The move from Madden 11 to Madden 12

So it was once a forgone conclusion that we would migrate from madden 11 to madden 12. As we did previously from Madden 10 to Madden 11. However unlike Madden 11, which promised many things I found necessary, I have not pre-ordered madden 12.

Now a few caveats before my statements.

1. No information has of of the moment of this posting been released about Madden 12 (except for the inclusion of the surprise onside kick)
2. Because of this, no information is known about what is being offered by the new release (11 promised smarter reciever AI, Feet dragging and it delivered)
3. I have not played madden 12 in any incarnation and therefore am completely unaware of any drastic improvements not only claimed but actually implemented.
4. Based on changes in the above I may change my mind, but the purpose of this post is to share that my opinion right now is that...


We should not move to madden 12 when it comes out. We should continue our 11 league. Continue to draft, conduct Free Agency, trades, seasons, ageing, retirements and all that good stuff in madden 11. Leagues end after 10 years. I dont think we could make that, but 8 or 9 seams possible if 12 is truly awful.

Or we wait for them to sort their shit out, make vast improvements, and then migrate 4-5 months later.

Just my opinion, but right now I have no motivation to move to 12. Not when my team, the one I have built, and love. The one I have drafted and traded and played with and built stats with, seen progression and retirement in, exists solely in madden 11.

I tried to bring up the "we've got a lot invested in this league" argument a long time ago, and it got shot down almost immediately. I don't know why.

I maintain that we migrate to Madden 12 if (or when) the first in-season roster update comes out. If the entire season is a lock-out, I don't see a reason to migrate the league.

Jeff, do you not read sports gaming websites? They are announcing new features over the course of the next 3 months.

Check it:

http://www.operationsports.com/news/474423/madden-nfl-12-features-announced-over-the-next-3-months-x-books-dpp/

Finally, Madden 11 came out August 10. Thats almost 5 months away. That sure would be a long way out from announcing all of the new features. I think EA learned about promising things they can't deliver recently (basketball Jesus anyone?), so I'm sure they are a little more cautious going forward.

Jeff, you're admittedly premature here. Like Chris said, there's so much time before we hear anything.

Will we eventually migrate to Madden 12? I'm confident we'd have good reasons to. I like what Chris says about waiting for the first in-season roster updates. Gives people time to get the game.

Actually, it gives EA time to fix all the game-breaking bugs.

I'm almost positive that the number next to the "Madden" in this millennium corresponds directly with the number of awful bugs upon release.

radioheadhead wrote:Actually, it gives EA time to fix all the game-breaking bugs.

I'm almost positive that the number next to the "Madden" in this millennium corresponds directly with the number of awful bugs upon release.

Yeah, that too, of course.

Though the addition of tuner sets, which Jeff missed out on in his first post, *should* help alleviate that. So instead of waiting for one big title update, we could see daily updates/fixes at the beginning of the season. So that wait could feasibly be cut short.

I think too many of us will get caught up with the new Madden in the weeks of hype that will eventually come and will buy it day one. Then those who bought it will give it a week, perhaps play fellow 4thsl owners informally on 'Live - to get used to any differences.. and then we'll all be antsy to get the online franchise up and running.

All this will happen way before any roster updates or patches are even thought of.

We're to Madden what hipsters with money burning a hole in their pocket are like with apple products. The current model is great - till there's a shiny new model out..

We should immediately upgrade to this

Really things haven't changed that much

Also, what if they actually do the unthinkable and improve the online franchise mode?

omgitsbabyseat wrote:Also, what if they actually do the unthinkable and improve the online franchise mode?

That's not in any way unthinkable to me. They obviously want online franchise to be successful, because Madden could have a Call of Duty-like long tail following. We're the exception, not the rule currently. But enough improvements could change that.

Keep people clinging for dear life onto Madden, and you can sell more paid DLC and such. It's not just about initial purchases anymore. Therefore, I see them making online franchise improvements, bit by bit. I don't expect much this season aside from general game improvements. But I expect it in Madden 13 at the minimum.

I hear what "Dan the Brit" is saying, and I will likely get Madden soon after release, if not DAY AND DATE!!!!!

I still think we keep plugging on our franchise until a SUITABLE time to move onto the new one.

