Madden 21 marquee mode, Ultimate Team, and Franchise, each benefit from the perfect schedule mechanism. Since these are the two modes where players spend the most time on average, the improvement is appreciated.
Starting from the Ultimate Team, the model has received a welcome makeover. Yes, this is still the card collector you may love or hate, but it is more convenient to access without sacrificing its immense depth.
To help you deal with the complex world of the ultimate team, EA has added Missions, a blueprint for completing challenges and earning rewards. You can follow the wisdom given by the "task" menu as you want. The coolest thing about missions is that you can visit extreme challenges (solo or co-op challenges) or multiplayer games and view the tags in the milestones in the mission menu. From clear operating guidelines (improving the MUT level) to percentage trackers, you can keep track of the work of new projects and new cards at any time, Mission makes Ultimate Team very happy.
The ultimate team is also more attractive to soloists this time. Although the name has been changed from "Solo Challenge" to "Ultimate Challenge", there is more work to be done for those who like to fight against the CPU. Each ultimate challenge has a star system that can accumulate rewards. Since rewards are tied to milestones, not to specific challenges, it helps to replay the challenge to get a higher star rating. The more you play, the greater the challenge to unlock.
Naturally, if you don't care about the card collection cycle itself, then the attractive structure may not be enough to attract you. After all, the player rating and upgrade system of the Ultimate Team is a serious RPG. But I do think that the impetus to move in the right direction with Mission may affect casual Ultimate Team fans, allowing them to stay longer.
If you truly enter the ultimate team, you can still become a money pit. You can buy card packs and currency, but you can also earn Madden 21 coins and packs. You don't need to spend more money to enjoy the ultimate team.
The improvement of the franchise model is much more subtle, but it still makes sense, especially for those who have gone through several or more full seasons. EA has adopted a more rigorous approach to the player scoring system. The difference between a player rated at 90 and a player rated at 85 in the same position is huge. Honestly, you can easily look at your team and say: "I will make my worst receiver the leader of the league in the reception area." Then you can do it for sure. Although still possible, the ratings actually feel like what it really means in Madden NFL 21. When Baker Mayfield played in the quarter with a minor injury, I noticed that backup Drew Stanton's performance was significantly different. When Rashard Higgins and OBJ took the same route, I had to adapt to their differences in speed and ability.
Why is this important to the franchise model? Well, the franchise is about development, and the accumulated experience value will become a bump in the statistics category. Now, you must be wiser in distributing statistics. The same goes for searching for college players and drafts. Previously, I did not consider the potential because the overall rating would not affect my thinking. But when I entered the end of the first season, I realized my job needs and keenly realized which prospects have the best development trajectory.
Although it seems to be a minor background change, the adjustment to the scoring system has made the franchise model more fascinating, and that is why.