M18 AP All Default CFM Sliders V 4.17 (Advanced / AP / AP) - KingV2k3's Blog

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M18 AP All Default CFM Sliders V 4.17 (Advanced / AP / AP)

Posted on November 3, 2017 at 11:41 AM.

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M18 AP All Default CFM Sliders V 4.17 (Advanced / AP / AP) / Post Patch 1.09 (1-25-18)

"Upon Further Review":

Decided to disable BallHawk, as it resulted in too many INTs for HUM (as well as too many Pick 6's) after a season long sample. The pass coverage is also compromised overall with BH:ON, as it causes defenders to overplay the ball, often to their detriment.

PENALTIES

Offside: 50 / 50
False Start: 50 / 50
Offensive Holding: 50 / 50
Defensive Holding: 50 / 60
Face Mask: 45 / 50
Illegal Block In The Back: 50 / 50
Roughing Passer: 50 / 51
Defensive Pass Interference: 50 / 55
OPI: Off / Off
All Others: On

Injuries: 10 / 20
Fatigue: 50 / 50
Player Speed Parity Scale: 50

Auto Subs (MM / CFM): 60 / 80

M18: GAME OPTIONS:

Simulation
Auto Strafe: OFF
Heat Seeker Assist: OFF
Defense Assist: OFF
Ball Hawk: OFF*
Defensive Auto Flip: ON / Optional
Auto Switch Assist: ON / Optional
Coin Toss: Receive / With Wind
Quarter Length: 15 Minutes
Play Call Style: Slim
Camera Toggle: Off
Coaching Tips: Off
Game Speed: Normal / Normal
Play Clock: On
Accelerated Clock: On Special Moves: Manual
Minimum Play Clock Time: 20
Camera Settings: Standard
Progression: Every Four Weeks

Shout out to the "Usual Suspects" who influenced the end result. Trojan Man / StefJoeHalt / JoshC1977 and the crew from Mil and Ren's AM sets all have contributed quality finds to incorporate into any set, this year.

Thanks y'all!

Additionally, here's some guidelines and house rules that pull the settings above into focus:

1) Assign sabo's Custom Books for the CPU Offence. The game is a less mentally challenging, sackfest otherwise. He recently put up some revised D Books, which also play great. Generics are the next best thing (as opposed to Team Default), but I highly recommend sabo's.

2) If you USER as a DL (I do), DON'T "Jump the Snap" (R2), use more than one or two "Special Moves" per pass play or employ the "Sprint Button". Failure to do so will send the CPU timing to heck and abuse the compromised (by hard code) QB AI.

3) DO NOT use Run / Pass Commit. They are also OP to the advantage of the USER.

However, with this updated set, using Coach Adjustments like Pass Rush: Aggressive is okay, if used SPARINGLY. I tend to use this when rushing 3 or against a hurry up / two minute offence only.

Also:

After this "Final Patch", you can get stung by False Start and / or RTP when employing Pass Rush: Aggressive, which creates a nice "risk versus reward" paradigm.

4) I use Formation Subs to get rotation out of the HUM and CPU HBs and some DL, etc. Create their HC / Set Formation Subs / Retire Coach / Then use Sabo's Custom Playbook method. Takes me 10 minutes to set up the game to play optimally. It's well worth it, IMHO.

5) Make sure the CPU QB is set to the same player style on the first page of the edit screen, as it is set in the trait screen. The player type isn't important, having those two "match" is.

5) Post Patch, it's a good idea to edit CPU QB's set mobile / scramble to Balanced / Balanced or they bail too quickly...props to tommycoa on that!

I also set USER QBs to "Throws Tight Spiral: No" to increase challenge / reduce completion percentage. BIG find by Trojan Man on that one. I leave the CPU QBs "as is" with regard to Tight Spiral, though.

6) I set all my player types to Balanced in the scheme menu. This allows the actual player styles to play out, unaffected by the animation triggers associated with the various setting options.

Props to JoshC1977 for figuring out that this menu appears to be tied to profile, which makes both teams slave off it.

7) Use tdawg's XP Sliders. They simply work WAY better than the default system.

8) Rovert's "Simulation Rosters" are as always, the best I've seen for this title.

Lastly:

This year, the AP "House of Cards" is more delicate than ever. The gameplay sliders have finally been rendered completely useless and since penalties affect BOTH sides (HUM / CPU) equally, it's quite a balancing act.

So?

No, you can't have "more" or "less" of ANYTHING.

All four phases (HUM Pass / Run, CPU Pass Run) are as challenging to the former and as forgiving to the latter as possible.

Raising (or lowering) Fatigue / Injury / ANY Auto Sub setting will not only make the fatigue rates worse, it results in different block shed / block duration / pursuit rates, and the "House" falls.

Using an alternate clock system than 15 minute Q with 20 Second Runoff, is also risky, due to the above.

So?

If you're up for a little extra work on the prep, you'll be rewarded with some of the most satisfying results I've seen from this series since M16.

Comments

# 16 Raniel3 @ Nov 5

Really, DPI influences the run game?? That's crazy. So is there ANY slider / option I can change to improve the run game (basically YPC) for both me and the CPU, without influencing passing? The false start slider maybe? Main problem is block sheds occurring too fast (mostly for the DTs) and therefore a lot of 0 yards runs. I remember Josh stated that a too low injury slider makes the line play too loose. So maybe raising the injury slider to 30 or 40 is an option...? It just seems like with Sabos Playbooks (which I love BTW) the CPU (and me too) uses a greater variety of run plays and therefore also more "broken/ hardly working" run plays

# 17 KingV2k3 @ Nov 5

The only reliable way to lessen block shed is by reducing the Facemask slider...

