Madden 20 Impressions

[jaymo76]

With the purchase of EA ACCESS, Madden 20 10 hour trial is now live.


I've only played the PRO BOWL and I struggled. The controls/triggers etc have changed a little so there is that to get used to. I do appreciate finally seeing the pro bowl after all these years. I didn't feel a huge difference in the game from 19 but I only played one game. Typical EA Tiburon though... at the end of the game they show me a picture of PITTSBURGH and DALLAS helmet shots. That's the immersion that I know and love with Tiburon. :fp:

[jaymo76]

I'm going to try out face of the franchise next. Sadly the new face editor looks good but it's NOT available in regular franchise mode... :smh::fp::down:

[Rudy]

I’ve read there is some bad AI late game decision making. Like not kicking a FG as time expires. Keep your eye on that. Some have complained that the cpu running game on all pro is still weak as well.

[jaymo76]

I’ve read there is some bad AI late game decision making. Like not kicking a FG as time expires. Keep your eye on that. Some have complained that the cpu running game on all pro is still weak as well.

Yup... that's how I won the NC. The cpu didn't kick a field goal and had 1 timeout and 6 seconds left. They were at my 5 yard line.

[jaymo76]

So let me just say that playing Face of the Franchise... seeing those college football teams in the field was beautiful but also made me want to cry. Man how I miss EA NCAA College Football.

[jaymo76]

Overall, face of the franchise is actually a lot of fun thus far.

My story....

Number: 12
School: Miami Hurricanes
Trait: Team Player

College Football Semi Final:

Miami 17
Texas Tech 14

* we wont on a LAST SECOND FIELD GOAL.
* I threw for 2 td's

College Football Championship

Miami 10
Oklahoma 7



Combine results: I went 18/24 in passing and raised my draft stock

NFL DRAFT: Selected in the late first round by the Miami Dolphins


Overall likes:
* college football!
* pretty interesting story
* great visuals
* improved passing game
* no sign of leaping linebackers

Overall yikes:
* cpu late game AI is bad
* still too many dropped balls after hits
*cpu AI Passing is lights out good
* not much of a AI run game
* same repetitive plays in suggested paly calls
* cannot change college uniforms or track stats

Weird....

In the college football playoff you play every snap on both sides of the ball and you control all characters. After being drafted you only control the QB. That just seems strange.


Overall I will finish the pre season with my EA access and see what happens. No changes in franchise so i'm not sure if I will even try out the mode.

[jaymo76]

I finished the preseason with some good to mediocre play. I was on fire versus Tampa Bay but all other games were average. After preseason game 3 versus the Jags the coach said I may not be ready to start. Then he names me the starter for the season the following week. Looking at Ryan Fitzpatrick's play and numbers in the preseasons this makes no sense. Honestly I should not be starting the season but I guess the mode tries to push you to start ASAP.

[jaymo76]

I will say that passing seems vastly improved in the sense that the crazy leaping linebackers are gone. That's huge for me. I'm not a great passer but it seems to me that zone is very, very loose and man-to-man is possibly a little overpowered.

[jaymo76]

I've been in the zone twice for x factor. Honestly I don't see the results at all. Same with the cpu, when they are in the zone I haven't really seen anything different.

[Rudy]

Too bad there are some AI issues. CPU RB AI is bad (par for the course) from what I read.

I’m gonna have to check out EA Access at some point and see for myself. The leaping LB fix is music to my ears. May wait until the day 1 patch and then get my month. May also try to time it so I can play Live 20 in the same month for $5 lol. Although I expect nothing from that and it may not even release.

[jaymo76]

Too bad there are some AI issues. CPU RB AI is bad (par for the course) from what I read.

I’m gonna have to check out EA Access at some point and see for myself. The leaping LB fix is music to my ears. May wait until the day 1 patch and then get my month. May also try to time it so I can play Live 20 in the same month for $5 lol. Although I expect nothing from that and it may not even release.

Just being able to play two college football games was worth the price of EA ACCESS for me. I miss that game!

[jaymo76]

There is a part of me interested in purchasing the full game as I am enjoying the Face of the Franchise. That said, BIG HITS MUST BE TUNED WAY DOWN!!!!! In the last two games I have had 6 fumbles as my cpu teammates fumble after being rocked by the linebacker or safety. Kenyan Drake now has four fumbles in five games. It's just way too overdone.

