Utopia College Sports Community Day Report (6-12)

[cdj]

rhombic and I will post our thoughts and notes from the last two days in this thread.

For now, post your questions and thoughts in the other thread. We want the top portion of this thread to be loaded on our info and then have discussion; not info buried among discussions.

Thanks, guys.

[cdj]

First off, I'd like to say a HUGE thanks to Will Kinsler and the developers/EA staff we met the last two days. As a community, we are really lucky to have Will as a Community Leader. He and EA really treated us extremely well and it was great meeting and discussing the game with the EA staff and the other community leaders invited to Orlando.

At EA, thanks to Will, Matt T., Mike J., Jeff, Ben, Rich, Ian, VJ, Larry, Zach, Eddie, Anthony, and Jeff for coming down and being open and honest in answering questions.

* rhombic and I played current gen first, and then moved on to next gen...

Current Gen:

* There is now an option to turn off the 'return camera.'
* New pre-game music
* SWEET new exclusive current gen feature: The Play Art bluff...with match-up stick gone, you now have the option on 'coach cam' to have the real play/routes show....or a random pass play, random PA play, or randomrun play. This is beneficial if you play versus humans in person. No longer do you have to say "Can you look away for a second?" As for defense, you can choose to have it show fake blitz, fake zone, fake man, or the real play.
* HFA seems the same with difficulties calling plays on the road.
* QB avoidance is basically a special juke/animation for the QB.
* Deep ball defense is improved. I'm not going to say it's good or even great yet, but it is improved. (Realistically, it would probably take a week or so of playing to determine how improved it is. However, one of the CG producers did state he worked to improve it.)
* Punts - return team will still go towards ball, no "call-off" feature.
* After TDs, there is a nice new 'Drive Summary' screen. IIRC, it's pretty much the same thing you see in the START menu under Drive Summary.
* Seemed to be some 'auto jukes' during run plays in some inopportune times. The CG producer we showed it to believed it may have been a hardware issue, so hopefully it is right.
* rhombic and I played the new 'Points Pursuit' mode for about 2 minutes...it's an arcade style game where you get mad points for everything on every play. IIRC, we were about a minute into the game and the score was 60-50. In the My Shrine on CG, the high score records for this game was shown as a thermometer with marks at 500 and 1000 points.
* After the game, players are also given a User Report Card that gives grades for Passing, Catching, Running, Tackling, Covering, and Overall. In My Shrine you will have an overall user report card.
* In the 'after game' menu, there is now 'My Skills' which shows your user plays for the game.
* The new Leadership by Example did NOT seem terribly overdone. From the few games we played, I thought it was OK as the most I saw a position get a boost was +2 to my DBs. Though, we did not get to play enough to weigh it in with momentum, HFA, IP, etc. to see how much ratings fluctuated.
* No Hail Mary formation. Hail Mary now in shotgun formations.
* I need to double check on this with rhombic, but the CG developer we talked to said that a couple of glitches have been killed. I don't want to state which ones until I am 100% certain.
* Unfortunately, did not get to test the new DE contain/smart zones as extensively as I'd like. From what I did see of it, it seems like a step forward, but I am unsure on how great. The likely test for it will probably come during online play.

EDIT - Forgot to add...
* Automotion is AWESOME. Finally all the plays that didn't work last year due to needing a player in motion will work. You guys will love it, guaranteed. Automotion is in both CG and NG.

EDIT 2 -
* In My Shrine, you unlock 'patches' for each team you defeat. This way, you can make it a personal goal to beat all I-A teams and keep track easily. Small feature, but very nice IMO. I think a lot of people here will enjoy it.
* The new 'guide your receiver' (sorry I don't know the official name), is a nice addition, but I am concerned on how it will stand the test of online play. However, if you play primarily offline, you'll really like it. Basically, you will take the right analog and guide the closest receiver, typically the HB. This way you can guide them to the open spot on the field.

[cdj]

Next Gen:

[Personal Note: This was my first time playing next gen, so my point of view will be as someone with no experience. I will not be able to say how much it differed from NCAA 07 on 360.]

* Not a fan at all of the playcall layout. I respect that EA tried to change some things and invent a new layout, but IMO this isn't the way to go.
* Automotion is AWESOME. (This is on CG and NG, BTW.)
* Some Auto stiff amr and break tackle
* Can get 'on the spot' verbal commitments in Dynasty recruiting
* 35 players you target is year-round...the pool of players exists for the whole year.
* No SI, instead espn.com. It is a 'hub' where you will see team-related info in addition to national news.
* In the My Shrine, you can have 5 videos and 10 pics. You will be able to view others pics/clips as they are sortable. IE: If you want to watch great UM/tOSU highlights from other players, you can sort by those schools. Video and pics will have an overlay reminding you of when the game took place, if it was MNC game, etc. Didn't get to see this, but did ask NG producer about it.
* Play challenge worked. Overturned a play ruled a fumble where RB was actually down.
* 116 stadiums in game. They look AMAZING.
* Player Ratings: I wrote down every rating that was NOT in CG and asked rhombic to state which ones were not in last year's. The new ratings appear to be: Ball Carrier Vision, Spectacular Catch, Catch in Traffic, Block Shedding, Pursuit, Release Rating, and Importance.
* Can control up to 12 teams in Dynasty Mode.
* In Dynasty Recruiting, you can sort players by Commitment Status. The choices there are: 10 schools remaining, 8 schools remaining, 5 schools remaining, 3 schools remaining, Soft Commit, Hard Commit.


I'll post my general impressions in an upcoming post. Above are just some of the game facts/info about CG and NG we didn't know about.

[MightyBruin]

Current gen playbooks: Notice anything new? New formations, new plays, or same old same old with just updated rosters? In your opinion Is it worth it to buy 08 on current gen if you don't yet have a next gen system?

[cdj]

Current gen playbooks: Notice anything new? New formations, new plays, or same old same old with just updated rosters? In your opinion Is it worth it to buy 08 on current gen if you don't yet have a next gen system?

That's a great question....to be honest, I don't know. My first question would be 'how much did you like 07 and what were your complaints with it?' They didn't reinvent the wheel with 08 CG. However, they did add some 'smaller' items, which do improve it IMO. Though, I'm not sure it's improved enough to satisfy all of us. I still think there will be some deep ball issues, but not as bad as 07.


Some personal thoughts/impressions...

Current Gen:
* I hate to say it, but CG is really becoming a tired fanchise. Anyone expecting a vast improvement will be disappointed. If you really disliked 07, I'm not sure I'd recommend 08. However, if you liked 07 (meaning you didn't play online ;)) 08 is more of the same with some nice little features added in. While the intelligence of the safeties in pass plays may not be terribly improved (still back-pedalling), it did seem that DBs weren't getting burned as badly as they did in 07. Though, there was still some holes and ability to User Catch. The little touches they added (listed above) are great and welcome to the franchise.


Next Gen:
* I really was cold towards next-gen the first 30 minutes or so, but it really grew on me.

The big question: Is NCAA 08 NG worth buying a system for? Right now, I don't know if any game is worth buying a whole new system for. However, if you already own a next-gen system, then yes - I recommend it. The consensus among those who owned NCAA 07 360 was that this game is significantly improved on NG. I didn't get a chance to play the Dynasty recruiting or enough games to truly get the hang of it. Those are what would make me (if I didn't have a next-gen system) possibly consider getting one. My socks were not immediately blown off - but that may be due to me being used to CG for all these years.

More NG general gameplay thoughts coming up...

[locke888]

*Can get 'on the spot' verbal commitments in Dynasty recruiting
* 35 players you target is year-round...the pool of players exists for the whole year.


On the spot commitment. Is that the 1st week of in season recruiting? There are plenty of guys who commit to schools a year beforethey can even sign and guys who are big fans of the school.

35 players are locked in for the year or could you change all 35 the next week if you wanted? Is it still locked at 25 signed per year or did they add the SEC rule where you could sign up to 35?

Edit: didn't see your comment about not playing with NG recruiting too much. We'll find out soon enough.

[cdj]

On the spot commitment. Is that the 1st week of in season recruiting? There are plenty of guys who commit to schools a year beforethey can even sign and guys who are big fans of the school.

35 players are locked in for the year or could you change all 35 the next week if you wanted? Is it still locked at 25 signed per year or did they add the SEC rule where you could sign up to 35?

Edit: didn't see your comment about not playing with NG recruiting too much. We'll find out soon enough.

* 25 signed, but 35 on the board.
* I'm under impression you can change the 35. IMO, that is like your 'big board', in NFL terms.
* Also my impression was that the 'on the spot' commit would happen when you immediately offer, perhaps for the reasons you stated above. Unfortunately, I didn't get into recruiting as deeply as I'd like. From what I did see, it looks great.

For example, I chose Buffalo as my school....did a search for all scrambling QB, but I forget the last parameter I put in. I do remember I had 19 matches and it shows that player's overall rank. The highest number on the list was in the 2000s, with the last 3 being ATH and not QBs. None of the 19 had very high interest. I didn't get to go any further, unfortunately.

[MtneerManiac]

Also, if you get a chance, see if there's anyway to upgrade facilities and stuff of those sorts in dynasty mode this year, since a recruiting tool is "Facilities" and stuff like that.

[cdj]

Some exclusive screens given to community sites today:

Current Gen:

http://img479.imageshack.us/img479/1125/miami2vn1.th.png (http://img479.imageshack.us/my.php?image=miami2vn1.png) http://img391.imageshack.us/img391/1479/nd2gu9.th.png (http://img391.imageshack.us/my.php?image=nd2gu9.png)

Next Gen coming up.....

[cdj]

Also, if you get a chance, see if there's anyway to upgrade facilities and stuff of those sorts in dynasty mode this year, since a recruiting tool is "Facilities" and stuff like that.

Can't say with 100% certainty, but I'm pretty damn sure it didn't make it in. I have a lot of answers to questions from the Interview Thread and will try to get some of those up tonight yet.

[rhombic21]

Current gen:

Basic impression - This is NCAA 2007.5. If you're expecting anything different than that, then you are going to be disappointed. The auto-motion really adds a lot to the playbooks and the game, and they improved a few aspects of the game that were annoying (return camera), but honestly this is going to be a game that a month or two into it, you will feel like you've been playing this game for 2 years. Do not expect revolutionary stuff.

