The NCAA F-U Game

[neags23]

I'm new here, and I'm sure this has been discussed ad nauseum, so I apologize in advance.

I've played NCAA since '03, so I've been at this a while.

I was playing my dynasty for '10 on AA for the last week or so when I noticed a few games where the AI just refused to lose. It would do anything in its power to win a game, including breaking four tackles in the middle of the line, completing passes to triple-covered receivers etc. I always used to notice the AI would do this on Heisman on the previous versions (the reason I was playing on AA, now).

After a few of those games, I got frustrated and moved down to Varsity and bumped up all of the cpu sliders and down all of the user sliders to make it still a challenge.

I played one game that was okay. The next game was a total cpu F-U game. The cpu fullback once broke seven tackles (I'm not exaggerating) to take it 93 yards for a TD. I had five dropped passes... in the fourth quarter. Coming in, I was averaging about 110 rushing ypg. In this game I had -15. They knew when I was running every play. On one pass from the cpu, the receiver was open by a good 20 yards in every direction. It was like he was invisible to my DBs.

This F-U game is getting incredibly annoying. I can take losing. If the cpu strings together 6 or 7 yard rushes and passes for 65%, swats away some of my bad passes, or stuffs my running... I'm okay with that.

But the ridiculous dropped passes for my receivers along with the ridiculous broken tackles for their RBs, along with all the other ridiculousness has me very close to shelving this game.

Anyone else experience this?

[Tovarich]

Oh yes, everyone has these games. Either the CPU LBs jump 9 feet in the air and pick everything you throw near them, or the broken tackles get ridiculous, or the CPU QB is unstoppable no matter what D you call. My favorite games are the games where the ball goes THROUGH me. Either literally through my WRs hand or stomach so that a defender behind him can intercept me. There is definitely a predetermined hidden thing in the game that says how the CPU QB will perform. Some games they throw everything perfectly. Theyre going to be 22-25 for 400 yards and 5 TDs and you cant do anything. I have numerous pictures of the ball going through me either when there is a defender behind me, or where I am wide open in the end zone. Then sometimes ya go 3 games in a row and are not called for a single penalty, then bam, you get called for holding 5 times in one game and conveniently fumble in the red zone 3 possessions in one game when you only lose 5 fumbles in a season. Definitely are some hidden ratings or something that are probably random that say sometimes there just isnt anything you can do. Its beyond annoying. Losing is fine, I would just like it to be done reasonably. Its frustrating and boring to play one of these games where you KNOW that even if you get a WR wide open he is going to drop it or if you run the ball you will lose the fumble in the red zone etc. Worse is when you lose 2 of your big time players to long or season ending injuries on top of preventing you from doing anything. Someone told me when the game gets like this, to put in your backup QB and it sometimes helps.

[KennyLSU]

Had one of these last night in one of my OD. I was Cincy playing @ Oreg St. I threw an INT early and it never got any better from there. Final score ended up being 63-49. I could not stop them. Robo QB took over early and ended up going 16-19 for 250 and Rogers ran for 150+ yds. I would get them into a 3rd and 15 and they would somehow convert. There was nothing i could do. I kept scoring and I could never stop the CPU.

[wisecav]

Predictive defenses are the worst IMO. The AI D knowing every play you call, even if you audible. They'll have the perfect defense play called. That makes me the maddest.

[LionsFanNJ]

Had one RIGHT NOW in my OD. RU @ Cincy. the CPU decides i'm not going to stop them at all and the QB goes 17 - 17 267 5TD. to make me go down by 40 points at half as well as making my players just STOP when a pass is thrown near them. Then the second half they decide i'm not stopping the HB at all (as he amassed close to 200 yards breaking every tackle), as well as allowing me to get within the 10 yard line 4 times and making me turn the ball over. The killer was a pass intercepted by a D-lineman who was engaged and just instantly released and dropped back to pick the crossing route that was open.

so now it makes me lose the big east, since cincy only had one loss in conference and since they beat me they get the damn conference and i get to a s*** meaningless bowl game.

[neags23]

So it seems obvious that this happens and it's not just anecdotal.

I wonder if any of the EA developers have ever acknowledged something like this exists and explains why.

It makes the game awful and unrealistic. But most of all, it makes it not fun. Isn't fun supposed to be their #1 goal? This kills all my fun. Stupid EA fun killers.

[countryboy]

I haven't experienced a F-U game(lol...I love that name), at least I don't think I have. I've had games where I can't seem to get things going or do anything right, but thats part of the sport, or so I thought.

[neags23]

Quote: Originally Posted by countryboy

I haven't experienced a F-U game(lol...I love that name), at least I don't think I have. I've had games where I can't seem to get things going or do anything right, but thats part of the sport, or so I thought.

Yeah, not being able to get it going or not being able to stop the cpu is one thing.

But there are times when it's just blatantly obvious the cpu is cheating (i.e. multiple dropped passes for no reason, multiple (like 6+) cpu broken tackles on one run, d-lineman INT's when they were engaged with an o-lineman as you were throwing the ball, etc.).

I can't take credit for the F-U Game name. That was from Bill Simmons' blog on espn's page 2. He used it to refer to Madden games, which is why I prefaced it with "The NCAA". It really is a game where the cpu just says, "F-U, you're not going to win this game, and I don't care what you do about it!" (And sometimes I imagine the cpu sticking it's tongue out at me.)