7 Days to Die Alpha 16 and Console Updates for PC, PS4 and Xbox One

SUMMER UPDATE 

Hi everyone in the gaming community!  It's been a minute, since I was here.  Been on my new job and let's say they keep me busy.  I can't believe I missed E3 for the first time in 6 years. Sad face. Well, I'll go and see what good games are there and give you news on how close they are to release and what to expect.

Well, let's get down to business.  I was stoked to learn that an update for the new gen consoles is finally here.  I'm like most of you, and I don't play much of the PC stuff b/c i'm not an IT expert...yet . So I fill you in on what has happened.  Oh, by the way the grind is real on this update.  You can't mass craft to level up anymore.  You have to use skill points to improve you efficiency or gain perks

Tbh the console received similar updates to what the PC players got in the alpha 16 patch.  The alpha 16 patch was real buggy, but the console versions are more consistent and stable.  I will list all the information that I found in the official 7 Days to Die forum:

On 6/27/2017 at 12pm PST / 7pm UTC / 8pm GMT the long awaited update will be going live on the XB1 and PS4 stores!

Below is a copy of the notes which were shared with you already, but included are some preview shots of what you can expect later on today The team is very excited to release this update and I'm excited to jump in with you guys!

Just a mention of the usual stuff first...

- NOTES only apply to the fix DIRECTLY ABOVE them, unless otherwise stated

- do NOT post bug reports below. They belong in the CONSOLE BUG REPORT section.

- keep posts CIVIL and RESPECTFUL when discussing or giving feedback about the patch.

- please keep the post ON TOPIC. This post is for the discussion of this patch ONLY. (lets try actually stick to this this time ya?)

- I do NOT have further info on A15 or A16 features beyond what is in the notes or updates on MD5, Multiplayer issues and other fixes, when I have those updates they will get their own post.

Now without further ado, the information on Summer Update #1(Patch 10)!
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7 Days to Die [Console]
Release Notes
Patch 10.0
PS4 Version 1.14
XB1 Version 1.0.14.0

Patch 10 begins releasing today! We can’t wait to see what crazy things you all end up creating with the new features we’ve included with this patch. Enjoy and happy surviving!

New Features

For those of you who follow development of the PC version of 7 Days to Die, the features below will probably look pretty familiar! Some of these features will require you start a new game to experience them. We've broken them into 2 sections below. Check them out!

Will Work in Existing Saves

Updated Sky and Weather Effects

Sky and weather effects have been updated to the full, more immersive Alpha 15 versions.

Dawn

New Lighting

Night Sky

Item Combination and Repair

The workbench UI has been updated to allow players to combine items in order to make items of better quality. Any two items of the same type with a quality score (such as tools, weapons, and armor) can be placed into the workbench and a new item of better quality will be created. The workbench can also be used to repair items using other lower quality items as fuel. Workbenches can now also be disassembled with a wrench.

Lootable Gore Blocks

Zombies and their gore blocks have been updated so that when a zombie corpse decays into a gore block, the gore block can still be looted for the same loot that would have been looted off the zombie corpse. Along with this, zombies will decay into gore blocks a lot sooner than they used to and will often, when enough damage is done, instantly turn into gore blocks upon death.

Will Require New Saves

New Items

Over 50 new items have been added this patch. They will be available from a variety of sources but only to players that start new games in Patch 10. Some of these new Items include:

o New plants and harvestables

o Various new types of scrap

o A whole slew of new clothing items to be found


Navezgane Fashion Trends

Feast your eyes on the latest in post apocalyptic fashion!

Ride off into the (new and improved) sunset in style!



New Block Types

Over 100 new blocks have been added to the game. There are several that help flesh out existing block sets with new pieces (corners and arrow slits), toggleable lights, drawbridges, and a new crafting station. These blocks will only be available to players that start new games in Patch 10. Here's a few examples of those below...(Comments by Clare)

Draw Bridge

For all your moat and "oh no you dont!" river crossing needs!

