Reaction Time & Pass Cover Focus Thread

[4thQtrStre5S]

I am starting this thread because, I for one have developed a slight obsession with figuring these two sliders out to perfection. And would like to get a conversation going and tests compared into how many of the slider gurus came to the conclusions they have for these two sliders...

Reason is - I have heard so many variations of how these sliders work from any number of players, for example -

1. Pass reaction lower means faster reaction time.
2. Pass reaction Higher means faster reaction time.
3. Pass cover higher is tighter coverage
4. Reaction Time is used during zone coverage
5. Pass Cover is used during M2M coverage

Myself, any of these slider settings above 80 or below 20 do not seem to show a difference...

I also seem to see that the effect of pass cover and reaction time may be related in that you get overall tighter coverage when reaction time and pass cover is closer together on the slider scale. Thus a reaction time of 70 and a Pass Cover of 45 will be tighter than say a reaction time of 0 and a pass cover of 100..and vice-versa.....

anyway, it seems there are so many theories in so many different threads, and I am so obsessed with finding the true answer that I decided to try and consolidate all the theories and work towards a universal agreement on what these two sliders do...

These 2 sliders, if pinned down, could make it so much easier in setting pass/run blocking, QB acc and WR catch, etc...to reduce sacks and get a better, or more enjoyable gaming experience for each of us.

and I have found that the results in practice is not transferred as well to a real game; seems in practice you want coverage to appear looser as it seems to tighten up in game....I believe EA/Tiburon has made adjustments to player ratings in practice to represent a more casual atmosphere that may be present in practice compared to a game....

I also believe that as you set coverage and reaction based on a specific pass route, like an out route, it makes another route more open; sort of like a rock, paper, scissor thing (and this is while understanding that certain coverage schemes cover better against certain routes than others)....So I am guessing a list of most abused pass routes is needed - I believe drag routes are always open and over used, for example? Where flat routes are generally a waste of time unless you set tackling low enough that it gives you a chance to break away from the first tackler...

Thank you in advance t all who chose to participate and give their theories

[capa]

I think this is a great idea to focus the discussion in one spot.

I do have a question though...EA has been very attentive this year to user input on these boards. Could they not get a developer in here to explain the exact function and relationship to each other? I understand their reluctance to share patch info or release dates, but they surely must be able to provide expanded explanations for questions like this.

Are there any members here who have their ear and can request this specifically?

C

[4thQtrStre5S]

Side note: I have spent the last few weeks sending out a form request through media outlets from Facebook to Twitter in hopes of getting official explanations of sliders and at what slider setting would we see pure, unmodified player rating game play.

I finally did get a reply, who replied is not of concern, just that they are in a position of knowledge and close work with game play; the individual stated that there have been no major changes to sliders since the last game, and there are no plans at this time in providing any detailed explanations of sliders and how they work or interact with the game and players....

So, again, as usual, the community is on its own. SMH

Actual reply I received in regards to slider explanations: " I'm gonna be honest with you; it's not gonna happen this year. We did little work on them, current descriptions are what we have."

[4thQtrStre5S]

Quote: Originally Posted by capa

I think this is a great idea to focus the discussion in one spot. I do have a question though...EA has been very attentive this year to user input on these boards. Could they not get a developer in here to explain the exact function and relationship to each other? I understand their reluctance to share patch info or release dates, but they surely must be able to provide expanded explanations for questions like this. Are there any members here who have their ear and can request this specifically? C

I believe I just answered your question above as you were posting.

[Dynastyyy]

I'll add more once the discussion progresses...

It needs to be clear from the start (unless someone found the right combo with traits between the 20-80 threshold) whether someone is talking about CPU or USER settings bc the CPU's seem much more responsive. When I was playing with the sliders at 100/90 USER D was unchanged but CPU D changed significantly. Some longer developing routes were no longer and option.

As for defining their role, I think options 2 & 3 in your original post are correct. Yes zone will see a larger difference from increased pass reaction but I've also seen cb's catch up to WR's on slants and almost make a pick after being beaten off the line...

As for determining their impact on the game you will also have to consider all sliders that play into the passing game.

[RogueHominid]

This is an excellent question and thread.

I get the feeling that one slider applies more to zone and the other to man, but I'm still unsure about that.

[4thQtrStre5S]

Quote: Originally Posted by Trojan Man

This is an excellent question and thread. I get the feeling that one slider applies more to zone and the other to man, but I'm still unsure about that.

And that would be an important bit of information to have when testing sliders, cause if Reaction Time is used more or all for zone coverage ability, then testing it on M2M defense would be useless...

[greed8819]

I am almost sure a lower pass reaction is slower reaction to the ball for the defender after the ball is thrown, I tested this with post and flag routes and you can see the difference between 1 and 100. At 100 the man beaten will catch up with no problem, at 0 they never do..... On AM level I think 15-20 plays very realistic. A Higher pass coverage means the man defending will be tighter in coverage, yet again I tested this too. Not sure how this applies to Zone coverage because I always play man, the sad thing is drags and cross routes are always open no matter what numbers you use.