The Offline Experience: Any Improvements Coming?

[Jarodd21]

I been saying it for years the problem with online gameplay is because the gameplay is on All-Pro. Your AI players respond horribly and it will always be like that until they start letting you have the option to play ranked games on All-Madden or improve the way your AI players respond on All-Pro.

Everything RGiles is talking about in this thread is spot on and the CPU AI needs to be addressed.

[jmurphy31]

I really think we are arguing over semantics to what we believe CPU AI is. I really believe there are multiple layers to CPU AI

First Level: CPU Controlled Players.
Obviously, in football you cant control every player at a given time. So as a user, I would hope that the other 10 players (CPU Controlled) are correctly perfroming their tasks (Coverage, blocking, pursuit angles, tackling, route running, etc). This should be the same regardless if it is Hum vs, Human, CPU vs Human, or CPU vs CPU.

Second Level: Coaching and Play Calling by The CPU
This is where it only effects offline gamers, since when its Hum vs Hum the CPU doesnt have any input here (Unless youre using GameFlow...Which is another topic to discuss). Its 4th down and 1 and the CPU is down 7 with 1 minute (and no time outs)to go at the opponents 1 yard line and they opt to kick the fg. Now on that play every CPU controlled player correctly completes their assignment (Blocking, etc) and they make the FG. That would never happen in a Hum vs Human Game (unless your playing an awfully confused person). Hence it only effects an offline gamer.

[Big FN Deal]

Quote: Originally Posted by roadman

I never suggested they were worse. I can't even come close to saying that because I don't venture online, to suggest one way or the other is prosperous. Let's examine that basketball game. One of the issues (offline)(don't know there are any online?) that has plagued the series over the last few years is CPU running plays. Once there is a defensive rebound, a good majority of the time, the CPU will fast break and not set up offense. A person needs to fudge with the run plays in coaching options to make the game play more like a sim experience. I just don't envision that sort of game h2h or online, correct me if I'm wrong. So, if that is true, then sim AI isn't universal, in that game.

That can be an issue in online h2h as well because there is an option, that I utilize quite often, to have the AI call plays, in the basketball game. So if a couple years ago, I wanted to have the AI Phil Jackson dictate the triangle offense, I could and have the option to turn on "play art" so I know where to go on the court. In that basketball game the User can assume as much manual control as they want or allow the AI as much control as they want, the two work together. Online in that basketball game, I can even choose "player lock" and have the other 4 teammates be under AI control, again the ability of the user to assume as much as they see fit.

[roadman]

Quote: Originally Posted by Big FN Deal

That can be an issue in online h2h as well because there is an option, that I utilize quite often, to have the AI call plays, in the basketball game. So if a couple years ago, I wanted to have the AI Phil Jackson dictate the triangle offense, I could and have the option to turn on "play art" so I know where to go on the court. In that basketball game the User can assume as much manual control as they want or allow the AI as much control as they want, the two work together. Online in that basketball game, I can even choose "player lock" and have the other 4 teammates be under AI control, again the ability of the user to assume as much as they see fit.

Just saying, offline, the run plays option, coaching, is out of whack.

Edit- Didn't have time to finish post, family said it's time to watch Django Unlimited. lol

I don't have an issue with the CPU AI running any type of offense, ie motion, triangle, pnr, etc.... it's will they ever run those plays during the game. The run plays offense for each team(whether it's 65 or 75 or 80 etcc....) is reversed and needs to be set at 3 or below for most teams to run set plays.

Hope that made sense.

[therizing02]

Lol...read the entire thread and got more p***** off with each post! I am also an offline only gamer and realize I'm in the minority of the dev's target market, but there is nothing more infuriating to me than to see the Packers come out in a standard two back set on 3rd and 11 and run a draw play. This is unacceptable!!

