Wear and tear system unbalanced
Wear and tear has a good concept but is completely over exaggerated. My half backs are set to “keep fresh” and autosub out at 90 stamina and by week 3 my starting HB’s season pool is less than 25% at 12-18 carries/game. His injury, toughness, and stamina attributes are all 85+. I get that wear and tear is supposed to add realism and it could, but it should never be able to be almost fully depleted by week 3 of a season especially when your subs are set to the max “keep fresh” setting. Now I have to waste an entire season fiddling with wear and tear sliders to fix this mess myself and most of my players for the next 4 years will feel the effects of the overdone wear and tear of this season.
Wear & Tear needs to impact the CPU teams, not just the user. (testing below)
This is not how we want W&T implemented for CPU teams. Too Long, Didn't Read: CPU teams start with zero W&T effects vs USER teams. Sharing from a post at OS: https://forums.operationsports.com/forums/forum/football/ea-sports-college-football-and-ncaa-football/26848453-the-wear-and-tear-impact-sliders-don-t-affect-the-cpu-except-they-do I wanted to create some Wear and Tear Sliders that guarantee the need of managing your players' Wear and Tear, but also ensuring that the CPU doesn't get disadvantaged in the later stages of the season because they aren't able to manage their Wear and Tear and therefore play with decreased ratings against the User in important games. In order to create my Sliders, I wanted to know how the new Impact Sliders for Wear and Tear impact the CPU. But after some testings with high Recovery sliders, I came across some interesting findings. Every CPU team was still affected by W&T (=had several players with Increased, High or Severe Risk of Injury and Rating drops) except vor the user team and the opponent of the user in the current week. So I have done some more extensive testings to find out if and how the CPU teams are affected by the Impact Sliders. I used Colorado and bumped all Impact Sliders down to 0 and all Recovery Sliders (including the In-Game Recovery Pool) up to 100. Simmed to Week 9, opponent is Utah. Week 10 opponent will be Arizona, Week 11 West Virgina. Colorado (user) is not affected by W&T at all (= a few players had some seasonal Health drained with about 3/4 left, but everyone had Low Risk of Injury, so basically no W&T). Utah is also not affected, Arizona is also not affected right now despite playing last week and having a bye week this week. West Virgina is affected by W&T. Simmed to Week 10 (vs Arizona). Colorado (user) still not affected and it will stay that way the entire time. Arizona not affected, Utah is affected now after the game against the user, West Virgina is still affected. Simmed to Week 11 (vs West VIrgina). West Virgina is now not affected, despite being affected the past weeks (bevause they play the user this week). Arizona is affected now after the game against the user. Simmed to Week 14 (vs Kansas State). Kansas State was affected by W&T in Week 12 and had a game every week until Week 14, but in Week 14 Kansas State was not affected. Injuries looked normal btw for both Colorado and Kansas State, pretty normal amount and length of injuries compared to around the league. Forced WIns to test it further in the Playoffs. For Big XII Championship vs Texas Tech they were not affected because firstly, they are playing against the user this week and secondly, they had a bye week before. Colorado (user) has bye week in first CFP round. Texas Tech plays against Oklahoma and is affected again. Texas Tech advances, is the opponent for the user and is not affected. Same procedure in the next round. In the National Championship the opponent was Texas, who were affected the week before and not affected for the Natty. Also went into the game to confirm that Colorado and Texas were really not affected by W&T as the W&T info graphic states. So my findings are: The Wear and Tear Impact Sliders do not affect the CPU teams. They only affect the User, BUT also the CPU teams that are playing the user in the respective week. For me, this means the problem I faced earlier that CPU teams are still affected by W&T despite having low Impact Sliders and high Recovery Sliders is not really a problem, because once you play against a team, the actual Impact Sliders seem to kick in and matter for the CPU. For this testing, the CPU teams got refreshed to the max once the user played against them, since the Impact was at 0 and Recovery at 100. But it should also mean that having moderate Impact Sliders should refresh the otherwise kind of highly affected CPU teams a bit once you play against them, which is something I was hoping for.
