Tweaking ratings is always required...but...

[capa]

Every year...every game..Madden, ESPN, High Heat, MVP, etc...the sliders and tune files get tweaked for months. What works for some does not work for others. It is my belief that in order to get the most realistic gameplay possible in any sports game, the individual player ratings must be examined and tweaked.

There often is not enough disparity between positions and ratings. Sometimes you'll see a def lineman chase down a scat back from behind. Not due to sliders but due to inflated player ratings. That db who always turns his head the wrong way when you throw to his side? Probably ratings related. The FB who never picks up anyone to block on a sweep? Probably ratings related.

I have spent hundreds of hours adjusting player ratings in all the games above, and truth be told, you can get a much more realistic game once this is done. But you have to come up with baselines and adjust accordingly. What should the fastest player in the league be rated at in speed? How about the most accurate passer? How fast should the fastest lineman be? Stuff like that. Then you work off those scales. Great work like this was done back in the old FBPRO football days with the VPNFL files. It changed the game completely!

Biggest problem? If you are a franchise player, the rookies come in each year with a different set of attributes that may be too high or too low for all the adjusting you just did for your league. But if you only play one season, or just exhibitions, etc...this is a good way to go to get realistic gameplay and have the players perform up (or down) to their expected levels.

Sliders are great and help a bit, but one man's steak is another man's poison. They just don't "fit" for everyone because we all have different expectations and playing styles.

Just my $.02...

C

[baa7]

Quote:

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capa said:
Biggest problem? If you are a franchise player, the rookies come in each year with a different set of attributes that may be too high or too low for all the adjusting you just did for your league. But if you only play one season, or just exhibitions, etc...this is a good way to go to get realistic gameplay and have the players perform up (or down) to their expected levels.

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Rookies can be edited, which is a great thing about this game for those of us who spend time editing attributes. I bumped up ALL Aggression, Coverage and Consistency to between 70 and 95, and I can barely get a first down now! I'm going to have to turn down the Pursuit sliders for the first time.