Madden 09 online play gets first piece of disappointing news
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Madden 09 producer Phil Frazier is continuing to answer questions in the game’s official forum. The most notable piece of info to come out since the set of news I posted on earlier is that variable weather will not be found online. Hearing that doesn’t bring about much confidence that other much needed online enhancements will be coming this year.
Weather will not be available online. It’s clear that many of you are interested in this functionality so it’s already on my growing list of features from the community. Honestly, I’d prefer if we solved the online lag issues before we worry about weather. We will be featuring the live weather feed in Madden 09.
Well so much for the hope that online play was going to be taken seriously for once. That great looking screenshot from the other day? You’ll never experience it in an online game. Seems unlikely then that even night games will be in then. It would also mean that online franchise (if added this year) would have no weather or night games which would ruin part of that whole experience. Get ready for a bunch of stale ideal weather games yet again if you play online at all.
Granted it seems to be asking a bit much for these necessary options to be added when they haven’t even gotten the game to run lag-free or avoid high rates of disconnects yet. However EA Canada’s recent releases (NBA Live, NHL, FIFA) have brought about vastly improved online performance along with added modes and options. Will depth charts transfer online so people don’t have to set them before every game? Will you be able to choose the stadium that is played in? Will alternate uniforms be selectable? Will unranked games be tracked at all? Will there be any form of co-op play? All seem even more unlikely after hearing that variable weather hasn’t made it in this year. Disappointing to say the least.
Hey, but field goal nets have been added to the game (thankfully) so now that one can be scratched off the easy complaint list.
April 22, 2008 at 8:46 pm
good online games suck anyways.. they need to concentrate on the core of the game.
April 22, 2008 at 8:47 pm
Noooooooooooooo! That needless to say sucks. Don’t really think I have anything else to add but…dammit.
April 22, 2008 at 8:57 pm
This is not a suprise…Tiburon online programmers suck and should be fired…Plain and simple…I mean 4-5 years into next gen and we are worrying abut online LAG…when we all have optimized HIGH FRICKIN SPEED INTERNET???….Are these fools serious???
Here’s what you can expect:
1. Lots o Hype
2. Old features being re-introduced as if they were new
3. Terrible online play
4. Half ass online leagues
5. Garbage franchise mode that will be bug ridden
6. Record Sales of Madden 09
7. Promises about Madden 2010
April 22, 2008 at 9:00 pm
[quote comment="18529"]good online games suck anyways.. they need to concentrate on the core of the game.[/quote]
Its narrow minded thinking like this that alllows EA to get away with this sort of failure to innovate. hell weather online aint even innovative…It should be a STANDARD FEATURE…Tiburon’s online programmers are incompetent
April 22, 2008 at 9:01 pm
They are working on lag. What the hell good is having snow falling on two connected computers if it’s so laggy that you see individual snow flakes. I wouldn’t necessarily consider this “disappointing” news. They’ve got to get the game to work well in bright sunlight before worrying about snow accumulation and puddles in the field.
Not that I’m anxious to dive into the Madden cheese-hordes online anyway.
April 22, 2008 at 9:02 pm
That said… I do remember some of the older NFL 2k games having weather effects online.
April 22, 2008 at 9:05 pm
[quote comment="18533"]They are working on lag. What the hell good is having snow falling on two connected computers if it’s so laggy that you see individual snow flakes. I wouldn’t necessarily consider this “disappointing” news. They’ve got to get the game to work well in bright sunlight before worrying about snow accumulation and puddles in the field.
Not that I’m anxious to dive into the Madden cheese-hordes online anyway.[/quote]
They were “working” on lag last year too and that didn’t turn out well at all. I just look at those EA Canada titles that went from laggy online to smooth online while also adding things like online team play all in the same year.
April 22, 2008 at 9:19 pm
@ Afrodomus
Well said.
April 22, 2008 at 9:20 pm
[quote comment="18533"]They are working on lag. What the hell good is having snow falling on two connected computers if it’s so laggy that you see individual snow flakes. I wouldn’t necessarily consider this “disappointing” news. They’ve got to get the game to work well in bright sunlight before worrying about snow accumulation and puddles in the field.
Not that I’m anxious to dive into the Madden cheese-hordes online anyway.[/quote]
I’ve played online games where two sixteen man teams are battling it out with guns and rockets in howling rain, and this was many, many years ago.
As end users we don’t want to hear excuses about why it can’t be done. We want to see it done – especially given how many version of this game we’ve seen on next gen.
Man, just make the weather effects run locally on the console – as long as the conditions are set to wet/snow/etc. and the wind is the same for both sides, how could it possibly effect the lag at all? Makes no sense to me.
