JoshC1977's 'One Click' M23 Slider Set

[JoshC1977]

I was just going to post this in my slider thread for M22; but thought it might get buried. This is going to be a little different than the typical OS slider thread. All the tinkering is done, all the "testing" is done. This is a final setup because at its core, M23 is not going to fundamentally change, even via a patch. So, the normal, "I'll provide feedback" type of stuff is going to fall on deaf ears. I've done what I need to do this cycle and I figured I'd share for old-times sake.

For Madden 23 (current gen, though it may work for old gen); I have finally landed on a simple slider setup that has given me exactly what I want. The fundamental flaw with default All Pro, it is too passive. There's no real sense of urgency from CPU controlled players, yours or your opponents. As a result, the games feel very much on-rails. Default AP on M23 is just bland and repetitive. The good news, you can completely pull the game off its rails by changing a single slider a single point off of default (any slider). I know it sounds a bit gimmicky, but one tick on one slider off of default CAN make a huge difference. But which slider do we select? That is the big question.

But before we get there, let's talk about what default really means.....

What is Default?
I have my "go to" default setup - this is what I feel most truly represents the core default.

All Pro/Sim
10 min quarters, no acc clock
Assists - Ballhawk and Autoflip defense must be on, all other assists off
Injuries - 25
Fatigue - 50
Threshold - 50
Gameplay Sliders/Penalties - all at 50 or turned "on"

You will set these in the main menu and then import into CFM.

So that is your core default Madden setup. Deviations from any of these, including the assists, will impact the game (for the better or worse - usually the worse).

The 'One Click' Adjustment
I'm not going to get into specifics of failed experiments; but frankly speaking, if you want to stay as close as you can to default on AP, there are things you just should not do (the main ones being altering penalty sliders, raising fatigue, or changing threshold). You can get a little bit of good out of gameplay sliders; but they'll alter the balance (there is no such thing as an offsetting adjustment as the slider impacts are not granular enough).

So this is the altered setup (again, set in main menu first and then import into CFM):

All Pro/Sim
10 min quarters, no acc clock
Assists - Ballhawk and Autoflip defense must be on, all other assists off
Passing type - Classic
Injuries - 26
Fatigue - 50
Threshold - 50
Gameplay Sliders/Penalties - all 50 or turned "on"

That's right, the one- click adjustment is to the injury slider! Why is that? Because THAT my friends is your player momentum slider. Players move with more momentum, play with a bit more effort, and basically "try harder". Bear in mind, it's not fundamentally an "aggression" slider but you will see things you don't see on default Madden. The lineplay is "messy" (with surges occurring on both sides), pursuit is more pronounced (but not overdone like on AM), receivers maintain better momentum after the catch, tackling has a bit more force to it. The result is a MUCH more dynamic overall gameplay. Now, while this does not directly impact CPU QB AI (a big bugaboo on AP), the added momentum on routes does open things up (depending on matchups) a bit more, given the CPU a bit more opportunity to make good throws - which is then complemented by stronger defensive responses. If you're normally an All Madden guy, there probably isn't going to be enough here for you to change your mind.

(Word of warning: more is less. Do NOT increase the injury slider above 26. You will quickly turn the lineplay into a static mess, receivers will not be able to stay in-bounds on sideline catches, QBs will just be hyper-aggressive throwing into coverage...it's just not good if you're wanting to stay on default).

If you try this approach out, I STRONGLY advise NUMEROUS games (full transparency - even I have not gathered sufficient sample size yet). However, every game has played-out differently. The CPU is not a pushover; they will beat you (vs you beating yourself). It's honestly a refreshing experience to not know how a game is going to play-out.

One final thing: if you use these in an existing franchise, I would advise setting these in the main menu, resetting your CFM sliders and then using the import button. THEN, back out of franchise and out of the game itself. Then you can just fire the game back up and you will be good to go.

Minutiae
- I personally play with SS abilities turned-off.

- House rule: I highly suggest automating the manage practice reps option and/or turning progressive fatigue off. Although progressive fatigue isn't broken like last year, I think a user still has an inherent advantage over the AI when you manually set your practice intensity each week. Progressive fatigue has such a powerful impact, this is a needed measure to help maintain parity.

Final remarks
A close buddy who has always been my "slider confidant" and I have spun our wheels all cycle with this game (often just uninstalling the game for long periods of time while we've enjoyed our respective MLB The Show franchises). We have both seen the potential this game has to offer but it has been difficult to unlock it. For the first time this cycle, we have both been enjoying the game. Hope some of you do as well.