Sub issues
So, I am in my 4th season with Kansas. I have a Jr running back that is 83 overall and just signed a 5-star freshman RB that is 82 overall. I decided to have the freshman be my starter. However, during games I will get maybe 7-10 carries with him before he disappears for the rest of the game and the backup becomes the main running back. I’ve gone into my depth chart to switch things around and move the Jr backup down the list, thinking maybe they are doing it because he’s 83 while the freshman is 82. Well, instead of them putting the freshman back in, they just have the 3rd and 4th string guys that I moved up to the 83 overall guy’s spot and the freshman is still a ghost. Can someone tell me what’s happening and how to fix it? I don’t want to just turn off fatigue or anything like that because fatigue should be part of the game, but is this a bug or something?Flexbone – Wear and Tear
Running a test dynasty with Air Force, my experience with Wear and Tear (WnT). I’ve played 4 games and I’m a little worried. Default settings, on All-American, 6 min qtrs, on PS5. Year 1. BYU (81ovr) at AF (71ovr). Rain. Loss 14-20. Lost FB Carson on 1st play. Then HB Harris broke collarbone on 3rd play. QB didn’t make it to half. Multiple injuries on OL. Was basically running 2nd team offense at end of the game. Year 2. AF (61ovr) at Utah (82ovr). Clear. Win 24-14. No injuries this game. But lost starting HB and FB to WnT. QB was unable to finish the game. Year 3. Cal (71ovr) at AF (63ovr). Rain. Loss 3-6. Lost best HB on 1st play. QB on 3rd play. We ended up losing 5 HBs to WnT. I ended up with 9 guys with carries. Couldn’t keep the players on the field. Year 3. AF (63ovr) at C.Car (61ovr). Rain. Win 38-21. Again, QB didn’t make it to half. Lost top HB and FB. 2nd HB was in and out until late in the 4th when he got knocked out. I’m running a realistic flexbone offense, passing more than the academies do in real life. 40-20 run/pass plays per game. Getting between 300-400 total yards, except in that Cal game I only had 130. Is it the rain (3/4 games)? Is it playing better teams? Or can you not run the flexbone in CFB 26 on default settings? I see they gave Army, Navy and AF QBs Workhorse. If it is required, you have to get lucky in dynasty to get more QBs like that. I’m using “pure runner” QBs. None of the HBs or FBs got more than 10 touches a game. Everyone gets hurt or becomes unplayable. If WnT is optimized for CUT and Road to CFP, can we get better defaulted sliders in Dynasty mode?Assign Auto-Subs Defensive Tackle Is Missing
In CFB 26 Dynasty mode, when you scroll to the “Team” tab, select “Auto Subs”. You have the following positions available: Quarterback, Halfback, Wide Receiver, Tight End, Offensive Line, Defensive End, Linebacker, Cornerback, Safety. The Defensive Tackle position is missing. If it is incorporated with the Defensive End statistics, then the name should be changed from “Defensive End” to “Defensive Line”. I have attached two pictures to show that the Defensive Tackle is missing. The red picture is from an online dynasty where I am Temple, and the green picture is an offline dynasty where I am Ohio University.Ea please read this !!!
EA, Please Just Read This Once -all future and present game fixes Dear EA Dev Team, First, thank you for the return of college football to the gaming world. The foundation you’ve built is promising, and as a passionate user who’s tested deeply across various modes (especially CPU vs CPU dynasty), I’d like to share several important issues and improvement ideas. Many of these would enhance immersion, realism, and long-term dynasty engagement—especially for simulation-focused players like myself. ⸻ 🔧 Issue 1: CPU vs CPU Dynasty Gameplay Moves Too Fast Between Plays Summary: When watching CPU vs CPU games in Dynasty mode, the broadcast skips too quickly from one play to the next—especially after big gains or first downs. This removes the excitement and drama of player reactions and sidelines animations, which are essential for immersion there is a huge group of gamers who like to play the game this way and this will help the broadcast look way better. Testing Notes: This doesn’t occur in “Play Now” CPU vs CPU. It also doesn’t skip after touchdowns or interceptions—only big first downs or long gains. Suggested Fix: Add controller-select CPU vs CPU viewing as an official feature (even with both teams user-controlled but inactive). Give users a “Broadcast Mode Delay” slider or toggle to let us set how much time passes after a play before the next snap. ⸻ 🛡️ Issue 2: Screen Plays Lead to Immediate Sacks (CPU vs CPU) Summary: Halfback, WR, and TE screens are almost unusable in CPU vs CPU due to D-line pressure arriving too fast—sacking the QB before the screen develops. Suggested Fix: Slow defensive linemen’s backfield penetration