Madden NFL In Game Rules & Forum Charter

helimachoptor

In Game rules are below - Treat other players the way you would like to be treated

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Rules:
Game Organisation:
Games will be scheduled on the appropriate game week thread on Madden NFL Forum.

If your opponent is not responding to messages by the 3rd day of the gameweek, message the Commissioner and he can boot the person from the franchise. But, you must have evidence of where you asked for their availability on Boards.

IF you agree a time to play by PM, one of the players must post in the relevant thread when the game will be played.
If 2 players cant find a suitable time to play their game i.e. one player is available Monday and Tuesday and the other player is available Wednesday and Thursday, then the game will be simmed.

It is inevitable that guys will drop out during the season. If you have to drop out then take the “Leave Franchise” option so your opponents can play CPU and not be unable to play a game because you are not around.

If you are away on holidays you can leave (so human opponents can play CPU) and then rejoin when you come back. Just post up on Boards so that no one takes your team when you are away.

Headsets:
Headsets are recommended during games. I understand that some don't like to talk during games and instead would prefer to focus on what you are doing. You may have children/wives asleep and you don’t want to wake them, however you should still have the headset on so that you can hear your opponent should he need to tell you something.... he has to pause the game, has to go to the bathroom, important phone call, controller battery is dying, etc. Again, I’m not saying you have to talk for the entire game but keep the channels of communication OPEN. If you're playing late at night or otherwise need to be quiet during a game, please inform your opponent prior to kick-off.

If you are going for it on 4th down, moving into no huddle offence, onside kick etc, you must notify your opponent by message if you do not have a headset.

Game Settings:
Regular Season:
•Quarter Length: 8 Mins
•Accelerated Clock: 20 secs
•Skill Level: All-Pro

Playoffs:
•Quarter Length: 10 Mins
•Accelerated Clock: 20 secs
•Skill Level: All-Pro

Setting Up A Game:
All you have to do is go to the franchise on Xbox Live, then when both are on line and press the start button to invite your opponent to a game. You see on the owners list who is online / offline.

Connection problems:
Sometimes there are problems with two people connecting. The first thing to check is that both of your NATs are open (in the Xbox connection settings, if you are not sure what this is then ask). Assuming they are open and you still have problems restart your router. If problems persist please post on Boards for some help.

Restarts:
If you have to restart a game you must post in the restart thread on Boards along with the reason for your restart. Games must be restarted no more than two times after this number of restarts, the game will be simmed when the week is advanced.

You can only restart against the CPU once
If a person is persistently restarting games, this will be dealt with seriously and banning from the league is possible.


General Play:
We are striving to be a sim league, that is to try to play as teams do in the NFL. Therefore, play calling should reflect that in your games. If you wouldn't see it in the NFL, you probably shouldn’t be seeing it in these league games.

Playbooks:
No limitations.

Audibles/hotroutes/playmaker options:
No limitations.

Adjusting depth charts in the game:
No limitations.

4th Downs:
No going for it on 4th down unless the situation calls for it, some specific examples are;
1) Go for it anytime inside the 10
2) Go for it anytime in Q4 when behind OR inside opposition 40
3) Go for it anytime when 4th and 1 inside opposition 40
4) Go for it only 1 more time in a given game outside of the rules above

These aren’t the only situations but the main ones. We expect plays to be ones you see in the NFL every week.

Finally, if you are not going to take a field goal or punt on 4th down then you must tell your opponent you are going for it before you choose your formation. No fake punts/field goals!

Onside kicks:
Onside kicks can only be used in the 4th quarter if you are losing.

No huddle offence:
The same should be said about the hurry up offense. This should be reserved for late in the game when you're down OR at the end of the half.

Sportsmanship:
Use the Golden Rule. Treat others how you wish to be treated. Don't run up the score to pad your stats. If you have someone down and beaten, late in the game, have some class and run the clock out without rubbing salt in their wounds. Generally speaking, up by more than two scores with 2 minutes remaining should dictate you running the ball.


Everyone gets annoyed if they are losing.. however please keep in mind there is someone at the other end of the headset.
Keep in mind what you would prefer not to hear when you get annoyed in game

QB running:
As far as running with the quarterback….we are not going to say you can’t run with the QB. No one is going to complain when your guys are covered or when you're about to be sacked. It is acceptable to use designed QB run plays. But, you shouldn’t be heading for the sidelines right away, or dropping back 20 yards after the snap on most passing plays.

