Madden 09 Online League Impressions

by pastapadre
Posted August 7th, 2008 at 9:30 pm

The first thing I wanted to delve into after getting Madden 09 was an area of the game that hadn’t been previewed first hand and that is the addition of online leagues. We had details on how it would work but it is always better to do a real run through of a feature, especially when it relates to online play. So I spent part of the evening along with Fred from SportsGamer to try everything out.

Ultimately this online league system is not going to be sufficient for anyone running a serious league. It was clearly intended more for those who join random leagues and probably don’t end up completing a full season. Continue on to view screenshots of the league menus and information on what the online league feature offers.

If you decide to be the league commish (that role can be passed on to someone else later) then you’ll be setting up the league. When creating a league a number of options are presented.

The number of users for a league is anywhere from 2 to 32. Since there are no divisions it can be any number of teams. This isn’t an online franchise so only user controlled teams take part.

The number of games to choose from is 1,3 5, 7, 9 and 11. This signifies the number of times a team will take on each opponent. For example an 11 game season for a league that has 10 teams would result in each user committing to 99 games in total. I had to double check this because that seemed ridiculous that a league could potentially be set up for 341 games (31 opposing teams @ 11 games) but that is how it is described. “Enter the number of games to play against each league member”. So a full league of 32 users would at minimum require each one to play 32 games.

If you enable “unique rosters” then you have the option of having a draft and trades. The fantasy draft is not a true selection process instead it is an auto draft. You can set your draft list and priorities but ultimately the CPU will be conducting the draft. Player trades are always one for one (though you could agree to more and go through multiple steps to complete a bigger deal). Setting it to “restricted” means that they must be done within teams that have played the same number of games, while “simple” appears to allow them at any time. Leaving unique rosters off means that there could be multiple of the same team used and there will be no player movement (draft or trades) allowed.

As mentioned in the news on the first patch coming for the game the default quarter length is being changed to 5 minutes. Right now it defaults to 1 minute which most everyone would be changing.

Game skill level lets you choose from Rookie, Pro, All-Pro, and All-Madden. Fatigue and injuries can be turned on, and random weather is available. I did not find anywhere to set custom league sliders.

Basically all you have to do to get a game in is find someone who is online from the league, that you still have open games against, and challenge them to a league game. The person who challenges will be the home team.

After having completed a game we returned to the league area to see what would be displayed. The most important thing to mention is that there are no player stats. That right there is probably all many of you need to know. You can view someone’s online player card and their personal stats but no where are the league stats for players or even teams. All that is seen are the final scores, points for and against, and record against opponents.

In the comments some people have suggested that possibly unique rosters have to be set to yes in order to have player stats. This is something we’ll have to look into. Even if true, the default when setting up a league is no to unique rosters, and if Fred and I struggle to figure this out I don’t feel good about the possibility that the general consumer using leagues will know that is necessary in order to have them. After setting up a league with unique rosters on there is still no section to view stats, though I suppose it may be that it is added after a game is played. We should be able to check for this tonight.

Update: Player stats are in fact tracked when unique rosters are turned on.

The GM options are relatively limited. Changing the password, adding news, changing the trophy/logo, ending the league, and completing the draft and trades if applicable. As far as I’ve seen there is no way to change or erase results.

The playoffs are based on seeding as there are no divisions or conferences. I’m unsure as to how many teams are determined to take part in the playoffs as there is no option for setting that.

The only redeeming quality of the leagues is that you can set your depth chart and it loads up for the league games. Given how EA inexplicably hasn’t given that ability to the standard online games it is a nice thing to have here.

The lack of a web accessible component is also a big deal. Originally there was supposed to be one through EA Sports World. That may come in the near future as NCAA is getting the Online Dynasties viewable on EASW in the second patch. Though for the Madden leagues without details such as player ratings I’m not sure how much value people would find in browsing the latest happenings in a league other than checking records/results.

General online play impressions are to come this weekend but I’ve noticed a few things already in the short time I’ve been playing that I’m hoping will be addressed at some point.

As with the NHL 08 and NBA Live 08 league systems this turns out to be more of a glorified tournament or competition rather than an actual league feature. The addition of the playoffs does make it a more viable option though compared to those from last year. For people who just want to jump into an open competition with little organziation or planning it can make sense to utilize this feature. But for anyone who is running a serious league they’ll need to continue playing standard online games and using a third-party service to keep track of it.

