Madden 09 online update
by 
In his latest forum posting, Madden 09 lead producer Phil Frazier notes a couple of things relating to the game including a statement that they are likely going to be able to get variable weather into online unranked games. In the course of one week it has gone from no online weather, to talking about the possibility of it, to it being a 95% certainty that it’ll be included. Hopefully that will include online league games which are in essence unranked games as well and would add to the experience that comes from playing a real season.
In speaking with Phil Frazier at the NCAA event last week I was able to express the frustration of the community around the general neglect that online play has received in the past several years. Admittedly it was somewhat of an overreaction on my part to lay it all on the lack of weather online but it came from that place of overall frustration and that it could possibly be a sign of the neglect continuing. He addressed the issue of online performance issues by mentioning that they have four engineers dedicated solely to getting the online games running well. That is a significant commitment being made. The discussion took place shortly before hearing about the inclusion of online leagues which appear to be well thought out (as long as they have playoffs). So clearly online play is getting some focus this year.
I didn’t limit it to just online weather and increasing the options in unranked games. I also brought up the desire to have stats and records tracked in them. Essentially the idea should be that unranked games offer pretty much every option there is offline to be selected (that is why they’re unranked) but at the same time they shouldn’t be treated as if they didn’t exist. It has always bothered me that I can’t look back upon what I’ve done throughout the year because the games were unranked. He seemed open and understanding of those thoughts so we’ll see where that goes in the future.
So I feel much better about the online prospects this year and encouraged that the community’s thoughts are really being heard. Hopefully at a minimum the online performance is up to par and the online leagues function as expected. Along with the focus on those areas adding in options such as variable weather is a sign of good things in the coming years.
April 30, 2008 at 5:00 pm
Pasta as you see the 70 amount of people complaining about the online leagues being full 32 teams its not and I posted the update on that, askearl360.blogspot.com
April 30, 2008 at 5:15 pm
Good News.
April 30, 2008 at 5:24 pm
He addressed the issue of online performance issues by mentioning that they have four engineers dedicated solely to getting the online games running well. That is a significant commitment being made.
Having all that money and all they can get is 4 guys, and they say thts an improvement..wow thats freakin sad. How many did they have last year…1? some commitment.
April 30, 2008 at 5:26 pm
[quote comment="19665"]Good News.[/quote]
You post twice under two names, sorry but did I miss the big news here? I see 71 people complaining that they aren’t getting Madden because you have to have all user teams when that isn’t TRUE.
April 30, 2008 at 5:31 pm
thx Pasta! I am relieved to hear that they are actually listening to the FANS (people who keep their pockets phat). Even if they only include weather in unranked games I’m OK w/that. As long as they allow for alt. uniforms and time of day stuff as well. Like I’ve said many times, I don’t do franchises and frankly I don’t like playing the CPU (boring and predictable) so online is EVERYTHING and it usually feels “stripped” to me.
Go BILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
April 30, 2008 at 5:55 pm
i dont like that you cant have a league if you dont have 32 people.
GO STEELERS!!!!
April 30, 2008 at 6:02 pm
[quote comment="19673"]i dont like that you cant have a league if you dont have 32 people.
GO STEELERS!!!![/quote]
I just posted you can have a league with as many people as you want the IGN interview is misleading check the details at ASKEARL360.BLOGSPOT.COM
April 30, 2008 at 6:05 pm
[quote comment="19673"]i dont like that you cant have a league if you dont have 32 people.
GO STEELERS!!!![/quote]
For the last time!!!!
If you want a league and you don’t have 32 people that is okay!!!!!
You can set the number of users at any number!
April 30, 2008 at 6:05 pm
PASTA,
any word if we will be able to use alternate unis online this yr? this goes for madden and ncaa
thanks
April 30, 2008 at 6:16 pm
In a regular franchise, will u still be able to play someone through xbox live with them being the opposing team on ur schedule? cant remember if this was in 08 or not..it was called live opponent or something
April 30, 2008 at 6:31 pm
[quote comment="19677"]In a regular franchise, will u still be able to play someone through xbox live with them being the opposing team on ur schedule? cant remember if this was in 08 or not..it was called live opponent or something[/quote]
No, askearl360.blogspot.com
April 30, 2008 at 7:55 pm
1. CAMERA FLASHES IN THE CROWD?
2. GLAD TO HEAR HE’S 100% NOT HAPPY WITH THE GAMEPLAY FOOTAGE FROM IGN
April 30, 2008 at 8:09 pm
This is big news. They are really listening to the fans.
I feel though that it’s a disappointment that there will be no new weapons. They should add new weapons to the game, they really need to.
Also, smart weapons sucked so they need to fix it up since there were games where you wouldn’t even get to read a play once.
April 30, 2008 at 9:02 pm
Madden has just become this one big giant online game. I’m sorry, I honestly feel franchise mode will no longer ever be important as it once was on PS2.
franchise mode has been flat out awful for 3 years with just pointless updates that get hyped for no reason. I’m just crossing and my fingers that EA doesn’t push the franchise mode to the side, again. But with all this online league stuff going on I kind of have a funny felling that’s the case.
