Comeback AI Rant

[steelraccoon]

I know there are quite a few posts about this on here but I had to rant for a sec and tell you what occurred to me just a moment ago.

I am coaching the Panthers and I am in my 4th season opening day. I have been all over the Titans in all aspects of the game. It's the beginning of the 4th quarter and the score is 31 - 0 and the Titans have a TOTAL of 75 yards of Offense. Then, it happens... the much denied Comeback AI kicks in! They score 14 points in 5 minutes (81 yard drive and a 72 yard drive) and on my offensive series in-between their scores, I get sacked 3 times in a row for a negative 17 yards (on been sacked twice before this series) and then on the Titans 3rd drive in the fourth quarter i commit 2 pass interference penalties as well as a face mask... on 3 consecutive plays.

Now I know EA keeps denying it exists but isn't this the perfect example of the fact it does exist in the game???

P.S. On their fourth drive I managed to pick off Young and with no one between my guy and 7 points, he proceeds to run TOWARDS the other players in the middle of the field instead of down the sidelines where there is not a d*mn soul!!

[Last_Light]

Re: Comeback AI Rant

I've had my guys do the run to the middle of the field thing before. But the guys who did it have poor ball carrier vision.

I haven't experienced a comeback like yours since season 1, where at least 4 of them happened. My D is just far too good in my third season for the opposition to pull that crap on offense, not yet anyway.

[BrnwsBucksFanNC]

Re: Comeback AI Rant

I really love this game...but there are times my wife is convinced I just threw the controller through the tv! It can be VERY frustrating at times.

My last game my RB did the same thing...pitch play...outside...no one between him and the endzone. So what does he do...turn and run INTO the middle of the field and all of the defenders he left behind. But the week before he was breaking through tackles and weaving in and out if the defense like it was nothing. FRUSTRATING

But I still love it and cant wait for school to be out so I can play some more!

[Skarecrow]

Re: Comeback AI Rant

In my experience, no matter what team I'm playing against, no matter what defensive strats I'm using, no matter how overwhelming or fresh my defensive players are, no matter how fatigued, or underwhelming their offensive players are, no matter what their field position...

If the two minute warning goes off, the AI will score on you with a greater than 80% success rate. All of a sudden the team that has put up 50 passing yards all day is landing multiple back-to-back huddle-less 25 and 35 yard passes.

god forbid they somehow get the ball back with some time left on the clock (but still inside the 2 minute window), because with frustrating frequency THEY'LL DO IT AGAIN!!!

I always thought this was just one of those observational bias things, where you think it happens more often than it does because you don't remember when it doesn't happen... but then I documented a couple seasons in detail for team season writeups that I was doing for this board, and I actually was able to watch how often it happened. it was frightening. I -had- to have at least a 2-score lead going in to the 2 minute window in the 4th quarter or it was a nail-biter, regardless of how the opponents had been playing up to that point.

[BrnwsBucksFanNC]

Re: Comeback AI Rant

Happened again today....Panthers got the ball with 37 seconds left in the half and one time out. The kickoff was a touchback. Rivers hit 2 short passes causing them to burn their last time out. They complete a 3rd short pass to get them to the 50 with 8 seconds and no timeouts. Rivers heaves the ball into the air as the clock hits 0 and it falls to the ground 10 yards from anyone...but WAIT...there is a Pass Interference call at the 26 against the Browns. So the kicker lines up with no time on the clock and hits a 43 yard FG into a 20 mile an hour wind...

He also missed a XP and FGs of 36 and 30 yards...but was able to hit the 43 yarder into the wind...

[cutter73]

Re: Comeback AI Rant

This used to happen to me a lot until I stopped relying on the computer so much in play calling.

Towards the end of the game, the formations the computer tells you the offense is likely to line up in are usually wrong. They are based on regular game conditions, not for comeback situations. often the computer would tell me that the offense was coming out in a 2 WR set, and I'd come out in a base 4-3 defense and get killed because my linebackers were covering recievers in the offenses 4 or 5 WR sets. If you let the coordinator call the defensive plays in those situations, they never adjust to compensate no matter how good they are statted to be.

I'm not saying this is what's happening to you, just offering it as something that might be the case. It took me awhile to figure out what was going on, but once I took that into consideration, the comebacks became a more rare for me. It may have something to do with the fact that I run the ball constantly with big leads so I don't get too many situations where I get sacked 3 times in a row like you described. At that point, all I care about is milking the clock. That might mean I don't see as many big comebacks because the offense doesn't get the ball as much.

I hope this is what is happening to you, because it flat out sucks when a game just amps up on you for a comeback all the time.

[KalimbeNaire]

Re: Comeback AI Rant

I usually always have the CPU make a great drive in the last quarter with about 5 minutes to go. Their passing game is on point and my pass rush disintegrates while my corners and safeties forget that they are in deep coverage. With a better DC, I am still holding the teams in check and rarely ever do they score now (unless it is a great team) unless I am running my second unit out there just to get some playing time.

But, prior to hiring my awesome DC (Rob Ryan...for some reason the Raiders fired him...) I had a horrible DC. In one game I was winning 21-0 in the fourth quarter with 3 minutes left in the game. I had just scored the third touchdown and I am kicking off. The return is run back about 20 yards, no drama.

Then, this team that I have been pasting all game long starts to connect on deep passes on wide open receivers 30-40 yards down field. I know they are going to go pass crazy, so I call off the blitz and I am dropping everyone back into coverage. Doesn't matter, there is always a guy wide open with nobody near him, and then IF anybody manages to chase him down, he breaks the tackle. Two pass plays and they go about 67 yards for a TD.

Okay, no biggie. There is now around 2 minutes left, I'll get the ball back, and I will run out the clock. Oh wait, they'll probably try an onsides kick. I set up an onsides return....they recover it. They promptly make two passes down the field and score yet another TD. 21-14 with a bit over a minute left. I'm mad, but I am winning, so I let it slide. I figure if they did an onsides kick before, they'll do it again.

Sure enough, they do it again....and recover it AGAIN. Two pass plays later, in the endzone for a TD. I manage to stop their 2pt conversion play. 21-20.

30 seconds to go in the game. I know they will go for an onsides kick. They do it again....and RECOVER IT AGAIN! 1 deep bomb over the middle of the field, then they set up for the FG and kick it at the last second...it's good and time runs out and they win 23-21!

Now, I have tried countless onsides kick with my team that season and never recovered a one. In one game the CPU recovers three in a row?

I wanted to destroy my controller and for sure some foul words came out of my mouth. But, I had a poor team and wanted a high draft pick and my stats (other than the defense's passing yards allowed and points allowed) were pretty good.