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Rudy
08-10-2010, 05:15 PM
There have been quite a few debates over the game’s flaws depending on whether you play online or offline. Offline means playing the cpu and taking advantage of some questionable play calling or AI. For those that get bored with that it mean playing online against a human that can adapt quicker and play to his strengths. Of course it also means playing against guys that sometimes don’t punt and try to expose flaws in the game’s AI. The best case scenario for me is to improve the computer’s AI so that I feel that I’m playing a human player without the cheap tricks. We aren’t close to that yet.

120 WAYS TO WIN

NCAA promoted 120 ways to win but that needs to be more than having accurate playbooks or using tempo to create no huddle teams. Same goes for Madden. What’s the point of using Gameflow and Gameplanning if the plays are not executed properly? I’m still waiting to play Oregon and actually have the computer run, fake and pass all over my confused team. Instead you get a computer team that is easy to shut down because their execution is poor.

One of the reasons a human opponent can be more fun and challenging is that they don’t do stupid things. They don’t run the option with a slow footed QB. They don’t mismanage the clock at the end of a game. They bounce runs outside if they see the inside lane get clogged. But most importantly, they don’t call plays they know don’t work. The average online player in Madden used about a dozen plays last year. Even though many of us may choose a variety of plays in our playbook we all have crutch plays we go to on third and long when we need a first down. I can probably identify half the plays in my current playbook that I will never use because I know I won’t be able to execute them properly. The computer doesn’t know this. They randomly pick any one of the plays whether they work well or not. And I benefit if they pick a dumb one.

FIX THE PLAYBOOKS


Everyone wants authentic playbooks. We all want large playbooks full of tons of new plays to use. But the problem is that adding new sets of plays to many different playbooks means programming the cpu to execute all these new plays properly. With some plays I never execute them properly and neither does the cpu. I simply stop using those plays but the cpu doesn’t. EA needs to fully test each and every play against human defensive testers to see how effective they are. If they don’t work well, remove them or add a flag to make sure the cpu doesn’t run them. I would fully support scaled down playbooks if it meant a smarter cpu. Furthermore, don’t run the option with a slow QB. It should be a simple line of code – If Speed is Less Than 75 – don’t run an option play. I’m assuming all plays in the playbook have a label to them – pass, run, run-option, play-action, etc. If not they should.

SELF SCOUTING

The cpu needs a profile set up to track every single play they run on offence and the average yardage for it. Not just for one game but for the life of the game in your console. Track the average yards gained per play for every formation over time. Start weighting the success of the plays against the times they are used. If the cpu sucks running one play in ACE Trips but succeeds in another, don’t have them suck each and every game I play. They should have learned after ten or fifteen games that they should stop using play X in that formation and use play Y. By the time I’m in my second dynasty year the cpu should have a list of plays it knows it sucks at and stops using (or at least severely reduces). Some people complain how easy it is to stop cpu screen plays. Well if the cpu goes 1-4 with three interceptions and 6 sacks on ten screen plays then it should stop using it or rarely use it. Even better, have these profiles uploaded to an EA server every time someone goes online so the devs can track the areas the cpu struggles and succeeds with. Fix them through patches or the next year.

The same can be done on defence. If the cpu gets burned every time they run a double CB blitz then they should learn over time and stop using it. Currently the online players are running man to man constantly because it’s too good. How long would it take the cpu to learn to use more man coverage if it’s working properly? Don’t we want to see the cpu try to expose AI flaws that we do? We could always have the option of not using a cpu profile if we don’t like this.

LITTLE BROTHER

Even though you can play a pretty close game against the computer, it’s the handful of dumb things a computer does that costs them the game. You can boost the sliders to give the computer an edge but you can’t boost their intelligence. It’s like giving your little brother a better team to play with hoping the game stays close. Maybe one day EA will have a computer that truly plays like a good human opponent and not your little brother. That is truly the next step in football gaming.

JeffHCross
08-10-2010, 07:22 PM
I’m assuming all plays in the playbook have a label to them – pass, run, run-option, play-action, etc. If not they should.They do. Hence "Pick by Play Type".

The cpu needs a profile set up to track every single play they run on offence and the average yardage for it. Not just for one game but for the life of the game in your console.Good for Dynasty, bad for Exhibition/Play Now. Every exhibition game should be treated like a new game ... the CPU should not get better against me over the life of a console. I agree over the course of a dynasty that the CPU should have a semblence of an idea of my tendencies ... but an exhibition game should be treated like a one-and-done.

Same thing about cross dynasties ... my tendencies with Air Force should not influence my games with Ohio State.

EDIT: Now, your point about sending it to EA, sure, I'll go with that. For that reason, tracking me over the life of the console may be a quality idea. But the CPU shouldn't improve on its own over the life of the console.

EDIT 2: V.I.P. (http://sports.ign.com/articles/733/733443p1.html)

Rudy
08-11-2010, 04:34 AM
I liked the VIP system that 2K had. Jeff, there is a bit of a difference between my idea of the cpu "improving" over time. It wouldn't be like a Tecmo style difficulty boost. It would just be in smarter play selection. And the option to turn it on or off would be big. I'd like to see it on for exhibition and dynasty - always tracking the cpu performance.

JeffHCross
08-11-2010, 10:01 PM
I understand your reasoning, and honestly, I'd be fine with it either way. Personally, I'd rather exhibition games be a vanilla experience. But you're right that turning it on and off would take care of that.