Wsup fellas, I've pretty much tested & finished the Beta of my sliders update! All of the new changes are reflected on the main page.
These new changes were inspired to accommodate the ratings of players more. My previous set(s) were meant to inspire SIM and a challenge for veteran USER vs CPU players. No matter the cost. It felt like those sets were not in favor of ratings, but the "challenge" aspect. Im sure some of you would agree. I've found with this update, I still achieve the SIM stats I'm looking for, the challenges I need, and feel a better difference between high & lower ratings.
With that in mind, I basically blew up my set and started from scratch again with same approach as last time. What wasn't broken I didn't fix, but I tweaked for nuance just to see results. A lot of testing & studying replays gave me great results and more nuance to how this game plays out. The main ratings taken into account are:
- Speed & Threshold
- USER & CPU Blocking ratings effectiveness
- USER & CPU RB ratings & run game effectiveness
- USER & CPU WR vs DB coverage effectiveness, based on ratings
For example. When I tested what the Threshold should be, I clocked 40 times in "offense only" practice mode. I set a threshold of 50, 25, and 0. I used players with speeds of 99, 90, 85, 80, & 70. I randomized their acceleration between 80 & 95 which did make a difference. Here were my consistent results:
A threshold of 25 was the most accurate in clocking 40 times. EA actually got this right. So I set the threshold to 32 for in game b/c i wanted to feel on field "football speed", not necessarily a track race. It still gives the faster players an advantage which is great.
I've also added a new "House Rule" section that I myself apply to my dynasties. Of course this is optional, but I get a lot of requests about what my house rules are. And if any of you guys have any other suggestions let the ppl know!
Lastly, I need testers for this set to see if it holds up to what I'm experiencing. Under the "Box Score" section I will be posting my own game experiences, as well as your game results. I pasted the link to the box score generator so that you can post your results cleanly (if you so choose to). Once we have a good base, I'll post another tweak as the official Beta set.
To the inexperienced or casual player…I unapologetically state, this slider set is not for you.
To the battle tested veteran, Dynasty enthusiast, and I mean those who want a true to life experience of colligate football…I say Greetings.
Index
1) Manifesto
2) Slider Gameplay Features
3) Sliders settings
4) Sliders explanation
5) Game Rules settings
6) Gameplay Options settings
7) Auto Sub settings
8) Volume settings
9) Box Scores
10) **BONUS**Custom Stadium Sounds
11) **BONUS** Dynasty House Rules
1) Manifesto
Spoiler
Fellas, take a walk with me …
Building a team in Dynasty feels more like telling a story. Selecting the right school with the hope of growing its prestige. Combing through the nation to find the best recruits for your program. And grinding it out on the gridiron to win the conference, earn a bowl bid, and hopefully to win a National Championship. It’s a fulfilling storyline.
But if it’s too easy to do, why even bother? I don’t like easy. I needed my own challenge, and I was going to see to it that I would keep tweaking until each setting felt right for me. I want to fight for yardage, play the kicking game, and actually lose to the CPU w/o giving them mercy. I played game after game tweaking each aspect. These sliders are curated with the intent to give us a true to life approach to the game of football. Not every pass is accurate, not every running back averages 7 yds per carry, not every 50 yd FG is successful, and not every school becomes a powerhouse over-night.
To those who share the same passion & perspective as I do, I did this for you guys. Appreciate you for helping me shape these for the last 5 yrs. 100
2) Slider Gameplay Features
Spoiler
BIG PLAY: Earning the Big Plays
Peter Warrick, Reggie Bush, Desmond Howard, Devin Hester, Michael Vick, Charles Woodson, and hundreds of others have something in common. They earned their names as big play football players. So what’s the line that separates the game of inches from the big play? It’s finally seeing the light of a big play after you’ve earned the game of inches in the trenches. It shouldn’t come easy, and it won’t.
