Madden 2010 sliders and realistic franchise play..

[Cuda1447]

Totally new sliders here


Alright, let me give a brief explanation on how I arrived at these sliders.

Through extensive testing in practice mode as well as talking with others, I think we've determined how quite a few of these sliders actually affect gamplay.

The pass blocking/run blocking slider effects when the blocking animation occurs. It doesn't seem to effect anything aside from when the animation occurs. With that in mind, a 0 will cause the blocking to look more realistic, while a 100 causes 'suction' blocking.

The tackling slider effects when a tackling animation occurs. Once that animation is set in motion the chance of making a tackle appears to be dependent upon two things. 1. The break tackle slider. 2. The angle/momentum taken during the tackle. Thus a low tackle rating should cause you to have more realistic tackles and not have any superman tackling going on.


With that in mind, the idea is to have tackling/blocking set to low so the animations are most realistic, then you can adjust the break tackle and block shed sliders accordingly to get the realistic stats.

Now I also did a lot of testing with the human passing game and the ability to throw long balls etc. One of the problems I had with my previous sliders is I really couldn't win any jump balls or deep balls in 1 on 1 coverage. I've determined it had nothing to do with my WR's ability to catch the ball, but more with the DB swatting nearly everything down. Thus I've decided to lower the AWR so that there is more space, but then compensated so that WR's do occasionally drop balls. I've also made some significant adjustments to QB accuracy with the idea that you want your better QB's to actually play different and show their accuracy than the lower QB's in the league.

Keep in mind, these are very rough, new sliders. I think in the end they will work a TON better, but Ive basically completely scrapped my old sliders (that with tweaking gave me good stats, just alienated certain gameplay elements). Lots of tweaking will be required, but its a lot harder to get a good base, tweaking is easy once you know what to tweak.




Quarter Length: 11 minutes (drop by 1 min. due to to many plays being run)
Accelerated clock: On
20 seconds runoff
Game Speed: Very Slow (very slow gives better animations)
Speed Threshold: 35
Fight for Fumble: Off
Hardcore

Human

Passing: 14
Accuracy:30
Blocking:10
Catching:50

Rushing: 13
Broken Tackles:40
Run Blocking:5
Fumbles:55 (I still think this is to low, but I haven't focused on it enough yet)

Pass Defense:13
Reaction Time:0
Interceptions:15
Pass rushing:90

Rush Defense: 16
Reaction Time:10
Block Shedding:30
Tackling:15

CPU

Passing:
Accuracy:12
Pass Blocking:5
WR Catching:40

Rushing:
Broken Tackles:50
Run Blocking:20 (not entirely sure of this yet, may need to be higher)
Fumbles:55

Pass Defense:
Reaction Time:0
Interceptions:5
Pass Rushing:90

Rush Defense:
Reaction:0
Block Shedding:65
Tackling:0



Injury slider I have set at 85 currently. I can say without a doubt 60 is to low. I played an entire franchise season at 60 and didn't have any major injuries. I've been playing at 85 in season 2 for a few games now, I lost Ware for the season and Felix Jones for a few weeks. Romo also got knocked out for a game. 85 may prove to be to high, although the jury is still out, 3 games is not enough of a sample size. One major gripe I have though is it seems the injuries happen to the skill position players way to often and not enough to the lineman. But its not the end of the world.

Fatigue I'm working with at 58. Totally unsure about that number right now. It isn't horrible, but pairing that with sub in/out settings makes it extremely complicated to figure out whats realistic.


Any thoughts are appreciated.

 

[Abel007]

I'll check it out when I get home. Looks good though. Right now it is way too easy.

 

[bucwylde23]

I will have to try some of these. I'm having a problem of the game being either way too easy or too hard. I want competition but I don't want to get frustrated the whole time.

 

[Cuda1447]

Another thing I've learned, put the game on VERY SLOW and the graphics/animations are MUCH more fluid. It looks VERY nice. For some reason it has fixed my sack problem as well. Almost as if the game is supposed to be played on that setting.

 

[Stuxnet]

You guys must be much better than I am. I haven't touched the sliders and am playing on All-Pro with 5 minute quarters, and I'm getting my butt handed to me! Games are usually around 14 - 10, the winner being a coin toss.

 

[bl4ckfl4g]

yeah so this is my first Madden in 7 years and even back then I didn't play it much. You guys are gonna destroy me. I'm not doing great in my single player franchise with all the defaults on.