- Spy glitch was not fixed. This was pointed out to a member of the production team who was surprised to see it, so maybe it will be fixed for '09.

- Deep ball was somewhat less effective, for a number of reasons. First, DBs wait a LOT longer to bail out of backpedal on cover 3 and cover 4 zones, so the bullet streak is more or less eliminated. DBs were also made more aggressive in terms of going for INTs and making some plays on the ball. The current gen gameplay producer told us that this was something that he really wanted to focus on this year.

However, the deep ball is still ridiculously accurate, and there are issues with DBs reading the play correctly and keeping WRs in front of them. It is also still embarassingly easy to user catch deep balls. This was pointed out to the production team, and they are aware of the issue, but it is unclear if it is something that EA wants to fix in the future.

- QBs running straight backwards was still a problem. Basically guys, this is probably always going to be a problem. The developers explained to us that they haven't found a satisfactory way to combat the problem without alienating casual gamers. Vision cone is dead to NCAA. Never going to happen. Was a collosal problem for Madden for casual gamers.

- DBs still backpedal away from a running play for no real reason at all. Again, this was pointed out to EA staff, and we were informed that they were aware of the issue, but had not fixed the problem. We actually had an interesting play where I ran an option play against one of the producers, and I was able to go into replay and show them about 4 things that were stupid. First, the Safety was backing up 40 yards from the LOS and not pursuing the play. Second, my offensive center ran that entire 40 yards without touching anybody and pancaked said safety. Third, the QB was getting drilled as I hit pitch and it was a perfect pitch. Fourth, a defender who was in position to make a play on the pitch man took a embarassingly retarded angle to make the play, and I scored an easy TD to the outside. Basically this is again a situation where they are aware of these problems, but at this point there doesn't seem to be a great deal of motivation to fix these issues. So again, this will be a year that you will have to manually control a Safety and play the run.

- Zone blocking was vastly improved (although I didn't get a chance to break it down and figure out why it worked). We talked to the playbook guy, and he made it clear that it was a major goal of his to get those plays up and running. I can tell you guys that the playbook guy that they have working on this game is arguably the most dedicated guy on the staff in terms of getting football stuff in the game, and he's definitely a person that I feel good knowing that he's working on the game.

- The auto-motion stuff was simply sweet. That's the bottom line with it. WhoUTestin, I know you asked about the flexbone. Yes, they now have plays where the wingbacks motion into the backfield and get a handoff from the QB. You can run iso plays from this, but they also have jet sweep motions where a guy runs directly behind the QB and gets handed the ball. Basically every flexbone play (even the passing plays) involve auto-motion. But the really cool thing about this is that they also have plays with auto-motion, where a WR or HB motions and goes out for a pass. Also, I found plays with auto-motion, where a blocker will auto-motion into the backfield and become a lead blocker. They also did a really good job of putting in complementary plays, so they'd have a auto-motion play that's a fake to the HB then a WR sweep, then an auto-motion where the ball gets handed off to the HB up the middle, then an auto-motion play action pass all off of the same thing. This is something that numerous producers highlighted to us, that they wanted to make sure that they put complementary plays for all of those plays. Also, just FYI, the auto-motion is in next-gen as well. Both me and cdj really felt like this was an awesome feature, and something that I think guys are going to look at next year as a really cool addition to the game. Basically this feature gives a whole new breath of fresh air to the playbooks.

- There was some confusion about whether it was a hardware issue or a software issue, but we had problems with guys auto-juking in the open field (I actually had a guy auto-juke twice and run out of bounds). One of the producers said that they did something where guys would sometimes auto-juke if there was a defensive threat, and I did notice it happining in situations where appropriate, but the major issue was that we were getting auto-jukes in the open field with nobody around. The first couple times it happened, we thought that we had accidentally hit a juke button or something, or that a controller was broken. The issue, however, was seen using 3 or 4 controllers, with multiple teams, in multiple situations. EA staff was made aware of the issue.

- cdj hit on it earlier, but the new bluff play art is a cool minor thing that guys who play head to head games in person will really love. You can show fake play art that misleads your opponent.

- The return camera is off in multi-player games, and is now optional for single-player game. As a point of interest, we specifically asked about getting on/off switches for other gameplay "features", and were told that EA did not want to do this because they feel that it undermines the feature. Basically the impression that I got is that they only do this when a feature is failed, but it's too big of a pain to remove it from the game, so they just turn it off by default or give the user a way to turn it off. Guess EA isn't ready to admit that momentum, jump the snap, impact players, and HFA are failed features. It was interesting to hear though, that we talked with some members from EA's staff that discussed some of their own views on those features, and without getting into any specifics, there are definitely people on staff that are sympathetic to our positions on those things. They have some guys on the production team that are doing what they can to look out for hardcore gamers, in terms of what new features they add, and even if they aren't able to always win the argument, it is a bit reassuring to know that there's at least somebody in the room arguing the point.

- No playbook editor. Basically what we were told is that they don't view this as an option that is worth the development time in terms of selling any more games. It causes all kinds of extra quality assurance strains, and they don't think anybody would really use it. So if you guys want to get a playbook editor, go out and get a bunch of people to email EA about how you need to have it in the game, otherwise it's basically a dead issue, in terms of current gen.

- We asked about momentum being toned down. What we were told is that momentum was basically unchanged this year. Again, EA is aware of our position on the issue, but at this point it is not going to be altered.

- We did not get a chance to play any human vs computer games, so I can't comment on jump the snap. Again, we explained the problems to producers, who were aware of the issue, but it is unclear if this is anything that there is a motivation to do anything about.

- Pulling blockers are still useless for the most part. We still saw multiple times where blockers ignored relevant defenders, or were unable to make any sort of block on a man. So short of read plays and the new auto-motion, the running game will be exactly the same on '08. Our position on this matter was made clear.

- We noticed a field goal get blocked from a guy coming up the middle, which is something that I basically never saw on the game last year.

- There appeared to be a slight issue with the clock. At least twice we had a situation where the game was paused and one of us called timeouts, but a full second ran off the clock after we unpaused the game before timeout was called. In one instance this happened with 0:01 seconds left in the half. Producers were present when this was discovered, so they are aware.

- Still have an issue where if there's an auto-replay, you cannot challenge the play. This appeared to be something that producers were sympathetic to finding a fix for in the future.

- I did notice a few new running plays, which were called "power" plays. I called them a few times and did not experience tremendous success, but they are new to the PBs. They also had play action off of these plays. We didn't have a chance to dive into playbooks too much, so I can't really comment on how different things are. I did notice a bunch of new things in the flexbone playbooks, and in some of the next-gen playbooks that I saw, so there probably will be some things. Hook 'em, I know you were concerned about the I form option. I checked today and both Ohio and Buffalo have the same crap version of I formation. Texas aTm still has it in their PB. I wasn't able to go through everything and look for the I form option, but if I had to guess, I'd say that it's going to be the same as last year.

- We hammered very hard the concept of custom playbooks online. We were told that there were concerns with cheesers, but after having a pretty frank discussion about how some of the previous issues have more or less already ruined the game on that front, I feel that we may have made some progress there. It was unclear where online play stands at this point, but we definitely made sure that they understood our confusion about the fact that online features have actually been taken OUT of the game since '04, as opposed to the opposite way around.

We were told that the LSU, white on white uniform glitch had been fixed, but we had no way to confirm that.

- Final synopsis on gameplay. It plays like a tweaked, more solid, but still retarded in a lot of areas, NCAA 2007. If you are sitting there hoping for more than that, it's not going to happen. And we definitely get the impression that current gen is pretty close to the end of the run in terms of improvements, renovations, or anything like that. So my advice to anybody considering upgrading at some point, is to just get it over with. And that brings me to....

[kella]

It sucks that you guys weren't given more/any time with online play. Considering how centric of an issue online features are for next gen gameplay, it's almost absurd that online features have suffered so much STILL to this point.

One thing, at least on PS3, that is nice is that developers are patching stuff. MotorStorm issues got bitched about and patched. Resistance is getting a patch soon to give more maps and stuff and they had one back in December to fix a number of bugs.

I just hope that EA is dedicated enough to the online play to be willing to listen to the players.

[cdj]

Next-Gen Screenshots:

http://img118.imageshack.us/img118/8745/10870110image376ur6.th.png (http://img118.imageshack.us/my.php?image=10870110image376ur6.png) http://img523.imageshack.us/img523/4206/alabama3bsl3.th.png (http://img523.imageshack.us/my.php?image=alabama3bsl3.png) http://img130.imageshack.us/img130/9861/california3aum8.th.png (http://img130.imageshack.us/my.php?image=california3aum8.png) http://img501.imageshack.us/img501/2589/maryland1adb2.th.png (http://img501.imageshack.us/my.php?image=maryland1adb2.png) http://img489.imageshack.us/img489/5466/notredame1aav9.th.png (http://img489.imageshack.us/my.php?image=notredame1aav9.png) http://img242.imageshack.us/img242/5806/washington1aip6.th.png (http://img242.imageshack.us/my.php?image=washington1aip6.png)



Tournament:

Today there was a tournament among those in attendance with the winner getting an X-Box 360 Elite. The winner of the tournament was Dan from maddenwars.com.

In the tourney, I played Packwolf from Madden Nation Season One. He played as Oregon and I played as Missouri. He was able to move the ball well early on with his mobile QB and possessed a 3-0 halftime lead. Finally after running some Spy plays, he was unable to move the ball with the mobile UO QB in the second half. However, poor Mizzou was also unable to do anything as I lost 3-0. Being that Packwolf is a former Madden Nation competitor, I told him before the game it would be an honor to lose to him. ;)

This was my first experience with the 360, so I wasn't 100% comfortable with the controls so I did not get into running any DE audibles, hot routes, etc. However, I was very glad to see the spies work considerably more successfully in next-gen NCAA versus current-gen.

I did note in my NG games and in others, not a lot of big plays. Though, given all of our limited time playing, I am unsure if that was due to us or the game.

The DBs are aggressive in NG - getting in position to make plays, including INTs and tipped passes. It was a welcome sight.