[Rudy]

I don’t think people realize how few times a RB in the NFL fumbles. It’s like 3-5 times a year. I’ve always boosted ball security in the sliders in the past.

[jaymo76]

I don’t think people realize how few times a RB in the NFL fumbles. It’s like 3-5 times a year. I’ve always boosted ball security in the sliders in the past.

The problem is the big hitter X factor that a lot of linebackers and safeties have. It seems like every hit is a hit stick big hit. It's really frustrating.

[jaymo76]

I don’t think people realize how few times a RB in the NFL fumbles. It’s like 3-5 times a year. I’ve always boosted ball security in the sliders in the past.

By the way Rudy, hate to tell you this but in Madden... the Dolphins are just plain bad!

[Rudy]

By the way Rudy, hate to tell you this but in Madden... the Dolphins are just plain bad!

They are horrible in real life! It’s one reason I haven’t even followed Madden as much cause they suck!

The fanboys still believe but they are delusional. They have a great off season in terms of acquiring future picks and getting their future cap space under control. But they will pay for it badly this year as they Tank for Tua. Their OL is the worst in the NFL as is their DE. Probably have one of the worst QBs too. They have a few nice WRs and RBs to go with a few good defensive players but this is a team that is bad. Anything above 4 wins would be a major victory and 2-3 wins is more realistic.

[jaymo76]

DROPS, DROPS, DROPS... in face of the franchise this continues to be an issue. Any contact and your receiver drops the ball. In my loss to Buffalo my receivers had 6 drops as compared to Buffalos two. The Bills also have 9 pass deflections as compared to my three. All of those stats are just borked beyond belief and no way authentic to real NFL.

[jaymo76]

They are horrible in real life! It’s one reason I haven’t even followed Madden as much cause they suck!

The fanboys still believe but they are delusional. They have a great off season in terms of acquiring future picks and getting their future cap space under control. But they will pay for it badly this year as they Tank for Tua. Their OL is the worst in the NFL as is their DE. Probably have one of the worst QBs too. They have a few nice WRs and RBs to go with a few good defensive players but this is a team that is bad. Anything above 4 wins would be a major victory and 2-3 wins is more realistic.

I'm now 2-5 with a shocking win over Pittsburgh on Monday night. I was sacked 8 times in that game. At this point in the season I have been sacked close to 25 times! It's my right guard and right tackle that are getting torn apart.

[jaymo76]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaTfsGUkqPc

Skip the first 1:40 of this video but after the silly intro tell me what you think. I'm a long time madden player and I can say this guy is 100% correct in his assertions. I think he nailed it personally.

[Rudy]

That guy was pretty spot on lol. I’m still waiting for a user camera like Madden 05 had. All I hear are excuses as to why certain things can’t be done. But they are lies. They just prioritize MUT over everything else.

[jaymo76]

So there are definitely lots of issues with Madden 20 and FRANCHISE remains the least interesting most bare bones career mode in all sports games today. That said, the passing trajectories make the game a lot more fun and the removal of leaping linebackers is a pretty big game changer for me.

[Escobar]

Once again I will say that franchise is not the same as years before. On the surface it may seem like that, but as someone who has simmed/played multiple seasons/CFMs on 19 franchise is different. The change to progression, the ratings scale, and the scenario engine make it more dynamic and change how you must build your team. Players will complain if they don't get the ball and old players have the possibility to mentor young ones though the scenario engine. Also the fixed salaries make a huge difference. Now you have to decide between signing that one big name free agent or signing multiple players to build depth. You can't really do the cap cheats everyone was doing or you will end up in salary cap hell 1-2 years in.

[jaymo76]

Once again I will say that franchise is not the same as years before. On the surface it may seem like that, but as someone who has simmed/played multiple seasons/CFMs on 19 franchise is different. The change to progression, the ratings scale, and the scenario engine make it more dynamic and change how you must build your team. Players will complain if they don't get the ball and old players have the possibility to mentor young ones though the scenario engine. Also the fixed salaries make a huge difference. Now you have to decide between signing that one big name free agent or signing multiple players to build depth. You can't really do the cap cheats everyone was doing or you will end up in salary cap hell 1-2 years in.

