Welcome, here is a tutorial laid out to help you get setup to play Madden 08 on PC via Evolve.
Updated 8/17/17
Need a copy of the game to play with your friends ?
Feel free to head on Amazon to grab yourself a digital copy right now! Once you’re done come back here to look at the manual.
We also have a Discord server you can join to chat with other players. We can provide instant support via Discord. Check out this link to get there.
Things required:
First make sure you are not running any mods to start. This will make following the instructions easier. If you already have madden 08 installed and update skip to step 6.
Madden 08 patched to v4.0.
Evolve. A Link that is here.
A stable internet connection that is connected via Ethernet cable.
1) Install Madden 08 on to your computer.
2) Then install the 4.0 Patch. Link to that here. This is a link to the manual install for the Amazon version of the game.
3) Okay so for rosters, please download all of the loose rosters you find not inside the archived folder. Archived folder is for rosters we no longer use. Click here then double click on the roster files you want, the ones that are loose in the main folder are the current rosters used. If you’re looking for an older roster, check the achieved folder. (Updated: 2/25/2019)
4) Install roster to the right location. Start > My Documents > Madden NFL 08 > Roster
Put the .ros file inside the Roster folder.
4-A) OPTIONAL Portrait pack – I’m posting to allow others to find this easily if they want to. This is 100% optional and is not required to play online. To install replace the UIS_LIB_PLAYER_PORT file found in the link above with the one in your Madden 08 installation directory. Please make sure to back up or rename the original one in case you need to revert back to it at some point in the future.
Moving on to evolve.
6) After installing the evolve program and signing in you will want to join the VPN room. To do this click this link while logged into evolve in your web browser.
6A) Windows 10 Fix for getting Evolve working.
6B) Please make sure you go into Evolve and go Preferences then to the Browser TAB then uncheck the box that says “Always open links in the Evolve browser” This will save you headaches later when trying to open links and download things others may send you via Evolve.
7) You should now be seeing this screen.
8) You should see your name with a green dot next to it and an IP address. The IP address is important for you to be able to connect to others via the “internet option”. You need to be able to see others IP’s.
9) Now to test that you are properly connected to Evolve.
First pick someones name in the list that also has a green dot and right click on their name and select “ping”. This will bring up a box that gives you important information.
Example: Reply from 10.50.214.26: bytes=32 time=108 TTL=128
The important part of this information is the “time” this indicates how many milliseconds it takes to sent and receive information from that person. Ideally you want 100 or below ms for a fun and lag free game. If you ping someone and you get [Reply timed out] this means that they don’t have evolve set up properly and they can not host a game. This may also be caused by a firewall conflict. Please make sure to check your firewall settings to ensure it is not causing issues. They still should be able to join a game if you host.
10) Joining & Hosting
There are two options when setting up a game. A LAN game or “internet”. There is no difference in gameplay it just depends what is more comfortable for the two players.
LAN:
To host a LAN game start up your Madden 08 and click Play Online then from the drop down menu select Host LAN and wait.
To connect to a game hosted via LAN you would start up your Madden 08 and go to Play Online and select Join LAN from the drop down menu. A name should apear in the box and you should be able to select “connect”
Internet:
To host an Internet game start up your Madden 08 and click Play Online then from the drop down menu select Host Internet and wait.
To connect to a game hosted via Internet you would start up your Madden 08 and go to Play Online and select Join Internet from the drop down menu. It will then show you multiple boxes. This is where you put in the Evolve IP found to the right of the person you’re trying to connect to. After this then press connect.
Special Thanks to: Comgesum, Ramp, BKGiantsFan,MPN & Fikus
Frequently Asked Questions
Common connectivity in party issues ?
Here is some help for that if you’re still having issues
Need help finding a controller ?
Head over to Amazon for a wired Xbox 360 controller. If you’re looking for one styled more after the PlayStation controllers look here. A wired one will cause a lot less headaches down the road.
How do I backup my profile and roster information if I need to reformat ?
Just go to Start > My Documents > Madden NFL 08 and backup your Madden NFL 08 folder to somewhere safe. After you reinstall the game then just copy and overwrite the original folder found in your documents and it will be like you never left.
Please post any questions you have, they will be added to this section.
