Madden NFL 13 - Season Ticket & Retail Impressions

[Rudy]

I struggled throwing in M12 lol. I think it's easier on All-Pro in M13 and I'm grateful for that. Passing has never been my strong suit.

It does annoy me that people are able to take the M13 rosters and load them into M12 without much problem. I saw a guy actually import an M12 roster into M13. Why again are edits not possible in M13? No good reason.

[ram29jackson]

the announcers often say things that dont involve the situation..wrong down, wrong score..but it still sounds good compared to the last couple years LOL

at least they wear alot of different shirts n ties too :D

a frew lines are really repative..but I still like hearing both of them :)

[Rudy]

The cpu AI in terms of defending the run is lousy. I started playing a Play Now game with the Titans against the Titans (wanted to see how balanced it would play). Once the second quarter started I exploded with CJ2K but in a way I'm not happy about. I will admit I abused the AI to see if they would adjust but ended up running for over 300 yards against them largely because they weren't lined up correctly.

The cpu will not adjust their front 7 to account for the strong side of the field. Nor do they appear to consider the wide side of the field or the speed of the RB because the run defenses they called against me were terrible. By running a double TE set with both TEs on the same side the cpu refused to shift. In fact, I have never seen them slide their LBs or DL over to help in the running game or counteract a strong formation. Take a look at how they line up against CJ in a two TE set. The 18 stretch play where CJ just takes the ball on a sprint outside devastated them all game long.

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/rudyjuly2/Madden/Defensenotshiftingbig.jpg

Why are 4 defenders lined up on the weak side of the field (with all four left of the LG) vs. only 3 on the strong side? How the heck are they supposed to defend this running play to the outside?

After abusing the cpu on All-Pro I tried it out on All-Madden. Same thing. On 3rd and 1 I bring out 3 TEs to the strong side and this is how the cpu tries to defend it. It's ridiculous! It's a complete mismatch on the strong side.

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/rudyjuly2/Madden/allmaddendefense.jpg

I guess any time I run an unbalanced formation it's a money play in the running game. That's crazy. EA needs to patch in some logic here. I shouldn't feel like a cheeser running some pretty basic formations and plays.

[Rudy]

I wonder if EA has the logic backwards here. It looks as though they are trying to stack against the weak side when they should be stacked against the strong side. They are doing the opposite. Great for Costanza or Bizarro world but not good for stopping CJ2K.

There are some really dumb things in the game like this. Seeing crap like this and broken cpu run/pass tendencies (all teams pass 80% of the time on 1st and 2nd down) just kills my enjoyment. I can't start a franchise with crap like this and play now games get very annoying too.

[jaymo76]

I thought I was losing my mind back when I had this game during CCM. Players being put on the trade block that I didn't put on the block; players being released that I didn't release. A lot of people have been reporting this issue. I guess it turns out that this is the cpu "playing" GM in CCM in order to continue to play-out story lines. Count me in the group that does NOT like this. If the cpu releases someone or puts someone on the trading block you should be informed and asked if you wish to override. When I lost my FB, I didn't find out about it until my starter was injured and a TE came in for him. I looked for my backup only to find him gone... after the game, there he is in the FA pool. This is just another example of lost user control and IMO that is a step in the wrong direction.

Also a bit of a rant... but... why does the game have tuning sets if you can only access them through a patch (re: offline gamers? We were told that all modes were combined together so that the game woul d be 100% the same. Apparently this is not the case. In a lot of ways I have been an EA apologist over the years and I have given Madden a pass just because. With the release of Madden 10 I figured that Madden 11 would be the breakthrough year... it was a bust. Then what I loved about Madden 10 was removed entirely in Madden 12. However I got over it because they gave us (and bragged about it) 100% user customization. Then comes 13 with a new direction and a ripping to shreds of all the things I loved about Madden and a system that has more bugs than a lawn. I'm sorry to sound so negative but I am just frustrated with the seemingly endless switching of directions from Madden.

[Rudy]

You mean we don't have full control over IR and personel moves in franchise mode? That has to be a bug. Too many issues like this. Can't believe how many little things are wrong with this game that all add up to a frustrating experience.

I still don't see why they had to put the two modes together. Now I read people that like Superstar mode are ticked off because they removed the Superstar mode camera. You don't get a player specific camera and only use the default camera which is hard if people want to play CB.

[Rudy]

I've read people state the LE sack issue is still in the game. The funny thing is when I would see that in NCAA it was because the QB always drifted towards the LE when he felt pressure which resulted in it. But now when I actually play as a RE I find myself getting pancaked way more than when I play as a LE. I think there is something beyond ratings at work here. It's not just the RT being a worse pass protector.

[jaymo76]

You mean we don't have full control over IR and personel moves in franchise mode? That has to be a bug. Too many issues like this. Can't believe how many little things are wrong with this game that all add up to a frustrating experience.

I still don't see why they had to put the two modes together. Now I read people that like Superstar mode are ticked off because they removed the Superstar mode camera. You don't get a player specific camera and only use the default camera which is hard if people want to play CB.

When you think about it a little bit, it really is shocking how many bugs and glitches are present in Madden this year. I would like to say that the team attempted too much this year... BUT the developers are on record as saying that this has CCM REBOOT been in the works for TWO YEARS! According to the developers the game was built from the ground up and features that didn't work right were not included. Well, so much of what has been implemented is bugged. For a game/mode that took this long to develop it boggles the mind to see so many issues. The last time Madden had so many problems was Madden 08 and we all remember what happened to Mr. Ortiz... The bugs NCAA 12 had are nothing as compared to the issues in Madden.

The PATCH will be massive for this game. A great patch that fixes all the bugs and glitches and say adds a few things like editing has the power to save this game in put it into the good to great conversation. However, the reverse is also true... a weak patch or a patch that causes more problems will put a lot of people over the edge who aren't there already. For those of you who own it still and haven't lost your minds, you have my respect. Hopefully EA can deliver a patch worthy of your diligence.

[skipwondah33]

It's not that bad. Majority of issue and beef revolves around editing players which doesn't effect gameplay in my world or even register as a problem.

I don't see any issue in Zone where Defenders are completely ignoring the deep half assignment. Or that awful not covering the option issue.

I am still enjoying and still stand by it is the best Madden to date.

Just with the Commit feature wasn't in. I can tell when it's used but it should be out all together

Oh and Rudy Coples has been getting Sacks for me, I put him in at the RE spot in the 4-3 and 4-6 packages. In fact he has been getting the most sacks for me, along with Pace...ROLB...but you may be talking about CCM or something so disregard if so

[ram29jackson]

When you think about it a little bit, it really is shocking how many bugs and glitches are present in Madden this year. I would like to say that the team attempted too much this year... BUT the developers are on record as saying that this has CCM REBOOT been in the works for TWO YEARS! According to the developers the game was built from the ground up and features that didn't work right were not included. Well, so much of what has been implemented is bugged. For a game/mode that took this long to develop it boggles the mind to see so many issues. The last time Madden had so many problems was Madden 08 and we all remember what happened to Mr. Ortiz... The bugs NCAA 12 had are nothing as compared to the issues in Madden.

The PATCH will be massive for this game. A great patch that fixes all the bugs and glitches and say adds a few things like editing has the power to save this game in put it into the good to great conversation. However, the reverse is also true... a weak patch or a patch that causes more problems will put a lot of people over the edge who aren't there already. For those of you who own it still and haven't lost your minds, you have my respect. Hopefully EA can deliver a patch worthy of your diligence.


one thing ....unless its on purpose ? when you try to set your defensive line to attack towards the middle or to the outside ( you see all the arrows pointing inward or outward) the DE on the left side ( your left)

his arrow is always facing the wrong way/ the opposite of what it should.

in MUT theres games against AI to earn tokens. Some of those games are on rookie or Pro for the AI and sometimes if you are on offense at the goal line, the AI players on defense are all over the place in the back of the end zone with 2 or 3 guys at the line ..?

[Rudy]

I've read people state the LE sack issue is still in the game. The funny thing is when I would see that in NCAA it was because the QB always drifted towards the LE when he felt pressure which resulted in it. But now when I actually play as a RE I find myself getting pancaked way more than when I play as a LE. I think there is something beyond ratings at work here. It's not just the RT being a worse pass protector.

