Defining Moments Rant

[swatter555]

You know, I can handle the dozen or so frequent bugs/imbalances that occur on a game by game basis. These things still drive me up the wall, but I will live with them. I can even live with how screwed up defining moments are, except I am about to lose my franchise that I have spent many hours building up to a string of bad luck and a string of idiotic DMs.

These DMs are so ****ing messed up, it is depressing. Twice in one game it came up with DMs in horrible situations telling me to do stupid things that would overwhelmingly likely cause me to lose the game, or else automatically lose alot of approval. I lost a hell of alot of approval that one game, so much so that I will most likely be fired. This is just stupid.

To top worse upon worse, you can only call a limited variety of plays in a DM. I mean holy crap, you guys (the Devs) f*ed this part up.

What a damn shame this game is sometimes.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

Re: Defining Moments Rant

Agree. Defining Moments are a decent concept, but they just lack any semblance of football logic. It uses the logic of online Madden players, never punt, go for it EVERY 4th down, always go for 2, etc.

I always go with the smart football logic, which drops the approval. Usually, a win balances it out, but if you lose, you could go from a 90 to a 60 just like that.

[sixtydashone]

Re: Defining Moments Rant

Heh, yeah I think we've probably all been there more than we care to recall with the DM's. "Great idea, poor execution" seems to be the general consensus. More often than not when I see the camera zoom in on my coach's face and the screen changes color I just roll my eyes and yell at the tv "ahhh come on!!!" or "give me a friggin break!!!" or "...are you ****tin me??? you gotta be ****tin me!!!"

[steelraccoon]

Re: Defining Moments Rant

I got the DM to beat them all. I got the kickoff at the beginning of the game against New England. Run up the middle, 2 yrds gain. Short Pass to the wide out... deflected. Shotgun pass across the middle... dropped. Screen zooms in and they want me to go for it with only 55 seconds off the clock and the ball is on the 25 yard line!!!

WTH came up with the logic for this event???

[valityr]

Re: Defining Moments Rant

I stuck this in the bugs/glitches thread a few days ago but it's more relevant here.

Right, i'm 16-0 down to Jax, only to work my way back up to 20-19 by virtue of a few TDs with an onside kick recovery in between. Jax get the ball back with at the start of the 2 minute warning. They work it down to inside the 20 and i'm dreading the worst, only for Keith Rivers to recover a fumble. Understandably, i'm ecstatic and start running down the clock. Due to a holding call and a couple of kneels it ends up being 4th and 21 with 38 seconds left, the clock winding down. I'm overjoyed, coming back from behind to seemingly win a classic.
But then...DEFINING MOMENT! DO YOU WANT TO PUNT OR GO FOR IT? WTF, i want to do neither and just let the clock run out. Of course the clock's stopped while i'm confronted with the most illogical question ever posed to anyone. I tell Palmer to kneel down again, hoping that he doesn't actually snap it. However, with 17 seconds, leading by one inside my own 5 yd line Carson Palmer takes a knee. Josh Scobee, probably confused as hell comes on and kicks a chip shot and i lose the game.
Now this is just inexcusable, i know it's just a game and you shouldn't get too worked up about stuff like this but it's just ridiculous. I hated defining moments beforehand, seeing them as illogical (worst i'd had before was being confronted with the same question in a preseason match at GB, 3 down in the 1st quarter at my own 40, stupid) and annoying but this is just silly. Other than the few bugs this is a fantastic game (myself living in England, i had it sent over by a friend who lives state-side), but the said few bugs and silly gameplay features really tarnish it. Either get rid of defining moments completely or at least let us turn them off as i've had to break one of my fundamental gaming rules and re-do a game, albeit it simming it, until i won as i wasn't losing a game due to something as stupid as that.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

Re: Defining Moments Rant

Here's a good one today. I gave up a TD on the opening drive, and my first drive stalled my own 31 yard line. 4th and 2, DEFINING MOMENT!

And my approval dropped by 11 because I did what ANYONE WHO UNDERSTANDS THE GAME OF FOOTBALL would do in that situation. Punt the ball.

The logic for these is just so mind-numbingly STUPID. Whoever was in charge specifically of the Defining Moments must not understand football.

