Pretty upset at the lack of guidance for this game

[mrjordan]

thanks for your replies.

[CurlyJefferson]

I don't understand how people can insist the game is balanced with default sliders. My first year with the Chiefs, with a mostly crappy team, I went 12-4, got home field advantage, led the league in rushing, and had Troy Smith (who I got through a trade and is not known for his pocket passing skills) have a 120 QB rating with over 3500 yards and 30 passing TDs. I was actually looking forward to struggling through a season with a rebuilding team, but I took the league by storm, and Troy Smith became the greatest QB the world has ever seen. It was way too easy.

In the offseason, I had a dynamite draft, which was also way too easy, so now not only is the game imbalanced but I have a stacked roster. In the first preseason game, with QB accuracy now set to 1, catching set at like 25, and interceptions at like 70, all three of my QBs had ratings of over 100, and that is including two rookies who were in their first NFL games. All I want from the sliders is for them to be strong enough to balance out the game, and they're not. I do notice a difference, so they are working a little, but not nearly enough.

[Dauminator]

I echo the original sentiment on this thread. It's great that there's a community here, but it's very difficult to find answers to specific questions on here without posting something new, which then gets you blasted because you didn't find the answer elsewhere on the board.

Having a strategy guide is fine for those who want it. What we need is a for real MANUAL that tells you the mechanics of the game. I.E. what does it mean by prototype DT? How do you make mass substitutions? When can you hire/fire assistance coaches?

I'm not asking these questions, simply citing examples of the kind of thing that needs to be in the manual. With such an uninformative "manual" provided, we have to fumble through menus and use trial and error to get what we want. That is very frustrating in a game that is so timer-based. You pretty much need to go through a whole season and offseason just to figure out how to do what you want, then start over so you can concentrate on actual strategy.

[Kingfish]

Quote: Originally Posted by Dauminator

I echo the original sentiment on this thread...What we need is a for real MANUAL that tells you the mechanics of the game. I.E. what does it mean by prototype DT? How do you make mass substitutions? When can you hire/fire assistance coaches.

As for the type of questions that's posed here...you realize a Head Coach Lexicon/Dictionary would be huge! Besides, most folks COULD find out what the different stuff does simply by looking at the online "Glossary"...there are TONS of help already on the disk for users.

For those that feel like they need someone or something to take them by the hand and walk you through the basics(I was like this) I can assure you its far better to just dive in and try and learn 'on the job'! I've started 3-7 careers in the process of learning this game...and I am STILL learning.

There is NO WAY a tutorial could cover even the most brief startup of a career. And physical documentation...a game manual...no way. The strategy guide as great as it is(and it is awesome), doesn't scratch the surface of all the things you'll be confronted with in this game.

And that, dear folks, is why i LOVE this game...its far deeper than any of us could have imagined and its GREAT!!!

[Dauminator]

Let me analagize my point to owner's manuals for appliances and electronics. I read them. Why? Because I don't want to break something while figuring out how to operate it on my own. By the same reasoning, I don't want to ruin my season (or worse, hamstring my coaching career) because I can't figure out or am unaware of something that the game manual should tell you.

I'm not talking about strategy and what makes a successful career in Head Coach 09. That you learn by playing. Learning the lingo/terms, that I can understand might be too much, you kind of need football knowledge/experience to know it all and the game does have the glossary for some of those things (I had forgotten about this-but it is not extensive). I am talking about game mechanics. Things like: when you sub a player using the clipboard in the middle of the game, does that player go back in on his own or do you have to put him back in yourself? How do you flip offensive plays? Can you? I will need to double my rushing playbook if you cannot.

I just think that game manuals have been basically ignored since "strategy" guides are now ubiquitous. And I do not think it should be that way. If I buy a game, you should tell me how the game functions. I don't have time to "start 3-7 careers" just to learn how to pull off basic coaching procedures.

[JoeMimic]

I do work on my play knowledge and game planning and everything else you can think of to improve the running game. I don't call the same plays over and over, I mix up the run and pass pretty good. Maybe it has something to do with the 49ers and Martz' playbook because I'm not the only one who uses the 49ers who has had these types of problems. I also don't buy into the playbook knowledge being that huge of a factor because if that were true I wouldn't be able to pass the ball either but I can pretty much at will from game 1 throw 300+ yards and complete 70% of my passes. The only time I get stopped is when my guys fumble which happens often.

I'm currently now trying a different playbook in hopes things will change. The computer never is able to run on me either. It's weird.

[AgustusM]

Quote: Originally Posted by SloeyEZ

Fact: The hardest thing to do in the NFL is run successfully. If you can run successfully, you have a championship team. End of Story!

football outsiders debunked this myth with a pretty in depth analysis:

http://www.footballoutsiders.com/sta...ishment-clause

[sammage]

You know I didn't have problems running the first career I tried. I took the Phins and beefed up the OL and ran pretty well.

My second career I am seeing every one of the things that drive people crazy. I did close the same moves for the OL except I have Chris Williams instead of Jake Long and I've got a different but close to equivalent RG. I also added Felix Jones as a second back so I would (presumably) be able to keep a fresh set of legs in the backfield all the time. Now I can't run the ball at all and my backs fumble all the time. I've given up running on first down altogether because no matter what run I tried I ended up 2nd and 14. I still try a run now and then just because I know I'm supposed to, but I am on the verge of just scrapping it completely and going all pass.