[Husker Fan]

MadSci just said that there will be a downloadable demo in early July.

[rhombic21]

Next Gen

OK guys, I have to somewhat apologize on this. I did not get a ton of time to play next gen, because we spent about an hour testing current gen stuff initially, then a bunch of current gen gameplay producers got there so we cornered them for about an hour and a half and unloaded our arsenal of complaints on them, and then when we finally settled down into next gen gameplay, the next-gen producers came by and we spent a lot of time talking to them. They had a tournament at the event on next gen, and unfortunately both of us got bounced in the first round because neither of us had even completed a single game yet, when other guys had been on the sticks for about 4 hours already. But this is what I got:

- Next gen gameplay is about 1000% better than it was a year ago. Again, they got the auto-motion in there, which is a huge get. One thing that I absolutely loved was seeing the deep ball. The deep ball on next gen is simply dead, IMO. I tried to get a couple cheap deep balls in my tournament game, and all were either incompletes or interceptions. DBs make some solid plays on the ball, plus they have balls that are off target. Somebody was talking about PI, but I didn't see it one time when I was there, so my impression was that pass interference is not a huge issue.

- We talked to them about field goals getting blocked, and they indicated to us that this was something they had addressed. Given that I didn't see one field goal blocked in my games, or any of the tournament games that I watched, this appears to be a fixed issue.

- The biggest thing about next gen, to me, is the blocking. I got a chance to sit down with the blocking guru and have him show me the new blocking system. They have double team blocks and cut blocks integrated into the game, which is really nice. They have an entire logic where linemen have a guy that they are assigned to block pre-snap, based on the alignment of the defense, but it is dynamic so that linemen can adapt if defensive players move around. For example, the guy showed me one time where a MLB came up to blitz, and the line aborted the double team blocking, and went to straight man vs man type blocking. One of the other things that he showed me was the improved lead blocking by fullbacks, who now do a really cool job of leading you through the hole, rather than making a beeline for the FS. I was pretty impressed. The other thing that he told me was that they now have situations where blockers make more dynamic decisions about who to block, and smarter players will make better decisions more often. They also have some interesting "win" situations for defensive linemen, where linemen recognize that they are getting double teamed and will either try to split the double team, or will actually go to the ground and take out both blockers, so that the LB can make a play unblocked. The guy also highlighted to me that they wanted the run blocking to be more set up towards people reading their holes and picking their way through traffic, as opposed to just sprinting outside. The producer showed me several times where he ran the same play multiple times, and chose an alternate hole different times. I'm not going to say that this is 100% realistic blocking, but it's a giant, giant step in the right direction.

- I do have a couple concerns with next-gen that prevent it from being a "this game will revolutionize football gaming" type of game. First, it seemed as though it was really ridiculously hard to get pressure on the QB with the front 4. I noticed a lot of games where QBs are sitting in the pocket for an eternity. So containing the QBs and getting pressure on QBs will be an issue to look at for sure.

- I saw a lot of broken tackles. Others said that they didn't, and I watched some games where it appeared to not be a problem. But in one game that I played, we had a ton of broken tackles that had both of us scratching our heads. I also saw a fair number of fumbles, so that's the another potential thing to look at.

- We had some issues with it seeming like speed burst wasn't really doing anything. Seemed like a lot of times where guys were almost jogging instead of running full out.

- There were a lot of "wow" moments with the game. Setting aside the player models and running animations, this game has a ton of really cool animations that are jaw-dropping. Stuff from WRs getting a foot in bounds near the sideliens, to blocking animations, to failed strip ball animations (where the guy actually makes an aggressive swipe at the ball, you see the ball almost get ripped loose, but the ballcarrier manages to hold on to it), etc...

- User catching was a LOT easier than last year, but again, I didn't see anybody having success with lob user catches.

- The fast twitch stuff is definitly back. I made some runs with McFadden that were reminiscent of stuff that I used to do on '04. I am not 100% sure how I feel about all of this, but it definitely brings back that sense of user control to the game. It also seemed as though this was an issue that guys with high agility/speed type ratings could do a lot easier than guys without it.

Bottom line to me is this. If you have a next gen system, this is a game that you should definitely buy. I would probably even recommend purchasing this over CG, if you played '07 extensively and are looking for a change there. But the game lacks a sense of polish and overall finish that makes it a game that I can't tell people to buy a next gen system simply to play this game. But we saw a lot of encouraging things, and we talked to a lot of guys that have some really cool thoughts about the future on next gen, so I think it's just a matter of time until they get this thing pretty tight. One of the producers, Ben, was telling us that they've really used the next-gen system as a way to re-examine all of the things that they did on current gen, so there are a bunch of things that they definitely have plans to do in the immediate future in terms of adding some of the features and things that current gen has, and then even expanding on that, but they want to get it right (because as another producer told us, when they have something in that's a failed feature, it basically has to be a complete disaster for them to take it out, simply because it takes so much effort). So it seems like the idea on next gen is to progress steadily, keep gameplay as tight as possible, and make incremental improvements where they avoid doing anything similar to NCAA 2005 or 2006 where they have setbacks and end up having to take things out of the game, or hear about fans talk about how poorly implemented things are.

[kella]

Did you get any sense that they were willing to patch the game? I'm thinking mostly along the lines of a giant chorus of "____ is really messed up online, it needs to be toned down" receiving a patch to adjust online sliders or something.

[BigOrangeCountry]

Did you get a chance to see if the 360 version increased the amount of roster slots? (i.e. is it finally more than 70 so we can have all scholarship players?)

[cdj]

The guys in attendance were very, very cool and great to chat with.

Here are some of their sites and they will/should have more NCAA info up very shortly:

VG Sports (http://www.vgsportsinc.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=35)
Gamertag Radio (http://www.gamertagradio.com/vbportal/cmps_index.php)
Madden Matrix (http://www.maddenmatrix.com/)
Madden Wars (http://www.maddenwars.com)
Madden Planet (http://www.maddenplanet.com)
sportable.com (http://www.sportable.com)

More to come....

[cdj]

Did you get any sense that they were willing to patch the game? I'm thinking mostly along the lines of a giant chorus of "____ is really messed up online, it needs to be toned down" receiving a patch to adjust online sliders or something.

Yes....that sounds like it will happen.

[mcnaire2004]

Ok, from the current gen screen of miami I see they did not include miami's new uniforms. Did they do forget to include the new uni's in next gen?

[rhombic21]

Yeah, one of the producers indicated that they will definitely be looking to use the ability to patch games in the future, but he was kind of unclear about exactly what kinds of situations would be deemed worthy of making a patch. He also said that they have some limitations for what they can patch, so I don't think we're anywhere close to seeing PC game style patches, but it is something that they're going to try and take advantage of in the future.

[rhombic21]

Also, I have no idea what the hell was going on in the head of the person making the rosters, but they have Marcus Walker returning punts for OU. I'm pretty sure that Marcus Walker has never fielded a punt in an OU uniform, in game or practice, but moreover, Reggie Smith is returning as an all-conference type punt returner, and they didn't get that right. I pointed this out to numerous people, simply because I wanted to understand what the deal was with rosters. I never really got an answer that I was happy with.

[kella]

That's weird. You'd think it would just be a call to the school's athletic office, or a team manager or something who would be able to tell you who is likely to return kicks.

[kenmid07]

Also, I have no idea what the hell was going on in the head of the person making the rosters, but they have Marcus Walker returning punts for OU. I'm pretty sure that Marcus Walker has never fielded a punt in an OU uniform, in game or practice, but moreover, Reggie Smith is returning as an all-conference type punt returner, and they didn't get that right. I pointed this out to numerous people, simply because I wanted to understand what the deal was with rosters. I never really got an answer that I was happy with.

What was Demarco Murry rated?

[cdj]

MadSci just said that there will be a downloadable demo in early July.

I was very glad to hear that. It will be out for 360 & PS3 as they are working on it now.

Did you get a chance to see if the 360 version increased the amount of roster slots? (i.e. is it finally more than 70 so we can have all scholarship players?)

I didn't check that, but from everything I heard and learned today, I'm guessing it is still at 70. Someone stated they were told rosters were the same amongst both generations, so that's my guess...


I'd love to relay more info, but I need to wake up in about 3 hours to get ready to catch my flight. Tomorrow evening I will try to get the rest of the info up. I hope this early portion of info helps satisfy some of the NCAA hunger.

Also, thanks to the rest of the guys who were here and made it a great and enjoyable trip: Paul, Craig, Buddy, Tom, Dan P., Matt, Damon, Will, Nick, Mike J., Ryan, Dan, and Dave.

[cdj]

One last cool thing before I forget....

NG:

* I believe you can do this during the game as well....After the game, you can view 'EA SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS' which essentially is a PBP box score of the game. You pick the play you want and it replays that particular play. This is where you select the video to go online if you wish. You can then access it online, and if I heard correctly, even d/l it to your CPU. It sounds like a great feature for game film editors and aspiring filmmakers.

Catch you guys tomorrow with more thoughts and pics from the event.

[Makaveli_Reborn]

Quick question: this automotion stuff, how does it work?

You pick a play with automotion, you're set at the line of scrimmage.... then what? Do you press A to snap the ball and then the guy goes in motion before the ball is snapped (delaying the snap basically), or does the guy motion by himself and you have to time the snap right?

I just want to know, based on the controller, how automotion is implemented.

[rudyjuly2]

Thanks for all the impressions but can anyone comment about kicking field goals? Is it at least harder this year on CG? Too bad you couldn't find out if the CPU actually misses kicks and how jump the snap was tweaked. I HATED jump the snap last year and the new kicking system.

[cdj]

Quick question: this automotion stuff, how does it work?

You pick a play with automotion, you're set at the line of scrimmage.... then what? Do you press A to snap the ball and then the guy goes in motion before the ball is snapped (delaying the snap basically)

I just want to know, based on the controller, how automotion is implemented.

The bolded statement above is how it works. When you hit 'SNAP', they will move on their own.

Thanks for all the impressions but can anyone comment about kicking field goals? Is it at least harder this year on CG? Too bad you couldn't find out if the CPU actually misses kicks and how jump the snap was tweaked. I HATED jump the snap last year and the new kicking system.

