What can Madden do to make Franchise mode worth playing after a season?

[Toupal]

During EA Play almost a month ago, a few developers from the game shared what is/ isn't coming to CFM in Madden, and after reading the forums, it is clear that there are A LOT of people upset by the lack of attention (IMO) the most important game mode in any sports game has been receiving.

I have read multiple articles, forums, and threads regarding things such as Franchise Improvements, wish lists, people stating that EA doesn't care because CFM doesn't make money, and so on and so on.

One of the biggest complaints I hear about Madden is "replay-ability". Especially after just one season.

There have been several REALLY good forums and mock-ups on what kind of improvements EA should make with Franchise Mode regarding replay-ability in Madden such as:

DeuceDouglas Improvements http://forums.operationsports.com/fo...e-rebuild.html


http://forums.operationsports.com/fo...rovements.html

However at the end of the day, we are left with what we currently have. My question to the community is "What can madden do to make you want to invest more than one season into the game?"

[DeuceDouglas]

I've got two main points:

1. There needs to be far more to do and it all needs to be far more dynamic, challenging and unpredictable. Nothing you do in CFM feels like it has any impact or consequence. For example if they had coaching staffs it needs to be something that affects your team in multiple spots over the course of the season so if you hire a bad coach, you feel it all year and it incentivizes you to hire someone new in the off-season. Wear-and-tear stamina, multiple injuries, expanded injuries, there's a multitude of things that they could add for the user to deal with that revolved around more than divvying XP or re-signing players. If there's no challenge or no sense of reward for accomplishing anything, the mode gets stale unbelievably fast and there's no incentive to continue to play outside of the games. Team-building needs to be a challenge and you should have to fight hard to get and keep players and be forced to make sacrifices and tough decisions. It needs to be chess, not paint-by-the-numbers.

2. Atmosphere. Part of what makes CFM feel like nothing more than a bunch of play now games is the complete lack of atmosphere throughout the season. Opening day doesn't feel any different than a week 17 game between two teams that are 2-13. Playing in Seattle doesn't feel any different than playing in Jacksonville. The playoffs don't feel any different than a random mid-season game. There's no sense of big games throughout the year, no storylines or league development outside of what you create in your own imagination. Big games aren't something you should have to create, they should be something you can feel.

[ASZEMPLE]

Team building needs to be more challenging, the trade system needs to be reworked, It's way to too easy to just sign a FA in plug in.

New guys that are sign to your team, maybe there awareness drops and gets better as they learn the playbook ex. 4 week to get to 100% learn, so that guys you sign before preseason are good are good to go, but some one you sign during season needs that time before they are effective player. This could also be coupled with coach schemes.


Sent from my iPhone using Operation Sports

[goillini03]

Some good suggestions here. I am admittedly a NCAA guy first, so I had to move to Madden to get my football fix. This has been my biggest complaint overall.

I think some of it has to do with the fact that the NFL is what is. I agree with the points above that there needs to be more to do. There needs to be a better tie into all of the guys in the draft, like being able to edit draft classes before the next season. Stories to tie their performance into the scouting etc.

I also think that there needs to be a much better "story of the season." Every game I play feels no different than the game before. I have to go look at the standings, players of the week, and scores to have any feel for what is going on. I am not the type of person that can create the story in my head, or on some website. I simply do not have the time or desire. The game needs to draw me in, which it severely lacks in this department.

There also needs to be better career stories for each player.

[BreakingBad2013]

Make every single rating matter and have a bigger rating difference between tiers of players. As we stand now you can rebuild the Browns in a season, maybe two. You can draft or sign multiple 80 overall QBs in one season. Ratings should literally be on a scale 1-99. And I'm a firm believer that ratings should be hidden to. This would make roster management much more difficult, much higher chance of draftings busts, and would make gameplay more immersive.

Players need personalities, to tell you no, to not re-sign, to have bad games etc.

[KickassJohnson]

Quote: Originally Posted by DeuceDouglas

There needs to be far more to do and it all needs to be far more dynamic, challenging and unpredictable. Nothing you do in CFM feels like it has any impact or consequence.

I agree with your entire post but at this rate, we won't see anything close to this for 5-10 years.. maybe the new consoles can speed things up some but I'm not confident in saying that.

It sucks for people such as myself that rely on CFM every year for replayability. There's no point in buying the game every year now.

[cjacks17]

Quote: Originally Posted by KickassJohnson

I agree with your entire post but at this rate, we won't see anything close to this for 5-10 years.. maybe the new consoles can speed things up some but I'm not confident in saying that. It sucks for people such as myself that rely on CFM every year for replayability. There's no point in buying the game every year now.

I agree. I buy the game every other year now, sometimes I wait for the 3rd year.

I bought 17 because of the Big Decisions and it was just way too gimmicky. A re-packaged product basically. I find it crazy that we still don't have coordinators to hire for example. Like if I currently have an OC that runs a WCO but I fire him and bring in a run first coordinator the playbook should change. Perhaps include an option where you, as the HC, can influence the playbook? Make it a part of the offseason called "Coordinator Meetings" where you review the playbook or something.

I agree with the comment that there's just not enough to do. It gets very boring. They could also offer two options, one being a streamlined version because some don't care to get into the nitty gritty.

DeuceDouglas proposed what I have been dreaming of for Franchise Mode. I'm a GM nerd and to get to do all of that would be just amazing.

[Toupal]

Quote: Originally Posted by cjacks17

I agree. I buy the game every other year now, sometimes I wait for the 3rd year. I bought 17 because of the Big Decisions and it was just way too gimmicky. A re-packaged product basically. I find it crazy that we still don't have coordinators to hire for example. Like if I currently have an OC that runs a WCO but I fire him and bring in a run first coordinator the playbook should change. Perhaps include an option where you, as the HC, can influence the playbook? Make it a part of the offseason called "Coordinator Meetings" where you review the playbook or something. I agree with the comment that there's just not enough to do. It gets very boring. They could also offer two options, one being a streamlined version because some don't care to get into the nitty gritty. DeuceDouglas proposed what I have been dreaming of for Franchise Mode. I'm a GM nerd and to get to do all of that would be just amazing.

I just wish they would take a page out of another EA football games book, and use what NCAA had with coordinators, where you can start of as a coordinator with a bad team, and based on your success, you get offers to move up.