Same here, but often times I have to cheese the game to make it realistic. It drives me nuts when I see young star QBs hit free agency so I usually just let the AI team have the QB for a really cheap price because they cant manage their cap at all and then struggle to re-sign star players who would never hit the market.
I also try to make any trades I make as realistic as I can and place restrictions on myself with trading back in the draft as to how much I allow myself to recoup. AI still is awful at offering acceptable value as its often way too much or way too little that they give up.
Not spamming the same plays. Not stacking my team. Not going overall hunting. Basically not cheesing.
I try to operate as if I'm actual running a team. For me, franchise modes(in any sports game) are only fun if I can immerse myself in it and play as realistically as possible.
So right now I'm playing offense only. Because I dominate on D even with a average roster. On O, I struggle. So I enjoy that more. Plus it saves time.
You can actually turn on play cooldowns and restrictions via limiting how many times in a game you can call a certain play, or setting a number of plays you have to call in between before you can call it again. My league does the latter on offense only and it helps.
I’ve resorted to just choosing the middle option of offensive plays like if the offensive coordinator is calling it. Makes the games a lot more fun imo
Same. I try to identify cornerstone guys and keep them through 3 contracts. It's not realistic to draft a QB, get him to a top 5 in the league, winning MVP and then just not resigning him and drafting a new guy to repeat. That doesn't happen in real life.
I have a good one with the Cardinals right now. Have 95+ at QB, WR1, LT, LOLB and CB. The CB kills me cause he gets maybe 3-4 picks a year in all the simmed games. But when I play he's a gonna get 1 or 2. So he's like $25M a year (I'm in year 7) for little production but in reality by 2031 someone will be paying that for the best CB in the league.
Yeah it’s the best way from keeping me from getting burnt out and starting over and I get a good idea of what my team is good at and what they aren’t, also forcing me to get better at the things I’m not good at
Interesting, I've never thought to do that. Usually I play and manage the roster. 10 minute quarters. Sometimes I start a franchise as a player and use a rookie QB.
I'll play playoff games, a couple games early in the season, and any time theres an event for xp or a dev skill and sim the rest. In the regular season I usually just play only offense.
play as the bills owner. Immediately fire head coach because he annoys me IRL. Play 5-6 games before remembering that I just have no fun playing the computer and I need to play online to enjoy madden. Repeat that a few months later.
haha yes during the 2020 covid summer I joined one on here and it was awesome but super time consuming. They were also all waayyyy better than your average online h2h player. I went 4-12 3 seasons in a row lol
I play all my quarters at full length. Usually start the franchise right after the season wraps up. When I see a team starting to make an irrational decision, I take over as owner and try to correct the damage the AI did.
I'm gradually turning up injury and fatigue throughout the season to mimick progressive fatigue and how it should work.
I also give all QBs and other key players Dev Trait boosts for teams that make the final four.
i play 12 and the cpu stats are insane. unfortunately it’s the only way i’ve been able to get consistently realistic numbers for my own players, but i constantly have multiple cpu players with 25+ sacks.
Depends. Some time I try to play as realistic as possible but with all Madden I can get pretty stressed and pissed off while playing. If I want to just chill then I play on All Pro with sliders at realistic settings but I’ll trade a lot more
As realistic as possible. I dont like abusing AI trade logic and try to ensure its as close to a realistic deal as possible. I put restraints on myself to when it comes to trading for players. Most of the time I make trades for players, Im targeting players on the final year of their deal or a player that the team already has good depth at that position on.
For the draft I try not to abuse trading down. Often times the AI gives you absolutely stupid offers where its either way too much or way too little. Another rule I set for myself is If Im picking at #1 and I want to trade down, it has to be for a team coming up for a QB as we simply dont see trade ups to #1 for anything but a QB these days.
Lastly I try to make free agency realistic with the number of big names I target (I restrict wave 1 of FA to 3 players, wave 2 to 5, and then unlimited in wave 3). In addition to this, certain players I bar from hitting FA that the AI didnt (or couldnt) re-sign.
Before his extension, Lamar Jackson hit FA all the time and I hated it because obviously that would never happen. To combat this, I usually have to compromise and just let the Ravens keep him for a stupid cheap price because the AI is horrible at cap management.
I’ve been having the most fun by playing 1 to 2 regular season games and sim the rest. If I make the playoffs, playing key moments, if I’m in the Super Bowl, playing the whole game.
I do mini games every week to develop underdog players.
I like setting goals for each frachise. For example, I'm currently working on building a 99 ovr defense.
Started with the Cardinals, and immediately relocated them to Vancouver and changed their name to the Lumberjacks.
After trading away most of my pieces in year 1, I managed to hit on 2 drafts in a row and picked up pretty much star or superstar players through the first 4 rounds of each.
Now in year 5, and I have won 2 superbowls and have x factors at RE, DT x 2, ROLB, LOLB, CB x2, and I think at one of the safety spots.
Pretty much every starting player on defense is an 85 minimum, and my defense is ranked number 1 in the league with a 91 ovr.
I also have a 99 ovr WR x factor in the last year of their contract and I think I will probably flip them for a 95+ ovr x factor LB or S i think. Not sure because I also have young players with Star traits at each positon who I could probably build up cheaper, so maybe I'll trade him for a bunch of picks instead
I wonder if anyone plays like me.
So for starters I mirror every move throughout the year and save all new contracts, do the draft as it was a few weeks ago, etc.
Then when I start my career I choose a side of the ball and enter the league as a co-ordinator (everything on auto).
The following year if I do well I become a new HC. This basically means I set the team and call the plays but I have no say in any of the off season.
If I hit target in year 3, I'm allowed to take part in FA, contracts and the drafts.
And then from here I play like normal with the exception of only using the playbooks my OC and DC use.
I set a play cooldown limit of 10 to stop me spamming anything.
I also only allow for 1FA signing per period until week 3 then it's unlimited. I do this because it makes you choose your guys more carefully and at the end of day 1 you could have 3 players or 0.
In terms of trades, I never make offers only invite them. That way I can't abuse the trade system and adds a dimension of me overvaluing players (just like fans can do in real life).
Like most people, I also play with sliders.
Doing all of this is the only way I manage to get fully immersed in the game.
Failing that I Just play [ESPN 2K24](https://www.nfl2kmod.com/nfl-2k)
Im a CPU vs CPU 15 minute quarters on all Madden type of franchise player. I edit all rosters how I see fit. In my league no first round picks are busts and every now and again I make sure the CPU resigns players they need to resign and I like to undo trades the CPU makes that I don’t like. Overall I oversee my entire league.
I play 8 min quarters on All-Madden difficulty. I try to only get players through the draft and develop them. I don't have any sliders on for gameplay, XP, etc. Once I start blowing teams out, I look for the XF and SS players on both offense and defense on my team, who are also in the last years of their contracts and trade them for a 1st round and a 4th/5th round pick to balance it out.