The scenario engine started out interesting but it's definitely underwhelming thus far tbh. Now to be fair I have only seen 12 weeks of it but weeks 1-8 I had several... haven't seen any in the past four weeks.

The most common I have seen in my time with the game are:
* mentorship. ~ agree to let a player be mentored and there is a ratings boost for the mentee
* opposing QB calling out your effort~ either your praise, dispute or disrespect (I saw this from Luck, Brady and …. Josh Allen???)
* team meeting ~ call a team meeting and take the blame or blame others
* guaranteed win~ win or lose and gain or lose morale

I hope this area gets a number of additions in the next patch. The mode has potential but right now it's still very limited. I praise Tiburon for putting it in. I hope they don't do what they are known for... add the feature and then leave it untouched for years upon years. I'm glad to see 5th year contracts will be added at some point. The fact that the cpu doesn't have scenarios makes your team gain xp a lot quicker than the cpu opposition. That needs to be dealt with. Also I don't believe scenarios are mentioned at all during in game presentation, or at least I have not seen/heard if they are.

I will take your word on the salary cap situation as I haven't played with it yet but I know that has been an issue in the past. I hope next year that contract negotiation takes on more of an rpg feel.


I do enjoy the gameplay this year. I can only image if franchise got the BIG stuff people want...

1. weekly wrap up show (still ZERO immersion in this game)
2. fully fleshed out contracts and contract negotiations
3. immersive draft and scouting
4. coaching carousel
5. OC and DC (coordinators are desperately needed)

Add this stuff and I may never leave the couch. :)
6. contract holdouts, etc.

[jaymo76]

A few things I don't like... again it's the lack of polish that plague PS3/PS4 Maddens...


1. Pro Bowl
* teams are referred to as the coaches team (eg rather than AFC the announcers will call them the Steelers... immersion killer!)
*starters play the entire game. This logic needs to be reworked the same as the preseason

2. Face of the Franchise
* insta starter has to go!
*when you play poorly the coach needs to pull you. I took every single snap last season. Not a single missed play
*it appears you cannot be injured in this mode? (confirmation needed)
*why can I not interact with the coach and provide suggestions? All I can demand is to be released.
* for example my backup RB is superior yet I have no way to influence the coach to put him in the game
*AFTER ALL THE TALK ABOUT ISIAH STREETS.... he's NOT in the draft... What!!!! WTF!!!! That's a quarter of the story.
*allegedly if you play poorly and are released you retire and the mode is over. You will NOT be picked up by anyone else

[jaymo76]

Something I did like about Face of the Franchise... at the end of the season the NFL Network crew talked about me and discussed whether or had hit my ceiling or if next year would be a breakout year. I really like the presentation. That said it's heart breaking they cannot add this type of stuff to FRANCHISE. Franchise even with the text messages is still severely lacking immersion. Unless I go on a quest through several tiles I have no idea how the rest of the league is doing. At this point I will kill for them to bring back "The Extra Point" wrap up show ala Madden 10.

[jaymo76]

The fumble situation in face of the franchise is just out of control and though I am really enjoying the mode for the most part, I may stop playing at the end of season 2 as every game my cpu teammates fumble due to monster hits and they don't cover the ball. It's just a game killer as the big hits are so overdone.

[Rudy]

I downloaded EA Access and paid $5 to try out Madden. Downloaded the game and will try it out tonight or tomorrow.

[jaymo76]

I downloaded EA Access and paid $5 to try out Madden. Downloaded the game and will try it out tonight or tomorrow.

Good decision Rudy! Who knows. You may end up passing on Madden but keeping ACCESS?

[Rudy]

Possibly. Getting 10% off games is really good too. It is a great deal if you like those games.

[Rudy]

Well I played two quick games on All-Pro this morning. I beat KC with Cleveland 12-6 and lost to NO with Dallas 27-24 on 6 minutes. I did play with a few slider tweaks right off the bat based on comments I’ve read. I put both QB accuracies at 40, fumbles at 75 (I hate too many fumbles and many complaints about this) and cpu run block at 60. Normal adjustments in many ways for Madden. For the record I have not played a minute of the last two Madden games after barely playing Madden 16 and 17. As a result I was a little rusty, particularly in kicking FGs as I missed my first two XP and two FGs.

