For those of you looking for more difficult, but still realistic sliders...

[tcrews]

First and foremost, These are probably not finished, though right now I'm having absurdly competitive games and a lot of fun. I really need feedback from likeminded people that are winning too easily with their own, default, or other members slider sets. No matter if I win a game by 98 points, or flat out cannot stand them. I still appreciate all the hard work that goes into anyone's slider sets. So please don't think I'm knocking anyone for their sets. Just trying to create a more difficult set for some of us that are winning too easily.

Secondly, I cannot say that I have delved into page after page of "slider theory". I have not written down any formulas, and I have not spent months upon months concocting the perfect potion of sliders to make this game enjoyable. I am not knocking anyone that has done the aforementioned things, but I just want that out there. I'm open to every suggestion about changing the formula, tweaking this or that, and anyone else is more than welcome to post their own tweaks to help fellow members. I'm not trying to win a nobel prize here, I just want to give some other members the enjoyment I'm having from closer games, as opposed to winning by 3 or 4 touchdowns every single game.

So here we go, thank you for reading and i look forward to your responses guys.

Gameflow: Preference of course. I use it every time except 3rd and long on defense, they make some real boneheaded calls.
Quarter Length: 9-10 minutes, 25 second runoff
Injuries: 40
Game speed: Slow
Speed Threshold: 55

Penalties

Whatever you like.

Hum/CPU sliders

QB ACC 15/45
Pass Block 50/0
WR Catching 30/38

Broken Tackles 10/30
Run Block 45/75
Fumbles 35/35

Reaction time 35/70
Interceptions 20/25
Pass Rush 90/65

Reaction time 0/40
Block Shedding 35/55
Tackling 50/50

Okay, let me explain why some of these are where they're at.

The first one people will notice, as it's the highest number, is human pass rushing. I can't speak for everyone, but when the CPU has literally 10 seconds in the pocket, sometimes in the same set of downs. It's just absurd. I average about 4 sacks per game with this set as is. Some of you are better at getting pressure than others. If you're finding this too easy, just lower the HUM pass rush. For me it's a matter of not letting the QB have all day more than once or twice per game. I wish this slider was more effective, but it's not. So i had to crank it to 90.

Fumble sliders being at 35. Simply put, this is for the sake of maintaining realism. There isn't enough penalty for people that are constantly trying to break off huge gains. They'll mash on the truck stick and never worry about fumbling. Well guess what? Now you need to. Attempt to break off big gains only when there is one to be had, and cover the ball every single time you get hit, you'll be fine. It makes you become a more disciplined runner. I'm still only fumbling about once per game. But every single time it's my fault and I know it is, trying way too hard to make something out of nothing. But I've yet to fumble when covering the ball up. So it's at a good balance right now. If you're fumbling too much, simply put, cover the ball up more.

Interceptions are where they are for two reasons, one, the HUM should have to pay for their mistakes. Two, so should the CPU. I usually see HUM INT at 0 and CPU INT at 90. I don't like that. Both sides will still drop picks, but now they drop about 2 outta 3 instead of 4 out of 5 or 5 out of 6. If you're getting too many picks, adjust this accordingly. I play the DE position about 90% of the snaps, so I don't attempt very many user picks. If you control LB's or Safeties and are good at getting user picks, might want to knock this down a little bit til you're at a good balance.

I put the HUM broken tackles to 10 that way it's more based on finding holes and following your blocks than it is showing off how many times you can juke, truck, etc to break tackles. In real footbal, guys try to avoid the defense, not run over 7 of them. Unless of course you're Brandon Jacobs, but even he runs through the holes if he sees one. He just doesn't stop if he does happen to see someone. You'll still be able to break tackles. But it's a balance of knowing when to protect the ball, and when to try for a few extra yards. Takes patience, but it's worth it when you time everything right and break off a huge run for a TD.

Special teams sliders

FG Power: 20
FG Accuracy: 45
Punt Power: 54
Punt Accuracy: 90
Kickoff power: 40

Other notes:

The CPU goes deep and tests you a few times a game, with the CPU catch and QB Acc where it is, there's no guarantee behind it. The throw may be off, and the catch may not be made in coverage. So it lets the Good QBs and WRs shine through in those tough situations.

This set is meant to be difficult. Please, give it at least two full games without making any alterations before you decide what needs to be changed. I see too many people make adjustments BEFORE they even play a game because they think it "looks" too high/low. So at least play through two games and see what you think. I'm guilty of doing the same thing. A great guy by the name of RSpencer posted "pro" sliders on the NBA 2k forums. I laughed at them originally, then actually tried them and they were far and away the best NBA 2k sliders, or any slider set for that matter, that I have ever tried. So maybe these sliders look weird or different or whatever. But they're worth a shot if you're winning too easily.

Don't get frustrated if you're losing. That's how the game should be, it's not fun to win every game 56-14. I have used these for 10 games and I'm currently 6-4. I lost 2 games in all of Madden 10 because I couldn't for the life of me find a difficult slider set that kept the game realistic. This year I've lost about 10. Which is incredible. So these sliders are not going to be noob friendly at all. They are intended to be difficult. I've had my drives last as many as 16 plays, and in my last game the CPU had a 17 play drive. It was great.

