Am I just getting lucky or is something wrong?

[mdgoalie37]

Let me preface thsi by saying that I am a decent player, but nothing special. I am playing on All-American.

I keep havins games where I get a break or 2 and this allows me to win. I am playing my dynasty with both Notre Dame and Colorado. I haven't lost yet (6-0 between them) and I have been seriously out played at times.

I just finished Hawai'i at Colorado (HFA off) and I won 35-21. It was 14-7 at the half and it felt pretty good, save for the Warriors missing a short FG. In the second half it went like this - I kickoff, a few plays, pick-6 for me, 21-7. I kickoff and they go down and score. I then return the kickoff for a TD, so now that's 14 pts on 0 offensive plays. They score again so it's 28-21. I finally get the ball with 1:30 left in the 3rd and go 3 and out.

Hawai'i has the ball and drives to my 10 or so, sack, fumble and I pick it up and run it back. 35-21, which turns out to be the final.

Some stats
Colorado - Hawai'i
First Downs 10-22
Total O 249 -423
TOs 0 - 3

My last game with ND was similar, a 28-21 home win (HFA on) over Michigan State. They were moving the ball, and had a fumble which I picked up and ran back for 6 right before the half to tie it at 14. I never really felt threatened in the second half, like I knew I would win.

Total Offense in that one, 456-252 for the Spartans. They also had 2 turnovers, to my 0.

These are not the only 2 games like this - is anyone else seeing this often, or is this just a coincidence that I seem to be getting it often?

[Joshua1207]

Re: Am I just getting lucky or is something wrong?

Bump up the sliders or put the difficulty up then I guess.
I do notice that sometimes the computer does really stupid things though on all difficulties

[Onslaught76]

Re: Am I just getting lucky or is something wrong?

The CPU really does do some dumb things at times.....They occasionally make it up though in the 4th Quarter...GRRRR.

I agree with Josh - turn up your sliders.

[okstate123]

Re: Am I just getting lucky or is something wrong?

I don't think this is a slider issue. It sounds like he's being outplayed, so if he turns it up he'll just be getting destroyed. This sounds like a separate issue. Possibly the CPU "fixes" games and will do everything to get the result it wants, while staying in the realm of realism.

[Drocks]

Re: Am I just getting lucky or is something wrong?

I know EXACTLY what you're referring to. I'm playing as Minnesota, and I beat USC, Ohio State, and Penn State all from getting a pick 6 or fumble return as the difference in the game (I think all were won by 3 pts). I was dominated yardage-wise in all three of those games. USC and OSU both fumbled while trying to run the clock out and that's how I scored the winning TD.

So I bumped up to Heisman for Year 2 (tweak sliders to try to make sure you can still compete), and I haven't had nearly as many breaks, and really, I don't feel like I'm getting cheated either. I lost 25-3 @ USC, but I managed to beat Ohio State in Columbus 22-21 on a last second FG. But I didn't get any real huge breaks, I just won the game. One of my best wins ever in any NCAA, very rewarding. You'll probably struggle to adjust to the amped up CPU ability, but if you get smarter and just get used to it you may like the change. Check out the slider section here on the forums, there's some good ones out there.

[mdgoalie37]

Re: Am I just getting lucky or is something wrong?

I don't think this is a slider issue. It sounds like he's being outplayed, so if he turns it up he'll just be getting destroyed. This sounds like a separate issue. Possibly the CPU "fixes" games and will do everything to get the result it wants, while staying in the realm of realism.

Correct, it's not so much the gameplay itself 95% of the time, it's just the breaks I see. The opportune fumbles, the CPU red-zone failures, things like that. I seem to have the CPU drive to the red zone and stall quite often. For instance in my Colorado dynasty I've had 10 defensive redzone chances in 3 games, seems reasonable. 5 TDs, 0 FGs - that doesn't seem right. For ND I believe it was 11 chances, 5 TDs and 2 FGs. So for my 2 teams that 21-10-2, that's 57% giving up any points in the red zone.

It could be just a coincidence that I've been seeing a few of these in a short period of time. These are things that woudl be welcome sometimes, they just seem to keep coming. When it happen as ND, I tell myself it's the luck of the Irish.

[OpTiOnMaStA]

Re: Am I just getting lucky or is something wrong?

You'll get a loss eventually.

Sometimes this is how it goes. The best team doesn't always win (in real life or in video games). Also, stick skills make up for a lot of shortcomings in these games.

[rudyjuly2]

Re: Am I just getting lucky or is something wrong?

I've had the same thing happen to me. I went 12-0 with Michigan my first year before losing to Bama in the BCS game. Yes I know that's highly unlikely and I bumped up the sliders halfway through the year to make it harder. The game was slightly on the easy side but every big break went my way. I was either losing or tied going into the 4th quarter for half my games.

Nebraska (I put them in the Big 10 subbing out Indiana) had me beat and literally threw the game away with seconds left. The cpu called for a pass on my two yard line with 10 seconds left and threw a pick in the endzone. The game was tied 14-14. Just run the ball and kick the chip shot to win! I went on to win in OT. I was actually losing 14-6 with under two minutes left and got a TD and two point conversion just to tie the game.

Against Ohio State in the final game I didn't convert a single third down through the first three quarters and yet I had the ball to start the fourth quarter in their territory down 9-7. They were up 9-0 when Pryor threw a pick 6 to make it 9-7. Then Herron fumbled on the first play after the kickoff. I recovered the fumble, kicked the FG and won 10-9 despite being outgained by three times the yardage.

I had a horseshoe up my butt all year. Tons of close and fun games.

[mdgoalie37]

Re: Am I just getting lucky or is something wrong?

