difficultys

[templedog]

what is the most realistic?

I started out playing 7 minutes on allstar...and my lead tackler on D would get about 7 a game...but I was winning games like crazy so I went to ALL Madden difficulty...but not sure what time limit would be best for realistic stat outcomes...

any ideas? what do you all play on? and does your stats compare decently to the rest of the league?

[MLB58]

what is the most realistic?

I started out playing 7 minutes on allstar...and my lead tackler on D would get about 7 a game...but I was winning games like crazy so I went to ALL Madden difficulty...but not sure what time limit would be best for realistic stat outcomes...

any ideas? what do you all play on? and does your stats compare decently to the rest of the league?

This is my opinion and my opinion only and I know it contradicts what most people on this site do but here it goes: There is NOTHING you can do to make this game realistic in franchise mode. In years past I have messed with sliders, difficulties, time, acc clock, etc till I was dizzy with confusion. The bottom line is, in franchise mode, you and your team will adapt to anything you do to the game. Even if you play on All-Madden with crazy slider settings, by year 5 of your franchise you'll be 16-0, win the Super Bowl, and be blowing teams out 50-0. You will adapt. If you only play single games it's different, but in a franchise your team will become a super power no matter what limitations you impose on yourself. That has been my experience anyway.

Some people get around this by simming a lot of games and that makes sense. Then your players don't progress as much and your team might not win as much. I sim pre and post season but play all regular season games.

My solution and advice is simple: have fun with the game and play it the way you enjoy it most. I gave up searching for true realism long ago, but I do try a little. I play All-Pro with 5 minute qtrs, all sliders default. I get between 45-60 plays per game on offense, but defensively it's not even close to reality. I think I've laid out how I run my team a couple of times here, but basically I just do whats fun for me, which is finding players I like and and watching them have good careers. I try to aim for 200 yds passing for my QB per game and 2 TDs, which easily puts him in the pro bowl, usually he ends up with more than that. I try for 70 ypg for my starting HB and a TD, so that's like 1000 yds + and 16 TDs, again an all pro usually. Of course it's easy to get much more than that, but I try to get other players involved rather than just throwing for 400 ypg or running my #1 HB 30 times. It's all about what you want to do with the game and YOUR team.

[Theo]

what is the most realistic?

I started out playing 7 minutes on allstar...and my lead tackler on D would get about 7 a game...but I was winning games like crazy so I went to ALL Madden difficulty...but not sure what time limit would be best for realistic stat outcomes...

any ideas? what do you all play on? and does your stats compare decently to the rest of the league?
dunno man
I play 6 min. all pro.
It's the most fun to me. Rest, I dont care.

I play most matches, sim some pre season. Sim some games I dont like.
Think I play 2 pre season, and 10 regular season games.
Wild Card I sim.
Conf final. play and super bowl I play.
Sometimes I fun around with the Pro Bowl... but thats nnothing.

Just do what looks fine and most fun.

[templedog]

good posts guys, I do about the same things...It's just I like realism, but if that is not even close to possible...I guess I'll just do what you guys are doin...when I do ALL Madden I throw too many interceptions....if it wernt for the INTS...everything else is fine...but the INTS piss me off sooo much it isnt much fun...

[MLB58]

good posts guys, I do about the same things...It's just I like realism, but if that is not even close to possible...I guess I'll just do what you guys are doin...when I do ALL Madden I throw too many interceptions....if it wernt for the INTS...everything else is fine...but the INTS piss me off sooo much it isnt much fun...

I wouldn't say it's not close to possible. Some aspect of the game are kind of realistic. I guess it depends on your "realism threshhold". Madden is a blast and I really enjoy it, but it has a long, long, way to go to be anything resembling a realistic football experience by my standards. Technology itself has to improve a ton for that to happen. I just think that in a realistic football game I should sometimes lose, and that never happens. The CPU just needs to be smarter and make better decisions. Any person who learns the game, especially if you ever played football or have any real world football knowledge, will always be smarter and better than the CPU. Every game I play I see little things, not glitches mind you but just the way the game is, where I think of how different it is from real football. Madden is awesome and a lot of fun, I just think anyone searching for realistic football is wasting their time and maybe missing the point.