I take this back. Playing as Cam Wake with Miami I was abusing the Bills LT pretty good. Too bad my offense was atrocious. Tannehill couldn't hit the broad side of a barn in the second half. Don't know if DPP was kicking in or not but he sucked.

I haven't seen the cpu playing as poorly on the unbalanced sets as I saw in the Titans game. I wonder if the problem is linked to certain playbooks? I'm not a fan of Miami's and I will probably change it.

They seem to have changed the way kicking works. It was good in M12 in that when I dropped the air to kick it a little lower it would go farther. Now it feels like NCAA where you can't adjust the height or it won't go as far. The accuracy is way too easy on All-Pro as well. Even at 35 I can be way off when I push up on the stick and I still hit the FG if the arrow is aimed right. We really need separate sliders for user/cpu.

[Rudy]

New Madden rosters will be available Saturday morning but not until early next week for franchise mode. A patch may require current franchises to restart or continue playing without the patch (it will be an option along with using the older expanded rosters).

Personally I will not be starting a franchise until the cpu play calling tendencies are fixed. Running the ball 80% of the time on 1st and 2nd down for every team is just unacceptable for me. I need that fixed. No word yet on the patch. They initially were aiming at September 11th but I have a feeling they are pushing it back to squeeze a few more things in.

[Rudy]

To do certain jukes you have to spam on the r-stick back and forth. Guy are getting some jukes. See these couple videos where some sweet moves are made:

http://www.easports.com/media/play/video/134145182

http://www.easports.com/media/play/video/134141391

Instructions from OS (note that he spells poorly - "whole" should be hole - just a pet peeve sometimes):

First off, the "Barry juke & the cut & burst" all consist of this... BANG BANG! Once you receive the the ball DO NOT hit the speed trigger, take notice before the ball is snapped & pay attention to where your FB or LT are pulling to create an potential hole. Once you know where the whole is suppose be:

Run towards it (normally) & then BANG BANG (RS = R+L with the LS pointed towards the hole!

Understand this: If the play is going right your BANG BANG should go like this (RS = Right, Left + LS pointed towards the whole)

If the play is going left your BANG BANG (left, right) should go like this:
(RS = Left, Right + LS pointed towards the whole)

Now, if or when you are able to get to the second level of the D try these RS (BANG) moves:

BANG, BANG, BANG (Left, Right, Left) *Plant, stutter & burst
BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG (Left, Right, Left, Right) *Barry juke

Now there is more that I am learning, but for now this is what I know works 100%

Also lol, I say "BANG BANG" because when you make a move with the RS it needs to be quick & hard I.E. left right (BANG BANG).

[gigemaggs99]

Well I don't know a lot but that 2nd video, it looks almost real! The graphics are amazing.

[Rudy]

One thing I really like about the running game is that power runners are clearly better between the tackles while smaller, quicker guys are meant to run outside. Taking McFadden and just slamming it up the gut will be a waste of your running game. He was very ineffective for me inside but great outside. When I play with the Dolphins if I want to run between the tackles I bring Daniel Thomas in. Frank Gore is great inside for the 49ers. You have to be able to break some tackles to run inside in this game.

Personally, I prefer bigger backs that have enough wiggle to not be one dimensional. I like running with Daniel Thomas a lot more than Reggie Bush.

[jaymo76]

One thing I really like about the running game is that power runners are clearly better between the tackles while smaller, quicker guys are meant to run outside. Taking McFadden and just slamming it up the gut will be a waste of your running game. He was very ineffective for me inside but great outside. When I play with the Dolphins if I want to run between the tackles I bring Daniel Thomas in. Frank Gore is great inside for the 49ers. You have to be able to break some tackles to run inside in this game.

Personally, I prefer bigger backs that have enough wiggle to not be one dimensional. I like running with Daniel Thomas a lot more than Reggie Bush.

I was playing the demo earlier on and I totally agree that 13 really has hum running down. Powerbacks inside and speed backs outside. Madden 12, McFadden is a beast everywhere on the field. In 13 I had most success with him to the outside.

[jaymo76]

Still no word on the patch??? There is no way IMO of a patch next week. I still have not puchased because I am waiting on the patch update. If editing rosters is in then I will be heading up to Best Buy or Future Shop pretty much right away. But if editing isn't included then I will continue avoiding this game. In truth I don't expect editing to be included but I am still hoping for it... well that and change the cpu uniform.

[Rudy]

No word on the patch. I've got major concerns over whether sliders work right in franchise. Many people are posting they don't work the same and the game plays different. I haven't messed with franchise myself so I don't know. The sliders better work after the patch and they better fix the game planning stuff so the cpu isn't running 80% of the time on 1st and 2nd down for many teams. I have a bad feeling the first patch got delayed because they found so many bugs and issues. It was supposed to be out September 11th but I bet they delayed it to work on more things.

EA is definitely feeling the pressure about editing. No fantasy draft for sure but they said editing is a possibility. It should be easy and allow me to do anything imo. I'd rather convert Miami back to a 3-4 and then move Wake back to OLB.

[Rudy]

Maybe EA needs to offer primary positions and secondary positions for players. Some DBs can play safety or CB (like Charles Woodson now). Many hybrid players can be a 4-3 DE or 3-4 OLB. Many big 3-4 DEs can play 4-3 DT and can alternate in schemes and still play at a high level. A 4-3 DE should not necessarily be able to move inside. Many OL have the ability to play anywhere on the OL and they should be rewarded for it. Pro teams also have packages for players - like always using Welker in the slot for NE, Sproles being involved in certain packages, etc. EA has tried to compensate for this with certain formations (like the NASCAR package for NYG) as well as the packages but it doesn't seem to work well. What about teams that rotate their backs more often or use bigger backs in short yardage?

I think a better solution is:
1) to provide a true formation sub menu system like NCAA football has.
2) Provide more depth chart options. We have 3rd down back but what about short yardage back? What about 3rd down DL where you would sub in pass rushers? How about spread RB where you could denote any formation with 3+ WRs to use a quicker back like Sproles. I think that would help.
3) Maybe provide a rotation system where you (and cpu based on coach tendencies) could set a 2-1 series rotation for the top two back if they are close in overall rating. Starter gets two series and then backup gets a full series.

Just trying to think of ways for us to use our personel better and especially an easier way for the cpu to do it as well.

[jaymo76]

Maybe EA needs to offer primary positions and secondary positions for players. Some DBs can play safety or CB (like Charles Woodson now). Many hybrid players can be a 4-3 DE or 3-4 OLB. Many big 3-4 DEs can play 4-3 DT and can alternate in schemes and still play at a high level. A 4-3 DE should not necessarily be able to move inside. Many OL have the ability to play anywhere on the OL and they should be rewarded for it. Pro teams also have packages for players - like always using Welker in the slot for NE, Sproles being involved in certain packages, etc. EA has tried to compensate for this with certain formations (like the NASCAR package for NYG) as well as the packages but it doesn't seem to work well. What about teams that rotate their backs more often or use bigger backs in short yardage?

I think a better solution is:
1) to provide a true formation sub menu system like NCAA football has.
2) Provide more depth chart options. We have 3rd down back but what about short yardage back? What about 3rd down DL where you would sub in pass rushers? How about spread RB where you could denote any formation with 3+ WRs to use a quicker back like Sproles. I think that would help.
3) Maybe provide a rotation system where you (and cpu based on coach tendencies) could set a 2-1 series rotation for the top two back if they are close in overall rating. Starter gets two series and then backup gets a full series.

Just trying to think of ways for us to use our personel better and especially an easier way for the cpu to do it as well.

I think that position changes are a mandatory feature, no questions asked. As for the formation subs, this is one area where NCAA owns Madden. The Madden on the fly subs are awful. Since the developers have bragged about builing from the ground up, how were formation subs ala NCAA style not addressed?

[jaymo76]

Sitting here watching Sunday ticket I can't help but notice the uniform selections for some of the teams. Tiburon, please remind me again why we cannot chose the CPU uniform in CCM? 2012 and in some areas we had more options on ps1. Please fix this via a patch!

[ram29jackson]

...it takes so long to load the game now

[Rudy]

This is at least the 3rd time now I have been unsubscribed from this thread by accident. I don't know if it's because it's linked to the home page or what but it's annoying.

I totally agree with you Jaymo. Madden needs a full formation sub menu like NCAA. Here's hoping they add short yardage back to the 3rd down back in the depth chart as well.

