NCAA Football 08 Hands On PDF [Archive] - NCAA Football 09 & NCAA Basketball 09 at ncaa Strategies

CFR-116

07-01-2007, 07:04 PM

More fuel to the fire.:) The new fatigue system just keeps sounding better and better, and should really change our gaming experience big time. Getting solid word that the game fatigue is dynamic throughout the game, is going to really bring a completely different feel to the game. I sense almost everything I ever relied on is going out the window. Not having to really be too worried about my depth chart, and ya....I admit to rolling out with the QB....alot, and just pounding away with my first team I-Back throughout the entire game. And my classic when in trouble....just run the option over and over....holy $h*t!....say goodbye to that too! [I'm in deep $h*t][laugh]

The new fatigue system alone is going to make Ncaa '08' "Revolutionary" the way it sounds. I mean just think, when you've gone too far with your starting RB and ya step on the gas with the right trigger....and nothing happens[wow] ya...that'll change things. I thought I'd be able to start my dynasty day one...now I'm not so sure. I believe it might be good advice to myself to practice for awhile to get accustom to the new fatigue. I think most of us wanted something different...it sounds at least like thats whats on it's way...I'm screwed.:D

bulmoss

07-02-2007, 10:37 AM

I'm looking forward to fatigue as well. I like my games to be "real", and during my dynasties, try to play it like a real coach would, getting backups in, scrubs in during blowouts, trying to get everyone the experience for growth on the way to the next season.

I'll definitely have to spend more time in practice though to make sure I've got a good feel for doing things the right way and avoiding falling into "cheese traps".

CFR-116

07-02-2007, 02:07 PM

I'll definitely have to spend more time in practice though to make sure I've got a good feel for doing things the right way and avoiding falling into "cheese traps".

Thats my plan as well Bulmoss. Apparently we'll be able to practice with our current roster as the seasons progress, thats a great add...if true. And about the "Cheese traps"...I only play off-line, but cheesing the CPU is no fun either, so I'm hoping that the game it's self will help to prevent me from resorting to the usual cheese plays when I'm in a tough spot. I try my best not to play in a cheesy manner....but dang, it's hard not to on 3rd and 9.:D With the new fatigue, and seems like improved CPU defensive AI, it looks like some of the cheese plays won't be ohhh....so cheesy now.[laugh]

gnperdue

07-02-2007, 02:40 PM

I wish he'd actually have elaborated on QB fumbles (one of his four points for controlling the scrambling QB). Will QB's feature elevated fumbling probability when they scramble? Because that really was the problem with '07, not enough fumbles.

Maybe it is a huge problem online. I wouldn't know. (By the sound of it, the game most people play online does not look anything like real football, but is instead some other, possibly quite fun, game.) But in Dynasty it is annoying to already have your QB fumbling any time you even think abstractly about trying a spin move (made especially frustrating by the fact that the cover-ball button never seems to work when scrambling with a QB, even when well past the line of scrimmage). They made that more prominent? Wonderful.

Maybe I'm being a bit too pessimistic, but I really, really wish he elaborated on that item instead of just dropping it out there as a major bullet point and then ignoring it later.

The fatigue system really does sound awesome though. I find it hillarious that in the wake of the fatigue-glitch for Madden last year that people were joking how fatigue would be the next big, back of the box bullet item. Turns out it is! I have my fingers crossed and spend my nights in prayer that fatigue carries over from game to game, so that bye weeks really matter and by the end of the season, all the starters take the field at 95 or 90% at the start of the game.

Keith1212

07-02-2007, 02:43 PM

Because that really was the problem with '07, not enough fumbles.

[laugh]

CFR-116

07-02-2007, 03:18 PM

I have my fingers crossed and spend my nights in prayer that fatigue carries over from game to game, so that bye weeks really matter and by the end of the season, all the starters take the field at 95 or 90% at the start of the game.

Of course now Gnperdue, I have no idea if the new fatigue system carries over from game to game....but I'd be very surprised if it did....very surprised. It would be nice if as you said the bye weeks mattered a little more, and where you placed them meant something, but I gotta believe that the fatigue being dynamic from game to game won't be there...at least not yet. Myself, I'm just very pleased that the fatigue sounds like it's dynamic throughout an entire game..a very good start anyway.

steelerfan

07-02-2007, 03:47 PM

keyser soze

07-02-2007, 04:25 PM

RUSSELL05

07-02-2007, 05:25 PM

So every player is going to have a stamina rating that fights off this fatigue? I am hoping that maybe this will give more upside to the bigger/slower bruising running backs that carry the ball more in real life.

Yup the fatigue rating has always been in the game just now it actaully will have an effect on game play.

gnperdue

07-02-2007, 05:41 PM

Of course now Gnperdue, I have no idea if the new fatigue system carries over from game to game....but I'd be very surprised if it did....very surprised. It would be nice if as you said the bye weeks mattered a little more, and where you placed them meant something, but I gotta believe that the fatigue being dynamic from game to game won't be there...at least not yet. Myself, I'm just very pleased that the fatigue sounds like it's dynamic throughout an entire game..a very good start anyway.