Jacking up injury values just makes players "play faster" and more "chaotically", in an effort to trigger more injuries...

Injury also influences fatigue and injury and fatigue (in consort) influence block shed...

Raising False Start will result in linemen firing off the line disproportionately to the defenders that they are supposed to engage...

# 18 kennypowers88 @ Nov 10

Hey King,

I've been noticing some really strange behavior from LBs on short zone assignments. Run some stick concepts or any hooks over the middle and you'll probably see what I mean. I tested this against Kuechly and the Panthers to make sure it wasn't a ratings issue and it was no different. I should mention that I'm on the new patch, but thought I'd bring it up.

# 19 KingV2k3 @ Nov 10

Thanks for the heads up, kp88!

THIS is a prime example of why I signed out after 1.04...

"Unintended Consequences" still rife with these patches...

# 20 kennypowers88 @ Nov 10

What's odd is that I tried default to see if I could replicate it, and saw excellent coverage for the most part. So it seems like a patch has messed with one of the sliders.

# 21 KingV2k3 @ Nov 10

That's generally the case with patches...

It's too late in the cycle to rewrite code, so the "fix" usually involves altering the "sliders behind the sliders"...

Like, a previous 45 or 55 value becomes the "new" 50...

# 22 KingV2k3 @ Nov 12

Looks like patch 1.05 decreased some of the tackle sliders "value behind the value", resulting in a little too little defensive related aspects of gameplay...

Simply boosting Facemask one click to 45 / 50 is bringing things back into focus...

# 23 KingV2k3 @ Nov 12

Unfortunately, although that proposed Facemask adjustment in the previous post helps, it doesn't completely solve all the issues that 1.05 created...

By decreasing drops for the online crowd, they loosened coverage and now also allow to many completions that were previously being knocked out of the receiver's hands...

The CPU completion percentages are back to being unrealistically high, as a result...

With the few tools available, it's tough to mitigate all that, without having to turn things into a sackfest, by continuing to raise the CFM mask value...

Regrettable, but historically typical...

Once again, this sort of thing is why I sign out and stay out early...

This year, it was after 1.04 and before 1.05...

Not practical or possible for most, but that's the only option that we're currently left with...

# 24 bakersville123 @ Nov 17

Hey King, thanks for the slider guidance. There are some real gems in this thread.

Couple questions...

1) How exactly does roughing the passer slider work? Does raising the slider increase def pursuit? I have been playing at 51 and like seeing the occasional roughing the passer call, but I don't want it at the expense of increased sacks and run defense.

2) What are the consequences of lowering WR Catching slider?
As you noted patch 1.05 has made QB comp % to high. I don't want to do anything with QBA and INT sliders but am looking for any other means to lower it a bit.

Thanks!

# 25 KingV2k3 @ Nov 17

Hey bakersville:

1) For reasons only EA call tell us, RTP at 50 / 51 makes the CPU QB more mobile / pocket aware and less likely to throw into triple coverage...

At 50 / 50 they tend to lock on to the primary and ignore the rush...

It DOES increase the pass rush slightly, but that's part of the reason Facemask (tackle / block shed / pursuit) is below default...

2) Lowering CTH just makes them less aware / lousy route runners, more than it increases drops...

I would TRY bumping DPI to 50 / 52 to decrease separation, but that also has some pursuit / ball awareness to it, which may increase the rush and some run defense...

Unfortunately, there's too few tools that have too many affects tied to them, so it's hard to strike a balance...

Esp, when they keep opening up the offence for the online crowd, via patches...

On a somewhat related note:

My disc won't load until I sign on and DL 1.06 for some reason, so I may be joining you in trying to tweak this set to current / post 1.06 status...

Or, I may try out of the box / reinstall or take a shot at AM or...just call it a day...

Pretty disgusted with EA today...

Forcing me / us to play the game "their way" is B.S., IMHO...

# 26 KingV2k3 @ Nov 17

@bakersville:

You could also try Facemask at 45 / 50...

It's either that or / and that DPI 50 / 52 I suggested earlier...

I tend to think it's "either / or", but these patches made quite a mess of what WAS a very solid set...

# 27 KingV2k3 @ Nov 17

@bakersville:

I've thought about this some more and the first thing I'd try is turning Ballhawk: On...

They overplay the ball a bit (as opposed to the receiver), but since the CIT adjustment in 1.05 (which decreases the ball being blasted out by defenders), better they play the ball than the body...

Raising DPI (and / or Mask) is going to increase pursuit, so I'd look at those after trying Ballhawk: On, first...

# 28 bakersville123 @ Nov 17

Thanks as always King.

I was seeing a nice blend of 60-70% completion prior to the latest patch with these settings and now it's 75%90%.

Real bummer from EA. I thought this whole simulation, competitive multiple modes thing was supposed to isolate crap like this from happening. If they change drop percentage for competitive it shouldn't impact simulation mode.

# 29 bakersville123 @ Nov 17

Thanks King. I will try Ballhawk first, leaving everything else alone per your original post. I'll share my experiences after a few games.

# 30 KingV2k3 @ Nov 17

Same here bakersville...

My stats in the 1.04 era were perfecto...

That pre-release "separate patches" promise sure sounded good in theory...

Too bad (for guys like us) that it didn't end up being their practice...

Anyway:

Let me know how that BH suggestion goes!

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