KingV2k3 / Varsity on AA / Stat Accurate Sliders?

[KingV2k3]

Sliders / Gameplay Options / Etc.

Gameplay Options:

Level: AA
Speed: Slow
HFA: Off (IMPORTANT)
Thresh: 48

All other options: ON

Penalties:

Offsides: 97
False Start: 97
Hold: 54
Mask: 57
Clip: 54
Rough Passer: 54

All others: 100

Hum/CPU

QBA:25/35
PBK: 55
CTH: 45/50
RBA: 50
RBK: 45/55

PSD: 5/15
PRS: 45
INT: 25/30
RSD: 5/10
TAK:15/15

FGP: 40
FGA:40
PPR: 45
PAC: 55
KOP:55

If there's only one number listed it's the setting for BOTH Human and CPU

Gameplan Options: (Left Bumper on Playcall Screen / In Game)

Hum: Set "Catching" in the O Options to "Conservative" and set "Option D Quarterback Contain" in D Options to "Conservative" as well. Also set human tempo to "Aggressive".

Auto Subs:

Out/In:

AUTO SUBS
OFFENSE
QB OUT-0
QB IN-5
RB OUT-84
RB IN-85
WR OUT-70
WR IN-75
FB/TE OUT-60
FB/TE IN-65
OL OUT-0
OL IN-5

DEFENSE
DT OUT-80
DT IN-85
DE OUT-70
DE IN-75
LB OUT-20
LB IN-25
CB OUT-20
CB IN-25
S OUT-20
S OUT-25

If you'd like to see more player rotate in and out, you will find sliders in "Coach Philosophy" that set how likely the coach in question will sub for fatigued players. I and one click (an increment of 5) to the right for both O and D. Sadly, the CPU does not seem to sub, but your team will.

System Settings / Audio:

Master: 100
Commentary: 60
PA: 100
Crowd: 100
Field: 100
Menu: 20
Menu FX: 45
Custom Sounds: ??? (I don't use them)

Lastly: If you use Custom Playbooks DO NOT choose them as default in you System Setting Profile! If you do not leave this setting as "Team Specific" than the CPU team will use your default Playbooks instead of their own. You can attach your custom PB choice to your Coach Profile in the Coach Philosophy settings and choose your custom D Book in the "Play Game" screen or remember to choose both your O and D books there, but otherwise, you'll see (for instance) a "One Back" CPU opponent use "your" "Air Raid" (or whatever) scheme. It creates a bigger mess than the former tendency issue.



Explanations / Credits in following post in attempt to keep this page as clean and succinct as possible.

Enjoy!

[KingV2k3]

Explanations / Credits / Etc.

Console: PS3

Play Style: Offline Dynasty vs. CPU ONLY

Rosters: Chidefenda (based off Luvs) with SLIGHT AWR bumps (see Gotmadskillz thread) and INJ edits (See Oraeon's Thread)

Overview:

Some of you may recall my "Stat Accurate" slider threads for Madden / PS2.

I "jumped back into the fray" simply because I see a lot of frustration with the title that I haven't experienced the same level of for two reasons:

What I consider to be "reasonable expectation" based on past gaming issues and lot of research here on OS!

This "System" is a result of the influence / research / testing of:

Oraeon: (Head Coach Run / Pass Percentage Edits / HUM INJ Edits / Base Slider Set)

MKHarsh / Playmakers / Armour & Sword: (Gameplan Options / Thresh / Insight

elementz09 / Luvtatha9s: (Luvs roster w / Oraeon's HC Run / Pass Edits / PSN: Chidefenda

SCElite / Clarknoheart: General Testing / Research / AA Comparison Chart

Gotmadskillzson: (AWR Edits)

What am I trying to achieve?

I'm no controller jockey...I don't chain moves together with my HBs, etc...Heck, I'm a lousy FG Kicker!

But I do make solid pre and post snap reads, can find the "open guy" and prefer to have to implement as much "EA Football Strategy" as the game provides.

I'm ALMOST a Varsity player, except I pass too well and I find the CPU does not "push back" hard enough for me on that level. So, instead of trying for a AA feel on Varsity like Harsh and Co., I decided to shoot for a Varsity fell on AA.

Gameplay Options:

Speed: Slow speed feels good to me. Period.

Thresh: Oraeon tested "Fast and 50 Thresh" on AA, but it felt "chaotic" to me. Harsh likes 43 on Varsity. I "split the difference and went with a "very subtle" 48 / Slow on AA and it's working with the sliders, so why change?

HFA: OFF OFF OFF!!! The effects are too exaggerated. Especially in the half empty stadiums of the non AQ Conferences. HFA still seems to exist when set to "off", but with it on, it was a "slider killer" for me. I (usually) win the games Herbstreit picks me for, (usually) lose the ones he doesn't and have had about a 25 percent "ESPN Classic" ratio. The upsets are few and the blowouts are super rare.

Penalties: Always off, but this is as close as it gets for me. I have seen DPI (once). It is what is is.

