NCAA: Ideas Running Low
The interceptions in this game are starting to drain the fun out of it for me. I simply cannot play a game on All American difficulty even with the INT slider at 0 and Awareness lowered below 50 without picking of at least 3 passes per game. I just turned off an OSU/ Illinos game where I picked off 4 passes in the first half. These aren’t User picks, either. Just plays by my AI secondary. It’s just crazy. The CPU QBs complete more passes this year than ever before, but they are usually either complete, picked off, or dropped by a defender. It’s the same old thing. The fact that passes are rarely just flat out off target is something that has been needed for years; the difference this year is that instead of balls bouncing off a cornerback’s hands — they’re actually picking them off with more regularity.
When I boost the difficulty to Heisman, this lowers the INT rate to 2 per game (usually) which is still too high because it happens every single game, but I also think Heisman level throws other parts of the game out of whack a bit. I have played about 5 exhibition games and I’m just about through the regular season schedule in my OSU dynasty and I have yet to play a game, AA or Heisman, without at least 2 picks against the CPU.
If anyone has found the magical slider setting to lower INTs I am all ears. Maybe Knockdowns play a role? I hate to lower Awareness any further because the CPU picks me apart already; it’s just that they throw in the INTs left and right. But I give up a lot of yards in the air as is.
July 25th, 2007 at 12:35 pm
Bill - just read something that made me think about an issue I’ve wondered about before — the actual length of games. How long is it taking you to play a full game. I hear that 7-8 min quarters run about an hour or more (which may be typical for NCAA games in years past, too.) For the player with ever-shrinking time slots to play, do you think anything could be done about that? I think I can play other sports games (basketball, hockey, soccer) in more like 30 minutes. Is this just a football issue?
Pete
July 25th, 2007 at 12:41 pm
Bill,
I’ve been using a modified version of Playmakers sliders found below. I’ve put the interceptions to 0 with great success so far. Let us know if this works for you:
HUMAN/CPU
QBA-50/100
PASS BLK-25/25
WR CATCH-50/50
RB ABLTY-50/100
RUN BLK-25/25
DEFENSIVE SLIDERS
AWR-10/100
KNDWS-25/25
INT-10/10
BRK BLK-10/10
TKL-25/100
July 25th, 2007 at 12:52 pm
Yeow is that a 100 CPU QB Accuracy? Do they ever miss?
Pete, yeah I play on 8 min quarter and it takes a little over an hour. I think it’s the nature of the sport. If you want a realistic play count I dunno how to get around that.
July 25th, 2007 at 3:02 pm
someone said to try int at zero and knockdowns at 100
July 25th, 2007 at 3:17 pm
Not to be a smartass, but you could always play AP Football 2k8… Ok, so that was being a smartass, but seriously, it is such a better game.
July 25th, 2007 at 3:20 pm
yeah the db ai in apf is really good - just throw the corner route time after time after time after time
July 25th, 2007 at 3:50 pm
They need a way to simulate the actual game clock tick down on play calling. You can’t recreate getting all your guys back to the huddle. Getting the sign from the coach, calling the play. all that takes 20-30 seconds in real life. That is time off the game clock that doesn’t tick off far as I can tell. Guess I havnt really paid attention. Its my only explanation why it takes so damn long to play a game. It really is getting too long. Can you save midpoint? You cant sim to end on the PS3.
July 25th, 2007 at 4:13 pm
Oh wow, really? That Super Sim feature on the 360 saves the game for me. Really does. No mid game save, though, which is a shame.
(I have set Knockdowns to 100 and INT to 0..I think it’s an AWR and QB ACC issue)
July 25th, 2007 at 8:36 pm
Lower your expectations.
Then you’ll achieve serenity.
July 25th, 2007 at 8:37 pm
srudoff,
You must be thinking of some other game. 2k5 perhaps? Or maybe you are playing on pro level or below, because I guarantee you that you can’t do that on all pro.
July 25th, 2007 at 9:49 pm
Yes, you can Super Sim in the PS3 version. I love it.
July 25th, 2007 at 10:44 pm
I’m wondering if EA purposely updated the DB AI to get more interceptions to tout their new “highlight” feature. It would make sense that they would want more big plays, to make the easportsworld website more popular, and so forth.
I’m hoping Bill can find the cure…
July 25th, 2007 at 11:22 pm
I have the INTs under control, but stopping the pass is next to impossible with my slider set.
I stated using the set that Marc posted as a base. I immediately turned QB accuracy down. There is no way that should be THAT high.
I turned down CPU WR catching ability too. I deal with a lot of drops as a result, but they make the overall QB lines look realistic.
Increasing knockdowns isnt the answer, IMO. That allows the DBs to get to the ball, which means a higher chance of a pick. Leave the knockdowns alone and focus on QB accuracy and WR catching ability. That should fix the INT problem. Next up is stopping the pass…
If anyone wants my slider set, then you can email me at ramsey7 at hotmail.
July 26th, 2007 at 6:54 am
I think Jrams and Marc are both onto something.
The truly hilarious thing — I see more variety from the CPU passing game on VARSITY level. I may start there and work up from that.
July 26th, 2007 at 8:48 am
This is so deja vu. Every year EA releases their football games and people spend months trying to tweak sliders so that they play right. Thanks to people like Bill,we get close but there is always something that you have to live with if you want to keep playing the game. That’s why I have been touting APF. On All Pro default sliders it plays better than any football game I have played in years.
July 26th, 2007 at 10:51 am
I’ve played about 30+ games of APF on legend, trust me the corner route is a money play. That and a few other DB AI gafes is directly carried over from APF.
The 2K Defense force is out in strength this year, it is killing them that NCAA is actually a good game. Yeah it’s not perfect, but it is really good.
So Flying Norsemen take you 13 yeard old my game isb etter then yours crap somewhere else. Because while APF is a really good game, it has plenty of problems of its own to deal with.
July 26th, 2007 at 1:03 pm
2K fans are mad because they think NCAA is good? Really? I think the 2K/EA thing is a lot less dramatic than people think it is.
I think the vast majority of people just want a good football game.
July 26th, 2007 at 2:02 pm
Wow dan that is compelling anecdotal evidence. Of course, we could always play sometime and see if you are right.
Bill is right. People just want a good football game. I couldn’t care less who makes it. Right now, in my humble opinion, APF is it. I am anxious to see if EA have improved Madden enough to make me want to play it for more than a couple weeks this year.
July 26th, 2007 at 2:05 pm
I am just to the point in NCAA where I just expect to get at least 2 picks every game. Bare minimum. I haven’t touched APF, but if the corner route is a money play, and that play has always been a huge problem with the 2K games, at least you can avoid it by not calling it. A shit solution, yeah, but how do you stop the AI from throwing INT after INT?
July 26th, 2007 at 9:37 pm
Your right norsemen it was no match against your guarantee it can’t happen. That was such a fine case on your part.
To be specific I was talking about playing against the AI. I would hope a smart human player would take away a route that worked that much.
An bill while the vast majority of people, myself included want a good game. Someone who comes into a NCAA post and just says APF is such a better game is clearly not one of them.
Oh and for the record, i enjoy APF a lot more at this point then NCAA. I wouldn’t play that many games of something I hated.
July 27th, 2007 at 8:48 am
Touche Dan. My comments were in a tongue and cheek vein and you obviously interpreted them as something else. Anyway, I have tried to exploit the route you are talking about in APF and haven’t been able to, but that was with a bronze receiver so maybe that has something to do with it.