Anyone notice how the r-stick while kicking does next to nothing for accuracy? At least on All-Pro? For accuracy the only thing that seems to matter is pointing the direction arrow correctly. I'm on All-Pro with accuracy at 35 and I shanked a kick and it didn't seem to matter at all. NCAA did this area much better. In M12 you could kick it a bit farther if you dropped the arrow slightly - the first time I've seen EA do this realistically but it appears to be gone in M13. Drop it and it goes shorter. I'm tired of EA thinking a 48 yard FG is a long one. My gosh Akers just tied the record at 63 and he's 37 and kicked that off grass in GB. Nobody in Madden should ever miss a FG under 50 yards due to distance unless it's a monsoon wind (which doesn't affect kicking in Madden lol) or the kicker is near 50 years old.

[skipwondah33]

Anyone notice how the r-stick while kicking does next to nothing for accuracy? At least on All-Pro? For accuracy the only thing that seems to matter is pointing the direction arrow correctly. I'm on All-Pro with accuracy at 35 and I shanked a kick and it didn't seem to matter at all. NCAA did this area much better. In M12 you could kick it a bit farther if you dropped the arrow slightly - the first time I've seen EA do this realistically but it appears to be gone in M13. Drop it and it goes shorter. I'm tired of EA thinking a 48 yard FG is a long one. My gosh Akers just tied the record at 63 and he's 37 and kicked that off grass in GB. Nobody in Madden should ever miss a FG under 50 yards due to distance unless it's a monsoon wind (which doesn't affect kicking in Madden lol) or the kicker is near 50 years old.In my experiences this far it depends on your kicker's ratings. This was the same for '11 and '12 also.

I recall being able to get away with slightly being off target in all 3 games in regards to accuracy and still kicking a relatively accurate kick. BUT that was with with high accuracy rating kickers. I started kicking with lower rated kickers and when I was off the mark with accuracy the kick was very noticeably off mark. Just the other day I kicked with Janokowski and even when I was off the kicks were very accurate. Then when I kicked with I believe it was the Jets kicker I didn't have that much room for error. This was the case back in '12 also. I remember kicking with Kaeding from the Chargers who had one of the highest accuracy ratings. I could miss the accuracy mark by ALOT and it still wouldn't shank like it would have with a lower rated kicker. And accuracy was much different in that verison where you could shank XP's.

Regarding the height of the arrow. In '11 I could routinely kick 62-yd FG's with Hartley from the Saints. He had 95+ kick power if I recall correctly. I'd just lower the arrow down to it's lowest and kick. I'm glad the ball goes shorter now when you drop the arrow all the way down, that was a bit unrealistic anyway IMO.

[Rudy]

Twice I have seen the game stop saying I've thrown the red flag out for a challenge and I never did anything. In fact I tried to challenge this morning but the option was gone. I unpaused and then the game did it for me. I don't think it was on a turnover or TD either. Rare but weird when it happens.

I'm starting a Dolphins online one-person franchise this weekend. I'm signing Kellen Winslow and maybe a WR. Will check it out finally. I'm not waiting anymore.

[Rudy]

Madden is adding Fantasy Draft back in the game with a server side fix tomorrow. We'll also get updated franchise rosters. I'm shocked. I thought they guaranteed this couldn't happen this year.

http://www.pastapadre.com/2012/09/13/fantasy-drafts-coming-to-madden-nfl-13

[gigemaggs99]

Not really sure what's going on but the last 2 times in a row that I've played Madden 13 on my PS3, when I'm done w/ the game I go to the PS3 menu and select "quit game". I'm wanting to quit Madden and then play NCAA.

My PS3 shuts down and beeps at me. Then it turns itself back on and tells me it was not shut down properly, then wants me to submit a report to Sony and then warns me that I need to shut the system down properly next time. Then it performs a system restore.

This only happens when I try and shut Madden 13 down. All my other games work normally.

Any ideas?

[Rudy]

Sorry. Haven't heard of that.

[WolverineJay]

Patch related? Connected Online? I had it happen to me on Madden 12 once when I was connected online to the PSN network the PS3 did loud beeps then had to do the system file restore when I turned it back on. This only happened once though but I rarely played Madden 12 online and if I did I signed out before turning Madden off.

[Rudy]

All I could think about last night while watching the first half of the Bears and Packers was how obsessed virtual Jim Nantz would be about sacks lol. As soon as you are sacked twice Jim gets obsessed about avoiding that third sack. After that he always refers to the beating you take. He's obsessed with sacks, Simms is obsessed with first downs.

[Rudy]

Not really sure what's going on but the last 2 times in a row that I've played Madden 13 on my PS3, when I'm done w/ the game I go to the PS3 menu and select "quit game". I'm wanting to quit Madden and then play NCAA.

My PS3 shuts down and beeps at me. Then it turns itself back on and tells me it was not shut down properly, then wants me to submit a report to Sony and then warns me that I need to shut the system down properly next time. Then it performs a system restore.

This only happens when I try and shut Madden 13 down. All my other games work normally.

Any ideas?

Darn it, I had the exact same thing happen to me this morning. It didn't happen earlier but I also did a system update this morning too.

[ram29jackson]

fair catching on punts and kick offs is completely broken....and whats up with kick offs?

I see guys leave the endzone and go back in and get tackled or run out the back and nothing is ruled in the kicking teams favor? it just goes to the 20

[ram29jackson]

Originally Posted by gigemaggs99

Not really sure what's going on but the last 2 times in a row that I've played Madden 13 on my PS3, when I'm done w/ the game I go to the PS3 menu and select "quit game". I'm wanting to quit Madden and then play NCAA.

My PS3 shuts down and beeps at me. Then it turns itself back on and tells me it was not shut down properly, then wants me to submit a report to Sony and then warns me that I need to shut the system down properly next time. Then it performs a system restore.

This only happens when I try and shut Madden 13 down. All my other games work normally.

Any ideas?
Darn it, I had the exact same thing happen to me this morning. It didn't happen earlier but I also did a system update this morning too.


ps3 dropped the ball with their earlier firmware update...now, i sign out of psn first ( or click on account settings is what i mean, it quits madden without all the crap happening )

[Rudy]

My first attempt at franchise (I refuse to call it CCM) in Madden was very bittersweet. I chose the online option and set up a one person league just so I could take advantage of the server side fixes for some of the franchise issues. This will come back to bite me in the ass later on.


SETUP

All of your settings must be keyed from scratch in a new franchise. It does not import your difficulty level, sliders, auto subs or any other options from your profile. Not a big deal but it would be nice to save time. I used EA’s Game Face to upload myself into their site and download me into the game as the new Dolphins coach Rudy Dolphin. The game face isn’t perfect but it’s not bad. My wife joked earlier that I looked too young. The game automatically fires Joe Philbin and it’s the top story for the news. There were 9 stories right away and one week I saw 12. The twitter feeds are interesting as well. Some guys take shots at moves while other trades are speculated about.

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg267/scaled.php?server=267&filename=philbinfired.jpg&res=landing

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg534/scaled.php?server=534&filename=rudydolphin.jpg&res=landing

MENUS

The menus in franchise are not very intuitive. You use the r-stick to cycle through the main options which isn’t a big deal but the far option in the top right corner is “More” and that’s where a lot of the key stuff is tucked away within 6 subcategories – like signing free agents, setting depth charts and checking out salaries. This should be broken out and made a little easier to find and navigate imo.


SALARY CAP

One of the historical problems with Madden’s franchise mode is the cap is usually too high making it easy to sign guys. This year is no different. This is because past bonuses are not reflected into your cap or future cap. When starting with Miami there was no dead money on the books for 2012 or 2013. We actually have quite a bit. Instead of being tight against the cap I had $14 million to spend (I believe). EA has also failed to update Vontae Davis properly – he’s on the Colts but Miami does not have the Colts 2013 2nd round pick while other future picks are correct. Anyways, I used that cap room to go sign Kellen Winslow and Plaxico Burress. I normally like to run a true-to-life franchise but Miami sucks in real life so I needed to spice up my offense. One thing that bothered me when I signed these guys was there was no negotiation at all. No multi-year offer, no signing bonus, no negotiating salary. Either you chose to sign them at the listed one year salary or you didn’t sign them at all. Furthermore, way too many free agents are over-rated. EA only seems to re-rate active players. There is a reason many of these guys are unemployed but quite a few guys are rated 80+. Need better backups at safety, LB and OL? No problem. Free agency is littered with guys better than your starters at many spots. I used this to make further upgrades to my depth.


