Fultonator05

I did read it. Look, I'm not saying anyone -should- do this, I think it's a very scummy thing to do, and I do think it's unfair. However, something being unfair and something being against the rules are two different things. I despise when people pass things off as fact when really it's just opinion. Now, as per my original comment, I'm not disputing that people can/have been banned for this, I only asked if there was proof since I've seen a lot of people advertise this method, and up to that point I had never seen any consequences for that. Reading the TOS for Madden 22, there are only three parts that even remotely touch upon the above. The first part is in their initial blurb stating that the rules exist to "keep things fun and fair for everyone that plays Madden." This is not a rule, simply an explanation as to why the rules laid out below exist. I think we've all played games that were objectively unfun, it does not make that person a rule-breaker or susceptible to a ban. The rules are then: Don't hack other players' accounts - Does not pertain to this discussion Don't buy coins - Does not pertain to this discussion Don't farm coins - We will talk about this below~ Don't promote coin buying or selling - Nope Don't buy in-game content from third parties - Nope Don't abuse or bot in the auction house - Nope Don't make false claims - Nope Don't cheat in game - We will talk about this below* Don't share accounts - Nope So, we are left with Don't farm coins and Don't cheat. Don't farm coins says "when you get coins fast and illegitimately, either by using bots in the auction house or by tricking the game into thinking you are playing matches when you are not." While I will certainly admit that this method can and should be considered "getting coins fast and illegitimately" because you are tanking games to then go on winning sprees, as is obvious by the next line, this method is neither auction house abuse or tricking the game into thinking you are playing when you actually aren't. Don't cheat says "Cheating can include, but is not limited to, using external tools and abusing glitches or bugs. In game cheating is not fair play and hurts the experience for the players you are playing against". Now, we obviously aren't talking about external tools, and I don't think losing on purpose is a glitch or bug. In every online game that has ever existed with any sort of ranking system, you could purposefully lose games to play against weaker opponents if you wanted to. This isn't new. Now, this game has rewards for winning, so you can make an argument that because you can gain something from it, it qualifies as a... glitch? bug? I'm not really sure, it's definitely scummy, but the spirit of this rule still reads to me more along the lines of like, purposefully desyncing or botting. They did leave themselves plenty of wiggle room by saying "can include, but is not limited to" but again, unless the argument is EA can do whatever they want (which I agree with and they have demonstrated numerous times), I stand by the point that there is nothing specifically about this in the TOS. TL;DR - The concept of smurfing (a high rank player playing at a low rank on purpose to crush less skilled players) has been around for a super long time, and to my knowledge in no game is that considered cheating. A grandmaster can make a new account on chess.com and destroy new players if he wants... Is it frowned upon? Absolutely. It's scummy. But I wouldn't classify that in the same category as third-party programs, bugs or exploits (desyncing) when it comes to Madden. The TOS leaves plenty of room for EA to ban you for whatever they feel like banning you for, but in no place does it mention anything about ELO tanking being a ban-able offense. For those interested: https://help.ea.com/en/help/madden/madden-know-the-rules/ If your point is that EA can ban you for it, then we for sure agree on that. EA can and will ban people for anything and everything. Doesn't matter about the TOS. If your point is that "Anything they see as unfair advantage is against TOS" I disagree. They lay out very specific categories that violate their TOS, and I maintain my position that you really, really need to read between the lines if you want to lump "losing game after game to play weaker opponents" in the same category as hacking and third-party software. It's unethical, but not unlawful/illegal IMO

Do you have a source for this? I've seen plenty of people do it over the years, including this year, and I've never seen or heard of anyone getting any sort of punishment (except requiring verification to prove you aren't a bot). I'm not a fan of the method, but even reading through EA's TOS, there doesn't seem to be anything about this, unless you really really read between the lines about "farming coins"

Ahh alright that makes sense. Thanks!

I had what was widely considered to be a good running back, but could never manage more than a handful of yards on any carry with him (explosive carries were 1 in 100). My O-Line at the time was probably mid 80's, with no particular focus. I've since upgraded my O-line to mid 90's, and have noticed an absolute world of difference. I probably average 4 yards a carry now, whereas before I probably averaged 1 yard. I can routinely secure first downs through just running the ball, which beforehand was absolutely impossible, and I did not change anything to do with the play calls, adjustments, etc. So for what it's worth, I do think it matters.

I hold it down pretty much from the get-go. Is it like certain racing games where I need to hit it at a specific time to get a jolt of speed?

Got him yesterday and had to work this morning, so haven't had a lot of games with him, but so far he plays extremely well for me. Passes are accurate, even when on the run without roaming deadeye. I have Gunslinger on him, but his escapability from the pocket is insane. Extremely useful if you like to scramble often. Had TOTY Russ before him, and it's a massive improvement.