Tags:

Eric

sound awesome
Eric

sound awesome
Eric

but its stupid that ea cant take the time to make good lgs theres no way online franchise is in discussion for madden 2010 first they need to improve the franchise and the online lgs to even think of that

Jeff

yeah eric your right

Eric

but its stupid that ea cant take the time to make good lgs theres no way online franchise is in discussion for madden 2010 first they need to improve the franchise and the online lgs to even think of that

Jeff

yeah eric your right

chris16

Thanks for the write up. Unfortunate about no Stats being kept. More importantly, in the league we are running we were planning on an 11 game schedule one game a week. Is this impossible to do becuause by the way you put it (we have 32 teams) even if we set it to 1 game the we would have to play 32 games each? If thats the case that is horrible.
chris16

Thanks for the write up. Unfortunate about no Stats being kept. More importantly, in the league we are running we were planning on an 11 game schedule one game a week. Is this impossible to do becuause by the way you put it (we have 32 teams) even if we set it to 1 game the we would have to play 32 games each? If thats the case that is horrible.
chris16

After reading again I believe the reason it was like that is becuase you only had 2 teams in the league so an 11 game schedule youd have to each play each other 11 time, If we have 32 teams it prob just means you play 11 game. 32*11=352 games. That does not seem correct?
chris16

After reading again I believe the reason it was like that is becuase you only had 2 teams in the league so an 11 game schedule youd have to each play each other 11 time, If we have 32 teams it prob just means you play 11 game. 32*11=352 games. That does not seem correct?
Bryan

Wow…I was getting ready to trade-in Ncaa 09 for this? Not to be a total downer, but I was really looking forward to this feature, and already have 2 different leagues I have committed to–but now, this sounds really disappointing.

No Stats? Seriously?

I was thinking that the Madden 09 leagues would be somewhat similar to the Ncaa Online Dynasties, but this doesn’t seem to be the case. Currently, I am in an online dynasty in Ncaa and so far, it has been a great experience. No issues like some have reported. I must admit, that comparing my stats to the other guys in the league is one of the best parts of the online dynasty feature. For instance, one of the guys in my league has chosen to play with Wisconsin, and his tight end (out of nowhere is in the running for the heisman (sp?) trophy. Just following his progress and trying to elevate one of my players to that position has been truly fun and interesting.

Pasta, what can possibly explain this attempt at online leagues? If they would have copied and pasted the Ncaa online dynasties with NFL teams, I would be WAY better than this.

With all of its faults, NCAA seems to be the best football game for me this year. Especially if the patch(es) really do a decent job of addressing some of the gameplay faults.
Bryan

Wow…I was getting ready to trade-in Ncaa 09 for this? Not to be a total downer, but I was really looking forward to this feature, and already have 2 different leagues I have committed to–but now, this sounds really disappointing.

No Stats? Seriously?

I was thinking that the Madden 09 leagues would be somewhat similar to the Ncaa Online Dynasties, but this doesn’t seem to be the case. Currently, I am in an online dynasty in Ncaa and so far, it has been a great experience. No issues like some have reported. I must admit, that comparing my stats to the other guys in the league is one of the best parts of the online dynasty feature. For instance, one of the guys in my league has chosen to play with Wisconsin, and his tight end (out of nowhere is in the running for the heisman (sp?) trophy. Just following his progress and trying to elevate one of my players to that position has been truly fun and interesting.

Pasta, what can possibly explain this attempt at online leagues? If they would have copied and pasted the Ncaa online dynasties with NFL teams, I would be WAY better than this.

With all of its faults, NCAA seems to be the best football game for me this year. Especially if the patch(es) really do a decent job of addressing some of the gameplay faults.
pastapadre

I’m going to double check on the # of games topic…I’ll update if it is different than the way I’m describing it. I agree it doesn’t sound right.
pastapadre

I’m going to double check on the # of games topic…I’ll update if it is different than the way I’m describing it. I agree it doesn’t sound right.
Pimmy

what an utter disgrace, this fucked over a lot of people running leagues on the web. kisses
Pimmy

what an utter disgrace, this fucked over a lot of people running leagues on the web. kisses
chris16

Thanks Pasta I am pretty sure the way I described it is the way it is. If it is the way you originally thought, well then that is probably the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard.

