The Game Outside of the Game - Issues and How to Fix Them

[Trojan32]

Quote: Originally Posted by whughes

I can’t say for sure whether or not you’ll still get blocked kicks/punts if you watch the play. I never watch them

I play Coach mode and “sim and watch” the play.

Missed FGs - yes ( my K missed a 30 yarder last game and I wound up losing 27-24)

Missed XP’s - yes

Blocked punts and fakes by opponent - No

Td returns on punts and KO’s - yes

[Tuscaloosa]

Quote: Originally Posted by Trojan32

I play Coach mode and “sim and watch” the play. Missed FGs - yes ( my K missed a 30 yarder last game and I wound up losing 27-24) Missed XP’s - yes Blocked punts and fakes by opponent - No Td returns on punts and KO’s - yes

I've had several CPU kickoff returns that almost went the distance under this setup, while actually playing.

It's strange to me that in all of my testing of sliders over the past month or more I only saw CPU fake punts while testing in All-American. I honestly can't remember if I've ever seen one under Heisman, in my own testing or while playing with other people's sets. IIRC, I even saw one faked field goal in All-American.

[StoneCalf]

Some good food for thought. Although I have tailored the game to a significant degree to suit my needs and desires (stringent recruiting rules, editing certain user player attributes, editing CPU play cetc) there are some things mentioned here that I will try in the future.

One thing that I applaud EA for is the built in flexibility that allows for editing all of those player attributes, gameplay sliders, etc., and that's without even using the editor.

Quote: Originally Posted by Tuscaloosa

2. Lack of CPU run game - directly ties in to number 1. If the CPU successfully runs the ball, that's more TOP for them, and less for the USER, which obviously means less stats, less scoring, and ultimately less winning resulting in upset young men wanting their money back - NOT GOOD.

While this is a valid point, I have found that with certain changes, the CPU can be more than adequate, even robust at times. I will preface that the following results I'm going to list is due in large part to the fact that, through self-imposed and randomized recruiting restrictions, my current team's defense is only rated 81 overall. So, if a team is run-first and has some decent linemen, I can find myself on my heels in a hurry. My Marshall team currently sits at 7-4, but I've lost 4 out of my last 6 contests. Here's how the CPU run game has fared against me in all games this season:

Win vs Bay 48-28....cpu rushed 347 yds on 45 attempts (7.7 ypc)
Win vs NC 34-28.....cpu rushed 179 yds on 44 attempts (4.1 ypc)
Win vs Tamu 51-17..cpu rushed 122 yds on 26 attempts (4.7 ypc)
Win vs Rice 33-17....cpu rushed 84 yds on 14 attempts (6.0 ypc)
Win vs UTEP 49-37...cpu rushed 207 yds on 36 attempts (5.7 ypc)
Loss to FAU 24-27....cpu rushed 157 yds on 21 attempts (7.4 ypc)
Win vs FIU 24-21.....cpu rushed 161 yds on 37 attempts (4.3 ypc)
Win vs Mia 37-30.....cpu rushed 114 yds on 21 attempts (5.4 ypc)
Loss to UAB 27-31...cpu rushed 174 yds on 35 attempts (5.0 ypc)
Loss to USM 35-42...cpu rushed 363 yds on 42 attempts (8.6 ypc)
Loss to ECU 17-24...cpu rushed 103 yds on 30 attempts (3.4 ypc)

To the OP, Tuscaloosa- I'm not trying to be contrary, just giving my experience that it is possible for the CPU run game to be healthy. In all fairness, this season has been one of, if not the best the CPU has been consistently good at running the ball on me. If is extremely rare for the CPU to rush for over 300 yards per game, and it happened twice this season. With that said, I'm ok with it and not going to complain because I'm usually much better at run defense than pass defense. Looks like I need to focus more on recruiting better front 7 personnel.

[Tuscaloosa]

No worries, man. I'm far from sensitive lol. In fact, that's half of the reason I started this thread - to allow a place for others, who are willing, to give their input about both what I'm doing and what they're doing to me directly, instead of spending 3 or 4 more years reading through thread after thread.

Those are some really good looking numbers. I'm surprised the CPU ran for over 300 on you and you still won. I'd love to know the details of your current set-up. I thought about starting a thread for just that - a place for everyone to post the details of their current set-up and why; not really intended to be a place for any discussion/debate, just one post for each of us which we can change any time we make changes.

