Jconte,
The problems with the game now are:
1) the BIG plays are too random (INT returns, Punt returns, 50+ yard passes, 50+ yard runs), and too significant. No way we can control or gameplan for them, and talent doesn't affect them.....there are 2 or 3 deciding plays in each half with an equal chance of going for you or against you. The problem is that the other "normal" plays are 0 yard runs or 2 yard passes, with no significance to the game, they are just filler in the play-by-play....making the BIG plays not ONE OF the significant things in determining the game, but now those few big plays are the ONLY thing that determines the game. If SIM teams or inferior human-coached team end up with 1 or 2 of those more of those big plays in their favor, then your better team is defeated. Period. End of story. 95% of the plays are totally meaningless, why bother expanding the P-by-P on them, just put a description "meaningless play" for them.
2) The +/- 12.5 % factor in player's experience is not only way TOO MUCH, it's not the change that should have been made. It will skew the game where the advantage goes to teams that have one large class that can play 4 seasons, then they will abandon the team when that class graduates. If I stay I'll be looking for such teams, coach them 4 seasons and leave when my big class of 4-year starters graduates. You should be able to see this coming. Then no longer should the game be called Gridiron "Dynasty" when we start hopping around from team to team.
The change that SHOULD HAVE BEEN made is offenses/defenses should have been rewarded/penalized along these lines for how well they strategized or guessed the opponent's game plan, that is what has always been lacking in the game. It hardly mattered if you guessed correctly on run or pass defense. My idea is if I played Always Run defense vs Always Run offense, the player's performance should have been affected +/- 5% (-5% for them and +5% for me, a total swing of 10% in my favor for playing against my opponent correctly, or the opposite if I misplay my tendency)....then my 65 Str/65 Tkl DL would have been 68.25 and his 70-core OL/RBs would have been 66.5, tilting it in my favor and my proper defense tendency made up for my slight talent deficiency. Playing Always Run defense vs Heavy Run offense would have been +/- 2.5%, playing Heavy Run defense vs Always Run offense would have been +/- 2.5%.....likewise, +/- 5% for Always Pass defense vs Always Pass offense, and +/- 2.5% for Heavy Pass defense vs Always Pass offense or Always Pass defense vs Heavy Pass offense. Then flip it over, +/- 5% in offense's favor if Always Run vs Always Pass defense, or +/- 2.5% for Heavy Run vs Always Pass defense or Always Run vs Heavy Pass defense. I would have left the impact of Run, Balanced, and Pass tendencies as is with no additional adjustment for them vs any other tendency.
This would have added strategy and control to the +/- percentages that affect the play, guess right and you benefit, and vice versa. And it's realistic, LBs totally playing run get drawn in and bite on play action fakes and suffer in pass defense, CBs totally playing pass turn and run with a WR and don't react to a run quick enough, DL going all out on pass rush get trap blocked easily on running plays, offense passing vs dropping LBs should would have fared better running, safeties in the box playing the run are more likely to get burned on a pass, etc etc etc.
3) The other problem with new engine is yardage on play results. Too many plays 2 yards or less makes too many plays meaningless, not enough drives, not enough strategy or signficance related to talent. The only change needed in this regard was A) Average of runs should have stayed about the same, but the Mean should have been changed. Instead of a steady stream of 4, 5, 6, and 7 yard runs as previous (avg of 5.5 in this example, which was about what the game yielded), which resulted in too many unstoppable drives consisting of nothing but running plays, the yardage on running plays should have been mostly 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 yards with enough longer runs of 10 to 50 yards to make the average remain 5.5 yards per carry. Much harder to make first downs in 3 running plays when bulk of running plays averages 4 yards per carry than if they average 5.5 yards per carry, because a trio of 2 and 3 yard runs will occur more often resulting in 4th down somewhere during the drive. Then, B) change the 4th down conversion to less than 50%, no matter the talent or the real-life conversion percentages, just make the game so 4th down conversions are not consistently worth the gamble unless you are desperate and have to go for it.
4) Depth Charts/Playing Experience, I don't care for new engine's depth charts, but if you are going to leave it as is I suggest a couple of things A) one fatigue setting for entire offense depth chart, and one for entire defense depth chart. For example, a coach could set his depth chart for entire offense at 90%, 85%, 80%, 75%, or 70%, which would then be the setting for every player at position. And the coach has to live with consequenses if he sets it too high or too low. Just give us the control to do this much. And B) add a blowout setting where we empty the bench, where we can play the bottom players on depth chart at each position (for example, bottom 5 OL) once we get ahead by a certain amount of points with so much time left (example, ahead by 14 with 8 minutes left), just give us control over getting all players at least a little game experience.
Also, you could close the loophole on promised starts and playing time by doing away with it. It was added in previous update, did little to make game more enjoyable, and few would miss it. Once upon a time, we got by fine without those recruiting features.
Another problem you should note is that inferior SIMs are going to take some playoff spots from better and more deserving human-coached teams. My 13-0 #4 ranked team in Camp DIII is losing confernence title game to #58 ranked 8-5 SIM, I will feel rotten if I lose and a human coach gets bumped from the playoffs but there's little I can do under present engine. I'm trying to win but doubt if I will. If SIM teams gets the random big plays then I lose and a human coach finishing in top 32 loses a playoff spot. You can explain to him how this happened.
11/19/2010 1:29 PM (edited)