My experience with All Madden level is always the same. Players act in un-natural ways and that makes the game silly to me. It may be more challenging in a video game sort of way. Actually, in a lot of ways All Madden level reminds me of old video games, where the game was the same as you increased in difficulty but the computer started to make it harder by making things go faster or somehow making it harder for you to react to. So, instead of adopting better strategy and better football knowledge, a human player compensates by learning the little nuances of the CPU that tell you when and where to do what it takes to win. All Madden actually inspires you to play in a cheesy kind of way. For instance, like you said, you throw a lot of INTs calling logical plays and throwing to guys who seem pretty open to you. But the CPU does something crazy every time and somehow intercepts the pass. So what do you do? Suddenly you're saying "Okay, now would be a great time to call this play but I know the CPU will do something ridiculous and pick off my pass." So you start ruling out plays that make total sense because they are just not possible on AM level. You'll still win, but it's dumb. You aren't thinking it a football way anymore, you are now thinking in a video game way. That just sucks. What we need is a game with All-Pro type physics, but a way, way, WAY smarter CPU. I just dont think the technology is there yet.

[Elandil Eldaron]

Ok here is my take :)
I like realism too, so i have tried adjusting sliders and so on. Right now i like the difficulty and realism level i'm playing with. But of course i like to play realistic in my gameplan and playcalling and not cheesing the all way.

I play in All Pro, 7 mn, no acc clock. I play all the games except for pre season.
Sliders : I bump up a little the in game injury sliders, it helps get injuries rate that it is more realistic for your team, and not play with your dream team starters all year. Pretty much like all NFL team, you will play some game with your back up QB, your 3rd stringer RB and so an. I think it's realistic and fun, and some players rise to the occasion.
Then the AI sliders, i bump the sliders max for the CPU offense, pass protection, RB ability, etc... Then i bump up a little bit of my pass protection and run blocking, i would say 2 pts. Then i lower both human and CPu interceptions. As i usually play a Dline, it's the AI that make plays in the secondary for me, so i want to get rid of those games where i have 6 picks, it's just unrealistic if it happens all the time, now my Dbs get some picks but usually they swat the ball. Same thing for the CPU that jump on every ball and get an INT returned for a TD.

But of course like MLB58 is saying, everyone enjoy Madden a different way depending on your skill level and realistic way of playing. So some people won't have fun playing with my settings, but i hope it could give a hint for those who likes to play with realistic stats.

[baseballtr7]

if u really want to play realisticly, play online. Or acctually, go sign up to help coach ur local highschool or popwarner football team.

[MLB58]

if u really want to play realisticly, play online. Or acctually, go sign up to help coach ur local highschool or popwarner football team.

I don't know about the online part b/c I've never done it, but it does seem like the game would be better against a human opponent.

And I totally agree with your other statement too. Go coach, or even try out for a semi-pro team. That is where real football is. Madden is fun, but it is what it is.

[crisco]

I only play on All-Madden now. I had been afraid to make the jump form all-pro to all-madden for years, but I finally took the plunge this go-around and I'm not looking back.

All-pro was just way too easy. I imagine that All-madden will eventually get way too easy for me as well. Most games I win, and win relatively big still, but there are some games where it's close, and there are a few games I've actually lost because I made bad decisions.

The only thing that really sucks is that it's hard to run the ball consistantly(for me) unless you have a good Oline, but really that's how it should be. I can pass the ball w/o much regards for the oline cuz I get the ball out so quick.

The only thing I find unrealistic about all-madden is the tackling. It's really hard to break tackles, even if it's just a weak corner one on one, but I can deal.

[templedog]

Im going to go all madden, but I hate throwing so many INTS. I can win on all madden, but it is every sloppy. I throw about 3-4 ints a game...and even when I had the greats offensiveline in the game...the running game still struggles with tomlinson.

all madden is just as fake as all pro I guess.....

I dont want to coach because I hate kids.

[MLB58]

I dont want to coach because I hate kids.

Yeah, but if you are the coach you can make them run until they puke. :D

[Elandil Eldaron]

if u really want to play realisticly, play online. Or acctually, go sign up to help coach ur local highschool or popwarner football team.

I play Madden on gamecube, not sure i can play online. But well, by reading some threads on this board, i'm not sure, people that like playing realistic would like to play online with all the glitches, the people that use dime all day long and so on, maybe there are some people that play fair online, but it seems that most plays for their rank.

In fact, in my local high school, we don't play American football, what you call football is soccer in Europe, and American Football is not at all popular in Europe... But if you can get me a coaching job in the US with of course a VISA, i would love to come coach your local school :D