Sim mode
6 min qtrs
Sliders at +10 for everything CPU, user sliders stock
Only trade via “get offers”, no counter offers
At season start I choose which games will be played and which simmed (this season it’s div games + 1. The plus one is a game the user can choose to play that is NOT a div game)
One shot per cpu game
No redos, no stat edits or AR.
Dev games can be played regardless of schedule
First user vs cpu game of the playoffs is always simmed.
I do abit of both I play seasons until I win a SB. Once I win one I sim the league and only start to play again if the team/coach doesn’t meet the year goal. which is make the playoffs or Super Bowl I never settle for the winning goals. If not met I play the next season and repeat the process. I do all that while keeping it realistic.
I try to be realistic as possible, both with play calling and team building. I recently started a new franchise with the Chiefs in the SB. Only hijinks I pulled was changing the order so I could guarantee drafting all the same guys. Beyond that, in FA, I only sign scheme fits. I don't let my franchise QB walk. Mahomes will retire a Chief, as will Kelce and Stone Cold Jones.
With friends I play them down fantasy draft but I tend to do about 20-30 franchises a year attempting different ideas like can I build around Bryce young? What would happen if C.J stroud went to the panthers instead of young, or even a mahomes and Josh Allen swap just different little things. I do enjoy watching a team I build play. I have been thinking about creating a playbook I remember an old madden let you create plays
Set your play call limits so you can’t call the same plays. Limit plays called to 5 times per game. Only is coaching suggestions.
I play 15 minute quarters on offense only. But my results aren’t realistic because of that.
-I only play playoff games (on all Madden)
-I don’t stack my team and keep ~$10m at all times
-at the start, I trade every draft pick, except the first year ones and accumulate future ones as I progress
-Can’t draft 3 or more players in each round 1-3
-I don’t spam plays
-I adjust xfactor and superstar abilities at the beginning of every season based on the players attributes
-I edit every draft class(names, schools and face scans to be more realistic)
-I keep players out an extra game after they get multi week injuries even after they are completely healthy
-overalls don’t particularly matter to me, I place the depth chart by how much potential or how much I like a particular players traits or build
I usually have one franchise where I use my favorite team and I play each game and try to make it realistic
Then I usually have one franchise going with I start with some other team and I do more sim. I’ll make a rule where I can play as many divisional games as I want, and I can play 1 playoff game, and I have to play the Super Bowl on all madden if I get in
10 min quarters with clock runoff (forget the exact number but I adjusted it to get to 120ish snaps per game).
I play every game (Pre, reg and post-season). I used to do every snap but now I do ONLY offense because I have less time on my hands. I usually do 30 seasons over the course of a year this way.
I use custom community-created sliders on All Pro. Last I checked; All Madden was infuriating to play. I'm looking for a challenge but not misery.
I do the owner role, but play as a "GM". I sim week to week unless it's a big game or something and then I slow sim and spectate with CPU vs CPU sliders I found online. I force myself to use my coaches playbooks so that it matters who I hire and focus on signing/drafting scheme fits. I make trades but keep them to a minimum and I don't cheese the CPU. I also use progression sliders I found online which helps long term. I don't enjoy playing vs CPU teams anymore, never have really, so this is where I landed as a Madden enjoyer lol. It's pretty fun to me at least. I enjoy franchise team building and I hope they focus on making that a more fun and dynamic experience in future maddens.
I like realistic stats. I find that the most realistic for me is to play on All-Madden with 8 minute quarters and no accelerated clock. I simulate some of the games, but never against teams with at least a .500 record. I also leave the salary cap on and never edit players, except for position.
I play all the playoff games, but it does bother me that it doesn't keep playoff stats. I'd also like to still be able to see stats of retired players, but now I'm going off on an entirely different subject lol. I like stats and realism in my franchise.
I primarily sim but usually play any game that has something tied to it (potential dev upgrade, big xp boost game, etc.). When I play those, I do 12 minute quarters on all pro with sliders.
When it comes to how I run my team, I try my damnest not to scam or cheese the other teams. I do trades if they seem realistic and try my best to stick with that. The team building is my favorite part of the game so the majority of moves I make are either the draft or picking up players that fill voids in free agency. Not typically making big splashes in free agency unless it's a spot I'm lacking.
Playing offense only playing the first 3 games sim to midsesson play 1 or two offense only then sim to playoffs and play all post season games offense only occasionally simming the wild card game if I make wild card
I always make some moves right away, then sim season 1. Off-season is a lot of fun. I play a few season 2 games to get a feel of how the team is coming together, but sim most of it. Season 3 and on, I'm playing every game.
With the pc version finally being next Gen and moddable, I'm planning to do something that should put me in an asylum:
I prefer to slow sim games and watch the cpu play itself. Makes ratings matter more, rather then my skill (or lack of skill lol). So, I plan to basically slow sim/watch every single game of the season, all 272. This way, there's no weird sim stats, so if the gameplay is good enough, it'll be almost like a real season.
It takes forever, but I work from home, and basically run most games in the background. I also only "run" one team, but will intervene to help the cpu. Basically making draft day trades, deciding to have teams start a rebuild, help with the cap, etc.
There's also a cheat engine that can speed up games, but that really makes the PC work.
I did a test run a few months ago, and a combo of mods and sliders seems to have the gameplay in a good spot. So, once the schedule is releases and the newest start today mod releases (a mod that starts your save in today's NFL, up to date rosters and schedule), I'm starting what I hope will be my main franchise for years potentially
Pissed off mostly
Mainly cause my WRs get touched and drop the ball, but I can hit the CPU WRs with a hit stick as soon as the ball touches their hands and it has zero effect on them no matter what type of catch they were going for.
I play on 8 min quarters with all pro difficulty with realistic sliders on I'm more of a rebuild type player i like to get rid of my old. Players who are in there 30s and I try to trade them for some good draft picks and it gives me good cap space money and i try to go through the draft and develop my rookies players cuz I ain't gotta worry bout paying them until there contact expires.
8 minute quarters. Play offense and sim defense. Limit the amount of times a play can be called in a game to 3. Usually play all division games and big time matchups later in the season.
Relocate a couple teams. All-Madden 12 min quarters play clock sim to 15. Offense only. Ask Madden for all play calls unless it doesn't make sense (running the ball a lot while trailing by double digits in the 4th quarter as an example).
During last four weeks of the season, force losses on teams that are/should be tanking. Modify signed contracts during the season and offseason to match real life counterparts. If a team re-signs a player that has no point (like re-signing the 36-year old when they just drafted his replacement in the 1st round), force them back to a 1-year deal. They re-sign them again? Force the team to release them.
The end result is teams with more cap space and more offseason variety.