April 22, 2008 at 9:39 pm
[quote comment="18533"]They are working on lag. What the hell good is having snow falling on two connected computers if it’s so laggy that you see individual snow flakes. I wouldn’t necessarily consider this “disappointing” news. They’ve got to get the game to work well in bright sunlight before worrying about snow accumulation and puddles in the field.
Not that I’m anxious to dive into the Madden cheese-hordes online anyway.[/quote]
But it’s not unreasonable to expect them to focus on more then just one aspect of online. To repeat what Pasta said, if EA Canada can work on multiple online features for there titles then why can’t Tiburon, who have plenty of resources at there disposal, do the same? Low expectations and just accepting what we get year after year is why we got 3 have assed Maddens after the transition to next-gen.
April 22, 2008 at 9:39 pm
[quote comment="18531"]This is not a suprise…Tiburon online programmers suck and should be fired…Plain and simple…I mean 4-5 years into next gen and we are worrying abut online LAG…when we all have optimized HIGH FRICKIN SPEED INTERNET???….Are these fools serious???
Here’s what you can expect:
1. Lots o Hype
2. Old features being re-introduced as if they were new
3. Terrible online play
4. Half ass online leagues
5. Garbage franchise mode that will be bug ridden
6. Record Sales of Madden 09
7. Promises about Madden 2010[/quote]
Yep i agree 100%, its been this way for now, what, 3 years running??
April 22, 2008 at 9:40 pm
Pathetic.
What’s the point of releasing news about variable weather if it doesn’t carry over to online play? Does EA understand the vast online world that exists?
“Honestly, I’d prefer if we solved the online lag issues before we worry about weather.”
How about do BOTH? It’s 2008. How many people do you need working on the game? Worry about weather? I want everyone to think about that statement when they’re playing GTA IV.
In the fantasy land of online Madden, it’s always sunny. Great. So much for recreating the NFC Championship game.
Pasta, you’ve done a great job expressing the community’s collective disappointment. EA just doesn’t get it. I was really starting to get excited about Madden 09. The game isn’t even out yet, and we’re already talking about next year.
Pathetic, EA. Really pathetic. Your passion for the game is overwhelming.
April 22, 2008 at 9:49 pm
Damn this one hurt I really thought we would have a great game online this year, guess there goes online franchise !!!!
April 22, 2008 at 9:58 pm
Even though I never really played online much, that is rather lame. For EA’s sake, the rest of the game better be ON POINT this year. Franchise mode needs to be top notch for guys like me.
Ha, FG nets!
April 22, 2008 at 10:24 pm
lack of weather online is NOT as big as a problem as you are all making it out to be…because with poor weather comes additional turnovers in games…namely fumbles in games and dropped passes…and then bums will start quitting games and blaming their losses on the weather…then they will beg you for a rematch in clear weather…where you put a whoopin’ on them again and then they have to quit another time…weather is clearly the last thing on my mind when i am playing online…
April 22, 2008 at 10:29 pm
hate to bring alot of the “maddenites” back down to earth who blindly ran out and pre-owned this thing. but there will be “alot” more “dissapointments” comin your way. be a smart consumer people rent before you buy…you’ll thank me later.
April 22, 2008 at 10:32 pm
oh and april 28th grand theft auto IV is comin out get a quality game for once.
April 23, 2008 at 12:22 am
Ok this shouldnt even be hard to program in. Its like them saying were working on lag so we cant let you choose alternate jerseys online…which I dont remember being able to do last year.
EA=hype and false promises!
April 23, 2008 at 12:34 am
For everyone who rips Pasta for being paid by EA to post things….how about this post? Yeah, shutup! Pasta speaks the truth and when something negative needs to be said about EA – He will say it.
April 23, 2008 at 2:44 am
Madden will have the ability to save replays this year though
April 23, 2008 at 4:32 am
I only play online! I hate that EVERY SINGLE game online is a sunny day game w/no wind!!! Gets boring w/no variety. Why can’t they even add 4vs4 UNranked games? Are they that ignorant over there? It’s funny that features of NFL2k5 on xbox are still too much of a hill to climb for Madden on the 360!!!!!!! I’m praying that they at least allow for online uniform variety…
…F’in EA!
April 23, 2008 at 4:55 am
As much as a dissapointment this is, as long as the get the core experience running smoothly online, then next year they can build and start experimenting. ESPN 2k5 was an awesome game, and they had a million features online, because online was good the previous year. (But that was four years ago, and on a current-gen system, so Madden is SOOOOOO far behind the 8 ball)
April 23, 2008 at 5:18 am
other than halo madden gets a massive amount of people online at one time so if fixing lag is priority number 1 it better be good i can wait for weather games online once that’s fixed, but i must say i played a game last night and had no lag
April 23, 2008 at 5:49 am
I can’t believe that the first screen shot is of a snow game and then they formally announce that it will be eliminated from 1/2 of the game.