Jail Door

I've seen a few people ask about his block - wanting to add to their own prison builds!

Lights and Various Blocks

Let those Z's know your open for business! Or simple keep a light on for a weary traveller. There's also the rounded concrete blocks and should the weary traveller pass on, there's always the mortician block!

Stainless Steel Blocks

When the world is falling appart and most things are just a little rough around the edges, it's nice to have such lovely satisfyingly-smooth blocks to build with!

Cat Walks and Tree Houses

Another group of blocks players were eager to see! Stay up off the ground and take out Z's from afar or do a little hunting!




Cat Walk Bridges

Go up and over without placing loads of chunky blocks! I really like these minimalist bridg- hey wait a second.... is that a wooden Giraffe??!? Hmm... it appears to be a stag. Thanks okay then...

Farming Improvements

Farming has been improved in Patch 10. The concept of fertilized land has been added, along with 4 new seed types (Yucca, Mushrooms, Chrysanthemum, and Aloe). These new features will only be available to players that start new games in Patch 10.

New Recipes

Over 60 new recipes have been added to the game. Many of these have been added to complement the new Block Shapes and Farming features being added this patch, but a few exist to allow players to craft items that are already in the game. These new features will only be available to players that start new games in Patch 10.

Chemistry Station

A new crafting station, called the Chemistry Station has been added to the game. This station provides a way to craft many of the recipes you can craft on the campfire, using different, easier recipes and crafts those items in less time than the campfire.

Skills Updates and Balancing

Most of the changes done to the skills have been balancing ones. A lot of the changes were changing the level needed for next level requirements, changing the cost of some skills and the amount of experience needed to level those skills up. Two new skills were added (Chemistry Station and Breaking and Entering) and two were removed (10mm Round Crafting and Leather Tanning). These new features will only be available to players that start new games in Patch 10.

Bug Fixes and Improvements

Gameplay

· Fixed an issue causing the Basic Survival Quest 4/8 to require more wood than it takes to craft the Wooden Club

· Fixed an issue that allowed zombies to clip through doors and hatches while the player was upgrading them

· Fixed an issue that would prevent a player from standing after crouching in a 2x1 tunnel

· Fixed an issue causing throwing items to be thrown further and more quickly than intended

· Fixed an issue that would cause Yucca Plants to provide an additional fruit when shot

· Fixed an issue that allowed the player to get resources from animals before skinning/gutting them

· Fixed an issue that resulted in smelting guns yielding no materials

· Fixed an issue that would allow players to drop cooking tools while interacting with a fire or forge

· Fixed an issue that would make the placement indicator for signs appear green even when overlapping a location in which signs couldn’t be placed

· Fixed an issue that would cause the number of brass units gained from scrapping Duke’s Tokens to vary inconsistently based upon how many tokes the player was scrapping

· Fixed an issue that would cause the player to be unable to harvest the top of a corn plant if they harvested the bottom first

· Fixed an issue that would occasionally cause pipe bombs to land directly at the player’s feet when thrown

Art/Audio

· Fixed an issue causing certain blocks to appear invisible from one side when upgraded

· Fixed an issue that caused Cotton Plants to be missing a texture

· Fixed an issue preventing Animal Hide Leg Armor from being displayed on the character model

· Fixed an issue causing the forge and campfire SFX to continue playing between exiting and loading a new save

· Fixed an issue that caused the water bottle icon to show incorrectly in the character tool belt after being filled

· Fixed an issue that caused SFX associated with cancelling an item in the crafting queue to play too loudly

· Fixed an issue that caused SFX associated footsteps to briefly become inaudible after the player would sprain/break a leg

System/Stability

· Fixed an issue that would cause the game to prompt the player to activate split-screen whenever they would exit the audio options

· Fixed an issue the would cause the session to temporarily freeze after cancelling crafting on a large quantity of items

We are thrilled to be releasing Patch 10 today. We couldn’t do what we do without your continued support! Thanks for being such an amazing community.

