It's Time to Let Go of That Which You Cannot Control

Or.. Quit Blaming the Game Every Time I make a Good Pass.

I've been playing Football, Hockey, Basketball and now Baseball for some time now. Weird stuff seems to happen in every game I play. A player pulls down a pass under triple coverage, a puck flips up in the air and trickles down the goalie's back for a goal, you get an error on the field, etc.

We have absolutely no control over a lot of the strange stuff that happens and even the more mundane things like dropping open passes or your goalie letting in an "easy" goal. I complain when a fumble happens or someone drops a pass just like everyone else does but I realized something the other day. When the other guy makes a play on offense or defense and I whine about being screwed by the AI what I'm really saying is;

"You aren't good enough to have made this play on your own, the game had to let you. Your decision to throw, defensive play calling, timing of your shot, etc. etc. wasn't good enough on its own. You. Needed. Help!"

So yeah, it sucks when things happen but I think it's time to quit blaming the game every time we lose. Those with more skill still tend to prevail and it can be downright insulting to the winner when you blame the game for handing them the win. I pledge to never complain about a fumble, dropped pass, injured player or anything else after the game. I may call Tom Brady a c**k sucker at the time of the throw but I will not go on and on about an imperfect games rendering of an AI decision.

Ok, deal, I''m in on the pact.

Ok, deal, I''m picking up Calgary next season.

Wait a minute... if I can''t blame the game for my faults, who or what canI blame? This is crazy talk, Certis. It''s like saying that GTA isn''t really to blame for gangs and violence. I don''t think I can follow you on this silly crusade.

But if I really can''t blame the game for my loss, I''ll blame Swampy. Can you live with that on your head, Swamp? Can ya?

Can we blame Jesus?

Blame the refs! They should f''ing know better!

On a serious note, a wise person once said, ''The more I practice, the luckier I get.''

I dunno. I feel LUCKY when I pass into triple coverage and come down with the ball. I EXPECT some snide comment about how that was an impossible catch.

Did I REALLY time it perfectly and throw to exactly the right receiver? REALLY? Nope.

So, I''m gonna have to stay on the fence, as far as a pledge is concerned. With any game that relies on AI dealing with chance (as opposed to, say, Counter-strike, where I know that the same Scout shot is going to hit relatively the same spot on the wall - or your head - 10 times out of 10) there''s going to be some level of luck, and I will probably continue to comment on it when it happens to my opponent, and laugh about it when it happens to me.

Guilty.

I reserve the right to yell stuff AT THE TIME OF THE PLAY. Examples which are known to all of my regular opponents:

Oh my!
Oh my GOD!
Jesus!
Jesus H Christ!
f*ckin A!
f*ck me!
and the extra special f*ck me in the ASS!

I''m even worse in baseball, when I do it every time I swing the bat.

But I will refrain from doing so after the game. Actually, I benefit from most of the screwed up stuff that happens in most of my games.

BTW, Brady is a c*cksucker. Just look at him. A man that pretty has to be one. That he plays for you is just....appropriate.

I don''t think there''s anything wrong with the potty sailor talk, it''s more of the ""wow this game is cheating, you shouldn''t be winning right now"" kind of talk. I think that''s very different from ""Oh, f*ck a whore!"" At least I hope so...

Leave mom out of this, Bags.

What I never understood are those who take a stance that the game is not an equal opportunity abuser. Do people really believe that they''re being picked on by the hardware and/or software that drives their virtual experience?

I''m sorry. As league commissioner, I know I''m supposed to remain above this, but I''m not just the president, I''m a customer... and it truly bugs me when people blame the game (or the settings) for their issues. Yes, it''s not perfect, but it''s not picking on you personally. I have to deal with the same problems and subpar AI as everyone else.

Needless to say, I''m in... and I thank Certis for putting it so well.

"Certis" wrote:

When the other guy makes a play on offense or defense and I whine about being screwed by the AI what I''m really saying is;

""You aren''t good enough to have made this play on your own, the game had to let you. Your decision to throw, defensive play calling, timing of your shot, etc. etc. wasn''t good enough on its own. You. Needed. Help!""

