Forced to play more realistically: what are you doing now you didn't in 17?

[ForUntoOblivionSoar∞]

I love that I have to go through progressions now. Simply waiting for a slant to go all the way across the field is much harder now. Love it.


This is a flawed game. No one denies that there are flaws. But how do people miss the improvements? I have to check it down more than ever before due to the better pass rush and coverage, which is much more realistic than Madden 17, yet people have complained about the pass rush and coverage. SIM people (supposedly sim, anyway...). YES you're going to throw for INTs if you pretend this is a Madden 17 where you don't have to read coverage. YES it's going to be hard to pass if you don't run, and hard to run if you don't pass. So mix it up.

There are certainly flaws. Like the universal pancake happening every now and then. But it's kind of aggravating when people ignore the engine improvements.
Hell, look at qb runs of late. It's much MUCH better. Not perfect, but so much better than last year.



So what, if anything, has Madden 18 forced you to change in terms of paying more realistically?

[kinsmen7]

Quote: Originally Posted by ForUntoOblivionSoar∞

I love that I have to go through progressions now. Simply waiting for a slant to go all the way across the field is much harder now. Love it. This is a flawed game. No one denies that there are flaws. But how do people miss the improvements? I have to check it down more than ever before due to the better pass rush and coverage, which is much more realistic than Madden 17, yet people have complained about the pass rush and coverage. SIM people (supposedly sim, anyway...). YES you're going to throw for INTs if you pretend this is a Madden 17 where you don't have to read coverage. YES it's going to be hard to pass if you don't run, and hard to run if you don't pass. So mix it up. There are certainly flaws. Like the universal pancake happening every now and then. But it's kind of aggravating when people ignore the engine improvements. Hell, look at qb runs of late. It's much MUCH better. Not perfect, but so much better than last year. So what, if anything, has Madden 18 forced you to change in terms of paying more realistically?

I agree wholeheartedly on the fact that there's definitely flaws with this game, but it's the same crap with NBA, NHL, MLB...none of them are perfect either.

I've only been playing for a couple of weeks, but I've definitely noticed that I actually have to read the defense now, especially when I'm playing with a mediocre QB (Kizer/Kaep with the Browns right now). If the corners were playing tight on my receivers, you used to be able to cheese them by running a go route (the corner would stumble and your receiver would blow by). Checking down now way more often, and I love that.

Also used to just stick on the D line and rack up the sacks. Much harder now.

[PhillyFan22]

Playing games now with Foles after Wentz went down, I have to be really conservative but in a good way. I call a lot of simple read plays and get rid of it quick/check down and run the ball way more. With Wentz I would hang on and escape and look for more big plays and be more risky. I love the way this game is playing. Using Sabo gameplans and enjoying it a lot.

[cable guy]

Playing against the cpu defense this year has been the best challenge I've ever had in Madden. All-Pro. This is definitely improved upon. Ratings mean more than last year. Good DL and LB'S really stand out. So besides better cpu coverage, the pass rush comes faster. Blitzes are more effective. And running the ball is much more of a challenge.

The challenge while playing offense has definitely taken a step forward this year. Thus more fun Imo on that side of the ball.

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[JoshC1977]

I see quite a few things that have amped-up the realism/challenge this year.

Pocket formation. Better than previous years, it is quite rewarding to be able to step up in the pocket to deliver the throw. I've played this way for a long while, but I think it has taken a step forward with the improvements to lineplay dynamicism. Adding in the cat-and-mouse game that goes with the 'ID the Mike' functionality, it's pretty darn fun.

RB Moves. A source of controversy (mainly with the online guys who don't play sim), but I personally love that the CPU can and will make you miss. Are the moves a tad ovedone visually? Yeah, sure...but, it forces you to make a decision whether or not to aggressively go after the ball carrier or to strafe and hold your posiiton.

Playcalling. Truth be told, I think the playcalling is a BIT better this year (when running with default sliders). Sure, teams running vertical schemes can go way overboard on the deep passes, but overall, I have seen better variety this year. It still needs improvement, no doubt....but it is a bit better. On M17, there were far too many instances of teams reverting to nothing but stick plays, which got old and boring. I've been forced to be a lot more mindful of what I call defensively (including being mindful of matchups) as guessing wrong...well, you can get killed...and I LOVE that.

Injuries. Oh my, do I LOVE the injury system this year (I just wish we could get more without jacking the gameplay). Your depth is challenged constantly, you have to adapt. I am a lot more mindful now of my positional depth. Before, you could run with your starters and stash nothing but young guys as backups. I find myself valuing those veteran backups a lot more this year. If you get hit by injuries and all your backups are rookies with awareness ratings in the 50s, well, it won't be pretty,

[Aestis]

Everyone wants realism until their downfield routes don't work every time, and they're forced to make some actual read progressions underneath. Nobody wants to check down, so they force it anyway and throw a bajillion INTs.

Then the game is unrealistically difficult--it's definitely not that they play much more of an unrealistic arcade style than they realize. So that gets loud, EA nerfs the zones to allow for the aggressive style.

Complaints about how bad the zones play ramp up again, and the cycle continues. This forum loves to complain about the devs, but it's a minority of sim players who actually want to play realistic football.

[JayCutlersCig]

One thing that I’m not a fan of is the egregious defensive holding animation against slant routes. But one thing that’s changed and I like is that corner routes are no longer money in the bank. How they did it, though, not a big fan of. They lowered the arc of the pass so that it has a greater chance to be defended, even if you press it lightly.

But I think you’re right. Madden 18 is a severely flawed game, maybe even more so than 17. Sadly, it’s the only licensed game that’s out there, but even so, it’s a decent football simulation that can leave us scratching our heads, sometimes.


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[CM Hooe]

Biggest difference for me between M18 and M17 is that I'm a lot more active pre-snap. I'm especially more active pre-snap on defense where I'm busy doing all sorts of things to disguise my coverage against user opponents. On offense I'm checking in and out of different play calls based on the look the defense gives me, using motion to identify man vs zone, and slide protecting against different blitz looks.