Reining In PrePlay Adjustments

[Big FN Deal]

I guess this will be my official crusade until something is done about it in Madden or another licensed game comes along but this must be addressed. JPDavis recently posted an 100th episode video for the EAGC radio show and in one part they were discussing Madden "strategy". Anyway just looking at the preplay adjustment "popups" and them essentially drawing new plays at the LOS diminishes immersion, making Madden seem more like a real time play editor than playing football.

I don't want this to be some wishlist thread, just a place for posting SIMPLE, hopefully patchable elements, to deal with this and a discussion about preplay adjustments in general.

My suggestion is a blanket OPTION to disable advanced preplay adjustments all together, available to Commissioners and community creators. What I mean by "advanced" is anything outside of pass block shifting for the offense and DL/LB shifting, as well as press/backoff DBs for the defense. Everything else would require an audible to a new play.

Am I alone in this opinion that preplay adjustments, ie drawing new plays at the LOS, being an issue, what do you think?

[BezO]

I'd prefer tiered defensive play calling over limiting the user. Tiered play calling would allow us to put schemes together in the huddle instead of at the line.

Being limited to defensive "plays", I can understand why folks do what they do at the LOS. It's ugly to watch though.

[californ14]

I do not like the pre-play micromanagement system, for the most part....I like the general ability to micro-manage and want it to remain; what I do not like is the apparent need to micro manage a good bit of the assignments on defense before each snap.

I believe this much micro management does not represent the general pre-play defensive interactions realistically and it is overly time consuming; a hurry-up offense in Madden has a greater advantage than would be expected in the NFL because of the multitude of micromanagement changes required for many play...

My solution is to allow people to make adjustments in practice mode, using only the abilities afforded in the adjustments menus and save those plays to a teams playbook to be used in game; and possibly even shared.

[ZFarls]

I'm the coach when I play, I should be able to hot route and make adjustments especially on defense. I play madden to "play" not to watch it happen. Please don't take away my control.

I want to be Peyton Manning, let me be Peyton.

[Big FN Deal]

Quote: Originally Posted by BezO

I'd prefer tiered defensive play calling over limiting the user. Tiered play calling would allow us to put schemes together in the huddle instead of at the line. Being limited to defensive "plays", I can understand why folks do what they do at the LOS. It's ugly to watch though.

Yeah but didn't Ian state something about how tiered playcalling would require a complete rewrite? Also, how does that address the the offense drawing up new plays at the LOS using hot routes?

If both offense and defense can only make basic adjustments, doesn't that level the playing field so defense doesn't need to do those things?

[Big FN Deal]

Quote: Originally Posted by ZFarls

I'm the coach when I play, I should be able to hot route and make adjustments especially on defense. I play madden to "play" not to watch it happen. Please don't take away my control. I want to be Peyton Manning, let me be Peyton.

To be clear, what I want is an OPTION, so I am not suggesting anything be taken away from anybody. I think it is important that especially as an EAGC you understand that, so there is no resistance to the option.

Let me take some deep breaths on the Peyton Manning comment so I don't overreact, lol. Manning is NOT drawing up new plays, ie ad libbing at the LOS, like in Madden and the User shouldn't be able to be "Peyton Manning" with every QB anyway. I swear I want to thumb wrestle people when they try to justify unrealistic stuff like this just because it gives them control, ie success, reasonable realism be damned.

That said, as an EAGC, could you at least get behind and support the OPTION for Commishes and community creators to be able to disable them for their Madden "fish bowl"?

[BezO]

Quote: Originally Posted by ZFarls

I'm the coach when I play, I should be able to hot route and make adjustments especially on defense. I play madden to "play" not to watch it happen. Please don't take away my control. I want to be Peyton Manning, let me be Peyton.

Madden doesn't represent what Manning does very well. He's not drawing new plays at the line. He's calling 2 plays in the huddle and choosing 1 at the line. He's changing a route here & there. He's audibling conventionally. He's changing the direction of run plays. He's adjusting the blocking. He's making dummy calls. He's not giving 3-5 WRs new assignments on the fly.

Edit: Damn! Could've left that to Big.

Quote: Originally Posted by Big FN Deal

Yeah but didn't Ian state something about how tiered playcalling would require a complete rewrite? Also, how does that address the the offense drawing up new plays at the LOS using hot routes?

Yup! Maybe not practical until next gen, but it's the most realistic way.

It wouldn't stop players from drawing offensive plays at the LOS, but it would make it less effective since the defense could scheme and audible with more freedom. And we'd need techniques like shading, pressing, playing off, bailing, blitzing, stunts, etc to work more realistically.

I also believe the offensive play calling system needs an overhaul. The offensive system doesn't have the freedom it needs either. Route combinations need to be duplicated in all possible formations. Run plays need to be duplicated the same way. Personnel & formations need to be separated in a way that allows any personnel set to line up in any formation and run any play. The old Colts always come to mind when I talk about this, the way they ran so few plays from so many formations.

I think this would eliminate the need to create at the LOS.

Quote: Originally Posted by Big FN Deal

If both offense and defense can only make basic adjustments, doesn't that level the playing field so defense doesn't need to do those things?

I think we just want to level the field with different methods. I never like limiting the user because anything is possible. I remember folks hating the fact that you could put players in different positions. Then the Patriots do just that, playing Brown at DB as well as creating the "hybrid defender".

I'm OK with users doing whatever they want as long as it doesn't give them an unfair advantage over folks doing it conventionally.

[Big FN Deal]

Quote: Originally Posted by BezO

I think we just want to level the field with different methods. I never like limiting the user because anything is possible. I remember folks hating the fact that you could put players in different positions. Then the Patriots do just that, playing Brown at DB as well as creating the "hybrid defender". I'm OK with users doing whatever they want as long as it doesn't give them an unfair advantage over folks doing it conventionally.

I think this is where misunderstanding comes in because I don't want to unrealistically limit what Users can do. For example, like you stated, real QBs are not drawing up new plays at the LOS, nor are coaches or defensive captains micromanaging every defender. I want a general focus placed on game planning and pregame preparation, not the real time strategy, on the fly, game that Madden currently is. I'm all for advanced preplay adjustments and micromanagement off the field, ie practice, at half time, even some quick changes on the sideline preplay but not at the LOS.

Also, I want more in-depth fixes to the core problems with this but ITT I was trying to focus on simple elements, until that can happen.