on screen plays only. OR give users a “line get-off speed” setting that adjusts OL/DL reactions independently. Ensure WR mid-screens allow for realistic animations where blockers set up. ⸻ 🧬 Issue 3: Can’t Change Archetype Styles for Opt-In Players Summary: Users can’t change the throwing or running styles of real opt-in players. This removes creativity and control in shaping a player’s on-field identity. Suggested Fix: Allow editing of animations (throwing motion, running style, etc.) even for real players, without touching names or ratings. These tweaks don’t violate likeness rules but allow personalization of gameplay feel. ⸻ 🧢 Issue 4: Limited Gear Customization Sharing Summary: Players can’t download or share updated player equipment/gear through the roster sharing system. Suggested Fix: Allow users to upload/download equipment-only rosters, where ratings, height, name, and school stay locked but visually updated gear (e.g., gloves, helmets, sleeves) can be customized and shared. This would keep players looking fresh and updated without violating any NCAA rules. ⸻ 🗂️ Issue 5: No Mass Data Copy or Quick Edit for Dynasty Summary: Dynasty lacks tools to easily copy stats/news from a full week or quickly edit entire teams. Suggested Fix: Add a “Copy Weekly Stats/Box Scores” button for all teams or specific teams. Implement a Quick Edit Mode allowing mass changes to player equipment, traits, or even ratings across full rosters. Makes AI-generated dynasty storytelling easier (I’ve tested this via ChatGPT for sports journalism simulation). ⸻ 🤖 Issue 6: No Control Over Player Tendencies & Move Effectiveness Summary: Currently, users can’t control how often a player scrambles, jukes, trucks, or spins—or how effective those moves are. Suggested Fix: Add individual “Move Tendency” sliders (e.g., Juke Frequency, Spin Usage, QB Scramble Rate). Add effectiveness multipliers per player to determine how powerful their signature moves are, creating diversity in play styles (shifty RB vs. bruiser, finesse DL vs. power DL). ⸻ 🎮 ISSUE 7: AI Must Be the Future of College Football Games – Gameplay, Presentation, and Voice Should All Be Alive College Football 26 is a great start. But what if every rivalry felt like a war? What if every juke was new? What if players spoke, coaches gave speeches, and recruits reacted to your team like real humans? That’s the future we can reach with AI-powered systems — starting now. ⸻ ⚠️ THE CORE PROBLEM: Right now, games feel the same week-to-week. Cutscenes are minimal, players are silent, emotions are muted, and gameplay animations become predictable within hours. There’s no evolution. No dynamic response. No real feeling of college football drama — not in gameplay or in presentation. ⸻ ✅ THE SOLUTION: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) CAN FIX IT — AND TRANSFORM THE ENTIRE EXPERIENCE We break this into 4 key game systems that AI can unlock: ⸻ 🔁 PART 1: AI-GENERATED GAMEPLAY ANIMATIONS (REAL-TIME MOVEMENT SYSTEM) 🎮 The Problem: Current animations are canned — meaning every juke, spin, block, and pass rush looks familiar after just a few games. Players lose their identity, and 1v1 matchups lose unpredictability. ⸻ ✅ The AI Fix: Procedural Movement Engine (PME) Using machine learning models (like reinforcement learning and motion synthesis), you can feed a system millions of samples of real player movement, then allow it to generate new animations on the fly based on player intent and physics. 🔍 How It Works: The right stick becomes more than a command — it’s an intention vector. Example: You flick the stick diagonally and lean toward a defender’s blind side. The AI engine then: Reads body position of both players Calculates possible counter-moves Generates a juke or fake that’s never been seen before Syncs footwork and momentum in real time based on speed, direction, fatigue, and reaction time ⸻ 🔥 What This Unlocks: No more “copy-paste” jukes or spins Each 1v1 battle feels alive — based on player traits, tendencies, and angles OL vs DL battles have emergent counter-moves that evolve with matchups WRs dynamically adjust routes based on DB leverage (AI reads hips/space) QBs can now slide in the pocket naturally, without repetitive sidesteps Imagine a user WR flicking inside, triggering a hesitation release. The DB panics and the AI chooses a sudden hop-step outside. No two WR battles ever look the same again. ⸻ 🎙️ PART 2: AI-GENERATED VOICE SYSTEM (PLAYERS + COACHES) 🎧 The Problem: Players are silent. Coaches give no speeches. No interviews, no sideline hype, no recruiting responses. You could win the national title and your QB just stares blankly at the camera. ⸻ ✅ The AI Fix: Voice Synthesis System (VSS) Voice AI now allows you to clone real voices (with consent) and generate realistic, emotionally accurate audio for fictional characters as well. With this system: 🔓 Real Players (Opted In): Record baseline voice samples (5–10 mins of dialogue) Train an AI voice model (like ElevenLabs, Respeecher, etc.) Use game logic to trigger dynamic voice lines: “We ain’t done yet. One game left.” “I’ve dreamed about this moment since high school.” 