Hi all. So, for those who have been searching for Madden NFL 2008 bug workarounds, boy – you’ve hit the right blog.
I’ll link underneath (later) to the other previous blog posts which relate to workarounds for the Franchise mode simulation freeze issue and the other issue to do with the
thinning rosters.
Today’s workaround is a bug I reported earlier (and, I might add, to EA Sports) although EA has decided to ignore this particular bug which find slightly incidious.
The bug: If a CPU controlled team has a Head Coach who was formerly Head Coach of a User controlled team (your team), the CPU will not fill that team’s roster during the off season or during the preseason or the regular season.
The cause: You didn’t re-hire a head coach, so he got hired by a CPU team instead.
The effect: Deadlock. If your team is unlucky enough to get scheduled against a CPU controlled team which doesn’t have enough players you will not be able to continue franchise mode! You won’t be able to sim the game, or play the game. You can’t fill the CPU’s roster either.
Please note, this may only have an effect once you are deep into franchise mode (because initially, rosters will be complete [full]. It takes a few years for the roster to deplete under an ex-User Controlled Head Coach)
The workaround: Although it may sound easy enough, it only occurred to me last night what the obvious solution is. Hire your previous head coaches. You’ve got four coaching positions available (Head Coach, Offensive and Defensive Coordinators and Special Teams) – and you can hire coaches into any of those positions.
To test, I did this earlier today, and it worked. The CPU teams all had Head Coaches who hadn’t coached my team, and filled their rosters accordingly at the end of the off season.
Important Tip: Always save the season at the Pro Bowl and keep that save until you are into the next year. It can be very helpful!
