How "Sim" is Ruining Sports Gaming

[buckeye]

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Today we take a look at "Sim" gaming and how it is bringing the community down to a hands off level. I decided to write this after a (sim) league game of Madden NFL 25. A game that after it was over, my opponent called me "not sim". As I sat back and looked at the stats and reflected on the game; the only thing that became clear to me was that my opponent refused to adjust his game plan and let me control the tempo of the game.

What "Sim" Used to Be

Let me start this off right... I make every attempt when playing sports games to relicate that sports' real life counterpart. Play the sport how you see it played in real life and most importantly: Don't take advantage of flaws in the AI of the game. That is what "Sim Gaming" used to stand for. Today it has become a crutch for those who refuse to adapt to what is happening in game. My image of "Sim" is to follow the sport, if your opponent is beating the tar out of you passing the ball... adjust your defense. If you don't attempt to adjust... technically YOU are "Not Sim". That, my friends, is what sports are all about. Real sports teams take advantage or "exploit" what the other team doesn't do well. They "exploit" the game plan of the other team, it is on the other team to stop them.

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What "Sim" Has Become

In the "Sim" community, everything is turning into an "exploit", even the most rudimentiary parts of the games. The easiest sports games for me to use as an example are Football and Basketball. If you blitz from the edge... you aren't sim. If your opponent plays cover 4 all game and you start to kill them with screens... you aren't sim. If you run a zone defense to slow down a power forward who is beating you up in the paint... you aren't sim. If you take advantage of your opponents poor "on-ball" defense... you aren't sim. At its' core, sim has become an excuse, a reason for defeat. It has become the rationalization for refusal to change. Some folks feel that they should naturally call a play and by default... the play should be successful. User input should have no bearing, the game should correct their mistakes based on player ratings and intangibles.

What "Sim" Should Be

You are essentially the players and the coach. It is your job to put the players in the best position to be successfull. If your opponent plays weak "on-ball" defense... take him to the hole everytime down the court until he shows he can stop you. If your opponent refuses to cover the running back out of the backfield; keep throwing it to him until he is showing that he is making a reasonable attempt to correct HIS/HER deficiency. There are two sides to "sim" gaming, both should be attempted.
Punting on 4th down... yep, regular kickoffs... yep, pick and roll... yep, spot up corner three's... yep, Al staples of their respective sports. Gaming leagues aren't there to tell you how to play, they are there as an easy meet up for players. Too many leagues try and govern common sense rather than allow the fundamentals of the sport to take place. Should you go for it on 4th and 1 on your opponents 35 yard line? It's certainly debatable but there is no right or wrong answer. That situation should be up to the user and not the league.

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Verdict

Hands off folks! Leave your users play by their terms when it's a judgement call. Stop restriciting the sports you are playing because it doesn't fit your view of the game. Stop using "Sim" as an excuse for losing. If you leave something open constantly, don't get mad at your opponent for taking advantage of your failure to adjust. Don't say "the game should cover that".. no, it's your responsibility. Accept your portion of the blame and stop blaming everything else associated with the game and your opponent.

What do you think? I think "Cheese" is bad, but governing the fudamentals out of the game is worse.

 

[albidnis]

Only problem is that in some cases, depending on the game. Even when you adjust to a play the AI in the game is so screwed up that the play will work no matter what. Thats when things become a little shady.

You also have to look at it from an enjoyment of the game. It is not very enjoyable to see the same play over and over again. But that could also be because you or your opponents suck...lol

 

[buckeye]

Agreed. Most people I encounter who run the same 3-4 plays are easily beatable tho. That stuff shouldn't happen in league gaming though... that's on the commish.

