[Offline Franchise] saved game doesn't load
by AcdaliyOriginal Post
Difficulties so far;
- Game difficulty randomizer is too random. Needs to be more consistent with how the team's OVR is which should make matches against them feel tougher.
- Request for AI coaches to adapt to tendencies.
- PA plays aren't effective enough
- Short routes feel like you're throwing into traffic
- More flexibility for secondary positions
- Linebacker blitzes up the middle aren't effective
- Request to have create your own play (offense and defense)
- More updated commentary
- Coaching screens are too slow
- If you are in 'hurry up' you should be able to change the play set (currently you have to play the same play set as the previous play)
- Create your own playset as an option
Plus;
General;
Commentary isn't much different to last year, needs a major update
Still crashing on the upgrade player, after you finish a game it automatically loads the player upgrade mode, if you then go to the player to upgrade and then press O (PS) without upgrading it crashes every time.
The randomiser is ridiculous, I play KC, Steelers & Ravens & win easy, I play Miami, NYG & NYJ & its a way more difficult game. I mean guys, come off it, thats just nonsense. Also, the 'cold game' or 'insult game' has way too much effect (when you are asked to insult the opposition because they are on a bad run and you are on a good run) those games become so much more difficult even though in reality they are the much easier games (see above). Also it doesn't matter if you insult or dont insult, the outcome is the same, the match is still more difficult. I really dont see how that 'improvement' is an improvement in any way.
Player progression is also nonsense. My man gets sack after sack leads the sack list, gets the record and still isn't a 99, whilst someone who has ¼ of my sacks is. Getting a Rookie Lineman up in stats is a joke, it takes so long even if they are a superstar and if they aren't it takes for ever. You can win every game for a whole seasoning & a Rookie lineman will get to max 79-80, whilst other guys who win nothing and dont even get to the playoffs are still 95.
Also, you get a RB to 99 and all of a sudden there are 9 or 10 RB's at 99. Its like if you progress the opposition has to progress at the same rate, even though they aren't earning the same XP. My RB is winning on all stats (TDs Yardage etc) but apparently he isn't any better than 9 other RB's. Same with all other positions.
If, in reality, Derek Carr this season threw for 6,000 yards, had 60 TD's and 1 INT all season and won the SB, he would start Madden 23 as 99, so why does he finish this season On Madden 22 (after doing that) as 88, with 12 QBs ahead of him.
It takes so long for a player to move from Ordinary progression to Superstar, they can be THE Superstar of the whole league, but they stay at ordinary progression for ages.
Abilities ; some of the abilities make no sense, there is way too many and some just seem nonsense, whilst others seem very applicable and others seem very limited. Also I dont see much change in the gameplay in relation to some of the abilities whilst others are vital. EG I alway pick Gambler for a QB, as that means that so kong as you keep on throwing well, your QB cant be intercepted, which seems way more important to any other ability.
Some Defence abilities seem to make no difference at all, EG I change them and the player's stats remain identical to previous games, whilst others seem to be extremely effective (strip, INT).
If you have a good first season, you fill the talent trees entirely, so by the start fo the 2nd season, earning talent points is irrelevant, there is nothing to spend them on.
TOP is nonsense, the CPU takes so long to play any play that it uses up way too much of the time, especially if it is doing 5 yard plays every time. So you do 3-4-5 plays and get a TD in say 1-2 minutes and CPU does 15 plays, has an INT and that uses up 7 ½ minutes of a 12 minute half. Considering you are only playing 6 minutes per quarter, every CPU play should be 6/15ths of the time a real play would play outs should be a max of 12 seconds and could be much less if you programmed it properly..
For most of the game, either you play the game by using the clock run off option or you sit there whilst the CPU goes through a ridiculous rigmarole of calling and nobody actually moving for 28-29 seconds before startling the play, but regardless of which option you choose, the CPU gets the play clock down to virtually 0, even though the CPU may be multiple TDs down, so its using 30 seconds per play even though you are only playing 6 minutes and the only way to stop that is to get the QB to throw passes that aren't caught. In a normal game if each play took 30 seconds, you would get 30+ plays a quarter, if you play say 6 minutes, you only get 12 plays a quarter and if the CPU uses 11 of those plays, thats a whole quarter used by the CPU where the CPU may be multiple TD's down and they still take way too long. Many a time I restsart the game because the CPU has used up the whole first quarter on their first drive, running 12 plays and ending up with an INT. the only time that changes is if the CPU is in the 2 minute drill and even then it will play no huddle for the first minute and only when in the last minute of play arrives will they start using timeouts and then they just use them one after another and sometimes thy just won't use them at all.
Offense
Outside runs are only effective if your RB has a very high speed and acceleration, if they are 95 or under, forget it, they will only lose yardage. The only way to run with a RB with a lower speed or acc is down the middle.
Also, if you go strong, without WR running up the pitch, forget it, you just lose yardage, so any I-form play that doesn't have at least 2 WR going long is a loser. The whole idea of a strong running play is that the blockers get the LB out of the way to allow the RB to run, it never happens that way with Madden. The reason behind that is that every play, at least 1 defender will shed a block, so its almost like guessing which defender will shed their block and running away from that 1 defender, its impossible to get it right because it changes every time, so you are always losing more yardage than you gain.
5 out of 6 screen plays fail. They aren't worth having, because similar to the above, a defender sheds their block and tackles you in the backfield.