Things I Like
The game looks great on the Pro. The game feels fluid, I don’t have an issue with the speed of the game and a lot of the tackles look good and fairly organic. A lot of 50/50 balls are really 50/50 this year instead of favouring the DBs while the WRs pick their nose. OBJ made a nice grab in the end zone as he fought the ball away from a DB. I like the TD celebration options. Picking team vs spiking the ball is a nice touch. I’ve enjoyed the RPO plays when I’ve tried them and generally had fun running and passing the ball.

I like on Defense the indicators on the field like who I am supposed to guard and the timing of DL moves. The game does feel more open in the passing game. I didn’t test throwing over LBs who can’t leap as well this year but will be nice.

Things I don’t like
The cpu is brain dead. To see a Madden game release where the cpu offence won’t call a time out and kick a FG at the end of the half is unbelievable. How does this get shipped? And when I was milking clock at the end of the game with a 6 point lead the cpu defence play calls had both safeties deep and playing very conservative. EA still doesn’t really give a crap about cpu AI and offline play.

Bree’s was 21/22 against me in my last game. While sliders can help I’m more concerned with the cpu play calling. Kamara only got 8 carries on a game they led the entire time. KC barely ran the ball. It’s too pass based and short pass based. I didn’t see the cpu throw any go routes once in two games. And while I appreciated the RPO plays, the Cowboys playbook looks largely untouched for years. I guess it is still Garrett (who looks about 100 pounds heavier that reality) but I was hoping for more new plays. Some of the same tackle animations where you bump each other than lie down and spoon are still there.

The sliders and options are really limited still. So far behind 2K in options. How about adding sliders to boost RB moves or adjust leaping ability of defenders or knock down abilities. They rush to the line for presentation (I am fine with it actually and don’t care about missing refs tbh) but to remove speed and presentation options is wrong. To not have a custom camera or at least zoom options for existing ones is bad. Tecmo was the greatest football game ever and I can’t have a zoomed out horizontal camera.

While I enjoy playing offence, playing defence is still not where it should be and isn’t that fun. DL moves are still incredibly basic. Just hit square or X when’s prompt shows up. It’s like comparing the Post game in Live vs NBA2K. Player movement feels better but still tough to cover manually.



At the end of the day I enjoyed my first two games. It’s a more polished game from when I last played. I may even pick up the game on sale. I’m looking forward to NBA more than the NFL. The Dolphins sucking doesn’t help.

[jaymo76]

Well I played two quick games on All-Pro this morning. I beat KC with Cleveland 12-6 and lost to NO with Dallas 27-24 on 6 minutes. I did play with a few slider tweaks right off the bat based on comments I’ve read. I put both QB accuracies at 40, fumbles at 75 (I hate too many fumbles and many complaints about this) and cpu run block at 60. Normal adjustments in many ways for Madden. For the record I have not played a minute of the last two Madden games after barely playing Madden 16 and 17. As a result I was a little rusty, particularly in kicking FGs as I missed my first two XP and two FGs.

Things I Like
The game looks great on the Pro. The game feels fluid, I don’t have an issue with the speed of the game and a lot of the tackles look good and fairly organic. A lot of 50/50 balls are really 50/50 this year instead of favouring the DBs while the WRs pick their nose. OBJ made a nice grab in the end zone as he fought the ball away from a DB. I like the TD celebration options. Picking team vs spiking the ball is a nice touch. I’ve enjoyed the RPO plays when I’ve tried them and generally had fun running and passing the ball.

I like on Defense the indicators on the field like who I am supposed to guard and the timing of DL moves. The game does feel more open in the passing game. I didn’t test throwing over LBs who can’t leap as well this year but will be nice.

Things I don’t like
The cpu is brain dead. To see a Madden game release where the cpu offence won’t call a time out and kick a FG at the end of the half is unbelievable. How does this get shipped? And when I was milking clock at the end of the game with a 6 point lead the cpu defence play calls had both safeties deep and playing very conservative. EA still doesn’t really give a crap about cpu AI and offline play.

