A few things came up today so I wanted to address them and make sure that we are all on the same page going forward.
Play Calling
We all know that we should mix it up, but what does that consist of?
HB Screen, Draws, Counters - Should only be used 2-4 times per game. The reason being, these are contsraint plays to either punish a defense for doing one thing or to force them into doing something different to open up other plays. At time, the CPU AI doesn't react to these plays well so they should be limited for that reason as well.
Play Action and Option (Read, Triple, Speed), Veer, etc) - Should likely be limited to 6-8 times per game. These are certainly more common plays, especially in certain offenses, but they shouldn't necessarily be staple plays (plays that your offense is built around). Again, the CPU has trouble with some of these (especially the read option) so we shouldn't exploit it.
Slants, Curls, Drags, Posts and Corners - Should be limited to 4-5 completions per route. In real life, the players will pattern read much more effectively than they do in game. However, the CPU DBs just stand and watch sometimes so we don't want to exploit that either.
We are just trying to "sim"ulate real life gameplay and create the most realistic playing environment that we can.
Playbooks
All playbooks should be indicated in the designated playbook thread (offense and defense). There are to be used all season vs both users and the CPU. Why? Realism. Teams recruit and practice for their specific scheme all year. They do not suddenly get a new coordinator or new group of personnel one week.
With that being said, I will allow playbook changes prior to bowl games. Teams generally have a month to prepare for bowl games so if you are in a playbook that isn't working for you or need a new scheme to stop a specific type of attack then you can change at that time. You can also change in the offseason.
Restarts
Generally, 99% of restarts are user related. I know we get "servers unavailable" messages and the like, but almost every time it is due to a user's connection. This comes from EA through an EA Game Changer. EA has significantly upgraded their servers so issues on their side are far less frequent. Keep that in mind going forward.
To limit the possibility of a restart, reset (unplug for 30 seconds) your modem or router periodically. Before each game is ideal but not always necessary. Also, if you are on wifi, make sure all other wifi using devices are turned off or deactivated from wifi. The more strain you put on the connection, the more likely you are to have issues. Also, even if hard wired, downloading or streaming music, videos, etc will severely strain your connection. Leave that for after the game.
From this point forward, any restart needs to be approved by me. I think we all have smartphones so take a 5-10 video of the freeze, explain what happened and send it to me. I'm going to limit restarts vs the CPU to only 1 (one) time per season with accompanying video. After that, if you need to restart, it will be simmed. Also, when playing a user game, if you are losing and the game disconnects, your opponent will be allowed to finish vs the CPU.
Sure, a legitimate issue could occur but you'll just have to chalk it up to bad luck. Just do everything you can o ensure your connection is as strong as possible. I just don't want there to be any question as to whether someone was disconnecting on purpose. This will alleviate that.
Advances
Generally we will advance within 48 hours. If someone needs an extra day, that can be arranged provided thee is prior notice (mentioning prior to or shortly after advancing to the week in need of an extension). I will also add an extra day when we have several user games. However, everyone should make their best effort to play within 48 hours of advance. Sometimes life gets hectic and you just can't play within the deadline. It happens. Please just be flexible and put yourself on auto-pilot for that week so as not to hold up the rest of the league.
Closing
We are all here to have fun and enjoy our favorite sport. We all need to realize that this is just a video game though at times too. Real life can get in the way and it may cost someone a shot at a championship, Heisman, etc. No biggie. Its just a game. Let's all just remember why we are here and respect the league and our league mates along the way.
Good luck the rest of the year!
Play Calling
We all know that we should mix it up, but what does that consist of?
HB Screen, Draws, Counters - Should only be used 2-4 times per game. The reason being, these are contsraint plays to either punish a defense for doing one thing or to force them into doing something different to open up other plays. At time, the CPU AI doesn't react to these plays well so they should be limited for that reason as well.
Play Action and Option (Read, Triple, Speed), Veer, etc) - Should likely be limited to 6-8 times per game. These are certainly more common plays, especially in certain offenses, but they shouldn't necessarily be staple plays (plays that your offense is built around). Again, the CPU has trouble with some of these (especially the read option) so we shouldn't exploit it.
Slants, Curls, Drags, Posts and Corners - Should be limited to 4-5 completions per route. In real life, the players will pattern read much more effectively than they do in game. However, the CPU DBs just stand and watch sometimes so we don't want to exploit that either.
We are just trying to "sim"ulate real life gameplay and create the most realistic playing environment that we can.
Playbooks
All playbooks should be indicated in the designated playbook thread (offense and defense). There are to be used all season vs both users and the CPU. Why? Realism. Teams recruit and practice for their specific scheme all year. They do not suddenly get a new coordinator or new group of personnel one week.
With that being said, I will allow playbook changes prior to bowl games. Teams generally have a month to prepare for bowl games so if you are in a playbook that isn't working for you or need a new scheme to stop a specific type of attack then you can change at that time. You can also change in the offseason.
Restarts
Generally, 99% of restarts are user related. I know we get "servers unavailable" messages and the like, but almost every time it is due to a user's connection. This comes from EA through an EA Game Changer. EA has significantly upgraded their servers so issues on their side are far less frequent. Keep that in mind going forward.
To limit the possibility of a restart, reset (unplug for 30 seconds) your modem or router periodically. Before each game is ideal but not always necessary. Also, if you are on wifi, make sure all other wifi using devices are turned off or deactivated from wifi. The more strain you put on the connection, the more likely you are to have issues. Also, even if hard wired, downloading or streaming music, videos, etc will severely strain your connection. Leave that for after the game.
From this point forward, any restart needs to be approved by me. I think we all have smartphones so take a 5-10 video of the freeze, explain what happened and send it to me. I'm going to limit restarts vs the CPU to only 1 (one) time per season with accompanying video. After that, if you need to restart, it will be simmed. Also, when playing a user game, if you are losing and the game disconnects, your opponent will be allowed to finish vs the CPU.
Sure, a legitimate issue could occur but you'll just have to chalk it up to bad luck. Just do everything you can o ensure your connection is as strong as possible. I just don't want there to be any question as to whether someone was disconnecting on purpose. This will alleviate that.
Advances
Generally we will advance within 48 hours. If someone needs an extra day, that can be arranged provided thee is prior notice (mentioning prior to or shortly after advancing to the week in need of an extension). I will also add an extra day when we have several user games. However, everyone should make their best effort to play within 48 hours of advance. Sometimes life gets hectic and you just can't play within the deadline. It happens. Please just be flexible and put yourself on auto-pilot for that week so as not to hold up the rest of the league.
Closing
We are all here to have fun and enjoy our favorite sport. We all need to realize that this is just a video game though at times too. Real life can get in the way and it may cost someone a shot at a championship, Heisman, etc. No biggie. Its just a game. Let's all just remember why we are here and respect the league and our league mates along the way.
Good luck the rest of the year!