Moving DEs:
Manually moving the DEs outside the O-line is discouraged. Moving them towards the inside or moving the tackles is fine. Defensive shifts that are done using the left button are fine.

Dropped Games
If during a game the players are kicked from the server the following must be done. The game should be restarted but and the points difference between the teams must be recreated as quick as possible. Also the balance of posession must be recreated so if one player received the kick off was down 14 points and the opponent had posession when the game was kicked off again then he must recieve the kickoff, punt twice, give up two scores and then punt again. These rules all to all games through to the end of Q3.

If game goes to Q4 the rules as above still apply with the following proviso. If a player is down by 25 points he must effectively concede the game, drop out and let his opponent play the CPU. This point total goes down by 1 point per minute in Q4, so if down by 24 with 9-10 mins, 23 with 8-9 mins and so on down to 17 points with 2-3 minutes left.

Running up the score against the CPU:
If you get to 24 points up against the CPU, start punting!
As we have a mostly human league now, you will really mess up the stats for guys who are on holidays etc.


If a player drops out in these circumstances, the player who stays in the franchise to play the game should try to keep the score to the same difference it was when the game dropped out. There is no limit on the number of times you can restart the game in this exceptional case only.

Glitches/Exploits:
There are a few glitches in the game. I'm not going to list them, but if you are exploiting these on a regular basis, and are aware of them, then you may be booted. Although it’s nice to win, it’s not at any cost. Remember, we have experienced and rookie players. Rookies may well glitch by accident, do not complain about it but point out why was wrong and what they should do to avoid it in future.

Joining the franchise:
The franchise name is boards. Simply search for this franchise using your xbox live account on your Xbox only. Once you have found it you will have to enter the password. Simply pm me the password and I will pm you back asap. You must also join the franchise on the LM site. The invite link is here:
http://myleaguemanager.net/apps/acceptInvite.cfm?lid=LG1047_&uid=3677&lname=Boards
New franchise members must also thank this post and send the link to their thanks to me in a pm before they are given the password.

Game Weeks
Games weeks are on a schedule, the schedule will not be changed even if all games are played.
This is to help everyone schedule their games without moving the goalposts (pun intended)

Trading:
If you make a trade and it's agreed by PM/XBL/on thread then you must go through with that trade.
If you are waiting on progression improvements, then you must state that.

Dropbacks: Dropbacks of further than the actually drop back are not allowed. This will be rigorously enforced. After taking the snap, there is absolutely no reason to be holding down to drop back as the CPU automatically does this for you. If you drop back further than the three/five/seven yards, it gives you an advantage as for some reason EA think a person can run as quick backwards as forwards, and it causes the man coverage and zones to break down completely. Only on screen passes are you allowed the long drop backs as this is sim like. Once the drop back is complete, there is no restrictions on moving out of the pocket or up in the pocket, but it must be realistic, i.e. you can't take the snap and immediately dart out to the sideline. If someone is found to be doing this, they will be instantly banned for one week.

Low Arced Punts: They are outlawed completely. As the CPU can't deal with them, it gives an uncompetitive advantage to the punting team so it is not allowed.

The Commish still is in charge of what happens on XBL

helimachoptor

1) The Madden forum is for the enjoyment of the Madden NFL game on any console format.
2) Personal abuse will not be tolerated. We are all here to play an enjoy Madden.
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matthew8

On the 4th down rule. There are a couple more examples I think you should put in:
Going for it on 4th down in overtime (punting in overtime should only be a last resort in madden and real life imo)
Going for it on 4th and short to close out the game, like the Patriots tried to do in 2009 I think against the Colts.
Going for it in an offensive game. If it's 21-21 and it's the middle of the second quarter, you could be forgiven for not wanting to give your opponent the ball (like when the Packers tried an onside kick in the 3rd quarter when down 31-17 because they knew giving it the Cards would be giving them a TD). And I'd like you to remove that thing about one other situation, it's unnecessarily ambiguous.

helimachoptor

Lads what do you think of the proposal?

The one other situation isnt ambiguous.
One of my last games, I was driving up the field in the third quarter and was left 4th and inches and went for it.
That was my one time i went for it outside of the rules.

BigBadRob83

matthew8 wrote: »

And I'd like you to remove that thing about one other situation, it's unnecessarily ambiguous.

helimachoptor wrote: »

The one other situation isnt ambiguous

Agree with Heli, rule is not ambiguous at all.
Rules lay out the situations you can go for it. And you have one allowable time to go for it outside of those rules.
Pretty straight forward I think

Berty44

Have a look at the 4th down rules on IG. Not saying they should be adopted or anything.

