Dynamic NFL Draft for RTG imports
Feature Request: Dynamic NFL Draft & Alternate NFL Timeline for Road to Glory Imports
I think EA has a huge opportunity to make the connection between College Football and Madden much deeper while dramatically increasing the replay value of both games.
When we import a Road to Glory player into Madden Superstar, I think we should be given two choices.
AUTHENTIC NFL TIMELINE
Keep the current system. The real-life draft class and NFL rosters remain intact, and our imported Superstar is added to the existing NFL world.
DYNAMIC NFL TIMELINE
Put our Road to Glory player into the actual NFL Draft and allow his draft position to genuinely change NFL history.
For example, say I have a running back who dominates College Football, breaks NCAA records, wins the Heisman, reaches maximum draft stock, and eventually becomes the #1 overall pick.
If my player goes #1, the real player who originally went #1 should remain available in the draft instead of already being locked onto his real-life team.
That would create a domino effect throughout the draft.
Maybe the original #1 pick goes #2. Maybe he falls farther because teams have different needs. Maybe another team trades up for him. Other players could move up or down as a result.
The same should happen with our Road to Glory player. Teams should be able to trade up to draft him based on his position, draft stock, college accomplishments and their roster needs.
Those trades should have real consequences. If a team gives up next year's first-round pick to draft my Superstar, that team shouldn't have that pick the following season.
Most importantly, all of these changes should persist throughout the entire Superstar career.
That would create an alternate NFL timeline based partly on what happened during our Road to Glory career.
THE REPLAY VALUE COULD BE HUGE
Every Road to Glory to Madden career could create a different NFL universe.
Maybe one Superstar goes #1 overall and completely changes the first round.
Another Superstar might go #12 and cause a completely different chain reaction.
Another might go late in the first round to a contender and change that franchise's future.
Draft-day trades would create even more possibilities because they could affect future draft picks and future seasons.
Five or ten seasons into Superstar, each save could have a completely different NFL landscape because of the butterfly effect created when our Road to Glory player entered the league.
That would give us a reason to create multiple Road to Glory players and experience genuinely different Superstar careers instead of entering essentially the same NFL world every time.
IT COULD ALSO GIVE PEOPLE A BIGGER REASON TO BUY BOTH GAMES
I think there's also a major business opportunity here for EA.
A deeper connection between Road to Glory and Superstar gives College Football players a stronger reason to buy Madden, and it gives Madden players a stronger reason to buy College Football.
Instead of College Football and Madden simply being two separate football games that allow a player transfer, they could become two chapters of one continuous football career.
In College Football, we develop our player, compete for championships, chase the Heisman, break records and build our draft stock.
Then Madden becomes the next chapter of that same player's story.
Our college accomplishments wouldn't just determine where our player gets inserted into Madden. They could actually help determine how the NFL universe develops around him.
It works the other direction too.
Someone who normally only buys Madden might want College Football because starting in Road to Glory would allow them to create the complete history of their Madden Superstar before he ever reaches the NFL.
That gives players a legitimate reason to own BOTH games.
It could also encourage people to create additional Road to Glory players, which leads to additional Superstar careers because every Dynamic NFL Timeline could turn out differently.
That increases replay value and longevity for both games.
GIVE PLAYERS THE CHOICE
The important part is making this optional.
Players who want authentic NFL rosters could choose Authentic NFL Timeline.
Players who want their Road to Glory player to genuinely change NFL history could choose Dynamic NFL Timeline.
That way nobody loses the experience they currently enjoy.
This could combine the personal career experience of Road to Glory and Superstar with some of the league simulation depth of Franchise Mode.
College Football: Build your legacy.
Madden: Continue your legacy and change NFL history.
This wouldn't just be another Superstar feature. It could turn College Football and Madden into a connected two-game career experience and give players a much stronger reason to purchase, play and replay both games every year.