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A lesson from the anime Haikyuu: A negative attitude can't help a team win

Hello video gaming and Otaku community.  I haven't posted in a while since it's the holidays. To be honest, no good games have came out in a while.  In the meantime, I have been marathon watching some of my favorite anime.

One anime that caught my interest for 10 hours straights was Haikyuu.  It's a show about an under-qualified athlete that has the hope of winning a national championship in men's volley.  The reason the show caught my interest was the psychology of sports and the character analysis.  

The antagonist of the show character analysis really made me evaluate some of my social interactions. The antagonist is nicknamed the "King of the Court".  The reason he has that nickname is due to his tendency to be a dictator and an attitude to push those on his team hard to meet impossible goals he can't achieve himself.  At one point during a tournament, he was so hard on his teammates that his team leaves him and abandons him during the game.  The coach of the team calls a timeout to bench the King of the Court, which forever changes him and makes him doubt himself.

As a result of his character flaws, he was blacklisted from top sports programs due his behavior and bad attitude. Due to his blacklisting, the King of the Court ends up on a bad team that is not a contender for the nationals but he's glad to still have the chance to play again.  When he came to the new team, the his captain prevented him from joining the team until the King of the Court overcame his character flaws despite his talent.  The captain's reasoning for this demand was an understanding that someone who thinks he's better than everyone else and uncooperative can never work well with a team.

The antagonist trained with the protagonist Hinata until he was able to let go of his pride, bad attitude and arrogance.  Eventually, the protagonist and antagonist became the stars of the team.  The two stars cooperation helps the team evolve from being underdogs to the national champions.  It's an amazing anime, and I highly recommend you watch a few episodes.

Iphone 7: All You Need to Know About What is New and Changed in Less than Minute

What's new with the I Phone 7?

If you're like me, and your I phone  is on it last leg and you're waiting on the I phone 7, then you're in for a big surprise!

Both the 4.7-inch iPhone 7 and 5.5-inch 7 Plus come in the usual array of colors, with the added additions of the super glossy Jet Black and the slightly more ordinary Black. They have a 25 percent brighter display, with a wider color gamut for better color management and reproduction. This time around, the antennas are built right into the chassis, getting rid of those ugly lines from the previous two versions of the phone. Internally, the new phones get stereo speakers and a brand new A10 Fusion chip. And, possibly most importantly, the devices are water- and dust-resistant. But we get it: you want to drill into the big changes. Take a look below.

First of all lets get the big topic out of the way. There is No longer a Headphone Jack for your earbuds. To make the transition away from analog audio easier (if more expensive), Apple developed its own standard to allow wireless headphones to connect to the new iPhones seamlessly. Using its own W1 chip, Apple designed AirPods — or EarPods without wires — that connect to the iPhone without needing to pair like you would with Bluetooth. Beats has also developed two new headphones running on the W1 chip.

Second,the home button is gone. One of the iPhone’s most constant, iconic features is gone: the clicky physical button at the bottom of the phone. In the iPhone 7, the Home button is still there, but it’s no longer mechanical. Instead, like Apple’s new MacBook trackpads, the iPhone will provide touch feedback with the Taptic Engine.

Third, there is a better double camera.  The bigger version of the iPhone 7 comes with two rear-facing cameras, but it’s not going to let you capture your favorite moments in 3D. Instead, each camera has a different focal length, allowing for users to pick between shooting photos with a wide-angle or a telephoto lens. The iPhone 7 Plus will also be able to do some software tricks using those two different focal lengths. One is called "software zoom," where you’ll be able to "zoom" in the camera app between (and beyond) the two different focal lengths. The other is called "depth," and it uses the differences in the lenses to enhance the blur of the background behind your subject — similar to what phones like the recently released Honor 8 are capable of.