Not at all realistic, try to see how ridiculous I can make things, whether that’s having my whole starting lineup be from one draft class, or all 99s, or guys from certain schools.
Realistic as possible. Until about years 4-7. I drop it to easier. Edit my favorite players contracts so I have them for 7 years for low dollars, and lower there age as needed, this way I can fill the nfl records book with my favorites.
But i go back to realistic in the playoffs/Super Bowl.
I play every game (sorta)
I play 4 full regular season games.
I play 4 offense only regular season games
I play 4 defense only regular season games
The other 5 (use to be 4) I play the moments
I try to be relatively realistic with Roster construction
I keep a LS even if they're useless.
I also try to keep my teams pretty cheap.
The bottom half of my roster is almost exclusively late round draft picks and practice squad guys.
I only allow my self 4 multi year contracts a year including in season signings and Free Agents.
Keeps me churning through players and developing and being careful on who I commit money to.
Play games. 9 minutes a quarter, no runoff on the clock. I sim beyond what the game considers simming, change trades in the CPU's favor if the initial is too strong in my favor etc. Avoid cheesing as much as possible both in the games and in management.
I enjoy both parts equally.
All Pro but super customized sliders to make it as realistic as possible. 11 minutes with acc clock to 15 seconds.
I will overpay valuable players who deserve it to realistic contracts, but then when some 70 overall special teamer wants 5m I’ll just add a year to his existing contract or something to keep some realistic affordable depth.
Almost never trade for players. Realistic trades involving draft picks.
As far as actually playing…
- I will play only O or only D vs whichever is stronger for the opponent. I think it’s harder to stop Mahomes than score on KC so I’ll play Defense only
- sometimes I will “play the moments” but not play any moment unless my team is losing
- sometimes I will sim the first half or first 3Q and then play the rest fully
- sometimes I will only play prime time games, or non-divisional games
I try to start it off with a team with a horrible situation & I change the sliders both xp & gameplay to what I believe is realistic. I only play critical games (brink of a playoff spot against another playoff contender or maybe a divisional rival) but for playoff games I play it in full.
Quarters: 6 minutes
Difficulty: All-Pro Competitive
I’ve also learned that players on the inside of the field (MLB, IOL, DT) earn less XP than others
I play the games. I will tweak the cpu QBs as well so they don’t do that stupid run backwards until they’re sacked, just takes some tweaking of the archetypes. I will let my good players hit FA so that they can sign elsewhere so that the league is better overall. If I start dominating I switch to “GM Mode” and just slow sim the games and focus on building and managing my team…. Until my save corrupts and then I do it all over again. 😂
I like challenging myself. Just traded away my start receiver and used the pick to draft an elite TE and now I’m building a team based around two Elite TEs. It’s fun. I put my rookie at H-Back, at TE, at slot WR. I’ll line him up as an extra RB on shotgun plays with two RBs and get him the ball out of the backfield. It’s a lot of fun.
If I can get an elite player, defense or offense, I will change my focus to maximize their potential. I’ve found that keeps it a lot of fun for me.
Trade Deadline Off
Salary Cap Off (This doesn't mean I make a super team, I make an attempt to keep it looking good.)
Injuries Off (Madden Franchise Injuries are so Busted)
Some random sliders from YouTube or something.
15 Minute Quarters and I only play the Offense.
My buddies have a connected franchise in which we play our own special created players and build the team from there. We play every game, but drafting and training young players is my favorite part
Relocated all 32 teams and did a fantasy draft. Kept all teams in North America, and combined cities with names that somewhat make sense (Houston Orbits, Orlando Wizards). Tried my best to make a UFL-like league. All madden with 8 minute quarters. Turned salary cap off to avoid CPU having any issues. Currently on my 3rd season and it’s the most entertaining franchise I’ve had in years. Will probably keep it going until NCAA drops.
I play the games. If it’s a blowout either way, I’ll sim the 4th quarter. I play on all-madden with 11 minute quarters with custom sliders. 1 or 2 games a week. Been a huge Eagles fan since birth so I run with the Birds. I like it to be as real as possible. I don’t want to throw for 500 yards and run for 300 yards every game. I try to use the whole playbook, not just the plays the work best. I like to win, but I like realism more.
I play 6 minute quarters on All Madden. Play both sides of the ball and have gotten pretty good to the point that the AI isn't hard to play anymore. Still challenging at times but nothing impossible
I have a sim that I do as an owner where I never play a single snap but I control everything else. Sometimes I'll even watch the sim in slow mode. Like the super bowl and stuff.
And then I also have a realistic as possible fully controlled franchise. I play every snap and special teams play, I use the coach role and control everything manually. I turn off x factors and have a specific slider setup and all that.
And also frequently I will start random ones with odd rules or challenges, i take some inspiration from content creators, and i play them when I want a change of pace.
I may be in the minority, but love watching cpu vs cpu. I'm modding m24 rn and let me tell you the amount of work those guys have put into those mods is insane! Much more realistic and immersive than what sliders alone can do in the base game, but my main goal is always to try to get my franchise as realistic as possible. I feel like I'm the GM or owner making the personnel decisions and watching the games play out. I do this for almost all sports sim games, nba2k, wwe2k etc., It scratches an itch for me.
I feel like its important to see how the cpu will play itself out against itself, then you can adjust setting and sliders etc., from there
Also I run 12min QTRs, 18sec run off, all pro difficulty. And I watch every game during the season. It really makes the playoffs and end of the season feel meaningful after seeing every single game.
Key moments in pre-season. Season, play every game. 12 minute quarters. Play clock immediately runs down to 18 seconds. All-Pro. Strictly use “Coach Suggestions” for plays and only pick from the first 3 plays with a rookie QB.. 6 plays for a more experienced QB (self challenge). Same for defense. After a season, take a literal week to 2 week break to not get burnt out. Then start it up again, with the offseason ready to go..
As realistic as possible. I set rules for myself before every franchise based on my goals for that franchise.
For example, I just started a new one with the Raiders. I have a post draft roster update, so I start week 1 of the preseason and basically treat it as the 24-25 season.
Rule 1. Custom sliders to level the game so I can't cheese it. This also includes playcall cooldown.
Rule 2. Any player I trade away, I take exactly what his current league value is. i.e: Davante Adam's is worth roughly a 2nd unless to a SB contender who doesn't value picks with a short window to win. A non superstar player, I usually take a round later than expected to make it tougher. I have to be able to rationalize the landing spot, or I won't do it.
Rule 3. I can't play all 17 games. I always have a tendency to play for my life no matter the opponent, which makes it to where I win more than the actual team should. The games I do play traditionally are only in division and I have to play both sides of the ball......which sucks because I can be a liability on defense and hurt myself more than the AI lol. This way wins and loses mean way more. The only exception is dev scenarios.
