CFB25 Playbook Tool

[canes21]

Hi Guys, I've got a tool I wanted to share with you all that I used for NCAA 14 and now use for CFB 25.

First, please give credit to the OS user Philosopher0. He originally posted a Madden playbook tool in the Madden forums last year. I had already had my own tool I used for NCAA 14 at the time, but I was lacking a concept breakdown like he had. So I took his concept breakdown segment and combined it with what I was already doing plus added more features and visuals for pass concepts and created this tool that I used for my last NCAA 14 dynasty last summer and have been using for my CFB25 dynasty I'm currently running.

In real life, college teams often run a small handful of run concepts, a handful of pass concepts, and have their various formations they run those concepts out of. Nobody is running every concept known to man out of unlimited formations. It's simply not feasible with the limited time the teams have implement this stuff.

This tool aims to replicate those limitations and is used to help users when creating their custom playbooks follow those limitations.

To keep it brief...

- you get points to spend on formations and concepts.
- the total points available to spend can be set manually or be based automatically off your QB's awareness rating - your choice
- there are various difficulty levels controlling the cost of concepts
- when you figure out the # of formations you want to run and which concepts you want to include in the playbook, the spreadsheet automatically calculates the points spent and lets you know if you went over, have more points to spend, or have hit your cap

The first page of the spreadsheet is the base template. Whenever I start a new dynasty and want to create a new book, I make a copy of that sheet in the workbook and then make my changes to the copied sheet. In the doc I am sharing below, I've included my current scheme I am running in my current Akron dynasty so you can see how the tool looks when being used to hopefully help you better visualize it.

Once you figure out the # of formations and which concepts you want in your book, you simply create a playbook in the game using that set # of formations and only include the plays featuring the concepts you're running in your scheme.

Right now the tool is only meant to be used for the offensive side of the ball. If I get around to making a defensive side variant, I will update it, but as of right now I'm content using the base defensive playbooks in the game.

Here's the link to the tool for you to download.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...f=true&sd=true

[canes21]

Re: CFB25 Playbook Tool

I do want to note I created this file on a 1440p ultrawide monitor, so there's potential for it to be formatted slightly wonky. You should be able to adjust column sizes and use the zoom feature to fix any issues brought on by that.

I also noticed the text in the shared file doesn't match what I have saved on my desktop, but that's just cosmetic, but if you're wondering why the text choices clash so hard, that's why.

Lastly, if you spot any spelling errors or any errors in general, please let me know and I will fix them. I work fast and have a habit of not reviewing things since that's the bulk of what I do in my real job, so I often end up with a lot of minor spelling mistakes when I make my own personal sheets or even write my novels on here.

I hope some of you all out there find a use for this tool and it helps you get a more challenging and authentic dynasty experience out of the game. I know we have a custom playbook thread already, but I'd love to read about some of the schemes you all create using this tool be it in this thread or in the custom playbooks thread.

I'd love to hear about how some of your choices caused you to be strong in certain areas and weaker in others. Like my Akron scheme I included. Given the concepts I chose and the formations I am running with, my dropback passing attack is very limited and that's caused issues at times when trailing or being behind the chains. Some of the formations I chose don't even feature half my passing concepts, so if I'm behind the chains I can get a bit predictable and the adaptive AI has had its time with that, which I absolutely love.

[mtoo22]

Re: CFB25 Playbook Tool

Very cool! The funny thing is that you naturally drift towards concepts over time as you use a team or playbook. Knowing the ins and outs of specific play allow you to know where the read points are and make the correct read more frequently and quicker.

For example the 4 wide slant out of Spread Normal. This is a pretty basic play but once you know the reads you can almost immediately diagnose where the ball goes at the snap. Add in a mobile QB and it's deadly. If you pick a handful of plays that you know like the back of your hand you will be way more successful than running 10 different concepts out of 20+ formations.

This same formula is used widely at the high school level where the tempo is a greater advantage than having a huge selection of plays that can never be fully implemented.

Great work on this!

Sent from my Pixel 7 Pro using Tapatalk

[bkrich83]

Re: CFB25 Playbook Tool

Hi Guys, I've got a tool I wanted to share with you all that I used for NCAA 14 and now use for CFB 25.

First, please give credit to the OS user Philosopher0. He originally posted a Madden playbook tool in the Madden forums last year. I had already had my own tool I used for NCAA 14 at the time, but I was lacking a concept breakdown like he had. So I took his concept breakdown segment and combined it with what I was already doing plus added more features and visuals for pass concepts and created this tool that I used for my last NCAA 14 dynasty last summer and have been using for my CFB25 dynasty I'm currently running.