 

[Abel007]

Interceptions seem to be a big problem of mine. I know it is route timing but they need to knock the ball down more and not catch it. Haha

 

[darkeneddays]

I'm playing All-Pro difficulty and the only problems I seem to have are 1) Pressure on the QB. Even all out blitzes seems to take forever to get to the QB. 2) Pass defense. I get lit up in the passing game. I'm sure some of it has to do with no QB pressure, but the cpu nails crossing routes all day long on me, regardless of coverage.

Overall I'm enjoying this year more than last. It STILL has issues lingering from previous year (how many years do you need to make the receivers drag their feet inbounds!!!) but the change in game speed has made this year far more enjoyable, even with its flaws.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Originally posted by: darkeneddays
I'm playing All-Pro difficulty and the only problems I seem to have are 1) Pressure on the QB. Even all out blitzes seems to take forever to get to the QB. 2) Pass defense. I get lit up in the passing game. I'm sure some of it has to do with no QB pressure, but the cpu nails crossing routes all day long on me, regardless of coverage.

Overall I'm enjoying this year more than last. It STILL has issues lingering from previous year (how many years do you need to make the receivers drag their feet inbounds!!!) but the change in game speed has made this year far more enjoyable, even with its flaws.

I'm playing on All Pro as well and I have found a couple of defensive schemes which always seem to give me good pressure. I believe they are both in the Dollar formation in the Colts playbook; I'll check when I get home and post it. I honestly haven't had much problem playing defense in this game; sure, they might break a play on me once per game but for the most part, I shut them down. I've only played 2 full games though -- I won the first 21-7 vs. the Chargers and 38-3 over the Vikings (I play as the Colts, obviously). I also turned the speed up to "Normal" from the default of "Slow."

I do seem to have intermittent problems in the passing game on offense, but I also had problems over the weekend when I was playing my Madden 09 franchise, so I am wondering if it might be time for me to get new glasses or sit closer to my TV. Running seems to be about what it was like in 09, though I have been able to bust bigger runs in 10. And lastly, I did return a kick in the Broncos/Falcons mini-game and I never returned a kick or punt in Madden 09.

I'll have to check Cuda's sliders out.

 

[gorcorps]

I must be a total noob as I'm struggling on the pro level. I can't run the ball at all so I rarely try anymore.

 

[Stuxnet]

Originally posted by: gorcorps
I must be a total noob as I'm struggling on the pro level. I can't run the ball at all so I rarely try anymore.

Something that's particularly difficult with the run is the need to use the special moves with some finesse. Everyone says "wait for the play to develop" blah blah blah, and of course that's important, but I find I do my best when I'm not just mashing buttons to blast through a hole. If your gap is plugged, use a juke or spin to get around the line instead of actually trying to run in that direction. It's also tough to keep in mind that 4 - 5 yards consistently isn't bad. Know your back. Is he a speed back? If he is, jamming him up the middle isn't going to do much. Also, counter runs seems to be pretty effective (relatively) for the first time in a Madden game. Before now, they've always been lip service. Pitches are also much more effective than in the past, assuming the defense isn't stacked against it (if they're bringing an outside blitz, your Pitch is going to go sideways so fast your head will spin).

 

[Cuda1447]

Gorcorps, to add to Jbournes tips...

Do not speed burst until you've hit the hole and got through, or until you are ready to get around the corner. Doing so early causes two things. 1. It causes you to not be able to follow your blockers effectively, 2. It causes the D to get off their blocks easier. Not sure why that is, but its def. true. Using speed causes the D to shed blocks easier.

 

[Stuxnet]

Awesome insight, Cuda. I didn't know this, but I've verified it over the past hour or so. Thank you!

 

[darkeneddays]

I think I'm starting a tradition. Just like last year, I raged out on this game and broke another controller. This damn game makes me act like a 5 year old. No other game seems to do it but Madden just kills my nerves. I'm still doing good though, because unlike last year I haven't crushed the game disc itself in my bare hands.

I simply cannot stand how the CPU operates in this game. If I play on Pro I win like 60-3. Bump it to All-Pro and the CPU goes apeshit. I seriously feel like when I'm on defense I should just set the controller down because nothing I do is going to make a difference. The most turd QBs become billy-badass out of nowhere. Squeaking a throw in between 2-3 defenders happens sometimes. In Madden it happens multiple times on every drive. The best thing I got going for my teams defense (my DEs- Osi and Justin Tuck) get virtually no penetration. On the rare occasion that they do, Uber-QB always seems to thread the needle to a receiver running a crossing route (in between my LBs who were suppose to be playing zone in that area). All game long this same pattern repeats itself as they march down the field for another TD.If the game is close I have to throttle myself from getting a TD until the last 10 seconds because if I give them even 1 minute to work with, they will without a doubt, go right up the field and win the game effortlessly.