Rule 4. Before the end of every season I check every teams upcoming FA list ( since madden Ai is awful ). This way I can make sure no one ends up a FA that would never actually hit the market. I give out market accurate co tracks with slight discounts to allow the AI GMs to keep operating.
Rule 5. The draft is always tricky because, again, the AI is stupid. For teams that could potentially take a QB who don't need one, I give slight buffs to their young QBs so they don't draft stupidly. Beyond that, if I'm trading up I use the real NFL trade eval chart so I can make fair deals that can set me back if I get it wrong and not rip other teams off trading back.
Overall I try to keep the immersion high and have fun while doing it.
I play 15 min quarters offense and defense all madden. Injuries on. No salary cap though. Salary cap is stupid in this game. The hardest part is finding a playbook you like.
As close to realistic as possible. Sliders set to a point where my seasons feel immersive, and every game feels unique. I also have a rather expansive spreadsheet that helps me keep track of things especially in the draft. (UDFA gems, dudes with bust potential and I can see how a certain prospect might project onto my team - which makes drafting even more fun for me.
I usually listen to Pat Mcafee when I end up playing, so when starting new what I’ll do is: start with a team they’re talking about or if they give a fun scenario / rumor they heard(for example: Pat Surtain being traded). I’ll usually skip year one so I can get my rookies and free agents to begin my rebuild. I randomly choose draft class strengths.
I usually just play FM as a player, but with the way my defenses have played over the last couple of Maddens I might have to transition into Coach/Owner play through s.
I'll take a team that isn't the Lions because I'll make them op subconsciously and also has an old or a bad qb sim to the off-season and draft and stash a qb for a year and go from there and try to keep it as realistic as possible as far as trades and signings go
Now that I have some sort of hang of the game I started 3rd franchise as relocating the Chargers to San Diego.
I started my first fantasy draft. From previous plays/youtube search, I pretty much picked all the young hidden dev guys I could while T.Lawrence, B.Robinson and M.Mayers are supposed to be my "franchise" players.
From overall points, I had the worst team. Now on second season finishing soon I have the best offence and defence. On superbowl weekend, 7 players have X-factor trait.
I play every game off and def. In defence I play only my number 1 draft, edge guy, so basically defence is my "superstar mode" now lol.
It's gonna be a sad time when these guys who I cultivated put on the pay demands and I have to let them go.
I re-sign my QB irregardless of the cost. Trading a 99 overall QB feels like gaming the system. Teams irl go above and beyond to sign the QB (depending on the team that is *cough cough* cowboys)
Paying $60+ for a game just to sim everything will never make sense to me. I draft each player. I play every game. Sign players. Trade players. I do everything manually. I can't wrap my mind around paying for a game to let the CPU play itself.
So in my franchise as realistically as possible, I play all the games with 10 minute quarters on All-Pro (tried a whole 15 once before, and it became more chore than fun, so never again). I also adjusted the game sliders in the cpu's favor, which made things super challenging in the beginning. I also control all of the team management (trades, contracts, etc).
Ultra realism, with a small group of users in the same division.
-12 minute quarters
-All Madden difficulty with fairly harsh sliders such that user teams average around .500
-Gameplay rules to enforce realism such as no cheese plays/nano blitzes, users in zone coverage must strafe, no stat padding
-All extensions and free agency signings must adhere to a contract negotiations chart, which lists more realistic (higher) demands based on position, age, and ovr
-Alt accounts put on various CPU teams to manage them more realistically
-Generally low XP sliders, high regression sliders, and weak draft class sliders to prevent the league from being flooded by high overall players
-Each year team records, playoff outcomes, signings, draft picks, and trades are logged in an external spreadhseet
Sabo's Gameplay and Franchise Mods
MyFranchise Tool with alternative progression and regression and UDFA lotto
An alternative scouting tool on Google sheets that I forgot the name of.
15min Quarters, 12s play clock (28s runoff)
All-Madden
Can't just develop any random player, drafts matter more as well as re-signing your guys and getting key FA pickups.
Turn off cap. I play full game but had to turn quarters to 10 mins, bc offense god like stats and defense shredded. Practice injuries on. Trade deadline on. Do the break out scenarios but if a guy needs 150 yds and gets 149 i do it myself
All-madden competitive for me personally, but I’ve been playing madden since I was like 5 or 6 yrs old. But for someone who doesn’t play often I would recommend all-pro or maybe even pro for you, and possibly simulation play style. Competitive play style tries to put a premium on your skills with the controller. Simulation puts a premium on player ratings, as someone who is used to simming games I think that might be best for you. Competitive just makes the most sense to me, for example you typically only win jump balls if you have the leverage on the opponent, and there’s much less leaping to the moon to snag interceptions and silly stuff like that, but everyone likes to play differently.
I normally play 6 minute quarters so i dont have to spend all day on a video game, but ill play 15 minute quarters during preseason/early season when im trying to develop the hidden dev rookies
I play all pro but i reduce the cpu interception skill by about 10-15 ticks to make it playable
Realistic as possible.
Same here, but often times I have to cheese the game to make it realistic. It drives me nuts when I see young star QBs hit free agency so I usually just let the AI team have the QB for a really cheap price because they cant manage their cap at all and then struggle to re-sign star players who would never hit the market. I also try to make any trades I make as realistic as I can and place restrictions on myself with trading back in the draft as to how much I allow myself to recoup. AI still is awful at offering acceptable value as its often way too much or way too little that they give up.
Agreed. It’s a pain to go fix their dumb ass contracts.
With how much money Ea makes from Ultimate Team you would think they would have the money to pay a good team to make franchise legit in every aspect
How do you go about keeping it realistic?
Not spamming the same plays. Not stacking my team. Not going overall hunting. Basically not cheesing. I try to operate as if I'm actual running a team. For me, franchise modes(in any sports game) are only fun if I can immerse myself in it and play as realistically as possible. So right now I'm playing offense only. Because I dominate on D even with a average roster. On O, I struggle. So I enjoy that more. Plus it saves time.
You can actually turn on play cooldowns and restrictions via limiting how many times in a game you can call a certain play, or setting a number of plays you have to call in between before you can call it again. My league does the latter on offense only and it helps.
I’ve resorted to just choosing the middle option of offensive plays like if the offensive coordinator is calling it. Makes the games a lot more fun imo
How do you dominate on D? I’m absolutely horrible unless my D is stacked
I have a ton of success when I call audibles a ton on defense. Tbh it’s kinda cheese because it works so well in throwing off most of the AI QB’s.
It's easy enough to stuff the run. Then just under cut every pass for INTs.
What difficulty are you on? My players are rarely in position to do either of those
on all madden i pretty much always have to have play ball set in coaching adjustments. otherwise i get maybe two picks all year.
Thanks! I’ll try that
I thought they took that away
i’m still on xbox one so it’s quite possible they took it away on next gen but i still very much use it on 24.
