Difficulty - All-Pro vs. All-Madden

[callmetaternuts]

I've been playing Madden for quite a few years, back to the PS2 days and probably before that. My stick skills aren't great and I only play offline single player CFM/franchise/owner mode/whatever else they call it. It's always just me as the Bucs vs. the CPU. I try to play as realistic as possible and am very defensive minded.

All that to ask this question. I have always played on All-Madden to make it as difficult as possible. I know there are ratings boosts and such for the CPU on All-Madden, but here's the question. What are the main differences (besides ratings boosts)? I don't want to play All-Pro if I'm going to steamroll the CPU and throw for 500 yards every game. All-Madden (Madden 17 and prior) I usually end up 6-10 to 10-6, throw a lot of dumb picks, average about 90 yards rushing a game and try to aim to keep CPU below 24 points.

Is it worth switching to All-Pro to get a more Sim experience or is All-Madden going to be the best push?

[ggsimmonds]

Re: Difficulty - All-Pro vs. All-Madden

In all likelihood all pro will be too easy for you.

As far as I know, ratings boosts for the AI is the only difference between AP and AM. Some speculate that there is scripting present in AM, but I don't believe that claim.

Have you used sliders or open to using them?

I think averaging what you are is a pretty good spot to be in myself. I get kind of tired of reading CFM threads and every poster just won their division going something like 13-3.

[SyncereBlackout]

Re: Difficulty - All-Pro vs. All-Madden

I'm not here to promote or cross post but the timing is ironic.

Some of this was covered here (https://youtu.be/CQT71nLdR8Y) at around the 11min mark.

I've been wondering the same because I've got to discuss, decide, present and vote on the settings for my CFM league.


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[Vikes1]

Re: Difficulty - All-Pro vs. All-Madden

I've been playing Madden for quite a few years, back to the PS2 days and probably before that. My stick skills aren't great and I only play offline single player CFM/franchise/owner mode/whatever else they call it. It's always just me as the Bucs vs. the CPU. I try to play as realistic as possible and am very defensive minded.

All that to ask this question. I have always played on All-Madden to make it as difficult as possible. I know there are ratings boosts and such for the CPU on All-Madden, but here's the question. What are the main differences (besides ratings boosts)? I don't want to play All-Pro if I'm going to steamroll the CPU and throw for 500 yards every game. All-Madden (Madden 17 and prior) I usually end up 6-10 to 10-6, throw a lot of dumb picks, average about 90 yards rushing a game and try to aim to keep CPU below 24 points.

Is it worth switching to All-Pro to get a more Sim experience or is All-Madden going to be the best push?

I'd almost swear I had posted this, lol. Almost exactly my past experience too. And what i'm hoping for outta 18. Imo, after watching a ton of vids, it kinda seems like in it's current state...All-Madden with trimmed down cpu sliders maybe what i'll try. The cpu defensive coverage seems tighter on AM, and may possibly get me where i want the game to be. Ie...not basketball on grass.

[Gorilla Glass]

Re: Difficulty - All-Pro vs. All-Madden

I use to play nothing but All-Madden, but I found that it threw me in online play. So I stick with All-pro. It gives me the best experience overall.

[Bootzilla]

Re: Difficulty - All-Pro vs. All-Madden

Honestly they aren't that different. I can do essentially what I want offensively on either difficulty setting. The difference is All-Madden is more aggressive. AM will blitz more. But, if you can read the blitz you'll get a ton of big plays. AP is more dink and dunk.....

The cpu offense does seem a bit smarter with their play calls on AM but if you play smart (at least last year when coverage overall was better) you could hang just fine as long as you're okay with 2 to 3 big plays when the cpu player goes Techmo Bowl Bo Jackson and runs through your entire defense.

[IcedCoffee1983]

Re: Difficulty - All-Pro vs. All-Madden

I know the kicking/punting meter moves a little faster on All-Madden than it does on All-Pro.

And as others have mentioned, there is a ratings boost for the CPU.

[callmetaternuts]

Re: Difficulty - All-Pro vs. All-Madden

I just want realistic gameplay. If my team should go 6-10, then thats what I want to happen. I don't want to go 13-3. I'm very conservative on offense and run a pretty basic D. I want my CPU teammates to play their assignments and play to their abilities and i want the CPU to realistically provide a challenge. I don't want GOD mode activated, but I also don't want to just do whatever I want and win every game.

ALot of slider testers seem to land on All-Pro and I'm wondering if I should end up there. I know that I'm not an above average Madden player, at least based on stick skills. I do no switch and no money plays or gimmicks.

I saw (heard) T4Verts podcast and the conversation on he had on All-Pro vs. All-Madden, but it didn't clear anything up for me.

[ggsimmonds]

Re: Difficulty - All-Pro vs. All-Madden

When you just look at single games in a vacuum, all pro gives such a better game. Your TDs are because you made the right read, players play to their ratings, etc. It just feels better in every way.

The problem with all pro comes down the road when you realize you are 13-3 with a sub par team.

Each game plays beautifully until you realize that every game you played was like the real life team playing their best game of the season.

I've heard that all pro is harder this year, but I'm skeptical because I've heard that before. Rex has a habit of each year hyping up how he lost to the AI on AP.

My advice is to stick with all madden and maybe lower the AI int slider and rush defense slider. Having a goal of keeping the other team below 24 is rather realistic, puts you right at middle of the pack I think.