All I will say is that they have been written based on the experience of a over FOUR THOUSAND madden games. They have evolved over a few years of input by players and they do work well. "Going for it on 4th" is never an issue as all situations are covered and people seem to accept them as being fair.

helimachoptor

Berty44 wrote: »

Have a look at the 4th down rules on IG. Not saying they should be adopted or anything.

All I will say is that they have been written based on the experience of a over FOUR THOUSAND madden games. They have evolved over a few years of input by players and they do work well. "Going for it on 4th" is never an issue as all situations are covered and people seem to accept them as being fair.

Berty.. could you do a copy and paste job?

Danger_dave1

6. No going of it on 4th down unless in these specific situations:
1. Within 5 seconds of half time ( any 4th down distance )
2. You are 4th and 1 and within your opponents 45 ( includes the 45 yard line itself )
3. You are down by 9 points or more in the last 5 minutes of the game.
4. You are losing by 1 or more points in the last 3 minutes of the game

In situations 3 or 4, you are allowed go for it on 4th down from anywhere on the field and on any 4th down distance.

You must always inform your opponent of your intention to go for it on 4th down before the play is called.

Unless the 4th down falls within the one of the exceptions above at all other times you must punt.

This from the IG rule book. Thoughts?

Berty44

Long discussions were gone through with all the arguments for various scenarios ( such as the ones put forward by Matthew above ). The rules as they are now on IG were decided in a such a way that the majority of people seemed to accept.

Over the few years I have been involved as an Admin more arguments / controversies / ill feeling were caused by people going for it on 4th down. Since the rules were worded as they are above ( about 6 months ago ) not one issue. Eveyone might not agree with them but they do work.

helimachoptor

I'm happy to leave the rules as is tbh.

Raoul

I am happy with the way they are too, could always just add in 1. Within 5 seconds of half time ( any 4th down distance )

I think that is a good one.

McG

Danger_dave1 wrote: »

This from the IG rule book. Thoughts?

I like those (though I'd use the 40 yard line instead of 45), think we should definitely add the 5 seconds from half time rule.
I think we should do away with the "one other time" rule. It's not ambiguous, just unnecessary.

BigBadRob83

McG wrote: »

I like those (though I'd use the 40 yard line instead of 45), think we should definitely add the 5 seconds from half time rule.
I think we should do away with the "one other time" rule. It's not ambiguous, just unnecessary.

Might not be necessary, but personally I think it's good to have it. I wouldn't like being hamstrung by only being allowed go for it in the prescribed situations, which I think the rules allude to with
"These aren’t the only situations but the main ones. "
This is the reason I think there is the "one other time rule".
Wouldn't like to see it gone

helimachoptor

I agree with Rob mcg in my game last night I was on 4th and inches I went for and got it which meant I kept the drive going for a td, having to have to punt it away would make things less enjoyable for me tbh

madalig12

helimachoptor wrote: »

I agree with Rob mcg in my game last night I was on 4th and inches I went for and got it which meant I kept the drive going for a td, having to have to punt it away would make things less enjoyable for me tbh

Agreed we do need the one chance outside the rules. It nearly went against me last night but is useful.

adrian522

Well I prefer we have rules that cover all the likely scenarios, I like the IG rules personally but can live with the existing rules though I think the "one other time " rule is open to abuse so I'd remove it.

Also I'd like the rules to refer to inside the 45 rather than inside the 40. Between the 40 and 45 you are outside FG range and you are likely only going to make 15-20 yards on a punt so I think going for it there makes a bit more sense.

Also if people aren't mic'd up is it expected that they pause the game and send a message to say they are going for it?

SantryRed

You should all invest in a good FG kicker 45 yard line is easy for Crosby

adrian522

Yeah but the posts are a further 10 yards at the back of the end zone, plus your kicker is 7 or 8 yeards back from the line of scrimmage so would he make a 62 yard kick?

helimachoptor

whatever yard you are on you need to add 17 yards to that, thats the true FG range.

So on the 40 yard line its actually a 57 yard FG.

SantryRed

adrian522 wrote: »

Yeah but the posts are a further 10 yards at the back of the end zone, plus your kicker is 7 or 8 yeards back from the line of scrimmage so would he make a 62 yard kick?