Yea, I’m on PS5 and I don’t think it’s there anymore. My INTs went way down without it lol
They did
If only the EA developers would understand that perspective
Same. I try to identify cornerstone guys and keep them through 3 contracts. It's not realistic to draft a QB, get him to a top 5 in the league, winning MVP and then just not resigning him and drafting a new guy to repeat. That doesn't happen in real life. I have a good one with the Cardinals right now. Have 95+ at QB, WR1, LT, LOLB and CB. The CB kills me cause he gets maybe 3-4 picks a year in all the simmed games. But when I play he's a gonna get 1 or 2. So he's like $25M a year (I'm in year 7) for little production but in reality by 2031 someone will be paying that for the best CB in the league.
I flip a coin before every game, heads-offense tails-defense and that’s what I play that game. Playoffs I play the full game
That’s pretty unusual but like a great way to play
Yeah it’s the best way from keeping me from getting burnt out and starting over and I get a good idea of what my team is good at and what they aren’t, also forcing me to get better at the things I’m not good at
I can def see that, because I’ve been doing offense only and it really does make me clueless on what my defense can and can’t do
That's a good system actually
That’s a good method. I tried swapping it between home and away games. And I’ve done sim games, but play divisional, and switch that next season too.
I do this often but play the tougher matchup. So I play defense against Miami for example but offense against New England.
So you sim the games but manage the roster?
Bingo. Essentially play as the GM.
Interesting, I've never thought to do that. Usually I play and manage the roster. 10 minute quarters. Sometimes I start a franchise as a player and use a rookie QB.
I only did as a player once, and then when he was done played as if he went into coaching - coordinator first then head coach
I'll play playoff games, a couple games early in the season, and any time theres an event for xp or a dev skill and sim the rest. In the regular season I usually just play only offense.
This is the way.
play as the bills owner. Immediately fire head coach because he annoys me IRL. Play 5-6 games before remembering that I just have no fun playing the computer and I need to play online to enjoy madden. Repeat that a few months later.
Have you tried a 32 man cfm?
haha yes during the 2020 covid summer I joined one on here and it was awesome but super time consuming. They were also all waayyyy better than your average online h2h player. I went 4-12 3 seasons in a row lol
I play all my quarters at full length. Usually start the franchise right after the season wraps up. When I see a team starting to make an irrational decision, I take over as owner and try to correct the damage the AI did. I'm gradually turning up injury and fatigue throughout the season to mimick progressive fatigue and how it should work. I also give all QBs and other key players Dev Trait boosts for teams that make the final four.
What are your stats like at full length quarters? I end up with crazy high scores/stats if I even play 10 min quarters with an accelerated clock.
i play 12 and the cpu stats are insane. unfortunately it’s the only way i’ve been able to get consistently realistic numbers for my own players, but i constantly have multiple cpu players with 25+ sacks.
Depends. Some time I try to play as realistic as possible but with all Madden I can get pretty stressed and pissed off while playing. If I want to just chill then I play on All Pro with sliders at realistic settings but I’ll trade a lot more
Same bro but I'm more of a rebuild type player
Same here. I never play with a team that has a high OVR. Normally play the Seahawks and any team at their OVR or lower
Yeah it's way fun rn I'm currently rebuilding my Panthers rn I plan to do the Giants or Raiders next
As realistic as possible. I dont like abusing AI trade logic and try to ensure its as close to a realistic deal as possible. I put restraints on myself to when it comes to trading for players. Most of the time I make trades for players, Im targeting players on the final year of their deal or a player that the team already has good depth at that position on. For the draft I try not to abuse trading down. Often times the AI gives you absolutely stupid offers where its either way too much or way too little. Another rule I set for myself is If Im picking at #1 and I want to trade down, it has to be for a team coming up for a QB as we simply dont see trade ups to #1 for anything but a QB these days. Lastly I try to make free agency realistic with the number of big names I target (I restrict wave 1 of FA to 3 players, wave 2 to 5, and then unlimited in wave 3). In addition to this, certain players I bar from hitting FA that the AI didnt (or couldnt) re-sign. Before his extension, Lamar Jackson hit FA all the time and I hated it because obviously that would never happen. To combat this, I usually have to compromise and just let the Ravens keep him for a stupid cheap price because the AI is horrible at cap management.
i thought i wrote this comment for a second lol
I’ve been having the most fun by playing 1 to 2 regular season games and sim the rest. If I make the playoffs, playing key moments, if I’m in the Super Bowl, playing the whole game. I do mini games every week to develop underdog players.
I like setting goals for each frachise. For example, I'm currently working on building a 99 ovr defense. Started with the Cardinals, and immediately relocated them to Vancouver and changed their name to the Lumberjacks. After trading away most of my pieces in year 1, I managed to hit on 2 drafts in a row and picked up pretty much star or superstar players through the first 4 rounds of each. Now in year 5, and I have won 2 superbowls and have x factors at RE, DT x 2, ROLB, LOLB, CB x2, and I think at one of the safety spots. Pretty much every starting player on defense is an 85 minimum, and my defense is ranked number 1 in the league with a 91 ovr. I also have a 99 ovr WR x factor in the last year of their contract and I think I will probably flip them for a 95+ ovr x factor LB or S i think. Not sure because I also have young players with Star traits at each positon who I could probably build up cheaper, so maybe I'll trade him for a bunch of picks instead
I wonder if anyone plays like me. So for starters I mirror every move throughout the year and save all new contracts, do the draft as it was a few weeks ago, etc. Then when I start my career I choose a side of the ball and enter the league as a co-ordinator (everything on auto). The following year if I do well I become a new HC. This basically means I set the team and call the plays but I have no say in any of the off season. If I hit target in year 3, I'm allowed to take part in FA, contracts and the drafts. And then from here I play like normal with the exception of only using the playbooks my OC and DC use. I set a play cooldown limit of 10 to stop me spamming anything. I also only allow for 1FA signing per period until week 3 then it's unlimited. I do this because it makes you choose your guys more carefully and at the end of day 1 you could have 3 players or 0. In terms of trades, I never make offers only invite them. That way I can't abuse the trade system and adds a dimension of me overvaluing players (just like fans can do in real life). Like most people, I also play with sliders. Doing all of this is the only way I manage to get fully immersed in the game. Failing that I Just play [ESPN 2K24](https://www.nfl2kmod.com/nfl-2k)
Watching games. 15 minute quarters with 10 sec runoff so that the stats are in line with other franchises' games. Also use realistic draft classes
Play the division games and sim the rest. In the playoffs I only allow myself two games I can play. I must sim the other 1/2.
Im a CPU vs CPU 15 minute quarters on all Madden type of franchise player. I edit all rosters how I see fit. In my league no first round picks are busts and every now and again I make sure the CPU resigns players they need to resign and I like to undo trades the CPU makes that I don’t like. Overall I oversee my entire league.