I don't expect to win all the time. I don't expect every play to run perfectly. I do however expect, that if I know what play you are running, and I pick defenses specifically designed to stop said play, that it work more often than not. As it stands, the CPU does whatever it damn well pleases 9/10ths of the time, regardless of defense.

I'm gonna keep playing and hope I can find something that will work. For what it's worth, I have no problems at all on offense.

 

[Stuxnet]

Originally posted by: darkeneddays
snip

I sympathize greatly, and share your frustrations. I imagine that replicating an authentic football experience is a tedious, grueling, and inexact science. In order to avoid "money plays", make both sides of the ball playable, etc., certain programming "cheats" were implemented. One thing that has incensed me in every Madden game is the block shedding. I'll take Willie Parker to the outside on a pitch, have the entire D line beat, and right as I hit the LoS everyone sheds their blocks and practically teleport to me. You see similar nonsense in the passing game. When the CPU needs to put up a fight, a 72 QB is all of a sudden a stud and his receivers can make giant leaps and strides to make what should have been a failed pass a TD.

And like you said, God forbid there's 1 minute left, you're up by 7, and you're on the D side of the ball. All of a sudden there's a 11 Hall of Famers on the other side of the ball and you're about to be schooled in the art of grabbing your ankles.

NFL 2k5 is always touted as the best football experience ever. I've seen people try to quantify why that's the case, but I think the best explanation is that it provided a realistic running/passing game on both sides of the ball without ever making you feel slighted.

 

[Cuda1447]

I def. feel what you guys are saying. The default sliders are incredibly suck. You cannot get a real football experience out of them. But, at least give Madden credit for giving us the means to fix the game, for the most part. It takes a lot of work and is tedious, but these sliders make a HUUUGE difference. The sliders I posted in my first post were just a starting point. I've played around 17 games with those sliders and have adjusted them quite a bit (which I'll post up later today). I've got my running game down. Offensively, using Jones and Barber I have to work hard to average 5.0 YPC. I get a big run maybe once a game and I get stuffed a lot. I have to setup my run. Passing for me is frustrating. Ive upped the defensive pressure, as it was to easy to complete passes. I needed to give myself less time to find the open guy. I think I'm getting pretty close to a solid level, but its a difficult process.


The biggest problem I have though is that I get the CPUs offensive to produce yards like its supposed to, just not points. It seems the AI sucks at putting its head down and actually getting in the endzone. They also suck near the sidelines, running out of bounds all the time, when they have plenty of room. If I could get those two things fixed I think I could have a VERY authentic experience.

Oh, for the record I've also got sacks fixed. For some ridiculous reason, moving the game speed from slow to very slow fixed my sacks problem. It also gave me a lot of really nice animations.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Originally posted by: darkeneddays
I think I'm starting a tradition. Just like last year, I raged out on this game and broke another controller. This damn game makes me act like a 5 year old. No other game seems to do it but Madden just kills my nerves. I'm still doing good though, because unlike last year I haven't crushed the game disc itself in my bare hands.

You and me both, but in my defense, I have drastically improved. I too used to break controllers and keyboards while playing Madden on my computer. Back in the Madden 2003 days, I got so mad I took the CD out and flung it across the room. Luckily Target had it on sale the next day. My temper was getting the best of me on Madden 08 for the Xbox, so I gave up on that POS and eBayed it. It wasn't that I was losing necessarily; it was the fact that the CPU was getting all sorts of cheese and it always seemed that I would conveniently fumble when I had the momentum. It got old REALLY fast.

That is why I am hesitating on joining the AT Madden league because I am afraid I will lose it when I inevitably get my butt kicked. I am pretty good at Madden, but I haven't played against many people since the Madden 2005 days.

I don't expect to win all the time. I don't expect every play to run perfectly. I do however expect, that if I know what play you are running, and I pick defenses specifically designed to stop said play, that it work more often than not. As it stands, the CPU does whatever it damn well pleases 9/10ths of the time, regardless of defense.

I'd agree with this synopsis. Madden 09 took a huge step in improving this however. I have only played a couple of Madden 10 games but I have seen what you are saying above. I typically have at least one big play busted against me per game. I guess that is probably respectable and my goal is to hold the opponent to under 200 yds of total offense per game.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Originally posted by: Cuda1447

Oh, for the record I've also got sacks fixed. For some ridiculous reason, moving the game speed from slow to very slow fixed my sacks problem. It also gave me a lot of really nice animations.

