Bill's v3 Realism Sliders

[billharris44]

PLEASE NOTE: THESE ARE FRANCHISE SLIDERS.

NEW December 17: UPDATED PLAY SLIDERS (balanced for Patch #2)
NOTES:
1. The Middle Return on Kickoffs/Punts is successful so often that it should be considered an exploit. Choose Left or Right return.
2. The sprint button is an exploit, particularly on outside running plays. No sliders will be able to compensate for abuse of sprint.
3. The CPU has much more time to pass than the Human player to compensate for its slow decision making. In a game with comparable OL/DL, you will have to blitz to get any kind of decent pressure on the QB.
4. These sliders are hard, at least for most people. If you find that they're too difficult, here are a few "complimentary pairs" of sliders that can be adjusted (I recommend in steps of 5) without unbalancing the game:
Pass blocking and Pass rushing
Run blocking and block shedding
Broken tackles and tackling

CHANGE LOG:
March 9--changed CPU break tackle from 35 to 30
March 9--changed CPU QB Acc from 12 to 10
I felt like there were just too many broken tackles from the CPU, and the CPU QB was also going into "Robo QB" mode too often (accuracy was just too good). These changes do make the sliders slightly easier, so if you're already beating up on the CPU, I wouldn't recommend making these changes

***********"PLAY SLIDERS*********** (Coach mode sliders are further down. These sliders are for people who actively control their players during the game instead of just calling plays.)
GAME OPTIONS
Quarter length: 11
Play clock: On
Accel clock runoff: 15 seconds
Injuries: 100
Fatigue: 60
Game speed: Fast* (game balance will not be the same at other speed settings)
Player min speed thresh: 70
Camera angle: Wide
Fight For the Fumble: Off

PENALTIES:
Offside 100
False Start 100
Holding 52 (very touchy--don't go higher than this)
Facemask 62
Def PI 100
Off PI 100
KR/PR Int 70
Clipping 75
Int Grounding 70
Rough Passer 75
Rough Kicker 75

PLAYER SKILL
Note: at first, it looks like there are only four sliders. Press "A" on each to access the sub-settings (thanks to Bill Abner for the tip).
Passing:
QB Accuracy 7
Pass Blocking 25
WR Catching 40
Rushing:
Broken Tackles 25 (set this lower if you control RB and use the truck stick)
Run Blocking 15
Fumbles 26
Pass Defense:
Reaction Time 25
Interceptions 0
Pass Rushing 50
Rush Defense:
Reaction Time 30
Block Shedding 0
Tackling 40

CPU SKILL
Passing:
QB Accuracy 10 (originally 12--see change log at top)
Pass Blocking 75
WR Catching 45
Rushing:
Broken Tackles 30 (originally 35--see change log at top)
Run Blocking 80
Fumbles 26
Pass Defense:
Reaction Time 95
Interceptions 20
Pass Rushing 80
Rush Defense:
Reaction Time 63
Block Shedding 10
Tackling 45

SPECIAL TEAMS
FG Power 60
FG Accuracy 80
Punt Power 58
Punt Accuracy 100
Kickoff Power 35

************************************************** ****************
NEW MARCH 9: COACH MODE SLIDERS (POST-PATCH #2)
These sliders are balanced for Franchise mode, and they're supposed to be tough. In particular, it should be very tough to stop the CPU rush without "selling out" your defense (which makes it more vulnerable to the pass).