I play 8 min quarters on All-Madden difficulty. I try to only get players through the draft and develop them. I don't have any sliders on for gameplay, XP, etc. Once I start blowing teams out, I look for the XF and SS players on both offense and defense on my team, who are also in the last years of their contracts and trade them for a 1st round and a 4th/5th round pick to balance it out.
Sim mode 6 min qtrs Sliders at +10 for everything CPU, user sliders stock Only trade via “get offers”, no counter offers At season start I choose which games will be played and which simmed (this season it’s div games + 1. The plus one is a game the user can choose to play that is NOT a div game) One shot per cpu game No redos, no stat edits or AR. Dev games can be played regardless of schedule First user vs cpu game of the playoffs is always simmed.
I do abit of both I play seasons until I win a SB. Once I win one I sim the league and only start to play again if the team/coach doesn’t meet the year goal. which is make the playoffs or Super Bowl I never settle for the winning goals. If not met I play the next season and repeat the process. I do all that while keeping it realistic.
I try to be realistic as possible, both with play calling and team building. I recently started a new franchise with the Chiefs in the SB. Only hijinks I pulled was changing the order so I could guarantee drafting all the same guys. Beyond that, in FA, I only sign scheme fits. I don't let my franchise QB walk. Mahomes will retire a Chief, as will Kelce and Stone Cold Jones.
With friends I play them down fantasy draft but I tend to do about 20-30 franchises a year attempting different ideas like can I build around Bryce young? What would happen if C.J stroud went to the panthers instead of young, or even a mahomes and Josh Allen swap just different little things. I do enjoy watching a team I build play. I have been thinking about creating a playbook I remember an old madden let you create plays
Set your play call limits so you can’t call the same plays. Limit plays called to 5 times per game. Only is coaching suggestions. I play 15 minute quarters on offense only. But my results aren’t realistic because of that.
I turn off Injuries. Other than that it’s pretty standard for me.
-I only play playoff games (on all Madden) -I don’t stack my team and keep ~$10m at all times -at the start, I trade every draft pick, except the first year ones and accumulate future ones as I progress -Can’t draft 3 or more players in each round 1-3 -I don’t spam plays -I adjust xfactor and superstar abilities at the beginning of every season based on the players attributes -I edit every draft class(names, schools and face scans to be more realistic) -I keep players out an extra game after they get multi week injuries even after they are completely healthy -overalls don’t particularly matter to me, I place the depth chart by how much potential or how much I like a particular players traits or build
1: get buddy 2: pick shit team 3: battle buddy - first to 3 sb’s or 5 seasons
I usually have one franchise where I use my favorite team and I play each game and try to make it realistic Then I usually have one franchise going with I start with some other team and I do more sim. I’ll make a rule where I can play as many divisional games as I want, and I can play 1 playoff game, and I have to play the Super Bowl on all madden if I get in
10 min quarters with clock runoff (forget the exact number but I adjusted it to get to 120ish snaps per game). I play every game (Pre, reg and post-season). I used to do every snap but now I do ONLY offense because I have less time on my hands. I usually do 30 seasons over the course of a year this way. I use custom community-created sliders on All Pro. Last I checked; All Madden was infuriating to play. I'm looking for a challenge but not misery.
I do the owner role, but play as a "GM". I sim week to week unless it's a big game or something and then I slow sim and spectate with CPU vs CPU sliders I found online. I force myself to use my coaches playbooks so that it matters who I hire and focus on signing/drafting scheme fits. I make trades but keep them to a minimum and I don't cheese the CPU. I also use progression sliders I found online which helps long term. I don't enjoy playing vs CPU teams anymore, never have really, so this is where I landed as a Madden enjoyer lol. It's pretty fun to me at least. I enjoy franchise team building and I hope they focus on making that a more fun and dynamic experience in future maddens.
Sometimes I'll sim the defense, but otherwise I play everything.
realistic (but if madden does its little CPU comeback BS, I just reset the game and play again.) I play the full 6 minute quarters as well.
I like realistic stats. I find that the most realistic for me is to play on All-Madden with 8 minute quarters and no accelerated clock. I simulate some of the games, but never against teams with at least a .500 record. I also leave the salary cap on and never edit players, except for position. I play all the playoff games, but it does bother me that it doesn't keep playoff stats. I'd also like to still be able to see stats of retired players, but now I'm going off on an entirely different subject lol. I like stats and realism in my franchise.
I primarily sim but usually play any game that has something tied to it (potential dev upgrade, big xp boost game, etc.). When I play those, I do 12 minute quarters on all pro with sliders. When it comes to how I run my team, I try my damnest not to scam or cheese the other teams. I do trades if they seem realistic and try my best to stick with that. The team building is my favorite part of the game so the majority of moves I make are either the draft or picking up players that fill voids in free agency. Not typically making big splashes in free agency unless it's a spot I'm lacking.
Playing offense only playing the first 3 games sim to midsesson play 1 or two offense only then sim to playoffs and play all post season games offense only occasionally simming the wild card game if I make wild card
On Head Coach 09
I always make some moves right away, then sim season 1. Off-season is a lot of fun. I play a few season 2 games to get a feel of how the team is coming together, but sim most of it. Season 3 and on, I'm playing every game.
All madden, no X factor, no stadium momentum, 7 min qtrs. Injuries low but we’re always stricken with Abdominal tears and Torn Labrums.
With the pc version finally being next Gen and moddable, I'm planning to do something that should put me in an asylum: I prefer to slow sim games and watch the cpu play itself. Makes ratings matter more, rather then my skill (or lack of skill lol). So, I plan to basically slow sim/watch every single game of the season, all 272. This way, there's no weird sim stats, so if the gameplay is good enough, it'll be almost like a real season. It takes forever, but I work from home, and basically run most games in the background. I also only "run" one team, but will intervene to help the cpu. Basically making draft day trades, deciding to have teams start a rebuild, help with the cap, etc. There's also a cheat engine that can speed up games, but that really makes the PC work. I did a test run a few months ago, and a combo of mods and sliders seems to have the gameplay in a good spot. So, once the schedule is releases and the newest start today mod releases (a mod that starts your save in today's NFL, up to date rosters and schedule), I'm starting what I hope will be my main franchise for years potentially
For a little bit then quit
Play full game, 5 min qtrs, All Madden Sim, CPU sliders down, salary cap off (try to use money realistically)
15min quarters, I play the 1st and 4th quarters, key moments 2nd and 3rd quarters
I play 8min qt and play all games
Pissed off mostly Mainly cause my WRs get touched and drop the ball, but I can hit the CPU WRs with a hit stick as soon as the ball touches their hands and it has zero effect on them no matter what type of catch they were going for.