I had 5 turnovers in my game against Swampy this week. When I thought about each play, I saw that I was at least partially culpable in almost every one. Apparently, everyone else is much better than I am and only has problems when the games screws them over.

Like Counter-strike, this game as certain rulesets and equations. If you throw on the run or off the back foot, your pass is not going to be accurate. If you call a hard zone, you''re going to get burnt on by a fly route. If you call cover 2, the middle of the field will be open (unless it''s a robber zone). Yes, there are missed tackles and blown assignments. I''m pretty sure there''s an awareness rating in the depth chart as well. Some of the most gifted athletes are dumb as bricks. Dante Hall can fly (actually, it''s his agility that''s extreme more than his speed) but he usually as frying pan hands. If you have a linebacker covering Tony Gonzales, the LB probably going to get burnt. Might I suggest a nickel package?

I''m sure there are 101 examples of players who don''t do what they ""should"" (e.g. Marvin Harrison dropping an open pass) but, and I know I''m getting repetitive, it''s not personal. Your Xbox and/or 2k Sports doesn''t hate you.

Good God, I should go back and edit that; I''m sure it''s boring and too long. Sorry ''bout that but I''ve got to get back to work. Just pretend this post never happened. Thanks.

Well, I know I griped about the crap lucky goal that Demi got on me (all of 3 of them, really ) but I know the AI isn''t picking on me because I''ve gotten them myself.
It is possible to flip a coin a hundred times and have it come up heads everytime, and while it may seem incredible while you keep calling for tails, what can you do?

I dunno. I feel LUCKY when I pass into triple coverage and come down with the ball. I EXPECT some snide comment about how that was an impossible catch.

Did I REALLY time it perfectly and throw to exactly the right receiver? REALLY? Nope.

Not exactly what I said though, is it? You should probably feel lucky when you make a triple coverage pass and sure, why not a guffaw from your opponent when it happens? That''s a fairly extreme example. What about when a guy makes a tight pass against single coverage and the guy running the defense makes a big fuss about how he was screwed by the computer? I think that''s more what I''m getting at.

It''s not necessarily a case of people feeling it happens to them more than others (although there are a couple of massive exceptions), but more often, it''s a case of frustration in playing when it does happen.

I wasn''t a believer until it happened to me. Sometimes you just get a ""dropsies"" game and there''s f**k-all you can do about it. It happens to everyone of course, but when it happens to you, even the best player can fall to the mighty Fletcher. So I''m generally sympathetic to players when they feel the need to vent about how their receivers went on a drop spree.

That''s one reason I moved to such a run-dominant offense. It''s OK to complain about the problem, but insanity is doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome. My hope is that, when the dropsies come looking for me, my offense will be too busy with 40 carries on the ground (who knows, maybe they did come looking already).

If you call a hard zone, you''re going to get burnt on by a fly route. If you call cover 2, the middle of the field will be open (unless it''s a robber zone).

This was beautiful enough to bring me near tears.

Quit Blaming the Game Every Time I make a Good Pass.

Well to be totally fair, the Patriots'' high rankings across the board helps in making plays. In the EQ league it''s less of an issue. But I don''t look forward to playing you again in the non-EQ league. My sh*tty DBs simply can not stand up in man coverage against your receivers. Of course, it''s my own damn fault for HAVING to take the Jaguars (I coulda chosen New England, they were on the board still), but it''s still gonna be a defensive nightmare.

If you swing the bat right-handed and you''re not in the vortex zone, then the calvin ball gets released and everyone returns to their start pits. What can you do? I mean, besides activate the multi-ball, of course.

What about when you are in man coverage and your DB just suddenly decides to leave his man. Now maybe the guy catches it anyway, but I will guffaw, if you will, when my DB assigned to cover a particular receiver goes in the complete opposite direction than the man he is covering for no real reason. No play-action. No double pump. He just goest east while the receiver goes west.

