Once you said "I've -never- customized a playbook" I knew exactly what to practice on. And it so happens Bengals have a pretty awful default playbook. By calling Run 3 most of the game, there really isn't much you can do. The only play-action you can get off without being sacked only has three receivers. And your only other pass play is the shotgun bomb which is really easy to cover since every receiver except 1 goes deep.
lol but hey at least I REALLLLLLY messed up bad on that one run. I called the play-action draw up, and then tried to aggro stop the actual draw. I missed the slide tackle and got caught up with blockers. FML gave you like 90 yards there and eventually a TD when you were within the 5. But hey, it must have felt great for you to get that off!
About the grapples... in MAN vs MAN its simply whoever taps fastest. /flex
The practice games against the CPU were really funny. I got like 10 sacks a game and 3 safeties. lol scores were like 59-0, 56-0, 52-3
Oh yeah, and the highlight play of the game, without a doubt, was when I was running with Anderson and got into a grapple with you and two drones were on me as well. Somehow I broke free of that and I was just like HOLLLLLYYYY SHITTTT and sped to the endzone like the beast Anderson is
Yeah, Anderson is a tank. Oh and, I suppose my tapping suckage has a lot to do with the fact that I'm playing on a keyboard, when normally I play on my MAME machine's arcade stick.
I have my full guide completed, but won't upload it in entirety until after the Chiefs get mauled
Here's the beginning!
Beginners Guide to Competitive TSB (NES) Play by EscPlan9 (aka EP9 or EscapePlan9)
This guide assumes you know the basics of the gameplay. It is tailored towards players not familiar with the competitive TSB scene, or simply those who are struggling and want to substantially improve their play in TSB.
GENERAL TIPS * Due to the limited amount of possessions you have, knowing both how to execute a strong offensive gameplan as well as how to shutdown or contain the strongest plays in the game is paramount.
* Make the best use of your team's strengths - do not play each team the same way. And on the other side, take advantage of the opposing team's weaknesses.
* The most important attribute for most positions is MS (Maximum Speed). HP (Hitting Power) has no impact on gameplay outside of popcorning drones when you have 50 HP greater than the drone (in MAN vs MAN play, whoever taps fastest wins).
* Since he who taps fastest wins, make sure to warm up your A button spamming! When you're about to receive the ball (kickoff, pass, handoff, whatever), start gradually tapping faster and faster until you get near the opponent then spam as fast as possible. I don't use any special method for tapping - I just get a firm grip on the controller and using a short efficient motion, "vibrate" over the A button as fast as I can.
* The KR's and PR's maximum speed is fixed and based off your team's right guard or strong safety (respectively) so therefore you should not select KR or PR based off their MS. The best KR and PR attributes to look for then is HP and BC (Ball Control).
* On defense, calling a run play will force your defense to play more aggressively towards the line, therefore leaving more receivers open. And calling pass plays will make runs slightly more difficult to stop, but will give you better coverage of the receivers.
Still waiting for a response from the Vikings. Khaymus, you still alive?
That's a useful start, Esc--important information to have out there. Also important to note is that Andre Ware is a bitch who has such a perfect arc on his throws that his receivers always make ridiculous jump catches regardless of your defense. (My roommate killed me that way--thankfully, the Lions have zero defense, so I still won)
Visiting relatives for the weekend. Khaymus - you gotta change your playbook if you want a chance to win against Enrique's Chiefs, trust me
Also... a couple more terminologies prevalent in competitive TSB leagues:
JJ: Jumping Jackass. This is where the QB lobs the ball over the receivers head and he jumps and grabs it. When you study the passing plays in a lot of detail you can pull these off very consistently and it's very abusive and tough to defend. The best teams for JJs are TB, MIN, and ATL. All of them have QBs that throw that arc, and an all-star receiver like Carrier or Rison.
CC: Covered Catch. This is when a receiver is covered by one or more defenders, yet still makes the grab. Think Montana -> Rice. This is annoying and there is nothing you can do about it. Thankfully it doesn't occur that often and only in very specific circumstances.
I've updated the OP. I'm cheering for Enrique 'cause he's a manner guy and I want the underdog to take it. =P Don't worry I still love you, Esc.
Best of 3, feel free to change playbooks between games. You better practice up, Enrique!
Hopefully there will someday be a next season, with way more people and a better ruleset. Possibly one which includes a crash course on how to play well from our reigning asskickers.
Was fun, I even had fun getting demolished, haha. I feel the results may have been the same if I didn't roll default playbook, but I would have at least stood a better chance, haha. I think anyone who creates a custom playbook and plays smart will at least have half a chance against people who are good at the game.
I was only BM with Enrique when he encouraged the trash talking
Yes, if you use any decent playbook, and have some practice against the better playbooks, you will be competitive enough to have a chance. That's the key reason for all these blowouts.
It's hardly even fair he gets to change the playbook at all considering KC is overall a slightly better team than CHI. But whatevah, my experience will pay off. And next season when I pick the Steelers, I get the freedom to customize the playbook to my liking, which will make their terribad offense into a playable offense!