I'll pop-in over the next couple of days to see if anyone has any (good) questions.

[TON1C]

Awesome man, thanks for posting! I got back into football games last year after a pretty long hiatus and came across your NCAA 14 sliders and penalty breakdown and theories. I picked up M23 a couple of weeks ago and was bummed to see you hadn't released any M23 sliders and just assumed you were taking a break from the series.

I've tried about every set on here with varying degrees of success. I've definitely landed on using All-Pro as it's a better fit for my skill level, how I play the game, and what I'm looking to get out of it. I'm a decent player but not amazing by any means, I tend to just take what the defense gives me on offense and mix up coverages until I find something that's working and run that a bit more frequently while still mixing in other coverages and usually match personnel. I play no-switch on both offense and defense and user a DL, mostly due to my point below.

The biggest thing I'm trying to get out of the game is the ratings having the biggest impact on the gameplay and vice-versa. I enjoy scouting, teambuilding, player development, and player storylines and want all of that to feed directly into the gameplay to create a cycle that even further enhances my desire and passion for doing all of that.

What I don't conceptually like about most slider sets is some of the sliders are set on the extreme ends of the scale, which to me means it'll extremely mess up player ratings either by greatly boosting or lowering them. I also think that most if not all of the sliders have other side effects, whether intentional or not.

Thanks again for posting, I'll run these in a test franchise for a few games and see how they play out and report back!

[JoshC1977]

Quote: Originally Posted by TON1C

'll run these in a test franchise for a few games and see how they play out and report back!

I'm not picking on you....you're just the first person to say this...so I am going to reply (to everyone reading this)

Don't worry about "reporting back". There is nothing "to report". I don't need other people to validate what I know already (that I am having fun playing the game with this setup). I posted this here strictly because I know for a fact that this approach would be in the wheelhouse for a few guys here.

Stop analyzing, stop worrying about giving feedback, just have fun. Fun is the only thing that matters and I don't really care about how you get there. If you have fun by playing on rookie with every user slider at 100 - awesome. If you have fun playing some insanely hard All Madden set - awesome. Just find your happy place. If this approach gets you to a happy place like it has for me, awesome. But at the end of the day, it's just about having fun.

[Hilman11]

Hope all is well and appreciate you putting this out there! I've played a season and a half on All-Pro and while my games have been somewhat realistic, I felt the CPU was pretty punch-less. I would only lose games where I had multiple turnovers and really just beat myself. The timing here is perfect for me because I just increased my difficulty to All-Madden a few days ago. Take care.

[Funkycorm]

Quote: Originally Posted by JoshC1977

I'm not picking on you....you're just the first person to say this...so I am going to reply (to everyone reading this) Don't worry about "reporting back". There is nothing "to report". I don't need other people to validate what I know already (that I am having fun playing the game with this setup). I posted this here strictly because I know for a fact that this approach would be in the wheelhouse for a few guys here. Stop analyzing, stop worrying about giving feedback, just have fun. Fun is the only thing that matters and I don't really care about how you get there. If you have fun by playing on rookie with every user slider at 100 - awesome. If you have fun playing some insanely hard All Madden set - awesome. Just find your happy place. If this approach gets you to a happy place like it has for me, awesome. But at the end of the day, it's just about having fun.

Glad to hear you have found your zen. I always enjoy reading your posts as we have similar views on gaming and have chatted about it.

Fun.

That's the fundamental thing with any game. Fun. Glad to see you are enjoying your gaming. Right now I am actually on a PC gaming kick myself mixed with a little WWE 2k22.

[Big Bankhead]

It’s like you’ve said for years, Madden is a delicate house of cards. You have to be careful when changing too many things and this simple approach…in my Todd Howard voice: “it just works” I appreciate you sharing your find and cheers to a great new year. I’ve always enjoyed your insights over the years.

[AfterArtz]

Gotta say, I played a game as the Cowboys and Tom Brady absolutely shredded my defense and for the first time I can say that the CPU was better than me on all-pro. It really felt like all-madden but without the cheesy aspects of it and I loved it, the game felt more ‘alive’.


Sent from my iPhone using Operation Sports

[JHedges2]

I love, more than anything, the simplicity. Plug and play and let's go! How video games SHOULD be.