I haven't done film review of this game, and I'm not going to waste my time because that's what this game has become, a waste of time.

Here's my latest game from 75: https://private75.myfootballnow.com/box/view/1086

I don't mind losing. Really. I'm a competitive person, and I like winning, but sometimes you use. Typically eyeballlll and I have great games that are within a few points.

WHAT I DO MIND IS GIVING UP 400 RUNNING YARDS! AND WHAT I SPECIFICALLY HATE IS GIVING UP 312 YARDS WHEN KEYING RUN!

THAT IS STUPIDLY BROKEN.

For reference, my DL and LB rotation in that league goes like this.

LDE 250# - 100 Strength, 94 Run Defense
DT1 299# - 81 Strength, 88/100 Run Defense
DT2 300# - 61 Strength, 91/100 Run Defense
DT3 296# - 83 Strength, 76 Run Defense
RDE 273# - 100 Strength, 98 Run Defense
Swing DE 287# - 77 Strength, 60/91 Run Defense

SLB - 100 Speed, 28 Strength, 91 Tackle, 80 Run Defense
MLB - 71 Speed, 80 Strength, 71 Tackle, 93/100 Run Defense
WLB - 71 Speed, 71 Strength, 95/100 Tackle, 61/69 Run Defense

I know that Speed is stupid in the game and if a player is not 100 Speed at <200 pounds, he sucks. But as far as I can tell, my DL rotation should be able to hold up an entire game without getting gouged especially when I'm keying run!

I guess I'll just become a blitz 2 team like all the others.

Find someone else to review your film.

UPDATE: My opponent really had no problem defending the run by running a blitz heavy, M2M defense, that was in Pass Key basically the whole game. THIS IS WHAT YOUR GAME HAS BECOME.

Switch it back.....the small DEs are useless. My opponent In 75 ran counter weak out of the 3 wr set over 20 times.....same result.

There is no balance between blitzes and a regular D. Also the pursuit angles seem way off.....the whole rushing/ carry part of the game should look more like the return game. It's like they are two complete different engines.

So many wide open drops/ not throw at wide open WRs it is rediculous. I was thinking of using only a few plays that work on both sides of the ball, but I don't even have the time to do that....auto pilot enabled / or just drop teams. My teams that do well have elite players on the out side/ backs.


I do like that slow Qbs are better, but that is it.

Just checked Ray's game. His opponent ran the counter weak for 128 yards against the Run Key! There were only two plays that went for negative yards and both were attributed to play overuse.

Mind you the first overuse flag didn't show up until Rays opponent had run the play at least 10 times (against the run key). And it didn't show up again until his opponent had run the play 6 more times (against the run key).

it shouldent be to hard to fix the rushing . Just a matter of how long it will take because owners are gonna start quitting left and right if it stays.

Last film review until there are major changes with tackling. Find someone else that is good at QA and defensive film review.

Game planning philosophy lesson boys and girls: Why do you run a zone defense and what is it's purpose?

You run one when you have athletic players that are otherwise too slow to play man-to-man. It's purpose is to keep the play in front of the defender in order to prevent big plays. It relies on the defender making good decisions and taking appropriate angles.

All of these things are impossible right now in MFN.

The only reason that man-to-man defenses are effective is because they do not require the defender to make a decision or have to make many open field tackles. That's the only reason why they are successful at all. Why any defense is successful at all on this game.

Let's review.

1) https://private75.myfootballnow.com/gamecenter/view/1086#203517
a. Watch the angle that 53 takes to miss the first tackle. Then watch 37 run right past the WR and have to turn around. At least 32 slows down the play because, you know, 90 tackle means that you're not going to be able to bring down a player with 16 break tackle without help.

2) https://private75.myfootballnow.com/gamecenter/view/1086#203520
a. Hook routes should never run back to the QB (literally back to the QB). The WR should have either gone laterally across the field INTO THE GAP. OR UP THE FIELD to daylight. WHY DOES HE END UP 4 YARDS BEHIND THE LOS!