Players run out of play before you have thrown the ball. That never happens in real life, in this game you are waiting for a player to cut so that he gets open and you can throw it to him and he just runs out of play instead. Its a joke.
WR screens never work, the opposition player always gets in the way either INT or knock down. even if you get the ball to the WR he gets tackled behind the line.
Any offensive play where you have to throw into traffic is an INT most of the time.
The only plays that seem to work regularly are slants (and you need multiple slants not just 2) and cuts and where you are never throwing to the prime receiver, who is covered 90% of the time.
the best play is putting your best receiver into no.2 or 3 slot, otherwise they never actually get open.
There is more but thats a basis.
Defense
Defence is a joke.
The only way to play CB, FS, SS, pass coverage LB/DE is to let the computer move the player and only, at the last possible moment, do you get involved. Its impossible to get the timing right, you just get beaten every time. So all you are doing is doing nothing and waiting for the right moment to intervene for all of ½ a second per play.
If you blitz with any of the above, also a waste of time, you just watch the ball going over your head to the player you were supposed to be covering.
So its real boring to play any of those players.
You also cant play any linemen, you just get blocked, its like fighting a brick wall every time and what seems to happen is that when you let the computer play, they shed blocks and tackle any runners out of blocks, but if the player plays them, they do neither, so what you end up with is you reducing your team's effectiveness by playing them.
So all you are left with is blitzing LBs. so any play that doesn't have a blitzing LB is a waste of time. You might as well not play defence at all. This is the biggest downside of Madden.
I play one play on defence, Edge Sting, it allows sufficient man coverage, whilst still putting enough pressure onto the QB, by having 6 blitzers to the defences 5-6 blockers. It doesn't work every time but it is the most effective play, but you need really good CB,FS, SS, cover LB in order to play it. Also, you cant blitz down the middle because it gets very congested, so you just get caught in it and the CPU is better at it anyway, so playing that role reduces your team's effectiveness.
So you play one position, OLB blitzing. If you play it right (and I have got it down to an art) you get 4-5 sacks a game, but the CPU never reacts so you end up getting your sacks in bunches.
Also, if you play it the way the computer sets up, you never get anywhere, you have to change the play so that you are well outside of the line for it to be effective, because otherwise you end up getting caught up with the DE and the blocker blocks you with them. Playing it from well outside it becomes very effective.
So the reality is that you have 1 play and one position on defence.
Generally, the way the CPU scores a TD is if your player has a busted coverage (slips, gets blocked etc.). Otherwise you end up with FG's being scored against you.
Also, the only aspects that are effective in defence for the blitzing LB is speed and acc, everything else is almost irrelevant, so I get a WR with a v high speed and acc and convert them into LB. Their size and OVR is irrelevant.
CPU Offense
This also is pretty poor
Play Action is a joke on this as well, its sack time every time, unless the RB stays in as a blocker (rare)
The QB attributes are also a joke, you get a QB that throws long passes a lot and then you get a QB that does 5 yards per throw. Most QBs will mix it up, but you play one game where all you see is 5 yard plays and another where all you see is 10 yd+ plays.
Because I am always blitzing, I see 1-2 running plays a game out of the CPU, its always pass pass pass, especially if you stuff the first running play.
Also the play changes virtually every time, its always an audible never the play originally chosen.
Also, you dont get info or time to work out what the opposition is doing, you get no feedback from a Def co-ord (not that it would make any difference to me because 
I pick the same play every time no matter what the CPU picks and 
the CPU changes the play anyway virtually every time so you can setup for the play they have chosen and then play a completely different play). So you cant prepare for anything, you just have to guess at what they are playing and try to pick the most appropriate defence for that guess. So most people playing defence play the same defence they know and understand every time.
The CPU seems to suggest defence plays to the player but they seem to be completely random suggestions and have little relevance to what the CPU has chosen as a play, unless its specific situation (eg TD line plays or end of game hail marys).
CPU defense
I appreciate that you want to make the game interesting so the CPU defines has to be able to stop you playing, but there are a few weird things that happen here.
If you change the direction of your play, but keep the same play (say reversing the side of a run), the CPU reacts by changing to a completely different play to the one it originally chose, it doesn't just react by moving a defender around to match, it changes the whole defense, why ?
On all madden when playing the CPU defence throwing into traffic is an almost guaranteed INT and if its not INT its a knock down. Your player never gets the ball.
Forget outside runs against the CPU, you need a super fast RB + a great blocking FB + really good reactions. If you dont have a super fast RB he doesn't get outside quick enough and gets tackled behind the line. If you dont have a great blocking FB, the CPU sheds that block and tackles and if you dont have great reactions, then a CB will tackle you even though he is engaged with a WR. In real life, most RB will run through CBs they will find it an affront to even be tackled by them, in Madden the CB is a tackle diva on RBs.
Again there is more to add, but those are the main issues.
UPDATE: 9/20/21
So for one last shot at salvaging my offline franchise, I loaded a backup save from Season 4 Game 17 and simmed to the offseason. I was able to go thru Free Agency and the draft without any errors but assumed it would crash after finishing the first game of the next pre-season (since it always seems to be related to completing a game and returning to the main Franchise screen).
IT DIDN'T CRASH. 
I quickly made new backup copies, snd can now continue on to the next pre-season game.
I still expect it might crash when finishing a game and exiting to the main screen, as it seems very strange for the bug to be related to the end of Season 4 games. But who knows.
Will keep y'all posted...