April 30, 2008 at 9:22 pm
[quote comment="19695"]Madden has just become this one big giant online game. I’m sorry, I honestly feel franchise mode will no longer ever be important as it once was on PS2.
franchise mode has been flat out awful for 3 years with just pointless updates that get hyped for no reason. I’m just crossing and my fingers that EA doesn’t push the franchise mode to the side, again. But with all this online league stuff going on I kind of have a funny felling that’s the case.[/quote]
NFL HeadCoach says “HI!”.
April 30, 2008 at 10:45 pm
Dear Phil Frazier,
I love the changes to the game that I have seen. Why not update the equipment that the players wear? Those long white/black things that look like socks that is supposed to be tape, get rid of it, please. Most player in the NFL wear Nike cleats, I know Reebok is the uniform sponser but not the shoes, so please change this. While at it add the teams colors to the shoes. We need offical gloves, not just the primary color of the team, orange Chi. Bears’ gloves (and orange cleats). Fix the player model sizes. Linebackes should not be as large are larger then D-linemen. Change the play selection back to what it was for last-gen. Even the Wii Madden got it right. CPU vs CPU. Let me watch the games. Make us love Madden Football games again. PLEASE!!!
April 30, 2008 at 10:50 pm
We Need Horse Collars, Neck-Roll, Cowboy-Collars, Rib-Protectors, Hand-warmers, Eye-paint….Where is all of the things that the NFL player wears?
April 30, 2008 at 11:58 pm
I saw this written on the IGN boards and I tried to put it in the EA sports board but for some reason I couldn’t. In the snow games, the players’ footprints appear in the snow (which is really cool), but when players get tackled the snow is undisturbed. Also the ball doesn’t make an imprint in the snow either. Hopefully they would catch it and fix it, but maybe it should be mentioned just in case.
By the way, this is a great site. I just recently came across it and I think it’s pretty cool.
May 1, 2008 at 7:41 am
Telling me you have 4 people working on online doesn’t mean anything unless they can actually fix it. I have little faith in them at this point.
I guarantee that EA wouldn’t be saying they didn’t like the IGN video if everyone was posting positive things about it. What they don’t like is that they didn’t get a chance to put out one of their stylilzed trailers like they always do that makes everything look way better than it is first. Now people already know the sad reality of Madden 09.
The problem is that Madden 09 is the same as Madden 04 for the PS2 was, minus some features and fun that were in 04. It is just a prettier version of that game and lacks all the innovation that people expect from a next-gen (now current-gen) football game.
Look at a game like MLB The Show or something like GTA or the upcoming MGS4 as examples of games that are truly of this generation and have innovated and gone beyond last-gen.
May 1, 2008 at 7:58 am
How about instead of worrying about online, they should focus on gameplay details; specifically passing and tackling animations… quarterbacks look too robotic in madden games. 2K always did a better job at realistic throwing animations. Just check out the sig throws that are in All-Pro Football; why can’t madden do this?
May 1, 2008 at 8:03 am
[quote comment="19703"]We Need Horse Collars, Neck-Roll, Cowboy-Collars, Rib-Protectors, Hand-warmers, Eye-paint….Where is all of the things that the NFL player wears?[/quote]
Playskool’s NFL Fashion Show and Dress-up says, “Hi!”
May 1, 2008 at 8:20 am
Why is the star on Dalla’s helmet always ginormous? And another thing with regards to online leagues, Suppose you dont have 32 friends, but you have 20…….I dont understand why you have to play in an online league with every user a team? Why cant the remainder of the NFL teams that are not controlled by users play as the CPU?
May 1, 2008 at 8:42 am
[quote comment="19719"]And another thing with regards to online leagues, Suppose you dont have 32 friends, but you have 20…….I dont understand why you have to play in an online league with every user a team? Why cant the remainder of the NFL teams that are not controlled by users play as the CPU?[/quote]
Because thats not an online league. Online leagues have always contained just user controlled teams. The whole point of them is user vs user competition.
May 1, 2008 at 9:12 am
Hey Pasta!
Have you or anyone else heard if the EA Locker will be in Madden 09? (To spawn games and have an online ‘chise) I know it’s in NCAA 09 for sure! If you or anyone else could please confirm, that would be appreciated.
Thank you!
May 1, 2008 at 10:18 am
Stikskillz,
I have been trying to find out the same info. The spawn/merge feature is often overlooked as one of the better ideas in Madden. I think the developers were onto something great with it but never refined the system. The merge error caused by creating a pre-set limit of the amount of games that could be merged basically caused people to never accept it as useful. If EA would have taken the time to correct this then online franchises could be formed quite easily. A company called Simsportnet was able to reset the error for the PS2 version of Madden last year enabling many multi-season leagues to be run. Was it a perfect set-up? No. Drafts and free agent signings had to be done on a forum or in a chat room, but it worked. Unfortunately Simsports folded I believe. I just wish EA would have followed through with the refinement of the merge feature. I have my fingers crossed, but I am guessing we are SOL. At least NCAA developers got it right.
