After yesterday’s breakdown from EA detailing the ultimate “harm report” referring to customers who have been impacted by sure cloud CFM saves being deleted — and the “make rights” being supplied for Madden 24 — it seems like an excellent time to spotlight a discussion board thread that was began proper earlier than 2023 (and this cloud save chaos) began. Within the assertion from EA, we now know in some unspecified time in the future CFM customers will get a “Commissioner Instruments function set” that may enable commishes to customise leagues in “distinctive and novel methods” for his or her group. No different particulars have been talked about as of now, however this can be a good launching level to get into what OS people have been saying on this thread thus far.
Madden Franchise Mode Ideas As We Head In direction of Madden 24?
OS consumer Btj98 began the thread, they usually framed it as taking inventory of the mode roughly 2+ years after #FixMaddenFranchise made EA reply to followers in a extra direct method. In addition they listed a number of the gadgets they assume want enchancment for Madden 24.
- Offseason coaching camp
- Place battles
- Extra teaching ability bushes
- Playable drills with draft prospects
- A WAY, WAY higher harm system
- Extra immersive options (energy rankings, higher information feed, draft grades, and so on.)
- Extra situations (the place is the holdout state of affairs?)
It ought to come as no shock that most of the responses have been from downtrodden people who simply really feel annoyed with the state of affairs. OS consumer PhillyPhanatic14 nailed the overall feeling that many others have about CFM proper now.
Just a few years in the past we needed them to innovate and make the mode higher…Now I simply want I may play my franchise constantly with out insane bugs, crashes, or the entire league disappearing.
It is sensible this sense would permeate by means of the thread as a result of it has been a really tough yr for CFM. We as a workers even thought Madden‘s franchise mode was the greatest disappointment in 2022. It’s exhausting to look previous the bugs that induced a lot dissatisfaction all through the cycle. The truth is, within the information submit we posted that mentioned EA’s “make rights” for the affected customers who bought their franchises deleted in December, OS consumer CM Hooe made what I feel is a really legitimate level:
I’m personally barely aggravated that this 50% off voucher and beta entry promise is barely supplied to gamers who have been impacted by this particular problem. Personally, I principally stopped enjoying Madden 23 after the draft rewind glitch killed my on-line league in October. That lack of my participant progress information fully killed my curiosity on this yr’s recreation.
Furthermore, anybody who has adopted Madden NFL 23 post-release with any stage of curiosity absolutely has skilled or in any other case is aware of that the server stability throughout your entire recreation and all modes has been horrible, and that instability has affected all gamers, not simply those that have been particularly impacted this previous December. It’s not simply the two% of leagues impacted final month with whom EA Sports activities has to rebuild belief.
I’m with CM Hooe all the way in which there. I might not anticipate EA to present everybody who performed CFM on-line this yr half off subsequent yr’s recreation, but when there ever was a time for one thing that drastic, this could be it.
Making Madden 24 Franchise Mode Higher
Regardless, in the case of subsequent yr’s recreation, people have been nonetheless glad to present precise suggestions and ideas on how the mode can enhance. I’m not going to undergo each submit within the thread, however as an alternative, I wish to highlights some widespread themes. The primary pertains to presentation. OS consumer kingsofthevalley principally explains that they wish to really feel like they’re in an precise NFL world.
All it actually wants is an interactive information feed with precise sportscasters. They didn’t really want to take away the background with the coach sitting on the desk, simply exchange that with a information desk and a few sportscasters that say random issues from across the league. That will considerably enhance immersion.
OS consumer Cory Levy will get to the core of the problem that crops up within the video games themselves as they play out:
The largest drawback in Franchise continues to be how lifeless and sterile and uninteresting it feels. Each recreation seems like a one-off exhibition recreation. Throwing in a static Playoff Schedule graphic beginning in Week 13 doesn’t lower it.
We are able to talk about the “proper” option to execute on the above concepts, however the level they’d (and others had) is that you simply at all times really feel such as you’re in your personal silo and your group is all that issues. One of many main promoting factors of enjoying CFM on-line with others is to flee that feeling of isolation. However it’s completely true that EA actually must be doing way more at this level to make the solo consumer really feel like they’re within the Nationwide Soccer League. In any case, the NFL by no means sleeps.
