[itbeme23]

Hey Guys,

Some of you might know me from my slider threads for MLB The Show. Although I didn’t release a set for The Show this year, I have been really enjoying Madden 18 since release, with my own slider adjustments. I have been a long-time user of many of the slider sets on these forums, and the guys definitely know what they’re doing. Understanding sliders and how each one affects gameplay is something that takes a lot of time and effort, and I have great respect for the rest of the slider guys for their efforts in making the game the best it can be.

All that being said, I'm posting my set, if not for any other reason, to give people an additional choice for sliders. Everybody who makes sliders has their own approach, but the goal is the same: to make the game as realistic as possible. That's what my goal has been with any slider set I've released, regardless of which game it was for. Everybody who has used my sets for The Show in the past knows how much time I put into testing and stat tracking. It's been the same for Madden. Therefore, even though some of my settings will inevitably look different than the sets you have seen in the other threads, please trust I've gathered enough of a sample size through testing to be confident in every slider value in this set. I will give explanations on each, that way everybody has a clear idea of how I arrived at these values.

Something very important to note: I tested my set in both Play Now and CFM, and the two modes DEFINITELY play differently. Therefore, this set is strictly for CFM. Personally, I’m running a 32-team franchise, so I have the option to play more football games than humanly possible. LOL. So, I will not be able to give you information about how these slider settings affect sim stats, as I am playing every game on the schedule. This set really is intended for people who enjoy playing with 32-team control. In my opinion, with slider adjustments, QB Trait adjustments, and custom playbooks for the CPU, Madden 18 plays a damn good game of football.

Here be the set!

Game Options:

Difficulty: All-Pro

- This has always been my difficulty level of choice, simply because it provides the most balanced gameplay.

Game Speed: Slow

- There is a certain level of truth to Game Speed affecting gameplay. My opinion on Game Speed is how it affects the overall “feel and fluidity” of the gameplay. That was the premise behind this setting. I tested my set on Very Slow and Normal, and I didn’t like either. On Very Slow, the game felt like it was stuck in the mud. On Normal, it felt to herky-jerky. Slow feels perfect for this set.

Game Style: Simulation
Quarter Length: 13 minutes
Play Clock Time: 20 seconds

- This set has STRICTLY been tested using the above quarter length and play clock time. Please understand, quarter lengths and runoff time work in conjunction with the Fatigue slider, which of course works in conjunction with my auto-sub settings. I cannot give specific advice on different quarter lengths and fatigue settings. General rule of thumb is if you are going to have longer quarters, you should have Fatigue set lower. My guess is if you tried to use my current fatigue settings with 15 minute quarters, you’d likely experience disappearing players towards the end of the game. I’ve done extensive testing with my settings, and I haven’t experienced disappearing players. I prefer 13 minute quarters because it keeps the game moving at a reasonable pace. Total plays are consistently in the 115-120 range, which is close to real-life NFL averages, although some games may be a bit lower. When added to realistic scores for each game, as well as realistic team and player stats across the board, there’s not enough evidence to warrant a deviation from the current setting.

Injuries: 21

- Extensively tested in CFM. AGAIN, this setting is set for User-played games, so I do not know the effect of this setting on sim stats. There are two goals in adjusting the Injury slider.
1. To find a realistic number of injuries on a PER-GAME basis
2. Understanding the Injury slider affects injury severity as well, I wanted to minimize the risk of CONSISITENTLY losing star payers on a game-to-game basis. Yes, those happen on a per-game basis (i.e. Eric Berry). However, I think we all can agree that if we saw guys like Tom Brady, Arron Rodgers, or Dez Bryant go down for the season in Week 1, that would take a bit of the immersion out of the CFM experience, at least for me. So, with Injuries set at 21, you will see players get hurt every game, some big name players, some average players. Some might be out for the game, some might come back, and some might be out for a few weeks. I’ve encountered some IR type injuries as well.

Fatigue: 80

- This slider SHOULD NOT be changed. It works perfectly with my quarter/accelerated clock settings, as well as auto-subs. Change at your own risk.

Speed Threshold: 60

- I view this slider as a “feel” slider as well. It does have some affect on gameplay, most noticeably it affects big play ability, and the frequency at which the CPU will challenge (and be successful) at creating big plays. I’ve noticed this most in the run game. I’ve tested at several values, between 50 and 100, and the lower the setting, the more the CPU RBs turn into Barry Sanders. I didn’t like how it felt at 50 for that very reason. However, I still wanted the CPU to have big play ability in the run game, and I also wanted to see them take shots downfield in the passing game. I feel 60 provides balance in both. Star offensive skill players will put on the moves, and they will make you pay for missed tackles. Star QBs will test you downfield. That’s how it should be.

Auto Subs: (OUT/IN)

Offense:

QB: 0/1
RB: 86/87
WR: 55/60
FB/TE: 25/30
OL: 0/1

- You will see realistic subbing on offense. RBs will sub out every 2-3 plays or so, if you run them consecutively. However, if you use formation subs as I do, it’s not as big of a deal. WR and TE subs happen as well, and you will notice these rotations on long drives, marching down the field.

Defense:

DE: 96/98
DT: 96/98
LB: 97/98
CB: 10/15
S: 20/25

- My main focus was getting realistic D-Line rotations, and it took me a LONG time to settle on these settings. I won’t say, “you will see defensive lineman sub out ‘x’ amount of times per game”. However, YOU WILL see rotations, most notably on long drives. Same with the LBs. Those big boys can’t handle 15 play drives without needing a break, so these settings allow you to see some rotations. Goal accomplished.