3) https://private75.myfootballnow.com/gamecenter/view/1086#203524
a. Why doesn't 98 clean up this play? How the **** does the OL leapfrog the RB to make the block? Why are LBs so bad on this game? This was one of the few big runs I gave up while in pass key for what it's worth. (Which isn't much.)

4) https://private75.myfootballnow.com/gamecenter/view/1086#203527
a. You have to be joking that that is 98's angle on the tackle. And then he just keeps on running past the ball carrier. This is why I'll never pay money for this game.

5) https://private75.myfootballnow.com/gamecenter/view/1086#203528
a. What kind of **** happens on this play to 44? The WR isn't looking at him. He should go to the sideline to cut off the escape route for the QB. Instead, he runs right at the WR so the WR can engage him in a block.

6) https://private75.myfootballnow.com/gamecenter/view/1086#203536
a. 34 is slow, but he's also playing the deep zone. He's within a half-yard of the RB. He has 72/81 tackle. Why does he blow this play so hard. HE DOESN'T EVEN ENGAGE. Oh right. I'm playing zone with a slow player and this game only favors M2M with 100 speed underweight players

7) https://private75.myfootballnow.com/gamecenter/view/1086#203538
a. The tackling is so bad on this play it should be obvious, but let's go through it. 98 takes a bad angle. 44 with 66/73 tackle bounces off the ball carrier. 34 takes a bad angle. 31 and 32 both take bad angles, but somehow make the tackle.

8) https://private75.myfootballnow.com/gamecenter/view/1086#203568
a. There are two problems here. One is excusable. The other isn't. The excusable problem is the fact that 98 comes up to engage the blocker instead of angling toward the sideline and intercepting the RB before he turns the corner. The inexcusable one is how 23 gets blocked in spite of being behind the WR. Dumb. 34 also takesa lousy angle, but makes the play.

9) https://private75.myfootballnow.com/gamecenter/view/1086#203570
a. I have no words. I specifically set up this defensive play to be called against the offensive play. I'm in run key. This is just stupid. But let me break it down. 98 is MAN UP on the RB and in RUN KEY. On the snap, instead of staying on his man that he is MAN UP on, he drifts to the strong side of the field because the cheerleaders are distracting him. By the time he realizes that the RB has gotten the hand off, the OL is at the second level and makes an easy block. 34 takes bad angle of course.

(Stopped watching the game at the half.)

Tried to be fair about pursuit angles and review film from MFN-1. Got more pissed off and stopped 2:30 into the 2nd quarter.

1) https://mfn1.myfootballnow.com/gamecenter/view/6341#1146048
a. I'm in run key on this play. Watch 94. He starts on the line and then is going to drop back into his zone. Even after recognizing that it's a run, he continues to drop into his zone and waits for the OL to come up and engage. He has multiple pursuit angles to avoid the OL before the OL can come up and engage. ALSO THIS PLAY IS JUST BROKEN BECAUSE NONE OF THE LINEBACKERS LINE UP WHERE THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO. THE WLB SHOULD PLAY THE HOOK ZONE, BUT MY WLB (THE ONE THAT MAKES THE TACKLE) STARTS OUT IN THE MIKE. WHY? WHY? WHY? WHY? This is not the first time I've noticed this either. Speaking of 95 who is playing Mike on this play. He's supposed to blitz. Instead he takes one step toward the QB, one step back, does a jig, and then decides to pursue.

2) https://mfn1.myfootballnow.com/gamecenter/view/6341#1146051
a. The LT blows his assignment and runs to the other side of the line to block because he heard someone say "free hamburgers". I've noticed this a lot too. If an OL isn't immediately engaged, he'll run around like a moron.

3) https://mfn1.myfootballnow.com/gamecenter/view/6341#1146052
a. Watch me torch my opponent on second and long when 46 takes a terrible pursuit angle and then doesn't wrap up. Let's blame it on tackle. I mean the defender only has 81/100.

