Online Road to cfp games

[GOIRISH65]

Lately I’ve been having fun playing humans rather than the computer AI more often than not. My son and I play quite a bit but since I’m an old guy it’s not like I have buddies over all the time so I have been playing road to college football playoffs. Quick background, I coached high school football for 28 years so I enjoy playing but think of it more like a real game/chess match and play that way. I like to run the ball eat up time pass just enough to keep them off balance make good decisions and play solid defense. I like to let the other team screw up and then I capitalize. But as I’ve moved up levels into the gold level third from the top it’s been a lot less fun. Sometimes really getting destroyed but mostly playing idiots who despite the fact that I have my system muted proceed to talk so much trash it’s super annoying. I guess I’m just here to vent. I wish we could just play games at a set level that we feel comfortable with as opposed to the promotion relocation system. I also wish there were ““ groups where you could play more simulation based realistic football. I do online dynasty with some of my old buddies and my kid and his friends and that’s a ton of fun but we only get to play so many head-to-head gamesand it goes kind of slower. I have an off-line Dynasty too, but I really like the challenge of playing a real human being and the fact that the AI cheats a lot less. I also just have to say as an actual football coach it’s so annoying to hear these guys talk, mini schemes, straps, Meta, and glitch plays. Especially when they are trash talking nonsense and you actually know real reads etc.

[jello1717]

Quote: Originally Posted by GOIRISH65

Lately I’ve been having fun playing humans rather than the computer AI more often than not. My son and I play quite a bit but since I’m an old guy it’s not like I have buddies over all the time so I have been playing road to college football playoffs. Quick background, I coached high school football for 28 years so I enjoy playing but think of it more like a real game/chess match and play that way. I like to run the ball eat up time pass just enough to keep them off balance make good decisions and play solid defense. I like to let the other team screw up and then I capitalize. But as I’ve moved up levels into the gold level third from the top it’s been a lot less fun. Sometimes really getting destroyed but mostly playing idiots who despite the fact that I have my system muted proceed to talk so much trash it’s super annoying. I guess I’m just here to vent. I wish we could just play games at a set level that we feel comfortable with as opposed to the promotion relocation system. I also wish there were ““ groups where you could play more simulation based realistic football. I do online dynasty with some of my old buddies and my kid and his friends and that’s a ton of fun but we only get to play so many head-to-head gamesand it goes kind of slower. I have an off-line Dynasty too, but I really like the challenge of playing a real human being and the fact that the AI cheats a lot less. I also just have to say as an actual football coach it’s so annoying to hear these guys talk, mini schemes, straps, Meta, and glitch plays. Especially when they are trash talking nonsense and you actually know real reads etc.

I only managed to play 23 games in R2tCFP before I couldn’t take any more of the online style of play. I managed to win 78% of my games (18-5) and a national championship in the sophomore division, but the idiocy of online play broke my spirit.

My 4 biggest gripes are in order:
1. Almost NO ONE punts the damned ball! I don’t even need all the fingers on 1 hand to count how many punts I faced in 23 games, but I definitely don’t have nearly enough fingers and toes to count how many 4th and longs in their own territory I faced (most of which were not converted of course).

2. Way too many players believe their playbooks only have 1 play… This is especially bad on defense as many players call their defensive play before they even see my personnel. It doesn’t matter if I’m rocking 23 personnel or 00. They call the same defense…… This usually results in my 3 TE sets just running roughshod over some nickel defense that doesn’t stand a chance of stopping me.

3. The playoffs are meaningless. After my semi-final win, I ragged on a guy who lost to me cuz he went for a 4th and 20+ from his own 15 in a tie game. He responded that it didn’t matter cuz he was still 6-1. This meant that while it was a semi-final playoff game for me, it was just some meaningless regular season game for him. That’s REALLY dumb. I thought I’d be playing another playoff opponent where the loser’s season was over. Not true….

4. At least in the lower levels, most players’ passing game SUCKS (and yet they’re often very pass heavy). I don’t have leet stick skills (subpar at best) and I don’t even attempt to play user coverage online (I always user a MLB offline, but a DT online). Yet I have intercepted at least 10 times as many passes as interceptions I have thrown. And these are almost all AI defender picks. Granted I run the ball about 75% of the time, but still, I rarely throw picks while they throw multiple per game usually.

#1, #2, and #4 combined are a huge reason why I won 78% of my games, when I probably should’ve been closer to 50%. There’s no sense of accomplishment if I keep winning because the guys I’m facing keep turning it over on downs deep in their own territory or simply turning it over by throwing picks. On top of that my offense is much more effective than it should be because my opponents aren’t aware that defensive playbooks come with more than 1 play in them.

[noarmsduck]

I've been dabbling in MUT this year after not touching the mode since Madden 19. I only play solo battles and CPU stuff, I mainly play it as a teambuilding/card collecting experience, and I'm a no money spent player. I played one game of ranked last week and my opponent was fine aside from going for every 4th down and spamming drag routes that I couldn't stop no matter what I called. Some of the hard flats coverage plays worked, but usually he hit someone. I user DEs which is part of why I never play online in either game because unless you're usering a LB or DB you're usually going to get torched. I got a couple timely sacks and a few more fast pressures on him and forced him to throw 3 picks so I won. It wasn't a "simulation" experience by any means, but it could have been a lot worse.

That said, I've been watching a few streamers who give strategies on sets to complete to make coins. Every now and then those guys will play ranked on stream and 90% of ranked players once they get to a certain point just spam some looping middle blitz on defense that tears through the line, and some double pass to a TE on offense.