NEXT MAN UP: Proper Auto-Subbing
I treated the auto-sub sliders as a “global Stamina slider” so backups will now see more reps. You won’t have to worry about your starting RB disappearing in the 4th Qtr b/c of an improper auto-sub setting. This happens b/c as the game plays on, his maximum stamina slowly decreases. And your “Sub IN” setting that you have set, ends up becoming higher than his decreased maximum stamina…thus no more 1st string RB in the 4th.
Backup WR’s, DB’s LB’s & D-Linemen will also see proper reps. Especially in the 3rd & 4th quarters, or on long drives. Player’s Stamina ratings still play a major role on when they sit for a breather. For example, many of the RB’s sit after 3 straight carries. Others with a higher stamina rating sit after 4, even sometimes 5 carries.
TUG O’WAR: More Honest FG Kicking and Punting
More challenging gameplay on downs 1-3, results in a more righteous 4th down. The FG Kicking/Punting game becomes honest both strategically and statistically. The Accuracy and Power sliders have been adjusted to meet the realistic distances, and FG percentages of collegiate FG Kickers/Punters. I tested some of the best, worst and average joes of FG Kickers/Punters in each weather & wind conditions, at different distances & angles. USER & CPU should see between 3-6 punts per game, on upwards to 7-8 Punts in a defensive battle. Making it valuable to go out and recruit a stellar FG Kicker/Punter for your program. Don’t be a rook, be humble & kick fellas…
TUCK IT IN: More FUBMLES
Possibly the right combination of playing a lengthy 8 min qtrs & the number of plays per game, tackle slider (30/30), rush defense (25/25), RB Ability (30/70), & penalty slider settings may have done the trick. A lack of fumbles has been something we’ve all voiced our complaints about, including myself. But I'm seeing at least 1 per game. Now granted, for some reason in Exhibition mode you'll see more fumbles in games than you will in Dynasty. But nonetheless, 1 per game is great to see!
KEEP YOUR HEAD IN THE GAME:More Penalties called
Thankfully, this is not over bearing. The penalty sliders can at times be hypersensitive if set erratically. So with these sliders, seeing roughly 2-5 total penalties per game (which are my results) is actually a plus. Giving the game another layer of momentum shifting. Penalty sliders also affect the gameplay behavior. So achieving this w/o compensating for the actual gameplay was a major key #KhaledVoice
PACE, NOT A RACE:Realistic Number of Plays per game
For the stat geeks, the average number of plays for a team in college is roughly 72 plays. The lower 60’s being the lowest, and the upper 80’s being the highest. You will surely see these averages for both teams individually, playing on 8 Minute Quarters. Also 8 min lets you pace your offense if you choose to do so.
USE YOUR HANDS:WRDrops
Each team averages between 2-6 drops per game, in all weather conditions. This also helps to balance out the QB completion % statistically. Adds a nice touch. And two words, USER CATCH
FEEL THE ATMOSPHERE: Realistic Broadcast Game Audio
Get closer to the action with improved game audio settings. Immersion is what it’s all about. I’m a professional audio mixer by day, so using my expertise was a no brainer. I adjusted the game audio settings from referencing real-life broadcasted college games.
3) SLIDERS Settings
Spoiler
*Latest Update 5/6/20:
- Changed USER & CPU Pass Blocking from 0/45 to 30/45
- Changed USER & CPU RB ability from 20/90 to 30/70
- Changed USER & CPU Run Blocking from 5/35 to 5/25
- Changed USER & CPU Interceptions from 40/40 to 35/35
- Changed USER & CPU Rush Defense from 65/90 to 25/25
- Changed USER & CPU Tackling from 25/25 to 30/30
4) SLIDERS Explanation:
Spoiler
A majority of the default sliders, do not intersect with the player ratings at a zero point. Meaning, most of the default sliders either boost or diminish a player’s natural set ratings. And don’t depict the true ratings scale. So before adjusting to make a challenging experience, the work was done to find all of the zero points for each slider.
QB Accuracy: 5/5
- Anything set higher than 5 almost guarantees an accurate pass to your receiver. A setting of 5 makes it more dynamic and unpredictable.