Bree’s was 21/22 against me in my last game. While sliders can help I’m more concerned with the cpu play calling. Kamara only got 8 carries on a game they led the entire time. KC barely ran the ball. It’s too pass based and short pass based. I didn’t see the cpu throw any go routes once in two games. And while I appreciated the RPO plays, the Cowboys playbook looks largely untouched for years. I guess it is still Garrett (who looks about 100 pounds heavier that reality) but I was hoping for more new plays. Some of the same tackle animations where you bump each other than lie down and spoon are still there.

The sliders and options are really limited still. So far behind 2K in options. How about adding sliders to boost RB moves or adjust leaping ability of defenders or knock down abilities. They rush to the line for presentation (I am fine with it actually and don’t care about missing refs tbh) but to remove speed and presentation options is wrong. To not have a custom camera or at least zoom options for existing ones is bad. Tecmo was the greatest football game ever and I can’t have a zoomed out horizontal camera.

While I enjoy playing offence, playing defence is still not where it should be and isn’t that fun. DL moves are still incredibly basic. Just hit square or X when’s prompt shows up. It’s like comparing the Post game in Live vs NBA2K. Player movement feels better but still tough to cover manually.



At the end of the day I enjoyed my first two games. It’s a more polished game from when I last played. I may even pick up the game on sale. I’m looking forward to NBA more than the NFL. The Dolphins sucking doesn’t help.

A lot of truth in your comments. As for passing, the more I play the less I love all the passing changes. Yes the linebackers not leaping is a HUGE UPGRADE and I love that. However, I still find that the long game is still suspect. A DB diving to tip a pass when the db is 2-3 yards behind the receiver defies all laws of physics. Also, the tip drill where the ball bounces between 3-5 players is crazy. My biggest issue with passing though is CPU PASS DEFLECTIONS. This continues to hurt madden yet most people don't look at the stat. When I played Baltimore the Raven had 16 PASS DEFLECTIONS!!! You would be Lucky to see 2-3 per game in the real NFL. I suspect this is how Tiburon deals with anti robo passing.

[jaymo76]

Rudy,

Not having played the game in several years, I think you would enjoy it. Just remember, CFM will not have changed much since your last time you played as other than X FACTORS and the TEXT MESSAGE immersion, it's pretty much what you have been playing since the beginning of the generation.

[Rudy]

The last two years I had it I never even made it to the draft the next offseason since I quit playing. I quit though over gameplay concerns. The passing game was very frustrating.

In terms of the passing game, how are the comeback routes and timing to outside WRs? I will play more later today or tomorrow. But a passing game that leans heavily on crossing routes isn’t a lot of fun.

[Rudy]

Not happy about the shade of blue for Miami’s throwbacks. Should be darker.

Cpu still leaves some WRs uncovered in the slot once in awhile or has a LB in man coverage on a WR. That shouldn’t happen, especially inside two minutes when I’m trying to pass and score. I see a lot of legacy issues still in the game. Carolina was out of timeouts at end of half and throw to sideline. WR catches ball and then instead of stepping out of bounds tries to break tackles and is tackled with 5 seconds left and in long FG range. Why not step out of bounds? This stuff shouldn’t be in the game anymore. Cpu running game on all pro is pathetic. My Dolphins Defense totally stuffed Carolina.

I’m pretty rusty at passing and was never good at it. But pass coverage is just bad on all pro. DBs are lost too often. I did not make a good decision here but the cpu CB doesn’t even try and make a play on the ball.

1157992022009102338

[Rudy]

Played one All Madden game and lost to the Rams with the Colts. The running games on both sides were better. All Madden is tougher but it didn’t seem brutally so although Aaron Donald is an a-hole lol. But if you want to see a competent cpu rushing attack I think this may be the only solution. Gonna have to play with longer minutes since I think that hurts the commitment to the running game. I haven’t been able to get a good HB screen so far.

[jaymo76]

The last two years I had it I never even made it to the draft the next offseason since I quit playing. I quit though over gameplay concerns. The passing game was very frustrating.

In terms of the passing game, how are the comeback routes and timing to outside WRs? I will play more later today or tomorrow. But a passing game that leans heavily on crossing routes isn’t a lot of fun.

Comeback routes are money if the cpu is in zone or playing off the receiver. Outside routes are often 50/50 but there are way too many pass deflections IMO.

[jaymo76]

Why in Face of the Franchise, when your head coach decides to go for it on fourth down, why are you not allowed to play the snap if you are in the game? Typical oversight BS from Tiburon. It tends to happen almost every game and usually when in the red zone.