Fourth, the water resistant Apple Watch 2. Apple is back with what it calls the Apple Watch Series 2. It has all the requisite specs bumps: it has the brightest screen Apple’s ever shipped — supposedly twice as bright as the last Watch — and its new S2 chip has a dual-core processor that’s supposed to be 50 percent faster than its predecessor. On the outside, you’ve got the same square shape and side buttons, but it now comes in white ceramic along with aluminum and stainless steel. It also includes some snappy-looking new bands, including a custom design from Hermès, and there’s a Nike watch model that’s aimed specifically at guilting runners into regular exercise.

The Series 2 watches will start at $369, and just like Apple has done for iPhones and iPads, it’s keeping the original Watch around as a cheaper alternative. The Series One line, as it’s being called now, will be upgraded with the same S2 chip and sold for $269. Preorders will start September 9th, with the watches coming in late October. And watchOS 3, which was announced earlier this year, will be coming to current Watch owners on September 13th.

Fifth IOS 10 is coming out. iOS 10 is officially coming out on September 13th, bringing the next major iOS update to users after spending the summer in beta. This release represents one of the biggest iOS has ever seen. It means particularly big things for Siri, which has gotten smart enough to handle image searches and handle transcribing voicemails. But iOS 10 shows Apple becoming much more open, with Siri and iMessage now opening up to developers. Users will also see more widgets and better notifications, and Apple has extended Continuity to include Universal Clipboard, which lets you copy text and images on your phone and paste them on your Mac.

Availability?

The I Phone 7 will be available for purchase on Sept. 16, 2016.  You can start pre-ordering the phone on Sept 9, 2016. 

Fallout 4 Nuka World DLC: All Endings

"From here on out we're stuck together because what it took to get where you are now, the burned bridges, the salted earth, there is no going back.  Like it or not you're one of us.  A cut throat, a killer...A Raider. As luck would have it.  It seems this was the life you were meant for.   Sorry boss.  Take it from experience.  There is no point in fighting who you are.  You can only either let nature consume you, fall to booze and chems like the rabble around this place or you can embrace it.  Let it drive you.  With that in mind, I hope you appreciate the earnestness when I say...welcome home Boss!  Here is to a bright future."

     - Mags, Operators Leader

If you thought you were going to have a fun censored DisneyLand knockoff  DLC, then obvious you aren't used Bethesda irony and sarcastic metaphors.  In Fallout 4 last DLC, Nuka World, you challenged with being leader of 4 gangs that run a corrupt amusement park where innocent travelers are tricked by a lie of helping those in need and forced to fight to the death or become a slave to the bandit anarchy crime syndicates.

In Nuka World there are 4 Factions that run this sadist paradise:

Raiders

• The Pack
• Disciples
• Operators

Hubologists
Traders
Gunners

If you accept the challenge of managing in Hell hole full on disloyal, disrespectful, degenerates and anarchist then this is the add-on for you.  The DLC opens with you trying to defeat a Mad Max like maze of traps and blood thirsty upstart bandits looking to prove something or make a name for themself by gunning you down. After you overcome their challenges and prove your the alpha male or female in charge, then all the factions bow down to you and "let you" take charge of the place.

When I say "let you" take charge of the place, I mean they really only let you have political power to act as a non-bias leader that governs all bandit factions, and not let anyone faction have more leverage over the other. 

This DLC has real gang mentality and organized crime done with a mafia like twist.  At one point you're asked to make a tough choice of living the rest of your life sleeping with a gun under your pillow for safety or putting a bullet in head of the 4 faction leaders, Nisha, Mason, Mags, and William, then restore Nuke World to the peaceful free trading post that all assume it would be. The problem with putting a hit one leader of Disneyland causes all their followers and NPC to turn on Walt Disney. 

""Free and in charge today, tomorrow you'll be somebody slave.  Ain't life somethin.  After everything we done for them, they turned on us. Ungrateful shits! I expect more from Nisha at least. "

        - Porter Gage

Well Boss, you have to decide what direction you want to take.  The old saying you can't please them all, so decide which ones you value the most and which ones you want to screw over...holds weigh here.  