Also can you please contact EA and ask them how many teams make the playoffs if you have a full 32 teams? This is very important for us to know and I cannot seem to get an answer. Thanks for all your help and great site!
chris16

Thanks Pasta I am pretty sure the way I described it is the way it is. If it is the way you originally thought, well then that is probably the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard.

Also can you please contact EA and ask them how many teams make the playoffs if you have a full 32 teams? This is very important for us to know and I cannot seem to get an answer. Thanks for all your help and great site!
pat

pasta quick question will the peron whos running the online league set the difficulty level for everyone or will each person have their own difficulty level based on tha madden iq
pat

pasta quick question will the peron whos running the online league set the difficulty level for everyone or will each person have their own difficulty level based on tha madden iq
pastapadre

So looking through the options again, for the number of games it says “enter the number of games to play against each league member”. So potentially that would mean that you could have a 32 team league and require 341 games played for the regular season!

I thought I’d clarify that the number of games (1,3,5,7,9,11) doesn’t change regardless of number of users and neither does the description.
pastapadre

So looking through the options again, for the number of games it says “enter the number of games to play against each league member”. So potentially that would mean that you could have a 32 team league and require 341 games played for the regular season!

I thought I’d clarify that the number of games (1,3,5,7,9,11) doesn’t change regardless of number of users and neither does the description.
Dnxtlevel

Funny, i remember reading the IGN preview on online leagues in madden and the producer stated that there would be full stat tracking.

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/870/870503p1.html
Dnxtlevel

Funny, i remember reading the IGN preview on online leagues in madden and the producer stated that there would be full stat tracking.

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/870/870503p1.html
chris16

That is very wierd. If that is in fact the case then these on-line leagues are a complete failure. Thanks for checking/
chris16

That is very wierd. If that is in fact the case then these on-line leagues are a complete failure. Thanks for checking/
pat

so pasta can u please tell me how the diffucutly settings will be…will everyone have their own setting based on madden iq
pat

so pasta can u please tell me how the diffucutly settings will be…will everyone have their own setting based on madden iq
chris16

In that article it does say FULL PLAYER STATS? I really hope it is in there somewhere.
chris16

In that article it does say FULL PLAYER STATS? I really hope it is in there somewhere.
Dnxtlevel

yea me too! seems pointless without them. The league structure is somewhat like 2k does their leagues, the only difference is that the cpu will generate a schedule for you to play on 2k.
Dnxtlevel

yea me too! seems pointless without them. The league structure is somewhat like 2k does their leagues, the only difference is that the cpu will generate a schedule for you to play on 2k.
James

how can they even call this a league… this “new” feature is horrible, until madden makes a true online franchise with REAL trades, STATS, and a REAL fantasy draft they wont be stealing my $60

SO DISSAPOINTED, I was hoping they would prove me wrong this year but again… same old EA bull ish
James

how can they even call this a league… this “new” feature is horrible, until madden makes a true online franchise with REAL trades, STATS, and a REAL fantasy draft they wont be stealing my $60

SO DISSAPOINTED, I was hoping they would prove me wrong this year but again… same old EA bull ish
http://www.xboxlivesportsleagues.com/ bgdave

As Madden Commish over at Xboxlivesportsleagues.com, I can’t even begin to describe how disappointed this makes me. Especially since EA has been more or less lying about this feature since around April. Maybe Leaguedaddy paid them to make the Online Leagues feature suck.

I F*cking hate EA.
http://www.xboxlivesportsleagues.com bgdave

As Madden Commish over at Xboxlivesportsleagues.com, I can’t even begin to describe how disappointed this makes me. Especially since EA has been more or less lying about this feature since around April. Maybe Leaguedaddy paid them to make the Online Leagues feature suck.

I F*cking hate EA.
NDirish99

PASTA,
try turning unique rosters on
then it should track stats.
just a suggestion.
NDirish99

PASTA,
try turning unique rosters on
then it should track stats.
just a suggestion.
MannyBeltre

I wasn’t planning on joining a league anyway until the possibility of online franchise where you can transfer draft classes from NCAA OD’s, but this sounds like it will be disappointing for those with serious leagues like the Red Zone league over at ML.