QBA: 30 for human makes my Freshman 84 ACC QB play just like that. Solid underneath the coverage, and losts of overthrows on deeper balls. 35 for the CPU has made QBs with ACC under 80 have 50% outings and lots of overthrows. Case Keenum, however, lit me up for 5 hundo. Works for me.

PBK: At 55, SOMEONE may pick up a blitz. Below that, forget it. Higher than that? Both OLs become too physically strong.

CTH: You want 3-5 drops, but setting it too low eliminates all the cool catch animations. There's also a "Cause and effect" here with the tackle slider, so there's a balance there or they'll blast the ball out of a high "catch in traffic" guy. Know who is prone to drops and who's not, to help determine this setting. Although I'm using "conservative catching" in gameplay options, (and have my setting at 45) I'm getting the right drops by the right guys at the right times.

RBA: ALWAYS 50 for me. 45 makes 'em slow and tenative, 55 means their "break tackle" sets off a domino effect and there's no fumbles. Too many critical attributes tied into this one slider.

RBK: Depends on your scheme. If it's Air Raid, R&S, Pistol, One Back or Spread you may want roll with default 50 for HUM. I use Air Raid, so any less than 45 or 50 and the pulling guards get stupid. At 55 the WRs turn into TEs. I use 55 for CPU, because it makes the "regular" run game a lttle "too good" to make up for the inconsistency with the option. And at 55, they may execute the option on occasion.

PSD: 5/10. Yes...that low. Limits all the BS that the super tuned DBs and LBs got this year. I still see the desired 3-6 "passes defended" and the pass stats are right. As the human player, get comfortable with the "commit to the pass" option (L2 / R Stick UP) if it's an obvious passing situation that will help. If you think they may scramble or draw, "commit" with a spy to defend the run or you can get roasted. There's blown coverages (hey, college ballers) on both sides. Versus CPU there's an open guy. But with the pass rush set at 50 you'll have about a second less than IRL to find him.

PRS: Yeah, any lower and my 86 STR user controlled RDT get pancaked and suctioned. At 50, it happens, but not as much. Not ideal, but solid stats. CPU rush can be HOTT. Know you pre reads and hot reads.

INT: 30 seems to be as close as it gets for drops versus the occasional "one hand stab" from a 66 OVR CPU DT in zone. 1-3 per game, depending on your reads and the CPU QB ratings.

RSD: 5/10 became the "sweet spot" for me. About 4-8 tackles for loss, nice range of runs for both sides of the ball. Lower and they didn't "close" on the second level. higher and it was blown up in the backfield too often.

TCK: 15-20 means they'll be a decent amount of broken tackles, some nice twisting animations where the ball carrier falls forward instead of the "hit by a brick wall" thing. Also help keep the WRs from having the CTH blown up too often. Little guys can't stonewall big guys on this setting. They need to wrap up and hope that the RSD slider brings them help.

Gameplan Options: Cribbed from MKHarsh. Conservative Catch helps Hum WRs hang on to ball in traffic, but also cuts down on "slant to the house". Option D set to conservative helps the CPU run the option by focusing on the QB and not the pitch man. Not perfect, still gets blown up too often, but MSU racked up 300+ on the ground using it against me, so the elites will pull it off, the rest drop off quick.

Special Teams cribbed intact from Oraeon / Slider Consensus

Sounds: It's too stale. I lowered the play by play and jacked everything else, so it gets drowned out by the crowd or band when things get rockin'



Personal Play Style: As I said, I'm no controller jockey. I make really great pre and post snap reads, audible a lot, use hot routes...ALL of it. On D, I play as RDT and "rarely" switch. The switching system has been getting less accurate over the years, so if you button mash on D, you're just making things worse anyway. I do like an occasional user pick / swat / tackle though.

I always pick teams with Freshmen or Sophomore QBs, from non AQ Conferences to play their "career" as...last year, it was Padron at SMU. This year, it was Smith at Wyoming and now I've settled in with Isham at LaTech. I always run schemes that are particular to NCAA ball. I play Madden (later in the fall / winter) so I don't roll with Pro Set or Top 25 teams...

These sliders have NEVER been tested for that, so who know if they work under those conditions.

Final thoughts: I didn't want to do a slider thread, because as the dudes who do will attest, it's a lot of work to host properly. I hope these help similar level players, but know form experience, they are NOT going to be for most.

Questions / Comments?

Happy Gaming!

[pbtiger]

I was a little skeptical at first due to some of the low defensive settings, but these are a very good base set. In fact, in some practice games I found them to be quite challenging to move the ball consistently against the CPU. I also saw an 11 play drive by the CPU (drive started at their 9) that resulted in a punt. They play exactly like you state. The running game has a nice mixture of plays, and you certainly do not have all day to stand in the pocket to throw. I found myself taking a sack right as I came off my primary to find an open receiver or in some instances flat out missing the throw to the WR due to being too late on the read.