That said, I know its just a game and its for entertainment and all and I try not to do any of the things you talk about Certis. Sometimes though it is like Mixolyde said. You keep calling tails and its coming up heads 50 straight times.

But you are right in that sometimes it''s like we are saying, ""If it wasn''t for this video game, I''d be beating you at this video game.""

I think people are talking about multiple issues here.

1. The game cheats, how could he drop all those passes, what''s with all these interceptions, etc.

I don''t see this. The first play I ran from scrimmage in this league was a fumble. Hey, it happens. The only interception I remember throwing was a terrible choice on my part. Do crazy things happen? Sure, just like in the real game. The fact that you can''t consistently throw into that Cover 8 Dime package is just realism. I used to have a number of ""drops,"" until I realized that my lob passes were letting the defense get there in time to seperate the receiver from the ball.

2. The AI is stupid

There are certainly some ways where the AI is stupid. It has no awareness of when the QB scrambling, for instance. For the most part, though, the AI does pretty well. Are there some things that seem wrong, such as the % of completed passes thrown into double coverage? Probably, but nothing too bad. That stuff happens in real life, too. I hear these stories about LBs standing around and so on, but I myself haven''t seen that, except for the few known glitches (DL rushing, QB sneaking). Is a wide open guy going to drop a pass sometimes? Of course. Does it happen too much? Matter of opinion, I guess. I haven''t seen it happen too much.

3. Teams are unequal

Truth be told, I have a hard time arguing against that one, and I think that''s a fair amount of the angst. The Pats strike me as a much better team than, say, the Texans. Is it realistic? Sure. Is it fun? Apparently not for a number of the owners of the poorer teams. As I''ve said elsewhere, there''s a limit to how much your own skill can overcome this. That''s just the nature of the game, but I also suspect that it''s what turns some people off on the game.

And as I''ve said before, I''m OK with the game. I can, however, kind of understand both sides on this one. Does skill matter? Sure. Do the stats of the 10 guys your not controlling matter? Sure. Is the AI always good? Nope. Do weird things happen? Sure. For better or worse, that''s the game.

Damn laggy internet connection.

Well, I hope I haven''t offended with my in-game comments or my post-game recaps. The post-game in particular just seems like the watercooler bullsh*tting you''d expect from two people talking about a REAL football game.

I don''t think I''ve experienced (or attempted) complaining about a playstyle, or accused someone of winning because the computer hates me - we''re all WELL aware of my skill level at this point. But, I think it feels good, on some levels, to explain away a bad performance... I''m sure we all do it with other things besides football games.

So, for myself personally, if anyone''s been offended by me and thought I was implying that you won or did good because of the computer, I apologize - that''s not at all my intention. Just a friendly ribbing, at best.

That''s one reason I moved to such a run-dominant offense.

In conclusion, I''m just going to run Corey Schlesinger up the middle every play for the rest of the Lions'' career.

Well, at least I only had 1 repost...

at least I''m not HIGHLANDER... JEEZ...

Pyro, stop working on GWJ 2.0... don''t you know that acceptable maintenance hours are only 3am-6am Sunday-Thursday?

"Warlock" wrote:

In conclusion, I''m just going to run Corey Schlesinger up the middle every play for the rest of the Lions'' career. ;)

I would PAY to watch that.

I would PAY to watch that.

Well, I might have to throw in some weak side Jones runs...

But, how much money we talking?

I don''t know, I am pretty sure that all the sports games that I have ever purchased contained something close to the following:

[code:1:38e92d0ace]
if New PlayerId = ''JamesDK''
Set [allplayerstats] = [allplayerstats] - 75
end if
[/code:1:38e92d0ace]

"Warlock" wrote:

Well, at least I only had 1 repost...

at least I''m not HIGHLANDER... JEEZ... ;)

It was this site''s AI. I swear I only hit the button once!!!!! WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!

(Exclamation marks for Certis. Hey Cerits I have a quiz: What did the journalists of old call this wonderful little punctuation mark?)

