It shows the true nature of Madden to be an arcade game. The AI breaking methods to maximize battle scores is the method to get top 100, agree.
Running the same stretch or dive and waiting for the defense AI to pick the wrong play is another method. Though why the AI would pick the wrong play when it knows the offense has to run, is confusing. Reminds of the criticism Barry Switzer and the Cowboys received for calling the same run play against the Eagles on 4th down.
A third method, such as in the case of the rushing for 75 yards needs no more than the fastest or near fastest HB, which was Tony Pollard for about the first 4 months in M20. The Offensive line could all be silver or lesser cards as the defensive line is rendered nearly useless by issues with coding or animation, or whatever the explanation was a few years back.
The defense does not spill, force or apply fits properly. There seems to be little effect by physics.
I feel these issues matter because when playing the CPU in Play Now, for example, when avoiding AI busting plays such as running Salem concept over and over again, which the CPU can't seem to adjust to defend, the CPU can stop you with their defense or score on offense when needed.
Their 2 minute offense is Patriots-like regardless of team; if a user is calling base plays and covering their key assignment in zone or man.
Playing a clean game against the CPU can easily result in nail biting games with the CPU matching your the user play call with the proper offense or defense to make the stop or gain proper yardage to set up a 3rd and short.
These game play mechanics, whether DDS or whatever it is being called, manipulation, indicates to me that their is probably too much going on in the game code to allow for proper cleaning up and fixing of errors and bugs in that same coding.
This leads me to believe that issues with correcting OL/DL interactions and cleaning up physics and pursuit angles and so on are never going to happen, even with next generation processing power.
The game needs a new engine and consistent game play coding that represents the physics of humans playing the game of american football.
*By too much going on, I am referring to: Play Now, Franchise, MUT all play differently. Rookie, Pro, All-Pro and All-Madden all play differently. Arcade, Simulation and Competitive all play differently. And if I remember correctly, there is also a game start up option for Beginner, intermediate and expert skill level. This lends it self to how many different variations on how the game mechanics are processed and played out? Seems like a recipe for disaster.
*Note: I am not a programmer so maybe it is easier to create such variation in coding than it appears, and multiple levels and skill and game play mechanics can be easily programmed. If so, I would love to learn how so I will gain new knowledge.