This is only the first set of changes - we'll be adding more and I will update this post when we do. Also just because it is listed here does it mean it will be implemented. That will depend on what we see in testing.
- Made the vision checks for picking up blitzes a quite a fair bit harder, and increased the strength of disguise blitz and spot blitz.
- Gave LB's a bit of a bonus to doing the spin/rip agility move pass rushers can do.
- Gave blockers a snap delay similar to defense, based on their vision. They are quite a bit less likely to be delayed than the defense, though. Also, both offense and defense will now have reduced initial balance when they fail on their delay, to simulate them ending up on their heels by a faster reacting opponent.
- Added Mike's suggestion for deep zone reaction vs run. Now they have two levels of "read the run" vision check. If they pass the first, which is pretty easy, they will do a slow walk down to the bottom of their zone. The second is the normal reaction, though I made the vision check a little easier than it was.
- Made defenders in the box who have reacted to the play stick to side-to-side movement on pitches until the back gets moving outside of the tackles (no smashing right up the middle unless they're set to blitz)
- Fixed a couple spots where I think defender pre-reads vs the run were actually making them act stupider than if they just made the read in-play.
- Nerfed pump fake, buffed look off. Pump fake won't work against man any more except in the earliest few ticks of the play when they are still "facing" forward.
- Made avoid fake % do more vs, and reduced the overall fake length on jukes, catch & head fakes by a tick on route running.
- Made quick read a little more powerful as suggested. (go through progressions quicker)
- Gave a huge penalty specifically to catching a pass after it's been deflected, which can be avoided (sometimes) with the one handed catch ability.
- Buffed hurdle a bit more; seemed like it was still kinda weak IMO. It's basically a jumping-based equivalent to spin now, without the elusive slider bonus.
- Fiddled with QB avoidance routine a little. Main change is that I gave him a "push forward" vector when defenders come up even with him on the sides, so he steps up in to the pocket more now. This may affect rollout behavior some, since he'll probably find himself surrounded a bit more. Overall seemed more fluid real-worldy looking to me though.
And a sorta major change that needs some good testing out:
I added a bit of air resistance on passes as we talked about. I didn't go full real-world physics since the top players in the sim run and react faster than any real person, and real-life floaty passes just stayed up there too long. I kinda went about half of the real-world effect, and skipped the magnus force for now (we don't need curvy passes right now lol). Passes will now slow down as they fly, though, so long passes give more time for defense to catch up, and it's harder to hit the receiver right in stride the further out it goes, since the ball would eventually end up falling more and more straight down as it runs out of steam.
The Intercept pt calculation method on passing is pretty solid, so it should slot in fairly easily/well, and seems to work fine as far as I could tell, but there may be funny stuff here or there. From what I saw in my tests, deep passes ended up pretty hard to complete, unless the guy was wide open. They were always getting batted down.
Bolded for emphasis
I'm fairly iffy on whether or not to keep the physics change, since it does effect max QB throw distances in the end, and it may make deep passing too horrible, but I thought it was worth testing out and getting feedback, and it does directly affect the issue of deep passing being too easy to just fire downfield constantly. It's easy enough to disable/enable.
10/1 Additional changes being tested (air physics update has been turned off):
HB/FB/TE in/out route coverage issues
--updated the coverage on backs to try and help with the reports of "I can't cover in/out routes from the HB." I've made the coverage more willing to move in closer earlier, and they now play them straight up instead of inside or outside, so they will be less likely to be shaken one way or the other. Same for anybody who's not a WR (TE/FB).
Screen Passes
--Knocked off several ticks from the pass block length on the pulling linemen, so they only hold on for 2 or 3 ticks before heading out and chipping their way to their lead block points.
--Also, I added a 2 tick delay before the HB begins running his route.
--I also added block focus targets for the lead blockers just like an outside rush, so the lead blockers should focus on players outside the box.
--Also I extended the WR routes so they should lead their men further downfield.
--Codewise, I updated things so the QB can throw early if pressure gets high enough, as long the play has gone on for at least 1 second.
--Also upped the defense avoid radius for screens so QB should be willing to drop back more.
--Also, I have added screens to they play types that work with "pulling lineman" VA. Since they are so crappy, might as well add that bonus to something that makes sense and people are always asking about anyway.
--Also, all defenders (including coverage) ARE blockable and chippable already, assuming the blockers can catch them.
Short Passing
--The QB can make a vision check to read that there's an unassigned blitzer, and if there is, it increases the rate at which his acceptable risk values climb, increases pressure values, and decreases progression switch time. If he fails, of course, he will go on like it is now.
--I also lowered the thresholds for throw aways, since those pretty much never happen any more, and it seems to be because the thresholds are just too high. You have to have a tactics setting other than the highest one, though, for it to really ever come up. It's still probably pretty rare.
--I'm going to add an exclamation point icon for when the QB makes the read
Additional changes based on testing/feedback for Short Passing:
To fix "taking the sack too often:"
-- Increased the rollout/scramble thresholds when having made the blitz read. My guy with "scramble sometimes" didn't seem to take off very often at all.
To simulate "the defense is taken off guard by a quick throw:"
-- Gave a bonus to chance and duration of route running fakes (all kinds) when within 7 yds during the first 15 ticks of the play.
-- Gave a penalty to deflecting/intercepting/KLing the ball within 7 yds during the first 15 ticks.
To simulate the "timing throw" mechanism RL teams have that makes catching the ball easier:
-- Gave a bonus to PQ when making a throw within the first 15 ticks to a target within 7 yds
-- Reduced chance of a bad pass within the first 15 ticks when having read the blitz
-- Gave a bonus to catching passes during the first 15 ticks when within 7yds
- Made the vision checks for picking up blitzes a quite a fair bit harder, and increased the strength of disguise blitz and spot blitz.
