Have you played on "Pro" setting?

[slthree]

I quietly got this game and had little to no expectations of it since Madden has been a bit disappointing to me for the last few years.

I was pleasantly surprised by it. So, after a myriad of settings/sliders/dummy sliders combinations, I was still unhappy about a few things.

The CPU QB never threw an errant pass and it could not run well enough and I was seeing lower rated players do things that I only expect from the elite players.

So, I just went "old school" to a tactic that has given me the most pleasure from Madden games when I did like them...

I reset everything to default and played 2 full 8 min quarter games on the "Pro" setting. (I have been vocal in the past about what I perceive this setting to be, that is the setting where ratings matter)

After 2 games, I think thats where I'll be. It may not be right for the guys who are just spectacular at this game but for many of you it MAY solve a lot of problems and may prevent you from scratching your head and uttering the all-to-common phrase: "WTF"

Quick hit from my last game:

I used the Chargers verse the Redskins.

(The reason I used the Skins is because they are a good test team, strong defense, good running game, a QB who SHOULD throw an errant pass from time to time. Yet, in all my test games, regardless of the team I used, Campbell was way too accurate with virtually no errant passes. That, and a bunch of other things happened I didn't feel were realistic).

Back to the game. What did "Pro" setting yield?

Campell finally looked like Campbell. He had some great strong armed throws and no less than 5 errant passes when pressure was applied.

I saw a couple dropped balls for no reason, Portis ran well and weight seemed to affect line play. Big fat D-lineman were no longer getting pushed around by much lighter guards.

On top of that, LT didn't run wild on the Skins D. He finished with something like 86-89 yards on 20 or so carries. I think the avg was around 3.9 or something. (these numbers are from memory and I was tired last night). I'm not great on the stick and I run very basic plays so your results may vary but I absolutely loved it.

It wasn't perfect as we could easily nitpick any game to death, but it was the BEST game I've played so far.

Who will try it?

[LAKE4742]

Playin' the game on Pro is probaly gonna be the only way the see those neat jukes and such in all of the marketin' vids-as far as the runnin' game goes. You right, Pro is pretty much when their numbers matter, but the game is so easy at that mode. This game simply is not well balanced. I look at the replays on all modes, just to see the differences, and it just looks like lazy development. Play on Pro and lineman will simply stand there and watch the play happen. Play on All-Pro, and the fattest lineman will chase down L.T.! It's just a double-edged sword. Play on pro, and the game might just be a little more entertainin (easy). Play the game on All-Pro, and you'll swear it looks nothin' like the hype. It's a train wreck. But, I'll give it a try on Pro.

[Beardown]

I have played on pro. I was so frustrated from not getting sacks that I tried everything, even going so far as to play on rookie. When I played on pro I found the CPU offense was just too weak. I could weaken my offense through house rules, ask Madden and I had to run the play he called, however I could not make the CPU run game any better.

Both the CPU QB and myself were lights out though. I never experienced completions percentages in the 60s. Both the CPU and I were consistently in the 80s.

Funny thing was I still didn't get any sacks on Pro. I have to try pass commit as I have been neglecting that which will hopefully finally end my frustration.

[RedsFan75]

Well, I hadn't played Madden in YEARS, so I got this one and have been playing on pro, using the Bengals....

The CPU Offense broke some big runs on me, and I had Denver put up some HUGE pass plays on my secondary! I'm only 3 games into trying to get back to playing it, but so far PRO has been a challenge and seem to be a farily accurate representation of the ratings... BUT my skillz have eroded, it took me several tries to pass most o the skill test on easy so... give me some time an I may change that thought.

[slthree]

Quote: Originally Posted by Beardown

I have played on pro. I was so frustrated from not getting sacks that I tried everything, even going so far as to play on rookie. When I played on pro I found the CPU offense was just too weak. I could weaken my offense through house rules, ask Madden and I had to run the play he called, however I could not make the CPU run game any better. Both the CPU QB and myself were lights out though. I never experienced completions percentages in the 60s. Both the CPU and I were consistently in the 80s. Funny thing was I still didn't get any sacks on Pro. I have to try pass commit as I have been neglecting that which will hopefully finally end my frustration.

I'm in the midst of a Saints (me) at Panthers game. Panthers started slow with about 9 yards on 3 carries in the 1st Q and I was starting to feel discouraged but they ran 7 run plays and 4 pass plays on their 1st possesion of the 2nd Q. #34 had 2 or 3 runs of 6 and 7 yards, and a few of 3-4 yards. When I clogged it up, Steve Smith killed me.

Over an entire game I'm not as good with the completion percentage as you. I have noticed that the CPU will give me what IT wants but will take away the dangerous stuff.

On my 1st drive, I was 8 for 8 with Brees but it netted me nothing. The Panthers D gave me Shockey in the 4-7 yard range but nothing deeper than that. 3 of those completions were to my RB.

2nd Q was a different story as the Panthers ran way more zone with blitzes and I struggled. You may just be a really good passer. Perhaps you can adjust sliders for passing while staying in the "Pro" setting?

On the sacks issue: many ideas have been offered in another thread and some are working for me. I have the most success by using the blitzing player, taking him wide (around the DE) and allowing the interior line-men to get free.

[CubsNBroncos]

A bunch of my friends are actually having a tournament on 360 Wednesday, and it's gonna be on Pro. I'm gonna play my franchise with a mix of Pro/custom sliders, so I can amp up the difficulty as my abilities become better. The biggest thing for us, who all stayed with the PS2 version the past few years, is the game speed. The 360 version plays so much faster, so your timing on routes and swats needs to be better. There's no shame in playing on Pro, but I'm baffled since I played on All Madden on the PS2 and was damn good. Guess it's a new ballgame now.

[NightmareDemon]

Something else you guys could try out... Try using the Custom IQ and set your own difficulty. ATM my settings are 8-8 for Offensive Rush/Pass and 5-5 for Defensive Rush/Pass. My defense play isn't that great so it leads to some very good games.

Last night playing with my Titans against the Chiefs will be my prime example. VY threw 1 pick and Chris Johnson laying the ball on the turf for 2 TOs total as the Chiefs QB threw 2 picks in the game as well. At the start of the 4th Qtr it was tied up at 7. The entire qtr was spent moving down the field then getting stopped and punting away fior both teams. Until finally I made a huge stop on about 3 and 2 and forced a punt. With about 1 minute to go and starting at my own 20, I managed my no-huddle offense to the Chiefs side of the field. With about 5 seconds left and on 4th down, Bironas kicked a 40-some odd yrd FG to win the game. I know between VY, White and Johnson I had a bit over 100 yrds rushing and about 100 yards passing(5 min qtrs) and the Chiefs were roughly the same.

Now depending on your skills with Madden you can easily tweak the Custom IQ settings to your liking. So using the Custom IQ could turn out to be your best advantage in making the most fun out of your game.

[Qb]

I use custom sliders (based on Heelfan's) which rate as Pro for passing & pass defense, while running is on the border of Pro/All-Pro. The only thing on a high difficulty level is run defense. It's been good thus far, although much like RedsFan, my Madden skills have deteriorated after a few years of dormancy.

I was wondering if Pro would be the way to go for custom online games. I've only played one thus far on All-Pro. We both struggled somewhat to generate offense finishing 14-7, although it was only 5 minute quarters. Overall, it just seemed like the DEF was more powerful than the OFF on All-Pro. Perhaps there would be a better balance on Pro, but I guess I won't know until I try...