it easier to buy packages as a player, coach or owner. Players can now buy multiple packages at once and commit to changes with one press of a button instead of having to buy one package at a time like previous Madden games. We’re hoping this change makes it easier to upgrade players going forward. We’ve also added a filter to the coach buy package screen that should allow for easier navigation.

Owner Mode Financial Model Changes
Our team listened carefully to fans, and made big changes to Owner Mode. Every sellable item (concessions, merchandise) now has a sweet spot that determines the maximum amount of profit that can be earned. If prices stay at their default levels, you will always leave money on the table.

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.

As always, the best solution in Owner Mode is winning. Win and the fans will spend money. Our goal was to make Owner Mode much more challenging this year, and we feel like we’ve accomplished that.

Sim To
One of Madden 15’s late additions is very helpful to players that like to simulate multiple seasons at a time. Players can sim to a point in the future (the next draft, the offseason, next season), and the game will advance weeks until it reaches that point. We even added an option to simulate ten years into the future! In online leagues, only commissioners can simulate to a point in the future.

Removed FOURTH Down Watching
Last year, Madden kept you on the field on fourth down if you were a holder on extra points or blocker on a field goal. We’ve removed that, creating a more seamless experience.

Progression/Regression Recap
We’ve added a screen that tracks when players regress or progress in Connected Franchise. This should provide clarity as to why player regress in the offseason, whether it’s failing to reach season goals or losing a step because of old age. There are also news stories that talk about players “losing a step.”

Redesigned Weekly Goals
Weekly goals for players and coaches have been completely revamped with refreshed goals that, react to player status, team ratings, types of games, etc. Goals now take into account where you are in the depth chart. You will no longer be expected to rush for 100 yards as the third-string running back.

Multiple Commissioners
The team sat down early in the development cycle with our EA SPORTS Game Changers, and one of the things that came out of that meeting was a new commissioner tool. Online commissioners can now assign other league users as commissioners so that you always have someone who can advance the league if the primary commissioner is away.

Autopilot Control
Another suggestion that came out of our discussions with the Game Changers was allowing players to determine how long to put a team on autopilot. If you’re going on vacation for one week and want autopilot to turn off after one week, you have that ability.

Relocation Tuning and League Setting
Along with creating all new uniforms, we tuned CPU relocation so that it very rarely happens early in CFM. Teams still rebuild stadiums in their home city, but it’s pretty rare for a CPU team to up and move. At the request of the Game Changers, we also added an additional setting that allows you to prohibit CPU teams from relocating at all.

Injured Reserve (IR) Changes
Users can now remove an injured player from IR if they heal quickly. Use this functionality carefully, as it’s only allowed once per season.

Hire/Fire Staff During the Season
In order to give owners more control, it’s now possible to hire or fire staff members (head coach, trainer or scout) during the season.

Pro Bowl Update
The Pro Bowl now mimics real life, as conference affiliations have been removed in favor of two legends serving as captains.

CPU Uses Alternate Uniforms
CPU teams now have a chance to wear alternate uniforms in a regular season game. There’s also a news story that reacts to the team doing it.

Sim Engine Changes
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.

There you have it! We’ve made tons of changes to Connected Franchise Mode in Madden NFL, and we’re already at work on designing ideas for next year’s game!

Madden NFL 15 Videos

Member Comments

# 381 Nza @ 08/08/14 03:54 AM

So EA have finally moved away from the ridiculous pre-generated draft classes entirely? Or by random, is it random collections of pre-generated players?

# 382 Sheba2011 @ 08/08/14 03:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DCEBB2001


	I have a few issues with this post. 1. The phrase "Underwear Olympics" goes back to its use in media vernacular, not coaching/scouting vernacular. Brad Sham, the play-by-play commentator for the Cowboys Radio Broadcasts, was one of the original commentators to use it, circa 2008. Mike Florio made it even more popular with an article in 2010. I know several scouts that started their careers out as interns with NFLDS, and I have never ONCE heard any of them use that term to describe the combines/pro days. So your assumption that "scouts/coaches" refer to it in this way is erroneous. 6. You make it seem as though the combine is useless for quantifying the results of the tests. One thing you did not mention was how important the injury testing and physicals are for the teams. These are critical, even more so than the interviews according to many coaches and scouts. However, consider the fact that 30 of the 32 teams pay Pro Scouting/BLESTO in excess of $80,000 for the official results presented to the teams each year for all of the drill data. This data is released a full week after the combine's conclusion. The times you see on NFL Network and NFL.com are not the official times. Believe it or not, there are several instances during the combine where the timing mechanisms break. This is recorded each time it occurs for any player during a test, especially the 40. In fact, all players that run twice actually have 6 times; 3 from each run. Two are hand timed and one is electronically timed. All of the times are complied, reviewed, and altered should a break be found. Some teams use the average of all 6, some throw out the best and worst and average the rest, while others only use the best time. It all depends on your scouting department.