Wanting past the presentation, group constructing parts are the second pillar of requests that flooded the thread. I’ve talked up to now about how I do assume the school recreation has some inherent benefits when in comparison with the professional recreation by way of how “simple” it’s to make a enjoyable franchise mode expertise. School groups are at all times altering by default as a result of that’s how faculty works, and you might be at all times recruiting yearly due to that. Nevertheless, it’s not like NFL groups actually keep the identical very lengthy both. There are particular key positions the place you might need the identical participant for five+ years, however the personnel turnover remains to be fixed. With that in thoughts, I wish to point out a few the ideas made by OS customers:
- OS consumer MHammer113 – The draft and scouting wants a serious glow up. This stuff ought to each have their very own web page with a number of evaluation and selection however the scouting simply feels bizarre and clunky. As for the draft, I actually can not imagine how poorly it’s represented. 2 minutes per choose, no cpu initiated trades, no drama, it’s simply brutally primary. The nfl draft creates a lot buzz in actual life.
- OS consumer jmch1990 – Free company must be extra conversational. It’s too pressured the way in which it’s, you simply make a proposal, see if it’s extra interesting than the competitors, and you’ll regulate till it’s. That’s not how it might actually work. It is best to be capable of make a proposal and look ahead to a response: both accepted, or a counter, or to listen to that one other group is providing extra which you could select to match, beat extra, or rescind your supply.
- OS consumer Unfortunate 13 – I would like coaches to MEAN one thing, and if they will’t be distinctive, I at the least need them to be completely different. I wish to play because the GM, and rent a HC, OC, DC, and place coaches, and have a deep system the place that each one works collectively for playbooks, participant development, motivation, and so on. I would like that to be DEEP recreation throughout the recreation.
Your workers, the NFL Draft, and free company ought to all be big elements of this recreation. EA has tried so as to add elements to scouting and making the NFL Draft extra attention-grabbing, however none of those three issues are highlight-worthy by way of pointing to them and being like, “we’re actually displaying each different sports activities recreation the way it’s performed right here.” If the league itself feels uninteresting, after which constructing a group additionally feels a little bit hole, that’s not an excellent combo for a franchise mode.
The ultimate pillar I’ll point out goes again to the overall thought of development/participant scores. Franchise modes (and even card gathering modes) do have a difficulty in varied sports activities video games the place the gameplay stability will get thrown out of equilibrium by how development performs out. In MUT or MyTeam, the problem is playing cards preserve getting higher however the gameplay will not be actually balanced for when there are a ton of 99 total gamers out on the sphere. In the case of one thing like CFM, points can come up as a result of we’ve got instruments at our disposal (which can be speculated to be there to make issues extra enjoyable) that find yourself making participant scores matter much less.
I’ll let OS consumer JoshC1977 clarify what I’m speaking about:
They should both take away, closely re-work, or give a consumer choice to show off the next:
– In-game momentum
– Coach abilities
– Sport planning
The present design of the coach abilities and recreation planning, particularly, utterly kill your entire really feel of the mode for me. They’re not way more than re-dressed MUT coach and technique playing cards (full with a separate ‘forex’ for coaches within the type of ability factors which you could “earn by finishing solo challenges”). It’s not only a vibe factor both – they detract from THE most vital factor in franchise: participant scores. If participant scores don’t matter, constructing your group doesn’t both, so why play the mode? Whereas I’m completely not saying that participant scores don’t matter, they clearly matter much less due to the ham-fisted implementation of those modules. (Oh, and somebody clarify to me how a HC is meant to lower harm period — like, actually!? And also you make THAT ability essentially the most ridiculous and overpowered within the mode, the primary ability you possibly can unlock!?)
Development as a year-to-year idea issues so much when desirous about what number of seasons you keep on with a franchise mode. Nevertheless, this specific side of development is sort of a separate subject since you need franchise mode to stay balanced sufficient that the gameplay stays as enjoyable as it might be in a “play now” recreation.
Backside Line
There are a variety of different considerate responses within the thread, so I hope others will proceed so as to add to the dialogue. None of us know but what Madden 24 will seem like, however I do know all of us hope franchise mode is one thing EA talks lots about within the months forward.
