IQ "Test" Franchise?

[Steeler99]

Frustrated because I can't find sliders that work for me, I'm planning on doing a test franchise using the IQ and see what type of settings that leaves me with. I figured 10-16 games using IQ might give a good representation (or at least a good starting point) for personal sliders which can be tweaked afterwards.

I don't want to start a real franchise until patch #2 comes out, so I figured this would be a good way to kill time. Who knows, it appears about 50% of the posters currently using IQ like it, so maybe I will too???

What I'm wondering is what would be the best team to use in the test franchise. I'm thinking it should be a middle-of-the-road team, adequate in all facets, but not too dominant or too weak in any area. My thought is an average team will help to keep settings at a more average level which will hopefully create sliders that keep games against stronger teams tough, and weaker teams easier? Maybe someone like Buffalo, or Denver?

[Steeler99]

“IQ” TEST FRANCHISE (Controlling Buffalo)

For any of you interested seeing the game to game progression of IQ, I will post a brief recap of my test franchise games so you get an idea of the good & bad of Madden IQ.

1st Game (Seattle)

Don’t want to get excited too early, but this was far and away the most fun game I’ve played so far with Madden 09’. Relatively close game which I ended up winning 17-7 after a late 4th down stand by me (Buffalo), and a field goal at the end to seal it. Game had several penalties, a few turnovers, and in general had effective play from both sides (excepting cpu running).

Edwards 13-23, 178 yds
Hasselbeck 24-34, 212 yds
Lynch 22-130
Jones 10-22 (same old lack of run game for cpu for now)

Only sack came from my DE, with me getting two int’s to their one.

IQ adjusted from 500 to 552 with my rush offense and pass defense rising the most (rush defense right behind). Pass offense actually dropped a couple clicks.
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2nd Game (Jaguars)

Down 10-14 at halftime, this game has been great so far! No robo qb, but cpu made some great clutch plays on the final drive of the half. Even had a couple critical challenges that the officials actually got right! Come out in the 3rd qtr and make a nice drive but get stuffed in the red zone. FG to get within one. Jags come out and right when I think I have them stopped, Taylor breaks a 50+ yd run to put the Jags up by eight! (never saw that using sliders). I drive down and get a nice td on a slant, but miss the two-pointer, down by two, 4:19 to go. Jags get conservative and try to run the clock down with three runs in a row giving me the chance at one last drive. Their run D is stiff so I use a few play-action passes mixed in with some short curls and get down to their 24 yd line. After running the clock down I kick a FG on last play of the game to win 22-21. stats aren’t great, but felt like MY best passing game as far as clutch passes in the end. VERY FUN game!

Pass – Buf 154, Jag 120
Rush – Buf 67, Jag 91

Edwards 20-27, 168 yds, 2 td, 1 int
Garrard 13-18, 133 yds, 2 td
Lynch 23-58
Taylor 11-73, 1 td

3 sacks by my DE’s, 2 sacks for them

IQ adjusted from 552 to 560 everything but pass offense now in all-pro rage. No dramatic changes this game.
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3rd Game (Oakland)

Half way thru last game and so far all of this game I’m really noticing the cpu defense is focusing on my run (I guess because of game 1 success running). Very difficult for me to run right now because of that, but it is opening up the pass. I have to say at this point it seems very realistic … like a real nfl team does, they focus on your strength and try to force you into your weakness? This is my first bad weather game and I just saw a great animation. Lynch gets an outlet pass and is all alone, but when he cuts upfield he slips and falls briefly before getting back up to get a few more yards. Also seeing more dropped passes due to rain (I like it). Got a bit too cocky with my pass game and just threw a horrible pick … J. Russell made a great run out of the pocket and next play threw a nice td … all tied up 7-7. With Raiders starting focus more on pass coverage, I was able to run Edwards out of the pocket for a td … 14-7 at half. Threw another stupid pass going deep and got picked again. Raiders score a late td but game was essentially over with final score 21-14. J. Russell had several nice runs to keep drives going and I really noticed cpu adjusting it’s play-calling this game. I never could get the run going, but had several key short-yardage runs for 1st downs.

Pass – Buf 207, Oak 238
Rush – Buf 33, Oak 31

Edwards 21-31, 228 yds, 1 td, 3 int
Russell 22-30, 245 yds, 2 td, 1 int
Lynch 13-17
Edwards 2-12, 1td
Fargas 8-2
Russell 4-29

2 sacks by my DE’s, 2 sacks for them

IQ adjusted from 560 to 545 everything but pass offense still in all-pro rage. Again, no dramatic changes this game.
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4th Game (Rams)

Up 17-3 at the half. and I was able to maintain control throughout the second half. Won the game 27-3, proving that IQ DOES NOT make all games close or games against different teams the same. No time for stats this game, barely had enough time to finish the game … thanks to no “in-game saves”!