Yep!!!

mikemac1

adrian522 wrote: »

Also I'd like the rules to refer to inside the 45 rather than inside the 40. Between the 40 and 45 you are outside FG range and you are likely only going to make 15-20 yards on a punt so I think going for it there makes a bit more sense.

I definitely agree with this

I can't kick a FG from that range, my kicker is a scrub and the one I had last year wasn't much better. Maybe I need to draft a kicker
But I'd consider going a fourth down conversion inside the 45

Otherwise the very best I can hope for is a punt to the corner.

Can we change from 40 to 45?

Shane.C

Gould is immense

McG

SantryRed wrote: »

Yep!!!

He did it in Superbowl 3... twice I think!

id be interested in joining lads is it a bad idea to join mid season or is it all the one

etloveslsd

Alvaro Sweet Wig wrote: »

id be interested in joining lads is it a bad idea to join mid season or is it all the one

There is no problem joining mid season, if you send Raoul or Santryred a PM, they will send you details

Paully D

Lads, can we get a definitive rule on what happens if you're in the middle of the game and it disconnects?

I see some saying you should recreate the score and time remaining, and others saying just recreate the score and play on without taking into account the time.

It'd probably be better if we had a solid ruling so everyone knows where they stand.

SantryRed

Will talk about this with Raoul now and will post up later on.

McG

Paully D wrote: »

Lads, can we get a definitive rule on what happens if you're in the middle of the game and it disconnects?

I see some saying you should recreate the score and time remaining, and others saying just recreate the score and play on without taking into account the time.

It'd probably be better if we had a solid ruling so everyone knows where they stand.

and time needs to be considered. being 10 points up with 5 mins to go is hugely different to 10 points up and 3 and half quarters to play again.

helimachoptor

SantryRed wrote: »

Will talk about this with Raoul now and will post up later on.

Lads have you come to a decision on this?

SantryRed

We have indeed. We're going to use the Immature Gamers method which is as follows and I think is the most fair:

Dropped Games
If during a game the players are kicked from the server the following must be done. The game should be restarted but and the points difference between the teams must be recreated as quick as possible. Also the balance of posession must be recreated so if one player received the kick off was down 14 points and the opponent had posession when the game was kicked off again then he must recieve the kickoff, punt twice, give up two scores and then punt again. These rules all to all games through to the end of Q3.

If game goes to Q4 the rules as above still apply with the following proviso. If a player is down by 25 points he must effectively concede the game, drop out and let his opponent play the CPU. This point total goes down by 1 point per minute in Q4, so if down by 24 with 9-10 mins, 23 with 8-9 mins and so on down to 17 points with 2-3 minutes left.

If a player drops out in these circumstances, the player who stays in the franchise to play the game should try to keep the score to the same difference it was when the game dropped out. There is no limit on the number of times you can restart the game in this exceptional case only.


Heli, could you add that to the rules please? Thanks.

helimachoptor

Will do, just want to clarify one thing.

Are we going to be recreating the time left in the game?

SantryRed

helimachoptor wrote: »

Will do, just want to clarify one thing.

Are we going to be recreating the time left in the game?

No, recreate the scoreline and play from there. I did this once before where we recreated the time and it's the most boring 30 minutes of your life. Kneel, Kneel, Kneel, Punt. And so on.

helimachoptor

Yeah i agree with that Santry, ok the OP is updated

daflood

There is a discussion going on in the Bowl thread, about whether there should be a min number of passes required in a game.

I would like to pipe up and say that running every single play should not be a problem, unless the same plays are being run constantly. Madden is not perfect, so sometimes a combination of a good o-lineman and an average D-lineman can result in the exact same perfect gap being there every time.

A draw and a screen are examples where Madden has it wrong, because even long after the back gets the ball, nobody on the D reacts except the human controlled player.

If a min pass limit was to be brought in, I think it would need to be a min number of passes to WR or TE.

ie: Screens and short handoffs to a back do not form part if the required amount.

helimachoptor

I do not think a player should be required to pass whatsoever in the same way a player should not forced to run if they have Rodgers and 5 WRs rated at 99.

Up to the player what they want to do IMO

matthew8

Even if the league were to tackle the Raiders style of play, we would end up using the same passing plays all day long.

empacher

i think play calling shouldnt be regulated. I ran every single play against the dolphins. why pass if there isnt a need?

moderating number of run and pass plays or percentage of run to pass plays makes it more unrealistic in my opinion. if you can run the ball and gain 3-4 yards a run keep doing it i remember the chargers doing it back when lt was the man.
in my opinion if the other team cant stop the run or pass its on them to improve it via trade or draft.
having said that if a team is running the same exact play i see an issue with it.