Picking your ending and bonus begins with how you plant flags at the amusement park during the Grand Tour Quest. You should give control of the park sections to the two you like (based on the perks below). Give them both at least 2 spots of land. One faction is going to betray you, and you'll lose favor and face them in the last quest. The more land you give a faction, the better they'll like you.

There are 5 spots to give out, but 3 factions - so even if you try to be fair, someone's getting shorted. You can guarantee you'll end up with the two you want by splitting the land at the Nuka World park 3 to 2, and leaving the other out. Also, bring the raider groups that you like to raid with you during quests after Grand Tour in order to gain more favor with them. See the Perks you gain for each of the raider factions under "Power Play Rewards" below.

"What should we do? We keep going! We take over more settlements in the commonwealth. We take what we want, and we keep taking until we own everything. Oh, and let me make something clear. I appreciate what you've done, but don't go thinking we're friends. We ain't. I'd still happily kill you if enough caps were involved."

- Mason, Pack Leader

Home Sweet Home and Consequences of Going Full Raider

You must build up three Raider Outposts in the Commonwealth during the Home Sweet Home Quest - which should be easy if you're familiar with the game's Settlements system. You will talk to Shank and get to select a Settlement from a few places, as well as which faction you'll bring along to do the raid (it's better to do that to gain more favor with one you like). You will lose control over that Settlement permanently (in terms of connecting it to your other Settlement supply lines and being able to build there), so choose wisely. You'll then be building it for the raiders.

You can choose to talk to the Settlers to get them to walk away or to actually raid it, which is really easy even though Minutemen show up. If you attack Minutemen, Brotherhood of Steel or other factions in the process (even if they're defending) you will permanently damage your reputation with that faction.(A reader warned this happened to them below.) You should make a backup save if you're unsure you want to go this route. You're going full raider if you attack, and it's impossible to finish the Nuka World content without the following consequence - permanent loss of standing with the Minutemen.

"It's like dealing with some rotten little kids, lashing out for attention. Better to die in a fight, then live with the consequences of the own stupidity"

      - Nisha, Disciples 

Losing Standing with Minutemen

Peaceful Bullying
This 100% requires speech checks and or paying off the Settlers. I tested this a lot and determined that for each stage of the quest you complete, Preston Garvey will get more upset. There's 0 impact until you start to take Outposts for the Raiders in Home Sweet Home. He'll gradually come to disown you and accept 0 orders, though he won't attack at first. This will stop endless Settlement quests, for sure! If you go the peaceful route and simply bully the Settlements, you'll reach the tipping point with him alone when you set up the second and third Raider Outposts. Again this is even with simply bullying and 0 violence.

Killing Minutemen & Settlers
If you go with violent actions, ALL Minutemen will hate you as you must kill them when they show up to defend the Settlements you raid (including Ronnie Shaw and named NPCs belonging to that particular faction). Keep all this in mind. You're helping raiders, and that goes against everything the Minutemen stand for, so there's no way around it.

Raid On
However, as Kris says below, you will not have an unkillable Preston Garvey attacking you forever. It only lasts a few days. This means the Minutemen could still be used to finish the game. Preston will never be your follower again, and you cannot get his companion Perk. It is a good perk, but so too are the raider perks. You could of course get his first.

Power Play Rewards - Nuka World Ending

You'll only get this far if you actually go all out as a Raider. During Power Play, you'll get to enable the park's power and allow some additional exploration that wasn't possible with everything off. However, you have to fight off the faction that backstabs you because they feel jilted.