Big play capability is still there, but not overpowered. I had a game where I was using the 49ers. Frank Gore's 3rd carry he took to the house, a 48yd TD rush. 15 carries later I was at 88yds. So the run game can be your best friend, and your worst nightmare. It's the only part of I'm actually unsure of. Running is incredibly subjective. Some people are great, others suck. It's very challenging finding a happy medium so I think if there was something that would need immediate tweaking, some may find this too easy, others too hard. But even if you get stuffed your first 10 carries, you're just 1 play away from turning it around and busting off a big gain.

Here are the stats of my last game, they're the only stat log I kept because I wanted to be positive that they would stay difficult through a battery of games and wasn't considering posting them til recently.

Dal (user) @ Was (cpu)

23-20 (OT)

T. Romo 22/36 - 227 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT, 1 Fumble lost, sacked three times
D. McNabb - 27/42, 268yds, 1 TD, 1 INT, sacked 4 times.

F. Jones 19Att 97yds, 1 TD, 3 BTK, long carry of 47yds (TD)
M. Barber 5Att, 26yds, 1BTK, long of 14yds
C. Portis - 16Att, 57yds, long of 23yds
L. Johnson, 7Att, 42yds, 1 TD

J. Witten - 6Rec, 74yds
M. Austin - 7Rec, 71yds, 1 TD
S. Moss - 5Rec, 105yds, 1TD
C. Cooley, 7Rec, 59yds

D. Ware - 12 tackles, 3TFL, 2 Sacks, 1 Forced Fumble

I had my first overtime game, I think ever. It was very intense. I punted 5 times, they punted 5 times. I'd yet to punt more than 3 times so far this year, so that's a nice change. There were only three turnovers. So that was good. The game came down to a missed field goal. The Skins had a 35 yard attempt with 49 seconds left in regulation but missed it off the post. I received first in OT, punted, they got two first downs, but then had to punt a few plays later. I marched down the field using a 13 play, 55 yard drive to set up a 30 yard field goal for the win. Very intense game and it was a ton of fun to play.

Afterward, I got to thinking that I should definitely share these with other people that need a challenge.

Hopefully they will be challenging for the majority of you. Certainly with skill levels differing so much, I can't guarantee that you're not going to plow through the CPU. But I can definitely say the game is playing real well right now for me and I would really want these sliders if I was beating the ever loving hell out of the CPU all the time, which I was. And it really diminishes the games fun factor when you go into any game knowing you'll win.

I feel as though there's some stuff I'm missing in terms of details about the slider set. But I can't think of it right now. I really hope everyone has fun and enjoys these, I look forward to hearing from you guys soon. Thank you for trying them out!

[thekodinator]

playing my first game with these sliders as green bay against buffalo.

I'm up 24-0 at half.

rodgers is 13 of 24, 210 yds, 3 TDs, 1 INT.
Grant has 6 carries for 32 yds

trent edwards is 3 for 9 for 35 yds and 1 INT
fred jackson has 7 carries for 4 yards.

i was hoping these would be a bit more difficult...

[dorismary]

Only played a half but im liking what im seeing , very nice gameplay more in a bit.

[dorismary]

Well started another and im Bears vs GB and im down 36-14 at halftime .
The game was actually alot closer and Im playing good D but Gb is getting huge 3rd down miracle plays which I dont like so what should I do lower Cpu Pass OFF or raise my pass Def as Rodgers has had guys wide open on some 3rd and long plays
Other than that Im enjoying them but you might wanna raise Fg Acc and Fumbles for both as I had 8 turnovers combined at half in the rain .

[tcrews]

Quote: Originally Posted by thekodinator

playing my first game with these sliders as green bay against buffalo. I'm up 24-0 at half. rodgers is 13 of 24, 210 yds, 3 TDs, 1 INT. Grant has 6 carries for 32 yds trent edwards is 3 for 9 for 35 yds and 1 INT fred jackson has 7 carries for 4 yards. i was hoping these would be a bit more difficult...

Feel free to change some things around. You are playing the bills after all, using the packers, they should be up 24-0 at the half, lol. In all seriousness, try it "away" @ a good team, Saints, Vikings, Pats, etc. See if those are a bit more difficult. Reality is, Trent Edwards and Fred Jackson are probably not going to beat Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. I'm trying to get it so that EVERY team is difficult. But right now it's just the good teams play good, the great teams play great, but the lower end teams, Browns, Bills, Rams, aren't that tough to steamroll.

[tcrews]

Quote: Originally Posted by dorismary

Well started another and im Bears vs GB and im down 36-14 at halftime . The game was actually alot closer and Im playing good D but Gb is getting huge 3rd down miracle plays which I dont like so what should I do lower Cpu Pass OFF or raise my pass Def as Rodgers has had guys wide open on some 3rd and long plays Other than that Im enjoying them but you might wanna raise Fg Acc and Fumbles for both as I had 8 turnovers combined at half in the rain .