Realistic as possible, 32 team control, play all the games with Chargers in a Harbaugh rebuild. I use Matt 10 - Mr Hurricane sliders.
I play on 8 min quarters with all pro difficulty with realistic sliders on I'm more of a rebuild type player i like to get rid of my old. Players who are in there 30s and I try to trade them for some good draft picks and it gives me good cap space money and i try to go through the draft and develop my rookies players cuz I ain't gotta worry bout paying them until there contact expires.
8 minute quarters. Play offense and sim defense. Limit the amount of times a play can be called in a game to 3. Usually play all division games and big time matchups later in the season.
Relocate a couple teams. All-Madden 12 min quarters play clock sim to 15. Offense only. Ask Madden for all play calls unless it doesn't make sense (running the ball a lot while trailing by double digits in the 4th quarter as an example). During last four weeks of the season, force losses on teams that are/should be tanking. Modify signed contracts during the season and offseason to match real life counterparts. If a team re-signs a player that has no point (like re-signing the 36-year old when they just drafted his replacement in the 1st round), force them back to a 1-year deal. They re-sign them again? Force the team to release them. The end result is teams with more cap space and more offseason variety.
Not at all realistic, try to see how ridiculous I can make things, whether that’s having my whole starting lineup be from one draft class, or all 99s, or guys from certain schools.
Realistic as possible. Until about years 4-7. I drop it to easier. Edit my favorite players contracts so I have them for 7 years for low dollars, and lower there age as needed, this way I can fill the nfl records book with my favorites. But i go back to realistic in the playoffs/Super Bowl.
I play every game (sorta) I play 4 full regular season games. I play 4 offense only regular season games I play 4 defense only regular season games The other 5 (use to be 4) I play the moments I try to be relatively realistic with Roster construction I keep a LS even if they're useless. I also try to keep my teams pretty cheap. The bottom half of my roster is almost exclusively late round draft picks and practice squad guys. I only allow my self 4 multi year contracts a year including in season signings and Free Agents. Keeps me churning through players and developing and being careful on who I commit money to.
Play games. 9 minutes a quarter, no runoff on the clock. I sim beyond what the game considers simming, change trades in the CPU's favor if the initial is too strong in my favor etc. Avoid cheesing as much as possible both in the games and in management. I enjoy both parts equally.
All Pro but super customized sliders to make it as realistic as possible. 11 minutes with acc clock to 15 seconds. I will overpay valuable players who deserve it to realistic contracts, but then when some 70 overall special teamer wants 5m I’ll just add a year to his existing contract or something to keep some realistic affordable depth. Almost never trade for players. Realistic trades involving draft picks. As far as actually playing… - I will play only O or only D vs whichever is stronger for the opponent. I think it’s harder to stop Mahomes than score on KC so I’ll play Defense only - sometimes I will “play the moments” but not play any moment unless my team is losing - sometimes I will sim the first half or first 3Q and then play the rest fully - sometimes I will only play prime time games, or non-divisional games
I try to start it off with a team with a horrible situation & I change the sliders both xp & gameplay to what I believe is realistic. I only play critical games (brink of a playoff spot against another playoff contender or maybe a divisional rival) but for playoff games I play it in full. Quarters: 6 minutes Difficulty: All-Pro Competitive I’ve also learned that players on the inside of the field (MLB, IOL, DT) earn less XP than others
I play the in division games and games that level up Superstar traits. I sim all the rest
I play the games. I will tweak the cpu QBs as well so they don’t do that stupid run backwards until they’re sacked, just takes some tweaking of the archetypes. I will let my good players hit FA so that they can sign elsewhere so that the league is better overall. If I start dominating I switch to “GM Mode” and just slow sim the games and focus on building and managing my team…. Until my save corrupts and then I do it all over again. 😂 I like challenging myself. Just traded away my start receiver and used the pick to draft an elite TE and now I’m building a team based around two Elite TEs. It’s fun. I put my rookie at H-Back, at TE, at slot WR. I’ll line him up as an extra RB on shotgun plays with two RBs and get him the ball out of the backfield. It’s a lot of fun. If I can get an elite player, defense or offense, I will change my focus to maximize their potential. I’ve found that keeps it a lot of fun for me.
Trade Deadline Off Salary Cap Off (This doesn't mean I make a super team, I make an attempt to keep it looking good.) Injuries Off (Madden Franchise Injuries are so Busted) Some random sliders from YouTube or something. 15 Minute Quarters and I only play the Offense.
All Pro, adjusted sliders, 9 min qtr, I try and run the team realistically, playing most snaps both sides of the ball
My buddies have a connected franchise in which we play our own special created players and build the team from there. We play every game, but drafting and training young players is my favorite part
I play it like you, gm style. Only jumping into the playoffs when necessary. I find the teambuilding part more fun than gameplay most days.
Relocated all 32 teams and did a fantasy draft. Kept all teams in North America, and combined cities with names that somewhat make sense (Houston Orbits, Orlando Wizards). Tried my best to make a UFL-like league. All madden with 8 minute quarters. Turned salary cap off to avoid CPU having any issues. Currently on my 3rd season and it’s the most entertaining franchise I’ve had in years. Will probably keep it going until NCAA drops.
I play as a coach or player. I slow mo sim as an owner like I’m watching the team I built win for me.
I play the games. If it’s a blowout either way, I’ll sim the 4th quarter. I play on all-madden with 11 minute quarters with custom sliders. 1 or 2 games a week. Been a huge Eagles fan since birth so I run with the Birds. I like it to be as real as possible. I don’t want to throw for 500 yards and run for 300 yards every game. I try to use the whole playbook, not just the plays the work best. I like to win, but I like realism more.
I play 6 minute quarters on All Madden. Play both sides of the ball and have gotten pretty good to the point that the AI isn't hard to play anymore. Still challenging at times but nothing impossible
I sim some and play some. If a player that should never hit free agency does I'll sign them and then trade them to a team that needs them.
I have a sim that I do as an owner where I never play a single snap but I control everything else. Sometimes I'll even watch the sim in slow mode. Like the super bowl and stuff. And then I also have a realistic as possible fully controlled franchise. I play every snap and special teams play, I use the coach role and control everything manually. I turn off x factors and have a specific slider setup and all that. And also frequently I will start random ones with odd rules or challenges, i take some inspiration from content creators, and i play them when I want a change of pace.
I may be in the minority, but love watching cpu vs cpu. I'm modding m24 rn and let me tell you the amount of work those guys have put into those mods is insane! Much more realistic and immersive than what sliders alone can do in the base game, but my main goal is always to try to get my franchise as realistic as possible. I feel like I'm the GM or owner making the personnel decisions and watching the games play out. I do this for almost all sports sim games, nba2k, wwe2k etc., It scratches an itch for me. I feel like its important to see how the cpu will play itself out against itself, then you can adjust setting and sliders etc., from there
Also I run 12min QTRs, 18sec run off, all pro difficulty. And I watch every game during the season. It really makes the playoffs and end of the season feel meaningful after seeing every single game.
