EA Sports is taking a “deep dive” into the changes made in Connected Franchise Mode in the upcoming Madden NFL 15. The mode allows you to play the role of a team owner, managing almost every aspect of your NFL franchise. Pick and trade your players, converse with the media, and consult with various experts about how to handle your team.
This year changes things up in Madden NFL 15 by adding in Game Prep and Confidence. These two features replace last year’s “practice and hot/cold streaks”. Using Game Prep you can make sure that all of your players are fully prepared for next week’s game, and allow backups and younger players to earn experience at the same time. Players get a set amount of “prep time” each week, which they can use for a multitude of activities all focused on two stats. If you have a young team then you’ll want to focus on getting them extra XP. If your team just hasn’t been doing well then you can use your prep time to boost their Confidence.
Confidence is a new stat that has been added to every player. If a player’s confidence is high then all of their base stats will get a temporary boost, but if it is low then they will drop lower than normal. Unlike most stats in the game, Confidence will be an ever changing metric, being affected each week by what happened before. Team losses, poor performance in a game, and being traded away can all affect how confident your player is going into the next match. You’ll be able to view charts that show how a particular player’s confidence has changed over time, allowing you to learn how best to handle your players.
Free Agency has also seen some big improvements, allowing players to factor in multiple elements in their final decision. Before Madden NFL 15 free agents would simply decide their team based on the money offered, but now they will evaluate “your team’s needs, scheme, coaching ability, etc.” You’ll be able to view all of these stats as well, so choosing who to sign will be a much more strategic endeavor.
These are just a few of the changes coming to Connected Franchise Mode for Madden NFL 15. Others include random draft classes, branching storylines, redesigned uniforms for relocated teams, updates to Owner Mode, and allowing the computer to simulate your actions to a certain point in the season. To see the rest of the changes in great detail click here. Everything added and changed seems to have come from community and fan feedback, so it looks like Madden NFL 15 is shaping up to be a great new entry in the famous franchise.
Madden NFL 15Â will be released on August 26th for PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.