So because you know a few scouts that means that no coach has ever used that term? I found a quote from Cleveland's new HC Mike Pettine on Fox Sports: "When it comes to the (NFL Scouting) Combine, there's a reason people call it The Underwear Olympics." Here's one from Chip Kelly: "The fact that people would watch the combine, there's times at the combine where I actually fall asleep," Kelly joked. Then there is the infamous image of Belichick actually falling asleep during the combine.

Here's what National Football Scouting Director Jeff Foster said about the combine: "The on-the-field stuff, which is the sexy component of the combine and what gets the interest for media and the broadcast, that's a very small part of the evaluation for the clubs," he said. "I would say 90 percent of the evaluation of a person as a football player is done before he arrives here."

6. I specifically said the Combine is useful for the interview process. The physicals, psychological tests etc. are all part of that process. The money paid to services like Blesto/National goes far beyond the combine. The combine is a very small part of the service they offer. They actually start scouting players as Juniors and spend the whole year scouting everything about them as explained here by the Panthers when they switched to BLESTO this year:

"Since the official declaration of the juniors eligible for the draft was January 18th, those guys (BLESTO) have been working on those juniors since the 18th hit," Whaley said, during an appearance Wednesday night on The John Murphy Show live at the Senior Bowl. "What they (BLESTO) do is give us a breakdown on what each of those juniors is about, and how they categorize those guys draft wise. And that will help us narrow our focus." "The BLESTO scouts will give us his information, here’s his lineage, here’s how he played , here’s what we thought about him when he played. Obviously, we had some scouts in on him, but we like to use that information resource as well, to get as much information on the players."

The combine is one tool for scouting but it is not the be all end all everyone makes it out to be. By the time the Combine is actually conducted NFL teams already have their big board set up and know which players they are targeting. Like I said the combine is useful because its the first chance teams have to see their entire big board in one place. As far as the game goes I would prefer actual scouting reports on players as opposed to seeing a 40 time or how many reps a guy did in a bench press. I would rather know if a WR has a tendency to run the wrong routes or if a QB has the arm strength of a 13 year old girl. That tell's me a lot more than knowing that my WR did 12 reps on the bench press.

# 383 DCEBB2001 @ 08/08/14 07:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sheba2011


	So because you know a few scouts that means that no coach has ever used that term? I found a quote from Cleveland's new HC Mike Pettine on Fox Sports: "When it comes to the (NFL Scouting) Combine, there's a reason people call it The Underwear Olympics." Here's one from Chip Kelly: "The fact that people would watch the combine, there's times at the combine where I actually fall asleep," Kelly joked. Then there is the infamous image of Belichick actually falling asleep during the combine. Here's what National Football Scouting Director Jeff Foster said about the combine: "The on-the-field stuff, which is the sexy component of the combine and what gets the interest for media and the broadcast, that's a very small part of the evaluation for the clubs," he said. "I would say 90 percent of the evaluation of a person as a football player is done before he arrives here." 6. I specifically said the Combine is useful for the interview process. The physicals, psychological tests etc. are all part of that process. The money paid to services like Blesto/National goes far beyond the combine. The combine is a very small part of the service they offer. They actually start scouting players as Juniors and spend the whole year scouting everything about them as explained here by the Panthers when they switched to BLESTO this year: "Since the official declaration of the juniors eligible for the draft was January 18th, those guys (BLESTO) have been working on those juniors since the 18th hit," Whaley said, during an appearance Wednesday night on The John Murphy Show live at the Senior Bowl. "What they (BLESTO) do is give us a breakdown on what each of those juniors is about, and how they categorize those guys draft wise. And that will help us narrow our focus." "The BLESTO scouts will give us his information, here�s his lineage, here�s how he played , here�s what we thought about him when he played. Obviously, we had some scouts in on him, but we like to use that information resource as well, to get as much information on the players." The combine is one tool for scouting but it is not the be all end all everyone makes it out to be. By the time the Combine is actually conducted NFL teams already have their big board set up and know which players they are targeting. Like I said the combine is useful because its the first chance teams have to see their entire big board in one place. As far as the game goes I would prefer actual scouting reports on players as opposed to seeing a 40 time or how many reps a guy did in a bench press. I would rather know if a WR has a tendency to run the wrong routes or if a QB has the arm strength of a 13 year old girl. That tell's me a lot more than knowing that my WR did 12 reps on the bench press.