4) https://mfn1.myfootballnow.com/gamecenter/view/6341#1146067
a. Ugh. Here we go again. 91 and 28 both engage the hole the RB is eventually going to run through, but neither one seals it. 91 should make the tackle in the backfield, but apparently can't engage (I think I saw on the road map that defender don't dive for a tackle, so apparently you have to be occupying the same square as the offensive player to make a tackle -- dumb). Somehow the RB gets completely past 28. Really, I don't know how. 65 misses a tackle for the same reason as 91 above. 47 takes a bad angle and then get blocked.

5) https://mfn1.myfootballnow.com/gamecenter/view/6341#1146070
a. Just a question, but what is WR 13 doing on this play?

6) https://mfn1.myfootballnow.com/gamecenter/view/6341#1146074
a. Sigh...watch 23...sigh.

7) https://mfn1.myfootballnow.com/gamecenter/view/6341#1146075
a. Watch 20. He has 92/100 tackle. Watch him just get knocked out of the way.

8) https://mfn1.myfootballnow.com/gamecenter/view/6341#1146088
a. 58 should pursue up field faster on this play and avoid the FB block. This is close, but still bad.

9) https://mfn1.myfootballnow.com/gamecenter/view/6341#1146090
a. 48 is slow and can't tackle, so I don't mind him whiffing this play. BUT look at the angle that 35 takes. LOOK AT IT. IS HE DRUNK? He at least has 70+ Speed and Tackle.

10) https://mfn1.myfootballnow.com/gamecenter/view/6341#1146094
a. Where is 58 going? Seriously, where is he going?

11) https://mfn1.myfootballnow.com/gamecenter/view/6341#1146095
a. 42 never pursues upfield even though he has a WIDE OPEN PURSUIT LANE.

I'm done watching film in the beta league too. Didn't even make it to half time.

Thanks for the notes. Some of those issues are outside of the 0.4.1 scope, but I've added them for future updates.

You sound like you're getting really frustrated. I want to thank you again for your patience - this is a slow-moving process, and I understand this is difficult to wait for these issues to be solved.

I'm frustrated because this has become just like every other football sim I've played. There is only one way to effectively win -- play M2M defense and sign only fast players.

I understand the difficulties with defense. Defense is hard to code because most of the defensive game is cerebral and not physical. Fans like the big hits, but they miss the fact that the a defender made 10 small adjustments to be in position to make that hit and missing any of those adjustments would have resulted in a broken play.

M2M covers a lot of these problems because it expects one player to play another player throughout a play. The rest of the team helps that one defender make sure the one offensive player is stopped from making that play. Blitzing covers some of these problems because it puts more men in the box. That's the reason why people are using nothing but M2M and blitzing because any other defense doesn't work.

UPDATE

It would be helpful to know what isn't going to be scoped for 0.4.1.5 or whatever the update will be. Basically, I want to know if I should pull all my zone defensive plays from whatever 4.1 leagues I keep (which will probably only be 75).

lol I know your writing in frustration, but you get a "come on man". A fast (and i'll add) strong person is the definition of a football player(kickers dont count lol). Kinda need to have one or the other to be one. Preferable both. After that you can start looking at skills and intel.

All kidding aside setherick, this is by far the best sim football game out there that i've played. No other developer is on it like jdb is, thats for sure. The gentleman over at Deep Route was also very good(gotta give him creds as well).

This game is ever evolving and the changes and tweeks made are noticeable and explained to us whether it ends up in the right or wrong direction. When we're working(testing) on something and find things that could be tweeked, jdb is right on it.

I'm sure jdb would like to snap his fingers to make the corrections he wants to make. I'm not a computer guy but i can imagine how things gotta be done systematically which takes time. A tweek here can affect something negatively over there etc...

