Operation Sports Forums - JoshC1977's Madden 19 Sliders (for CFM Only)

October 22, 2018: Post-Patch 1.12

Another year of Madden upon us and M19 promises to be an interesting one.

As per last year, I am starting-off from a VERY basic principle...everything default with only minor tweaks to ancillary settings if/when they are determined to have gameplay impacts. As always, the initial setup will be built around All Pro (sim) with default gameplay sliders. These will be based around not only the game's "sim" style, but are for people who also play "sim". I'm not looking for the gameplay to "look" a certain way. I'm looking for variety in outcomes. If you see the same 2 or 3 tackle animations all game, something is wrong. If you see insta-shed all game, something is wrong. If you see sticky line play all game, something is wrong. If the game's engine is not balanced, you start seeing these artifacts as the imbalance begins to override the interactions of player ratings. Madden is just one big mathematical equation - you change one side of the equation, something on the other side has to give. My ultimate goal is to limit these imbalances to strictly the player ratings....when this starts to happen, you begin to see all kinds of variety and get that "anything can happen" vibe. THIS is what we want.

Modifying sliders from defaults begins a process in which the game's inherent balance is disrupted. Now, if the game is fundamentally flawed at default (refer to FIFA), then yes, modifications away from default may be necessary. What I DO NOT want is a situation where games are played 'against the sliders'. In my opinion, the fundamental flaw in slider sets which modify sliders is that there is a great deal of 'sameness' to them - in severe situations, the sliders themselves begin to 'mute' the ratings. I greatly prefer the balance (yup, there is that word again) that comes from All Pro, ratings are best represented here. The key though is to keep that balance which encourages the CPU to use more of their playbook, turning the game into far more of a 'chess match' instead of being reliant on stick skills. I'm not going to rule-out the evaluation of other difficulty settings but I will always start here.

Many people get confused and don't think that this is a "slider set" because gameplay sliders are left unchanged. However, I feel it is, because we ARE defining certain parameters which stray from default. For example, turning gameplay assists (like ballhawk) off strays from the game's default and has a definite impact on the gameplay. Modification of the injury and fatigue sliders fundamentally change the game's core. Even using no acc clock has an impact. Every setting in the game has the POTENTIAL to impact the game engine's balance and this is what we have to control.

Do you have House Rules?
Not per se, but there are things I do that avoids "Arcade Play" as I call it. Below are some common areas where people inadvertently mess up and some "sim" alternatives/options.

Arcade Play: Using run/pass commit. Even Clint (an ex-player) has stated on Twitter that this is more of a "video game feature". My biggest peeve is that this is something the CPU has not historically used and I'm looking to not abuse the game's programming.
Sim alternative: Use intelligent play calling pre-snap. Use DL and LB shifts at LOS to orient your defenders if you want to gear-up for run or pass.

Arcade Play: "Hot Route Abuse". I see people calling 3-4 hot routes on nearly every play. Now, a) I don't see how that is "sim" and b) the CPU doesn't use this functionality. If you want to use them, go for it...but it is building you an advantage the CPU doesn't have.
Sim alternative: Call an audible or "Gasp!" call a timeout. It happens IRL all the time...bad play call vs defensive look - timeouts sometimes needed. Really want to go overboard with "sim", only allow your QB to call hot routes if his awareness is >90.

Arcade Play: Over-blitzing. A huge trap many people fall into. NFL teams rush more than 4 only about 30% of the time on average. I try to mimic that as much as possible....but context matters. It's not a hard-and-fast rule, but if you're blitzing 70% of the time; that isn't playing an "aggressive style" of defense...it is flat-out cheesing.
Sim alternative: slanting/shifting linemen or using the aggressive pass rush coach adjustment contextually.

Arcade Play: Dropping back 10-15 yards every pass or rolling to the right every pass. S
Sim alternative: Step UP in the pocket. This makes coverage and passing lanes far more realistic. It's one thing to be flushed out of the pocket but doing this constantly...well, you're going to give yourself too much time to throw and will distort the passing windows and coverage windows.

Arcade Play: Using built-in play call suggestions. People use this to try to limit their "abusing" plays. The problem is that the suggested plays (even under the "strategy" tab) are limited.
Sim alternative: Call your own plays. Mix things up - this is THE most important skill in Madden. Stick skills are irrelevant if you know how to be an intelligent play caller.

Arcade Play: Dumping off every pass. Lots and lots of people have a warped perception of what wide open is and it results in them constantly throwing to the check-down (and the ensuing complaints about completion percentages and game being "too easy".
Sim alternative: One step on a defender is considered "open" in the NFL. If the route's primary has a step, throw it to him (unless you see help coming). Use the full QB passing controls to lead the receivers and WR catch mechanics to position your player best.

A note on "other gameplay needs"

Numbers of penalties and subs are two things which trip people up. I WILL NOT adjust values STRICTLY for penalty calls or subs unless I deem that there is ZERO gameplay impact (lol, like that will ever happen).
For XP sliders, I plan on sticking with default progression for quite some time....the game's default progression as of launch really fits what I am looking for.
I do not directly support "coach mode"....never have, never will. You're welcome to use these for coach mode, but I offer no guarantees as to how well they will work.
I do not directly support CPU v CPU mode....never have, never will. I actually think that this mode plays very differently than other modes (including "coach mode"). My recommendation here is to go with a setup specifically designed for that mode.
I will be evaluating other facets of the game; examples may include play calling, coach schemes, weekly training, playbooks, etc. once we have a solid setup

My view of what sort of feedback is appropriate

Broad statements like "It's too easy" or "It's too hard" or "the run game is too easy/hard" will be ignored unless you provide further support. Provide full descriptions (or video) of WHY something is "too easy/hard". Broad generalizations based on tiny sample sizes (i.e. less than 8-10 full games in regular season CFM) will be ignored unless you have specific reaction/animation-based arguments to support the "why". If you have video of full games available, please refer to specific time-frames where you see things that look "off".
I will not make adjustments based on stats alone. I will not respond to queries based on stats alone. Video is nice, but even text descriptions of what you are seeing is helpful (oftentimes, one small detail may resonate as something I have seen myself...having secondary confirmation often helps me realize that something may be wrong). If you just post numbers, it is meaningless.
You're welcome to post box scores of games (lots of people enjoy seeing them) - just don't be miffed when I tell you that I usually ignore them (now, if you take the time to write specific details about how the game went and what you saw, I will totally read that). But box scores alone really don't tell me a whole lot. Stats lie all the time.
Take ownership of your gameplay style. If you like to go overboard and maybe exploit the CPU a bit, own it. If you're not 100% "sim", there is nothing wrong with that; but my approach may not work for you on All Pro.
The premise of this set is to utilize default gameplay sliders. Until further notice, I will not entertain any discussion of gameplay slider changes in this thread. If you wish to discuss gameplay slider changes, please go to another thread or take the discussion to PM.

Having high quality feedback makes our efforts here much better. I greatly appreciate everyone's cooperation