[jaymo76]

One BIG negative for the scenario engine... it is so repetitive!

In face of the franchise it's always the same.... a player on the other team calls you out and either you praise him, dis him, or intimidate him. In multiple seasons it's usually the same players and the same callouts. In three games vs the Pats Gilmore has said the same thing to me word for word.

[jaymo76]

Played one All Madden game and lost to the Rams with the Colts. The running games on both sides were better. All Madden is tougher but it didn’t seem brutally so although Aaron Donald is an a-hole lol. But if you want to see a competent cpu rushing attack I think this may be the only solution. Gonna have to play with longer minutes since I think that hurts the commitment to the running game. I haven’t been able to get a good HB screen so far.

By the way Rudy, thanks for posting. Other than the occasional drop in from Soulja, I think you and I are the last two people here. :( I miss my TGT.

[Rudy]

By the way Rudy, thanks for posting. Other than the occasional drop in from Soulja, I think you and I are the last two people here. :( I miss my TGT.

Still plugging away!

And franchise mode in Madden still doesn’t have separate user/cpu sliders for special teams. The Madden dev team for the last 10 years hasn’t given a shit about sliders and it really hurts the offline experience. They should let us create our own tuning files. NBA 2K has at least 50 gameplay sliders plus foul sliders plus oodles of customizable camera options. Madden has maybe 15 and don’t even separate special teams sliders. Just adding back the old RB ability slider from NCAA or the old knockdown slider would be nice.

But when your focus is on MUT and online this isn’t shocking although I’m surprised they don’t have a single dev that cares about sliders. If they did they wouldn’t be this terrible.

[jaymo76]

Still plugging away!

And franchise mode in Madden still doesn’t have separate user/cpu sliders for special teams. The Madden dev team for the last 10 years hasn’t given a shit about sliders and it really hurts the offline experience. They should let us create our own tuning files. NBA 2K has at least 50 gameplay sliders plus foul sliders plus oodles of customizable camera options. Madden has maybe 15 and don’t even separate special teams sliders. Just adding back the old RB ability slider from NCAA or the old knockdown slider would be nice.

But when your focus is on MUT and online this isn’t shocking although I’m surprised they don’t have a single dev that cares about sliders. If they did they wouldn’t be this terrible.

I have come to believe that sliders in Madden are more for show than anything. I don't have much evidence that they work as intended and often end up causing other problems to the base game. After messing with interceptions and pass coverage I am now throwing more interceptions...

[Rudy]

I have come to believe that sliders in Madden are more for show than anything. I don't have much evidence that they work as intended and often end up causing other problems to the base game. After messing with interceptions and pass coverage I am now throwing more interceptions...

It’s a real shame too since if EA wants to focus on online play and MUT the offline portion could be fixed with robust sliders. But they really don’t care much about offline people and so this area has gone untouched for a very long time.

The one thing EA did that actually makes the sliders more annoying was splitting the slider save files between user and cpu. Just adds another step in saving when you should just add a toggle to flip between them.

Furthermore NCAA was great in that you could split difficulty between offence and defence. If Madden is going to split slider files why not allow split difficulty? I just lost to SF with Cleveland 10-3. I don’t like Cleveland playbook but I could not run. I averaged under 1 hard per attempt with Chubb on All Madden. The cpu offence was much better. I really wish I could play All Pro on offence and All Madden on defence. Another missed opportunity. It’s why I prefer the 2K global slider method instead of hard coded built in differences.

[Rudy]

On All Madden I find running plays where the OL pulls or traps are bad. This is normal Madden blocking but I thought I had read that stuff was better. I’m not seeing it.

I’m also calling man coverages but some guys still aren’t lined up directly across from their man, even when I hit man align. I think this happens more when I have an extra DB (like dime) vs a 3 Wr set. It’s annoying.

[Rudy]

Just how bad is cpu AI? Horrible. This stuff should not be happening other than on Rookie mode. Just stupid and annoying. I like to score but this was unbelievable. I’m not buying this game. It’s got way too many annoying things for offline franchise players who they don’t care about.