[joejccva71]

Re: Defining Moments Rant

Well it's obvious that the developers didn't code the Defining Moments correctly. Some moments are ok, but to mention one of mine.

It was 4th and 1 at the 5 yard line and needed 1 yard for a first down, and defining moment came up and said "Go for it" or "Kick the FG". Well I went for it with mind to just get the first down, but if I got a TD then great.

I ran a FB dive play, and got the 1 yard and the 1st down but I lost points in the defining moment cause they were expecting me to get the TD, not just the 1st down. I got the TD the very next play.

I'm sure it will be fixed next year along with being able to call audibles.

[MrNFL_FanIQ]

Re: Defining Moments Rant

Well it's obvious that the developers didn't code the Defining Moments correctly. Some moments are ok, but to mention one of mine.

It was 4th and 1 at the 5 yard line and needed 1 yard for a first down, and defining moment came up and said "Go for it" or "Kick the FG". Well I went for it with mind to just get the first down, but if I got a TD then great.

I ran a FB dive play, and got the 1 yard and the 1st down but I lost points in the defining moment cause they were expecting me to get the TD, not just the 1st down. I got the TD the very next play.

I'm sure it will be fixed next year along with being able to call audibles.

I once RECOVERED an onside kick, and my approval dropped.

[sixtydashone]

Re: Defining Moments Rant

I stuck this in the bugs/glitches thread a few days ago but it's more relevant here.

ugh, those are the worst, where you're just trying to burn the clock for the win and some stupid DM comes up and now instead of just letting the clock wind down, you have to either punt the ball or run a play RIGHT NOW.

One of my favorites was I had a comfortable lead and was nearing the 2 minute warning, had possession of the ball just outside field goal range. DM comes up asking me if I want to go for it or punt. I roll my eyes but I'm like whatever, I'll go for it for the hell of it. So I choose go for it, and as the QB is walking up to the line of scrimmage, the clock is stopped by the 2 minute warning and... I lose approval because I did not get the first down before the 2 minute warning, I guess.

[luqman]

Re: Defining Moments Rant

Defying or losing a defining moment seems to only affect you if you eventually lose the game. When I win the game, the approval boost after the game seems to erase anything I lost in defining moments.

[swatter555]

Re: Defining Moments Rant

It seems I have opened the floodgates of anger.

[havlen]

Re: Defining Moments Rant

Yeah, defining moments is one of the well known poor points of the game. The good part is that it's largely irrelevant if you win most of your games. They at least thought to include logic where you can't have your approval lowered after a win. Though I've still gone form the 80's in approval to the 40's because of dumb defining moments and a loss.

Hopefully, they'll make another head coach football and hire a football expert to help out with stuff like this.

[BBoyd21]

Re: Defining Moments Rant

I would agree that they defining moments is the worst part of the game. Im the titans and i was leading green bay 20-12 with under a minute to go in the game, after a pass and a few run plays that went nowhere and the clock running down i get the defining moments option to either go for it and in this case rub it in, or kick the field goal and let everyone down. It was at that point i just went for the field goal and the 3 points, course my approval takes a hit but whatever we are winning the game. Afterwards back at the main screen it shows what everyone thought of my decision, the owners and media were happy, but i get a -8 by my players. I mean come on this is crazy its the nfl not college or high school football where running up the score is ok (sometimes) but im more focused about winning a game and keeping my job as opposed to attempting a 4th down play that may or may not get results.

[ZekeRoberts]

Re: Defining Moments Rant

i will be getting this game for christmas and for the most part i am excited... is there no way to avoid these things or turn them off? if you supersim do you still get defining moments?

[cutter73]

Re: Defining Moments Rant

If you supersim you don't get the defining moments.

I just had one myself where I was losing by 1 point, about a minute left to go, and I had the ball 4th down on the opponents 3 yard line. I got a defining moment where everyone wanted me to go for the touchdown rather than kick the game winning field goal.

I seemed to even out with approval points when I won the game, except for my players. I lost influence with them after the win by three points, but I think that came from me screaming at everyone constantly on the sidelines the whole game.

I personally think they designed the system based on Skip Bayless and his constant kneejerk reactions and idiotic analysis.