Berty44

If someone can use the same play every time and gets 3/4 yards and work their way up the field then fair play to them. If they can then it says you need to work on your defence. There are no magic runs in the game that guarantee 3/4 yards every time. Every single play run or pass can be defended.

I always say you learn more in any defeat that you do in victory. A lot of this game involves experience, by that I mean playing loads of games. The more you play, the more you see, the more you learn how to play better defence and stop certain things. If I come up against something I can't stop, when I get a chance I go to the practice field and figure out how for the next time. There are no plays that always work. I could not highlight enough how valuable time spent in practice mode is.

Matthew in your post you seem to be suggesting that people are having problems with the Raiders style of play???? I know I played the Raiders, the score was 41-3 so I had no problem with their style of play. I actually remember that game, I remember their particular style of offence, I was just fortunate I knew how to defend what they were trying to do. Thats what its all about really.

Berty44

Berty44 wrote: »

If someone can use the same play every time and gets 3/4 yards and work their way up the field then fair play to them. If they can then it says you need to work on your defence. There are no magic runs in the game that guarantee 3/4 yards every time. Every single play run or pass can be defended.

I always say you learn more in any defeat that you do in victory. A lot of this game involves experience, by that I mean playing loads of games. The more you play, the more you see, the more you learn how to play better defence and stop certain things. If I come up against something I can't stop, when I get a chance I go to the practice field and figure out how for the next time. There are no plays that always work. I could not highlight enough how valuable time spent in practice mode is.

Matthew in your post you seem to be suggesting that people are having problems with the Raiders style of play???? I know I played the Raiders, the score was 41-3 so I had no problem with their style of play. I actually remember that game, I remember their particular style of offence, I was just fortunate I knew how to defend what they were trying to do. Thats what its all about really.

i agree with this i think there are one or two defensive plays that are wayyy op ie. moving a lb to the outside on certain plays but i think there banned anyway

matthew8

Berty44 wrote: »

Matthew in your post you seem to be suggesting that people are having problems with the Raiders style of play???? I know I played the Raiders, the score was 41-3 so I had no problem with their style of play. I actually remember that game, I remember their particular style of offence, I was just fortunate I knew how to defend what they were trying to do. Thats what its all about really.

I'm suggesting the league doesn't like the Raiders and has it in for us.

matthew8

matthew8 wrote: »

I'm suggesting the league doesn't like the Raiders and has it in for us.

al davis lives on through you sir

helimachoptor

Alvaro Sweet Wig wrote: »

i agree with this i think there are one or two defensive plays that are wayyy op ie. moving a lb to the outside on certain plays but i think there banned anyway

moving LBs are fine, moving DEs from the line of scrimmage manually isnt allowed.
However if you audible and they move thats ok

Berty44

From what I remember to stop the Raiders I was using a very basic defence and did not have to make any manual adjustments.

Nice motivation Matthew, the persecution complex lol !!!

You are correct Heli, moving anyone off the DL is not allowed.

adrian522

I don't think people should milk the same play over and over. Obviously I have no problems running the ball 40 times per game, but I'll use different plays.

I can understand people getting frustrated when the offense keeps running the same play, but the solution is to figure out a defense to stop it.

In madden 11 Raoul beat me by runnng to the outside constantly, his FB blocking my defender and him gaining 10 yards + every play, needless to say i've since figured out how to stop that one.

etloveslsd

When can we sign free agents again?

Berty44

Don't think there is any resrtiction on picking up a free agent as long as your squad keeps with 56 players. Not 100% certain on this though.

i might be wrong but i think i read somewhere that if you pick up a free agent you have to hold on to him for the year to prevent people signing everyone looking for some a potential

Raoul

That is for right after the draft. There is a rush for fa's so it is to stop people from taking everyone and deciding after if they like them or not

PacFish

Read and understood

Guffy

Hey lads so what's the rule with screen plays? Was playing a game were a player dropped back at least 15 yards. I mean it was ridiculous I was so close to rage quit and went on tilt for rest of half. He did the same thing in second half but didn't score from that one.

Is there a rule here or not cause I've been running to side on screen play to allow it develop but if I'm allowed to drop 15-20 yards feck it I'm doin that.