Lack of strategy in Madden

[fourthreemafia]

First off, I just want to say this isnt meant to hate or bash Madden. I think Madden 10 is a solid foundation, but far from being where it needs to be.

I think this is Madden's biggest issue right now. The whole game relies on ratings and luck, and even that isnt done well.

I mean, Im not saying people dont have certain strategies that they use with more success, but as far as the game and what it takes to win or put together a winning franchise, I dont feel like I need to plan anything, and until I do, I will never feel that this is a true sim football game.

When I go up against a top run defense, I dont feel like I have to pass more. When I am playing a top CB, I dont feel the pressure to avoid throwing to his side compared to other CBs in the league. When I play a team with an elite WR, I dont feel like I must double cover him or put over the top safety help to contain him. I dont feel like I need to stack the box against top RBs.

And someone mentioned in another thread about the 3-4 not working because this game is more based on ratings and man to man match ups rather than confusion and strategy. Perfect example. There is little point in running different defenses, because they do not differentiate from each other the way they are supposed to. 3-4 DEs are supposed to eat up blocks and clog gaps. Yet, I can plug in Dwight Freeney at 3-4 DE and have the same success as I would with Haloti Ngata or Aaron Smith.

Its not just gameplay either. I mean, if a key player is injured (like Troy Polamalu), I dont feel like my team really suffers without him like they did in real life. QB is the only position in the game I notice a huge difference from a top QB and a mediocre one.

Then, what is the point of hiring coaches? Seriously, I could lose Dick LeBeau, replace him with a guy with no DC skills at all, and my defense wont lose a step. There is no difference in the way teams draft with different coaches. If a team runs 3-4, they make no effort to draft players that fit that mold...which as I mentioned, doesnt matter because you can plug in an undersized 4-3 DE at 3-4 DE and have similar results.

Id just like to get peoples thoughts on this. I just dont feel that there is any strategy needed in playing this game, or at least very little.

[gigemaggs99]

I would agree to some degree. I know that when I play the CPU I can watch what they do in the 1st half then change my offense/defense accordingly and the 2nd half is a new ball game. I guess this works kind of in the NFL, just not as drastic as it is on Madden.

When I play a human I don't feel the same. I either win or get my butt kicked all over the place.

Also, I don't care for the tips and videos they give you on the Xbox Live menu...the ones where they talk about running tips and passing tips. Have you ever noticed they use A.D. for the running tips? Isn't he like superman? Can't he pretty much do anything when it comes to running? Why don't they show some tips with a NOT SO SUPER HB?

Same goes for the passing, they show you how to do these things w/ Tom Brady, or Payton Manning, what about showing us something w/ a QB that isn't one of the best in the game? Can't those superstar QBs just about do anything already?

My biggest complaints when it comes to play call are:

1) it would be nice to have the option to turn ASK MADDEN off. I don't care for 4th and long and it defaults to ASK MADDEN and it gives me 2-3 pages of punt block. Why doesn't it give me atleast 1 punt return formation? Why do I have to back out of ASK MADDEN to go find special teams? Why doesn't it just leave me where I was and not defualt to ask madden?

2) I don't like when someone comes out in the Wildcat and I'm on Defense and I can't "highlight" or "Double Team" an offensive player with anyone on Defense. It's like these features are turned off. If you had the option of highlighting the HB or double teaming him and your opponent ran with him the majority of the time when they came out in Wildcat then you would/could force them to adjust. As it is now you just get lucky on stopping him or not. Seems like they should make the highlight and/or double team feature still an option on defense.


I agree with the QB differences too. I've tried playing with Carolina and J. Delhomme is really not good at all. He will lead wide open players 3 yards out of bounds. I know he's no Tom Brady, or Drew Brees but he's not as bad as a Jr High QB either.

Also if someone gets hurt and you tell them NOT to come back in. It would be cool if when they did magically return 2 plays if it gave you the option of putting them back, not just manually do it for you. I agree, if a top player goes out then you should feel the impact, they do in real life.

[RayAllen20]

For franchise games, this is somewhat not true. I am coming out with some franchise coaching scheme sliders that will truly make you scout teams. Not much scouting, but you will have to check out their coaching scheme and gameplan around it. For example, the Colts are a team that tries to stop the run instead of the pass, rarely blitzes, and passes the ball a lot. Well now I gameplay around that. I will still attempt to run but will definitely try to move to ball through the air. Their front 4 is really really good. I have to watch out for Freeney and Mathis but not use slide protections since there are no blitzers. Slants are almost useless without blitzers. Long routes will be successful. Also on 2nd and medium, I am expecting pass more than run. Same on 3rd and 3.

This is how I imply strategy in Madden 10.

[filtertmp]

Quote: Originally Posted by RayAllen20

the Colts are a team that tries to stop the run instead of the pass

...? typo?

[P. Hays]

Maybe Im just not as good at Madden as yall are but I find that I have to use a pretty good amount of strategy when playing on All Madden. However, I do miss that in Madden 09(PS2 and maybe PS3) they use to give you 3 plays on offense and 3 plays on defense that would work against the other team that week. I thought that was cool and it seemed that everytime I worked those plays into my offense or defense they would work wonderfully.

With that said, I would like to see more strategy put into the game.

[KBLover]

3-4 doesn't work like it should/require certain personnel like it should.

Any DT can be a NT because the game doesn't do what NT should. Basically the only difference between the 4-3 and 3-4 on the DL is there's one less player there.

For the other positions, I think there's some degree of difference, though perhaps not as much as there should be. You should certainly feel the loss of Polamalu. Just like I should with the loss of Reed.

I don't think the problem, though, is that the game relies on ratings and luck...that's all computers can understand in the end is numbers and randomly generated ones and compare them to another, etc. That's just game programming in general.

Coaches - I think they should have a bigger impact for sure, both in ratings (to simulate their different abilities to decipher schemes and develop their own) and perhaps with some overall effectiveness somehow. Like if I hired LeBeau, all my 3-4 blitz plays should be more effective. But if I hire a career 4-3 DC and insist on running the 3-4 and 46, they should be less effective, forcing me to choose to say with the 3-4/46 and the personnel I have geared to that or start transitioning my personnel over the years to the new scheme.

[RayAllen20]

Quote: Originally Posted by filtertmp

...? typo?

yep my bad. Other way around.

[P. Hays]

Quote: Originally Posted by KBLover

For the other positions, I think there's some degree of difference, though perhaps not as much as there should be. You should certainly feel the loss of Polamalu. Just like I should with the loss of Reed. Coaches - I think they should have a bigger impact for sure, both in ratings (to simulate their different abilities to decipher schemes and develop their own) and perhaps with some overall effectiveness somehow. Like if I hired LeBeau, all my 3-4 blitz plays should be more effective. But if I hire a career 4-3 DC and insist on running the 3-4 and 46, they should be less effective, forcing me to choose to say with the 3-4/46 and the personnel I have geared to that or start transitioning my personnel over the years to the new scheme.

I agree that the loss of a key players should weaken the team. For me it seems like too many times a back-up QB or HB can do pretty much the same stuff a starter can.

I also think that coaches should have more to do with strengths and weaknesses. Coaches seem to mean almost nothing in Madden 10.