- For QBs with an accuracy of 88 and below, you'll have to get them into a rhythm. Successful completions result in more consistentcy of accurate throws. QBs with higher accuracy ratings will start out more accurate as a result of their rating.
You’re prone to have more off target throws when:
- throwing on the run
- being pressured, or having no time in the pocket
- how hard the ball is thrown
- How covered the receiver is (double coverage)
- If you consistently have not completed a pass
-The goal was to achieve the happy medium of:
- Realistic completion percentages (low 50’s – low 70’s)
- Off target throws & unpredictability
- Making the USER consider more of the risks when slinging the pigskin
***IF 5/5 is too difficult or frustrating for you, just set to 10/10***
Pass Blocking: 30/45
- I spent ample time studying the battle between higher rated DL vs OL, higher rated OL vs DL, and evenly rated OL vs DL. A setting of 30 represented ratings and provides much better pocket time for your QB. Especially for in playaction & triple option passes. Even being able to get a pump fake off at times. Its definitely not overpowering, but you will still need to be mobile while in the pocket.
- At 45 for the CPU, I’m seeing around 2-4 sacks per game w/ my defense. Some games only 1 sack, and 5 sacks has been the most so far. I was tired of seeing a ridiculous amount of sacks every game, so this fit perfectly & consistently.
WR Catching: 0/40
- At 0 for the USER, you still will make some great catches. This introduces another layer of challenge to the passing game. Your user catching skill will really flourish here. You will make some drops too. Which happens in football... Mainly drops in traffic, & jump balls. In sync with the QB accuracy, Big Plays truly feel like so.
- At 40 for the CPU, this is solid. They make great catches on me, and also dropped passes as a team between 2-6 times a game. It also balances out the CPU QB completion %. Anything less resulted in too many wide open drops. Set higher, & you won’t notice many drops from the CPU.
- This slider is well in sync with the OFF & DEF Pass Interference settings at 98 & 99 respectively. The WR’s & DB’s really go after the catch and play on the ball aggressively. Diving catches & interceptions are a beauty!
RB Ability: 30/70
- EDITED to 30 for the USER... The goal was to eliminate the "stuck in the mud" RB, and to represent more of their pace. This setting establishes the balance of weight/agility/speed. You should feel the proper burst when the ball carrier gets hand-offs early in the game. There is still a feel of weight attached to 30. If too easy, 25 can still get the job done, but I feel it decreases your RB's ratings a bit.
- You won't feel the effects of the "sluggish" RB anymore, as when it was set between 10& 20.
- Yds. Per Carry stats are more SIM represented
- At 70 for the CPU…
- they still run very smart off of their blocks, are aware of angles & holes, are elusive and are aware of out of bounds.
- they run similarly to what a USER would do. With it set at 70, it represents their ratings well while giving them the proper AI to be a challenge for the USER.
- You'll have to take smart tackling angles.
Run Blocking: 5/25
- At 5 for the USER… running lanes open & close just like in a real game. O-Linemen don’t stupidly miss many blocks, and they still make great efforts to at least meet the block. High rated OLinemen meet and hold blocks for a realistic lenght of time to create running lanes. Anything higher is too easy for me to run with.
- At 25 for the CPU, it still gives the CPU a solid running game. You’ll have to really know when to run commit, blitz, and play the tackle angles as a defender to get to the running back. My previous setting gave the CPU to much of advantage in the run block. It representd ratings well enough to coinside with a challege to stop the CPU run game.
- In in sync with the Rush Defense & Tackle sliders, Kick Returns & Punt Return lanes are now played much more accurately. It’s tougher to break long returns consistently. You can now find holes through the middle lanes, which is an amazing feeling to play with. It’s exciting & a beauty to play with.
Pass Coverage: 40/30
- At 40 for the USER:
- Your DB’s are not psychic on defending routes, but they make breaks on the ball, play tight on DB’s (depending on the play call & player ratings) and at times still wind up getting beat deep, & on receiver cuts.
- When setting your in-game Pass Coverage on Aggressive, Conservative or Balanced in game, you’ll see a substantial difference on their spacing on the receivers. Making it very tactical against a good passing assault.