What you say here is not incorrect. However, the combine tests are very useful for adding/verifying what you see on tape. Maybe a guy isn't as fast/agile/strong as he looks on tape. Maybe he is the opposite, and you have to go back to the tape to review. My point is that the term underwear olympics did not originate in scouting/coaching circles. And of course a guy like Belichick would fall asleep....he will get all of the data from BLESTO anyway a week after the combine concludes and his scouts will be doing their own work in the way that he wants. Most of the work was already done by the time the combine is run anyway - nothing new here.

The big thing to me is that if the numbers didn't matter, then why would teams pay $80k a pop to get them? You can use that data to measure the physical attributes of a player in a static environment, which many scouts do. They compare players and like to verify what they see on tape. So why can we not do this in Madden? Those numbers are set in stone. Why aren't Madden's? We should be able to do the same stuff in the game that the scouts do in real life - verify physical and technical skills. I can watch an OG pass-block all day, but that doesn't tell me how fast he is. Madden uses traits to measure players and speed (maximum velocity, rather) is one of them. Scouts do the same thing. They try to evaluate and measure what they can. Why else would they turn technical skills grades into numeric ratings?

# 384 Sheba2011 @ 08/08/14 08:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DCEBB2001


	What you say here is not incorrect. However, the combine tests are very useful for adding/verifying what you see on tape. Maybe a guy isn't as fast/agile/strong as he looks on tape. Maybe he is the opposite, and you have to go back to the tape to review. My point is that the term underwear olympics did not originate in scouting/coaching circles. And of course a guy like Belichick would fall asleep....he will get all of the data from BLESTO anyway a week after the combine concludes and his scouts will be doing their own work in the way that he wants. Most of the work was already done by the time the combine is run anyway - nothing new here. The big thing to me is that if the numbers didn't matter, then why would teams pay $80k a pop to get them? You can use that data to measure the physical attributes of a player in a static environment, which many scouts do. They compare players and like to verify what they see on tape. So why can we not do this in Madden? Those numbers are set in stone. Why aren't Madden's? We should be able to do the same stuff in the game that the scouts do in real life - verify physical and technical skills. I can watch an OG pass-block all day, but that doesn't tell me how fast he is. Madden uses traits to measure players and speed (maximum velocity, rather) is one of them. Scouts do the same thing. They try to evaluate and measure what they can. Why else would they turn technical skills grades into numeric ratings?

Actually Belichick doesn't use BLESTO or National, he has his own in house scouting service as do a few other teams. You can watch an OG run a 40 yard dash in perfect conditions but it's not going to tell you how good of an OG is, it's going to tell you fast he can run in a straight line without pads on while no one is hitting him. How often in the real NFL is an OG going to be in that scenario? Some of the drills do provide a purpose but most of them have no barring on how good of a player he will be. Jerry Rice the greatest WR in NFL history ran a 4.71 40yd dash. At the 2014 combine that would have been 4th worst among WR's. Does that tell us anything about the player Jerry Rice was? How often do you remember Jerry Rice being caught from behind? He played a lot faster than 4.71.

As I already pointed out teams are paying services like BLESTO for a whole lot more than just combine numbers. You seem to think the combine is the only reason these services exist. The combine is a very small part of what they do. The days following the current draft every BLESTO or National scout will meet and go over every prospect for the coming year, they assign draft grades on number scales based on where they think they will be drafted. It provides a starting point for how teams set up their draft board. BLESTO was only used by 8 teams in 2014 (Carolina, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Jacksonville, Washington, Detroit, Minnesota and the New York Giants). The rest either use National or have their own in house scouting service (Patriots, Baltimore, Atlanta - all GM's who are part of the Belichick tree).