As I said above, you can pick which Raider Factions will stick with you by favoring them in land division and bringing them along to raid. What dictates which faction you should side with and who gets to claim what land in the Nuka-World Park is largely taste, but many players will do it based upon the Perks the Raider Factions have to offer. Here's a rundown, copied from my page about the new SPECIAL and Faction perks offered in the Nuka World DLC:

• Disciples Faction - Chosen Disciple Perk. Any kills made with a melee weapon will restore 25% of yourAction Points.
• Operators Faction - Ace Operator Perk. All guns with a suppressor attached will get a 25% damage boost, permanently. Additionally, your character gains a 10% boost to sneak abilities when in the shadows.
• The Pack Faction - Pack Alpha Perk. Gives a +25% boost to melee and unarmed damage. Its additional function is to reduce damage/energy resistance by 25%! This is a further reduction to damage aside from your normal DR/ER and is certainly useful on a ranged character as well.

You'll Get Two Perks and Additional Rewards

After completing the 'Power Play' Quest, you'll be rewarded with the perks of the two factions that did not turn against you and may give the defeated faction's land to another group. There won't be another betrayal, you've unified the raiders and established a dominant group in the Commonwealth. The two Perks are a great reward, and from there you can accept radiant quests from the two factions remaining. Since my character is a Sniper, I naturally went with Operators and the Pack. A pure melee build would probably prefer Disciples/Pack.

Tribute Chests

Another nice reward are the tribute chests from each of the five zones of the park. Since you're the Overboss, you deserve a cut of what the raiders under you make - this is kind of how your Settlers give you supplies. Only since they're raiders, they will give you chems, money, and weapons/armor directly. Of course, plenty of Nuka Cola as well. Each of the three factions has a set loot table for what they'll give in the tribute chests, but it's hard to track it all down - it doesn't offer end-game gear, just different types of weapons and armor you'd inevitably sell. Nothing amazing, but it certainly helps and you're able to fast travel to the various zones and pick up your loot every so often.

Raider Outposts and Settlements you've convinced to supply the raiders will also pay tribute. This goes in your Overboss chest back in Nuka World. It's yet unclear how often Settlements and Raiders pay tribute to you but is likely related to time played.

You CAN have Settlements and Raider Outposts after Home Sweet Home

You'll have to give up 3 of your Settlements to Raiders to finish the DLC. As far as I'm currently aware, none of this will affect the others. No one has to know you're the notorious leader of a raider gang. When it comes time to setup Outposts, you should just use Settlements you care little about and use them to supply the settlement you raided.

Good Ending: The Open Season Quest

Very early on in the DLC, you can speak to Doctor Mackenzie in the Market in Nuka-Town and get theOpen Season quest. She'll point out how the merchants are all slaves and that you could save them all by killing off the leaders of the three raider factions, which will aggro literally every Raider in Nuka World. This is just a shortcut ending. You can still do a good bit of what Nuka World has to offer in terms of exploration as the whole land mass will still be there, but you'll ruin some of the potential quests and the ability to grant land to the raider gangs. Read the linked guide to see how far you probably should go - hint: at least finish The Grand Tour!

The Last Guardian is No Longer on Hold

I know I've been waiting on this day. Finally after many set backs, excuses, and announcements...The Last Guardian has an official release date.

On October 25, 2016 Playstation 4 owners will face unknown dangers in a strange and mystical land, an ordinary young boy and his gigantic feathered friend must rely on each other to survive in this harrowing story of friendship and trust.

In an interview by theguardian.com with Fumito Ueda, the creator of Ico and Shadow of the Colossus talks, about his hotly anticipated game and his nerves over its release.

When asked about the way in which intimate relationships have figured highly in his three PlayStation games, he shrugs and smiles. “It’s interesting,” he says. “From our side, we didn’t have a strong intent to portray relationships as a theme of our games. We actually tried not to do that. But as a lot of people played through Ico and Shadow of Colosuss, they said, ‘Oh, these games are about building a bond, they’re about trust.’ From my perspective, I just say, here, go ahead, play it – then at the end, the player can come to their own conclusion about what the game is trying to tell them. I don’t like to force feed themes.”