It's just funny because I will say to myself (or the dog) 'here comes a fumble' or 'they will miss the figgie' and I am usually right.

Oh well, we'll see what happens. I like the game in general.

[ImTellinTim]

Re: Am I just getting lucky or is something wrong?

I've had the same thing happen to me. I went 12-0 with Michigan my first year before losing to Bama in the BCS game. Yes I know that's highly unlikely and I bumped up the sliders halfway through the year to make it harder. The game was slightly on the easy side but every big break went my way. I was either losing or tied going into the 4th quarter for half my games.

Nebraska (I put them in the Big 10 subbing out Indiana) had me beat and literally threw the game away with seconds left. The cpu called for a pass on my two yard line with 10 seconds left and threw a pick in the endzone. The game was tied 14-14. Just run the ball and kick the chip shot to win! I went on to win in OT. I was actually losing 14-6 with under two minutes left and got a TD and two point conversion just to tie the game.

Against Ohio State in the final game I didn't convert a single third down through the first three quarters and yet I had the ball to start the fourth quarter in their territory down 9-7. They were up 9-0 when Pryor threw a pick 6 to make it 9-7. Then Herron fumbled on the first play after the kickoff. I recovered the fumble, kicked the FG and won 10-9 despite being outgained by three times the yardage.

I had a horseshoe up my butt all year. Tons of close and fun games.

That's about how my first year with Michigan went. Only I lost to Wisconsin at home when they just thoroughly outplayed me. Georiga Tech beat Boise State in the NC. I beat Wash in the Rose Bowl.

But I just lost my 2nd game in year 2 at home to ND. They scored a TD with 2 seconds left on 4th and goal to tie me at the end and beat me in OT. In fact, I thought I had them held to a FG, but they pulled a nice pass play for a TD on 3rd and 11 from about the 15. Then they stopped me for the win. I've been seeing a great variety of games - most of the conference matchups against the top teams have been close. And this is on AA default with penalty sliders tweaked (still only get holding called). I agree, though, that the CPU (pre-patch) made horrible play calling decisions at the end of games. I have only played 2 games post-patch, so I'm not sure if this has improved or not.

[Deegeezy]

Re: Am I just getting lucky or is something wrong?

These posts about games being "fixed" are really far-fetched IMO.

[Schreck]

Re: Am I just getting lucky or is something wrong?

I'm having the exact opposite happen, every break has gone to the computer, usually in the second half. I'm ND, and playing on Heisman (no slider changes) in a competitive OD. My last three games were against Air Force, UCLA and Washington State. All games I was leading by 7 or so at the half. In the second half it was like a switch got flipped and suddenly my guys were fumbling in the red zone or I was throwing a ridiculous pick and suddenly their offenses turned into juggernauts. I'm talking about Air Force's QB going 14-17, Washington State's HB running through my entire defense etc. I've never been so pissed in all of my life. It just felt really cheap every time.

I don't mind losing to the computer, it's actually kind of refreshing because it never really happened in the past and I've always played on Heisman, but it seems like I don't even have a chance in these last few games and that was against crap teams, can't wait to play USC and some of the other good ones.

[okstate123]

Re: Am I just getting lucky or is something wrong?

These posts about games being "fixed" are really far-fetched IMO.

Not fixed as in the sense you can't change the outcome, but in the sense that it's unrealistically difficult. There are times late in the game in which teams who are struggling the whole game to get anything going, suddenly break through and can't be stopped.

I've also noticed that when you have a wide open receiver, something will, a lot of times, go wrong. That could been getting hit right as you throw, the ball getting batted down at the line, the pass going straight to a defender, or the ball getting dropped. Happens too often, imo.

[Deegeezy]

Re: Am I just getting lucky or is something wrong?

Not fixed as in the sense you can't change the outcome, but in the sense that it's unrealistically difficult. There are times late in the game in which teams who are struggling the whole game to get anything going, suddenly break through and can't be stopped.

I've also noticed that when you have a wide open receiver, something will, a lot of times, go wrong. That could been getting hit right as you throw, the ball getting batted down at the line, the pass going straight to a defender, or the ball getting dropped. Happens too often, imo.

Teams IRL step up when their backs are against the wall all the time. A lot of the time, it is just a case of them playing a little more aggresively and with a "nothing to lose" attitude. The same thing happens in the video game, the CPU just starts to become more aggressive.

[Drocks]

Re: Am I just getting lucky or is something wrong?

Not fixed as in the sense you can't change the outcome, but in the sense that it's unrealistically difficult. There are times late in the game in which teams who are struggling the whole game to get anything going, suddenly break through and can't be stopped.

I've also noticed that when you have a wide open receiver, something will, a lot of times, go wrong. That could been getting hit right as you throw, the ball getting batted down at the line, the pass going straight to a defender, or the ball getting dropped. Happens too often, imo.

Sometimes it's the strategy change that causes that feeling of unstoppableness. If you're shutting down a team that's trying to mix up their stuff and then they get down 14 or whatever they just start firing it away on all downs, it's a different strategy they are using, so you doing the same thing might not work. Or if you start playing back trying to avoid giving up something deep and they keep pounding you for the 15,20 yard routes. Stuff like that.

And if your receiver is open, that probably means the CPU blitzed, which means you don't have a lot of time to get that pass off, or even if you do, you're gonna be under a lot of duress doing it, which may get your pass batted down or come out funny. If you sense a blitz coming, you gotta be prepared to get rid of that thing quick.

The OP isn't really talking about that though, they're talking about how you can be beaten most of the game, being outplayed, and then you get the pick 6 or fumble return you need to win the game anyway.