🔒 Fictional Players & Recruits (Non Opt-In): AI creates a synthetic, unique voice based on: Archetype (fiery, calm, humble, cocky, funny, intense) Hometown accent Player’s emotional state (angry, excited, defeated) Commentary, interviews, tweets, and sideline chatter become real-time narrative content. ⸻ 🧠 How It Works: Player personality and traits determine emotional voice tone AI-generated lines are written via contextual logic (big win, rivalry loss, breakout game) You only need to feed a few templates — AI fills in emotion, style, and delivery ⸻ 🔥 What This Unlocks: Postgame interviews (“Coach believed in me. I had to deliver.”) Recruiting visits with voiceovers (“I felt the energy in that stadium.”) In-game sideline chatter (“Let’s eat, let’s eat!”) Coach locker room speeches (“We fight together. Now go finish it!”) Podcasts & social media posts — all generated dynamically ⸻ 📺 PART 3: AI-DRIVEN PRESENTATION AND EMOTIONAL STORYTELLING 📉 The Problem: Pregame intros are bland. There’s no tension. No narrative around conference races, rivalries, or player storylines. ESPN broadcasts are full of emotionally driven packages — EA’s games aren’t. ⸻ ✅ The AI Fix: AI Story Engine (ASE) This engine reads stats, schedules, rivalry history, win streaks, playoff implications, player accolades, and more — and dynamically creates: Pregame hype segments Halftime breakdowns Heisman Watch updates Breaking news stories “Next up” graphics and narrative foreshadowing ⸻ 🔍 How It Works: Uses your Dynasty or Road to Glory save file Pulls: Top performers Rivalry history National rankings Championship stakes Then writes and narrates presentation elements using AI voices or text commentary ⸻ 🔥 What This Unlocks: “#2 Alabama faces off against #3 Michigan — a playoff ticket on the line.” “Freshman QB Marcus Grier has thrown 14 touchdowns in the last three weeks. Can he keep his Cinderella run alive?” “This is more than just a game. This is for the soul of the Big Ten.” Think College GameDay built into your Dynasty — every week has a story. ⸻ 👥 PART 4: PLAYER BEHAVIOR, TENDENCY & MENTALITY ENGINE 🧍 The Problem: Players play the same — all season long. No confidence, no fear, no swagger, no progression of play style. There’s no growth — just ratings boosts. ⸻ ✅ The AI Fix: Behavioral Feedback Engine (BFE) A system that uses gameplay data + personality traits to evolve how each player plays, speaks, and reacts over time. 🧠 How It Works: Player has an emotional profile (built on archetype) Tracks: Clutch performance Rivalry game behavior Crowd reactions Confidence swings Leadership roles Behavior then influences: In-game movement (confident = aggressive; nervous = hesitant) Audio lines (“Put the game in my hands!” vs “We’re just trying to improve.”) Cutscene responses (postgame speeches, recruiting impact) ⸻ 🔥 What This Unlocks: QB who throws 4 picks in a row starts to second-guess throws WR who torches a defense begins calling for the ball (more aggressive AI routes) Recruits influenced by emotional tone of coach voice + gameplay Players develop personalities you remember — not just numbers on a roster ⸻ 🔁 SYSTEMS THAT TALK TO EACH OTHER: Feature Description Gameplay AI Engine Generates unique, real-time animations and reactions Voice AI Engine Gives every player and coach a voice with emotion Story AI Engine Builds weekly narratives, rivalries, and stakes dynamically Behavior Engine Evolves player traits, swagger, and gameplay performance Presentation AI Adds dynamic ESPN-style segments and camera cuts ⸻ 🧠 THE VISION: TURN COLLEGE FOOTBALL INTO A LIVING ECOSYSTEM College football isn’t just about the games. It’s about the stories, the emotions, the legends in the making, and the trash talk that lasts for years. With AI, we can bring all of that to life — automatically. ⸻ 🚨 FINAL CALL: EA CAN LEAD THE INDUSTRY AI doesn’t mean less control — it means smarter systems that evolve with every game you play. If implemented gradually — this becomes the most immersive sports title ever. Start small: voice AI for 20 players, a handful of cutscenes, and 1v1 animation system. Expand year-over-year into full broadcast, behavior-driven AI, and dynamic voice ecosystems. This is how you make Dynasty feel like a 10-season docuseries 5 Replies Fsu6191003Rising Novice2 months ago Add on by user!!!down⬇️ The current playbook system in both College Football and Madden is outdated, glitch-prone, and severely limited in customization. When creating custom playbooks, adding too many plays or making small errors often causes the entire playbook to glitch or reset. This restricts creativity, realism, and gameplay depth.