The return of EA Sports College Football

[Mierin]

I think the algorithm for who wins a game is pretty crappy. I expect to be upset sometimes, but when I let the sim control it, I think my record when my player score is higher and my record is higher is only 25% wins. 

Eg today I was 4-4 (with better records and player score in all the losses) and I lost to 2-6 OSU. Then the next week at 4-5 I lost to 2-7 NW. Either the algorithm gives way too good of a chance to the crappier team, or it knows about Nebraska’s curse. 

Also, it once had Charlotte vs. KSU in the national championship game. 

 

[Mierin]

No one can convince me there isn’t bias added into the player and team algorithms, or at a minimum they screwed up on how the simulations are affected by a change in team record and overall player ranking average. 

An example for player is I just beat Texas 45-0. Arch Manning was 5-11 for 100 yards, 2 ints, and he rushed 9 times for -48 yards. That was in week 1 and after week 1 was done, Manning was #3 in the Heisman watch list. My QB outplayed him and was not on the list. 

As far as team sims go, when I have a higher overall rating and better record, and the other team is halfway decent, I think my winning % in simulations is something like 20%. I honestly thing the devs screwed it up to not update based on new average player score. I think it’s treating Nebraska like they still have an 84 ranking and are 5-7. 

 

[Enhance]

No one can convince me there isn’t bias added into the player and team algorithms, or at a minimum they screwed up on how the simulations are affected by a change in team record and overall player ranking average. 

My money is on poor game design because I've run into precisely the same issues.

I had Raiola for three seasons before he went to the NFL. In those three seasons, he average 55 TD's, 5 INT's, and 4,500+ yards passing per season before the award week. Never once won the Heisman, finishing third at best in his junior year behind a WR from the FSU I think that had 1,300 yards receiving and 11 TD's. I let it slide his freshman year because I thought sure, give it to an upper classmen. But it was asinine and unrealistic that he never won.

And team rankings are still all over the place nonsensical. Pretty sure I just played against a 14th ranked Oregon squad that was 3-3, with some bad losses and not very sexy wins. Interestingly, recruiting is probably the most savvy element of dynasty mode right now. Yeah there's some dumb flips and schools that come out of nowhere to snipe my recruits sometimes but that's also just life.

 

[Decked]

Recruiting seems to be much easier. Especially now that you can actually schedule visits. Passing seems to be a little more difficult. Partially due to easier DL play and it seems that DBs in particular are even better. They are able to just cover so much ground in a short time frame. 

 

[Mavric]

Recruiting seems to be much easier. Especially now that you can actually schedule visits. Passing seems to be a little more difficult. Partially due to easier DL play and it seems that DBs in particular are even better. They are able to just cover so much ground in a short time frame. 

It doesn't seem to me that you can throw intermediate passes - especially against zone - without a huge chance of getting them intercepted.  You either have to throw short or deep.

 

[Decked]

It doesn't seem to me that you can throw intermediate passes - especially against zone - without a huge chance of getting them intercepted.  You either have to throw short or deep.

100%. Something I have noticed too. Safetys tend to cheat up a bit or bait you on those intermediate throws especially in the middle. Deep balls they are slow reacting. If you have a WR/RB with any ounce of speed those short throws are deadly. But if you as a user play zone/under as a LB those are quickly erased. Has worked well playing against my buddies in dynasty. Deep cover 3 zone to take out guys just running a go or some kind of deep route and play LB/adjust DL and run out of a dime package. Worked well both for computer and user. 

 

[Enhance]

Once you get adept at doing some basic coverage identification and understanding some of the weaknesses of the AI, all three levels of the passing game get a lot easier.

The trouble with intermediate routes is that the AI defense, in my opinion, appears to prioritize taking those routes away. The plus side to this is it leaves a lot of shallow crossing routes open. Most of my hay is made off cross/drive routes, curl routes, and sideline post routes where you can drop a ball in behind the corner and in front of the deep safety. I've also been working a lot harder on my pass touch recently since I had a tendency to either loft or fire passes at first with the revamped system.

Also, anytime you see a CB in press coverage and a single high safety, or even a Cover 2, audible your outside WR's to streak routes. 80-90% of the time even it will be a touchdown. Streak routes are kind of broken right now.

 

[ZRod]

There's a fumble glitch that calls the play dead as soon as either team recovers the ball. Zero opportunity to advance it.

 

[Mavric]

Once you get adept at doing some basic coverage identification and understanding some of the weaknesses of the AI, all three levels of the passing game get a lot easier.