- At 30 Pass Coverage for the CPU:
- The CPU plays tight, consistent pass coverage. They make aggressive plays on the ball.
**FYI: With Off & Def Pass Interference set at 98 & 99 respectively, the WR/DB play is more aggressive. The USER/CPU’s WR will really stretch & dive for the catch, while the DB will stretch for the deflection or the pick. This penalty setting along w/ the Coverage setting balances a competitive WR/DB exchange throughout 4 full quarters. Have at it…
Interceptions: 35/35
I dropped it down 5 points b/c I noticed there were too many Int's racking up for the USER, no matter how good your QB was. At 35/35 established a good balance of dropped picks, as well as paying the price for bad throws. This slider in addition to all the others, should give you a heightened awareness when throwing the ball.
Rush Defense: 25/25
My previous setting at 65/90 made the defenders play a little more relentless, but didnt always make the best of decisions throughout the length of the game. With my new setting of 25/25, i feel the defense plays out the entire play with more patience and takes smarter pursuit angles. Because of this, I'm breaking less longer runs from scrimmage. Which I like.
Tackling: 30/30
- I bumped it up 10 points b/c there were a lot of tackles being broken, and I think didn't best represent ratings. Nonetheless, I think 30 best represents ratings, while still applying a "loose" feeling field on the field.
- At 30 i still like how you have to gang tackle at times.
**FYI(1): The “proximity tackle” or “magnet tackle” is still gone on this setting, which is great.
**FYI(2): I noticed that the more tackles you break, the more prone you/cpu are to fumbling the ball. This setting may have helped to cause more fumbles during my testing.
FG Power: 45/45
At 45/45: there are no more super kickers, unless rated in the 90s. You'll also have to use the wind, which is a great element in the kicking game.
FG Accuracy: 0/50
- At 0 for the USER, You rely totally on skill..nuff said
- At 50 for the CPU, still some very natural misses & makes. Solid setting.
Punt Power: 45/45
You get the right amount of bang for your buck. The same principles for FG Power applies to Punting power.
Punt Accuracy: 0/40
Same principles applies from FG Accuracy. For the CPU, they still made some great punts inside our 20/10 yd lines, & some erratic.
Kickoff Power: BROKEN***
5) Game Rules Settings
Spoiler
*Latest Update 5/6/20:
- Changed Off Pass Int from 99 to 98
- Changed Def Pass Int from 98 to 99
- Changed Threshold from 52 to 32
- Turned OFF Home Field Advantage
7) Auto-Sub Settings
Spoiler
*Latest update 5/6/20
8) Volume Settings
Spoiler
*Latest update 5/6/20
Master – 100
Commentators – 67
Stadium PA – 34
Crowd – 82
On The Field – 25
Menu Music – 60
Menu Sound FX – 95
Custom Stadium Sounds – 90
9) Box Scores
Spoiler
TESTERS, please take notes of your box scores. Every piece of info will be helpful. I'll be posting in this section. Here's the link to the box score generator that I use from Operation Sports:
ALL 5 Power Conferences, including Independent (Notre Dame, Navy Army)
(189 Total Sounds)
I'm a professional record producer and sound engineer by day, & decided to use my expertise in finding the highest quality sounds for the NCAA FB community. You may have some of these sounds, but i took the time to mix & balance each sound to have a good "stadium" quality. Now, some weren’t the best of recordings, but I made the most out of what I could salvage. I left out the tunes that were not of good quality so some teams were left out. If you find anything that I can add, let me know!
The sounds are categorized by “conference – team name – situation”..for example
"acc clem 1st down" (Clemson 1st down)
PS3 Directions:
1.) Download Sounds from the link provided, and unzip the folder.
2.) Copy folder to a USB drive
3.) Insert USB into PS3, and scroll over to “Music” heading and select.
4.) Scroll down until you see “USB Device” and press triangle. You’ll then see “Display All”, select that option.