To me this game keeps evolving in a forward direction. What more can a guy ask for?

https://private75.myfootballnow.com/gamecenter/view/1088#203856

Not sure if this is a massively missed tackle, or if the would-be tackler just runs through the player.

https://private75.myfootballnow.com/gamecenter/view/1088#203866

Defender again just flies straight through the dude.

https://private75.myfootballnow.com/gamecenter/view/1088#203881

#50 teleports backwards after the snap. Also, as a general issue, when covering the RB, LBers need to stop shuffling at a snail's pace. They either need to be able to move laterally faster, or turn their shoulder and move sideways to get into position to protect the flat.

https://private75.myfootballnow.com/gamecenter/view/1088#203888

What are the WRs doing? Route logic needs to be smarter when they finish their run. They all converge backwards to the same spot, all of which are well behind the line of gain on third down.

https://private75.myfootballnow.com/gamecenter/view/1088#203890

If the safety is blitzing, he shouldn't be starting to do so from a dead stop ~13 yards from the LOS. Maybe there's a place for delayed blitzes in the game, but this is how all safety blitzes act right now. Needs to be a place for mugging the line, predicting the snap, or just edging up a little. Ideally, he should be moving pre-snap, maybe with some combo of play familiarity, scouting, intelligence, discipline, or whatever governing their ability to predict the snap accurately.

https://private75.myfootballnow.com/gamecenter/view/1088#203895

Returner shouldn't be bypassing his blockers, who seem to be confused about where they want to go.

https://private75.myfootballnow.com/gamecenter/view/1088#203899

Why does the runner veer straight towards the only nearby defender? He had nothing but open ground in front of him.

https://private75.myfootballnow.com/gamecenter/view/1088#203901

Just one example, but on all counter plays, the d-lineman seems to just absolutely explode out of their stance into the backfield to disrupt the play from wherever the pulling lineman was. The blocker on the far side of wherever the puller is heading should be angling in to seal that hole (and so on and so forth). Or in this case, the center could be protecting. Point being, someone should be sealing that, but no one seems to have the assignment.

https://private75.myfootballnow.com/gamecenter/view/1088#203906

Posted about this elsewhere, but figured it bears repeating: blitzers completely ignore where the QB is until after they've hit the center of the pocket. Once they hit this predetermined spot, THEN they turn to actually pursue the QB (who always seems to dance out of the pocket, even when not under pressure, which is part of the reason faster QBs are so much better... they've moved further away from the pocket center).

https://private75.myfootballnow.com/gamecenter/view/1088#203909

QB starts the play inexplicably staring down an FB who's in pass protection. Bad angle by the defender here. The outside WR looks like he wants to block, but then just kind of stops and does nothing instead.

https://private75.myfootballnow.com/gamecenter/view/1088#203910

FB needs to be leading the RB. This happens a lot where the FB just plows in a straight line ahead, instead of cleaning the hole.

https://private75.myfootballnow.com/gamecenter/view/1088#203913

Punters need to (attempt) coffin kicking (i.e. kicking it out the sidelines so it can't bounce into the end zone), or gunners need to guard the end line.

https://private75.myfootballnow.com/gamecenter/view/1088#203923

Where is #83 going?

https://private75.myfootballnow.com/gamecenter/view/1088#203924

RB is completely uncovered the whole play, but the QB spends the entire time staring down only that one route at the bottom of the screen while scrambling away from it. This is an epidemic in MFN, where QBs constantly are throwing cross shoulder down field because they scramble away from the route they want. QB either needs to more consistently scramble towards their route, or move their eyes to the side of the field where they are scrambling.

https://private75.myfootballnow.com/gamecenter/view/1088#203930

Not sure if the returner is just addle headed or if this is a bug.

https://private75.myfootballnow.com/gamecenter/view/1088#203934

The CB makes an insanely fast read on this (not in run key, either)... but then takes a comically bad angle, completely giving up the edge rather than forcing the RB into the LBers. The WR also needed to come help block wayyy earlier. Basically as soon as the CB stops reading the route, WRs need to start looking to block.

https://private75.myfootballnow.com/gamecenter/view/1088#203942

WHAT?! Why are they running the ball here? 30 seconds left, they should be passing a minimum of twice here. Not running any rules that would override normal logic in this situation.

https://private75.myfootballnow.com/gamecenter/view/1088#203951

Where is #88 going?

https://private75.myfootballnow.com/gamecenter/view/1088#203967

Time to play "brain addled returner or bug?" again!

That's enough for one game, haha.