So I come back home at the end of the weekend and try to throw in a practice game. I don't even get to the Team Data screen before my Gamepad's D-Pad starts feeling awkward. After about 5 seconds of testing all the directionals, the D-pad snaps right off. WTF?!? I've now broken two controllers in the past month
I tried playing with keyboard, and my tapping skills are MUCH worse on it. I'm too used to gamepad for grappling. Tomorrow I'll be buying another Logitech pad and hoping for the best -_- my previous one lasted me about two years. My Saitek lasted about a year. Why are PC gamepads so easy to break compared to consoles? Bleh.
lol, I had a Saitek just like that! I popped that D-pad right off. Sucked balls. Let me know when you're down, because it's about to get real. And really, KC is better than Chi? As I understand it, bout the only thing they do better is have a better QB and a better kicker.
And thanks Mikilatov for your support. I'll do my best to ensure it doesn't go unfounded. Here's to the upcoming KC rising:
Sucks about your gamepad, EscPlan, and yeah, I can attest to the tapping suckage on a keyboard, that's what I've been using, and you saw how I never won a tie-up. =P
I've always thought the bears were quite a bit better than the KC overall, but I suppose they're close enough to where playbook customization is an overcompensation for the advantage, but oh well... EscPlan should have the skills to make up for it.
On April 14 2009 03:52 Enrique wrote: lol, I had a Saitek just like that! I popped that D-pad right off. Sucked balls. Let me know when you're down, because it's about to get real. And really, KC is better than Chi? As I understand it, bout the only thing they do better is have a better QB and a better kicker.
KC has a better offensive line and passing game (Deberg and Paige) and Okoye is almost as good as Anderson (he only has one extra notch of MS and more REC). Also KC has some fierce LBs who not only have high MS (Thomas), but also decent INT for LBs (Snow, Thomas). Their secondary isn't as good as DA BEARS of course, but still above average. Overall KC is a better balanced team whereas with the Bears you rely on a few star players to pull you through.
The 1st game was crazy - a lot of fumbles, interceptions, diving catches, and JJs. The 2nd game was much closer and had a decent chance of going to overtime if one of his bombs to Paige would be completed.
Game 1. Very defensive game with a lot of Tecmo God vengeance sworn upon the Chiefs. Including an accidental onside kick that I recovered early on Because of stuff like this, I had good field position throughout the majority of the game. He scored in the remaining few seconds with a bomb to Paige who made a CC -_-
Game 2. He went a lot more pass heavy than I expected and I made more blunders than I usually do against the runs - I usually don't run into blockers haphazardly -_- giving up a few big gains.
Now that the season has been completed... my guide in entirety:
Beginners Guide to Competitive TSB (NES) Play by EscPlan9 (aka EP9 or EscapePlan9)
This guide assumes you know the basics of the gameplay. It is tailored towards players not familiar with the competitive TSB scene, or simply those who are struggling and want to substantially improve their play in TSB.
GENERAL TIPS * Due to the limited amount of possessions you have, knowing both how to execute a strong offensive gameplan as well as how to shutdown or contain the strongest plays in the game is paramount.
* Make the best use of your team's strengths - do not play each team the same way. And on the other side, take advantage of the opposing team's weaknesses.
* The most important attribute for most positions is MS (Maximum Speed). HP (Hitting Power) has no impact on gameplay outside of popcorning drones when you have 50 HP greater than the drone (in man v man play, whoever taps fastest wins).
* Since he who taps fastest wins, make sure to warm up your A button spamming! When you're about to receive the ball (kickoff, pass, handoff, whatever), start gradually tapping faster and faster until you get near the opponent then spam as fast as possible. I don't use any special method for tapping - I just get a firm grip on the controller and using a short efficient motion, "vibrate" over the A button as fast as I can.
* The KR's and PR's maximum speed is fixed and based off your team's right guard or strong safety (respectively) so therefore you should not select KR or PR based off their MS. The best KR and PR attributes to look for then is HP and BC (Ball Control).
* On defense, calling a run play will force your defense to play more aggressively towards the line, therefore leaving many receivers open. And calling pass plays will make runs slightly more difficult to stop, but will give you better coverage of the receivers.
PLAYBOOK SELECTION Your playbook selection is the single most important factor to developing a strong offensive gameplan. Many of the plays in this game are extremely easy to shutdown or contain. Remember that throughout the game you must stick to those same eight plays, so make them count! Choose one of the following playbooks depending on your team's strengths and your playing style.
Before I get into them, this is a basic glossary to understanding the abbreviations I'm using:
1) THE STANDARD R&S PLAYBOOK
This is the most utilized playbook in competitive TSB because it is the least exploitable. It contains some of the strongest run plays in the game, and the pass plays almost always will leave some receivers open.
