Is there a way to improve CPU crunch time playcalling?

[DarthRambo]

Quote: Originally Posted by youALREADYknow

Sliders and Settings are NOT the issue. If you want the CPU to make better playcalls, then you MUST use GamePlanning and Custom Playbooks for CPU controlled teams. That's the only answer.

Exactly...which is something I in no way will take the time to do for every team so we're just stuck with it. If you really want to make it better, do a controller switch and make the last minute drives for the cpu. I do this when I'm kicking a FG since I make every one(now I might miss).

And I switch to the cpu when it's the end of halves and they are deep at their end, where I'll kneel down to end the half. They tend to try to throw hail marys with 15sec remaining in the 2nd qtr at their OWN 25yd line for some reason. IRL they'd kneel the ball and go to the half...and the same thing for the end of the game if they're winning; they rarely will kneel the ball for a win.

[spit_bubble]

Last game I was playing Miami, they have the ball inside two minutes and within FG range. They come out in the Wildcat after getting a first down, run a play, then go to hurry up while still in the Wildcat! Needless to say they just run a few plays out of that formation then kick a FG as time expires.

Quote: Originally Posted by youALREADYknow

Sliders and Settings are NOT the issue. If you want the CPU to make better playcalls, then you MUST use GamePlanning and Custom Playbooks for CPU controlled teams. That's the only answer.

Yep. If you go through the default playbooks and look at the game planning they have set up you'll see why the CPU play calling is questionable at times.

Just another frustrating thing about the game. They have game planning, and yet don't let you assign custom playbooks to the CPU without losing your own, but then they also set up half-assed game plans for the default playbooks.

[youALREADYknow]

Quote: Originally Posted by spit_bubble

they also set up half-assed game plans for the default playbooks.

This is more frustrating than anything else. It shows a lack of effort and/or understanding of NFL football. The default playbooks and gameplans are flat out embarrassing and I'd be embarrassed as a professional to be associated with them if that was my "area" of the game.

You would figure that after 2 years of the feature being in the game and 20 years of designing an NFL simulation game that someone would have taken a few weeks (because after all, that's about all it takes to improve on the crap that is shipped with this game) to come up with coach-based playbooks and gameplans. The amount of zone CB blitzes and base 3-4/4-3 sets against 3-4 wide offenses is just downright criminal and once you remove the garbage the game plays completely different against the CPU.

There are a lot of people here wasting time going through 20 different slider sets who haven't touched GamePlanning yet. If those people would focus energy on that, then maybe there would be enough backlash to get EA/Tiburon's attention.

[spit_bubble]

Quote: Originally Posted by youALREADYknow

...The default playbooks and gameplans are flat out embarrassing and I'd be embarrassed as a professional to be associated with them if that was my "area" of the game...

Pretty much yeah. I'm almost embarrassed myself, for them.

I have to think that it's something that just got put on the back burner for whatever reason. That's the only explanation I can come up with. Because it just doesn't make sense to have game planning and then not make use of it in a proper way to make your game a lot better.

[asterisk]

Quote: Originally Posted by Jarodd21

Yeah the AI definitely performs different and play a lot better. Try out the base set in Red first and let me know who it goes whenever you do..

I tried at your red set of sliders for my first playoff game and had some mixed results. I was going to post a detailed write-up of the differences I've found in my game but the ****erfroze on me so I'll have to replay it and maybe it'll be a less crazy game than the one I just had. Here's what I managed to get out before it froze:

Atlanta [AI] had 315 total yards, San Francisco [Me] had 298 yards. Even better, Atlanta was able to run the ball effectively, which is wonderful. In previous games on All-Pro I would have game where I had like 600 yards of offense to the computer's 100.

In the regular season, Frank Gore had 387 rush attempts for a mind-bogglingly absurd 2641 yards rushing. Absolutely smashed Dickerson's record, he was averaging 6.8 yards per carry.

In this All-Madden playoff game, Gore only managed to 124 yards n 28 attempts for 4.4 yards per carry. Much more realistic.

Michael Turner had 17 attempts for 101 yards against me. His 5.9 yards per carry is high but not astronomical, and a welcome sight because usually the AI gets like 1.4 yards per carry on default All-Pro sliders.

My quarterback Kaepernick had 157 yards and Matt Ryan had 234 yards, these were both good things. I found the passing to be slightly more challenging and only threw safe routes because the pressure was getting to me on the longer routes.

Everything up to this point is dandy, so that's the good news.

Here's the bad news: the final score was 62-20.

There's two reasons for this, one is fairly minor and the other is huge. The first minor reason is that the speed threshold was set at 0 as per your settings, so I was able to get a nice kick return with Ginn... and also every single interception thrown went for a touchdown, nobody could catch the cornerbacks streaking down the sideline.

Which brings me to the second, major reason: All-Madden Matt Ryan is an idiot, just like All-Pro Matt Ryan. He had all day to throw because my pass rush was 0 and he still made the dumbest decisions ever. Do we need 10 yards for the first down? Let me throw it to this fullback running an out route that leads him straight out of bounds, seven yards short of the marker! Double covered hook route along the sidelines? Yeah I can probably fit the pass in there! Nope, pick six. Slant with a linebacker spying me? I can probably squeeze it by him! Nope, pick six.

So while the AI may perform differently on All-Madden, simply using these sliders isn't going to solve all the problems I've been having. I'll continue to use your sliders Jarrod because they make for more realistic games, but it looks like I'll have to look elsewhere to fix the playcalling.

Quote: Originally Posted by youALREADYknow

Sliders and Settings are NOT the issue. If you want the CPU to make better playcalls, then you MUST use GamePlanning and Custom Playbooks for CPU controlled teams. That's the only answer.

I guess I'll look into this now!

[Jarodd21]

@asterick You have to give the sliders at least 2 or 3 games to get a real feel for how they play. I had someone else get similiar results like your game and his next game was much more tighter. So give it a few more games to really get a feel for them and start to raise the CPUs accuracy if they continue to hold on to the ball long. The accuracy slider plays a big role in how fast the CPU QB gets the ball out of his hands(along with the catching slider). Let me know how your next few games go.

[blocknose]

its not just the offense that needs an overhaul in play calling. the defense calls way to many engage 8 plays. if you are moving the ball well against the computer they will just start calling engage 8 and get burned for an easy 20 to the TE. i wish they would just take this and the verticals out of the comp play calling entirely

[Jarodd21]

Quote: Originally Posted by blocknose

its not just the offense that needs an overhaul in play calling. the defense calls way to many engage 8 plays. if you are moving the ball well against the computer they will just start calling engage 8 and get burned for an easy 20 to the TE. i wish they would just take this and the verticals out of the comp play calling entirely

Yeah that engage 8 is one of the worst plays on this game and the CPU calls it too many times per game.. They definitely need to scrap that out the playbook for real.. What really pisses me off is when they call it during the 2 min drill before halftime and the end of games giving up chunks of yards when they should be in some type of prevent or man coverage with safety help over the top.