Has any opinions changed now we've seen the teaser and Mike & Todd's analysis?

No, cuz I still dont expect online franchise to get any of that goodness.

I think Tru Dat Nation could be Online Franchise Hub..... Maybe....

RealJeffSolo wrote:No, cuz I still dont expect online franchise to get any of that goodness.

Frankly, I don't give a fuck. We have LeagueManager. Any complaints about Madden 12 having built-in changes to online franchise is just an echo from the past to me. Thanks to LM, we have an ideal league situation already, and it's only getting better. I'm sure we'll have some changes to online franchise, even in small bites, but it doesn't matter as long as LM provides those great features for us.

And this is an important thing to note: a web-based UI will ALWAYS be more ideal than anything created for in-game use. I'd much, much rather peruse stats on LM on my computer than paging through a hub on the 360.

unless of course that online hub has the ability to watch watch other league games......

radioheadhead wrote:unless of course that online hub has the ability to watch watch other league games......

I wouldn't count on it. Looks more like a score updating dealio. I personally think it's online franchise and not tournament stuff. But being able to watch games in any capacity means more devoted server space for Madden 12. Whether they'll be able to justify the costs is up in the air. If online franchise can get popular enough, they might implement something like that. I'm thinking that would be in Madden 13 at the earliest.

When Madden 12 hits I think it would be hilarious if Aaron Rodgers or Peterson is on the cover only to have a game full of replacement players! I seriously doubt that will happen though.

[/quote]
Or we wait for them to sort their shit out, make vast improvements, and then migrate 4-5 months later.

Just my opinion, but right now I have no motivation to move to 12. Not when my team, the one I have built, and love. The one I have drafted and traded and played with and built stats with, seen progression and retirement in, exists solely in madden 11.

[/quote]

I am down for either of these ideas. I didn't want to move from 10 to 11 but am glad we did. I also would love to keep on bettering my team. What I don't want is a totally fractured league if we split.

I honestly love my team too. If, and it's a big IF, there's a way to migrate our franchise, I would love to move sooner to Madden 12. But if I'm losing all the progress I've made it'll be heart-breaking.

At the same time, it's healthy to let go of these things. And I think it'd be doing us all a favor, and really re-kindle the flames of the league in a sense. It wouldn't be stale, that's for sure, and we'd all be amped to re-tune our teams from scratch. That could be fun!

Having decided that transactions are too stressful, the last thing I want to do is start building my team for a 3rd time.

Sorry, but unless players retain their ratings, there's no way in hell we're going to transfer the rosters over.

The move to madden 12 is problematic... I see it as a major threat to the league... Change old man in me is scared.

ZgreenZ wrote:Sorry, but unless players retain their ratings, there's no way in hell we're going to transfer the rosters over.

I seriously can't imagine they'd pull your league rosters without the correct stats to Madden 12. In fact, it's impossible, with the way (I'm fairly sure) they're set up on the server. If this were the case, Derek Adams would have had trouble getting the right stats to match up with our rosters. The two are connected.

I'm more and more certain that the switch is possible, but is it worth it? I think every year having a "fresh start" is a great thing for everyone, so I'd be in favor of either. And Jeff, change is good. You should embrace it!

mikesuszek wrote:

ZgreenZ wrote:Sorry, but unless players retain their ratings, there's no way in hell we're going to transfer the rosters over.

I seriously can't imagine they'd pull your league rosters without the correct stats to Madden 12. In fact, it's impossible, with the way (I'm fairly sure) they're set up on the server. If this were the case, Derek Adams would have had trouble getting the right stats to match up with our rosters. The two are connected.

I'm more and more certain that the switch is possible, but is it worth it? I think every year having a "fresh start" is a great thing for everyone, so I'd be in favor of either. And Jeff, change is good. You should embrace it!

I would actually prefer starting anew with the Browns' shitty roster as well.

[quote="ZgreenZ"][quote="mikesuszek"]

ZgreenZ wrote:I would actually prefer starting anew with the Browns' shitty roster as well.

I consider it a way of everyone getting a fresh challenge in some capacity. Though I'd hope that the people with rockstar teams would be willing to actually negotiate trades.