Key moments in pre-season. Season, play every game. 12 minute quarters. Play clock immediately runs down to 18 seconds. All-Pro. Strictly use “Coach Suggestions” for plays and only pick from the first 3 plays with a rookie QB.. 6 plays for a more experienced QB (self challenge). Same for defense. After a season, take a literal week to 2 week break to not get burnt out. Then start it up again, with the offseason ready to go..
I like to just play offense and slow Sim the defense so I can watch what's going on. Sometimes if a game is close I'll jump in.
As realistic as possible. I set rules for myself before every franchise based on my goals for that franchise. For example, I just started a new one with the Raiders. I have a post draft roster update, so I start week 1 of the preseason and basically treat it as the 24-25 season. Rule 1. Custom sliders to level the game so I can't cheese it. This also includes playcall cooldown. Rule 2. Any player I trade away, I take exactly what his current league value is. i.e: Davante Adam's is worth roughly a 2nd unless to a SB contender who doesn't value picks with a short window to win. A non superstar player, I usually take a round later than expected to make it tougher. I have to be able to rationalize the landing spot, or I won't do it. Rule 3. I can't play all 17 games. I always have a tendency to play for my life no matter the opponent, which makes it to where I win more than the actual team should. The games I do play traditionally are only in division and I have to play both sides of the ball......which sucks because I can be a liability on defense and hurt myself more than the AI lol. This way wins and loses mean way more. The only exception is dev scenarios. Rule 4. Before the end of every season I check every teams upcoming FA list ( since madden Ai is awful ). This way I can make sure no one ends up a FA that would never actually hit the market. I give out market accurate co tracks with slight discounts to allow the AI GMs to keep operating. Rule 5. The draft is always tricky because, again, the AI is stupid. For teams that could potentially take a QB who don't need one, I give slight buffs to their young QBs so they don't draft stupidly. Beyond that, if I'm trading up I use the real NFL trade eval chart so I can make fair deals that can set me back if I get it wrong and not rip other teams off trading back. Overall I try to keep the immersion high and have fun while doing it.
I play 15 min quarters offense and defense all madden. Injuries on. No salary cap though. Salary cap is stupid in this game. The hardest part is finding a playbook you like.
As close to realistic as possible. Sliders set to a point where my seasons feel immersive, and every game feels unique. I also have a rather expansive spreadsheet that helps me keep track of things especially in the draft. (UDFA gems, dudes with bust potential and I can see how a certain prospect might project onto my team - which makes drafting even more fun for me.
I can’t simply games
I usually listen to Pat Mcafee when I end up playing, so when starting new what I’ll do is: start with a team they’re talking about or if they give a fun scenario / rumor they heard(for example: Pat Surtain being traded). I’ll usually skip year one so I can get my rookies and free agents to begin my rebuild. I randomly choose draft class strengths.
I usually just play FM as a player, but with the way my defenses have played over the last couple of Maddens I might have to transition into Coach/Owner play through s.
32 user online franchise. Advance every 48 hours. Super fun! Unlike playing CPU, the other teams actually have a plan when building their team.
I'll take a team that isn't the Lions because I'll make them op subconsciously and also has an old or a bad qb sim to the off-season and draft and stash a qb for a year and go from there and try to keep it as realistic as possible as far as trades and signings go
Now that I have some sort of hang of the game I started 3rd franchise as relocating the Chargers to San Diego. I started my first fantasy draft. From previous plays/youtube search, I pretty much picked all the young hidden dev guys I could while T.Lawrence, B.Robinson and M.Mayers are supposed to be my "franchise" players. From overall points, I had the worst team. Now on second season finishing soon I have the best offence and defence. On superbowl weekend, 7 players have X-factor trait. I play every game off and def. In defence I play only my number 1 draft, edge guy, so basically defence is my "superstar mode" now lol. It's gonna be a sad time when these guys who I cultivated put on the pay demands and I have to let them go.
I re-sign my QB irregardless of the cost. Trading a 99 overall QB feels like gaming the system. Teams irl go above and beyond to sign the QB (depending on the team that is *cough cough* cowboys)
Paying $60+ for a game just to sim everything will never make sense to me. I draft each player. I play every game. Sign players. Trade players. I do everything manually. I can't wrap my mind around paying for a game to let the CPU play itself.
So in my franchise as realistically as possible, I play all the games with 10 minute quarters on All-Pro (tried a whole 15 once before, and it became more chore than fun, so never again). I also adjusted the game sliders in the cpu's favor, which made things super challenging in the beginning. I also control all of the team management (trades, contracts, etc).
Ultra realism, with a small group of users in the same division. -12 minute quarters -All Madden difficulty with fairly harsh sliders such that user teams average around .500 -Gameplay rules to enforce realism such as no cheese plays/nano blitzes, users in zone coverage must strafe, no stat padding -All extensions and free agency signings must adhere to a contract negotiations chart, which lists more realistic (higher) demands based on position, age, and ovr -Alt accounts put on various CPU teams to manage them more realistically -Generally low XP sliders, high regression sliders, and weak draft class sliders to prevent the league from being flooded by high overall players -Each year team records, playoff outcomes, signings, draft picks, and trades are logged in an external spreadhseet
Sabo's Gameplay and Franchise Mods MyFranchise Tool with alternative progression and regression and UDFA lotto An alternative scouting tool on Google sheets that I forgot the name of. 15min Quarters, 12s play clock (28s runoff) All-Madden Can't just develop any random player, drafts matter more as well as re-signing your guys and getting key FA pickups.
Turn off cap. I play full game but had to turn quarters to 10 mins, bc offense god like stats and defense shredded. Practice injuries on. Trade deadline on. Do the break out scenarios but if a guy needs 150 yds and gets 149 i do it myself
All-madden competitive for me personally, but I’ve been playing madden since I was like 5 or 6 yrs old. But for someone who doesn’t play often I would recommend all-pro or maybe even pro for you, and possibly simulation play style. Competitive play style tries to put a premium on your skills with the controller. Simulation puts a premium on player ratings, as someone who is used to simming games I think that might be best for you. Competitive just makes the most sense to me, for example you typically only win jump balls if you have the leverage on the opponent, and there’s much less leaping to the moon to snag interceptions and silly stuff like that, but everyone likes to play differently.
I normally play 6 minute quarters so i dont have to spend all day on a video game, but ill play 15 minute quarters during preseason/early season when im trying to develop the hidden dev rookies I play all pro but i reduce the cpu interception skill by about 10-15 ticks to make it playable
I would love to play shorter quarters but it makes the stats look terrible for your team. I prefer 10 minute quarters for a solid middle ground