IQ adjusted from 545 to 590 everything but pass offense still in all-pro rage. Again, no dramatic changes this game.
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5th Game (Cardinals)

I know in theory many of you think IQ will make every game feel the same (whether playing a good or bad team), but at least up to this point in my brief test, it’s been exactly the opposite. Take this game for instance. I’d consider the cardinals to be a perennial “doormat” (they're 0-4 in this franchise), and that’s exactly how this game played out. Everything clicked for my offense early and I jumped out to an early lead causing the Cards to take more risks in an attempt to catch up. Not only did it not work for them, but my D stepped up and made matters worse for the Cards. Score at the half 24-7, final score 44-14!

Pass – Buf 188, Ari 183
Rush – Buf 151, Ari 15

Edwards 17-22, 188 yds, 1 td, 0 int
Leinart 17-23, 192 yds, 2 td, 3 int
Lynch 22-135, 1 td
James 12-15


IQ adjusted from 590 to 635, rush offense is up to all-madden now so I’m guessing hum run game will be extra tough this next game? Everything else is now in all-pro with pass offense still my lowest. This game caused the most dramatic changes to my IQ.
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6th Game (Chargers)

Tough going offensively for both teams this game … very little running success. I caught them in a one-on-one coverage against my fastest receiver for my only score of the half, and they opened up some passing to get a FG right before halftime. Chargers form a nice drive with a mix of passes and a few decent LT runs to get the go-ahead td …. But what do ya know, next play I return the kickoff roughly 100 yds for my own go-ahead td! Heading into the 4th qtr it’s 14-10. Holding onto a 4 point lead SD was driving on me and at my 30 when my DB picked them off. With a few successful runs I was able to run the clock out and hold on for a 14-10 win. SD's first loss ....


Pass – Buf 152, SD 162
Rush – Buf 61, SD 50

Edwards 11-17, 172 yds, 1 td, 1 int
Rivers 15-24, 149 yds, 0 td, 1 int
Lynch 23-58
LT 19-50, 1 td

IQ adjusted from 635 to 657, rush offense and pass offense now at all-pro, with rush and pass defense finally reaching all-madden! This game caused very little overall IQ change, but seems to have more accurately adjusted my IQ (rush offense down, rush defense up).

Two biggest complaints so far:

1. I haven’t lost yet, although this one was close.
2. My run D should have maxed out by now … nobody has done squat running against me!
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7th Game (at 2-4 Dolphins)

WOW, has IQ ever kicked in. Just like Dan called it, cpu run game has definitely started to show some power. Ronnie Briown has been a beast for most of the first half (95 yds) and Miami just took a 10-0 lead. They were running so well I felt forced to really focus on run D … what do you know Miami adjust and throws a play-action screen to the fullback for a nice 20+ yd TD! It actually should be 0-17 but Brown fumbled on my 3 yd line after a nice hit by my LB. Two minutes left in the half for me to get on the board? I made a nice drive mixing up passes to get in scoring position, but a dumb throw by me with 10 seconds left was picked off and run back for a td …Miami at the half 0-17. Ok, with a 17 pt deficit I’m pretty much gonna have to throw, unfortunately Miami is aware of that. They have adjusted their D and I was shut down in 3 plays. Feeling the heat I get them in a 3rd and long and decide to bring a blitz and try to make something big happen. Well it did, but it was Miami that caught me in a mismatch and hit a receiver for a 50+ yd td … put a fork in me! Once Miami knew I was in a passing only situation, they really stepped up the pass rush. Ended up with 3 sacks and a bunch of hurries.

Normally I would ay this is a bit of an “unrealistic” loss being Miami, but hey, wasn’t that Miami that thumped the Pat’s yesterday???

Pass – Buf 179, Mia 191
Rush – Buf 33, Mia 142

Edwards 16-29, 214 yds, 0 td, 1 int
Rivers 12-16, 196 yds, 2 td, 0 int
Lynch 10-33
Brown 28-137

IQ adjusted from 657 to 605, rush offense back down to all-pro and pass offense now down to high pro because of this rough game. Pass defense down to all-pro, but run defense remains in all-madden range.

Forget about my two previous complaints .. both eliminated this game!
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8th Game (vs 4-3 Jets)

Somehow I forgot to update roster before starting this franchise so it’s Pennington at QB. Good tight game in first half with me having a beautiful pass play for a long td called back due to a holding penalty. I lead 14-13 at the half. Very defensive struggle for both of us through the 3rd qtr until Jones breaks a big td run for the Jets giving them a 26-14 lead. I manage to have a nice scoring drive with a mix of runs and passes but time is now down to 2:00 with a 5 pt deficit. I try an unsuccessful onside kick but stuff the Jets 3 and out. My last drive ends with an INT for another Jets TD so I lose 21-33. Another realistic tough game!

Pass – Buf 222, Jets 212
Rush – Buf 46, Jets 115

Edwards 22-41, 236 yds, 2 td, 1 int
Pennington 12-15, 212 yds, 1 td, 0 int
Lynch 14-44, 1 td
Jones 22-102, 2 td

IQ adjusted from 605 to 627 even though I lost. Forgot to check the specific IQ ratings this game.