⸻Preferred Fixes:Option 1 – Upgrade the Existing Playbook System:If EA wants to keep the current framework: Increase play count per situation to at least 50 plays per scenario (1st & 10, 3rd & short, etc.). Enable full custom play creation, including: Complex option plays, custom RPOs, or misdirection run schemes. Detailed pass targeting logic: Let users assign percentage targets for each receiver (e.g., WR1 = 95%, TE = 3%) so the CPU knows who the primary read is. Pass urgency settings: Add a system where users can indicate how fast the ball needs to get out (e.g., 60% urgency triggers QB to throw early or scramble if needed). Throw type preferences: Allow users to set whether the QB should lob, bullet, or touch pass by default based on the route. Remove the limit on how many plays you can add per situation. Allow play-by-scenario scripting: Add layered scenarios like: 3rd & short (≤1 yard) triggers specific plays (e.g., QB Sneak or Fullback Dive). Tag plays by attributes, not just formations: Group plays into categories such as: Rollout passes from Shotgun Rollout passes from Under Center High-percentage targets to WR X (filtered by formation or down/distance) Intelligent sorting & organization: This prevents users from needing to scroll through dozens of formations to find one concept. Users could filter plays based on objective: get the ball to WR1, deep middle attack, QB movement, etc. This level of customization brings playbooks closer to real-life football game-planning. It also improves the simulation aspect of Franchise, Road to Glory, and CPU vs CPU play. By empowering users to create detailed, smart playbooks, EA can unlock a much deeper and more rewarding experience. Why This Matters: ⸻ If EA is open to rebuilding the system: Option 2 – Fully Revamped Playbook Engine: Summary: Issue 8 – Subject: The Playbook System Needs a Complete Overhaul ⸻Wow
EA_Kent EA_Barry This game is a huge disappointment. Y’all have a lot of suggestions that could’ve made this game so much better. I didn’t think this game could be worse than 25… yet y’all found a way to do that. Out of many suggestions of how to make this game the game we deserved, none of you on the staff listen. Y’all know exactly what we want and have the ABILITY to do so such as full customization of fake recruits, AN ACTUAL update and adding of equipment( one legged sleeves, ski masks, tape, shirt and sleeve combos) the ability to actually CREATE recruits ( again, just take rtg’s player creator and put them in dynasty) the ability to actually be able to go to any school of your choice if you won a national championship, THE ABILITY TO SET THE WEATHER, the ability to import our draft classes on year 5 and beyond dynasty because all NIL players are gone and so much more that y’all can ACTUALLY do. You all only wanted money and yet you all would actually get more money for this. This is a huge disappointment and waste of resources. I’m not buying madden, and I’m not buying any more ea made products. Yet, you have Eric, Bordeux and many of your other spokesmen lie to us of how great this game was supposed to be. Yet, none of you care. I’m done with this company. Corporate Greed at its finest. And if you two feel a way about me and many others telling you the truth, then so be it. But sit here and lie to us about improvements when all you all did was make a worse version of ncaa 25. Madden too. So glad I didn’t buy the bundle. This company is completely incompetent and it’s been that way for 10 freaking years now.The update has caused problems
I play dynasty mode a lot. I’ve played several seasons. I’ve had 1 loss teams, I’ve been undefeated. I’ve played in the top conferences. I’ve played in the smaller conferences. Yet I never win coach of the year. Usually the person who wins is 7-9 win coach. Here’s what’s been happening since the update. If I go 5 wide, one slot will be empty. If I press to sub, it shows the slot as “undefined, undefined, unknown”. If I don’t sub in a player, the moment the ball is snapped, the game shuts down and kicks me entirely out of the game, and back into the main screen on Xbox. I can sub a player but I can’t snap the ball to avoid the game closing down. I have to take a penalty or a timeout to continue playing. The transfer portal. I have players who want to leave due to playing time. I’ve moved them to starters, didn’t recruit anyone at their position, they play 90-95% of the snaps, even win an individual season award. Yet they ALWAYS leave. The Heisman and other awards are a mess. It makes no sense for a player on my team to have better stats yet never win. In some cases, I’m not even in the top 5. I’ve beaten top teams and had great games yet never win the major awards.