- Gave LB's a bit of a bonus to doing the spin/rip agility move pass rushers can do.
- Gave blockers a snap delay similar to defense, based on their vision. They are quite a bit less likely to be delayed than the defense, though. Also, both offense and defense will now have reduced initial balance when they fail on their delay, to simulate them ending up on their heels by a faster reacting opponent.
- Added Mike's suggestion for deep zone reaction vs run. Now they have two levels of "read the run" vision check. If they pass the first, which is pretty easy, they will do a slow walk down to the bottom of their zone. The second is the normal reaction, though I made the vision check a little easier than it was.
- Made defenders in the box who have reacted to the play stick to side-to-side movement on pitches until the back gets moving outside of the tackles (no smashing right up the middle unless they're set to blitz)
- Fixed a couple spots where I think defender pre-reads vs the run were actually making them act stupider than if they just made the read in-play.
- Nerfed pump fake, buffed look off. Pump fake won't work against man any more except in the earliest few ticks of the play when they are still "facing" forward.
- Made avoid fake % do more vs, and reduced the overall fake length on jukes, catch & head fakes by a tick on route running.
- Made quick read a little more powerful as suggested. (go through progressions quicker)
- Gave a huge penalty specifically to catching a pass after it's been deflected, which can be avoided (sometimes) with the one handed catch ability.
- Buffed hurdle a bit more; seemed like it was still kinda weak IMO. It's basically a jumping-based equivalent to spin now, without the elusive slider bonus.
- Fiddled with QB avoidance routine a little. Main change is that I gave him a "push forward" vector when defenders come up even with him on the sides, so he steps up in to the pocket more now. This may affect rollout behavior some, since he'll probably find himself surrounded a bit more. Overall seemed more fluid real-worldy looking to me though.
And a sorta major change that needs some good testing out:
I added a bit of air resistance on passes as we talked about. I didn't go full real-world physics since the top players in the sim run and react faster than any real person, and real-life floaty passes just stayed up there too long. I kinda went about half of the real-world effect, and skipped the magnus force for now (we don't need curvy passes right now lol). Passes will now slow down as they fly, though, so long passes give more time for defense to catch up, and it's harder to hit the receiver right in stride the further out it goes, since the ball would eventually end up falling more and more straight down as it runs out of steam.
The Intercept pt calculation method on passing is pretty solid, so it should slot in fairly easily/well, and seems to work fine as far as I could tell, but there may be funny stuff here or there. From what I saw in my tests, deep passes ended up pretty hard to complete, unless the guy was wide open. They were always getting batted down.
Bolded for emphasis
I'm fairly iffy on whether or not to keep the physics change, since it does effect max QB throw distances in the end, and it may make deep passing too horrible, but I thought it was worth testing out and getting feedback, and it does directly affect the issue of deep passing being too easy to just fire downfield constantly. It's easy enough to disable/enable.
10/1 Additional changes being tested (air physics update has been turned off):
HB/FB/TE in/out route coverage issues
--updated the coverage on backs to try and help with the reports of "I can't cover in/out routes from the HB." I've made the coverage more willing to move in closer earlier, and they now play them straight up instead of inside or outside, so they will be less likely to be shaken one way or the other. Same for anybody who's not a WR (TE/FB).
Screen Passes
--Knocked off several ticks from the pass block length on the pulling linemen, so they only hold on for 2 or 3 ticks before heading out and chipping their way to their lead block points.
--Also, I added a 2 tick delay before the HB begins running his route.
--I also added block focus targets for the lead blockers just like an outside rush, so the lead blockers should focus on players outside the box.
--Also I extended the WR routes so they should lead their men further downfield.
--Codewise, I updated things so the QB can throw early if pressure gets high enough, as long the play has gone on for at least 1 second.
--Also upped the defense avoid radius for screens so QB should be willing to drop back more.
--Also, I have added screens to they play types that work with "pulling lineman" VA. Since they are so crappy, might as well add that bonus to something that makes sense and people are always asking about anyway.
--Also, all defenders (including coverage) ARE blockable and chippable already, assuming the blockers can catch them.
Short Passing
--The QB can make a vision check to read that there's an unassigned blitzer, and if there is, it increases the rate at which his acceptable risk values climb, increases pressure values, and decreases progression switch time. If he fails, of course, he will go on like it is now.
--I also lowered the thresholds for throw aways, since those pretty much never happen any more, and it seems to be because the thresholds are just too high. You have to have a tactics setting other than the highest one, though, for it to really ever come up. It's still probably pretty rare.
--I'm going to add an exclamation point icon for when the QB makes the read
Additional changes based on testing/feedback for Short Passing:
To fix "taking the sack too often:"
-- Increased the rollout/scramble thresholds when having made the blitz read. My guy with "scramble sometimes" didn't seem to take off very often at all.
To simulate "the defense is taken off guard by a quick throw:"
-- Gave a bonus to chance and duration of route running fakes (all kinds) when within 7 yds during the first 15 ticks of the play.
-- Gave a penalty to deflecting/intercepting/KLing the ball within 7 yds during the first 15 ticks.
To simulate the "timing throw" mechanism RL teams have that makes catching the ball easier:
-- Gave a bonus to PQ when making a throw within the first 15 ticks to a target within 7 yds
-- Reduced chance of a bad pass within the first 15 ticks when having read the blitz
-- Gave a bonus to catching passes during the first 15 ticks when within 7yds
Edited by Catch22 on Oct 1, 2012 21:36:22
Edited by Catch22 on Oct 1, 2012 21:35:58
Edited by Catch22 on Sep 30, 2012 08:25:59
like how did we get to this 
However, I am aware that this could be taken too far and will reserve complete judgement. 