1158449986234966018

[Escobar]

Hey Rudy and jaymo I recommend you try these sliders out. They drastically improve the gameplay, mostly the pass coverage. Also tone down fumbles, overall very solid NFL gameplay. https://forums.operationsports.com/forums/madden-nfl-football-sliders/955680-matt10s-madden-20-sliders.html

[Rudy]

At this point I’m not sure if I will even finish all 10 hours. Seeing the brain dead cpu AI just pisses me off and no sliders will fix their terrible decision making. I will check out his sliders as I like reading impressions of how effective certain sliders are and reasons for changes. Matt states the coverage slider barely does anything. Just another lazy effort by EA. To not have separate cpu/user sliders for kicking in franchise is garbage. Shows they don’t care about the slider community. There should be a lot more. The NCAA team had more including the ability to have different settings on offence and defence. There should be many more to customize but that would require caring about offline. Honestly it shouldn’t be hard at all. Where are real camera options too? I just see what NBA 2K offers and Madden isn’t even close in any area.

EA puts almost their sole focus on MUT and online and they aren’t getting my money for this game. I’m not happy with all the legacy issues.

[jaymo76]

On All Madden I find running plays where the OL pulls or traps are bad. This is normal Madden blocking but I thought I had read that stuff was better. I’m not seeing it.

I’m also calling man coverages but some guys still aren’t lined up directly across from their man, even when I hit man align. I think this happens more when I have an extra DB (like dime) vs a 3 Wr set. It’s annoying.

I don't run sweeps to the outside nor do I run screen passes. I also don't run the ball when inside the 5 as it's a guaranteed stuff in the backfield.

[jaymo76]

Hey Rudy and jaymo I recommend you try these sliders out. They drastically improve the gameplay, mostly the pass coverage. Also tone down fumbles, overall very solid NFL gameplay. https://forums.operationsports.com/forums/madden-nfl-football-sliders/955680-matt10s-madden-20-sliders.html

Yes I have always found Matt, Josh and Armors sliders to be pretty good. I will check them out at some point.

[Rudy]

Sorry guys. I'm just bitter at how little Madden's cpu AI has improved in 15 years. It's an embarrassment and they don't deserve my money. That money will go to other games.

[jaymo76]

Sorry guys. I'm just bitter at how little Madden's cpu AI has improved in 15 years. It's an embarrassment and they don't deserve my money. That money will go to other games.

Totally understand. The legacy issues and the horrendous CFM are enough to keep a lot of people away. I don't mind gameplay not being top notch if it's a fun, immersive experience. Sadly CFM continues to lag so far behind every single major sports game today. Add some text messages and make player resigning a bit harder and it's the same since Madden 13.... 7 years ago!

[supersigmaof21]

I’ve been enjoying M20 a lot. I started a CFM on 7/25 w/ MIA and just completed my 5th regular season (2023). The first few years were a struggle but 2022 and 2023 were both 10-6 campaigns and winning the AFC East. In 2022 we were thumped in the wildcard round by NYJ, 10-41. I’ve yet to play the 2023 wildcard round against PIT. Likely fire that up in a few. I play coach mode on default Pro using Play the Moments exclusively.

Here’s a look at our schedule and leaders for the 2023 season:

2023 MIA Dolphins (10-6)
Week 01 - L 21-29 to BUF
Week 02 - W 45-30 over NYJ
Week 03 - W 19-17 over PHI
Week 04 - L 15-22 to IND
Week 05 - L 20-26 to NYG (OT)
Week 06 - L 24-27 to NE
Week 07 - W 19-17 over BUF
Week 08 - W 31-28 over KC
Week 09 - W 11-7 over WAS
Week 11 - W 24-21 over NYJ
Week 12 - W 21-14 over NE
Week 13 - W 36-17 over OAK
Week 14 - L 16-34 to DAL
Week 15 - W 38-23 over DEN
Week 16 - L 13-20 to CLE
Week 17 - W 27-17 over LAC

Up Next
Wildcard Playoff - PIT (9-7) @ MIA (10-6)

Regular Season Leaders
Passing
J. Rosen: 386-588, 4270 YARDS, 29 TD, 12 INT, 37 SACKS

Rushing
K. Drake: 326 ATT, 1239 YARDS, 7 TD

Receiving
M. Gesicki: 90 REC, 805 YARDS, 5 TD
K. Stills: 84 REC, 1161 YARDS, 5 TD
D. Parker: 78 REC, 806 YARDS, 9 TD

Tackles
R. McMillan: 108 TAK, 3.0 SACK, 1 INT

Sacks
J. Gillislee: 71 TAK, 6.5 SACK, 1 INT

Interceptions
J. Baker: 93 TAK, 1.5 SACK, 4 INT
F. Ballentine: 83 TAK, 0.5 SACK, 4 INT

[Rudy]

Nice. Glad you are having fun. I still have over 5 hours left in my trial.