PRACTICE

I set my team up, signed some free agents, changed the schemes at each position (pocket passer QB, balanced LT, etc) set my depth chart and got into the pre-season. I ended up doing three practices which occur before each game. You have to do this if you want to build XP for your coach and improve yourself. I wish you could just sim the practices and get some XP and I’m not a big fan of this new RPG element. I am not going to choose the practice options that last half a game or a full game. They just take place in a practice bubble and your opponents are 100% generic (QB, RB, WR, etc.) with no announcers or anything. It should at least be my first team offense against my first team defense. So why would I want to waste a lot of time on those scenarios when this is a pretty boring mode? Plus the game is set to GAMEFLOW after every play! (Edit, can't change this from play call screen but can go to settings and fix). I have to constantly choose full playbook when I pick my plays. You can’t even use Ask Madden. I only chose the 4th quarter scenarios so they didn’t take too long. I was one for three. Tannehill threw too many picks lol!


PRESEASON AND TRADE BLOCK

I simmed the first two preseason games. Apparently Odrick got hurt but Daniel Thomas and Tannehill did well and made the list of news stories. One thing I liked for every week of preseason, there are certain players on the trade block. While this is unrealistic it does make it fun and interesting and I like it. After signing Kellen Winslow teams were trying to trade for Anthony Fasano even though I wasn't trying to move him. Many of the offers were draft picks – some from 2014! He’s my only blocking TE so I declined the 4th rounders and other offers. I tried trading Reggie Bush to the Packers for a 3rd rounder but they declined. I also bid on a few players I liked that were on the trade block. Delanie Walker (TE, 49ers) was up on the block and I decided to offer my young benched 3rd rounder Michael Egnew along with next year’s 5th rounder for him. Beware, you only get one crack at the trade! I don’t mind this but the cpu takes the best offer and moves the guy. They declined my offer and Delanie went elsewhere. Where I don’t know because there is no transaction log in the game. The next week James Jones (WR, GB) came up on the trade block and I offered a young WR and a 4th round pick next year and GB took it! Now I’ve got Plax and James Jones as my starting WRs.

UGH - ONLINE SERVERS
Now I’m at the third preseason game, I’ve signed guys, set up everything I like, performed one of the cut days and then EA’s servers crap out. My franchise is toast. I never saved anything. I thought the mode auto-saved every time you advanced each week but apparently not. Never will I ever fall for EA’s online franchise mode again. I wanted to be able to get the quick fixes on server side updates but it’s just not worth it to lose the time you invest in this. It was fun but now I wasted almost 1.5 hours and have to do it all over again. Ugh. Maybe I'll try trading Reggie Bush straight up for James Jones next time. Edit: I didn't lose everything. It did save on EA's servers but I won't continue online.

[Rudy]

Another thing I find frustrating is that it doesn't appear I can change my playbook after I create my coach. I'd like to be able to move back to a 3-4 at some point but I don't see any option to change my coach settings. Did they remove this too? It's hard though since we really need to be able to edit positions or have multiple positions listed for a player. Cam Wake should be a 3-4 rush LB or a 4-3 RDE. I should be able to move him to either position without penalty.

[Rudy]

I can see why people think franchise is scripted. I don't think its truly scripted but the logic is so rigid that the same things always seem to happen. I restarted my franchise to go offline and did everything over again. When you use the same roster file the exact same things happen. Marcus Trufant is on the trading block in week one. Week 2 Delanie Walker and James Jones are among the usual suspects on the trade block. I have no idea why SF wants to move Walker since their offense utilizes two TEs so much but the cpu only thinks the first one is important and wants to peddle the second one for a 3rd or 4th round draft pick. Buffalo traded for him and after I sign Winslow the same 4 teams try trading for Fasano on my team. Oakland always offers picks in 2014 while Buffalo is probably the best offer with a 2013 4th rounder. I guess they want to run two TEs.

Auto-reorder for depth charts doesn't work well at all. I don't think it's the overall scheme either because it keeps wanting to put Cam Wake at LE and that's not where his strengths are. Anytime you trade or sign a guy they sit at the very bottom of your depth chart so just remember that when you go looking for them.

[jaymo76]

My first attempt at franchise (I refuse to call it CCM) in Madden was very bittersweet. I chose the online option and set up a one person league just so I could take advantage of the server side fixes for some of the franchise issues. This will come back to bite me in the ass later on.


SETUP

All of your settings must be keyed from scratch in a new franchise. It does not import your difficulty level, sliders, auto subs or any other options from your profile. Not a big deal but it would be nice to save time. I used EA’s Game Face to upload myself into their site and download me into the game as the new Dolphins coach Rudy Dolphin. The game face isn’t perfect but it’s not bad. My wife joked earlier that I looked too young. The game automatically fires Joe Philbin and it’s the top story for the news. There were 9 stories right away and one week I saw 12. The twitter feeds are interesting as well. Some guys take shots at moves while other trades are speculated about.

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg267/scaled.php?server=267&filename=philbinfired.jpg&res=landing

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg534/scaled.php?server=534&filename=rudydolphin.jpg&res=landing

MENUS

The menus in franchise are not very intuitive. You use the r-stick to cycle through the main options which isn’t a big deal but the far option in the top right corner is “More” and that’s where a lot of the key stuff is tucked away within 6 subcategories – like signing free agents, setting depth charts and checking out salaries. This should be broken out and made a little easier to find and navigate imo.


SALARY CAP

One of the historical problems with Madden’s franchise mode is the cap is usually too high making it easy to sign guys. This year is no different. This is because past bonuses are not reflected into your cap or future cap. When starting with Miami there was no dead money on the books for 2012 or 2013. We actually have quite a bit. Instead of being tight against the cap I had $14 million to spend (I believe). EA has also failed to update Vontae Davis properly – he’s on the Colts but Miami does not have the Colts 2013 2nd round pick while other future picks are correct. Anyways, I used that cap room to go sign Kellen Winslow and Plaxico Burress. I normally like to run a true-to-life franchise but Miami sucks in real life so I needed to spice up my offense. One thing that bothered me when I signed these guys was there was no negotiation at all. No multi-year offer, no signing bonus, no negotiating salary. Either you chose to sign them at the listed one year salary or you didn’t sign them at all. Furthermore, way too many free agents are over-rated. EA only seems to re-rate active players. There is a reason many of these guys are unemployed but quite a few guys are rated 80+. Need better backups at safety, LB and OL? No problem. Free agency is littered with guys better than your starters at many spots. I used this to make further upgrades to my depth.


PRACTICE

I set my team up, signed some free agents, changed the schemes at each position (pocket passer QB, balanced LT, etc) set my depth chart and got into the pre-season. I ended up doing three practices which occur before each game. You have to do this if you want to build XP for your coach and improve yourself. I wish you could just sim the practices and get some XP and I’m not a big fan of this new RPG element. I am not going to choose the practice options that last half a game or a full game. They just take place in a practice bubble and your opponents are 100% generic (QB, RB, WR, etc.) with no announcers or anything. It should at least be my first team offense against my first team defense. So why would I want to waste a lot of time on those scenarios when this is a pretty boring mode? Plus the game is set to GAMEFLOW after every play! (Edit, can't change this from play call screen but can go to settings and fix). I have to constantly choose full playbook when I pick my plays. You can’t even use Ask Madden. I only chose the 4th quarter scenarios so they didn’t take too long. I was one for three. Tannehill threw too many picks lol!


PRESEASON AND TRADE BLOCK

I simmed the first two preseason games. Apparently Odrick got hurt but Daniel Thomas and Tannehill did well and made the list of news stories. One thing I liked for every week of preseason, there are certain players on the trade block. While this is unrealistic it does make it fun and interesting and I like it. After signing Kellen Winslow teams were trying to trade for Anthony Fasano even though I wasn't trying to move him. Many of the offers were draft picks – some from 2014! He’s my only blocking TE so I declined the 4th rounders and other offers. I tried trading Reggie Bush to the Packers for a 3rd rounder but they declined. I also bid on a few players I liked that were on the trade block. Delanie Walker (TE, 49ers) was up on the block and I decided to offer my young benched 3rd rounder Michael Egnew along with next year’s 5th rounder for him. Beware, you only get one crack at the trade! I don’t mind this but the cpu takes the best offer and moves the guy. They declined my offer and Delanie went elsewhere. Where I don’t know because there is no transaction log in the game. The next week James Jones (WR, GB) came up on the trade block and I offered a young WR and a 4th round pick next year and GB took it! Now I’ve got Plax and James Jones as my starting WRs.

