Official CAG League Disconnect Policy
Introduction:
We all know that there is a disconnect problem in Madden. People who have been playing online for years know there always has been, and there likely always will be. It's something we've all encountered and been frustrated by in both leagues. It sucks. The important thing to remember right off the bat is that disconnects are nobody's fault. Whether it's the EA servers or someone's own connection, no one
wants their game to disconnect, so pointing fingers will never get anyone anywhere.
Unfortunately, Madden seems to have a nasty habit of not disconnecting until well into the game. Sometimes this interrupts a close, epic game and other times it interrupts a game which one team has well in hand. These situations certainly both suck, but we need to treat them differently. Below I'll discuss some scenarios and guidelines for how they should be handled.
General Rules:
1. No team should
ever count a disconnect without express permission from their opponent or the commissioner. Even if you are up by 40 points, you still need to inform your opponent that you intend to count the game. If they refuse in such a case, you can appeal to the commissioner, and in such cases the game will usually be counted. But no taking the law into your own hands.
2. Games which are still in the first half and disconnect should almost always be replayed. Exceptions
might be made for huge early leads, but in general I'll ask you to try and replay these, since we all know crazy things can happen in Madden.
3. In general, the more disconnects you've had in a given game the more likely it is we'll need to explore other options. If you get disconnected in your first attempt it could be a freak thing, but if it's happening again and again obviously there's a deeper issue.
Courses of action:
So try as you might you just
can't get that game in. Both players have given it their good faith effort but it's just not happening. What now?
Option 1: Simming
This will be the most common course of action in repeated disconnects, especially when the games are close and the players are of similar skill levels. If you can't get the game in, and there's no body of evidence whatsoever as to who had the upper hand in the matchup (on the field, obviously) than we will sim it. No one likes a sim, but there's no denying it's fair.
Option 2: Play the CPU
If a game disconnects in which one player has a clear late advantage and are not given the option to count the game than sometimes it will be appropriate for the trailing team to temporarily drop from the league and let their opponent play against the CPU. For the most part, nobody is going to be compelled to take this option, and obviously in most cases it will require the consent of both parties. There is plenty of precedent for such a move (I even dropped in the playoffs last year against Doomtime) and I think we can all rationally tell when our opponent has control of the game (even if we don't want to admit it). Obviously this is an inherently subjective question as to whether a game is in hand, and it will be judged on a case by case basis using the following criteria:
- Size of the lead (as well as the total score)
- Time remaining
- Possession and field position
A 3 score lead in the 4th quarter is more in hand than a 2 score lead in the 3rd quarter, and so on. Again, both teams have to agree to this course of action or one side has to have it approved by the commissioner. An example of the latter might be if someone is up 35-7 late in the 4th and the opponent is being belligerent and demanding it be played again. Generally speaking, we should keep this amicable, but as I said we should all have some self-awareness as to when we're beat.
It goes without saying that in this scenario those seen to be running up the score on the CPU or deliberately attempting to injure players will be frowned upon and are less likely to have the opportunity in the future.
Option 3: Subbing
When it's clear that one person or the other is the one who's disconnecting (usually it's EA, but oftentimes it's someone's own connection) than they are permitted to request a sub who might have better luck connecting to the opponent. This request should be made to the commissioner who will then choose an appropriate sub to try and complete the game. As always, subs should give their full faith effort to win the game and play fair.
Again, don't point fingers saying "it's his fault! his connection sucks!" because you really have no way of knowing for sure. On the other hand, if you suspect it's your connection and not the servers, than say so. It is possible that both teams could be subbed for simultaneously, although in that scenario simming might be the better option.