I share your frustration when I see stuff like this. It's part of the reason I almost only play offline modes in sports games. My derision to meta strats in Madden and CFB started back in like Madden 12 and NCAA 12 when everyone was running 4 verts and rocket catching and I couldn't stop it to save my life. I went like 50-30 in MUT 12. The thing people did back then was put like a 70 overall QB in as their starter so their overall would be lowered and they would get matched with lower overall teams. So I'd go into a game thinking I'm playing a similar level team and then right after the kickoff the game pauses and the guy puts in a 95 ovr QB and surprise! his team is actually like a 93 and mine's an 85.

It's only gotten worse since then. Back then people shared strats and such but I don't even know if Twitch was even a thing, and if it was streaming wasn't nearly as ubiquitous as it is now, where everyone is watching the top players and just copying the meta spam that they do. It's not exclusive to sports games either, people employ the sweatiest strategies in shooters too, even in unranked modes. Hell I even see it in PVZ Garden Warfare 2, Party Animals, and Marvel Rivals.

[sherrane]

I have not played this part of the game.

Quote: Originally Posted by jello1717

I only managed to play 23 games in R2tCFP before I couldn’t take any more of the online style of play. I managed to win 78% of my games (18-5) and a national championship in the sophomore division, but the idiocy of online play broke my spirit. My 4 biggest gripes are in order: 3. The playoffs are meaningless. After my semi-final win, I ragged on a guy who lost to me cuz he went for a 4th and 20+ from his own 15 in a tie game. He responded that it didn’t matter cuz he was still 6-1. This meant that while it was a semi-final playoff game for me, it was just some meaningless regular season game for him. That’s REALLY dumb. I thought I’d be playing another playoff opponent where the loser’s season was over. Not true….

Wait! What?!!! You can play a playoff game against someone playing a regular season game? That is broken in my opinion. While I understand they wanted it different than a Dynasty, the players should be in a comparable part of the season. It sounds like you might be on your final regular season game and needing a win to get to the Conference Championship Game while your opponent is playing on opening day. The game means more to you than it does your opponent.

[jello1717]

Quote: Originally Posted by sherrane

I have not played this part of the game. Wait! What?!!! You can play a playoff game against someone playing a regular season game? That is broken in my opinion. While I understand they wanted it different than a Dynasty, the players should be in a comparable part of the season. It sounds like you might be on your final regular season game and needing a win to get to the Conference Championship Game while your opponent is playing on opening day. The game means more to you than it does your opponent.

I hate,hate, hate this aspect, but I can totally understand it.

TLDR: By doing it this way they would have much shorter wait times to find an opponent than if they only matched playoff opponents together.

LONGER VERSION: I got up to sophomore division which has 112,877 people, which is quite a few. The All-American division (2nd highest) only has 40k players and the top has 10k.

A regular season is 10 games long. The top 8 make the playoffs (not sure out of how many, but let’s guess roughly out of every 134). That’s only 6% of the players making the playoffs. For AA that’s roughly only 2.4k players that make the playoffs (and only 600 Heisman division playoff players).

The chances of someone, trying to play a playoff game, and finding 1 of the only 2.4k people in the world that are in the same division, in the same round of the playoffs, and most importantly looking to play a game @ the same time would be very slim.

But, if they let playoff players go up against anyone from the same division, but at any stage of the season, then they can get matched up with any one of 40k people looking to play at the same time rather than 1 of only 2k, so it’s far more likely.

[IlluminatusUIUC]

Quote:

but mostly playing idiots who despite the fact that I have my system muted proceed to talk so much trash it’s super annoying.

You should be able to mute all opposing players in the system settings for PS5, or by starting a party on Xbox. I haven't been on game chat in years and have never, ever missed it.

Quote:

My 4 biggest gripes are in order: 1. Almost NO ONE punts the damned ball! I don’t even need all the fingers on 1 hand to count how many punts I faced in 23 games, but I definitely don’t have nearly enough fingers and toes to count how many 4th and longs in their own territory I faced (most of which were not converted of course).

I agree this is annoying but the game is so short and offense-friendly that trading possession for 40 yards is rarely worth it.


Another counter-intuitive example I've seen is using onside kicks, because either you retain possession or you severely limit the amount of time the opponent can roll off as they can only gain 3-4 first downs instead of 8+.

[GOIRISH65]

I do get what you’re saying and I agree time is a factor. I do also think though that the game will punish you momentum wise if you’re dumb. I’ve beaten guys who onsides (short field and I score building momentum). Or go for it on their own side with 4th and forever and I get the ball and quick score. In all honesty it’s the only way I win in the higher divisions. Pray on stupidity. But you make a very valid point about evaluating the time on the clock the number of possessions and your position on the field as well as down and distance. I have much less problem with someone going on 4th and 1 or 2 from anywhere and 4th and 7 or less at midfield or so. But these guys going for it 4th and 15-20 when it’s not on the line are annoying that’s all. Muting them by forming a party of one before I play and playing in silence has been great.

[jello1717]

Quote: Originally Posted by IlluminatusUIUC

I agree this is annoying but the game is so short and offense-friendly that trading possession for 40 yards is rarely worth it.

My experience causes me to disagree with this. I’ve still won almost every game in which I punted (prolly half of them), so punting hasn’t hurt me. Also, I’ve probably won almost every game where a guy failed to convert a 4th and long inside his own 30.