[adembroski]

Re: Difficulty - All-Pro vs. All-Madden

Rubber band AI. The CPU will become near unstoppable when it decides it's time to score to keep the game competitive.

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[callmetaternuts]

Re: Difficulty - All-Pro vs. All-Madden

What do most people play on and why?

[Landonio]

Re: Difficulty - All-Pro vs. All-Madden

I don't understand why people still try to play on All-Madden. We've known for what, 15 years that the CPU blatantly cheats? And that your own players are dumbed down? How is that fun or realistic?

[Bondsfan]

Re: Difficulty - All-Pro vs. All-Madden

I've played Madden and bought it every year for over 20 years with the exception of 1-2 years of NFL 2k on Dreamcast. And for as long as I can remember, I've been stuck in this hell where All Pro is way too easy, and All Madden is way too hard and not enjoyable at all. And the only thing I hate worse is tinkering with sliders.

All Pro is by far the most realistic when it comes to stats, with the exception of the stat of Wins/Losses, because if I play with a decent team, its very hard to nearly impossible to lose. Offense is just too easy to play on All Pro. Defense is pretty balanced IMO. Unfortunately of All Pro, I feel like its the complete opposite. On offense, I'm challenged, but I can still score at a realistic rate, but on defense, the CPU is nearly unstoppable.

I don't get it. There are tons of people stuck in this situation, and there are several simple answers. Why, in 20 years, do we still have the same difficulty levels. Why can't there be a level in between the two? Why can't you have separate offense/defense difficulty levels (for me All Pro on D and All Madden on O would be perfect). NCAA had separate difficulty levels for O/D. Madden had something like that TEN YEARS AGO where you could set difficulty (1-10) for 4 different aspects of the game (run O, pass O, run d, pass d).

I'm not a programmer, so maybe I don't fully understand this, but I just don't get why this feature is so difficult. If the game could do this 10 years ago, why today can they not let you choose All Madden or All Pro separately for at least O/D, even if they cant do so individually for run/pass. I just don't understand it. And people have been asking for a difficulty level between the two for ages.

Madden has made amazing progress in recent years, but its very annoying to a longterm player of the series that this game is basically unplayable from a fun standpoint after a season or two in franchise mode because of how easy all pro is, and how hard (and cheap) all madden is.

Frankly, the developers, who I think are doing a great job otherwise, honestly should be embarrassed they regressed from the difficulty system they had 10 years ago, and are using the same 4 tiered difficulty system that is 20 years old. It's flat out sad.

[Bondsfan]

Re: Difficulty - All-Pro vs. All-Madden

That rant being over, last years Madden was the most I've played the series in over a decade, and there was one reason that fixed the All Pro / All Madden ridiculousness.... Play the Moment.

Yes, I'd rather actually play the games. But by having the game simmed for some of the parts, it kept me from dominating the game on every drive. It still got to the point where I could run the table on All Pro eventually, but it still made it at least possible to lose a game or two every year. And I could pull out some victories on All Madden because during sim, my defense would get some stops at some point.

Overall, Play the Moment made he game more playable than anytime in the past decade. I want so badly to play the whole game and make it enjoyable, but I doubt that will happen until the dev's fix this whole All Pro/All Madden BS.

If anyone is really stuck between the two difficulties and hates dominating All Pro while at the same time hates feeling cheated on All Madden, one fun way I played last year which had me even missing the playoffs some years was like this:

All home games: Play the moment, All Pro
All away games: Play the moment, All Madden
Playoffs: PTM, difficulty based on home/away
Super Bowl: Play the whole game, All Madden

That system gave me a challenge, and simmed in a way the difficulty of winning on the road. I'd still lose the occaisional home game, and I'd win some on the road. But I certainly never won every game, and I only ever won one Super Bowl, pulling out a miracle in an all madden complete game. If anyone else is frustrated btw the two levels of play, I highly recommend setting your season up like that.

[Senator Palmer]

Re: Difficulty - All-Pro vs. All-Madden

Haven't played '18 yet so my observations are strictly from previous Maddens...

I've found All-Madden, especially the past two years to be more "fair" than ever. Used to be All-Madden was rife with all types of ridiculousness like linebackers batting down everything the middle of the field, safeties covering impossible amounts of ground, your pass rush never being able to get some.

I saw none of that last year. Felt like things played out more true to the ratings. If I had a pass rusher with 95 pass rush move against a tackle with a 80 something pbk, my guy ate his lunch and it wasn't always like that in previous Maddens. I got pressure from my right end as well as left. It NEVER used to be like that.

I didn't get any of the blatant cheating that I used to see. I played multiple seasons on CFM and had a couple of seasons where I held the CPU to under 17 points a game. The worst season I had I gave up something about 19 a game.

The few things I didn't like and I'm not sure if they weren't problems on All-Pro also, were the press/release battles. Too often if my guy didn't have a press rating advantage of over 10 points, he'd get toasted on go-routes, even if it was a 90 press rating vs a 81 release.

On inside runs the defensive end was able to get down the line and make the play too often. Same deal with corners being involved in the run even if they had a deep zone assignment. I didn't like the way some zones or counter runs were blocked or how edge rushers got off blocks on bootlegs, but I also heard similar critiques on All-Pro.

And on 50/50 balls if I didn't click on and manually swat the pass or play the ball it could get ugly, even if I had a highly rated corner vs. an okay receiver.