May 1, 2008 at 11:09 am
JB,
Thanks for the feedback! Hopefully Pasta or someone else has some more insight for us. It would be disappointing for NCAA to have it and Madden doesn’t. I still play 08 on Xbox for that feature, along with all the other features that make legacy gen better than next gen. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
May 1, 2008 at 11:34 am
[quote comment="19702"]Dear Phil Frazier,
I love the changes to the game that I have seen. Why not update the equipment that the players wear? Those long white/black things that look like socks that is supposed to be tape, get rid of it, please. Most player in the NFL wear Nike cleats, I know Reebok is the uniform sponser but not the shoes, so please change this. While at it add the teams colors to the shoes. We need offical gloves, not just the primary color of the team, orange Chi. Bears’ gloves (and orange cleats). Fix the player model sizes. Linebackes should not be as large are larger then D-linemen. Change the play selection back to what it was for last-gen. Even the Wii Madden got it right. CPU vs CPU. Let me watch the games. Make us love Madden Football games again. PLEASE!!![/quote]
exactly what i was thinking…how hard would it really to get this in?…i HATE the Reebok cleats so much
May 1, 2008 at 12:44 pm
[quote comment="19735"]
exactly what i was thinking…how hard would it really to get this in?…i HATE the Reebok cleats so much[/quote]
I must say… that in my 25-odd years as a gamer… that I have never looked at my character’s shoes and noticed that they were the wrong kind. Honestly, I wouldn’t know one way or the other anyway… nor do I care.
Really… how do you even know that they wear Nikes over Reeboks? Is this just something you notice during a tense game on a Sunday afternoon?
May 1, 2008 at 12:44 pm
My hope for Madden 2009 and all Maddens in the future is for them to steadily make the game more and more realistic…From visuals, uniforms, sidelines, stadiums, etc. down to every little nuance of the real game…
If it’s in the game, I want it ‘in the game’…
Ya know?
May 1, 2008 at 2:10 pm
I hate the Cowboys but I sure hope EA fixes their helmets. The star has always been way too big….
Also, I hope that they include classic jerseys. Dallas’ dark uniforms from the late 80s were sweet….
May 1, 2008 at 5:54 pm
[quote comment="19738"][quote comment="19735"]
exactly what i was thinking…how hard would it really to get this in?…i HATE the Reebok cleats so much[/quote]
I must say… that in my 25-odd years as a gamer… that I have never looked at my character’s shoes and noticed that they were the wrong kind. Honestly, I wouldn’t know one way or the other anyway… nor do I care.
Really… how do you even know that they wear Nikes over Reeboks? Is this just something you notice during a tense game on a Sunday afternoon?[/quote]
its not that i notice whether its Reebok or Nike in a real game, but u can easily see that there is variation in what they wear in regards to color/design–not specific brands. in the video game u definitley notice so i should be able to control all aspects of what the players wear. my gripe is on the same level as the people wanting field goal nets, towels, refs, etc. if they have it in real life it should be in the licensed game…like different cleat options.
to me there is a big difference between these:
http://www.whodeyfans.com/uploaded_images/week1-10-758420.jpg
and these
http://sports.ign.com/dor/objects/868499/madden-nfl-08/images/madden-nfl-08-20070502020640430.html
–in NCAA 08, these
http://sports.ign.com/dor/objects/890431/ncaa-football-08-/images/ncaa-football-08-20070426051549186.html
and these
http://www.spokesmanreview.com/stories/2007/oct/21/oregoncolor21_10-21-2007_G4BQRBI.jpg
May 1, 2008 at 11:02 pm
Check it out!!!http://www.gametrailers.com/player/33493.html
August 27, 2008 at 9:15 pm
-what happened to the chain gang in next-gen madden.
-what happened to the refs being on the field.
-what about the players coming out for the coin toss.
-the player introductions are to flashy for exhibition games.
-the player models need to be fixed a little better, long hair and dreadlocks not in ponytail for some players, what happened to tattoos (the shoulder pads get too big when you edit the player)
-they need more gear for the players to wear
-a more interactive franchise like the owner mode on playstation 2 (bring back Tony Bruno or something?)
-real facemasks for the right helmets, straps on the visors like NCAA 09
-a Devin Hester that really plays like Devin Hester. even though his speed is 100 he gets caught to easily by LB’s and DB’s. he can’t eluda a tackle to save his life
-why do attributes drop from 100 in the franchise
-Marion Barber’s stiff arm needs to be 100
-put the historical teams on the game forget the legends roster pool
-finally Willie Parker is not faster than Adrian Peterson
August 27, 2008 at 9:22 pm
-I forgot to mention that they should rate special teams players (the special teams defensive and recieving units)
-the spectacular catch weapon doesn’t really work (we need to see more one-handed catches, diving catches without pressing {xbox-X} {playstation 3-square}
-precision passing needs to be fixed tremendously
-in superstar mode the quaterback (when not a quarterback) always throws a bullet pass they never lob it
October 18, 2008 at 5:30 am
I just started playing madden and I want to know when tackling who to give does jarring hits? Can anybody help me. Thanks