Well, I can dream, can't I? As steelerfan points out, it would add some depth to the game on the cheap. By which I mean, it is an easy piece of code to write and work into the game that gets a lot of bang for the buck for us crazy Dynasty folk.

Now, I suppose you might worry about having to track a database for each player the game, but you could get around that by just taking each player's season stats at the beginning of the game and their stamina rating and setting a starting fatigue value. This, unfortunately, would not capture all the times a wideout ran a streak and didn't get a sniff of the ball, and it might oddly punish user controlled O-linemen (who always post up the best pancake numbers by far), but it would be a start.

drew4008

07-02-2007, 05:43 PM

Because that really was the problem with '07, not enough fumbles.

[rock] Were you playing the same game I was?

AKS-74

07-02-2007, 05:49 PM

[rock] Were you playing the same game I was?

Amen. There are too damn many fumbles in all of the games I play. [glare]

steelerfan

07-02-2007, 05:59 PM

[rock] Were you playing the same game I was?

He was being sarcastic.

bossman

07-02-2007, 06:53 PM

Amen. There are too damn many fumbles in all of the games I play. [glare]

Indeed. I have a dynasty right now with smeth and notredamedan and my middle linebacker is impact every year (the position, not the same player every year) and he ALWAYS causes a couple fumbles against both of them. Yes I mash R2 when I get near the ballcarrier, but its RIDICULOUS how good my mlb's are at forcing fumbles. I remember one game I had against smeth we had 12 or 13 turnovers total, my MLB forced 3 fumbles that game I think.

I'm starting to feel bad about it, cause i know if the tables were turned I wouldn't even want to play anymore.

smeth

07-02-2007, 07:39 PM

Indeed. I have a dynasty right now with smeth and notredamedan and my middle linebacker is impact every year (the position, not the same player every year) and he ALWAYS causes a couple fumbles against both of them. Yes I mash R2 when I get near the ballcarrier, but its RIDICULOUS how good my mlb's are at forcing fumbles. I remember one game I had against smeth we had 12 or 13 turnovers total, my MLB forced 3 fumbles that game I think.

I'm starting to feel bad about it, cause i know if the tables were turned I wouldn't even want to play anymore.

Don't worry, my Fresno State Bulldogs will take down the mighty Trojans tonight!

CFR-116

07-02-2007, 09:08 PM

Well, I can dream, can't I? As steelerfan points out, it would add some depth to the game on the cheap. By which I mean, it is an easy piece of code to write and work into the game that gets a lot of bang for the buck for us crazy Dynasty folk.

I hope ya didn't think I was trying to shoot down your dream Gnperdue...that wasn't my intent. I think it is a descent idea, I mean players can wear down as the season progresses, especially if there used heavily. Another thought that might kinda fit into this would be adding "nagging" injuries, that could affect the players ratings...but not enough to side line them. Anything that adds depth to the dynasty mode is welcome.

cdj

07-02-2007, 09:32 PM

I hope ya didn't think I was trying to shoot down your dream Gnperdue...that wasn't my intent. I think it is a descent idea, I mean players can wear down as the season progresses, especially if there used heavily. Another thought that might kinda fit into this would be adding "nagging" injuries, that could affect the players ratings...but not enough to side line them. Anything that adds depth to the dynasty mode is welcome.

I love the idea of players wearing down as games/season go on.

My only concern would be how EA can replicate teams with better conditioning. [EX: 1995 Orange Bowl, Nebraska vs. Miami. The 'Canes were very talented, but wore down in the 4th versus the better conditioned Cornhuskers.] Would it come down to 'points' - delegate more points towards 'Conditioning' and less towards 'Recruiting', or something like that? I'm not a fan of the point system, but can't think of another way to add it in at the moment. Could a user decide to have certain positions with better conditioning, or would it be a new 'work ethic' rating for players?

Not trying to shoot a hole in your idea - I really love it - but I wonder how they would address the details of it. Then again, EA gets the big bucks, so hopefully they can add in more details like this in future editions. [laugh]

Also...
MadSci (Dave) at Madden Matrix does a great job covering NCAA despite the Madden focus of his site. Before the launch of NCAA 06, MadSci was at E3 and delved into the game. He later posted a PowerPoint presentation with a voiceover detailing the news on the game. He's always been great at presenting info on NCAA.

CFR-116

07-02-2007, 11:46 PM

I love the idea of players wearing down as games/season go on.

My only concern would be how EA can replicate teams with better conditioning.

Yes Cdj...I love it too!...and I believe it will have a pretty big impact on the game overall. And lets not forget the fatigue is dynamic during the plays as well, not just from one play to the next. I'd say game planning has definitely come to the game, and your depth chart will take on an all new importance.

As far as the fatigue being dynamic throughout the season, and how EA would implement it....ya, thats a tough one. You certainly couldn't just go by a programs history, that wouldn't be fair. I wonder if in future releases, a teams conditioning could be tied into the weight room? The weight room is one of the selling points of your program in the '08' game....but I believe it's still unknown how you improve this selling point. When you mentioned a "points" system Cdj, I'd imagine we're maybe getting into the area of an AD mode of some type.