GAME OPTIONS
Quarter length: 11 (or 12, depending on how fast you call plays--you want 110-120 offensive plays a game)
Play clock: On
Accel clock runoff: 15 seconds
Injuries: 100
Fatigue: 60
Game speed: Fast* (game balance will not be the same at other speed settings)
Player min speed thresh: 70
Camera angle: Wide
Fight For the Fumble: Off

PENALTIES:
Offside 100
False Start 100
Holding 52 (very touchy--don't go higher than this)
Facemask 62
Def PI 100
Off PI 100
KR/PR Int 70
Clipping 75
Int Grounding 70
Rough Passer 75
Rough Kicker 75

PLAYER SKILL
Passing:
QB Accuracy 7
Pass Blocking 40
WR Catching 40
Rushing:
Broken Tackles 25
Run Blocking 30
Fumbles 26

Pass Defense:
Reaction Time 35
Interceptions 0
Pass Rushing 50

Rush Defense:
Reaction Time 30
Block Shedding 0
Tackling 40

CPU SKILL
Passing:
QB Accuracy 12
Pass Blocking 75
WR Catching 45

Rushing:
Broken Tackles 30
Run Blocking 80
Fumbles 26

Pass Defense:
Reaction Time 85
Interceptions 10
Pass Rushing 70

Rush Defense:
Reaction Time 55
Block Shedding 10
Tackling 45

SPECIAL TEAMS
FG Power 60
FG Accuracy 80
Punt Power 58
Punt Accuracy 100
Kickoff Power 35

[Homecourt]

Re: Bill's v3 Realism Sliders

Thanks for doing this Bill. V2 were pretty darn good so I'm looking forward to these. Hopefully there won't be too much more tweaking and testing so that you can get to playing the game =)

BTW I asked right at the end of the old thread about the game speed at very fast. That is what I thought you started out at based on stopwatch timing at the beginning. Out of curiousity, what made you switch to fast? What was the difference?

Thanks again ,

Matt

[SteelerSpartan]

Re: Bill's v3 Realism Sliders

] This setting is really cranked up from version one. CPU pass defense was just too weak, and this significantly improves the CPUs ability to cover receivers. Do not think that CPU pass coverage becomes psychic or something, because it doesn't.

yes it does......just go into practice mode and single up a DB on a Wr and run a In/Out route for a while...Its obvious

They all play better then Namdi does in real life, doesn't matter the matchup

[billharris44]

Re: Bill's v3 Realism Sliders

Matt,
It was comparing actual video footage of Devin Hester with his speed in the game. Here's the post from the original thread (I'll probably pull some of these research posts over). This is a copy of a post I made on my blog.
***
I received some very interesting e-mail after the original slider post. In particular, there were some excellent e-mails on player speed and how times at the scouting combine translate to speed on a football field. After several of these discussions, I realized that the idea of using combine times to establish top player speed was problematic. There are two huge advantages to using combine times--they're readily available, and the conditions are the same for everyone--but trying to calculate the proper adjustment to "football speed" is very subjective.

So let's try something else.

I spent a good part of the morning looking for clips of Devin Hester on YouTube. In particular, I found this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tI8oQ167Xio.

That video shows every kickoff and punt return for touchdowns by Devin Hester in the 2006-2007 NFL season. I wanted to see how quickly he could run 40 yards--not from a standing start, but when he was already running at or near top speed.

You can take a look for yourself, and damn, Devin Hester is fast.
1. First clip in the video, a punt return against the Packers. He doesn't run in exactly a straight line, but it's fairly close. Time from his 40 too the Packers' 20: 4.31 seconds.
2. At the 3:40 mark in the video, indoors against the Rams. Time from his 45 to the Rams' 15: 4.15 seconds. This is the clip where he's closest to running all out from the start of the timing window.
3. At the 5:40 mark, his time from the 40 to the opponent's 20: 4.35 seconds.

I found one more clip on an additional video and timed 4.35 there as well.

Okay, so we now have indisputable proof that Hester can run 40 yards on a football field, in pads, in 4.35 seconds (or faster). However, he's already running at speed (or fairly close) when the timing starts. So is there any way to duplicate this in the game?

I went back onto the practice field, but this time, instead of timing Hester from the Line of scrimmage, I timed him from 10 yards into his streak pattern--he wasn't quite at top speed yet, but he was close, and it's a good match for what I saw on the video.

