Screenshot courtesy RevanFan.“One of the reasons why people wouldn't buy the newer Maddens on consoles is because we thought that EA had abandoned the PC community,” says RevanFan. EA’s treatment of the community is another part of the issue.
Or, you can do the FF Mod and not have to pay a cent after you've bought Madden 08 once,” Beich says. Because, you know $50, $60 dollars a year for the new edition that comes out every year. Why spend years updating a bad game when better versions are available? For some, it’s an issue of money. Madden has played (relatively) the same since it went 3D. They also don’t have modern counterparts in terms of gameplay. “Old sports titles like NHL 94, NBA Jam, and Tecmo Super Bowl have dedicated online fanbases too, but those games are considered classics. It's not like NHL 94 is being called a perfect game,” Beich says. Screenshot courtesy RevanFan.“To be honest, it's really not that special of a game. The fact that Madden 08 isn’t a great game doesn’t help either.
Madden 08 is 11-years old and – despite Football Idiot’s best efforts – the game shows its age. The constant rule changes are a part of the community’s biggest struggle. “Again, no one is getting paid for any of this stuff, this is labor of love kind of stuff,” he says.
It’s fitting that his role in Football Idiot is similar. Calhoun’s day job is fixing computer problems for others.
I had five different things I had to code in there, and none of that was very easy,” Calhoun says. “Every year I have to be like, ‘Ugggh, all right, gotta go fix this.’ With last year was the kickoffs. From a modding standpoint, this is a pain. Calhoun’s other responsibility is keeping the game’s rules current. We don't have any access to source code,” Calhoun tells me.
“Any of the Madden series is not mod friendly. Modding superhero Calhoupe – whose secret identity is mild-mannered computer repairman Peter Calhoun – saved Football Idiot with his modding prowess and a program he created.
“After a Windows 10 update, receiving a penalty would crash the game. I don't think we'd have so much, so many amazing mods, if it weren't for the time that EA abandoned the game on the PC.” “We just didn't have anything else on the PC. “During the 11 year gap, we figured some things out in that time,” Beich says. The only thing missing is Carrie Underwood singing the catchy pre-game intro. These range from ESPN's Monday Night Football to NBC’s Sunday Night Football. Another highlight are the authentic broadcast features the modders included, something Madden 19 doesn’t have. Screenshot courtesy RevanFan.Users have also added in the CFL (Canadian Football League) and the NCAA Football. As amazing as his project is, it’s almost par for the course in this community. The uniforms are so detailed that the thickness of the stripes on the pant legs is accurate (for those of you who were worried). With the assistance of user 1312ohelet, RevanFan even replicated all 85 of the uniforms the franchise has worn. I tried to get to know each team as well as I could,” RevanFan says. I looked up their stats to sort of figure out how they played. I tried to figure out what each player looked like. I looked through old media guides from the 1960s. “I did tons and tons of research for days and weeks and months, trying to figure out exactly who was on each team each season. His Cowboys project is so detailed and meticulously researched that it must rank as one of the most impressive modding feats ever achieved.
“RevanFan didn’t simply re-create the rosters and call it a day. With that new site came a new name: Football Idiot. He brought the community back with a new website. The torch had to be carried on by user torontogrudlies after Football Freaks eventually shut down. One by one the "forefathers" disappeared from the community. The days of the original site are nicknamed by current members as “The Discovery Era.” These founding-users of Football Freaks were responsible for creating the first modding utilities for the game. Screenshot courtesy RevanFan.Founded in 2004 by former user Mardagg, Football Idiot began as the modding site Football Freaks. Then I figured out the series was discontinued, and that lead me to find the Football Freaks website,” Beich explains. “I had Madden 08 and I wanted to buy the next version. Football Idiot is a blessing for gamers like Danny Beich, who was one of the many users shunned by EA’s decision to cancel the series’ computer releases. “Thanks to the dedicated (and slightly obsessed) Football Idiot modding community, there's been an updated mod of Madden 08 every year on computers during the 11-year hiatus.