5.) Go to the “NCAA Football Stadium Sounds” folder onto your PS3, and press triangle to copy onto PS3
Xbox 360 Directions:
1.) Save your mp3 files then rip them to a CD using a computer or laptop
2.) Then put the CD into your Xbox 360 and rip the CD to the Xbox hard drive.
3.) Once ripped to hard drive, you must make a Playlist for each individual mp3. (may take some patience)
4.) Go to NCAA 14 and go to custom sounds find team and assign playlist.
11) **BONUS** Dynasty House Rules
Spoiler
As veterans of 14’, house rules have become the mantra for experiencing a challenging a long lasting Dynasty. Recruiting becoming too easy? Your program dominating too quickly? Depleting excitement? House Rules are a great option to alleviate those growing pains. Of course this is all optional so adjust to your liking.
Below I address each house rule, its purpose, and its long-term effect in your dynasty.
1) Coach Progression Speed setting:
Spoiler
SLOW or SLOWEST
Allows your coach progression to improve at a slower rate. In addition to challenging gameplay, it’ll be another challenge to perform well consistently to progress your coach over time
2) Coaching Jobs house rule
Spoiler
-You may begin your head coaching career with at most 3 skill points.
-You can accept a position at a program with more prestige after you have won your conference title at least one time and are coming off of a winning season.
-You must accept contract extension if you are offered one and plan to stay at your current program.
-You may accept a position at your one “Dream Job” at anytime.
-You may accept a position at a lower prestige school at anytime.
3) Coach Level Playbooks house rule **NEW**
Spoiler
"AS YOUR COACH LEVELS UP, SO DOES YOUR PLAYBOOKS..."
A big find for me in making dynasty challenging AND rewarding is editing your playbook. Since us vets don’t typically upgrade the “skill tree” any longer, this house rule takes into account your coach level. You earn it, so why not reward yourself? Reward your playbooks!
A playbook is made up of Formations (I-Form), Sub-formations (Twins), and plays. Your Coach level will determine the number of Formations, Sub-formations, and plays allowed on both offense and defense. IMO, every team’s default playbook is too deep. Although in real life it’s standard. BUT for the USER experience in ‘14, I feel it only makes things easier for us in this game.
A playbook is a coach’s DNA. Building a relationship with your plays/playbooks will extend to the type of recruits to go after to fit your scheme, how you manage your personnel, and even how you adjust for your upcoming opponent. Thus developing a DNA for your program. As your coach level progresses, so does his scheme. Again, you may adjust this to your liking. Keep it simple, and have fun at the end of the day.
** Off & Def SPECIAL TEAMS are by default, and do not count against your allotted number**
- At the start of every new season, you are allowed to freely change your entire playbook/scheme on both or either side of the ball. You must stay within your limited number of plays & formations.
- Every new week during the season, you are allowed to swap up to 3 new plays in any formation(s), on either side of the ball. *Looking toward your next matchup is a good way to game-plan this way.
Above is an example of of my Coach Level 1-5 offensive playbook. I applies the same for Defense.
- Coach Level 1-5
Formations: 4
Sub-Formations: 7
Number of Plays: 42
- Coach Level 6-10
Formations: 5
Sub-Formations: 8
Number of Plays: 48
- Coach Level 11-15
Formations: 5
Sub-Formations: 8
Number of Plays: 57
- Coach Level 16-20
Formations: 6
Sub-Formations: 9
Number of Plays: 57
- Coach Level 21-30
Formations: 7
Sub-Formations: 11
Number of Plays: 72
- Coach Level 31-40
Formations: 8
Sub-Formations: 13
Number of Plays: 81
- Coach Level 41-49
Formations: 9
Sub-Formations: 15
Number of Plays: 81
- Coach Level 49-54
Formations: 10
Sub-Formations: 15
Number of Plays: 90
4) Recruiting House Rules
Spoiler
At this point I think we all implement some sort of recruiting house rules within our dynasties. Shout out to PocketScout, whose house rules have helped my dynasties tremendously. These are mainly derived from his rules, but I’ve made some adjustments to them. Over time, you’ll see a better spectrum of talent across all teams and will have to really earn prominence to get great players consistently.
