Back when Madden NFL 21 was under the microscope last year, EA Sports promised that it was committed to improving the popular Franchise Mode over the course of the season. Now as we near the NFL playoffs, the developer is rolling out a major update for the title that will make some minor but appreciated tweaks to the campaign.
The headline feature is a complete overhaul to the draft CPU logic. To summarise a quite complicated issue, teams like the Cincinnati Bengals would previously blow first-round picks on quarterbacks, even though it makes very little sense since they drafted Joe Burrow in real-life less than a year ago. It’s these kind of baffling decisions that the patch will address.
The update also adds in a ton of options for Franchise commissioners, allowing you to undo Free Agency signings, override team control settings, and even apply playcall cooldowns. These tweaks are obviously targeting online Franchise players primarily, but it’s also promising further improvements to trade logic and it’s added a new tile that includes historical information on your league.
Baby-steps, then, but undeniable improvements all the same. Obviously, fans are going to have to wait a lot longer for more meaningful advancements – like the ability to hire and fire coordinators – but it’s at least good to see EA Sports making the right noises and committing to enhancing the game. Plus, did you know SpongeBob SquarePants is being added today?
[source ea.com]
Comments 5
"To summarise a quite complicated issue, teams like the Cincinnati Bengals would previously blow first-round picks on quarterbacks, even though it makes very little sense since they drafted Joe Burrow in real-life less than a year ago."
Let's wait for the draft and see if Madden actually got it wrong
How about getting rid of your intrusive pop-up ads?
"It’s these kind of baffling decisions that the patch will address."
Dwayne Haskins was the 15th overall pick and he just got waived, so perhaps the only baffling decisions are the ones made IRL?
Used to be my favorite sports game. Got tired of buying the same game with no changes in Franchise for like 5 years running. Didn't buy it this year, and won't in the future until they update and add much needed changes to Franchise mode.
More specifically, they really need to add some depth and realism to scouting. They tried something like this a decade or so ago, where you could read a scouting report on the players. Then they dropped it, for reasons unknown, and the end result is it's more empty/simplistic today then it was last generation.
I don't know if I've ever seen a franchise more content to rest on it's past success and do nothing innovative year after year than Madden.
I have not played in many years so I don't know if CPU GMs have improved or not. In offline franchise I remember seeing too many draft day trades for picks, and dumb picks like the one in this story. Also dumb free agent signings. After several seasons there were some bad teams with so much cap space and powerhouse teams with too many good players. It was not fun for simulation fans.
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