Anybody Lose A Realistic Amount?

[horrormaster]

When you play with a bad team and go through your dynasty, do you actually lose or just go undefeated every year beating teams you should have zero chance against? I ask because I'm getting this game soon and want to actually build a team up from the bottom. It's no fun though taking a team like Miami (OH) and being able to blowout OSU, Oregon, Michigan, FSU, etc. (basically all the top teams).

[FightinSnydersKSU]

Then up the difficulty. But sometimes I force myself to lose. Keeps it fun for me.

First season at a horrible school I try to have a losing record to keep it realistic.

[TimLawNYC]

I always start dynasty with a low-ranked team as well. I also think it's a problem when crappy teams runs the table, but at the same time this is a video game and it's way more fun to win than to lose, so you really should try to find the right balance.

I also think there are two types of losses in this game. The first, "legitimate loss," happens when you lose but feel like you simply faced a better and more talented team, or you got outplayed, or you made a bad decision (forced a pass in coverage and threw a crucial INT, failed to convert a 4th-and-short going for the winning TD instead of just kicking a FG to tie, etc.). I'm always okay with these losses, and though I'd prefer to win, I usually have fun in these games (they're almost always close), and I appreciate that these happen--because they should, and it makes the game more realistic and fun in the long run (I'd get bored really quickly if I were able to go undefeated every year with Old Dominion or something).

The second type of loss, "cheap loss," happens when you come to realize during the contest that the CPU isn't letting you win the game, no matter what. This type of loss can happen in any game, and it does not matter what the respective ratings of the teams involved are. I've had cheap losses against teams with an overall rating 20 points lower than my team. These losses happen when your RB who has a 94 carry rating fumbles the ball 5 times in one game, or when your usually-accurate QB starts throwing passes straight at defenders instead of at your WRs. These losses happen when the CPU is down by 4 late in the 4th quarter and their slow-moving QB scrambles on a broken pass play, breaking 6 tackles and outrunning your entire secondary on his way to a 73-yard, game-winning touchdown run. These are the losses that make you want to throw your controller through the TV in frustration. I hate these loses when they happen, but in the big-picture, I'd still rather experience this once every now and then than I would go undefeated every season.

So they key, I think, isn't just to balance the number of wins and losses, but to maximize the likelihood that when you do lose, you're getting legitimate losses and not cheap losses. Though you will never eliminate cheap losses altogether, I've come to believe that as your winning streak grows, the likelihood increases that the CPU will give you a cheap loss game. Legitimate losses can still be fun, but there is nothing fun about a cheap loss game, so I try to make my sliders difficult enough that I will have at least 3 or 4 legitimate losses a year with a very low-rated team in a big-time conference--not enough to make it a mirror of the real world, but enough to keep me feeling like there is room to improve my squad over time. This seems to help keep the cheap losses away; I tend to have one every couple of seasons but not as frequently as they happened when I was using easier sliders.

In a way, for me it's less about the total number of wins/losses, and more about the competitiveness of games. The best slider sets for me are the ones where most games are close and decided by one or two scores. That way, it really tests my mettle as a coach, and if most games are decided by a TD or less you really feel like you earned your wins and that the losses are legitimate. You'll win some and lose, some, but either way you can usually attribute the outcome to either a talent mismatch or your own play and coaching. That really keeps the games fun for me.

With sliders sets and adjustments, you should definitely be able to find the right balance for you and what makes you comfortable. Not everybody is looking to win the BCS title with South Alabama in Year 1.

[PocketScout]

Here is the key that I have found to help in this. I get one of the best teams in the game then play about 5 games getting my sliders to where the game is difficult but not impossible. I play against other good teams and make it to where it is a solid challenge, once I have gotten that down I then I start my dynasty with a crappy team but use the same sliders.

This makes it to where it will still be a challenge once I do get to a good team, and makes it a real pain in the @** playing with a bad team. But I know that once I get them built up or get a new job with a powerhouse the game will still be fun. Just try not to get to frustrated if you are losing to many games.

[canesfins]

If you don't change the sliders then it will be too easy. I found sliders that are really challenging and didn't make the bowl game the first year. You also have to create house rules in recruiting otherwise that would become too easy too.

[PocketScout]

Quote: Originally Posted by canesfins

If you don't change the sliders then it will be too easy. I found sliders that are really challenging and didn't make the bowl game the first year. You also have to create house rules in recruiting otherwise that would become too easy too.

This is and turning the coaching progression down to slow (must be done when creating dynasty) are keys to making it more difficult as well. Here is a list of Recruiting house rules I am using to make it more difficult.

The no visits helps to keep you from running away with recruits, one week you might be up by a few hundred then all of a sudden the CPU will have a good visit with the recruit and next thing you know you are down by a few hundred with a real problem on your hands, this adds a lot of late season drama to your dynasty as the CPU loves getting late visits with recruits.

Also there are a ton of players who are under 25% locked that you can scoop up with ease through out the season so I avoid this as well because if I don't I can pull a top 10 recruiting class with no real effort.

Recruiting Rules
*I can only have 3 more players than I have leaving on my recruiting board. (ie 13 seniors leaving I can only have a max of 16 players on my board).
*My initial recruits must have me listed in there Top 3.
*I can not add more than three players who have less the 25% lock after week 1.
*I can not schedule any recruiting visits.

[dso122783]

I like to start at a small school and work up the coaching carousel. I like to make it realistic. I remember a guy I used to work with won the National Championship and had a HB win the Heisman in year 2 as Rice. Come on.
However, don't sell yourself short. Look at the SEC Championship this year.

[GeauxGleaux]

Use harder sliders.

And impose recruiting limits on yourself as a previous poster suggested.

Don't restart.