Madden NFL 2004 FAQ And Strategy Guide - Guide for Madden NFL 2004

              Madden NFL 2004 Strategy Guide
                      By: Chris Smith
                    Version 1.0
                     Last edited 2/17/04





    Table of Contents:

I. Copyright Information
II. My Rating
III. Main Menu
1. Play Now
2. Game Modes
A. Mini-Camp
B. Online
C. Franchise
D. Tourney 
E. Football 101
F. Practice
G. Situation
IV. Features
1. Create-a-playbook
2. Create-a-team
3. Create-a-player
4. Madden Cards
5. Rosters
6. Stat Book
 V. Settings
1. Gameplay
2. System
3. Load\Save
VI. Owner Mode
VII. Strategies 
1. general owner mode strategies
2. managing your cap situation
3. fantasy draft strategies
VIII. Contact Information









I. Copyright Info. 

 This document is copyright 2004 by Chris Smith and may not be reused in any way, 
shape or form in whole or part without express written consent of the writer of this 
guide, Chris Smith. In addition, you may not attempt to profit from this guide. This 
includes selling this guide or putting this guide on the same page as any kind of 
banner ad. 
 You also may not take this guide as your own, modify it in any way shape, or form 
or take it out of the English language. Violators will be prosecuted under maximum 
possible charges.
              Thank you for your cooperation. 
II. My Rating

           Overall: 9.5
 The best gets even better this year with updated rosters, an updated broadcasting 
booth with Al Michaels doing the 
play-by-play announcing along with good old John Madden doing the color commentary. 
Plus the new EA Sports Trax are excellent. 

           Graphics: 9.0
 The graphics are as sharp and as smooth as ever in this great, fast, action packed 
game.

          Gameplay: 9.5
 With even more enhanced AI, this game is as challenging as it is smooth and 
realistic. A winner all the way.


III. The Main Menu
 The Main Menu is the home menu of the game. It's the main access point for all the 
game modes, features, and all the game stuff. It comes up in the beginning of the 
game. Now we will go over the Main Menu, step by step. Press the circle and then X 
on create new profile to create a new profile which is important to earn tokens for 
Madden Cards
 The first option is "Play Now." It is an option to play a single game with two NFL 
Teams, with one or two human players. Use the controllers to select the teams you 
want. Then, play ball!
 Next is the game modes to choose from. Here they are.



    Mini-Camp- This allows you to fine-tune your playing skills with different 
drills that allow you to earn Madden Cards.

    Online- allows you to play head-to-head against players all across the country 
on the Internet.
 
    Franchise- allows you to take a team through 30 years of NFL play, while you 
play, coach, manage, and run your team for thirty 
Seasons.

    Tournament- this is pretty much a playoff option in which you 
Chose the teams and the type of tourney.
    
    Two Minute Drill- score as many points and Madden tokens for cards as you can in 
two minutes

    Football 101- John Madden himself shows you the offensive plays and formations 
and how to read a defense. Also earn tokens
to buy Madden Cards.

    Practice- while not excessively useful, practice mode is OK for working out the 
plays in a playbook.

  Situation- Start a game in a late-game situation to make a last minute comeback 
for a victory.

IV. Features 


Create-a-playbook- Use this to create a play or formation and add it into your own 
playbook. You can also add other plays from other playbooks to yours and use them in 
a game.

Create-a-team- To create a team for the NFL. You can also use created teams in 
tournaments and in the Franchise mode.

Create-a-player- Use this to create a player from scratch. I find this easier to do 
in the franchise mode itself because it is automatically loaded when you load the 
Franchise, instead of having to load the Franchise and the Rosters.

Madden Cards- Complete in-game tasks to get tokens to buy Madden Cards. Also earn 
cards themselves in the game situations in   Mini-Camp mode.

Rosters- Once again, this is easier to do from either the tourney mode or the 
Franchise mode because it automatically loads when you load the tourney or 
Franchise. From here you can view any rosters, re-order a depth chart, set 
substitutions, trade players, sign free agents, release players, and view a roster 
breakdown of any NFL team.

Stat Book- View team, individual and league stats, profiles, and view coach stats.

V. Settings

Gameplay- set all difficulties of the game depending on how good you are. Beginners 
may start with the EAsy Mode on.

System- here set the graphics and choose the audio options.

Save/Load- only use this if you have turned the auto-save feature off, otherwise you 
won't need to use it to save, only to load. 

VI. Owner Mode

This mode is a new feature added this year to give you the feeling of being an 
actual owner in the NFL. You are put in charge of the whole team, from hiring and 
firing coaches, keeping track of finances, building new stadiums, dealing with 
signing bonuses, changing ticket prices, advertising, and everything you got last 
year. If you want a challenge, use this when you start a new franchise.


VII. Strategies

1. General Owner Mode Strategies
When in Owner Mode, there are many things you must keep track of. But what it all 
boils down to is how much money you're making. This should teach you how to use your 
money efficiently without being a George Steinbrener. (OMG I hate him, Boston Fan 
thing.) 
A. Coach Salary- It doesn't take a proven coach to win. Many times I have hired 
coordinators as head coaches for not much money and it ended up working out. My 
Point: don't overpay coaches only because of past achievements. If you can, also, 
hire coaches that are former players the first year they come back, as you can get 
them for not all that much money. Also, if you are able to get a coach that is an 
offensive specialist or another coach that is a defensive specialist for about the 
same amount, always go with the defensive guy. I have noticed that the coach 
improves more defensive stats than offensive.
B. Don't spend too much on advertising. It doesn't increase attendance much. 
C. If you make the playoffs, increase the ticket prices. People will pay for the 
seats anyway and probably won't decrease attendance much.
 

2. Managing your Salary Cap Situation

A. Only trade players if you're sure you're getting a deal. You will  take a cap 
penalty. Unless you are willing to take a hit, don't trade players. If you can, 
trade draft picks for good players in their late 20's-early 30's. 
B.  If you a lot of high salaries, but still aren't winning, just totally rebuild. 
Release all your high-salary players or trade them for draft picks. The cap 
penalties don't matter. It's a long-term project. The fans won't like it, but in a 
few years, they will be filling the stands. Don't sign any big-name free agents. 
Just do enough to fill your roster. Then, once your cap penalties are all gone, you 
essentially have a blank check in front of you. Go after every big-name free-agent 
there is, preferably under age 35. Or, if you must sign a big-name free agent 38 or 
over, sign him to a seven year contract with a huge bonus, so that way in the first 
year or two, you're not paying him much, and after about a year, he will retire, 
giving you lots of cap room for this replacement.
3. Fantasy Draft Strategies
I don't use so much of a strategy as much as I have an objective at the end. I 
always want to end up with 20-25 million dollars left in cap room. If there is a key 
injury, and you need free agent replacements, then you need available money. I also 
always draft a mobile quarterback in the first round. Then I focus on my defense for 
the next few rounds, then I get a descent running backs and wide receivers. My 
offensive line then takes up my next few rounds. Then I go for d-linemen. 


VIII. Contact information

If you ever want any info on the game, or have any feedback for me on this guide, 
you can email me at [email protected], or at [email protected]. Thank you 
for reading, and I hope this helps you in your quest to be an all-madden madden 
player.



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