Mobile Gridiron Notes: Gauntlets
by EA_DavidOriginal Post
Welcome back to another edition of Mobile Gridiron Notes. In this week’s livestream Game Designer Will Fitzgerald discussed the all-new Gauntlet mode coming to Madden Mobile next season. The new season of Madden NFL Mobile launches July 30th!
If you missed the live broadcast, the stream archive and highlights are embedded throughout this post.
What different types of Gauntlets will we see?
Community Questions
1. How well will EA keep these rewards updated? In the stream it was mentioned a 70 OVR required gauntlet may reward something like an 80 OVR player, and that’s great if you have a 70 OVR team, but what if I have a 95 OVR team?
The current intention is to have the first Masters Series Gauntlet open to you as soon as you start the game. To enter the additional Masters Series Gauntlets there will be two criteria: To have completed the previous Masters Series and to have a specific OVR (or higher). Even in an extreme example, where you have a 95 OVR team, and are just now trying out Gauntlets, you will care because we have increasingly better rewards here. The Masters Series chase has been designed for you to ultimately acquire the 99 OVR Mahomes in the final Master Series Gauntlet. You will also acquire useful rewards on every single stage, rewarding you both in the short-term and the long-term.
2. With the addition of the new social assist system, will there be any improvements to the in-game chat?
We want Leagues to be a great, supportive experience and we are currently exploring various ways to improve it throughout the season. As you have mentioned, one opportunity for improvement could be the tools players use to communicate with one another.
3. Are there any plans to make the repetitive grind of some events less of a chore (i.e. an auto complete option once you master the event)?
Many of us are players like you, and we agree that the repetitive grind can feel like a chore. This has been a passion of ours for a long time and we are currently building and testing a solution. An “auto-complete” system is in the works and once it’s at the quality level we desire, we will get it in the game attached to various repeatable content. We want to respect your time, while focusing on fun aspects of our game – including managing and improving your Madden Ultimate Team.
4. How strict will the OVR gates be to enter the Gauntlets?
The OVR requirements to access the next Masters Series Gauntlet will be more accessible than it may have sounded on the stream. We will have multiple of these available to you before you must worry about adding a ton of elite players in your lineup. We want to enable you to chase all the incredible players awarded in the Masters Series and we will be balancing your progression to support the accessibility of this new game mode.
5. When you ask a league member to help assist you with one of the time/currency gates, how exactly do they help? Do they have to use stamina on events, or is it just like clicking a button?
When a League Member assists you with a gate, they only need to click a "Help" button from the appropriate screen. They will be able to conveniently see all the current opportunities for help. We also provide a sort of "Help All" button to make it even more convenient for you. They will not spend any stamina or lose anything whatsoever - in fact, we're going to award them with a social currency that they will be able to use to help their own progress. We want this to be an explicitly positive loop for you and your League.
6. How will the OD matches work? Will the match end when you achieve the objective, or will you have to complete the game? Also, how frequent will they appear?
The new Overdrive Live Events will provide the victory conditions prior to the match. You will have until the timer reaches zero to complete them. If you complete them early, you still need to make sure you win the match before the time runs out. One of the conditions we're using is to change the overall duration of an Overdrive Live Event. You'll encounter some that are only one-minute or -two-minute challenges, where you'll need to consider your tactics (both in how fast you can use them and which ones you should use). These will be frequent throughout our Master Series stages.
What's Next?
Next Thursday (6/27) at 11 AM EST, we will be talking about the new Front Office system and the return of Sets to Madden Mobile (https://www.twitch.tv/eamaddennfl).