In the end...I'm certainly not against the idea of the fatigue being dynamic throughout the season...but for now at least, I'm just pleased to no end that a real meaningful fatigue system is in place throughout an entire game. [smile]

steelerfan

07-02-2007, 11:47 PM

Maybe conditioning could be handled by giving coaches ratings. Even if they didn't add assistants, the head coach could be rated at O, D, Recruiting, Training, Discipline etc. This could also be addressed through your Facility Rating. I agree, I don't like having points to allot either. The game should do this based on ratings. No program says, well we're gonna focus on recruiting this year, so our training and discipline will suffer. As for discipline, you should be able to suspend anyone at any time. How often your players act up and how severe their screw ups are should be based on their discipline ratings and the coach's rating. Your rating could fluctuate with how strict you are on guys who act up. The NCAA would then be able to bring sanctions even against teams who punish everyone if they feel the punishments are too light or occur too much. This would have to be there since you could punish everyone.

CFR-116

07-03-2007, 12:23 AM

As for discipline, you should be able to suspend anyone at any time. How often your players act up and how severe their screw ups are should be based on their discipline ratings and the coach's rating. Your rating could fluctuate with how strict you are on guys who act up. The NCAA would then be able to bring sanctions

I'm glad ya mentioned discipline Steelerfan, and I like your thoughts on it. It would have been yet another great returned feature for '08' NG to have discipline back. I've seen [as we all have] that in the recruiting screens a recruits discipline is there, but not activated in the '07' game...so I was hoping this feature would have returned this year. A programs discipline is sadly a very big part of college football, and I hope this feature makes it's return for '09'. If done correctly, the discipline feature adds nicely to the depth of dynasty mode, and a sense of realism.

The discipline in the CG game was kind of a mess, my biggest problem with it was it seemed more random than anything else...were the discipline ratings of the players you recruited didn't really seem to matter. And ya...the points system wasn't well liked.

wvfan14

07-05-2007, 09:47 PM

P.S. Was this current or next gen?

FSUprime

07-05-2007, 11:36 PM

im sort of worried about the whole idea of teams from the north coming down to florida and not being a conditioned or whatever. Not because it isnt issue, because during the season northern teams play teams in the south and vice versa and it is a distinct issue. But during bowl season most bowls are in the south but it is in the winter so the weather is mild and should not be as big of a factor. I wonder if they calculate it on temperature or on region. I hope they were smart about it!

CFR-116

07-05-2007, 11:55 PM

But during bowl season most bowls are in the south but it is in the winter so the weather is mild and should not be as big of a factor. I wonder if they calculate it on temperature or on region. I hope they were smart about it!

Good question FSU. In a Madden info release it mentioned about the Packers playing in Miami in September...and it being an advantage to the Fins. Now not sure if you can read anything into that, or if it was just a general example. But ya....I would sure hope that this advantage is based on the temp. the game displays during pre-game....and not simply by region. If I had to guess, I'd guess it will be calculated by the temp at games start....I hope.

UTAllTheWay

07-06-2007, 01:14 PM

P.S. Was this current or next gen?

It was next gen.

One thing they need to do is make the "Juke Stick" more fluid. I hate having to move the right analog to juke, Circle to spin, and L2 to stiff arm. Obviously, I'm talking about Current Gen (PS2) but they could do the same for 360.

I think they need to make all the moves as the Juke Stick (with the exception of stiff arm). For instance, say you are running the ball, in order to juke, you would move the stick left or right, and then you notice that you need to do something else to get away from the defender, you then move the right analog stick up to spin. All of this in pretty much one motion. That would make everything much more fluid and realistic, in my opinion.

Of course, there would be an option to change this back to the old way. I would definitely like that "Juke Stick".

Fluff E Bunny

07-06-2007, 01:52 PM

It was next gen.

One thing they need to do is make the "Juke Stick" more fluid. I hate having to move the right analog to juke, Circle to spin, and L2 to stiff arm. Obviously, I'm talking about Current Gen (PS2) but they could do the same for 360.

I think they need to make all the moves as the Juke Stick (with the exception of stiff arm). For instance, say you are running the ball, in order to juke, you would move the stick left or right, and then you notice that you need to do something else to get away from the defender, you then move the right analog stick up to spin. All of this in pretty much one motion. That would make everything much more fluid and realistic, in my opinion.

Of course, there would be an option to change this back to the old way. I would definitely like that "Juke Stick".

On 360, the right stick was for juke (left/right), truck/cover (up), and back-juke (down). You could also perform spins on occasion going quickly left-to-right or vice versa, although I could never master that. In fact, the juke-stick spin move was considerably faster in execution than the button-press version of the spin. Which was odd.

UTAllTheWay

07-06-2007, 02:06 PM

On 360, the right stick was for juke (left/right), truck/cover (up), and back-juke (down). You could also perform spins on occasion going quickly left-to-right or vice versa, although I could never master that. In fact, the juke-stick spin move was considerably faster in execution than the button-press version of the spin. Which was odd.

Yeah, that's what I'm talking about. I guess it would have helped if I would have actually played the 360 version last season [laugh]

Still, with 60 fps, there is no telling how smooth it would look.