On CG, kicking and Jump the Snap seemed the same as last year and on NG these features worked just like on CG.


Also, just some thoughts on the NCAA crew in general...

Unfortunately, the producers didn't share each and every plan for the upcoming years (which I understand completely), but when any of us suggested ideas from Utopia (or our respective sites), they seemed to know exactly what we meant and let us know that on NG they won't add something until they are very confident it works. It sounds like they have very high hopes due to the power of next-gen consoles.

The vast majority of the staff sounded like one of us when talking about CFB and the game. I believe they care about it as much as we do, even if sometimes we give them a hard time here about it. They definitely are working on NG with a 'bigger picture' in mind, IMO.

It seems like on CG through the past few years, they wanted to try adding ideas we'd like, but for a variety of reasons it couldn't happen. IE: Feasibility, AI capability, disc space, etc. I believe that down the line, a lot of our dreams may finally come to fruition. EA takes a lot of heat (some deserved, some not), but I think these guys have a solid plan for the future of the franchise. So long as the core group of these guys stay on the NCAA staff, I think things will work out for the best.


That's all for this morning....it's off to breakfast and the airport. I should be back on this evening with more thoughts and info from the event.

[supersigma2of21]

A quick supersim question:

I know you can sim the entire game or whole offensive or defensive series but can you sim single plays?

[kalgon]

Thank you, guys, for the informative reporting.

BTW, did they fix the RBs walking out of bounds with passes caught instead of cutting upfield? And I can't believe the kickers are still way too good. That fix should have been easy and obvious. I am looking forward to improved blocking and DB play. Again, nice job.

[rudyjuly2]

Thank you, guys, for the informative reporting.

BTW, did they fix the RBs walking out of bounds with passes caught instead of cutting upfield? And I can't believe the kickers are still way too good. That fix should have been easy and obvious. I am looking forward to improved blocking and DB play. Again, nice job.

If the kicking game is as bad as last year, I will be pissed. There is no excuse and the new kicking system is simply a disaster. The old system was way better.

EA does deserve major kudos for hosting this event. Every company should host this type of stuff when possible.

[Canada_NCAA]

Auto motion question/concern.
Lets say the playclock is running down and its at 1 sec left. You press A to snap the ball. What happens at this point if the play has auto motion involved? Does the motion get skipped or does it pause the play clock for the motion to happen.

Have a good flight back guys. Hope you were rocking some Utopia/NCAA strat T-shirts. Rhombic you probably had the thong on I imagine.

Edit: That's funny. UH and I think alike.

[sayo]

Now if the playclock is real low say 1-3 secs, does the center snap the ball early and you have a broken play but a chance or does your team sit there on these automotion plays?

[Makaveli_Reborn]

Now if the playclock is real low say 1-3 secs, does the center snap the ball early and you have a broken play but a chance or does your team sit there on these automotion plays?

yeah, basically this is where I was going with my line of questions.

In real life if the motion guy was running a route, they'd just snap the ball without the motion and it would be a busted play unless the receiver had a route in case that happened. Either that or call a timeout.

On a play where the motion man would get the handoff or pitch, I think I real team would just call timeout if they didn't have time for the motion.

So I won't be pissed if trying to run an automotion play with 2 seconds on the play clock results in a delay of game. You should have to call timeout in that situation.

[SoJon]

great info guys!

[21SEC]

Coach mode, next gen?????Is it possible??

[supersigma2of21]

Coach mode, next gen?????Is it possible??
Rhombic and I discussed CM in-depth greatly with every producer who came by. Some were vaguely familiar with it, others really knew about it and judging by the tone of their voice, have some high hopes for CM and CM inspired wishes down the line. EA has officially been enlightened on Coach Mode.
That's what cdj said in the other thread. I'm gonna take that as a negative on an actual coach mode, which I expected anyway. Now, I hope he didn't forget to check if autothrow was back in the game. That's why I ask about the supersim'ing of single plays because I could still play coach mode and just supersim the passing plays that I call.

[JeffHCross]

BTW, did they fix the RBs walking out of bounds with passes caught instead of cutting upfield?This was, almost, the entire point of the new "branching animation" system. So you wouldn't be caught by an animation and go out of bounds on a catch rather than cut upfield.

[HookemHorns]

Hook 'em, I know you were concerned about the I form option. I checked today and both Ohio and Buffalo have the same crap version of I formation. Texas aTm still has it in their PB. I wasn't able to go through everything and look for the I form option, but if I had to guess, I'd say that it's going to be the same as last year.

I can deal with this as long as this is as you say it is:

They also have some interesting "win" situations for defensive linemen, where linemen recognize that they are getting double teamed and will either try to split the double team, or will actually go to the ground and take out both blockers, so that the LB can make a play unblocked. The guy also highlighted to me that they wanted the run blocking to be more set up towards people reading their holes and picking their way through traffic, as opposed to just sprinting outside. The producer showed me several times where he ran the same play multiple times, and chose an alternate hole different times.

This is exactly how a DT should react to the double team. As long as there are times where the offensive line is able to push him into the lap of the LBer I will be happy.

Speaking of that how is blocking on the second level off of double teams. Does one of the linemen break off and block the LBer on zone plays?

Have they implemented both inside and outside zone concepts?

Is lineman pulling more effective on NG due to the new blocking AI?

I love the fact they "fixed" the FB. I may be able to run a more traditional offense.

One the power running plays was it a run to the tackle gap (either strongside or weakside) with the FB kicking out the outside defender and the playside G pulling through the hole?

[Makaveli_Reborn]

Also, I know you guys didn't go deep into dynasty, but maybe they talked about their "promise" feature and answered my question:

Alright, so I promise a kid that he'll be a freshman all-american. He comes in, starts from Day 1, and tears his ACL the first game of the season. He doesn't make All-American because he's hurt, do I lose coach integrity for that?

Basically what I'm asking is whether or not these "promises" are absolutely pass/fail or if there is leeway.

[jwhite25]

Thanks Rhombic and CDJ for the plethora of information!

[Dukeman]

I know you guys probably don't have any interest in this, and I know Rhombic is mostly a gameplay guy, but did you happen to hear anything about the prospect of EA including more teams in the game, eventually getting to where they have all Division I teams?

[DonohoFlnkr]

Next Gen

OK guys, I have to somewhat apologize on this. I did not get a ton of time to play next gen, because we spent about an hour testing current gen stuff initially, then a bunch of current gen gameplay producers got there so we cornered them for about an hour and a half and unloaded our arsenal of complaints on them, and then when we finally settled down into next gen gameplay, the next-gen producers came by and we spent a lot of time talking to them. They had a tournament at the event on next gen, and unfortunately both of us got bounced in the first round because neither of us had even completed a single game yet, when other guys had been on the sticks for about 4 hours already. But this is what I got:


Burn Him!!!!!!

Just Kidding. I completely understand, because I know that I and nearly everyone else on here would be overwhelmed in the situation, and to add/remember all of the Utopia Questions,...Well, I'm sure the evening seemed to fly by.

Thank you guys for representin', and it sounds like TIBURON, at least, has their Sh$# together, it's just those damn EA/marketing people!!!![evil].............
:D

[cdj]

On wi-fi at ORL airport...to address a few questions briefly...

Automotion: Rhombic and I were playing on X-Box, a system neither of us are accustomed to, so we were routinely having the play clock run low. Did we purposely let the play clock get to one and try automotion? No, but we probably should have. However, we ran it quite a bit with the play clock getting low and didn't see any problems with it. That's a good question though....I can try and look into it.

Dukeman: I know that's a major question, so I did ask. As far as what I can say, it did sound like that is on their radar to possibly get I-AA included again. However, there are a lot of difficulties with that (how to deal with stadiums, adding in playoffs, getting playing styles correct, etc) - but it's not a lost cause. I did push for it...IMO it would add a larger consumer base and also replay value.

There may be questions I haven't answered directly, but I will be able to later this week.

Mak: Great question on the recruiting. Unfortunately, at a one-day event like this, there's not too much time to dig into that. However, I'll see if I can find that out. We learned quite a bit on the programming aspect. IMO, that might be tough to program in....if that is the case, we'll just have to imagine that the player blamed the coach for his injury, thus causing the transfer. ;)

[WKUsSledgehammer]

I'm really bummed about Utopia getting completely bounced in the first round of the tourney. [down]

[cdj]

A quick supersim question:

I know you can sim the entire game or whole offensive or defensive series but can you sim single plays?

I really wanted to get to that, but didn't. I know you can super-sim games, and during Campus Legend you can super-sim the plays/series your player is not on the field. As for individual plays, I'm not sure...

[JeffHCross]

I would hope they include some kind of leeway, like Mak suggested. I know I was playing MLB 07 last night and was impressed to find out that if my goal is to get a ground ball ... if I strike the batter out instead, I've succeeded ('cause the true purpose is "don't walk him, and don't let him hit a fly ball"). The fact that I was impressed by this shows what's the norm, unfortunately.

[keyser soze]

So is the consensus that this game is going to be more of a defensive game this year or do you not know because neither of you had enough stick time to test the waters?

Is the CPU AI any better or are there going to be a handful of house rules needed again this year to stop various aspects of the game that the CPU can not adjust to?

Did either of you try shifting DL and LBs around to non TE side to see if CPU responded in any way?

Did they bring back all of the practice mode options like random defensive play calling for the NG?

Thanks

[DonohoFlnkr]

I'm really bummed about Utopia getting completely bounced in the first round of the tourney. [down]

Well, I was at first, but after hearing Rhombic's explanation, I can see where he would get carried away talking gameplay with the Tiburon people, leaving him and CDJ with very little prep time on the next gen.
And as you may have noticed in my last post, I have a new found respect for the game developers/programmers, as it sounds like they know what they are doing and that they do love the game, but have alot to deal with as far as what pleases the casual gamers and the higher ups in marketing. So, from here out, I will direct my venom at EA and exclude Tiburon from such bashing.

Having said that, I do have a question,
In the limited time that you guys had with the NG, did you see any instances of defensive players lining up offsides and staying offsides when the offense ran a hurryup offense? I don't know that this was a problem in NG 07 like it was in CG 07, but it is a question that comes to mind (unfortunately, I didn't think if it until AFTER they had the event[down] )
I know you had limited playing time, but I'm thinking/hoping that maybe watching the tournament gameplay, you may have seen the hurryup situation.