Let’s face it online play is a huge part of the Madden base.
Why go out of their way to release a picture that most of us will never see?
April 23, 2008 at 5:51 am
For me, game play needs to be vastly improved to make up for this issue.
April 23, 2008 at 6:54 am
So much for that.
April 23, 2008 at 7:01 am
when my kids go to bed & I finaly get a chance to play Madden, I go online due to the fact that the cpu competition is no fun at all. Online is where it’s at, even more so in Madden than most other games. SO WHY IN HELL DOES EA SHOW INCLEMENT WEATHER AND ANNOUNCE ALT. UNIFORMS IF I WILL NEVER EVER SEE THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Great job Pasta w/this info but it kinda bums me out that they can’t “figure” this out. How hard is it to program some weather?!?!?! I need some variety online b/c I only play online…
April 23, 2008 at 7:43 am
[quote comment="18549"]oh and april 28th grand theft auto IV is comin out get a quality game for once.[/quote]
I have no particular desire to play a game that glorifies criminals, but thanks sooooo much for your input.
April 23, 2008 at 7:48 am
[quote comment="18570"][quote comment="18549"]oh and april 28th grand theft auto IV is comin out get a quality game for once.[/quote]
I have no particular desire to play a game that glorifies criminals, but thanks sooooo much for your input.[/quote]
Make sure to stay away from the Cincinnati Bengals then.
April 23, 2008 at 7:49 am
I’m completely fine without the weather online. They simply can’t add things to the mix that are going to tax the game when playing online. It’s the right decision. In fact, it’s what needs to be happening for this franchise. The game has too many unpolished peripherals.
April 23, 2008 at 7:50 am
EA has it’s priorities straight here, imo. Variable weather is a mere extra, online lag is a game killer.
Seriously, would you guys really have been happier with last year’s online experience if it had included snow or rain?
April 23, 2008 at 7:50 am
Why am I not shocked that EA drops the ball on something else again? Can’t wait until Madden 2010.
“Now featuring live online weather from the weather channel!”
April 23, 2008 at 7:51 am
[quote comment="18571"][quote comment="18570"][quote comment="18549"]oh and april 28th grand theft auto IV is comin out get a quality game for once.[/quote]
I have no particular desire to play a game that glorifies criminals, but thanks sooooo much for your input.[/quote]
Make sure to stay away from the Cincinnati Bengals then.[/quote]
LOL!!!
If this was college football, you would have just earned a helmet sticker.
April 23, 2008 at 8:05 am
[quote comment="18571"][quote comment="18570"][quote comment="18549"]oh and april 28th grand theft auto IV is comin out get a quality game for once.[/quote]
I have no particular desire to play a game that glorifies criminals, but thanks sooooo much for your input.[/quote]
Make sure to stay away from the Cincinnati Bengals then.[/quote]
thank you took the words out of my mouth.
April 23, 2008 at 8:24 am
They have had 3 releases to get the core gameplay right. That is about 5 years worth of work and they are still not done? I am sorry, but this has turned into a joke of a game. People will keep saying these are little things, but each little thing adds up and so far it is adding up to nothing but disappointment for those looking to play a realistic game of football. Due to the recent producer changes and perhaps other moves in the development team, I do not expect to see any changes till the 10 or 11 year releases. I have kept hope alive for all these years that the game will return to its former self, but it is obvious in the route this series has gone.
April 23, 2008 at 8:25 am
[quote comment="18573"]EA has it’s priorities straight here, imo. Variable weather is a mere extra, online lag is a game killer.
Seriously, would you guys really have been happier with last year’s online experience if it had included snow or rain?[/quote]
Didn’t have a major problem w/online last year as many of you did. I usually tried to find an opponent w/a good ping so I didn’t have to suffer from lag. And yes weather,wind,time of day,uniforms do matter to most people! It’s like being only able to play one map online on COD4…Madden online gets too repetitive after a while especially when I play w/Buffalo in December! Sunny and NO WIND?!!???!! C’mon———>
April 23, 2008 at 8:34 am
there rele needs to be different weather online i think ea sports needs to stop dissapointing
April 23, 2008 at 8:50 am
[quote comment="18580"][quote comment="18573"]EA has it’s priorities straight here, imo. Variable weather is a mere extra, online lag is a game killer.