If it was my podcast after all of the feature dumping it would go something like this:

TR: EA Dev, a major concern in the offline community for years, has been the lack of AI regarding play calling by the CPU. Example 1 example 2....example 28. What has been done SPECIFICALLY to address this issue???

EA DEV: Yeah....we read all the posts and welcome feedback because nothing is more important than the community. This is the hardest I've ever worked on a Madden game in X number of years. I even slept at the office last night! Lol! Yeah.....the play calling is definitely something we're looking into.

TR: Which means what? BTW, that's funny what you said about sleeping at the office because I've heard that Belichik has also been know to sleep at the office. You know why? Because he's GAMEPLANNING for Buffalo!!!

EA DEV: We've worked reeeeaaaalllly hard on getting Owner Mode into the game and are hoping to look further into the decision making of the CPU...

TR: Can you be more specific? Why does the CPU call a timeout with 1:01 left all the time? What is going on there?

EA DEV: We hope to release more info on this at E3!

TR: Prior to the patch dropping in Madden 11, I was able assign the CPU a custom made game plan which had a significant impact on how the CPU called plays and made for a more compelling game. How come we can no longer assign game plans to CPU opponents? What happened with that??

EA DEV: Uhhhh....I need to jump on a quick conference call. Please have your questions submitted and we will do our best to answer all of them. Looking forward to E3 and go to Gamestop and pre-order Madden 25!!!

TR:..oh..ok. Thanks for the time

[californ14]

Quote: Originally Posted by Jarodd21

I been saying it for years the problem with online gameplay is because the gameplay is on All-Pro. Your AI players respond horribly and it will always be like that until they start letting you have the option to play ranked games on All-Madden or improve the way your AI players respond on All-Pro. Everything RGiles is talking about in this thread is spot on and the CPU AI needs to be addressed.

No offense, but All-Madden level is no better; just cheats, gets psychic..We can debate all-madden custom sliders and their quality, but I seriously doubt EA Tiburon is going to fine tune their sliders and recreate a default game level, such as making some custom All-Madden settings the new default "50" level...Any connection between penalty sliders and player actions needs to be validated or invalidated too....

I think EA Tiburon and their revolving door of programmers and multi-directional priorities has screwed this game beyond repair...I would be surprised if anyone currently working on Madden could even explain, with detail and mathematical formulas, what the player and penalty sliders even do....Hell, I bet no one can accurately explain at what level of sliders is each player actually being calculated at 100% their unmodified ratings....

Until adjustments are made to the player AI on a base level, meaning where each player is operating at 100% their unmodified ratings, every other attempt at making quality CPU and AI adjustments will be inherently flawed.

[therizing02]

Quote: Originally Posted by californ14

I think EA Tiburon and their revolving door of programmers and multi-directional priorities has screwed this game beyond repair...I would be surprised if anyone currently working on Madden could even explain, with detail and mathematical formulas, what the player and penalty sliders even do....Hell, I bet no one can accurately explain at what level of sliders is each player actually being calculated at 100% their unmodified ratings...

So true. I've been basically saying this for years. I don't really doubt the direction that the current team is heading. I just hope they stay in place long enough to get there.

[jerwoods]

Quote: Originally Posted by RGiles36

It's not a central gameplay issue. Riddle me this: If a user plays 100% online, how are they impacted by, A) The AI's propensity to run the ball on 1st and 2nd down? B) The AI's continued predictable use of timeouts C) The AI's inability to adapt to the user's playcalling/strategy The answer is that said user is not impacted, as the other human opponent accounts for what would be the AI's shortcomings. I totally get it: quality AI impacts the H2H experience as well. But we're fooling ourselves when we try to pretend that H2H players rely on AI to the exact degree that offliners do. It's just not true. I don't seek to have some divide between offline & online gamers. But we have to at least acknowledge that the AI carries out different roles & responsibilities for each experience. It's not one in the same.

in future maddens can u spread out the overall more like in Madden 2010 i know its not your department but Spread out Ratings actually helps the game play better