[Canada_NCAA]

Did they want to know what the community wanted for future versions. Since this years stuff is locked in already.

Seeing Will (I know he's busy but) on here more would be great so we can have an idea of what is upcoming in future versions. Did they say how far in advance of release when new concepts need to be started.

[Tony 4 MVP]

good stuff fellas, thanks for giving us all this info. cant wait til july!:)

[cdj]

So is the consensus that this game is going to be more of a defensive game this year or do you not know because neither of you had enough stick time to test the waters?

Is the CPU AI any better or are there going to be a handful of house rules needed again this year to stop various aspects of the game that the CPU can not adjust to?

Did either of you try shifting DL and LBs around to non TE side to see if CPU responded in any way?

Thanks

CG or NG?

I think CG will still be considered 'wide-open'. NG does seem more defensive, particularly if you play on AA or Heisman. I can now guaran-damn-tee IGNs clips are on JV or Varsity. The big plays on NG were few and far between.

I'm an X-Box noob, so the controls through me for a loop and a half. I did not get to def. hot route, etc., but like I said in my game vs. Packwolf, just calling the basic spy play stopped his QB scrambling.

As for CG, no, didn't get to that. We were more concerned with testing the deep ball, run blocking, etc. We talked extensively with the CG gameplay guy and showed him some stuff. I'm not sure they can reinvent the wheel on CG, but this guy really seems to want to make the game more realistic and toned-down in some regards, especially as it relates to the deep ball and secondary play.

Well, I was at first, but after hearing Rhombic's explanation, I can see where he would get carried away talking gameplay with the Tiburon people, leaving him and CDJ with very little prep time on the next gen.
And as you may have noticed in my last post, I have a new found respect for the game developers/programmers, as it sounds like they know what they are doing and that they do love the game, but have alot to deal with as far as what pleases the casual gamers and the higher ups in marketing. So, from here out, I will direct my venom at EA and exclude Tiburon from such bashing.

Having said that, I do have a question,
In the limited time that you guys had with the NG, did you see any instances of defensive players lining up offsides and staying offsides when the offense ran a hurryup offense? I don't know that this was a problem in NG 07 like it was in CG 07, but it is a question that comes to mind (unfortunately, I didn't think if it until AFTER they had the event[down] )
I know you had limited playing time, but I'm thinking/hoping that maybe watching the tournament gameplay, you may have seen the hurryup situation.

1) The best thing we can do as a site is to list what we do and don't like about the game, find bugs/exploits, and state what we want in future versions. If people hate the game, say so....just be constructive in stating what we like and don't like. The "F*** EA" statements may be how people feel, but that doesn't help anybody. At least state some actual complaints after the expletives. ;)

2) In the title game there was some no-huddle, and I didn't see any funny business or hear about anything weird. Though, I didn't know there was a problem there....We'll have to see if rhombic caught it.

Did they want to know what the community wanted for future versions. Since this years stuff is locked in already.

Seeing Will (I know he's busy but) on here more would be great so we can have an idea of what is upcoming in future versions. Did they say how far in advance of release when new concepts need to be started.

From reading between the lines, it sounds like they have a list of stuff they'd like to have in not only next year, but down the line. It seems they comb all NCAA sites and become acquainted with the wish list ideas. They seemed to know about the demands for: CM, I-AA season, assistant coaches, etc. Though, just because they know about the demand doesn't guarantee they will make it in anytime soon...but they do follow the communities.


One story that will make your guys' day...

Each producer we met, we asked what they worked on, etc. and they typically replied with asking what site we are from. Some hadn't heard of us, most were familiar, but the best is when one producer said "Oh yeah? I go there quite a bit" and proceeded to cite off one of my posts about the trip (having dinner out on Monday). [laugh] So, one of our main concerns is all but gone....EA and the producers do come around here. We're not on an island like it felt like for so long.

I need to head back to the airport gate....I'll try to get on again later, but if not, I will be on tonight to answer some questions from the interview thread.

[WKUsSledgehammer]

From reading between the lines, it sounds like they have a list of stuff they'd like to have in not only next year, but down the line. It seems they comb all NCAA sites and become acquainted with the wish list ideas. They seemed to know about the demands for: CM, I-AA season, assistant coaches, etc. Though, just because they know about the demand doesn't guarantee they will make it in anytime soon...but they do follow the communities.

It's good to know they are aware of this. Did they give you any indication of the likelihood of this being done down the road?

[aucaddy24]

Hey Guys,

Thanks for the info for people that are stuck in the olden times of PS2 like me :p . I was just wondering if you guys played with ARkansas or saw someone playing with them because I was just wondering how the Wildcat formation looked?

Also, did yall run any of the new trick plays like double passes?


Thanks for what you do guys, you are a big help.

[keyser soze]

Cdj, thanks for the reply, I am always talking about NG but will try to remember to state that in future.

Can you tell me about practice mode on the NG? I have asked Will about this in the past but he didn't know. Did the bring back all of the options to it this year like exist on CG? I am hoping we can call random plays for the defense so we can test ourselves and then watch it back in replay.

Did you guys test CPU pre-snap AI? Two things I am curious is if the CPU will try to stop the human from running the same play successfully over and over or will it just continue to call random defenses. Second, does the CPU respond to shifting defensive players towards its NON TE side? I know rhombic says that the OL AI is much improved, I am wondering if it is improved enough that the CPU no longer is at a loss against defensive shifts towards the non TE side. In real life that would result in an audible or at the least RB staying in to help block the blitz.

Thanks

[JeffHCross]

Each producer we met, we asked what they worked on, etc. and they typically replied with asking what site we are from. Some hadn't heard of us, most were familiar, but the best is when one producer said "Oh yeah? I go there quite a bit" and proceeded to cite off one of my posts about the trip (having dinner out on Monday). [laugh] So, one of our main concerns is all but gone....EA and the producers do come around here. We're not on an island like it felt like for so long.Good to know. I know one thing I hope I'm able to do when I'm in the game industry is to keep in touch with the communities. I've even thought about using a pen-name in the industry so people don't connect it to me unless I fess up.

[Fluff E Bunny]

Did not see this specifically answered...coach mode. If you call a pass play and hit A to snap...and then do nothing else with the controller, will the QB throw the ball.

Also, for cmq's edification, on the same console can two people play against the CPU together or are they forced to go head-to-head?

[RUSSELL05]

I think CG will still be considered 'wide-open'. NG does seem more defensive, particularly if you play on AA or Heisman. I can now guaran-damn-tee IGNs clips are on JV or Varsity. The big plays on NG were few and far between.


I told you guys so anyway you guys did a wonderful job.

[gschwendt]

what level did you guys play on?

[mdgoalie37]

A newbie to your forum here - just one question, did in-game saves make it to Next-Gen? Thanks...

[Rudy16]

Great info guys, thanks a lot.

[21SEC]

Did not see this specifically answered...coach mode. If you call a pass play and hit A to snap...and then do nothing else with the controller, will the QB throw the ball.



Ditto

[supersigma2of21]

In addition to the coach mode question: can you play cpu vs. cpu by putting the controller in the middle?

[Tony 4 MVP]

Ok so are the controls a lot tighter for NG? Do they compare to CG in that aspect? My only beef with NG football games have been the lack of user control. All this is very important to me because I ONLY play online and against other people. Thanks..

Note* this may have been answered already, if so I do apologize.

[locke888]

Did you guys happen to ask how much longer they expect to produce NCAA on current gen? I would guess it would all relate to sales vs. sales on Next gen. But did they hint at anything. Reason I ask is there is no chance of me getting a NG system until they are under $250-$275(probably never for PS3)

[pavel_quad]

I'm wondering if the ice machine made it into next year's game? I can think of one guy who lurks here some who might be interested...;)

Great job guys- one quick question- the next-gen stuff was for 360, right? Was there any PS3 representation, or allusions to any potential differences between the NG platforms? Leaning towards a PS 3 this summer...

[Fluff E Bunny]

Did you guys happen to ask how much longer they expect to produce NCAA on current gen? I would guess it would all relate to sales vs. sales on Next gen. But did they hint at anything. Reason I ask is there is no chance of me getting a NG system until they are under $250-$275(probably never for PS3)

Last I saw, sales of PS2 were still higher than 360, PS3 and Wii...combined.

[Nothingface]

One last cool thing before I forget....

NG:

* I believe you can do this during the game as well....After the game, you can view 'EA SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS' which essentially is a PBP box score of the game. You pick the play you want and it replays that particular play. This is where you select the video to go online if you wish. You can then access it online, and if I heard correctly, even d/l it to your CPU. It sounds like a great feature for game film editors and aspiring filmmakers.

Catch you guys tomorrow with more thoughts and pics from the event.

holy shit! holy shit!

I love it! I remember that feature being in Football Pro '95.

[JeffHCross]

Last I saw, sales of PS2 were still higher than 360, PS3 and Wii...combined.Fixed. Wii is the #1 console, but PS2 has beaten 360 every month except one.

I love it! I remember that feature being in Football Pro '95.Yeah, it was in Accolade's Hardball 5 too back in the mid 90s. About time they finally got it in a modern game.

[keyser soze]

Next Gen Sales (http://nexgenwars.com/)

I have to believe that this year will be the last year but who knows.

[Mr.T]

I'm definitely pleased with all the info I've read!!!

I'm guessing the annoying cut scenes (360) when the teams head to the LOS have been eliminated since I've read no complaints about them. [laugh]

[CFR-116]

Great work guys and very useful info! Sorry if this was already asked but...what about the gang tackling? [NG] Was gang tackling a big part of the gameplay or just kinda spotty. [If there at all] Again guys...thanks so much for your time and great effort to get us up to speed about the games.[smile]

[JeffHCross]

I have to believe that this year will be the last year but who knows.Last year of what? By the way, that site you linked to, while awesome, isn't exactly correct. They use the official numbers from Sony and other companies and then estimate the actual rate of sales. It's cool to watch though.

[Hawkfan]

Last year of what?

I think Soce was talking about the production of current gen NCAA games, maybe? This year ('08) will be the last year on the XBox and PS2, perhaps.