Indeed, it’s surprise about how players have interpreted his past work that led to the pairing at the centre of Last Guardian – the boy and the beast. “Once we were done with Shadow of Colossus there was a moment when I reflected on what we really wanted to communicate and portray in that game,” he says. “For me it was the main relationship between Wander and the girl, but after the release, I read a lot of feedback from players who were touched by the game, and they said that the relationship between Wander and the horse was the most important and appealing – we got the sense that this was what most people felt. I thought OK, if that’s the case, there are a lot of mechanics from that relationship that we could heighten and expand on. That’s where The Last Guardian came from.”

Finally It's Football Season - Madden 17 New Features

I must admit, i'm one of those gamers that play madden wearing my Titan's jersey.  It sucks that when the playoffs start me and my local team are doing the same thing: on the couch watching someone else compete for a championship trophy, lol.  Titans suck but this year I feel we have a good chance at at least being 8-8.  

Well in the world of Madden 17, I can change reality and go to the superbowl with my under-rated team.  This time around EA sports have made some improves to make the game more challenging and goal oriented.  Here is what you can expect feature wise. 

Big Decisions

Big Decisions come to you with the right information at the right time. Do you start your star QB with that lingering injury, or go to your unproven back-up with a playoff spot on the line? In Madden NFL 17 on Xbox One and PlayStation®4, Big Decisions begin a new direction in your career mode experience changing the way you approach your gameplay strategy for every match up.

Big Decisions: Season Goal

The first big decision you’ll make as a coach or player in the regular season is to set your season goal.  As a coach, you can decide whether you are going to make the playoffs or shoot low with a 7-win season.  The choice you make has an impact since if you miss your season goal, you have a chance of getting fired, but the harder the goal then the higher the experience point gain will be.

Big Decisions: Injuries

Once doctors have medically cleared a player that was hurt earlier in the season, you can either play him with a lingering injury or sit him to heal to 100%.  If your player plays a game with a lingering injury, then he has a higher chance of becoming reinjured, which could completely wreck the rest of your season.  If you go with your back-up, he will earn extra XP that will help him with long-term development.

While in-game, you’ll see new presentation banners that highlight your injured players.  You will even see a “with and without” comparison banner showing how your team did the last few weeks with your back-up QB compared to your regular starter.

Big Decisions: Acquisitions

Picking up free agents and players on the trade block is easier than ever with the new Acquisitions menu.  You will be able to easily browse the available players by position and compare them to your current depth chart.  Improve your weakest positions quickly by using the position grades that are right at your fingertips.  Expect the commentators during the game to call out recently acquired players when they make big plays.

Big Decisions: Re-Signing

When your players are on the last year of their contract, you can now re-sign them using a more intuitive menu.  All the information you need to decide if you want to retain the player is available.  The more prominent players will be open to negotiations earlier in the season, with the lower rated players available to sign late in the season after they’ve had a chance to prove themselves on the field.  It’s up to you to decide how aggressive you want to be when offering a contract, but giving a contract that is too low carries the risk that they may reject your team and opt to test the free agent market instead.  As you persuade your players to re-sign, the commentary team will take notice and mention it during the game.

Big Decision: Spending XP

Your players progress through the season as they earn experience points (XP) from training and by completing weekly game goals, drive goals, fantasy goals, season goals, and career goals.  You will be able to easily spend this XP to upgrade ratings and traits at the end of each game.  Quickly see who earned the most XP on the defensive and offensive side.  When there are at least three key position specific ratings available to upgrade, the player will show up in the Recommended list where you will be able to easily choose which rating to upgrade.  

When playing as a coach, you will see a breakdown of all the XP you earned that week, too.  You can easily see if you have an upgrade available and quickly take action.

Big Decisions: Cutting Players

During the preseason, you will now be presented with a new menu layout where your coaches will recommend players to cut based on position depth and player skills.  This allows you to make key decisions about player retention quickly so you can progress through the preseason.