UGH - ONLINE SERVERS
Now I’m at the third preseason game, I’ve signed guys, set up everything I like, performed one of the cut days and then EA’s servers crap out. My franchise is toast. I never saved anything. I thought the mode auto-saved every time you advanced each week but apparently not. Never will I ever fall for EA’s online franchise mode again. I wanted to be able to get the quick fixes on server side updates but it’s just not worth it to lose the time you invest in this. It was fun but now I wasted almost 1.5 hours and have to do it all over again. Ugh. Maybe I'll try trading Reggie Bush straight up for James Jones next time. Edit: I didn't lose everything. It did save on EA's servers but I won't continue online.

CCM is a mode that has a ton of potential but this kind of stuff kills it. I still haven't caved and each day that passes I am less inclined to buy. I really think that CCM should have been released in Madden 14 and that the huge focus for 13 should have been physics.

[Rudy]

There are many bugs in franchise - like auto subs not working, XP not working in preseason if you sim, sliders not working on All-Madden, not being able to change your camera angle, etc. The gameflow settings for the cpu being off is bad too. Late game AI was supposedly fixed for the online franchise.

[jaymo76]

There are many bugs in franchise - like auto subs not working, XP not working in preseason if you sim, sliders not working on All-Madden, not being able to change your camera angle, etc. The gameflow settings for the cpu being off is bad too. Late game AI was supposedly fixed for the online franchise.

Now in theory all of those things should be easy to fix versus a patch. What is frustrating though is that it will probably be mid-late October before the game plays as it should. Madden 14 needs to be near perfection at the start.

[Rudy]

Yeah, it's normally 6-8 weeks for the first real post release patch. I'm hopeful we will get a lot of good fixes.

[sl8b]

I thought they updated the rosters to the 53 man for CCM? I restarted my Cardinals franchise, and when I get in I see that Howlings is 52 overall (74 ovr in play now) and then I have to cut guys. I started with 69 I believe, unless maybe I simmed through a cut day or two and the cpu dumped some of my team.

I'm not ready to take this back to blockbuster and say to hell with it, but damn, they have really screwed franchise mode this year. It's almost as if they wanted to see how annoying they could design it so no one would play, lol.

The gameplay is fun, but everything else is a chore. I wanted to play all day, and then when I started it up I kind of dreaded fishing through the menus and guessing if I'm using the correct roster and all of that just to play. Not good...

Edit: I forgot one question, under "League Type" it has Legen, yes or no. What in the hell does that mean? LOL, it's the ONLY part of that menu with no explanation! This game is such a train wreck for me right now it's almost funny.

[Rudy]

I thought they updated the rosters to the 53 man for CCM? I restarted my Cardinals franchise, and when I get in I see that Howlings is 52 overall (74 ovr in play now) and then I have to cut guys. I started with 69 I believe, unless maybe I simmed through a cut day or two and the cpu dumped some of my team.

I'm not ready to take this back to blockbuster and say to hell with it, but damn, they have really screwed franchise mode this year. It's almost as if they wanted to see how annoying they could design it so no one would play, lol.

The gameplay is fun, but everything else is a chore. I wanted to play all day, and then when I started it up I kind of dreaded fishing through the menus and guessing if I'm using the correct roster and all of that just to play. Not good...

Edit: I forgot one question, under "League Type" it has Legen, yes or no. What in the hell does that mean? LOL, it's the ONLY part of that menu with no explanation! This game is such a train wreck for me right now it's almost funny.

When you start your new franchise mode you have an option of using the original 75 man rosters so you can make your own cuts going into preseason or use an updated roster with updated ratings that is much smaller. You must have chosen the wrong ones.

Legend I believe allows people to bring legends in Superstar into your mode. Or it may allow people like Kurt Warner to unretire and come back into the game. Not exactly sure. I think I turned that option off for me but I can't remember right now.

The menus do suck. This was an area that needed improving from last year and they didn't. The More menu options for strategy, free agents and depth charts should be better laid out. Things are too hidden the way they set it up.

[Rudy]

To avoid having the Madden PS3 bug fail I have found quitting the game first and then shutting off the machine helps.

I'm 2-1 with the Dolphins after beating the Raiders 14-7 after Carson Palmer threw three picks. The Jets tried to run a lot against me but Shonne Green just isn't that good. Beat them 20-6.

I've had a few agents approach me for new deals - Jake Long, Randy Starks and Sean Smith. The first two I gave what they wanted and it only took the one week for them to agree. I thought I gave Sean Smith a good offer but he kept negotiating another week. A bad offer will halt all negotiations so it was cool he didn't settle right away.

You have only two options with the new salaries - how much base salary and how much signing bonus. The contracts are automatically designed to escalate. I wish we had the option to front load contracts but I can see why EA wants to keep it simple.

The twitter feeds and news stories are interesting for headlines. Scouting has been interesting. I like it so far. It doesn't take much time and you can spend points (usually 100 or less) to get a general idea for specific skills like speed. If you want a general overall that costs 2000 and you only have 2000 points per week. Generals give letter grades. Want more? That will cost you again. So it's been fun. I want to see how much info I'll have when I get to the draft. Some of the headlines highlight top draft picks as well as mid or late rounders.

The game would be so much better if it had a weekly wrap up show like 2K5. Madden 11 had the Extra Point which was a weaker version of that but rather than build on it last year they just took it out. I loved those fake highlights along with top stat performers for each game.

[WolverineJay]

The game would be so much better if it had a weekly wrap up show like 2K5. Madden 11 had the Extra Point which was a weaker version of that but rather than build on it last year they just took it out. I loved those fake highlights along with top stat performers for each game.

Yes, Madden 14 desperately needs to add some real immersion to the Franchise mode. It is easy to see what Madden needs for the feel of a living breathing league just look at NCAA 13 and NFL 2K5. The in game score ticker across the bottom of the screen during Franchise mode and the in-game studio updates would be a huge upgrade in Madden 14 and bring back the Exta Point. Except have the Extra Point show scores and a couple highlights from all the games of the week, major injuries, and league news (transactions, contracts, and nfl draft prospects).

If the CCM Madden team can add those 3 things to Madden 14 they will finally get what the fans have been asking for this entire generation of consoles.

[Rudy]

Beat the Cardinals 17-10. Plax made a couple nice plays in the game (I signed him and K2 - can't take dealing with a bad offense).

One handed grab: http://t.co/G7xQlHwH

TD complete with juke and stiff arm: http://t.co/Dm0jeU5m

Cpu's Arian Foster ran over me for a nice TD earlier: http://www.easports.com/media/play/video/136011877

[I OU a Beatn]

I have to laugh every time I get into a game and have the Rams selected. My opponent is usually on someone like the Dolphins or someone, and as soon as I hit ready, they'll quickly switch to the 49ers, Eagles, or someone high rated and then quickly ready up so I can't switch even though I have no intention of switching teams. Cracks me up every time. :D

[ram29jackson]

I have to laugh every time I get into a game and have the Rams selected. My opponent is usually on someone like the Dolphins or someone, and as soon as I hit ready, they'll quickly switch to the 49ers, Eagles, or someone high rated and then quickly ready up so I can't switch even though I have no intention of switching teams. Cracks me up every time. :D

and then you get a game and it may well be some kid..allthey ever do is try to throw 40 yards every play. I pick knickle-cover 3 ..like 70 % or more even :D of the time and works the majority of the time

[I OU a Beatn]

Yeah, that'll generally work until you get to the higher levels, which is when you'll run into the guys who run 3 or 4 plays all game with routes that beat man and zone coverage in all the plays. Don't let me forget the ones who use motion to mess with the AI man assignments which will generally lead to a wide open touchdown if you're not paying attention.

I've played 3 games today with the new roster update and the Rams are SO much more manageable now. Amendola's boost was just enough to make them a threat in the passing game, and Jenkins' boost last week made them a very viable defensive team.

[gigemaggs99]

To avoid having the Madden PS3 bug fail I have found quitting the game first and then shutting off the machine helps.



Do you have any other tips? I tried going to the PS3 menu and selecting "quit game" it makes my PS3 beep and gives me the same error that the machine was not shut down properly and then does a system restore.