[heisman6183]

This may not be important to a whole lot of people, but have I-AA teams been included on current gen? I'm pretty sure I've seen this is not a next gen feature, but is it planned? I know there is a small but dedicated I-AA, oh excuse me, FCS, fan base.

[Fluff E Bunny]

Last year of what? By the way, that site you linked to, while awesome, isn't exactly correct. They use the official numbers from Sony and other companies and then estimate the actual rate of sales. It's cool to watch though.

This site (http://www.vgchartz.com/hwcomps.php?cons1=Wii&reg1=All&cons2=PS2&reg2=All&cons3=X360&reg3=All) shows the differential better. You can fiddle with the lines to see how much more of an install base PS2 has over everything else. If nothing else, developers will continue to make PS2 versions of games for a few more years.

[JeffHCross]

I think Soce was talking about the production of current gen NCAA games, maybe? This year ('08) will be the last year on the XBox and PS2, perhaps.I'm honestly shocked they made it for X-Box this year, considering how Microsoft has basically given up on that console. At the least, I would not expect 09 on X-Box. Soce's right that, with the PS2 install base, we might see '09 on PS2, but I wouldn't be surprised if not.
This may not be important to a whole lot of people, but have I-AA teams been included on current gen?Yes, the currently-in FCS teams and Create-A-School are on current-gen. They didn't remove them.

[SirCharles1985]

You guys did an excellent job on keeping us informed, and I'd like to say thank you. I'm very happy that the PI bug on NG has seemed to be fixed, also the blocking and DB play is getting me excited.

[durd2817]

Did the defender get cut down everytime a blocker tried to cut block?

[kella]

What the fuck, I can't believe you CDJ/Rhombic.

You asked no questions about the stripes on socks or facemask colors or if Butch Davis wears sunglasses on the sidelines. DON'T YOU KNOW WHAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT??!?!?

Oh yeah I hope you enjoyed the Orlando Airport. I was there last month. It's under construction so it looks like a Tornado hit, and because it's like 6 miles from Disney World there were about 90 little crying kids on my flight. :D

[salukifan]

Thanks for all the info, looks to be an improvement on a lot of fronts, the automotion alone is sweet, especially when it also is applied to the flexbone, might actually be able to use the flexbone again...

[AVENGE1]

Rhombic:

On New gen ... do the players still look like bulked up cereal boxes? (square shape) ... or have they made the players look more realistic? IMO, last year, CG player models looked alot better than NG models. Did you notice any improvement on NG player models? That is big to me.

[JeffHCross]

Did you notice any improvement on NG player models? That is big to me.Look at the videos that have already been posted. They should be almost complete in terms of models/graphics.

[Mr. Tennessee]

Please tell me you tried the ability to let the computer throw the ball for you and the HB run for you and the defense play for you. That is essential for pseudo coach mode.

[21SEC]

Please tell me you tried the ability to let the computer throw the ball for you and the HB run for you and the defense play for you. That is essential for pseudo coach mode.

ditto....please

[supersigma2of21]

Please tell me you tried the ability to let the computer throw the ball for you and the HB run for you and the defense play for you. That is essential for pseudo coach mode.I hope we get info on all of that later today. *praying* In NCAA 07 the cpu would do all of that for you save for throwing the ball.

[Crimson Jihad]

Did the jump the snap feature appear to be toned down at all, or do you at least have the option to turn it off? I don't know if it was a problem for next gen last year, but it essentially ruined the game for me on current gen.

Also, it's great to hear that the developers are attentive to the issues that we harp on so much. I'm optimistic about the direction of the NCAA series for the first time in a while now.

[collegesports]

Is player editing in next gen?

[Mr. Rad]

Is player editing in next gen?

Yes, full player editing is already confirmed for next gen.

[collegesports]

Yes, full player editing is already confirmed for next gen.
I guess I missed it. When was it confirmed? (Link maybe)

[WKUsSledgehammer]

I guess I missed it. When was it confirmed? (Link maybe)

http://www.ncaastrategies.com/utopia/showthread.php?t=49463

[gschwendt]

Did the jump the snap feature appear to be toned down at all, or do you at least have the option to turn it off? I don't know if it was a problem for next gen last year, but it essentially ruined the game for me on current gen.

Also, it's great to hear that the developers are attentive to the issues that we harp on so much. I'm optimistic about the direction of the NCAA series for the first time in a while now.
they've already mentioned that they didn't get to test the human vs cpu so they couldn't determine if it was toned down in that respect. Now if you meant human vs human, I don't know if they tried to exploit it or not.

[collegesports]

http://www.ncaastrategies.com/utopia/showthread.php?t=49463
And that is "edit player" and not "create-a-player" correct? The reason I ask is it says "save player" at the bottom of the screen, which I don't think would be on the screen in "edit player".

[coogrfan]

And that is "edit player" and not "create-a-player" correct? The reason I ask is it says "save player" at the bottom of the screen, which I don't think would be on the screen in "edit player".

Well it does say "EDIT PLAYER" at the top, but I suppose it is possible that these screens are from Campus Legend Mode. That isn't the impression Damon over at MP gave, but I will seek further clarification.

Maybe cdj or Rhombic can shed some light on this?

[JeffHCross]

Yes, cs, that's Edit Player, not create-a-player. The screens were taken by Damon from MaddenPlanet, he wouldn't get the context wrong.

EDIT: Damon specifically said "I saw edit player".
EDIT 2: The player on the screen is "89 Carlson, John Tight End 6-6/259 SR Litchfield, MN/Litchfield" Unless someone really wanted to fake us out, there'd be no reason to create him in Campus Legend.

[collegesports]

Well it does say "EDIT PLAYER" at the top, but I suppose it is possible that these screens are from Campus Legend Mode. That isn't the impression Damon over at MP gave, but I will seek further clarification.

Maybe cdj or Rhombic can shed some light on this?
I noticed that it did indeed say "edit player" at the top of the screen, but the "save player" at the bottom of the screen just makes me question what this screen is actually of.

[collegesports]

Yes, cs, that's Edit Player, not create-a-player. The screens were taken by Damon from MaddenPlanet, he wouldn't get the context wrong.

EDIT: Damon specifically said "I saw edit player".

Okay. I'll take it.

[JeffHCross]

I noticed that it did indeed say "edit player" at the top of the screen, but the "save player" at the bottom of the screen just makes me question what this screen is actually of.Wait a second, you're talking about the start button "Save Player" at the bottom? I believe that same instruction is in the help for current-gen NCAA when you're editing a player. You'd want to know how to save your edits, wouldn't you?

[coogrfan]

Yes, cs, that's Edit Player, not create-a-player. The screens were taken by Damon from MaddenPlanet, he wouldn't get the context wrong.

EDIT: Damon specifically said "I saw edit player".
EDIT 2: The player on the screen is "89 Carlson, John Tight End 6-6/259 SR Litchfield, MN/Litchfield" Unless someone really wanted to fake us out, there'd be no reason to create him in Campus Legend.

You're almost certainly correct, but I do remember reading that it will be possible to use any player in Campus Legend (not just created ones).

[collegesports]

Wait a second, you're talking about the start button "Save Player" at the bottom? I believe that same instruction is in the help for current-gen NCAA when you're editing a player. You'd want to know how to save your edits, wouldn't you?
I'll have to check later to see what the instructions at the bottom of the screen say on the CG edit player, but I don't believe "save player" appears.

[JeffHCross]

I'll have to check later to see what the instructions at the bottom of the screen say on the CG edit player, but I don't believe "save player" appears.Maybe not at the bottom, but I think when you press whatever button it is (:ps2_sq:, maybe?) it shows the help which displays all possible controls for the screen. I believe using :start: to save is included.
You're almost certainly correct, but I do remember reading that it will be possible to use any player in Campus Legend (not just created ones).It is. But again, that'd be one hell of a fake out. Tell our guys that that's "Edit Player" and use an obscure ND TE to show it?

[collegesports]

The info you posted about the ND player in the screen makes me think that this actually "edit player". His home state is correct, but the hometown is not, which in previous versions was always the case (assuming that the info in the screen is all default).

[JeffHCross]

His home state is correct, but the hometown is not, which in previous versions was always the case (assuming that the info in the screen is all default).Heh, well, hometowns aren't correct for a reason, I think. I think if EA put the actual hometowns in, that might be a little too close to "player's likeness" for the NCAA comfort. That's my thought, at least. But hey, I'm just happy they have so many real cities in so when I create a real Ohio State roster, I can change those hometowns.

[collegesports]

Heh, well, hometowns aren't correct for a reason, I think. I think if EA put the actual hometowns in, that might be a little too close to "player's likeness" for the NCAA comfort. That's my thought, at least. But hey, I'm just happy they have so many real cities in so when I create a real Ohio State roster, I can change those hometowns.

I always figured that they just didn't want to put in every small town in the USA so EA just said "phuck it". But it appears that hometowns can now be edited.

[WKUsSledgehammer]

Didn't NCAA 07 next-gen also just have a finite list of hometowns you could select from, instead of allowing you to type in any town via the on-screen keyboard? If so, maybe that particular player's hometown didn't make the list. I'm pretty sure that was the case.

[Thompson219]

Actually ncaa 05 had the correct towns for each player but got into NO NO land with the ncaa so it changed in 06

[texacotea]

posted over at maddenmatrix.

Somebody's got some really HOT ish on the new blocking...the cat they hired that was a lineman in the CFL broke it down for somebody in practice mode and went over the new ish. I just can't remember who that was...but dude was 99 hyped on how the blocking was...no BS. I guess you just have to see it...but to have those cats come up and talk to you was priceless.



is he talking about Rhombic here. I know he had alot on the blocking earlier in the thread. Good jobs guys hope you enjoyed yourselfs

[chowdig]

did you have a chance to see anyone play as South Carolina? i saw the picture of the new unis, and was wondering how goo they looked with the player standing up..can't really tell in the pics.

[ddeweil]

did you have a chance to see anyone play as South Carolina? i saw the picture of the new unis, and was wondering how goo they looked with the player standing up..can't really tell in the pics.

Same here, especially for CG.