The trouble with intermediate routes is that the AI defense, in my opinion, appears to prioritize taking those routes away. The plus side to this is it leaves a lot of shallow crossing routes open. Most of my hay is made off cross/drive routes, curl routes, and sideline post routes where you can drop a ball in behind the corner and in front of the deep safety. I've also been working a lot harder on my pass touch recently since I had a tendency to either loft or fire passes at first with the revamped system.

Also, anytime you see a CB in press coverage and a single high safety, or even a Cover 2, audible your outside WR's to streak routes. 80-90% of the time even it will be a touchdown. Streak routes are kind of broken right now.

So ... basically ... throw short or throw deep.   Like I said.  

 

[Mierin]

I can't do anything to get Raiola to stay his Sr. year, even when I put points into increasing the % of keeping players wanting to go to the draft early. And he's the highest rated QB I've ever had. He was 97 his Jr. year. Typically I can only get to ~93 even with a 5-star QB. I don't know if length of time playing increases XP. I've just be doing 3 minute quarters.

One really illogical thing happened to me at the end of last season. I had this 3rd string RB who always wanted more playing time so I was trying to get him in occasionally. He had a good score and I thought he would end up as #2 in the next season. My starter was a Jr. The starter left early for the draft, and the 3rd string transferred. It made no sense because he would have been the starter the next season. I guess if I wanted to replay the season I'd just put him in as the #2 RB.

 

[The Dude]

Also, it once had Charlotte vs. KSU in the national championship game. 

Weird.  I played against Charlotte in the national championship game.  One of the devs must be an alum.  

It also cracks me up when I see a team win 31-10 in overtime. 

 

[The Dude]

I can't do anything to get Raiola to stay his Sr. year

I don't know how I did it, but I have him as a Senior.  His junior year he was 1 of 4 Huskers that were Heisman finalists.  The other 3 finalists graduated and he stayed.  I didn't do anything to coax him to stay.  I sim most of that stuff.  I sim all the recruiting.  :lol:

 

[Enhance]

I can't do anything to get Raiola to stay his Sr. year, even when I put points into increasing the % of keeping players wanting to go to the draft early. And he's the highest rated QB I've ever had. He was 97 his Jr. year. Typically I can only get to ~93 even with a 5-star QB. I don't know if length of time playing increases XP. I've just be doing 3 minute quarters.

I think a lot of it comes down to how the game weights draft eligibility alongside a player's overall rating (since the overall is what determines their round projection). In my experience so far through six seasons, any Jr. with an overall above 96-97 is pretty much guaranteed to leave no matter what skills you have. It's probably like a 1/100 chance or 1/20 chance to retain.

I also don't know if XP gains correlate to time played or specific KPI's (e.g. if throwing five touchdowns in a 20 min. game is worth more XP than three touchdowns in a 12 min. game). I would think throwing more TD's in a longer game would net more XP but that could also be exploited, so there could be a per-game cap. Apparently Dynasty mode was initially going to allow you to individually update player skills as you wanted but the feature was removed due to lack of dev time. If it had been kept, it might've helped us better understand how the XP works.

 

[Mierin]

Weird.  I played against Charlotte in the national championship game.  One of the devs must be an alum.  

It also cracks me up when I see a team win 31-10 in overtime. 

I don't know how I did it, but I have him as a Senior.  His junior year he was 1 of 4 Huskers that were Heisman finalists.  The other 3 finalists graduated and he stayed.  I didn't do anything to coax him to stay.  I sim most of that stuff.  I sim all the recruiting.  :lol:

Speaking of glitches, I was playing Oklahoma at Nebraska, and Nebraska scored a TD, and Herbstreit said what a great scoring drive Oklahoma had put together. I thought I heard it wrong but then he made an additional comment on it. Maybe because the stadiums have the same name?

I love recruiting. I sim the boring games but do all of the recruiting. I’ve had 2 DTs win heismans but I can’t get a QB heisman. 

 

[Mierin]

Anyone have tips for defending against Verticals?

I decided to play online as Nebraska and did vs. any rated team. Got #3 Texas. I could tell my opponent was an a$$h@!e. Stopping to have his players gloat constantly (like, before the play was over), always going for 2, doing onside kicks once he got up 16-0. 

Then I scored a TD and it was 16-8, then he got up 22-8 using the Verticals play and the guy was wide open. 

I scored again, 22-15. Then 28-15 with the Verticals play again. 

28-22

I drain down 4.5 minutes running and throwing quick passes, but score a TD with 1.5 mins left to go up 29-28. He does the GD Verticals play. I actually ended up with a chance to win it with 1 sec left but got sacked. 

I tried a few diff formations but it’s like Texas’s WR is just a god that no “lowly” Nebraska CB could possibly ever stop from scoring a TD on every single play.