In real life, college teams often run a small handful of run concepts, a handful of pass concepts, and have their various formations they run those concepts out of. Nobody is running every concept known to man out of unlimited formations. It's simply not feasible with the limited time the teams have implement this stuff.

This tool aims to replicate those limitations and is used to help users when creating their custom playbooks follow those limitations.

To keep it brief...

- you get points to spend on formations and concepts.
- the total points available to spend can be set manually or be based automatically off your QB's awareness rating - your choice
- there are various difficulty levels controlling the cost of concepts
- when you figure out the # of formations you want to run and which concepts you want to include in the playbook, the spreadsheet automatically calculates the points spent and lets you know if you went over, have more points to spend, or have hit your cap

The first page of the spreadsheet is the base template. Whenever I start a new dynasty and want to create a new book, I make a copy of that sheet in the workbook and then make my changes to the copied sheet. In the doc I am sharing below, I've included my current scheme I am running in my current Akron dynasty so you can see how the tool looks when being used to hopefully help you better visualize it.

Once you figure out the # of formations and which concepts you want in your book, you simply create a playbook in the game using that set # of formations and only include the plays featuring the concepts you're running in your scheme.

Right now the tool is only meant to be used for the offensive side of the ball. If I get around to making a defensive side variant, I will update it, but as of right now I'm content using the base defensive playbooks in the game.

Here's the link to the tool for you to download.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...it?usp=sharing

You could use this for a weekly game plan setup. I’m gonna give this a shot. Thanks.

[DjPerzik]

Re: CFB25 Playbook Tool

This is awesome! I was searching for a way to dial down my custom playbook and this might be it, thanks!

[canes21]

Re: CFB25 Playbook Tool

I have updated the tool to allow for the ability to have varying costs for formations as well. It felt like limiting it to having every formation cost 1 point was too restrictive and likely too expensive. In real life, installing a new formation is typically easier than it is installing a whole new concept. Knowing that, it didn't make sense to me to leave it to where each formation was 1 point. Now there are options to have formations cost 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, and 1 point each allowing you more control over your experience.

[thedudescrew]

Re: CFB25 Playbook Tool

I have updated the tool to allow for the ability to have varying costs for formations as well. It felt like limiting it to having every formation cost 1 point was too restrictive and likely too expensive. In real life, installing a new formation is typically easier than it is installing a whole new concept. Knowing that, it didn't make sense to me to leave it to where each formation was 1 point. Now there are options to have formations cost 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, and 1 point each allowing you more control over your experience.

Bruh! Canes you've done it again!! Sliders and now this! You are incredible! I am going to use this to create my custom playbook for sure. Thanks man! Great work!

[canes21]

Re: CFB25 Playbook Tool

Appreciate the kind words. A little busy with work this week, but I am going to potentially look into bringing a couple more mechanics to the tool soon.

I want to bring in a mechanic that allows for the sheet to dynamically set your point total, concept cost, and formation cost year to year if you want it to so you don't have to set that manually if you don't want to. The line of thinking here is to add some dynamic difficulty to the tool, if you want it, that can make each year feel even more different from one another.

I also want to expand that mechanic to have a QB's awareness rating and/or experience in your system play a roll so that you can potentially see your playbook grow year after year when a QB is a multi-year starter.

I'm confident I can get those features implemented, I just have to get my hands dirty, first. Shouldn't be too hard, I just don't know what the timeline is to get it implemented given how busy work is and I'm also trying to do work around the house in preparation for canes21 jr who will be arriving in a few months.

The mechanics will be completely optional and I want to implement them in a way that is intuitive and not confusing at all. I think adding in a dynamic mechanic that has the option of being influenced by your QB's awareness/experience is a logical next step to get the type of experience I want from the tool to make each team, QB, and season feel a little different from the other.

If you all have any ideas you think could help make the tool better, feel free to share your ideas here. I'd love to read them and see what I can implement.

[ShamWowNY]

Re: CFB25 Playbook Tool

Sharing an idea I had this morning. I fully endorse awareness/experience-based limits on playbooks, but there is one situation where that's tough to emulate - backups coming in mid-game for an injured starter (something that happens fairly often with your sliders!). You can't change to a more sparse playbook mid-game.

The solution I thought of was using coach suggestions in this way - have just one set per formation and limited plays within that set as starred for each situation. If your starter is in, you can call by formation or however you prefer, but if your freshman backup has to play, you have to use that limited suggested gameplan of maybe as few as three plays per down/distance. This might simulate your backup not being as sharp/familiar with your gameplan (could also house-rule no audibles, hot routes, etc).

[boisejames]

Re: CFB25 Playbook Tool

If you all have any ideas you think could help make the tool better, feel free to share your ideas here. I'd love to read them and see what I can implement.