Also, I don't really like the sound of the feature in CG where a player will automatically juke. That would be terrible, especially with the report of players auto-juking in the open field. How often did this trigger? Did they talk about fixing it or taking it out?

[sayo]

Speaking of unis.. .this may be a little nit picky and stupid but I thought it was irritating that every team only had one set of unis for next gen unless you d/led the extras. Is it like that again or do all the teams have all the alternates like the current gen?

[cdj]

Hey Guys,

Thanks for the info for people that are stuck in the olden times of PS2 like me :p . I was just wondering if you guys played with ARkansas or saw someone playing with them because I was just wondering how the Wildcat formation looked?

Also, did yall run any of the new trick plays like double passes?


Thanks for what you do guys, you are a big help.

Did not get into double passes...wanted to test it, but unfortunately did not. Sorry.

I defer to rhombic for hardcore Xs and Os talk, but as a casual fan, the Wildcat formation and automotion are welcome additions. I've been praising automotion, and keep forgetting to say anything about the Wildcat. rhombic seemed to like it; he ran it quite a bit as we played.

Cdj, thanks for the reply, I am always talking about NG but will try to remember to state that in future.

Can you tell me about practice mode on the NG? I have asked Will about this in the past but he didn't know. Did the bring back all of the options to it this year like exist on CG? I am hoping we can call random plays for the defense so we can test ourselves and then watch it back in replay.

Did you guys test CPU pre-snap AI? Two things I am curious is if the CPU will try to stop the human from running the same play successfully over and over or will it just continue to call random defenses. Second, does the CPU respond to shifting defensive players towards its NON TE side? I know rhombic says that the OL AI is much improved, I am wondering if it is improved enough that the CPU no longer is at a loss against defensive shifts towards the non TE side. In real life that would result in an audible or at the least RB staying in to help block the blitz.

Thanks

Sorry - didn't get to fully test that. :( I'll check some other sites who were there and see if they got to it. We could have probably been there three days and not gotten to everything.

what level did you guys play on?

AA, but Heisman in tourney.

A newbie to your forum here - just one question, did in-game saves make it to Next-Gen? Thanks...

Don't think so. If it did, I missed it.

In addition to the coach mode question: can you play cpu vs. cpu by putting the controller in the middle?

Didn't get to that....sorry, bro.

Ok so are the controls a lot tighter for NG? Do they compare to CG in that aspect? My only beef with NG football games have been the lack of user control. All this is very important to me because I ONLY play online and against other people. Thanks..

Note* this may have been answered already, if so I do apologize.

From those who played both, they said it was a LOT tighter than last year. I had a steeper learning curve than most being I've never touched a 360 or X-Box.

Did you guys happen to ask how much longer they expect to produce NCAA on current gen? I would guess it would all relate to sales vs. sales on Next gen. But did they hint at anything. Reason I ask is there is no chance of me getting a NG system until they are under $250-$275(probably never for PS3)

I'm under the strong impression there will be NCAA 09 on CG. Some producers already stated they have begun work on it.

I'm wondering if the ice machine made it into next year's game? I can think of one guy who lurks here some who might be interested...;)

Great job guys- one quick question- the next-gen stuff was for 360, right? Was there any PS3 representation, or allusions to any potential differences between the NG platforms? Leaning towards a PS 3 this summer...

We looked all throughout Tiburon for ol' Magoo, but no dice. :(

Microsoft sponsored the tourney (providing the Elite as championship prize), so to show respect for that action, we played just on X-Box and X-Box 360.

I did ask what problems there were for PS3 development, if any. The producer stated each system has some difficulties, but expect each version to be out on the same day and as identical as possible.

I'm definitely pleased with all the info I've read!!!

I'm guessing the annoying cut scenes (360) when the teams head to the LOS have been eliminated since I've read no complaints about them. [laugh]

Yes. There is an article out that describes what they did....however, they are gone.

Great work guys and very useful info! Sorry if this was already asked but...what about the gang tackling? [NG] Was gang tackling a big part of the gameplay or just kinda spotty. [If there at all] Again guys...thanks so much for your time and great effort to get us up to speed about the games.[smile]

I saw some gang tackling, not a lot. I was poor on the defensive controls and tackling. I can't really say if it is spotty or if it was 'user error.'

This may not be important to a whole lot of people, but have I-AA teams been included on current gen? I'm pretty sure I've seen this is not a next gen feature, but is it planned? I know there is a small but dedicated I-AA, oh excuse me, FCS, fan base.

I-AA is back on CG. However, I severely doubt the 'team playing styles of individual players' has been edited.

Did the defender get cut down everytime a blocker tried to cut block?

I believe one of the producers even discussed how that was now gone (more realistic), but I defer these to rhombic. I trust his judgment more on blocking and Xs and Os.

Rhombic:

On New gen ... do the players still look like bulked up cereal boxes? (square shape) ... or have they made the players look more realistic? IMO, last year, CG player models looked alot better than NG models. Did you notice any improvement on NG player models? That is big to me.

The shoulder pads are a little much, but otherwise pretty good.

Did the jump the snap feature appear to be toned down at all, or do you at least have the option to turn it off? I don't know if it was a problem for next gen last year, but it essentially ruined the game for me on current gen.


Didn't play enough to know for sure, but it's still in there - I doubt it was tweaked too much.

posted over at maddenmatrix.

Somebody's got some really HOT ish on the new blocking...the cat they hired that was a lineman in the CFL broke it down for somebody in practice mode and went over the new ish. I just can't remember who that was...but dude was 99 hyped on how the blocking was...no BS. I guess you just have to see it...but to have those cats come up and talk to you was priceless.

is he talking about Rhombic here. I know he had alot on the blocking earlier in the thread. Good jobs guys hope you enjoyed yourselfs

VJ is the producer and he did sit down with rhombic for about 20+ minutes looking at blocking stuff. At that time, I had to go fulfill some other obligations so I missed out.

did you have a chance to see anyone play as South Carolina? i saw the picture of the new unis, and was wondering how goo they looked with the player standing up..can't really tell in the pics.

I don't think anyone used them....a lot of testing seemed to be focused on testing mobile QBs, so we saw a lot of Oregon green.

[AVENGE1]

Look at the videos that have already been posted. They should be almost complete in terms of models/graphics.

Well, I was wanting an answer from Rhombic because those NG videos still look like last year's cereal box models ... and a up-close perspecive is more accurate than video clips.

[cdj]

Speaking of unis.. .this may be a little nit picky and stupid but I thought it was irritating that every team only had one set of unis for next gen unless you d/led the extras. Is it like that again or do all the teams have all the alternates like the current gen?

I looked in the options for each team I played with (Oregon, Boise, Missouri) and only saw two options for each.

[sayo]

I looked in the options for each team I played with (Oregon, Boise, Missouri) and only saw two options for each.

Interesting. Looks like another set of d/ls eh?

[cdj]

Well, I was wanting an answer from Rhombic because those NG videos still look like last year's cereal box models ... and a up-close perspecive is more accurate than video clips.

To go along with what I said above....shoulder pads are a little too big yet, but I thought some run animations were a little weird...it looks like they are always doing a brisk walk/jog. Those need some tweaking for NCAA 09 NG in my opinion. However, the player models grew on me.

At the beginning of playing next-gen, I wasn't sure what to think of the player models. However, the more I played, the more it grew on me. I expect a lot of people who get NG to be confused and unaccustomed to a lot of it at first. Though, I urge people to give it some time before making a judgment. Heck, I played it for a couple hours - wasn't sold at all at first, but it grew on me. For those making the jump from CG to NG, there will be a steep learning curve, IMO.

[cdj]

Interesting. Looks like another set of d/ls eh?

Well, there is still some development time left for NG I believe, but my personal guess would be that if they weren't in the version we played, they won't be in the final....though, I'd like to be wrong on that.

[djaeb2001]

THX for all the info guys. Now I can relax for a few days while I read this post over and over...

[21SEC]

Auto-throw on NG?

[cdj]

What the fuck, I can't believe you CDJ/Rhombic.

You asked no questions about the stripes on socks or facemask colors or if Butch Davis wears sunglasses on the sidelines. DON'T YOU KNOW WHAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT??!?!?

Oh yeah I hope you enjoyed the Orlando Airport. I was there last month. It's under construction so it looks like a Tornado hit, and because it's like 6 miles from Disney World there were about 90 little crying kids on my flight. :D

Dude, the socks on Syracuse's back-up punter look amazing! ;)

Luckily, I didn't have to go through too much construction at the O-Airport, but I did some see war zones.

[HookemHorns]

cdj or Rhombic,

Seeing as you got a chance to see all styles of play during the tourney if you had to guess how do you think on-line play will turn out.

I know there has been talk of toned down deep balls and the ability to slow down scrambling QB's, but how do you see it playing out and what type of style do you see being the most successful?

BTW, I don't think I've said it yet but thanks for all your hard work.

[BQ1005]

did you guys get to play the PS3 or get to see it being played?

[gesvol]

Did you guys happen to ask how much longer they expect to produce NCAA on current gen? I would guess it would all relate to sales vs. sales on Next gen. But did they hint at anything. Reason I ask is there is no chance of me getting a NG system until they are under $250-$275(probably never for PS3)

I am in the same boat as you are. Even if they had made earth shattering improvements on the next-gen game, the biggest obstacle for me is simply the price, so unless they implement a "half off your next purchase of a console" mode, I'm pretty much out of the running!

I am fairly confident that they will release NCAA for PS2 next year. I just check the console sales for April and Sony still sells well over twice as many PS2's as PS3's. Looking back, they kept releasing Madden's on the PS1 up to the 2005 version. Granted they didn't do the same thing with NCAA, but NCAA wasn't as big a seller for the PS1 as it is for the PS2.

However, I think (and rhombic's comments also seem to indicate) that there probably won't be a whole lot more changes made to the game, so it may well become almost like a $50 roster update.

[worst2first]

I wish EA would have told the community and the participants that they would withhold certain information instead of leading us to believe that we would have all of our questions answered at the community day event. Of course, I could have misunderstood, and we will know eventually but it seems just a little disingenuous to hold out on the coach mode players. I'm sure some marketing consultant told them it would be a good idea.

By the way, thank you for the information we do have.

[cdj]

NG:

After some thought today, here are some more impressions...