I freely admit that I''m not a very good football player. I have neither the time nor the inclination to acquire the knowledge necessary to ''properly'' manage my team''s players or playbook. I fully recognize that many of my losses are due to this laziness and/or lack of skill on my part. I have no problem with this. That is why I''m in the ""casual"" league. If none of the rest of you mind that I suck, then we''re golden.

I don''t think it''s very sportsmanlike, however, for the shlub controlling the top-rated team to say to the rest of us, ""stop whining, it''s not the game''s fault that you suck."" Because in a lot of ways, a lot of the time, it is the game''s fault.

Were I to connect with Certis, and then allow the game''s AI to pick each of our plays, and control every one of our players, he would win. Does anyone dispute this? This is obviously not a deal breaker for me. I still play after all and usually enjoy it, but to ignore the fact that the game is stacked against those of us with statistically lower-rated teams strikes me as arrogant.

"Highlander" wrote:

What about when you are in man coverage and your DB just suddenly decides to leave his man.

Play-action is a Female Doggo.

"Highlander" wrote:

Now maybe the guy catches it anyway, but I will guffaw, if you will, when my DB assigned to cover a particular receiver goes in the complete opposite direction than the man he is covering for no real reason. No play-action. No double pump. He just goest east while the receiver goes west.

Doh! Nevermind.

"Fletcher1138" wrote:

I still play after all and usually enjoy it, but to ignore the fact that the game is stacked against those of us with statistically lower-rated teams strikes me as arrogant.

For the record, this is supposedly what Player EQ is supposed to help address... which is why (love it or leave it ;)) the next league will be All Pro difficulty, Player EQ on. (If nothing else, it''s the only combination we haven''t sampled yet.)

"Highlander" wrote:

What about when you are in man coverage and your DB just suddenly decides to leave his man

Or when the receiver decides his route is no longer worth running and that he should turn 90 degrees and run straight into the cheerleaders? Happened last night with me and ruthless. Game was already over, so no biggie, and the sheer shameless deliberateness of it had us rolling. Never, ever seen that one before. Sometimes you hit a hiccup and the simulation does very, very interesting things.

"*Legion*" wrote:
"Highlander" wrote:

What about when you are in man coverage and your DB just suddenly decides to leave his man

Or when the receiver decides his route is no longer worth running and that he should turn 90 degrees and run straight into the cheerleaders?

Did Randy Moss get traded to the Jags after all?

I don''t think it''s very sportsmanlike, however, for the shlub controlling the top-rated team to say to the rest of us, ""stop whining, it''s not the game''s fault that you suck."" Because in a lot of ways, a lot of the time, it is the game''s fault.

Wow. You run my post through some sort of worst-case-drama-queen machine before you read it?

You''re not great at Football because like you said, you don''t choose to play much or choose to practice. That''s your choice. After I recently lost four online games in a row (with the Pats) I hit practice mode and worked at getting better again. You''re stepping into the thread and saying ""Hey, you''re winning because your team is rated good, not because you deserve it."" which I find somewhat insulting but it also backs up my original point, which you decided to ignore.

We have absolutely no control over a lot of the strange stuff that happens and even the more mundane things like dropping open passes or your goalie letting in an ""easy"" goal. I complain when a fumble happens or someone drops a pass just like everyone else does but I realized something the other day. When the other guy makes a play on offense or defense and I whine about being screwed by the AI what I''m really saying is;

""You aren''t good enough to have made this play on your own, the game had to let you. Your decision to throw, defensive play calling, timing of your shot, etc. etc. wasn''t good enough on its own. You. Needed. Help!""

This is about respecting the other player and showing good sportsmanship. How does suggesting we give up complaining endlessly about an imperfect game''s quirks equal me being arrogant and saying I''m better than everyone? The alternate headline I put there was more of a general ""I"" than referring to myself you know. Maybe that didn''t come across very clearly or maybe you just felt like I didn''t look like a big enough jerk yet.

Should we move this to P&C?