I also have tried going to the PS3 menu and selecting "shut down machine" it does the same beep and error message. Then the next time I turn the PS3 on it tells me it needs to do a restore. Again this is ONLY with Madden 13.

[I OU a Beatn]

I don't know if it's a fluke but if you bring up the XMB menu, and then scroll clear to the left over to users, then press Triangle over the profile you're currently signed into and the select sign out, it'll say "You have to quit the game to do this" or something like that...just hit yes and it should quit right to the menu with no errors. It's worked for me several times so far.

[Rudy]

Donny Moore isn't doing that great a job on the roster downloads. Granted I wouldn't be any better but it's too big a job for one guy. That's why you need editing. I tweeted him two weeks ago that Miami's Lamar Miller had switched jerseys and had the wrong number in the last download. Told him Miami's converted LT was no longer a TE and now weighed over 300 pounds instead of 268. Think those got fixed? Nope. The number issue on guys and duplicate numbers that happen need to allow editing in franchise mode. Also, Miami's rookie FB Javorskie Lane has been killing it so much the Dolphins now use the I-formation as their best running formation but he's still just a 64. Pouncey at C has been outstanding in year two and needs more love. On the other end of it some of Miami's backup LBs are over-rated. Lots of ratings are off a bit as they don't move enough unless you are a star player. I miss using custom rosters and editing things.

[ram29jackson]

his first name is Javorskie ? :cool:

[Rudy]

Aggie that walked on to the roster. Played HB in college at 280 but slimmed down and moved to FB. Really a nice surprise.

[jaymo76]

Donny Moore isn't doing that great a job on the roster downloads. Granted I wouldn't be any better but it's too big a job for one guy. That's why you need editing. I tweeted him two weeks ago that Miami's Lamar Miller had switched jerseys and had the wrong number in the last download. Told him Miami's converted LT was no longer a TE and now weighed over 300 pounds instead of 268. Think those got fixed? Nope. The number issue on guys and duplicate numbers that happen need to allow editing in franchise mode. Also, Miami's rookie FB Javorskie Lane has been killing it so much the Dolphins now use the I-formation as their best running formation but he's still just a 64. Pouncey at C has been outstanding in year two and needs more love. On the other end of it some of Miami's backup LBs are over-rated. Lots of ratings are off a bit as they don't move enough unless you are a star player. I miss using custom rosters and editing things.

Yup, without editing Donnie Moore will be seriously overworked. There are just too many changes for one person to make.

[jaymo76]

At this point even if Madden patches in editing on October/November, I think I will pass. I have been playing FIFA 13 on season pass and it's one heck of a complete game. This make the game after release date via patch in EA's football titles has become a tiresome routine. Props though to all you guys who have stuck it out thus far!

[Rudy]

One thing that is glaring to me now after playing a bunch is that the cpu is rarely in press coverage. They usually play pretty soft making it tough to get a WR behind a guy. You can still do it but the NFL presses quite a bit more than what you see in Madden imo.

[Rudy]

Does anyone know how to change the importance of a player's position in the schemes? Importance is listed there but I don't know how to change it. TE2 needs to be listed under scheme. Makes no sense not to have it as more teams use the 2nd TE than the starting FB.

When scouting I should be able to look at ALL players - not just scouted and unscouted. It would be a nice little improvement to fix.

[Rudy]

M13 is only $40 on Amazon today for those interested.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006VB2UNM/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B006VB2UNM&linkCode=as2&tag=stickskcom-20

[I OU a Beatn]

Man, my poor Rams receivers are just getting the living hell jammed out of them since I've started playing on PS3. It's weird, because I don't think I ever got jammed like that when I was on 360. I've had to resort to running bunched sets on the left side of the LOS so that I can't be jammed just so I can get off the line of scrimmage. :D

[Escobar]

Aggie that walked on to the roster. Played HB in college at 280 but slimmed down and moved to FB. Really a nice surprise.

He actually moved to FB when Mike Sherman became the coach at A&M. Now he's at the Dolphins running the same offense with the same QB and FB + Reggie Bush instead of Mike Goodson.

[skipwondah33]

Man, my poor Rams receivers are just getting the living hell jammed out of them since I've started playing on PS3. It's weird, because I don't think I ever got jammed like that when I was on 360. I've had to resort to running bunched sets on the left side of the LOS so that I can't be jammed just so I can get off the line of scrimmage. :DWe should play a game since you got it for PS3 man.

[JBHuskers]

Replacement refs for the ranked online matches....oh the fun we could have!

[Rudy]

I'm 6-2 with Miami right now. Probably a little too high but not when you look at the Dolphins easy schedule this first half. My kicker is 16/16 since you really can't miss on All-Pro. The directional arrow is all you need. The r-stick does nothing. The cpu playcalling leaves a lot to be desired at times too. In close games you will always have the edge.

I'm having fun with my season. I've rarely hit the deep pass in this game though. My roster isn't built much for that but I do think the cpu should press and gamble a little more in coverage. Both of my RBs are averaging a tad over 5 ypc while I have 7 passing TDs vs 12 or 13 INTs. I've never been a good passer and Tannehill isn't always very accurate. I think both myself and the cpu could benefit from softening up the coverage a little but the coverage slider doesn't work.

The LE sack problem is alive and well. I have 20 sacks as a team through 8 games which is pretty good and maybe a little high for this team. But Wake has 4 sacks and all other players outside of LE Odrick have 2 or less. Odrick has 12 sacks! Currently he's rated by PFF as the 9th worst pass rushing 4-3 DE in the NFL! Not good obviously. Also the DL play is pretty bad. The r-stick controls suck. The best way to get pressure if playing as a DE is to not use the r-stick controls at all. It's best to simply rush into the OT, make contact, then speed burst to the outside and try to hit the QB. There is no such thing as wasting time with inside moves or counter moves. This area is poorly done imo. I wish EA would map specific moves to the controller with a trigger modifier or something. Pushing down on the r-stick with anyone results in you falling on your face way too much.

[illwill10]

IMO, there should be more Scouting XP per week in CCM, at least double. It really makes the margin for error EXTREMELY small when choosing which players to scout.

Overall, I am so-so about this game. I like the changes to gameplay, commentary is better than last, I like playing as a player. But, atmosphere/presentation could be better, lack of editing, XP distribution(dont want it easy, but more XP is needed), scripted CCM, CPU Play Calling, OL/DL interaction, CPU AI(needs overhaul) is what is holding the game back. Once 2k13 comes out, I dont see me playing this game that much more than a change of pace/something different. The lack of assisted tackle stats is annoying.

This game isnt bad, though. This game laid down a good foundation at all aspects of the game. For gameplay, CPU AI/Playcalling, OL/DL Interaction, Overhaul Running Animations/Ball Carrier logic needs improvement. For CCM, Less scripted, Editing, Better recognition of roster(not trading with good depth unless for need).

[illwill10]

IMO, there should be more Scouting XP per week in CCM, at least double. It really makes the margin for error EXTREMELY small when choosing which players to scout.

Overall, I am so-so about this game. I like the changes to gameplay, commentary is better than last, I like playing as a player. But, atmosphere/presentation could be better, lack of editing, XP distribution(dont want it easy, but more XP is needed), scripted CCM, CPU Play Calling, OL/DL interaction, CPU AI(needs overhaul) is what is holding the game back. Once 2k13 comes out, I dont see me playing this game that much more than a change of pace/something different. The lack of assisted tackle stats is annoying.

This game isnt bad, though. This game laid down a good foundation at all aspects of the game. For gameplay, CPU AI/Playcalling, OL/DL Interaction, Overhaul Running Animations/Ball Carrier logic needs improvement. For CCM, Less scripted, Editing, Better recognition of roster(not trading with good depth unless for need).

[Rudy]

I haven't decided if the scouting points is good enough or not. You can scout a lot of players in a very general way with 2000 points a week - at least certain categories. For WR I just scout speed, catching, route running and maybe one or two more things. That only costs about 200 points or so but it only gets you letter grades which aren't so hot. If you want the real speed that's another 500 as an example.

I'm in week 10 and I've got a lot of generic letter grades on the three most important categories by position. I'd like more and still have more time to get them. If you want overalls that costs a lot. Until I get to the draft I won't know how I really feel about this area.