Interesting. As I mentioned earlier, I found a couple of plays in my playbook which seemed to get decent pressure. I believe one was a Cover 1 defense that blitzed one of the backs in the Dollar formation. Also in the Dollar formation, there is a Strike 2 defense that blitzes two guys, one from each side. I typically play a DE and I will try to drop back in zone coverage and if I can clog my zone up fairly well, it usually will result in a sack.

 

[Stuxnet]

More Running Tips

As I play, I'm noticing that counters are far more effective in previous years. I think I stated this in a previous post, but it cannot be overstated. These plays were useless in 08 and 09 (and 2k5, for that matter), but the D realistically bites on them in 10. They're not cheesey, but they do put the LB's on their heels a bit.

Learning to string the combos together also helps.

 

[oznerol]

I tried your sliders - not a fan. I have a feeling you're tailoring them to your particular team (Cowboys). With them, the first two plays of the game were a HB 72 yard TD run by the CPU (Giants), followed by a ~65 yard TD run by me (Jets). Also, I'm not sure how you set the Human sliders. I only see CPU settings. And what difficulty are you playing on? That might make a difference.

Some glitches I've found that I think have been mentioned here before as well - fatigue is killer in this game, and substitutions are dumb. They're dumb because they will often sub in offensive players on defense if your backups suck. I don't really want or need WRs playing CB or a FB playing LB, but it happens in the game. I suggest turning down the fatigue setting a bit.

Also, sometimes a player will get injured, and the commentator will say his name, but the screen will say a different player's name. The one on the screen is the injured one.

I do like the very slow speed setting, though. I only wish I could skip the halftime and pregame stuff more quickly.

 

[fatpat268]

I haven't touched the sliders yet, but what I'm really having difficulty is throwing to my main receivers. I can throw to my tight end and my slot receivers just fine, but unless my outside receivers are coming in on a drag route, I can't throw to them. Almost no matter what route they run, the pass will inevitably get jumped on by the CB or Safety, and 6 times out of 10, it's a pick. It gets really frustrating, especially when the game speed is set at slow, but all of a sudden these DBs have super human speed and pick you off.

I don't even bother throwing to my outside receivers unless they go inside. Even then that's a stretch, because it's nigh impossible to dump the ball over a LB's head or thread it through LB's, because once again they have superhuman abilities. I figured they'd fix that by now, but that's wishful thinking.

I've also been giving up a lot of big plays in this year's Madden. This stems from a lot of things. First, defenders miss way more tackles than they should for a professional player (this'll be the first slider I'll mess with), and second, someone at EA messed up player switching. It used to be that the player closest to the ball was switched to when you pressed the button. It now seems to only work 80% of the time. So usually when I switch the defender I try to tackle right away because the CPU controlled defense (on your side) is often to timid to make a tackle until they're right up on the guy. But, it seems lately, it'll switch to the wrong guy, and I'm completely out position to make any tackles and the offense will run in for a touchdown.

Lastly, I just can't get any pressure on the QB. When I'm playing a D-Line player and I am breaking through blocks, I have to go through three layers of blockers for some reason.
1. I get through blocker #1, the OL directly in front of me
2. The opposite side guard slides over to block me. Somehow he's free to pick up any other blocks, even though I had 6 guys rushing the qb.
3. The RB blocks me just in the nick of time before I get to the QB, and the QB safely throws the ball.

That never works like that for me when I'm playing offense. Here's how it goes.
1. Drop Back
2. Guy comes through, RB should pick him up.
3. Oh shit, I'm gonna get sacked... Scramble!
4. Sack or Bad throw

I pretty much can't do Play Action, no matter how much I set it up, because I'll get three defenders down my throat forcing me to scramble.

That said, the game is still fun and I've had some competitive games (I've won most of them), but it just annoys me when the CPU gets these advantages and I don't. Make the game difficult in other ways, not by letting the CPU cheat.

 

[Stuxnet]

Originally posted by: oznerol
fatigue is killer in this game

SO true... fatigue, esp on defense, is ridonkulous.

Originally posted by: oznerol
I do like the very slow speed setting, though. I only wish I could skip the halftime and pregame stuff more quickly.

The "Extra Point" crap in this game is utter trash. I can't believe they couldn't pull something better than this off. Thankfully it's just inconsequential presentation, but really... it's a serious drag.

Originally posted by: fatpat268
It gets really frustrating, especially when the game speed is set at slow, but all of a sudden these DBs have super human speed and pick you off.

I've noticed this too, but honestly, that's just Madden for you. It's like this every year. This is the teleporting I was speaking about earlier, and it's VERY frustrating. You sit patiently in the pocket, babysitting your QB so you can wait for an open wideout, you bullet it right to him, and BAM some mofo gets beamed in out of nowhere and snaps the rock right out of the air. Leading the receiver was the answer to this last year, but they've tweaked it so that leading your receivers will usually just result in a totally uncatchable pass.