Sliders: (User/CPU)

QB Accuracy: 8/23

- On the User side, I wanted there to be a challenge. You should struggle with scrubs, and you should have an easier time with stars. With this setting, you will be challenged every game. On the CPU side, it’s simple. Any higher than 25, and EVERY QB is Tom Brady. At 23, you will see realistic completion percentage depending on the caliber of QB you are seeing, and YOU WILL see throws downfield. Please keep in mind, the skillset of your QB greatly affects whether he will throw downfield. Average QBs are usually in the 59-64% completion range. Stars will be 65-70%. Scrubs will struggle in the 55-58% range, sometimes lower.

Pass Blocking: 50/55

- Most important goal here was to keep the amount of sacks per game in check. However, this is something that NEEDS to be patched to fully rectify that issue. At these values, you can expect to see an average of 3-5 sacks per game, per team. Yes, that’s still on the high side, but I feel it’s the best I can do without the sacks issue being patched. Any higher, and you start to see some suction blocking as well as too much time in the pocket for the CPU (5+ seconds). I’m sure these will change with a patch.

WR Catching: 45/45

- You will see dropped passes at this setting, but at a realistic clip. Understand the WR Catching slider influences QB accuracy as well. You will see the receivers sometime drop balls after big hits, and sometimes you’ll see them drop balls that hit them right between the numbers. THIS STUFF HAPPENS IN REAL LIFE. I’m very confident in this setting, and don’t plan on changing it.

Run Blocking: 45/70

- Credit goes to Flazko on this. Realistic running lanes on both sides without being OP. Cutback lanes are there as well if you identify them early.

Fumbles: 49/49

- Default doesn’t provide any fumbles. Anything lower than 49 provides too many. 49 it is. You will see fumbles as a result of big hits, strip sacks, as well as ball carrier strips. All at a realistic clip.

Pass Defense Reaction time: 75/85
Pass Coverage: 75/80

- These were by far the most difficult to settle on, because they have such an effect on QB stats as well. I'm not claiming to have "cracked the code" for these settings, but I will say I’m happy with the results I’ve seen on the field. Keep in mind, these settings are based on my observations on gameplay, my interpretation of what each slider affects, and from the years I spent playing DB myself. Based on my observations, I believe the following:

Defense Reaction Time is how quickly DBs react to the ball in the air (i.e. plays on the ball),

Pass Coverage is how much space is generated between WR and DB. Again, I did a lot of testing of different values, and I’m happy with where these are at. I’m constantly checking instant replays to closely monitor WR/DB interaction, and I cannot find any good reason to change these settings. Your receivers will be able to generate space, and you will be able to hit them as long as you make the right reads. The CPU isn’t OP at these settings, but they do play an aggressive pass defense, which I like.

Interceptions: 50/35

- I don’t see a whole lot of User interceptions at default, which is why I chose to leave it. Some guys have this setting lower, but I play with a strict “No Switch Rule”, as well as not using “Ball Hawk” or any other assists. So, any interceptions my team generates is either because my user-controlled player makes the pick, OR the other defensive teammates’ ratings came into play. CPU interceptions are OP, in my opinion, especially with higher Pass Coverage settings. I’ve chosen to follow Flazko’s lead on this and keep them at 35. Trust me, if you make a poor decision, and the CPU is in position to make the interception, most of the time, they will. If you try to force the ball into coverage, or throw up a duck, chances are you’ll be picked. Very happy with these settings so far.

Tackling: 47/40
- I had both User and CPU set at 40 for the longest time, but that was when I was using a higher Speed Threshold setting. Once I lowered it, and the CPU started turning into Barry Sanders, I decided to give User tackling a bit of a boost. I simply got tired of seeing CPU RBs averaging 10 YPC every game. At 45, Users will make the tackles they’re supposed to, and strong/shifty CPU RBs still have the ability to break a big run, just not OP.

Special Teams:

FG Power: 56
FG Accuracy: 35
Punt Power: 48
Punt Accuracy: 75
Kickoff Power: 57

- These settings started from Flazko’s base. I may have made a slight adjustment to a couple of them, but for the most part, they’re still pretty close to Flazko’s.

Penalties:

Offside: 65
False Start: 52
Holding: 86
Defensive Holding: 99 (Broken)
Face Mask: 55
Defensive PI: 99
Illegal Block in the Back: 50
Roughing Passer: 50

- I want to make something abundantly clear about these settings. I am not of the belief that penalties have a heavy influence on gameplay. I’m sure they do to a certain degree, but I did not base my gameplay sliders on my penalty sliders, or vice versa. These were set on the premise that the penalty sliders affect the FREQUENCY at which that particular penalty is called in-game. Simple as that. You can expect to see a fairly realistic number of penalties, as well as penalty variety. Keep in mind, the Defensive Holding slider is broken. Haven’t seen one called since I got the game. Defensive PI is called, but not very often, even with the slider being maxed. Roughing the Passer WILL NEVER be called if it’s at default. Moving it up one click allows you to see it at least once per game. I wish the animations/scenarios were better when this penalty was called, but at the very least, it’s called. Big time momentum shifter in the game.

So there you have it! I hope you guys enjoy these as much as I’ve been. I’m already halfway into the first week of my 32-team franchise, and I’m having a blast, playing some really great games.

Feedback is always appreciated, but keep it constructive and to-the-point.

Cheers!