Thank you for this. I'm implementing a version of this in my dynasty right now. Currently building my playbook.

I made some house rule changes on how to determine how many concept/formation points, etc. (attached)

I used 20% of AWR for base points but also added a formula to give me an extra point for each year the QB has been a starter. (Below this isn't shown because I'm using a first year starter.)

I was also unsure how you have your points set up for formations, I didn't know if you were using the allotted points for each set you use or just for the base formation and you could use as many sets as you want. So I made mine that you can choose a formation for 0.4 and then each set is worth 0.2 thereafter (0.1 for sets similar to one you've already installed). For example, I-Form (0.4) then Pro (0.2) then H Pro (0.1) then Weak I Pro (0.1).

Weak I Pro is technically a whole new formation but I just didn't think I needed to use 0.6 points to tell the FB to move to right or left two steps.

I have a question about the plays included in your concepts: Are you intentionally leaving off plays because you figure listing a few per concept gives the gist of what you'd include? Or are you trying to limit the amount of plays your allowed and these are the ones you've chose? Or is it something else?

[canes21]

Re: CFB25 Playbook Tool

Thank you for this. I'm implementing a version of this in my dynasty right now. Currently building my playbook.

I made some house rule changes on how to determine how many concept/formation points, etc. (attached)

I used 20% of AWR for base points but also added a formula to give me an extra point for each year the QB has been a starter. (Below this isn't shown because I'm using a first year starter.)

I was also unsure how you have your points set up for formations, I didn't know if you were using the allotted points for each set you use or just for the base formation and you could use as many sets as you want. So I made mine that you can choose a formation for 0.4 and then each set is worth 0.2 thereafter (0.1 for sets similar to one you've already installed). For example, I-Form (0.4) then Pro (0.2) then H Pro (0.1) then Weak I Pro (0.1).

Weak I Pro is technically a whole new formation but I just didn't think I needed to use 0.6 points to tell the FB to move to right or left two steps.

I have a question about the plays included in your concepts: Are you intentionally leaving off plays because you figure listing a few per concept gives the gist of what you'd include? Or are you trying to limit the amount of plays your allowed and these are the ones you've chose? Or is it something else?

I like the change you made with the years of experience. That was something along the lines I was thinking of implementing.

Right now all sets/formations cost the same, I did not differentiate that. I agree with your example with Weak I Pro shouldn't really cost the same as implementing an entirely different formation to the fold.

No plays/concepts were intentionally left out. Anything missing, feel free to point it out and I will get it added.

[TON1C]

Re: CFB25 Playbook Tool

This is awesome, definitely looking forward to using this!

A couple of enhancement ideas:

-Factoring in HC, OC and school prestige to the formula
-Similar one for defense but using formations, fronts, coverage shells and concepts

[TON1C]

Re: CFB25 Playbook Tool

Question for you. Is HB dive/slam considered a zone run? I was always under the impression it was technically a power/gap run since it’s designed to go through the A gap.

Moreso wondering as far as which blocking ratings would matter the most. Would normally be easy to test by min/maxing attributes but we don’t have that option unfortunately.

[jello1717]

Re: CFB25 Playbook Tool

Question for you. Is HB dive/slam considered a zone run? I was always under the impression it was technically a power/gap run since it’s designed to go through the A gap.



Moreso wondering as far as which blocking ratings would matter the most. Would normally be easy to test by min/maxing attributes but we don’t have that option unfortunately.

If you’re implying we can’t edit player ratings, then that’s false for non-NIL players after this last patch.

[canes21]

Re: CFB25 Playbook Tool

This is awesome, definitely looking forward to using this!

A couple of enhancement ideas:

-Factoring in HC, OC and school prestige to the formula
-Similar one for defense but using formations, fronts, coverage shells and concepts

I've thought about going down the defensive route, but it's not something I want to do just yet. I want to potentially flesh out the offensive side more then when I am happy where it is at, create a defensive variant off of that.

Coach and school prestige having influence is a nice idea that I can look into. Could even take into account the coach archetypes so that the X's and O's coaches may have boosts in the tool that pure recruiters or motivators don't get.

Question for you. Is HB dive/slam considered a zone run? I was always under the impression it was technically a power/gap run since it’s designed to go through the A gap.

Moreso wondering as far as which blocking ratings would matter the most. Would normally be easy to test by min/maxing attributes but we don’t have that option unfortunately.

It was mistakenly placed under zone concepts. I will have that fixed next time I update it.

Haven't had the time to play the game or mess with the tool the past week or so, but I am hoping this week I can sit down and do both and then update the uploaded file with what I do.