At the end of the day though you think the combine tests are useful (as do some real NFL coaches), i think they are highly overrated (as do some other NFL coaches). We can just agree to disagree on that.

# 385 DCEBB2001 @ 08/08/14 09:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sheba2011


	Actually Belichick doesn't use BLESTO or National, he has his own in house scouting service as do a few other teams. You can watch an OG run a 40 yard dash in perfect conditions but it's not going to tell you how good of an OG is, it's going to tell you fast he can run in a straight line without pads on while no one is hitting him. How often in the real NFL is an OG going to be in that scenario? Some of the drills do provide a purpose but most of them have no barring on how good of a player he will be. Jerry Rice the greatest WR in NFL history ran a 4.71 40yd dash. At the 2014 combine that would have been 4th worst among WR's. Does that tell us anything about the player Jerry Rice was? How often do you remember Jerry Rice being caught from behind? He played a lot faster than 4.71. As I already pointed out teams are paying services like BLESTO for a whole lot more than just combine numbers. You seem to think the combine is the only reason these services exist. The combine is a very small part of what they do. The days following the current draft every BLESTO or National scout will meet and go over every prospect for the coming year, they assign draft grades on number scales based on where they think they will be drafted. It provides a starting point for how teams set up their draft board. BLESTO was only used by 8 teams in 2014 (Carolina, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Jacksonville, Washington, Detroit, Minnesota and the New York Giants). The rest either use National or have their own in house scouting service (Patriots, Baltimore, Atlanta - all GM's who are part of the Belichick tree). At the end of the day though you think the combine tests are useful (as do some real NFL coaches), i think they are highly overrated (as do some other NFL coaches). We can just agree to disagree on that.

That is interesting because I show that only 2 teams did not pay for the official times this year. Also, I believe that Walsh said Rice ran a 4.59, not 4.71. I think you are missing my point in that this data is relevant to quantifying a player'a physical traits. I never said anything about it saying how good a player will be. However, Chad Reuter had a great article circa 2008 about how faster players are typically drafted higher and will typically make more pro bowls and all pro rosters. I will see if I can dig that up.

# 386 lopey986 @ 08/08/14 09:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr.Smif


	I have a bad feeling that they are trying to make MUT their main mode much like NBA 2K has made MyPlayer (or whatever its called now) their main mode. We will need to wait for the MUT reveal but from what Ive read, seems like they are putting more effort/resources towards MUT than CFM or any other mode.

Did you read all the information on what 2k has done with the association/MyGm overall, now called MyLeague? They put a TON of work into that offline mode and even removed VC from the equation altogether, making it just like old school association mode.

# 387 Sheba2011 @ 08/08/14 10:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DCEBB2001


	That is interesting because I show that only 2 teams did not pay for the official times this year. Also, I believe that Walsh said Rice ran a 4.59, not 4.71. I think you are missing my point in that this data is relevant to quantifying a player'a physical traits. I never said anything about it saying how good a player will be. However, Chad Reuter had a great article circa 2008 about how faster players are typically drafted higher and will typically make more pro bowls and all pro rosters. I will see if I can dig that up.

Bill Belichick has never belonged to either national scouting service. In 1993 when he was the coach of the Browns together with Mike Lombardi, Ernie Adams, Ozzie Newsome and a few others they developed their own scouting system different from what most of the NFL uses. They have their own way of grading players and their own way of quantifying results from events like the Senior Bowl and Combine. Ozzie took it with him to Baltimore, Thomas Dmitroff took it with him to Atlanta. That is one of the reasons Belichick almost completely ignores 40 times and focuses more on the 3 cone drill.

# 388 swiftychampleone @ 08/08/14 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lopey986


	Did you read all the information on what 2k has done with the association/MyGm overall, now called MyLeague? They put a TON of work into that offline mode and even removed VC from the equation altogether, making it just like old school association mode.