Originally posted by: fatpat268
and second, someone at EA messed up player switching. It used to be that the player closest to the ball was switched to when you pressed the button. It now seems to only work 80% of the time.

I thought it was just me! I've noticed this, too, especially on kick-offs/punts. When the guy I'm controlling gets jammed up I'll try to switch to someone else, but I get control of some chump who can't possibly make a play on the return runner. Very stupid/frustrating indeed. I did not notice this phenomenon in 09.

Originally posted by: fatpat268
I pretty much can't do Play Action, no matter how much I set it up, because I'll get three defenders down my throat forcing me to scramble.

They've definitely toned down PA, especially roll-outs. I haven't decided how I feel about this yet, though. Should definitely make for a lot less cheese online, but it totally sucks to get sacked before the computer even turns over control of your QB to you.

Originally posted by: fatpat268
it just annoys me when the CPU gets these advantages and I don't. Make the game difficult in other ways, not by letting the CPU cheat.

That's Madden in a nutshell, every year. This is by far the best Madden yet, and it's an incredibly authentic football experience. However, there are still too many instances where it's painfully obvious that 1) the CPU knows what play you're running (see note below) and 2) the CPU will block and shed blocks much better than your team will.

NOTE - EVIDENCE THE CPU CHEATS ON DEFENSE

The absolute most convincing evidence there is of the CPU being totally aware of the offensive plays you're running is this, and it's indisputable: select a play that has your HB running to one side or the other. Doesn't matter which side. Let's say left. Snap the ball and run the play to completion. Now, bring up Instant Reply and progress ONE FRAME FROM THE SNAP OF THE BALL. Your QB doesn't even have the ball yet, but the entire D is shifting to the side your play is going to go, before your HB or QB have even taken a single step. Yeah, I call bullshit!

Not to harp on 2k5, especially since it definitely had its flaws (it had some serious money plays: sweeps, QB roll-outs, passes to the flats), but one of the reasons it was so well-received is because you rarely (if ever) felt cheated or at an artificial disadvantage. Madden compensates for less-than-perfect simulation by taking shortcuts to artificially keep the score/yardage in-check. End-game stats might reflect authenticity, but the experience isn't always authentic.

 

[fatpat268]

Originally posted by: jbourne77

That's Madden in a nutshell, every year. This is by far the best Madden yet, and it's an incredibly authentic football experience. However, there are still too many instances where it's painfully obvious that 1) the CPU knows what play you're running (see note below) and 2) the CPU will block and shed blocks much better than your team will.

Yea, I know. But you'd think by now, that they would fix these issues.

This is the best madden yet, however, it's inexcusable to have some of the exact same flaws as years past. There's a new madden every year. I'm not saying they have to rewrite the codebase (it'd be nice though), but some of the same junk pops its ugly head every year.

I just want to play a football game that doesn't artificially cheat. I've played the NFL2k series, and while I don't remember too much from it, I do specifically remember there being a huge disparity between some of the difficulty levels, but that's about all I remember

Also, as much as I always wanted officials on the field before, they just seem to be unnaturally in the way, especially on kickoffs. I've mistaken them for the opposing team more than once.

 

[darkeneddays]

More evidence that the CPU defense cheeses you is in audibles. You can call a run play up the gut and the defense stacks 8 guys in the box. Np, I'll just audible a quick pass. Watch as the defense spreads out a little to cover the slots. Np, I'll audible a deep pass. Once again the cpu takes everyone and backs them up. Go back to a run play instead,..they all go back in the box. lol

This doesn't happen too terribly often but when it does, only 1 of 2 things occur. Either I say to hell with it, run the play anyways and get stuffed/swatted/picked/sacked. Or I get delay of game from having to micromanage my receivers trying to find a quick route that stands any hope against the all-knowing cpu defense. (3rd option, burn a TO)

 

[Stuxnet]

Originally posted by: darkeneddays
More evidence that the CPU defense cheeses you is in audibles. You can call a run play up the gut and the defense stacks 8 guys in the box. Np, I'll just audible a quick pass. Watch as the defense spreads out a little to cover the slots. Np, I'll audible a deep pass. Once again the cpu takes everyone and backs them up. Go back to a run play instead,..they all go back in the box. lol

Ahh yes... how could I forget. I've definitely seen this, too, over the years. FWIW, in NFL 2k5, you could exploit the hell out of the D using audibles and hot routes and march the ball up the field all day long. From a design standpoint, I honestly have no idea how this could be prevented without reading the audible. Definitely sucks, though .