RECRUITING RESTRICTIONS
Leaving Seniors +2
I can only have two more players on my board at any time than I have leaving my program. If I have 15 seniors I can only have a 17 players on my board and I can only sign 17 that season as well. This will help to keep from stacking my roster to easily and flushing out the bad players. If the computer adds players to the class they will be deleted, only the players that I sign will be allowed on the team.
Visits
Depending on my school’s prestige and I’m limited to a number of visits all year long. This will be a very tough decision on which recruit will be the only one who gets to visit my campus. This makes late season recruiting get very interesting when battling with a couple schools for a kid as they might jump +700 points in a single week and I do not have a good way to make up the difference.
No Scouting
I can not scout any of the prospects that are on my board. Once a kid commits to my program I can then scout him to see what I've got, those Gems and Busts titles are now going to carry a lot more meaning and impact since I will be stuck with these kids. This does add a "kid at Christmas morning" feel to when I get the message that a kid has signed with my program because then I get to go and find out what I really just signed.
Interested Recruits
I can recruit any player of any caliber that is interested in my school. In State I can recruit any players, of any caliber, in my schools home state.
Bordering States
I can recruit any player from any state that borders my school’s home state. *Recruit’s caliber must be equal to my school’s prestige.
Pipeline States
I can recruit any player in my pipeline states. *Recruit’s caliber must be equal to my school’s prestige.
Other Regional & National States
I must be in the recruits starting Top 10 to be able to recruit them. I look at this as these are players that my coaching staff has been recruiting since their sophomore and junior year in high school. We have already identified these kids as who we want in our program and now we are just narrowing down who we are going to bring on campus.
Building new pipelines
Each season, I can choose only 1 state (any state) and recruit up to 3 players, 3 STAR and under. This will allow me to try and build new pipelines overtime. It will take multiple years to establish those pipelines.
SCHOOL PRESTIGE RESTRICTIONS
Local (1*)
Can only recruit from our home state. 4 recruit visits per season.
Close to Home (2*)
Can only recruit my home state, pipelines and states that border our school’s home state. 4 recruit visits per season
Regional (3*)
Can only recruit my home state, pipelines, states that border our school’s home state, and can begin building new pipelines. 5 recruit visits per season
Regional (4*)
Can only recruit my home state, pipelines, states that border our school’s home state, and can begin building new pipelines. 6 recruit visits per season
National (5*)
Can only recruit my home state, pipelines, states that border our school’s home state, and can begin building new pipelines. 7 recruit visits per season
National (6*)
Can only recruit my home state, pipelines, states that border our school’s home state, and can begin building new pipelines. 8 recruit visits per season
Welcome guys. Appreciate all the love & support, suggestions & critiques. Hope these gives you tough some competition as we look forward to a new season of college football.
Feel free to post your box scores, gameplay vids & screenshots, and overall experience regarding this set.
going to try these out as well bro. Just had one question, will I still be able to use these without using USER catch? I've always played without switching the receiver and was wondering if there would be too many drops if I don't user the receiver. Thanks!
going to try these out as well bro. Just had one question, will I still be able to use these without using USER catch? I've always played without switching the receiver and was wondering if there would be too many drops if I don't user the receiver. Thanks!
Wsup bro, I made these w/ the intent of making it difficult for those who USER catch. Some passes will be off target from time to time, so it won't play out as you're used to. I say try it out w/ your style of playing, and adjust as you go. & Thanks for trying these out man
im curious as to what your touchdown plays look like with these. Are you seeing big play TDs?
Of course, I've still had long runs/passes & returns for TD's. But you'll earn'em, & feels more rewarding. I'm a little more skilled at beating the cpu, so these are for that kind of player...give'em a try bro...I'll be live streaming & posting gameplay soon
Just wanted to say thanks jkits for posting these! I'm loving them. I love seeing more penalties, big plays, and actually seeing auto subs bringing in backups on defense. Here are some highlights from the first couple of games using these.
07-09-2017, 09:48 PM