The safest ways to defend against the plays (more aggressive ways are not covered here):
R1: Use CB1 and hold down before the ball is hiked. Once you notice it's the pitch up, take out the top blocker, then you have an open shot at the RB. Do not over pursue him - contain him if you don't have backup nearby, or if you aren't confident you can outtap him.
R2: Use LB2 or LB3 and move straight forward or slightly diagonal (depends on which player you chose) and you will find a gap in the offensive line, allowing you to chase the runner from behind.
R3: Use CB1 and hold down before the ball is hiked. Once you notice it's the pitch down, continue moving straight down, avoiding any blockers in your path. Again, don't over pursue. This play can easily be explosive if he runs by you. If you're still being chased by roaming blockers, don't fall into the trap - run circles around until you have backup on the way or an easier shot at him to slow him down.
R4: Use LB2 or LB3 and move straight forward or slightly diagonal (depends on which player you chose). You will have an easy shot at the RB.
Against a strong running team with a weak passing game, pick R3 very often. Some examples of teams like this are the Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears. Otherwise, to be on the safe side, call mostly pass, and contain the runs as best you can.
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2) THE TWO BACKS PLAYBOOK
You typically use this playbook when both your RBs are fairly weak (low MS), and sometimes when you have two fast RBs (usually the standard R&S playbook would be better in this case). Some of the plays are exploitable which makes this an easier playbook to shutdown or contain.
The safest ways to defend against the plays:
R1: Pick LB4 and move diagonally in towards the center. Once you notice it's the sweep, outgrapple the drone and then move diagonally back to chase down the runner.
R2: Pick SS1 and move diagonally up towards the top receiver. Once you notice it's the draw, you will have an open shot at the RB. If you're having trouble, at least don't let him get to the top sidelines - do this by hovering slightly above him, forcing him to run into you or move towards the center into likely traffic.
R3: Pick SS1 and move diagonally up towards the top receiver. Outgrapple him and try to contain the RB using the same methods as earlier. This may be the most difficult run play to stop in the game!
R4: Pick LB4 and move diagonally in towards the center. Once you notice it's the handoff, spam the tackle button for an almost unavoidable loss of yards. If his RB is fast enough, he may be able to evade, in which case, just chase him into traffic.
Because of the types of teams that typically use this playbook, and how easy it is to contain R1 and R4, you should call R3 often. By picking R3, you will also make shutting down R2 extremely easy (LB2 moving straight in gets a free shot at the RB in the backfield). However, if they are a strong passing team, only call it when it's likely to be a run play.
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3) MINOR VARIATIONS For the most part you should stick to the two playbooks mentioned above, however there are some minor variations you can do that are still effective. One example:
R2 and R4 both have fairly weak selections. With R2 you can sub in one of the T formation draws or the motion draw towards the bottom. With R4, you can use the T formation power dive up the middle, or the R&S QB sneak up the middle.
For passes, P2 can be subbed with the T formation play with a billion receivers - you're GUARANTEED an open receiver on that play. The best shotgun play in P4 by far is the weird formation motion one. The bomb play is terrible since it's so easy to cover, and the other shotgun play takes too long to develop (most of the receivers will be zig zagging and curling, and your QB tends to lead them horribly).
HOW TO BEST PRACTICE * Setup the controls for Input 2.
* Go into Team Data and select a team that gives you trouble.
* Give them the playbook that gives you the most difficulty (or any playbook you want to practice against).
* Then go to Preseason and select MAN vs COA.
* At the play selection screen, hold shift then press 1 to save state (in Nestopia). This allows you to instantly return back to the play selection screen just by tapping 1 to load the state, which makes your practice time more efficient. Use this after each down.
* On offense, try to make the most yards out of called plays. With runs, you usually can at least get back to the line of scrimmage with most plays. With passes, you will almost ALWAYS have an open receiver still. I won't go into the details of which players are open for each pass play - experiment and you will figure it out. If no one is open, throw to someone who is just starting to zig-zag or curl - this increases your chance of having a leaping or diving catch which is a very low risk, high reward play.
* On defense, call a pass play and practice defending against the runs. Experiment with different defenders than I mentioned to find other ways to stop the play. Also, practice calling a run play and defending against a good pass play.
* Join a league like Tecmo Players Circuit (TPC) to play against other competitive players. You likely will lose the majority of your first few games. That's okay, don't get frustrated - keep playing and keep practicing. I started off something like 2-21 when I got there.
FINAL NOTES Everything in this guide has come from me practicing extensively in MAN vs COA, reading guides and forums, and playing against TPC members. Thank you everyone in TPC for helping me become a competitive TSB player! I'd especially like to thank Malferds and MrTecmoSuperBowl from TPC for their assistance during my beginnings there.
Feel free to PM/IM/MSN me for any questions, feedback, advanced/aggressive tactics, or practice games.
AIM: EscapePlan9 MSN: dmontur1 (at) gmail (dot) com
EPT
and eventually a TD when you were within the 5. But hey, it must have felt great for you to get that off!![[image loading]](http://detachd9.homestead.com/files/tsb/chi_cin.jpg)
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