Just read it myself and EA needs to take a page out of their book. That's how you do a Franchise Mode! I want that type of control in a Madden Franchise Mode with all 32 team control. Why is that so hard to do in regards to giving us the customization WE want? Now if I'm wrong about this on Madden '15, I'll take this back. I need proof that I can have this type of control before I can buy Madden. It should be MY game and world where I can do what I want. That's the foundation of a sports game. Control. We should have control.

# 389 lopey986 @ 08/08/14 10:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by swiftychampleone


	Just read it myself and EA needs to take a page out of their book. That's how you do a Franchise Mode! I want that type of control in a Madden Franchise Mode with all 32 team control. Why is that so hard to do in regards to giving us the customization WE want? Now if I'm wrong about this on Madden '15, I'll take this back. I need proof that I can have this type of control before I can buy Madden. It should be MY game and world where I can do what I want. That's the foundation of a sports game. Control. We should have control.

Couldn't agree more!

# 390 ggsimmonds @ 08/08/14 11:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bucky60


	If something makes scheme much less effective, then scheme is much less effective. Whatever the cause, the schemes don't work the way they should. If speed causes scheme to not work correctly, then scheme doesn't work correctly. I think scheme should effect player performance. So my 65 RB and WR don't produce like my 85 RB and WR. Same with my 3-4 DT. But the scheme overall helps determine salary. I know my 65 scheme RB was real cheap to resign. Why does it matter that the depth chart and in game overall is different if the scheme overall is what effects salary. Again, scheme effects overall, overall effects salary. Scheme effects salary. Does it really matter to us consumers what the underlying cause is that makes scheme ineffective? If ratings make scheme ineffective, then scheme is ineffective. I think rosters and depth charts should also be changed to give schemes the depth they need to be useful.

We are talking in circles so this will be my last comment.

Schemes may be less effective but it is not the fault of schemes. It is the fault of other shortcomings in the game.

I'm not going to touch the scheme should effect production. You have it wrong, and I will leave it at that.

You either ignored what I said about front end overall determining salary or are having a hard time processing it. I honestly do not know which it is.

You never answered my questions as to what run plays you ran andwhat kind of runner is this 65 overall guy. That matters.

Schemes are not ineffective, they work rather well. The shortcomings that are present are due to other gameplay related issues. If you want to take that as some moral victory in this little debate you and I are having go ahead but I just think you do not understand the purpose of schemes.

# 391 lopey986 @ 08/08/14 11:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ggsimmonds


	We are talking in circles so this will be my last comment. Schemes may be less effective but it is not the fault of schemes. It is the fault of other shortcomings in the game. I'm not going to touch the scheme should effect production. You have it wrong, and I will leave it at that. You either ignored what I said about front end overall determining salary or are having a hard time processing it. I honestly do not know which it is. You never answered my questions as to what run plays you ran andwhat kind of runner is this 65 overall guy. That matters. Schemes are not ineffective, they work rather well. The shortcomings that are present are due to other gameplay related issues. If you want to take that as some moral victory in this little debate you and I are having go ahead but I just think you do not understand the purpose of schemes.

I mentioned this in another thread regarding schemes, but here is my 2 main issues with it as it was setup in 25.

1. Scheme overalls don't translate from the menus into the game. So in the menu I'll have a guy showing 82 overall but once I enter the game and need to make a sub all the sudden he is a 65.

2. Schemes make it way too easy to alter the results of games you simulate. My all time favorite example: Devin Hester. If you set the bears wr scheme to speed, Devin Hester becomes a 90 overall and leads the NFL in receiving. In any other scheme Devin Hester is a 69 overall who sucks and can't catch. I don't care what scheme you run, no scheme should make Devin Hester the best receiver in the NFL.

EDIT: what do you mean by "front end overall"? I get what the other guy was saying about schemes affecting how much guys got paid. Because this was an easy way to game free agency too. Go edit your scheme to be the exact opposite of the guy in free agency you want and his overall will go down IN FREE AGENCY allowing you to sign him for less and then you flip your scheme to what his optimal is and you've got a legit player on the cheap.

