Here are some ideas that we’d actually like to have implemented.
I know I’ll be forgetting something, so let me hear your thoughts down in the comments/replies. Maybe some of our ideas will make it through to someone who can do something about it.
Franchise mode is broken, neglected, but most importantly it is set up like a franchise mode from the first days of video games. There is minimal control over the league, your season, or even your roster, in this day and age, a lot of the users who flock to franchise modes want a sandbox experience. They want to create scenarios, rewrite history, play out the rest of the season based on their predictions, etc. They want a sandbox to play in, and EA and Madden haven’t done much to give them that.
I understand that EA has made an effort to improve the mode, and that is definitely appreciated. Unfortunately, there is such a long way to go and I’m afraid that a well rounded and true franchise mode may never happen.
You will see a lot of idea similar to what 2k has to offer, the standard of franchise modes. 2k23 improvements have set it apart, but it needs to be clear that it’s not expected to do everything 2k does. It just needs to start on that path.
(Bold points are more important)
- There must be an easy way to control all 32 teams. Going through and creating a profile for each is too much time wasted.
- the start today feature needs a massive overhaul. It’s hardly up to date, takes way to long in the week to update the stats from the previous week, and most importantly it cannot be saved in an offline mode. Playing with real life stats is a huge draw, and the fact you can’t control the entire league or play offline is a huge miss.
- you cannot edit injuries in franchise mode. This should be a simple tab somewhere on the edit player screen. A scrollable list of all the injuries available, and a tab for the length out. Many people like playing with injuries for the realism, but don’t like it when their players blows a knee out for the year in week 2. Make injuries editable.
- edit injuries on normal rosters too.
- practice squads on the normal rosters, and keep them up to date. In fact, keep rosters up to date weekly. It cannot be that hard to have most of the roster moves and injures updated by the Tuesday of each week.
- dynamic fans in the stands. If your team is getting blown out in the 4th quarter of a game, let us here the boos of the fans still left. Have crowds filter out of blowouts, or not full stadiums for bad teams.
- a functional Injured reserve. Doesn’t have to be completely like the NFLs system, but enough where you can put players on for the year or for a few months.
- compensatory picks in the draft. I know the NFLs formula is probably very complex, I get it. Make up your own. Attach it to the value of a contract signed. Give us something similar.
- Undrafted Free agent signing period. right after the draft. Just a pool of guys who didn’t make it, with a chance to get picked up and added to a roster.
- better create a player options. Maybe a player editor, instead of preset faces?
- player DNA. There is no way to save the DNA or build of a player you have created. This would be significant for the roster creators out there.
- add a player in franchise mode. The ability to add a guy into the player pool of free agents would be nice. There is always a player that breaks out that isn’t in, and restarting is a pain. Give us the option to add a player into an existing franchise mode.
- Real life Coordinators, or give us the option to edit the coordinators names and builds. There are too many talented coordinators that move on to head jobs, and not many people want a fake coordinator on their team. It kills the feature completely to have computer generated ones.
- sandbox relocation option. Let us build a new team entirely, similar to FIFA or 2k. Give us complete control. (This must also have an option to download a created team from the Madden community.)
- improve the roster sharing capabilities! It’s like a mine field at times, and it’s extremely frustrating. If you want to grow your player base, make it easier/stable to share amazing rosters with the community.
- bring back the old school mini camp games. Those were the bomb.
- more control over the depth chart, subs. Have a preset option to split carry’s between running backs, or a defensive line formation, or have 4-5 WR on the field at a time instead of putting a lumbering running back out there. Subbing in general is painstaking at times, especially if you want to get rotations going. Multiple menus, multiple in game adjustments.
- options to change the rules. Like a league meeting after every year. New OT rules, salary cap rules, trade rules, ect.
- the ability to choose/override the pro bowl rosters. Set the positions, and generate a roster as best as possible based of the season. Just give the player an option to override or replace someone for the pro bowl.
- the ability to set/override MVP, OPOY, DPOY, ROY choice.
- postpone retirement for players. Let their be a retirement override for players. Tom Brady is playing at 45. It’s possible for many guys to play longer, let the user decide.
- add teams to the league! 36 team NFL? Sounds awesome. make an expansion draft part of it too.
- league realignment. Let us switch up conferences, divisions.
- in depth preseason game plans. Position battles, focus on starters getting team or reserves (could set them per quarter), set game plan to playing youth and resting older players, etc.
- coaching carousel. There is always black Monday in the NFL right after week 17. Let it happen, and then let the coaching carousel start. (Maybe make it still part of the offseason, and let the playoffs finish).
There is so much that Madden Franchise mode could be. Hopefully we will see some of these in a Madden update, or in Madden 24.