Seriously, would you guys really have been happier with last year’s online experience if it had included snow or rain?[/quote]
Didn’t have a major problem w/online last year as many of you did. I usually tried to find an opponent w/a good ping so I didn’t have to suffer from lag. And yes weather,wind,time of day,uniforms do matter to most people! It’s like being only able to play one map online on COD4…Madden online gets too repetitive after a while especially when I play w/Buffalo in December! Sunny and NO WIND?!!???!! C’mon———>[/quote]
I have a very hard time believing that the folks who make up the vast majority of the online Madden crowd (i.e. the cheesers) really thinks this is that big a deal. After all, if they were that concerned with realism they wouldn’t be cheesers in the first place, would they?
April 23, 2008 at 8:58 am
No, you’re absolutely right Cougar, the majority of Madden players don’t really play the game the way real football is supposed to be played. Exploits like Nano’s and Rocket catches drown most of the gameplay and they could care less about things that I’ve mentioned…4vs4 Online multiplayer (unranked)—variable weather,wind,time of day for online matches—different unis available for ONLINE ALSO!!!
April 23, 2008 at 9:10 am
online sucks anyway. you can’t play a game of football you play a game of avoiding nano’s and hurry up long bombs all game. i’ll stick to franchise with friends thank you.
April 23, 2008 at 9:12 am
Pasta, do you think that they’ll ever re-instate the 4th down online rule that they used to have in older Maddens? I think that it wasn’t allowed until the 4th quarter and it had to be 4th and less than 10 or something…
April 23, 2008 at 9:38 am
[quote comment="18531"]This is not a suprise…Tiburon online programmers suck and should be fired…Plain and simple…I mean 4-5 years into next gen and we are worrying abut online LAG…when we all have optimized HIGH FRICKIN SPEED INTERNET???….Are these fools serious???
Here’s what you can expect:
1. Lots o Hype
2. Old features being re-introduced as if they were new
3. Terrible online play
4. Half ass online leagues
5. Garbage franchise mode that will be bug ridden
6. Record Sales of Madden 09
7. Promises about Madden 2010[/quote]
You forgot #8
8. I’m gonna buy the game anyway regardless.
April 23, 2008 at 9:38 am
Some people are dismissing online play because of the cheesers.
Maybe all of their friends, family members, associates, and online acquaintances are able to come over to their place and play a game in person while sharing a bowl of pretzels, but for a lot of people, everyone in their life is spread out. Online play is an obvious necessity.
How exciting is it to play a game online with the same weather and time conditions over and over? Football is played in inclement weather. You adjust your game plan accordingly.
I suppose this means when you coach against someone online using Head Coach 09, it will always be sunny. Wow. How challenging. The aim should be realism. This is a simulation game. One day when they’re modifying the graphics of the throbbing weapon icons and altering the ridiculous boom sound effect of a long pass, EA will realize that. Hopefully. The bar needs to be set higher.
April 23, 2008 at 10:06 am
I don’t think anyone, not even the folks at EA, would dispute that adding variable weather online would be a good thing. The question is whether implementing it should take development time away from other things (for example, getting the core gameplay to run more or less lag free, online leagues, etc.).
Imo the answer is no. Weather, while important, is less important than core gameplay.
April 23, 2008 at 10:09 am
in a perfect world, I would be playing MVP’08 right now and looking forward to NFL2k9……and be married to Keeley Hazell…..ummmmm, yeah sorry about that last part.
April 23, 2008 at 10:21 am
LMAO at r00tabaga I so wish there was nfl 2k9 love apf2k8!!!!
April 23, 2008 at 10:23 am
[quote comment="18590"]Weather, while important, is less important than core gameplay.[/quote]
If NFL 2K9 existed, do you have any doubt whatsoever that it would have variable weather for online play?
I guarantee you there would be no need to discuss presentation, referees, uniforms, or active sidelines. 2K set the bar with NFL 2K5. Ever since, people have been wondering why EA doesn’t approach Madden with the same level of detail. It’s like they don’t care.
We should be discussing innovations, not bemoaning the lack of basic features. Madden 08 was shipped with a bug that caused fumbles that made the game unplayable, so yes, EA needs to figure out gameplay. But they have plenty of resources to oversee multiple facets of the game.
April 23, 2008 at 10:29 am
Damn Details couldn’t of said it better myself!!!
April 23, 2008 at 10:32 am
Agreed…Details you are on a roll!
April 23, 2008 at 10:34 am
Yo r00tabaga I am actually from South Jersey and been a huge Bills fan since 89 first game I remember watching was the playoff game we lost to the browns, I went to one bills game in Buffalo a few years ago with my wife they lost to the texans but what a great day just to be in that stadium with all that history was unreal and I always go watch them when they play the jets here,and Def going this year gonna hit up the niners game in Buffalo and hopefully the monday night game against the browns go bills baby playoffs here we come!!!!!!