Hello all, longtime Madden player like everyone else. This year's version isn't bad, but I honestly just wanna go back to 08 and enjoy the nostalgia with the added bonus of modding it to be more functional and fresh. I just have a few questions first and if anyone could help me out I'd really appreciate it.
There's a lot of information on this site, and while I could search through it all for hours to possibly find what I'm looking for I figured just asking for a quick 'What is/isn't possible with mods' would be much easier. I'd rather not sink hours into this endeavor if what I want to do with the game simply can't be achieved.
So I'm currently running the PS2 version on an emu but I've already hit a wall and realized that modding a PS2 iso version is going to severely handicap me in the 'what I can do with mods' department compared to what's already possible with just modding the PC version. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but if this is true I'll just get the PC version, it's not a big deal.
Okay so as for what I'm looking to accomplish by modding Madden 08 is this: (spoiler because it's kind of long)
Spoiler:
1. Is it possible to import Rosters into the game to be used in Franchise Mode, whether that be the current '23 season roster or any year in between '08 and current, or even earlier if possible? Even the standard vanilla '08 roster sorely needs an update.
2. Import custom draft classes. Is it possible to play Madden 08 with the '08 roster and import every draft class from '09 to the most recent draft class and play out each year in Franchise and only draft from draft classes using the actual players that were in those draft classes from '08-present?
3. I love the Create-A-Play and Create-A-Playbook features from the old Maddens. I REALLY want to create my own plays, put them in a playbook, and use those custom create-a-play playbooks in Franchise. It's not possible to use a custom playbook in Franchise on Vanilla Madden '08, can it be done with mods?
4. In addition to question 3, Madden 08 allows only 10 Formations and a total of 75 plays to be used in a custom created playbook. In Madden 24 you can have 8 different sets, 52 different formations among those sets, and a total of 500 plays max in a playbook. I love creating my own playbooks (obviously) and I almost always max out the 500 limit in my playbooks. Is it possible to bypass the severe limitations in Madden '08s custom playbooks to go beyond the 75 plays and 10 formations?
5. Not a hard requirement, but the create-A-play tool in '08 is a bit... limited, to say the least. It's amazing for its time but there's a lot that just feel left out looking back at it. You can't even design a run out of the shotgun, it returns an error message saying it's not a valid run formation even though there are obviously run plays out of shotgun already in the game (and 95% of them are draw plays). If the running back isn't positioned behind the QB it won't let you create a run play, so no formations where the RB stands next to the QB and no Wishbone formations (which makes me sad, my little league coach had us run a combo of Wishbone and Wing T sets for some ungodly reason and it would be fun to use). Anyway, one might say 'well just add the existing shotgun run plays into your playbook from existing sets', Yes, I could do that, but creating the plays is half the fun for me and what if I had an idea for a play that can't be made based on the current limitations? You can't even use Play Action in create-a-play for heaven's sake. You can make almost any passing route combo you can think of and draw your own routes and cut angles but the run play design is so buggy, sometimes the QB just misses the handoff entirely and just bugs out if you don't get the timing right. You also can't design runs for QBs or WRs, only HBs. Is there any mod that improves or changes create-a-play?
6. As far as I know, there's no scripted option plays in '08. I know pro-style offenses were different in 2008, but this is just highly unrealistic. There had to be -some- teams that ran the option. I was so happy a few years ago when they added the option offense to current gen. I always add some the of Ravens/Eagles option plays into my current gen playbooks. It's just so fun. Are there any mods that add option plays into the game? Whether it be option pitches/handoffs or RPOs?
7. Similar to question 5, is it possible to add pre-snap motion to created plays? Like can I script a RB or WR to go in motion and then snap the ball while they're moving? A lot of modern offenses rely on this type of stuff to read defenses pre-snap and it adds a lot of realism for me to be able to do that.
8. There's a lack of diversity between each teams playbook and tendencies in '08. Is it possible to change which playbooks CPU teams use, and possibly alter their tendencies? Obviously there was a heavier focus on the run in '08, is it possible to change that to a more balanced or pass-heavy mentality like today's offense? Or even better is it possible to have them evolve over time by tweaking their tendencies each year manually, or to change what playbook/scheme they run if they fire their head coach?
9. So there are no Superstar abilities or X-Factors in '08, obviously. But certain players were tagged with symbols that represented 'Player Weapons'. Are there any mods that let you assign these traits to players yourself or edit certain players to have them? I just feel like they missed out on certain guys that should have them, and when it comes to new draft prospects I don't want it to be random. Darrelle Revis has none in vanilla '08 and he damn well should be a lockdown corner (and a higher overall than 81).
10. Is there a mod that allows you to edit player stats within Franchise mode? I know you can edit them on the main menu Roster but once I started Franchise the option to edit their attributes was greyed out when I tried.
I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but this is all I can think of right now. All I really want to do is draw up plays and use them in a realistic Franchise with all the real draft picks from each draft class every year. It adds such a level of depth to the realism of the game when you can look at your opponent's team, see what kind of scheme they run, and draw up your own plays to use against them.
Hi everyone! Been playing Madden since 93 - love it but i think it peaked at 08. Looking forward to getting back into it with the mods. hopefully its not too hard to work out
Hey yall. The name's Kermit. For a while now, i've been wanting to find a good madden that isn't a modern one that I have to waste $70 on. I've played Madden before, i'm just not that good at it.
Hi all! I'm a long-time Madden fan, started with the '93 version and honestly, I feel like it hit its peak around '08. That being said, I'm excited to dive back in, especially with the mods out there. Fingers crossed it's not too complicated to figure out
Hi everyone, really dig all the incredible mods you guys have made. I signed up because I recently regained my love of the old Madden generation and am looking to do a long term franchise mode with a lot of updated draft classes.
Hello all, Texans fan here since 02. I've owned every copy of madden since 2004 up until 2022. I've grown increasingly frustrated with franchise mode and refuse to buy madden until there are major improvements. I was stoked when I found out about this group. Madden 08 is what I consider the last good franchise mode. I can't wait to dive into all the mods y'all have
Hey y'all! I'm a long-time APF 2K8 player but have no experience with the "golden age" Maddens. While APF is incredible, and I've squeezed every drop of potential with sliders and mods, it's lacking in content. Therefore, I'm here to improve the core game as much as possible.
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