Here's the pre-week 3 list:
To be attempted before the next game
- Check DL on running plays. Why do they get blown up?
- Figure out why the RB stops in the backfield after a missed tackle
- Adjust the defense diving into the line on running plays
- Fix the kick return catching glitch
- Adjust the special teams scanning range
- Speed up the velocity of passes
- Adjust the pocket time to allow for quicker passes and more QB scrambles
- Add a couple more max protect pass plays
For later:
- Depth chart refresh
- New camera control
- Figure out a solution to speed rushing (without artificially lowering speeds)
- Figure out what to do about blocks being too effective. (guys not breaking free of blocks)
I got cracking on the list, and then ended up spending 3 days lost down the rabbit hole. It started off innocently enough. I knocked out the special teams scanning range issue in a few minutes. As I was testing that, I got really sick of the ridiculous hang-time for punts and kickoffs. So I started messing with the kick power and aim point. Seems simple enough...
type...type...type..
No, that doesn't look right. Now the kicks are getting to the spot too quickly..... maybe if I adjust the ball physics, just a little bit...
*enters the rabbit hole*
3 days later I've completely scrapped my kicking and punting physics, and replaced them with cannon ballistics scripts. (modified to control kick height) Since I was messing around with ball physics, I also thought it would be groovy to scrap all my QB passing scripts, and replace them with more ballistics scripts that have been modified to adjust throw height/speed and take into account running receivers.
*emerges into daylight, and marvels at the sun*
I didn't plan on fixing all this now, but I did. It makes a
huge impact on gameplay, too! QBs don't seem so helpless now. The ball comes out with zip, and the passes scale the height appropriately for the throw. Let's hope pass completion gets above 10%....
Now that the QBs look like they know what they are doing, I can't just have them getting sacked every other play. I also don't want to mess with speed/power at all. The solution I came up with is pancakes.
OL and DL have a chance to pancake eachother now. The idea is an answer to the situation where you'd put your fastest player at DE and just out-speed the OL. Power isn't really a good answer, since it's really just there for pushing physics. Fast guys won't get pushed by slower guys very often. Let's say I want to put Urquhart at DE, what things would stop me? .... ... I wouldn't do it if he got pushed all over, but that's not going to happen on pass plays. The pass blocking equivalent of pushing a DE around, is smacking him to the ground -> pancake. If I know there's a good chance the OL is just going to flatten Urquhart, I probably won't put him at DE. He's not doing any good if he's laying on the ground. I'd be better off putting a slower guy who at least has a chance of staying in the play.
The same idea works the other way, too. Even though there's a speed advantage for the DL, I'm finding that skilled non-speed DL are getting stopped regularly by bad OL. I think the pancake method would address this issue, too. I can't put Urquhart at OL to stop fast DE, because he might get smacked down and run over by a skilled slower DL.
Initial testing seems like it's the right way to go. I'll need to monitor and adjust the frequency of pancakes, but it seems pretty good so far.
Now that I've gotten out of the rabbit hole, I can knock out some of the smaller items on the list and move on to Week 3!
To be attempted before the next game
- [DONE] Check DL on running plays. Why do they get blown up?
- [DONE] Figure out why the RB stops in the backfield after a missed tackle
- [DONE] Adjust the defense diving into the line on running plays
- Fix the kick return catching glitch
- [DONE] Adjust the special teams scanning range
- [DONE] Speed up the velocity of passes
- [DONE] Adjust the pocket time to allow for quicker passes and more QB scrambles
- [DONE] Add a couple more max protect pass plays
For later:
- Depth chart refresh
- New camera control
- [DONE] Figure out a solution to speed rushing (without artificially lowering speeds)
- Figure out what to do about blocks being too effective. (guys not breaking free of blocks)