I’m just about sold on this IQ thing. Games are WAY better than using sliders and really do differ from game to game.

[Jm0ney2001]

i'm watching, what qtr length r u using and are u calling your own plays or using ask madden.

Also ive been testing the IQ latley and i have never seen more thanone click per game in each catergory also I have yet to lose which is upsetting but I dont think its set yet

[Steeler99]

Quote: Originally Posted by Jm0ney2001

i'm watching, what qtr length r u using and are u calling your own plays or using ask madden. Also ive been testing the IQ latley and i have never seen more thanone click per game in each catergory also I have yet to lose which is upsetting but I dont think its set yet

I usually use 10 min qtrs, but I'm hoping to get at least 10 games in before the next patch drops so I dropped qtrs down to 8 min. I call all of my own plays, and I only control the MLB on defense (no switch). For the most part I'm playing a fairly conservative defensive scheme with most of my calls being cover 1 or 2 in either 4-3 (vs one or two WR sets), nickle (vs three WR sets), or dime (vs 4 WR sets).

I've played with most of the other sliders posted and I'm having the same problem ... I haven't lost a game yet! My hope is that either IQ itself will give me better games, or worst case scenario, IQ gives me a good base of personal sliders I can tweak.

[Tecahl]

To get an adequate run game from the cpu, simply crank the fumbles slider up. It makes the CPU runner play much better.

Put it at anywhere from 50-75 and you should start seeing 100-yard runners.

[Steeler99]

Quote: Originally Posted by Tecahl

To get an adequate run game from the cpu, simply crank the fumbles slider up. It makes the CPU runner play much better. Put it at anywhere from 50-75 and you should start seeing 100-yard runners.

I've all ready tried that with limited success. I'm gonna let IQ run it's course for at least 10 games and then maybe I'll do some tweaking ... if I feel it's necessary.

Thanks for the input though.

[kbshowtime]

I have been doing the IQ as well theres going to be one issue after its finally set after every game its always going to move which makes it almost impossible to have breakout player because ie your RB is leading the league in rushing the game will get very hard or if you can't get pressure on the QB like me he will torch you in passing and the game will adjust to the point of you getting tons of picks. Man I had Andre Dison and hes like a 70+ overall CB and he lead the league with 15+ INTS. So its like whatever I do theres a problem

Dummy Sliders kills the prefect passing but I can't get more than a sack or two a game (9min qts)

All Pro Setting almost prefect but guys like David Booty or T. Jackson can go for 24-31 275 yards against my Bear Defense with ease

IQ helps me beat teams like the Pats even if im using the Raiders and theres hardly ever any blow outs even Cards vs Cowboys

Im praying the patch helps and BTW I have read on other forum if you remove the first patch the defense plays better and theres alot less robo the problem is I don't know how to remove a patch I already downloaded

[Steeler99]

Quote: Originally Posted by kbshowtime

I have been doing the IQ as well theres going to be one issue after its finally set after every game its always going to move which makes it almost impossible to have breakout player because ie your RB is leading the league in rushing the game will get very hard or if you can't get pressure on the QB like me he will torch you in passing and the game will adjust to the point of you getting tons of picks. Man I had Andre Dison and hes like a 70+ overall CB and he lead the league with 15+ INTS. So its like whatever I do theres a problem Dummy Sliders kills the prefect passing but I can't get more than a sack or two a game (9min qts) All Pro Setting almost prefect but guys like David Booty or T. Jackson can go for 24-31 275 yards against my Bear Defense with ease IQ helps me beat teams like the Pats even if im using the Raiders and theres hardly ever any blow outs even Cards vs Cowboys Im praying the patch helps and BTW I have read on other forum if you remove the first patch the defense plays better and theres alot less robo the problem is I don't know how to remove a patch I already downloaded

Must be the style of defense I play or something, but I haven't had ANY problem with robo qb so far ... especially not using IQ. I did play a little bit on default all pro, and I agree it's actually pretty good (better than any posted sliders imo). I'd rather have the cpu offense be too strong instead of pathetically weak, and using the dummy sliders I rarely gave up double-digit scores? I also agree that I don't want every game to be artificially close, especially if it's a game between the Pats and someone like the Dolphins. Real football includes blowouts ... that's a part of the game.

That said, I'm having more fun in my few IQ games than I had in ANY of the games I played using sliders. I'm enjoying how the cpu adapts to my play-style and so far I have had no dramatic ratings changes of MySkill. I'm averaging a couple sacks/game, and 1-2 int's, but all of the turnovers have been very realistic so far. Worst part of the game right now is my run game is very tough, but I'm guessing several bad games running will even that out so I can run decent again?

For the first time I'm actually looking forward to playing 09'! Like I mentioned, I will do at least 10 IQ games and see where my ratings move to. After that I may just take those ratings and import them into "custom" settings and go from there with future franchises, or if I happen to still enjoy IQ I will just keep going with IQ?