# 392 ggsimmonds @ 08/08/14 11:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lopey986


	I mentioned this in another thread regarding schemes, but here is my 2 main issues with it as it was setup in 25. 1. Scheme overalls don't translate from the menus into the game. So in the menu I'll have a guy showing 82 overall but once I enter the game and need to make a sub all the sudden he is a 65. 2. Schemes make it way too easy to alter the results of games you simulate. My all time favorite example: Devin Hester. If you set the bears wr scheme to speed, Devin Hester becomes a 90 overall and leads the NFL in receiving. In any other scheme Devin Hester is a 69 overall who sucks and can't catch. I don't care what scheme you run, no scheme should make Devin Hester the best receiver in the NFL. EDIT: what do you mean by "front end overall"? I get what the other guy was saying about schemes affecting how much guys got paid. Because this was an easy way to game free agency too. Go edit your scheme to be the exact opposite of the guy in free agency you want and his overall will go down IN FREE AGENCY allowing you to sign him for less and then you flip your scheme to what his optimal is and you've got a legit player on the cheap.

1. EA says they fixed that this year and now the in game overall will match the menu overall (the scheme overall)

2. To be honest I am not sure how overall affects the simulation engine. I remember you (at least I assume it was you) mentioned the Hester thing before but I never noticed that problem so I cannot speak on it.

3. Front end overall is the default rosters that are used in play now. They are the "true" overall. Your trick of changing scheme would not work for two reasons: Once a AI team makes an offer your lowball offer will get declined.More importantly, your scheme does not affect the free agent's asking price. His base overall determines how much money he wants.

# 393 lopey986 @ 08/08/14 11:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ggsimmonds


	1. EA says they fixed that this year and now the in game overall will match the menu overall (the scheme overall) 2. To be honest I am not sure how overall affects the simulation engine. I remember you (at least I assume it was you) mentioned the Hester thing before but I never noticed that problem so I cannot speak on it. 3. Front end overall is the default rosters that are used in play now. They are the "true" overall. Your trick of changing scheme would not work for two reasons: Once a AI team makes an offer your lowball offer will get declined.More importantly, your scheme does not affect the free agent's asking price. His base overall determines how much money he wants.

1. That's great news.

2. Yeah, I mentioned the Hester example a few times. Someone else mentioned JJ Watt going from like a 99 to a 78 based on scheme which is crazy, he'd be good in anything.

3. I felt like it worked when resigning your own guys before they hit free agency. I feel like I did this with a defensive tackle every time. Set my scheme to the opposite of his and signed him on the cheap because he showed as like a 62 then went back and changed it and he shows as an 80+. I believe it was amobi okoye this always worked with (of course, this is just me gaming the system and I stopped doing so, but that's still a dumb thing).

# 394 ggsimmonds @ 08/08/14 12:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lopey986


	1. That's great news. 2. Yeah, I mentioned the Hester example a few times. Someone else mentioned JJ Watt going from like a 99 to a 78 based on scheme which is crazy, he'd be good in anything. 3. I felt like it worked when resigning your own guys before they hit free agency. I feel like I did this with a defensive tackle every time. Set my scheme to the opposite of his and signed him on the cheap because he showed as like a 62 then went back and changed it and he shows as an 80+. I believe it was amobi okoye this always worked with (of course, this is just me gaming the system and I stopped doing so, but that's still a dumb thing).

Okoye has a "true" overall of 75 I think. So what was happening is that he wanted salary of a 75 overall player even though you viewed him as 80+.
So yeah, you got him cheaper than what you think he may have been worth but it wasn't because you changed to a scheme that undervalued him.

# 395 ggsimmonds @ 08/08/14 12:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bucky60


	What good is scheme if it doesn't effect production? There is a reason some players are better in certain schemes. And it shows in their production. If my RB's, WR's DT's production is not effected by scheme, then what good is scheme? I could just have 65 rated RB, WR, and DT and pay them peanuts with their production being the same as an 85 rated RB, WR, DT.

I have answered this question before. We are talking in circles. You say you do but you actually do not get schemes at all.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bucky60


	I didn't ignore this. It's just flat out wrong. Scheme overall does effect salary. I saw it on my team, in my franchise.

And in my franchise I did not see it. Out of curiosity though I did a google search on the issue and found nothing. So such a obvious exploit of the game and the internet knows nothing?? I would think I would find complaints from online CFM guys wouldn't you??

Quote:

Originally Posted by bucky60


	And why should it matter? If a 65 guy doesn't fit in the teams scheme and that's why he's 65, why should he be just as productive as an 85 that fits your teams scheme running the exact same plays? I saw the same thing at WR and DT.