Here are the times (yes, I timed him multiple times at each game speed):
Very Fast--4.25 seconds
Fast--4.40 to 4.45 seconds
Normal--4.6 seconds

I think you can make the case, since he was running an absolutely straight pattern in the game, that "Very Fast" is probably the closest match. However, "Fast" is very close as well. I think it's more a question of personal preference in terms of how you like the game to look and feel.

[mooch49]

Re: Bill's v3 Realism Sliders

great work. but what happens if i lower threshold a bit. maybe between 40-50. would that impact any sliders.

[billharris44]

Re: Bill's v3 Realism Sliders

yes it does......just go into practice mode and single up a DB on a Wr and run a In/Out route for a while...Its obvious

They all play better then Namdi does in real life

You can still throw at better than 60% completion rate almost every game. Just make your reads. :-)

[Homecourt]

Re: Bill's v3 Realism Sliders

Also,

In regards to fatigue and injury - particularly injury. The problem I'm forseeing there - at least for injuries is that there may be a discrepancy between the injuries that occur in simulation and in actual games. I wish that they had two sliders for that. I have mine at like 35 because there were just way too many season enders at 50. Even as low as I have it it seems excessive. But what that does for my in game injuries is cuts them to virtually nothing. Although Eric Weddle broke his arm and was out 4 weeks.


Curious to see what people are thinking in regards to those two sliders.

[LingeringRegime]

Re: Bill's v3 Realism Sliders

Bill, are you working on some Auto-Sub Sliders to go along with these?

[billharris44]

Re: Bill's v3 Realism Sliders

Someone who is compulsive as I am about this stuff is developing settings. I didn't feel like I could set up test conditions that would necessarily result in accurate settings. Fatigue and Subs are the two areas that seem to have the most unintended consequences from changing settings.

Homecourt, I simmed a season with Injuries at 50 and the results were highly variable by team. Some teams got hit pretty hard by injuries, by some had hardly any. You might check the other teams and see what their injury list looks like.

[LingeringRegime]

Re: Bill's v3 Realism Sliders

Someone who is compulsive as I am about this stuff is developing settings. I didn't feel like I could set up test conditions that would necessarily result in accurate settings. Fatigue and Subs are the two areas that seem to have the most unintended consequences from changing settings.

Homecourt, I simmed a season with Injuries at 50 and the results were highly variable by team. Some teams got hit pretty hard by injuries, by some had hardly any. You might check the other teams and see what their injury list looks like.

Sounds good.

[billharris44]

Re: Bill's v3 Realism Sliders

great work. but what happens if i lower threshold a bit. maybe between 40-50. would that impact any sliders.

Yes, it will. What it will do is increase the speed difference between players. At 40-50, there would be quite a bit more difference in the speed on the field. You can go into practice mode and test that out if you want to--pick a vertical route, just let the guys run down the field, then go into replay mode and see when the two outside receivers (they start from the same place) cross the 50. Check who wins and by how much. Then go in and lower that threshold setting and run the same play again, then check the replay. It may take one more play for the setting change to register, but you should definitely see a difference.

[C-Bus]

Re: Bill's v3 Realism Sliders

I was looking at your sliders and the amount of thought that is put into them is greatly appreciated. I noticed that a couple of ratings are missing such as I believe human rushing. There are several others that are missing as well. Thanks in advanced.

[ch46647]

Re: Bill's v3 Realism Sliders

Bill I appreciate all the work! I play on slow speed does that mean I cannot use these?

Thanks

[billharris44]

Re: Bill's v3 Realism Sliders

I was looking at your sliders and the amount of thought that is put into them is greatly appreciated. I noticed that a couple of ratings are missing such as I believe human rushing. There are several others that are missing as well. Thanks in advanced.

C-bus, you have to press "A" on those top-level categories to get to the sub-settings. That's where you put in the settings I listed.

[billharris44]

Re: Bill's v3 Realism Sliders

Bill I appreciate all the work! I play on slow speed does that mean I cannot use these?

Thanks

You can try them, but they'll be significantly different on slow, because speed is so important to everything that happens on the field. I found significant differences in the pass rush on different game speeds, for example.