I do think part of the issue is the scouting point system is tied to your coaches XP for long term franchise. The game lets you buy a scouting pack upgrade where you get double the scouting points. I think that costs around 23,000 XP for your coach. I'm at about 16,000. It pays to do the practices and I've failed quite a bit on the one where I start down 6 points in the 4th quarter. I should stick to the easier and quick ones. I think the scouting points are set up based on the idea that you will buy that package fairly quickly. Then with double the points you will have a LOT more info at your fingertips. Same goes for XP. For about 30,000 XP (maybe less, can't remember) you can buy a double the XP package as a coach. This will give your players twice the XP although I have allowed the cpu to progress all my players. That part seems too tedious to me. I have no idea if this part is working well or not.

For me the thing I want to see most in the future football games for EA is smarter cpu AI and I really want to see a true physics engine where players move realistically. You just watch someone playing NBA 2K or The Show and it looks real. The players don't look natural at all in Madden imo. The game needs a ton of work on the animations imo. There aren't nearly enough of them.

[Rudy]

I was looking at some ratings from pro football focus for certain positions in 2011. I like the numbers I read from that site although I'm not always convinced they are perfect. Anyways, they were highlighting the best and worst tacklers at CB for 2011. So I looked up their tackle numbers in Madden. It's very clear that Donny Moore is using opinion to rate a lot of players. Charles Woodson missed 15 tackles last year and ranked 88/101 and yet had a 66 tackle rating. The average tackle rating of a CB in Madden was 55.5. Kevin Barnes of Washington was rated the worst one to qualify and yet had a tackle rating of 65. Champ Bailey makes the bottom 20 and yet is a 66 too. The Dolphins big CB in Sean Smith is a 62 despite missing 11 tackles. He's probably got a high tackle rating due to his size but Dolphins followers know he's allergic to run support and tackling.

Conversely good tacklers are getting bad ratings. The #3 CB was Brice McCain on Houston who only missed one tackle (in a more limited 26 attempts). Yet his tackle rating was 49. DJ Moore of the Bears ranked #6 but has a 43 rating. There are other examples of bad stuff and of course players that look good. But the ratings feel too arbitrary.

This may not be a huge deal as most fans probably don't know or care about a lot of this. But some of the stuff like Drew Brees being one of the most accurate passers on 20+ attempts the last three years and then being given a poor rating for deep balls in Madden doesn't make sense. No question Donny Moore would do a better job at rating guys than 99.9% of the people out there but that job is too big for one person. They need to find a way to blend in the ratings with some of these metric sites to help out and add realism. One person cannot do that job.

[Rudy]

A couple features I would really like to see brought over from NCAA to Madden would be the no-huddle offense and a formation sub menu. Those would be really nice. The current formation subs have to be done while you pick a play which gives you no time and the controls are bad. You can't really run a no-huddle either since the audible plays are so limiting. I like the way NCAA lets you access your whole playbook but I think it should be limited to the formations suited to the current personel group. I hate seeing someone run 4 WR and then be able to no huddle to an I-formation.

My passing skills are weak but I still think there isn't enough press coverage by the cpu. They normally play off and soft and it's hard for your WRs to get behind someone. Again, my skills are weak and my team isn't exactly built for that either but it just seems to be overly rare.

[I OU a Beatn]

Best defense in the game:

Dime 3-2-6 Cover 2 Man. Hot route the blitzing LB to a spy. Hot route the defensive end on the far side of the field to a purple zone. Hot route the defensive end on the short side of the field to a flat zone. Control the LB you set to spy and patrol the middle. Do NOT bump.

It blows my mind how much trouble people have with this. If I see a spread formation or a for certain passing down, I go to it every time. Of course if you have someone who likes to scramble, you have to sacrifice one of your DEs and make him a spy, but it doesn't really affect much coverage wise. I can't count how many picks I've gotten with the DEs so far.

[jaymo76]

Due to my new developing relationship with FIFA 13 I pretty much stopped waiting for Madden news. With nothing yet on the next patch and no mention of editing I have tuned out. However, over at OS I was surfing around and found that Emmdotfrisk basically admitted that the sliders (online and off) are borked. This makes a lot of sense because I found back with season ticket that major slider adjustments did almost nothing during CCM. I wonder how much longer the Madden team will focus on 13 before they begin to go 100% on Madden 14?

[Rudy]

I'm getting tired of waiting on the patch too Jaymo. Been a frustrating year for Madden. Way too many things that aren't working right with the game.

[SmoothPancakes]

Due to my new developing relationship with FIFA 13 I pretty much stopped waiting for Madden news. With nothing yet on the next patch and no mention of editing I have tuned out. However, over at OS I was surfing around and found that Emmdotfrisk basically admitted that the sliders (online and off) are borked. This makes a lot of sense because I found back with season ticket that major slider adjustments did almost nothing during CCM. I wonder how much longer the Madden team will focus on 13 before they begin to go 100% on Madden 14?

Yeah, I couldn't care less about Madden (or care about ever buying Madden 13) anymore. :D Even though I only played a single match of FIFA 13 so far, it was a fun as hell match. Both FIFA and NCAA Football are going to be fighting for my time and my 360 tray.

[jaymo76]

I'm getting tired of waiting on the patch too Jaymo. Been a frustrating year for Madden. Way too many things that aren't working right with the game.

Well to your credit Rudy, you have stuck with Madden based on the potential the game has. I think if the Madden crew can figure out how to fix the mess that is CCM/franchise, MADDEN 14 has the chance to be an excellent offering. However, I will be holding Madden to a much higher standard next year and frankly the game will need to be damn near perfect out of the box to warrant a purchase.

I have to say though that the Madden gameplay for play now is very good. I played NCAA 13 alst night for the first time since August and it is sub par to Maddens play now gameplay IMO.

[jaymo76]

Yeah, I couldn't care less about Madden (or care about ever buying Madden 13) anymore. :D Even though I only played a single match of FIFA 13 so far, it was a fun as hell match. Both FIFA and NCAA Football are going to be fighting for my time and my 360 tray.

I know they have had some busts over the years, but EA Canada (the original home of EA) has also had many excellent sports titles over the years. NHL series, FIFA series, NCAA BASKETBALL 10, etc. have all been excellent. I wonder what they could do if they got a crack at NCAA (or Madden?)?

[Rudy]

Well to your credit Rudy, you have stuck with Madden based on the potential the game has. I think if the Madden crew can figure out how to fix the mess that is CCM/franchise, MADDEN 14 has the chance to be an excellent offering. However, I will be holding Madden to a much higher standard next year and frankly the game will need to be damn near perfect out of the box to warrant a purchase.

I have to say though that the Madden gameplay for play now is very good. I played NCAA 13 alst night for the first time since August and it is sub par to Maddens play now gameplay IMO.

There are some things I will never be happy about with EA Football this gen - namely player movement and cpu AI. But this game has the potential to the best football game this gen (for me) if they just brought the personality back in the game. Team sounds, team play calling tendencies, individual celebrations - these all seem to have been nerfed right now. EA did say they are working on fixing them. Apparently patch #1 hurt the team sounds even more. And the sliders need to work much better - franchise and Play Now. The pass reaction slider doesn't even do anything. That's inexcusable. That's why I still maintain that EA needs to bring in a slider expert at the community day events and just test them out. I can't believe we have to ask for them to work right.

[skipwondah33]

I'm still enjoying the game and stand by it being the best version in the series. User picks are quite easy but that was easy to me anyway.

The only thing I could ask for a patch for is to remove the Commit options.

..sorry for the guys that play CPU in CCM-superstar-online-franchise mode.

[I OU a Beatn]

Yeah, if you only care about game play(and I do) then this is by far the best Madden this generation. Usually after the first week of NCAA/Madden, I'm just tired of the garbage and I'm usually done after a month. I'm still going strong. There's overpowered things, yes, but for once it's balanced. The offense can be a pain in the ass to stop, but it's doable. We're over a month into the launch and I still love it - that's the first time I've said that since the PS2 days.

I will agree about the defensive assist shit. I hate it, but I tend to avoid giving my opponent a chance. I dink and dunk until they bring a safety up and press, and then I go deep. It's kind of hard to abuse that feature when you're nowhere close to the ball.

[skipwondah33]

Yeah, if you only care about game play(and I do) then this is by far the best Madden this generation. Usually after the first week of NCAA/Madden, I'm just tired of the garbage and I'm usually done after a month. I'm still going strong. There's overpowered things, yes, but for once it's balanced. The offense can be a pain in the ass to stop, but it's doable. We're over a month into the launch and I still love it - that's the first time I've said that since the PS2 days.

