Why are preseason cuts handled this way?

[thejackal25]

I'm curious if anyone can provide any insight as to why the game requires teams to make a series of cuts gradually down throughout the preseason rather than just simply having a single cutdown day after the final preseason game.

IIRC IRL the NFL teams carry a preseason roster of roughly 90 players and then cut down to 75 players before the final preseason game. They then cut down to 53 before the regular season starts.

In Madden we have a maximum roster of 75 to begin with and then are forced to make a series of arbitrary cuts down to 53 throughout the preseason.

While it may not seem like a big deal since you likely end up with the same players on your final 53 when it's said and done, it does impact the game in two large ways.

1. It puts starters on the field more which can increase the risk of them having an injury. Nothing worse than seeing the CPU's starting HB go down with a serious injury because he was lined up at WR in the 4th quarter of a preseason game.

2. It impacts the development of young players who should be gaining XP through the preseason while also limiting how much time the user gets to experiment with fringe players before making decisions on who to cut.

Seems like changing the cut day parameters would be a relatively simple fix.

[DeuceDouglas]

I'm pretty sure they do it to add another thing to do each week as a way to keep the user "engaged." I totally agree with you though and with only a 75-man roster there shouldn't be any cuts until after your last game for realism. I had heard that they changed this but was disappointed that it's still pretty much the same.

[Hooe]

Quote: Originally Posted by DeuceDouglas

I'm pretty sure they do it to add another thing to do each week as a way to keep the user "engaged."

This is my shared impression.

Quote:

I had heard that they changed this but was disappointed that it's still pretty much the same.

They did change it, most of the cuts are now in Weeks 3 and 4; there are very few cuts in Weeks 1 and 2 now. This was done to ensure a large enough roster to accommodate demoting lesser players to the practice squad (which takes place of players clearing through waivers, since Madden doesn't have a waiver concept).

[tubaSimulator]

Quote: Originally Posted by DeuceDouglas

I'm pretty sure they do it to add another thing to do each week as a way to keep the user "engaged." I totally agree with you though and with only a 75-man roster there shouldn't be any cuts until after your last game for realism. I had heard that they changed this but was disappointed that it's still pretty much the same.

If they need to add arcade like details to keep the player "engaged" they haven't designed a very engaging mode to begin with, have they? I can't really get through the preseason at all at the moment - not if I want to have fun with CFM at least - because of the cut days being all wrong.

If you had the opportunity to move players to the practice squad in week 1 of preseason that would be unrealistic and arcade as well, but at least it would counter the stupidity of having to cut players in week 1. But since you can only move players to the PS in week 4, and by week 4 you only have exactly 53 + 10 players left, you basically have to plan out your 53-man roster and your practice squad in week 1. So, you might as well just cut down to 63 in week 1 and don't bother with cut days at all. Not only do the cut days in M17 defeat its purpose of being "engaging", but it also means the preseason is completely ruined for someone like me. It ruins immersion and defeats the purpose of having cut days at all in preseason.

I also wonder if cut days is the reason why some AI teams don't fill their PS with 10 players. By week 4 they may not have enough PS eligible players left. The first few times I started CFM I sure didn't have enough PS eligible players left by week 4 which is why I now have to plan everything out in week 1 instead.

[ForUntoOblivionSoar∞]

Quote: Originally Posted by tubaSimulator

If they need to add arcade like details to keep the player "engaged" they haven't designed a very engaging mode to begin with, have they? I can't really get through the preseason at all at the moment - not if I want to have fun with CFM at least - because of the cut days being all wrong. If you had the opportunity to move players to the practice squad in week 1 of preseason that would be unrealistic and arcade as well, but at least it would counter the stupidity of having to cut players in week 1. But since you can only move players to the PS in week 4, and by week 4 you only have exactly 53 + 10 players left, you basically have to plan out your 53-man roster and your practice squad in week 1. So, you might as well just cut down to 63 in week 1 and don't bother with cut days at all. Not only do the cut days in M17 defeat its purpose of being "engaging", but it also means the preseason is completely ruined for someone like me. It ruins immersion and defeats the purpose of having cut days at all in preseason. I also wonder if cut days is the reason why some AI teams don't fill their PS with 10 players. By week 4 they may not have enough PS eligible players left. The first few times I started CFM I sure didn't have enough PS eligible players left by week 4 which is why I now have to plan everything out in week 1 instead.

Pretty much my thoughts exactly. Why don't they just do what the NFL does? I don't get it. You have enough to do looking at your roster early on to worry about cutting people week one. In week one you want to have fun looking at your late round draft picks, not cutting them .

[tubaSimulator]

Weird question but I thought I'd keep it here since it seemed relevant to this thread;

If, in preseason week 1, you cut down from 75 to 72, is 72 then the new limit of players you can have on your roster that week, or could you sign 3 players from free agency, play the preseason game and then make cuts after the game but before you simulate to week 2? Ie. if I'm the Broncos and cut Trevor Simian as one of the three cuts in week 1, can I sign a different QB from FA to replace him for the week 1 game (bringing the total players on my roster back up to 73)?

[Hooe]

Quote: Originally Posted by tubaSimulator

If they need to add arcade like details to keep the player "engaged" they haven't designed a very engaging mode to begin with, have they?

It's not intended for you. It's for anyone who plays Franchise who doesn't have a strong grasp of how the NFL works.

Remember that not everyone who plays Madden enters the game with the same base level of knowledge as a hardcore OS Madden lifer. Heck, new gamers are buying consoles all the time, Madden NFL 17 might be the first football game some people will ever play. Remember also that that Madden is also actively attempting to expand its audience to bring new Madden players into the fold.

Accessibility of mechanics and a gradual learning curve is paramount to expanding a game's audience. The learning curve of football as a sport and the on-field components of Madden NFL are already steep enough as is, so (let's be honest about this) a small concession away from 100% authenticity with respect how preseason roster cutdowns are handled to ease a new user into the mode isn't really at all offensive in the grand scheme of things.

[guineapig71]

I'm pretty sure that in real life there are certain dates in the league year the coincide with the week it is in preseason where teams have to cut their rosters down to a specific number of players to go into a preseason game with. The majority of which come after the second preseason game.

Boom... Documentation to back up this claim
http://www.thephinsider.com/2016/8/2...preseason-2016