[Rudy]

The sliders don’t seem to do much. They are an embarrassment really. Still can’t believe on a complicated sport like football it has the weakest number of sliders and yet they also feel they needed to have separate save files for user and cpu. That makes no sense, especially since they don’t allow separate in game or franchise sliders for special teams.

The game is beautiful. Played one more game this morning but the cpu AI is just bad. The sideline awareness is still weak. Sideline smoke or flanker screens are still largely losses. The cpu calls too many of these which is good since it might never miss a pass on default. In cuts and crossing patterns are still too easy.

I had posted my wide open TD on a RB motion play awhile back. Here is another play where the cpu blitzes heavy and again nobody accounts for the TE. Safety doesn’t even cheat that way at the snap. So much work is needed here and we’ve been saying this for years. It’s worse in some ways this year. Have zero confidence this team will ever commit to fixing offline play.

1163065807255089163

To be fair, cpu did run a nice screen and had a really nice move on me.
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I still have 4.5 hours left on my trial. I won’t be purchasing. I also feel the illegal man downfield in RPO is overdone.

[jaymo76]

Great to see EA Tiburon has added the double team mechanic and also added OL who now have X FACTOR Traits. That said, what a kick in the teeth that you need to restart your franchise for the changes to take effect.

[Rudy]

EA hasn’t even updated the rosters properly yet. Miami doesn’t even have their starting MLB in the game. Yes he was an unknown FA from the CFL but Sam Eguavoen has been the starter and their nickel LB. Undersized but they like him. Not even on the roster!

Surprised you have to restart franchise. Normally you don’t.

https://www.miamidolphins.com/news/unleash-the-beast-sam-eguavoen-playing-fearless-cfl-miami-dolphins

[Escobar]

EA hasn’t even updated the rosters properly yet. Miami doesn’t even have their starting MLB in the game. Yes he was an unknown FA from the CFL but Sam Eguavoen has been the starter and their nickel LB. Undersized but they like him. Not even on the roster!

Surprised you have to restart franchise. Normally you don’t.

https://www.miamidolphins.com/news/unleash-the-beast-sam-eguavoen-playing-fearless-cfl-miami-dolphins

It's because they changed the default abilities for the o-lineman in the roster and got rid of the one ability they had before. They said your o-lineman you drafted in you existing franchise would be able to earn the new abilities, but I had one who progressed far enough to earn them when they weren't available and never got a prompt to get a new ability.

[jaymo76]

It's because they changed the default abilities for the o-lineman in the roster and got rid of the one ability they had before. They said your o-lineman you drafted in you existing franchise would be able to earn the new abilities, but I had one who progressed far enough to earn them when they weren't available and never got a prompt to get a new ability.

The last article I read confirmed that a restart is needed to access the new abilities for FUTURE drafted players. It's aggravating as I'm in season three and have a team I like. I just don't see restarting as the amount I play MADDEN has dropped significantly over the years and I just don't see playing another 3+ seasons.

[Escobar]

The last article I read confirmed that a restart is needed to access the new abilities for FUTURE drafted players. It's aggravating as I'm in season three and have a team I like. I just don't see restarting as the amount I play MADDEN has dropped significantly over the years and I just don't see playing another 3+ seasons.

I restarted becasue of my ocd, but I couldn't use the same team again because there's no way I would be able to build it the same. Which was super frustrating, because it was my Oilers franchise 5 seasons in. Now if I restart I just sim the first two or three seasons and run personnel, because I don't want to waste my time playing the same three seasons over and over.

[Escobar]

Just wondering, do you use sliders in your franchise or default?

[jaymo76]

MADDDEN ONLINE franchise has been down all week. Honest question... would EA execs ever let MUT stay down for 3+ days? I think you know the answer to that. Shameful EA!