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[albidnis]

A couple of us here made a VSN Magazine a few months back and Virix wrote an article on Sim. Check it out:

VSN Magazine

 

[ram29jackson]

yes, you still want to compete in a minor form and win.But a straight game is the mutual understanding that its not a win at all cost event so you are being childish if you run the same play 3-4-5 times in a row. I understand if you have a scheme and I'm obligated to figure it out and stop it and everyone has money plays. Just don't abuse them though. A straight game is playing the game as designed regardless of flaws you know about and not manipulating cheese/glitches AI holes for your benefit.

you want to try to mimic real life even though its much easier to succeed in videogame world.

plus degree of straight league- I prefer a straight league where guys play the game as a game with a decent understanding of the real sport. Not the football junkies who also play the video game like a primary hobby. Guys who run option plays all day with the understanding that those plays are purposely made with logic to make the AI defense look stupid and they don't react so the option play looks all sexy and successful.


but people are dumb and selfish and don't intellectually understand balancing out playing for fun and winning at all costs.

 

[buckeye]

yes, you still want to compete in a minor form and win.But a straight game is the mutual understanding that its not a win at all cost event so you are being childish if you run the same play 3-4-5 times in a row. I understand if you have a scheme and I'm obligated to figure it out and stop it and everyone has money plays. Just don't abuse them though. A straight game is playing the game as designed regardless of flaws you know about and not manipulating cheese/glitches AI holes for your benefit.

you want to try to mimic real life even though its much easier to succeed in videogame world.

plus degree of straight league- I prefer a straight league where guys play the game as a game with a decent understanding of the real sport. Not the football junkies who also play the video game like a primary hobby. Guys who run option plays all day with the understanding that those plays are purposely made with logic to make the AI defense look stupid and they don't react so the option play looks all sexy and successful.


but people are dumb and selfish and don't intellectually understand balancing out playing for fun and winning at all costs.

All good points and very true. My basic issue is that removing parts of the sport for lack of understanding... is wrong.

Example: I was told the other day that running press defense isn't "sim", yet watching the playoffs this weekend, press coverage was used as much as off coverage.

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[ram29jackson]

All good points and very true. My basic issue is that removing parts of the sport for lack of understanding... is wrong.

Example: I was told the other day that running press defense isn't "sim", yet watching the playoffs this weekend, press coverage was used as much as off coverage.

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lol yeah but for years press-cover has been the most annoying....WRs are held there for 3 seconds and you have to wait an eternity to see a WR enter the screen in view... I have never used it the last 3 years..I feel its too strong ( I have a defeatist problem with the fact I wont use it because I figure a cheeser will abuse me somehow because I used it because I don't know all the tricks and I just hate it being used against me all day because the game isn't fun anymore to me lol) but I also hate gys in straight leagues who use it every 3rd down as a habit lol.


sure, use it as a change of pace if you want but not half the game as I feel its an animation based problem that takes waaay too long to play out....pluse all these years and I don't have the time to individual audible the one CB with a strong press before a play starts ( granted I'm talking about playing cheaters and not a sim game lol)

 

[buckeye]

I use it 50% of the time. If you have good enough receivers against press ... you will beat it consistently. Its solid strategy. If you have Marshall out there, I'm not gonna press Lol.

Man cover 2 is the most OP defense of all time and EVERYONE uses it 75% of the time in sim leagues yet that's OK...

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[ram29jackson]

I use it 50% of the time. If you have good enough receivers against press ... you will beat it consistently. Its solid strategy. If you have Marshall out there, I'm not gonna press Lol.

Man cover 2 is the most OP defense of all time and EVERYONE uses it 75% of the time in sim leagues yet that's OK...

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personally, because of the jaded online world...while cover 2 might be effective in a lot of ways...I hate and hardly ever put conerbacks in short zones.

that's another aspect of straight play...you would hope you are playing people who want first downs instead of TDs every single play and you can out strategize each other with yellow and light blue zones instead of needing to be 3 and/or 4 deep almost every down lol.

 

[buckeye]

Ahhh I meant MAN Cover 2, or 2 Man Under.

And yeah I almost never end up with long TD's unless its a broken play. But I will put up 10-14 play drives all day.

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