So it does not matter. Then answer the question. What running plays did you call?

Quote:

Originally Posted by bucky60


	I understand the purpose of schemes. Whatever is causing the schemes to be ineffective (gameplay related issues) the schemes are still ineffective. You can say my cars just fine, my problem is a flat tire. But the car still isn't moving and won't until the tire gets fixed. Makes my car ineffective.

I really don't think you do. You have asked this same question about three times :What good is scheme if it doesn't effect production?
I have answered multiple times yet it continues to be asked.

# 396 lopey986 @ 08/08/14 12:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ggsimmonds


	Okoye has a "true" overall of 75 I think. So what was happening is that he wanted salary of a 75 overall player even though you viewed him as 80+. So yeah, you got him cheaper than what you think he may have been worth but it wasn't because you changed to a scheme that undervalued him.

We're we able to view TRUE OVERALL in the menus of cfm? I felt like there was a way but it was really convoluted and required going through multiple screens. I'm working on getting a copy on eBay so I'll have to check some of these things out again if I do before trading it in.

# 397 lopey986 @ 08/08/14 12:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bucky60


	The thing is, you wouldn't even have to change your scheme back because I found the 62 DT was still very productive since his actual ratings don't change.

So what's the point of the scheme then? Why not just stick with true overall and scrap schemes if it isn't going to make any type of adjustment on the game?

(though, as I said, it did make an adjustment for me especially when it came to Hester, so we had a different experience with schemes I guess)

# 398 ggsimmonds @ 08/08/14 12:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lopey986


	We're we able to view TRUE OVERALL in the menus of cfm? I felt like there was a way but it was really convoluted and required going through multiple screens. I'm working on getting a copy on eBay so I'll have to check some of these things out again if I do before trading it in.

Previously we were able to view true overall by using the in game depth chart but EA fixed this.

True overall is simply the overall used in play now. The recent ratings reveal? Those were the true overalls.

I also traded in M25 but am regretting it now lol.

Quote:

Originally Posted by lopey986


	So what's the point of the scheme then? Why not just stick with true overall and scrap schemes if it isn't going to make any type of adjustment on the game? (though, as I said, it did make an adjustment for me especially when it came to Hester, so we had a different experience with schemes I guess)

It is a roster management assist. More so for the AI but it helps the user too. Take defensive ends as they are the best example. A 4-3 DE is different from a 3-4 DE. Previously a DE would be rated 88 but he could be a horrible fit for a 3-4 defense. So if you ran a 3-4 defense that overall was misleading. Now you get a better indication of how well a player fits your team.

If I still had the game I would run the test with Hester. (scheme)Overall may have an impact on the simulation engine and if it does that was an oversight on the part of EA.

# 399 lopey986 @ 08/08/14 12:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ggsimmonds


	Previously we were able to view true overall by using the in game depth chart but EA fixed this. True overall is simply the overall used in play now. The recent ratings reveal? Those were the true overalls. I also traded in M25 but am regretting it now lol. It is a roster management assist. More so for the AI but it helps the user too. Take defensive ends as they are the best example. A 4-3 DE is different from a 3-4 DE. Previously a DE would be rated 88 but he could be a horrible fit for a 3-4 defense. So if you ran a 3-4 defense that overall was misleading. Now you get a better indication of how well a player fits your team. If I still had the game I would run the test with Hester. (scheme)Overall may have an impact on the simulation engine and if it does that was an oversight on the part of EA.

Fair points. I guess to me the whole thing ended up being way the hell more complicated than it should have been and they should have just kept madden 13s franchise setup instead. Hopefully it all makes more sense this year, at least to me.

# 400 ggsimmonds @ 08/08/14 12:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lopey986


	Fair points. I guess to me the whole thing ended up being way the hell more complicated than it should have been and they should have just kept madden 13s franchise setup instead. Hopefully it all makes more sense this year, at least to me.

They did a pretty bad job of explaining it so quite a few people were confused as to what it was and did. The biggest problem was with how buggy it has been with schemes not sticking after changes. The first year was understandable but it also happened in M25 Owner mode lol.
I can understand why that alone would leave a sour taste in people's mouths.

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