I'm surprised they managed to score 36 points in one half. I'm definitely not seeing that, or at least I haven't yet. I've yet to have a game where either team combines to score that many points, in both halves. Haha.

Don't worry about the fumble slider right now, if you were playing in the rain that's not a great way to judge if it's not going to work for you. Like I said in my OP. The fumble slider is really great where it is, if you cover the ball you won't fumble, simple as that. If you're constantly trying to break tackles, gain extra yards, juke, spin, stiff arm. And a few guys hit you, or you get hit real hard by one guy, you very well might fumble. The point of this is to only try for extra yards in the right situations.

Let's say you're Frank Gore, big, powerful running back capable of being both a trucking back and elusive. If you get out in the open field and there's only a linebacker to beat before paydirt, you'd juke them. If a corner back wraps you up, they mostly suck at tackling (rating-wise), so it's okay to try for a few extra yards in that situation. Provided there's no one else nearby. See what I mean? If you're wrapped up by a half dozen guys and you're spamming the truck stick, you will probably fumble. I like that because it forces you to cover the ball and also eliminates the absurd amount of huge gains. They still happen, but only about as often as they should. The CPU, with it's fumble slider ALSO at 35. Needs to cover the ball as well, which they do, so they don't have as many insane breakaway plays either. I think the fumble slider is fairly overlooked when people are trying to fix all the big plays.

Anyway try another game or two, Aaron Rodgers is a great QB. I know it's frustrating forcing him into 3rd and long and having him convert, but he's a hell of a player. Take a very good team, and go against someone like the Bills. See if Trent Edwards is going to chew you up the same, I'm guessing he won't. But if he does, then you might want to lower the CPU QB Acc 5 points. If you can finish a full game, definitely post stats from it and I'll look them over and help you out as best I can. Keep it real bro.

[tcrews]

I started a franchise finally and I'm in the 1st quarter, using the Titans (doing a 4 team franchise) in my first game of the season. In the 10 "test" games i played with these. I hadn't gained more than 120 yards with anyone. In the first quarter I have 175 yards on 4 carries against the CPU with Chris Johnson. I'm not sure if this is an anomaly or what. But I may need to change something if this keeps up. I'm not sure if it's just Chris going off, which i mean let's face it, it happens. Or the speed threshold should be knocked down by 5-10. But he's tearing it up.

Also, if you read the entire blurb, it says that these are not finished and that I need people like myself looking for a higher level of difficulty. So even if these don't work for you or you find them too easy, too hard, too anything. Just let me know and let's work on them together so that within a couple weeks we can have the best "difficult" slider set. Please don't hesitate to post your tweaks, revamped sliders on here. I don't care about credit or someone hijacking my thread with their sliders. My only goal is to get to a point where every single game is difficult for even the best madden players. All the while keeping it realistic and never having games where we feel "cheated" when we lose, i.e. All Madden difficulty.

So any stats you guys post, any slider tweaks, any comments, be it positive or negative. Will be going toward the greater good as we all pitch in and get a solid set of difficult sliders up so that in our franchises we no longer go 16-0. Thank you guys.

[dorismary]

Quote: Originally Posted by tcrews

I'm surprised they managed to score 36 points in one half. I'm definitely not seeing that, or at least I haven't yet. I've yet to have a game where either team combines to score that many points, in both halves. Haha. Don't worry about the fumble slider right now, if you were playing in the rain that's not a great way to judge if it's not going to work for you. Like I said in my OP. The fumble slider is really great where it is, if you cover the ball you won't fumble, simple as that. If you're constantly trying to break tackles, gain extra yards, juke, spin, stiff arm. And a few guys hit you, or you get hit real hard by one guy, you very well might fumble. The point of this is to only try for extra yards in the right situations. Let's say you're Frank Gore, big, powerful running back capable of being both a trucking back and elusive. If you get out in the open field and there's only a linebacker to beat before paydirt, you'd juke them. If a corner back wraps you up, they mostly suck at tackling (rating-wise), so it's okay to try for a few extra yards in that situation. Provided there's no one else nearby. See what I mean? If you're wrapped up by a half dozen guys and you're spamming the truck stick, you will probably fumble. I like that because it forces you to cover the ball and also eliminates the absurd amount of huge gains. They still happen, but only about as often as they should. The CPU, with it's fumble slider ALSO at 35. Needs to cover the ball as well, which they do, so they don't have as many insane breakaway plays either. I think the fumble slider is fairly overlooked when people are trying to fix all the big plays. Anyway try another game or two, Aaron Rodgers is a great QB. I know it's frustrating forcing him into 3rd and long and having him convert, but he's a hell of a player. Take a very good team, and go against someone like the Bills. See if Trent Edwards is going to chew you up the same, I'm guessing he won't. But if he does, then you might want to lower the CPU QB Acc 5 points. If you can finish a full game, definitely post stats from it and I'll look them over and help you out as best I can. Keep it real bro.

Thanks for the tips and understood about the fumbles as I so dont wanna tweak your sliders much as I like the base gameplay im seeing so maybe Ill work on my technique.
But The cpu big plays kills me , maybe im hitting switching players to much or by accident ?
So I will play a great team against a poor one and see what happens .