Big Decisions: Free Agent Bidding

While bidding for players in the off-season, you will now be able to easily see your depth chart at the various positions so you know who to bid on.  Additionally, you will get feedback on how the player views your contract so you can adjust it to have a better chance of landing him.  Top rated Free Agents will now regularly sign quickly so you can spend the later stages battling over the next tier of players.  This better emulates real-life, where the top free agents move off the board quickly.

Community Requests

On top of everything else we’ve added this year, you’ll see features in the game directly influenced by community wishlists including the addition of the score ticker, full player editing, practice squad and more.

Around The League Score Ticker

Be immersed in Sunday football, with the new Around The League Score Ticker.  While playing your game, you will see score updates occur from games around the league.  For example, if you’re playing a 1pm Sunday game, you will see score updates and stat lines for all the other 1pm games.  If you’re playing a Monday Primetime game, you’ll see final scores tick by for all the other league games.  If you’re playing in a Cloud league with your friends, their played games will be treated like every other game.  The ticker still gives you updates on goal progress when relevant, too.  There is a setting to show everything, just scores, goal updates, or nothing so you can customize it as you see fit.

Full Player Editing

As the commissioner in your league, you now have the ability to customize almost everything about all the players.  You will be able to adjust appearance, ratings, traits, and contract information for the entire league, letting you make tweaks as you see fit to alter players.  Do you want to add one more year to someone’s contract? Do you think Aaron Rodger’s deep passing accuracy needs to be higher? You can do all this and more with full player editing.  It is as simple as pulling up the Player Card for a player and selecting “Edit Player” to begin.  In a Cloud league, other members can keep an eye on the commissioner since each player edited will show up in the Transaction log.

Practice Squad

Each team now has a 10-man Practice Squad that they can control week-to-week.  It all starts in week 4 of the preseason.  Instead of cutting players, you can now easily move eligible players to the Practice Squad where they will develop as you train the various position groups during weekly training.  These Practice Squad players are available in Free Practice so you can test them out down on the field.  At any point during the season, you can pull up a player from the Practice Squad to your active roster or vice versa.  Only players with less than 2 full years of NFL experience are available to move to the Practice Squad so you won’t be able to stash your veterans on it.  The Practice Squad is the place to develop younger players into guys that can have an impact on your team during gameday.  Just like in the real-world, your Practice Squad players are free agents and can be poached by other teams for their active roster.

Dynamic Development Trait

Each player’s development trait is the biggest defining factor in how he develops.  Players with a Superstar trait will stay in the league longer and develop into the top tier talent, while players with the Slow trait will not make it in the league long.  You will now be able to see it quickly on the Player Card with prominent placement and a new icon.  

Since the development trait is such a key part to a player’s success, we want to make sure you can influence it.  In Madden NFL 17, if a late round draft pick has a breakout season and wins Offensive Rookie of the Year, he will most likely go up a development trait level.  Actually, any major season award and weekly award will have a chance of increasing it.  What goes up must come down.  Once a player fails to reach their season goals they have a chance of dropping down a development trait level.  This fluidity makes sure the league is an organic system that reflects player performance.

Regression Feedback

As a coach or owner, you need to have a pulse on your team’s development and you need to know exactly when your team regresses and now you will in Madden NFL 17.  Anytime a player on your team regresses during the season or at the end of the season, you will be prompted with a detailed report so you can calculate your next move.

Player Card Improvements

The Player Card has been bolstered with three key improvements.  The first is a way to quickly see all the attributes for a specific player and how they rank in the league based on overall rating.  The second is a view so you can see the progression history for the player.  This lets you see where all the XP came from and when ratings have been impacted whether through progression or regression.  Last but not least, the player card is now accessible from more areas so you will always be just a step or two from seeing the information you want.

Big Decisions and the Community Requests will keep you coming back for more Franchise.  Play this and more in Madden NFL 17 available August 23rd.