Anyone else wonder why MGD's SUCK SO BAD?

[Coach Stag]

Maybe most of you don't play franchise much...

But why is EA able to write code to make REALISTIC rookies on Madden 2006 for Xbox and PS2, but on the 360 version we're back to the '05 RB's with 75 SPD and 56 BTK, WR's with 83 SPD and 70 CTH, QB's with 77 THP and 72 THA.....oh and how do corners with 84 SPD get into a COLLEGE let alone the NFL???

This is flippin' ridiculous.

Why can't they patch this, OR make (like rosters) generic draft classes available for download on Live????

Any insight?

[Bearfanmike20]

It would only be a guess but it sounds like the variables for the progrming became more complex and since they were rushing it they probable picked the easiest programing functions for the 360 06 version. I bet it's fixed in 07.

That's just a programers point of view.

[Coach Stag]

It would only be a guess but it sounds like the variables for the progrming became more complex and since they were rushing it they probable picked the easiest programing functions for the 360 06 version. I bet it's fixed in 07.

That's just a programers point of view.

If it's NOT fixed in '07 I'm gonna pull some Uni-bomber action on EA....no explosives just my dog's crap.

Just kidding.....

I figured it's part of the 'here's your stripped down we promise it's better next season' Madden. I trust in '07 they'll fix it...otherwise I got some packages to send EA's way.

[Bearfanmike20]

If it's NOT fixed in '07 I'm gonna pull some Uni-bomber action on EA....no explosives just my dog's crap.

Just kidding.....

I figured it's part of the 'here's your stripped down we promise it's better next season' Madden. I trust in '07 they'll fix it...otherwise I got some packages to send EA's way.

Stag you got to watch what you post... you know big brother is watching!!! ***(looks around nervously)***

[Rocket0Sauce]

that's is quite difficult to generate realistic rookie classes. Remember that it's not just about the player ratings. Here is what I think they factor into creating the rookie classes:

1. Player ratings:
   Each position probably contains a range for each rating. While this seems straight forward; think how much of a range these individual ratings can be. Compare two different positions: WR and DE. When setting the SP range for WR's you have to of course include 99. That's the easy part. However you also have to include a range down to 80. I can name numerous WR's that would be as low as 80 but I'll keep it down to two: Keyshawn Johnson and Joe Jurevicious. To quickly compare DE's let's take two ratings: SP & ST. Julius Pepper's pushes the SPD rating close to 90 while a majority of DE's should fall under the 60 - 70 range. That's a possible 30 point gap. Now take a player like Gbaja Biamila STR rating. It should sit around 65 while a player like Kimo Van Oehlhoffen will range up to 90. Again a near 30 point gap. I think I've demonstrated how much of a range within identical positions EA must factor. So, why are these ranges so important? They become the basis, along with a median, for a formula/algorithm that will output the proper number of players with appropriate ratings. I would imagine this formula is probably based on a bell curve to ensure a median is reflected more often than the extremes.
   
2. Player balance
   This factor is of utmost importance. The ability to have up to 30 seasons cannot be realistic if player balance becomes out of whack after a few seasons have past. This balance is influenced by several factors: retirement, progression, regression, incoming draftees. There are others that are not as direct like the CPU controlled teams depth (overload of talent at one position) and so forth. I've been playing "gamer" football since FBPro 96. Those leagues were largely sim based (stick skills not required) and the one most difficult aspect to manage was player balance. Ideally when one player retires a new player with similar characteristics takes his place. "Idealism is what precedes experience; cynicism is what follows...." Quote by David T. Wolf. This quote largely applies to our desired interests in the most realistic gaming experience possible. Take this scenario. Randy Moss retires. A superstar WR is needed to fill the vacancy in this position. So the game generate this player in the draft class. Obviously he will be pegged as a Top 5 draft pick. As a single team controller your chances of drafting him are, for simplicity sake, 1 in 32. Since the CPU is most likely to draft this player we again turn to the AI. The teams draft on weighted tendencies (you can also control these tendencies in the Coach's Options), so a team that has less weight on WR's may pass over him while a team with more weight on WR's will take him. Meaning he could be drafted by a team that already has a good stable of WR's on their roster. What happens to the Randy Moss replacement? It's possible he toils away as the #5 WR and never develops. The Randy Moss replacement is a failure and player balance is distorted. Is it possible another player progresses to superstar status that wasn't originally suppose to develop? Possible but almost entirely too complicated for the game to comprehend. So how does EA attempt to combat the problem of player balance? Truly they only know. I could surmise an educated guess but I would probably lose most readers that have stuck around this long. However I do believe there is a rudimentary algorithm that attempts to factor current players ratings with their potential ratings against players that are retiring in an attempt to derive a balanced draft class. In fact I think EA does a hell of a job in this regard since I have managed to sim my way through a 30 game season and you wouldn't know the difference in player ratings from Season 1 to Season 30.
   