However some could love playing others 11 times. We’ll see what happens.
MannyBeltre

I wasn’t planning on joining a league anyway until the possibility of online franchise where you can transfer draft classes from NCAA OD’s, but this sounds like it will be disappointing for those with serious leagues like the Red Zone league over at ML.

However some could love playing others 11 times. We’ll see what happens.
GT

Huh no player stats in league STUPID!! I hope tis is just a pre-release thing they cannot be that dumb can they?
According to this interview they were supposed to have the same stats that are tracked in franchise mode
“That being said, we have support for up to 32 users, full player stats, player trades, a fantasy profile draft, news options and a myriad of other features.”
looks like their online play will STILL be wayyyyy behind 2K!!!
http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/870/870503p1.html
GT

Huh no player stats in league STUPID!! I hope tis is just a pre-release thing they cannot be that dumb can they?
According to this interview they were supposed to have the same stats that are tracked in franchise mode
“That being said, we have support for up to 32 users, full player stats, player trades, a fantasy profile draft, news options and a myriad of other features.”
looks like their online play will STILL be wayyyyy behind 2K!!!
http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/870/870503p1.html
GT

Pasta anyway you can ask someone at EA if online league really are going to be this limited??? NO STATS!! Crazy
GT

Pasta anyway you can ask someone at EA if online league really are going to be this limited??? NO STATS!! Crazy
http://www.xboxlivesportsleagues.com/ bgdave

There are player stats:

I did a little research and the leagues should have player stats. You have to have the League set to Unique rosters=off. With Unique rosters, every guy in the league can have Tom Brady on their team. There’s no way to track stats if you have 10 of the same guy.

This video on EA’s website (which appears to be pretty new) describes it near the end:
http://www.easports.com/madden09/fullsite/media.jsp?itemID=360onlineleagues

Thus, as someone eluded to earlier, turn off Unique Rosters and Player stats will be there. The rest of the stuff though is still pretty inexcusable. Surely there is some way to have an authentic 16 game season that replicates the NFL, or at least where a commish could make it into the NFL schedule.

Someone find an answer to the 32 teams = 32 games thing and I might be able to make this work.
http://www.xboxlivesportsleagues.com bgdave

There are player stats:

I did a little research and the leagues should have player stats. You have to have the League set to Unique rosters=off. With Unique rosters, every guy in the league can have Tom Brady on their team. There’s no way to track stats if you have 10 of the same guy.

This video on EA’s website (which appears to be pretty new) describes it near the end:
http://www.easports.com/madden09/fullsite/media.jsp?itemID=360onlineleagues

Thus, as someone eluded to earlier, turn off Unique Rosters and Player stats will be there. The rest of the stuff though is still pretty inexcusable. Surely there is some way to have an authentic 16 game season that replicates the NFL, or at least where a commish could make it into the NFL schedule.

Someone find an answer to the 32 teams = 32 games thing and I might be able to make this work.
http://www.xboxlivesportsleagues.com/ bgdave

I typo’d the above, Unique Rosters should be ON.
http://www.xboxlivesportsleagues.com bgdave

I typo’d the above, Unique Rosters should be ON.
Ryan

Pasta during a game that features snow do the players slip and slide all over, or do they perform actions as they would with no snow? In other words is the snow just for show or does it actually have an impact on the game?
Ryan

Pasta during a game that features snow do the players slip and slide all over, or do they perform actions as they would with no snow? In other words is the snow just for show or does it actually have an impact on the game?
pastapadre

[quote comment="31282"]Pasta during a game that features snow do the players slip and slide all over, or do they perform actions as they would with no snow? In other words is the snow just for show or does it actually have an impact on the game?[/quote]

I haven’t played a full snow game, but I don’t feel like it actually affects play all that much.
pastapadre

[quote comment="31282"]Pasta during a game that features snow do the players slip and slide all over, or do they perform actions as they would with no snow? In other words is the snow just for show or does it actually have an impact on the game?[/quote]

I haven’t played a full snow game, but I don’t feel like it actually affects play all that much.