* In my own game, I was able to stop the mobile UO QB after he carved me up. It's understandable that if I had a poor defense, he could rip me up.

However, in the title game of the tourney, Damon from MP took a 21-3 lead and even had a long run (maybe two?) from the USC Trojans QB. [rock] At half, he led 21-3.

However, in the second half LSU kept him in check and rallied for a 34-24 win - several picks and a defensive TD led to the scoring explosion. (Previous games were on 3 min qtrs, title game was 4 min qtrs.)

I wasn't sure what to think of the USC QB having success running the ball....I didn't see his rating, but I doubt he is that fast to run through/past the LSU defense. However, in my own experiences, running spies slowed down QBs.

This "might" (and let me stress "might") bring up some concern on QBs, in that they can get loose without spies/containment, no matter how fast. I'm going to see what guys from the other sites though. The USC QB run did catch my eye. I'm interested to hear what rhombic thinks of it....I may be off-base in even mentioning it.

[HookemHorns]

NG:

After some thought today, here are some more impressions...

* In my own game, I was able to stop the mobile UO QB after he carved me up. It's understandable that if I had a poor defense, he could rip me up.

However, in the title game of the tourney, Damon from MP took a 21-3 lead and even had a long run (maybe two?) from the USC Trojans QB. [rock] At half, he led 21-3.

However, in the second half LSU kept him in check and rallied for a 34-24 win - several picks and a defensive TD led to the scoring explosion. (Previous games were on 3 min qtrs, title game was 4 min qtrs.)

I wasn't sure what to think of the USC QB having success running the ball....I didn't see his rating, but I doubt he is that fast to run through/past the LSU defense. However, in my own experiences, running spies slowed down QBs.

This "might" (and let me stress "might") bring up some concern on QBs, in that they can get loose without spies/containment, no matter how fast. I'm going to see what guys from the other sites though. The USC QB run did catch my eye. I'm interested to hear what rhombic thinks of it....I may be off-base in even mentioning it.

I think I remember USC having one mobile QB on the roster so I guess it depends on who he was playing with.

[JeffHCross]

It's not that at all. Like I said, I just need some faith and patience. I can't get into details at all. This has nothing to do with marketing telling me to be quiet.What do you mean? It has to be EA's fault. Everything is :p

Seriously though, take your time and get all your thoughts in order. I don't even think I'd be online right now if I was in your position. You should have seen how crazy MP was going because Damon was late last night, lol.

[21SEC]

I wish EA would have told the community and the participants that they would withhold certain information instead of leading us to believe that we would have all of our questions answered at the community day event. Of course, I could have misunderstood, and we will know eventually but it seems just a little disingenuous to hold out on the coach mode players. I'm sure some marketing consultant told them it would be a good idea.

By the way, thank you for the information we do have.

Maybe they are trying to implement something that wasn't planned initially, but are finding out there is a community that needs certain features to be able to play the way they like to play.

[cdj]

I think I remember USC having one mobile QB on the roster so I guess it depends on who he was playing with.

It was the QB whose style represents JD Booty. No one made any 'fast QB' subs that I know of.

[cdj]

Console Sports has posted their Community Day Report (http://consolesports.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=134&Itemid=51). If there is conflicting info from their report and ours, post it here and I'll contact Craig to discuss the differences.

[cdj]

OK....Sadly, I can now confirm no true 'coach mode' in NG. The QB drops back, but does not pass. However, rhombic and I did indicate to all of the producers the need for it - so hopefully it makes the cut for NCAA 09.

[fignuts]

Once again, Thanks for the info guys. Hope Orlando wasn't too much of a dump for ya. [laugh] I kheed.
Anyway, I'll just hafta wait on an in depth preview/review on dynasty to get my questions answered on coaching carousel and the pitch aspects for recruiting.
(Already, pre-ordered through GameStop. Gonna call in sick on the 17th and maybe that whole week...);)

[worst2first]

OK....Sadly, I can now confirm no true 'coach mode' in NG. The QB drops back, but does not pass. However, rhombic and I did indicate to all of the producers the need for it - so hopefully it makes the cut for NCAA 09.

Why do I even get my hopes up? EA has proven once again that they are far more concerned with arcade game play and flashy "features" that have little substance than with the wants of those who appreciate more realistic game play. Unfortunately, the legions of fan boys who care nothing more than displaying their "mad stick skills" will always outnumber us and we will be dismissed as "hardcore" gamers with unrealistic expectations. There is no economic incentive for EA to add the features we want so I doubt we will ever see them. As far as producer promises, I'd be more inclined to believe them if I hadn't heard them so many times before and seen them go unfulfilled.

[sayo]

Why do I even get my hopes up? EA has proven once again that they are far more concerned with arcade game play and flashy "features" that have little substance than with the wants of those who appreciate more realistic game play. Unfortunately, the legions of fan boys who care nothing more than displaying their "mad stick skills" will always outnumber us and we will be dismissed as "hardcore" gamers with unrealistic expectations. There is no economic incentive for EA to add the features we want so I doubt we will ever see them. As far as producer promises, I'd be more inclined to believe them if I hadn't heard them so many times before and seen them go unfulfilled.

Wait, I understand that you want coach mode but because I want to control my QB, I favor an arcadish game? [rock]

[bayouboy]

Yes, it's my first post; please don't stone me. LOL

First and foremost, cdj and Rhombic, excellent job on reporting your analysis. I don't know how you guys can remember so much. I would be so excited about getting to play the game early that I would be zoned out.

I just have one quick question:

Did either of you see or hear anything about an online EA Locker for dynasty game saves (similar to the one on CG Madden)?

Thanks again for filling us in.

[worst2first]

Wait, I understand that you want coach mode but because I want to control my QB, I favor an arcadish game? [rock]

It's not even coach mode, it's one simple option that has existed for some time on current gen. When you control the quarterback, you essentially become the quarterback so that very few of the ratings (representing the differing abilities of quarterbacks) actually mean anything. The game becomes one of stick skills rather than one of strategy.

[supersigma2of21]

OK....Sadly, I can now confirm no true 'coach mode' in NG. The QB drops back, but does not pass. However, rhombic and I did indicate to all of the producers the need for it - so hopefully it makes the cut for NCAA 09.
Well, my dreams have been shattered.

I can supersim my offense and just coach mode my defense right?

[Mr. Tennessee]

I am very sad to hear that news. :(

[Big Tide33]

Well, my dreams have been shattered. Now, I have to decide whether to drop that 60 bucks. I mean, coach mode defense and supersim offense is an option right?

No it's not an option. Those fucking assholes fucked me up for another year. How fucking hard is it to just keep the same shit in that has been so simple on the current gen. What is the need for QB awr or any other attributes if you have to throw the ball. Where is GoHuskies when we need him. We need to have a million man march against EA.

[worst2first]

Well, my dreams have been shattered.

Can I atleast supersim my offense and just coach mode my defense?

Even if it is, is that really worth $60? You won't even be able to call your own offensive plays.

[sayo]

It's not even coach mode, it's one simple option that has existed for some time on current gen. When you control the quarterback, you essentially become the quarterback so that very few of the ratings (representing the differing abilities of quarterbacks) actually mean anything. The game becomes one of stick skills rather than one of strategy.

It's just a game. You have every attribute going for you but AWR maybe.

[cdj]

Yes, it's my first post; please don't stone me. LOL

First and foremost, cdj and Rhombic, excellent job on reporting your analysis. I don't know how you guys can remember so much. I would be so excited about getting to play the game early that I would be zoned out.

I just have one quick question:

Did either of you see or hear anything about an online EA Locker for dynasty game saves (similar to the one on CG Madden)?

Thanks again for filling us in.

We didn't get to go online and no one who worked with online mode was able to meet with us. I'm guessing if they had added something like that, it'd probably be hyped.

It's not even coach mode, it's one simple option that has existed for some time on current gen. When you control the quarterback, you essentially become the quarterback so that very few of the ratings (representing the differing abilities of quarterbacks) actually mean anything. The game becomes one of stick skills rather than one of strategy.

I'm not sure, but my perception was that in rebuilding the code from the ground-up, they didn't get to that aspect. Part of that is in the game, as icons do come up for the human team - so the next step is inputting some sort of logic in telling the QB not only to throw, but to whom. I may be wrong, but I don't think it is as far off from being implemented as we think. However, I will say I am very disappointed it didn't make it in. I know a lot of you guys really were praying for it to be in, and I know I really wanted to bring back good news on that front.

Well, my dreams have been shattered.

Can I atleast supersim my offense and just coach mode my defense?

CM defense? Yes. Same as last year.
Didn't play with 'Super-sim', but I will check with the other guys and see. Hopefully that will give you CM guys a very small bone, at least.

[Big Tide33]

It's just a game. You have every attribute going for you but AWR maybe.

Your right its just a game, a game that we want to stay the same for us coach modders. You want to be a stick jockey, that's fine. How fucking hard is it to let the QB make his own throws like the current gen games? EA can toss my salad with jelly, and not syrup.:) Well fuck it, after taking a minute to think it just doesn't matter. I have a 6 month old and she is more fun than EA could ever be.

[supersigma2of21]

Even if it is, is that really worth $60? You won't even be able to call your own offensive plays.
Not it's not but I need to have a football game. Just trying to make chicken salad out of this chicken sh1t.

[Mr. Tennessee]

Not it's not but I need to have a football game. Just trying to make chicken salad out of this chicken sh1t.
Would you survive if Madden had the auto throw in it?

[worst2first]

It's just a game. You have every attribute going for you but AWR maybe.

Which is the single most important attribute any quarterback possesses. When you take direct control of the QB you negate that completely.

I'm not trying to argue with you here. To each his own. If you want to button mash, fine. Some of us like to out think our opponent and EA consistently ignores us.

[FSUprime]

you can quick sub in the back up qb in alot of formations, maybe he quick subbed sanchez on those running plays.

[21SEC]

Well I need to find something else to spend $400 on.[laugh] Such a dilemna to have. Well $350 after I buy my xbox version on 17 July.

[supersigma2of21]

Would you survive if Madden had the auto throw in it?
I prefer college ball but if Madden has the auto throw I would probably lean that way. From the info that's being released, it should be a pretty good game.