3. Superstar balance
   How does superstar balance differ from player balance and why is it important? In the NFL superstars affect more of the game than in any other sport. They command a far greater portion of a team's salary, they dominate their position by a far greater magnitude, and they make "owners" do much crazier things to keep them happy. While the last part of that list doesn't affect Madden as much as the real NFL it still plays a role. Imagine a game with 20 Champ Bailey's, Ladainian Tomlinson's, Peyton Manning's. It wouldn't be a very fun game to play, not to mention very unrealistic. All of the factors in maintaining overall player balance play a role in superstar balance. This factor is only a complication.
   
4. Draft gems
   What fun would drafts be without finding that diamond in the ruff? Without draft gems why bother having a draft at all? EA puts a lot of effort into the scouting process and they always manage to sneak a few gems into each class. They also manage to make identifying the gems a challenge. Sometimes the gems are too hidden as I think the scouting figures are skewed to hide the gems, but that's also not unrealistic. There are dozens of examples of players who don't have much value out of the combine that become superstars. Zach Thomas comes to my mind first.
   
5. Draft busts
   You can't have draft gems without draft busts. As a Cardinals season ticket holder I can personally attest to the fact that draft busts plaque the top 10. EA does a nice job of including this factor in their draft classes.

Are there aspects of player management that frustrate me? Sure. I don't like the fact that players must play to increase their ratings. In the real NFL practice is the primary component of player progression. In Madden sitting a newly drafted QB a season has only one possible outcome. A reduction in ratings. In reality that QB would still progress somewhat. I'm also frustrated that overall team performance impacts player ratings much more than individual performance. Plus young players should only progress upward in the AWR rating for each game played, regardless of performance. In real life players only get better by making mistakes and learning from them. Plus there are hundreds of examples of players overcoming their team's poor performance to become quality players. These issues compromise the ability to turn a poor team into a quality team, through the draft.

Overall EA does an outstanding job dealing with player ratings. Aside from personal opinions on what current player rating are, I don't believe an argument against EA's work has merit. I think we all should have a lot more respect for the level of detail EA puts into our beloved game, and thoroughly examine the basis of our objections before painting broad strokes of incompentencies in our posts.



Note: My post is based on pure speculation and should be read with the knowledge that I have no inside information on how EA handles anything in their games.

[mag1cstik06]

Wow. That was very educational. I really didn't expect to read all of that, but it was a somewhat interesting assumption.

[NlKpapagiorgio]

I only started reading this thread because i thought it was about Miller Genuine Draft

[Rocket0Sauce]

I only started reading this thread because i thought it was about Miller Genuine Draft

It's not about Miller Genuine Draft? My bad.

Seriously, I just got on a roll with that post.

[Gtrght77]

I only started reading this thread because i thought it was about Miller Genuine Draft

Same here, i was going to defend my beer to the death.



Tastes Great!

[Bearfanmike20]

Same here, i was going to defend my beer to the death.



Tastes Great!

Less filling!!!

[kevin21boston]

I only started reading this thread because i thought it was about Miller Genuine Draft

lol, me too.

[Sacktastic]

I am not 30 yet so I dont know how it tastes.

[Coach Stag]

You're not missing much.

Red Dog is better, smoother and much less expensive. Consumer Reports taste tests proved it to be the best American Lager.

I also recommend Shiner Boch, a good Texas brew.

[kentroyals5]

MGD...thats what I thought too..beer...lol..as I drink a Coors Light (I'm in college...and my roommate left it in the fridge for a couple weeks, so don't judge!)