I will agree about the defensive assist shit. I hate it, but I tend to avoid giving my opponent a chance. I dink and dunk until they bring a safety up and press, and then I go deep. It's kind of hard to abuse that feature when you're nowhere close to the ball.This. In the 100 or so games I've played thus far I know I have as many user picks as I've had in the combined 2-3 versions of the game lol. So I make sure my throws are no where near a defender...especially if I am playing someone who has stick skill.

I love when people get ballsy and throw to what appears to be an open man when I have a defender in the vicinity, only to come in for the pick. This feature only made people with stick skills become even dangerous.

[Rudy]

Someone just reminded me of this on Twitter - I saw no pink during October in Madden this year. What happened? Some guys have said they saw it sporadically. So much personality sucked out of franchise mode this year. Between that little touch, the lack of individual celebrations working, lack of team sounds, lack of authentic team tendencies when playing the cpu, I think I'm going to shelve Madden until the patch. I haven't played it in almost a week and am losing interest. I may replay Uncharted 1 for the 3rd or 4th time. I'm starting to think more about picking up NBA 2K13 when the NBA season starts and I may dump Madden altogether if the patch disappoints.

Edit - EA screwed up the pink stuff this year. It's all done in REAL time. If you play a game starting today and until October 31 you will get the pink accessories no matter what. Doesn't matter if your franchise is in pre-season, October or the Superbowl you will have pink stuff. In my franchise pink should display when I play my game on a game scheduled for October in the virtual world, not real world. Madden 12 had this right, why did they screw this up?

[Rudy]

Had a little time this morning and did some Madden moments. EA can't even get the little things right here.

They have 5 2011 moments. Played with Detroit against Dallas and there was a 13 mph wind in the game. Maybe I'm wrong but I doubt there is any significant wind in the Cowboys dome. Played with Denver against Pitt in the playoffs last year. They have Tebow on Denver but it also appears they have the current Denver playbook with no option plays for Tebow. How is that an authentic moment?

The cpu playcalling just sucks. So tired of 1st and 2nd down running by their offense. And the cpu defense is also predictable in their play calling. They will call blitzes here and there but almost all of their coverages are soft. They almost always have two safeties back to take away the deep play and I don't want to throw crossing routes all day to beat them. It gets old.

[Rudy]

The blocking AI took a step back in some ways in Madden. It was never perfect but toss plays are negative plays in Madden. While I don't call them anymore the cpu still does and they are drive killers.

Other poor blocking comes on singleback plays, especially with 3 WRs. When the cpu runs a strong side play over the guard they don't even try to block the weakside backer. You can just shoot right through a gaping hole if you recognize it. I usually play as a LB and while I do think you should be able to do this once in awhile I don't think the cpu should ignore me on a run between the tackles.

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/rudyjuly2/singlebackshootgap.jpg

Other blocking that isn't done well is double team blocking. It's probably because of the Infinity Engine but guys fall down too much. I had a single back play to the right and it was 4 blockers against 4 to the strong side. I thought the defense was out of position and was expecting a good run pre-snap. Instead I find two guys staring me in the face near the line of scrimmage. I checked the replay and my 4 OL all executed double team blocks. But instead of the extra OL chipping and scraping to a second level block, all 4 of my OL fall to the ground along with the 2 DL they double team. 6 guys are lying on the ground and that leaves 2 unblocked LBs to take on my RB. It was just odd and something you shouldn't really see.

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/rudyjuly2/doubleteam1.jpg

http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m195/rudyjuly2/doubleteam2.jpg

[Rudy]

I think I might make the move back down to Very Slow. I don't like how they slowed this down from the demo. It feels a bit too slow to me but there is a pretty big difference between Slow and Very Slow. Even on Slow the game feels jittery and doesn't feel smooth. On Very Slow the game looks and feels better but I miss the speed and burst that a fast RB has. I'm kind of torn between those two settings - super smooth on Very Slow but feeling too sluggish in the open field.

I would like to see the better players stand out a bit more in the game as well. NHL has a talent slider where you can exagerate the difference between the good and bad players. It's like the speed threshold but for overall abilities. I'd love to see this in an EA football game.

[Rudy]

I'm thinking I should have left the patch discussion in this thread. Anyway a mod could merge the patch thread into this one? Or should we just leave it alone?
http://www.thegamingtailgate.com/forums/showthread.php?6020-Madden-13-Big-Patch-is-out

[ram29jackson]

those Panthers option plays are such bullpucky...EA has always had some form of bull logic in the game like this.

No matter what defense I call or how i position the players/hot route..the defense gets sucked into the middle and Cam can just take off when used by another human

[Rudy]

Anyone know how the generic grades for a prospect translate to overalls? What is a B? I have never seen an A yet.

[ram29jackson]

its about time that in online head to head games you should be able to see the formation the opponent is coming out in at the play call screen and not just how many skill position players.

its lame to be surprised by that

[SmoothPancakes]

Interesting. After getting 13 through Xbox Live with their Super Bowl weekend thing, I created a QB on Denver. Was sitting behind Peyton on the depth chart. Never played a single down other than PATs and field goals the entire first season. It didn't matter that there were games were winning by as much as 42-10 in the fourth quarter, and games where we were losing 38-3 in the fourth quarter, I never played a single snap at QB.

Fast forward to the next season, and Peyton is nowhere to be seen. Checked, he wasn't sitting as a free agent and wasn't traded to another team, so he must have retired. But I never saw one story about him. I saw stories about Champ Bailey and Keith Brooking retiring, but not Peyton Manning. They really need to start adding crap back in next year. Playing as a player, unless it shows up as a headline/story on the News tab, I have no damn clue who is getting cut in the preseason, who is being signed from free agency, who is getting traded away, who is retiring, etc. Talk about being in the fucking dark.

[Rudy]

its about time that in online head to head games you should be able to see the formation the opponent is coming out in at the play call screen and not just how many skill position players.

its lame to be surprised by that

I disagree. You should only know the personnel package not the formation. Why would you expect to know the exact formation? An NFL team doesn't know if the QB will be under centre or in shotgun while they are in the huddle. They don't know if the FB will be in a pro set or strong I formation. It's very unreasonable to expect to know the exact formation. That's why a defence sometimes calls timeout when they get confused by a look they didn't expect.

And Smooth, I agree about the need for a transaction log. I've had guys retire and didnt know it until I checked my depth chart. Definitely something that is needed.

[jaymo76]

Interesting. After getting 13 through Xbox Live with their Super Bowl weekend thing, I created a QB on Denver. Was sitting behind Peyton on the depth chart. Never played a single down other than PATs and field goals the entire first season. It didn't matter that there were games were winning by as much as 42-10 in the fourth quarter, and games where we were losing 38-3 in the fourth quarter, I never played a single snap at QB.

Fast forward to the next season, and Peyton is nowhere to be seen. Checked, he wasn't sitting as a free agent and wasn't traded to another team, so he must have retired. But I never saw one story about him. I saw stories about Champ Bailey and Keith Brooking retiring, but not Peyton Manning. They really need to start adding crap back in next year. Playing as a player, unless it shows up as a headline/story on the News tab, I have no damn clue who is getting cut in the preseason, who is being signed from free agency, who is getting traded away, who is retiring, etc. Talk about being in the fucking dark.

You know what is even worse? When your own players go to free agency and you don't know about it until you see them in the free agency negotiations. :fp:

[Rudy]

You know what is even worse? When your own players go to free agency and you don't know about it until you see them in the free agency negotiations. :fp:

That shouldn't happen Jaymo. You should see a final re-negotiation screen with all your free agents at the end of the year which will include the contracts you either dismissed or the player cut you off during the in-season period. At that point you can use the franchise tag on any player you want, sign a guy or just advance to free agency.

[jaymo76]

That shouldn't happen Jaymo. You should see a final re-negotiation screen with all your free agents at the end of the year which will include the contracts you either dismissed or the player cut you off during the in-season period. At that point you can use the franchise tag on any player you want, sign a guy or just advance to free agency.

Weird? In the past two seasons at the end some of my fa, I cannot talk to duirng the season and then they are automatically put into the FA pool.

[Rudy]

Maybe I wasn't paying attention close enough but I never noticed that.