I may make a few minor tweaks from your base set, but these were a lot of fun to play with. I run a spread offense so these help with cutting down much of the frustration of psychic DBs and LBs. I agree with you that a traditional pro/I player might need to up the Rush D to keep from gashing the CPU up the middle.

All in all, thanks for posting these.

[KingV2k3]

Quote: Originally Posted by pbtiger

I was a little skeptical at first due to some of the low defensive settings, but these are a very good base set. In fact, in some practice games I found them to be quite challenging to move the ball consistently against the CPU. I also saw an 11 play drive by the CPU (drive started at their 9) that resulted in a punt. They play exactly like you state. The running game has a nice mixture of plays, and you certainly do not have all day to stand in the pocket to throw. I found myself taking a sack right as I came off my primary to find an open receiver or in some instances flat out missing the throw to the WR due to being too late on the read. I may make a few minor tweaks from your base set, but these were a lot of fun to play with. I run a spread offense so these help with cutting down much of the frustration of psychic DBs and LBs. I agree with you that a traditional pro/I player might need to up the Rush D to keep from gashing the CPU up the middle. All in all, thanks for posting these.

Hey!

Thanks for taking the plunge...

These have been up for nearly a week, have gotten a decent amount of views, but no "takers" until now...



Your observations are right on the $$$, they are (like any slider set) a base to tweak according to play style and skill level, as well as team / scheme...

I'm in my third season overall and can still claim accurate stats, realistic results and about a 25% ESPN Classic ratio, so I'm very happy to see that you're also "seeing what I'm seeing", at least to some degree...

I run out of 4 wide most of the time (45 Base, Delays, Draws) and my teams don't even carry a FB on the roster, so these are tailored accordingly...

As far as passing goes, yeah you need to get the ball out and make the right read pretty instantly...not unlike real life...

I suggest calling audibles to keep a HB in to pick up the blitz and shift your O line to block to the opposite side of where he's lined up...

That's essential for the deeper passes...

When I watch replays, my QB is almost always on his butt on completed pass plays...you have to be willing to "stand tall in the pocket" and risk the sack or an altered throw...

My biggest remaining gripe is the fact that any HB can turn into a super human power back and break / shed 3-5 tackles on any given play a few times a game...that's a known attribute problem...

Raising the tackle slider doesn't help, because then it's out of wack for the other 117 (or so) plays from scrimmage...

Some things sliders can't fix...

Still, until roster edits become the next frontier for me, this set continues to bring me solid gameplay...

I'm glad that you're having a good experience with them as well...

Thanks again for your interest and insights...

Happy gaming!

[NeverEnough]

I've been having a tough time finding a slider set that worked for me, mostly because I've been blowing teams out of the water. With your set I find you definitely have to make the right read or you'll end up throwing a pick.

I play as Washington and had a rough game vs Hawaii getting beat 27-41, but then came back and lost in the last seconds to a ranked Nebraska team 38-35. The pass game seems to be good, Polk went 24 att for 159 yds against NEB and 18 att for 161 yds

All in all I've been seeing some good results and good competition

[KingV2k3]

Quote: Originally Posted by NeverEnough

I've been having a tough time finding a slider set that worked for me, mostly because I've been blowing teams out of the water. With your set I find you definitely have to make the right read or you'll end up throwing a pick. I play as Washington and had a rough game vs Hawaii getting beat 27-41, but then came back and lost in the last seconds to a ranked Nebraska team 38-35. The pass game seems to be good, Polk went 24 att for 159 yds against NEB and 18 att for 161 yds All in all I've been seeing some good results and good competition

Good to hear they're working for you...thanks for trying them out!

I've played Hawaii a couple times w LA Tech and Moniz can be tough to slow down, as are any of the top guys...Case Keenum is always a headache...

With your pass D slider set so low, you pretty much HAVE to hit L2 /R3 UP to "commit to the pass" and / or be very adept at the L1 Swat...

Thankfully the pass happy teams rarely decide to run, so I prefer to get hit up for a few 10 yard draws then have them continuously torch my already suspect secondary...

Nebraska, on the other hand racked up the BIG rush yards on me, as did Miss St., Ole Miss and Nevada...

I like the fact that the CPU teams play the way they should (Oraeon's Coach Sliders edited into roster) and do what they're supposed to do well, quite well...

Even the CPU's option plays work well enough, often enough...MKHarsh's tip about game plan options that cause your run D to overplay the QB are essential to make that happen...

Anyway, thanks for your insights and for giving the set a chance...

[basebalp21]

I like the sliders. Just one problem is that in my Western Kentucky Dynasty I am 4-1 with a close loss to Kentucky. This is playing the default schedule.

[Herky]

Tried these out with my Iowa dynasty and they felt pretty good. I did run like crazy and had close to 300 yards on the ground. I was playing a 1-AA school so that might have been why but there were massive holes to run through all game.

Iowa State is up next on my schedule. We'll see if running gets harder.