On recruiting, this random number recruiting I'm doing is very new, so I don't have much data or experiences to report. The idea of it is that once you start to be successful you will obviously gain more recruit interest from top to bottom. So, I'm hoping it presents situations like the USER getting the #4 QB overall coming out, who will obviously be pretty talented. But then, he ends up having receivers that were all outside of the top 75; or vice versa, all top receivers trying to make a 2 star qb better.

[StoneCalf]

Quote: Originally Posted by Tuscaloosa

Those are some really good looking numbers. I'm surprised the CPU ran for over 300 on you and you still won. I'd love to know the details of your current set-up.

I'm not a high-skilled player (I don't have the reflexes that I used to), and I don't prefer how the Heisman difficulty games play out, so I play on AA, 9 minute quarters, normal game speed. Here's some of my sliders that are relevant to the CPU run game:

CPU run ability 95
CPU run blocking 90
User Run defense 10
User tackling 10

During that Southern Miss game where I gave up an embarrassing 363 yards on the ground, it included a long, like 80 yard, breakaway run by the CPU. I was tired of getting run all over, so I took control of one of my safeties for a play to stack the box more, and got burned on it when the hb got through that first wave of defenders..... and it was all green to the end zone lol.

Quote: Originally Posted by Tuscaloosa

On recruiting, this random number recruiting I'm doing is very new, so I don't have much data or experiences to report. The idea of it is that once you start to be successful you will obviously gain more recruit interest from top to bottom. So, I'm hoping it presents situations like the USER getting the #4 QB overall coming out, who will obviously be pretty talented. But then, he ends up having receivers that were all outside of the top 75; or vice versa, all top receivers trying to make a 2 star qb better.

Sounds interesting on your recruiting idea. Hope it works out as you develop it.

I have long been using a dice roll to determine my next recruiting class limitations. The higher the roll, the better class I can go after:

6 = can sign (2) 5* players, (1) 4* players (can sign 1 player from any state and the rest have to be from conference and adjoining states)

5 = can sign (1) 5* player, (1) 4* player (can sign 1 player from any state and the rest have to be from conference and adjoining states)

4 = can sign (1) 5* player (can sign 1 player from any state and the rest have to be from conference and adjoining states)

3 = can sign (1) 4* player (can sign 1 player from any state and the rest have to be from conference and adjoining states)

2 = can only sign 3* players from conference and adjoining states, but still get the 1 player from any state, but still 3* max

1 = can only sign 3* players and they can only include adjoining states

I also employ the rule where I can only recruit 2 more players than the number of my players leaving, so I'm not cutting an unrealistic number of players.

[falcor1234]

Quote: Originally Posted by StoneCalf

I also employ the rule where I can only recruit 2 more players than the number of my players leaving, so I'm not cutting an unrealistic number of players.

i have a question about this part. how do you keep the computer from adding players to your board? i have all my coaches turned to not allowing the computer to add players to my board offer scholarships or set up visits. i even fill my board in the off season recruiting with 35 recruits that never get an offer and use all my points. but they still add players. i go from having a 13-15 player class to 19-22 player class.

[whughes]

Quote: Originally Posted by falcor1234

i have a question about this part. how do you keep the computer from adding players to your board? i have all my coaches turned to not allowing the computer to add players to my board offer scholarships or set up visits. i even fill my board in the off season recruiting with 35 recruits that never get an offer and use all my points. but they still add players. i go from having a 13-15 player class to 19-22 player class.

As far as I know there’s no way to prevent this. You just have to cut them

[Trojan32]

Quote: Originally Posted by falcor1234

i have a question about this part. how do you keep the computer from adding players to your board? i have all my coaches turned to not allowing the computer to add players to my board offer scholarships or set up visits. i even fill my board in the off season recruiting with 35 recruits that never get an offer and use all my points. but they still add players. i go from having a 13-15 player class to 19-22 player class.

You can’t prevent it. I cut the added players but there is one exception.

The one rule that I use is that if the player that the computer has given me is from in-State he is eligible to be kept.

Usually, it’s a 2 or 3 star player that I didn’t recruit that I look at as a walk on.