NCAA Football '12 impressions thread

[Kodos]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Je1Q-2E6tN4

Promotional video for NCAA '12 is out.

My favorite part:

[Ksyrup]

Looks like they anticipate Mangini coaching Northwestern this year.

[Groundhog]

Presentation looks nice, but I skip all that after about the first 2 days of playing anyhow. I just hope they improve the talent level of incoming recruits, because they went from one extreme to the other in last year's version, and it was enough to make me put the title down after playing through 9 seasons with Hawaii, with all the other teams in my conference being D- across the board.

[molson]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

Looks like they anticipate Mangini coaching Northwestern this year.

And it looks like he's trimmed down quite a bit.

[Noop]

They have Chief Osceola in this game. Still will not be buying NCAA or MADDEN been burned one too many times.

[markprior22]

Originally Posted by Noop

They have Chief Osceola in this game. Still will not be buying NCAA or MADDEN been burned one too many times.

+1 I bought NCAA last year, won't be buying either this year. It's always the same cycle...game comes out...you very quickly realize all the shortcomings...wait for 3 patches...lose all interest in playing (there is usually at least one big problem for careers/franchise players that the patches don't fix any way)...trade it in for something else.

I've finally woken up and realized that the game I'm hoping for isn't going to happen anytime soon (with these series anyway).

[wishbone]

I've started buying my sports games every 3 years or so. Not enough changes from year to year but at 3+ years there is enough improvement to justify the expense. I don't play online though, that probably makes a difference.

[JediKooter]

That is a huge potato.

[MizzouRah]

Can't wait!

I'm still playing NCAA 11.

[dawgfan]

*sigh*

Wherefore art TCY2 Jim? - a hungry FOFC community awaits a good reason to quit futzing with the EA NCAA series dynasty mode...

[BYU 14]

Originally Posted by dawgfan

*sigh*

Wherefore art TCY2 Jim? - a hungry FOFC community awaits a good reason to quit futzing with the EA NCAA series dynasty mode...

+ whatever comes after infinity

[Mike1409]

Originally Posted by markprior22

+1 I bought NCAA last year, won't be buying either this year. It's always the same cycle...game comes out...you very quickly realize all the shortcomings...wait for 3 patches...lose all interest in playing (there is usually at least one big problem for careers/franchise players that the patches don't fix any way)...trade it in for something else.

I've finally woken up and realized that the game I'm hoping for isn't going to happen anytime soon (with these series anyway).

I have to agree. I am going to wait this year. I am just not sure if this year the changes are worth an early purchase.

[Balldog]

Originally Posted by Mike1409

I have to agree. I am going to wait this year. I am just not sure if this year the changes are worth an early purchase.

I thought NCAA 11 was decent, best version in a long time but that isn't say much. With that said I think I'm in the same boat, unless there are major improvements to Gameplay, AI, and Dynasty I don't see myself buying for a few years again.

[Ksyrup]

Yeah, I'm to the point where I had so much fun with NCAA11, even with some of its flaws, that I think I'm just going to start a completely new dynasty in 11 when I'm ready to get back into college football rather than buy the new one. That's what I say now, anyway. I know how I am, and when college football ends, so does my interest in playing the game. So I know I've only got about 6 months of time, and if 3-4 months of that is tied up in waiting for patches and tweaks to gameplay to make the game as playable and realistic as it can be, I've lost most of my playing time.

I think the better approach for me is to stick with the older game, and if the new one is as good as everyone says it is (by December, usually), then I'd switch to the new one for next year. If it isn't, or it breaks as many things as it fixes and ends up no better than 11, then I haven't wasted an entire season trying to get settings perfect when I could have been playing a game where I have all the settings down and enjoying it the entire season.

So that's my plan - subject to change around mid-July.

[ColtCrazy]

Okay, the IU rock is good in my book, but I skipped NCAA last year, and only got Madden because I renewed my Sports Illustrated subscription. Definitely going to see if the franchise options are improved. Otherwise, I'll take another year off.

[CleBrownsfan]

Not to thread jack the NCAA thread but isn't this the year that Madden was suppose to get an overhaul in the franchise area? Any news on new features for MAdden?

[Kodos]

I'll admit it.... I'm excited about this game, and will likely be preordering it in the near future.

http://www.operationsports.com/forum...ngine-tso.html

EA SPORTS NCAA Football 2012: Hands on with improved zone defense and new tackling engine

Posted 21 April 2011 | NCAA Football,NCAA Football News

EA SPORTS NCAA Football 11 was a huge leap for the series and generally embraced by the community as the best version of the game since moving to the second generation gaming platforms. Even with such a strong showing last year, there were still some critical areas of the title that needed to be addressed for 2012. After 4 trips to Tiburon and 120+ hours with the game since January, here’s my initial thoughts on a few things.

Game play, game play, game play… that’s all you hear about from the diehard fans of the game and I think that’s exactly what you’ll be getting on July 12th. This year the team has focused on improving some core aspects on the defensive side of the ball. Improved zone coverage was a must and EA SPORTS has delivered on that front.

This year defenders will play in a much more dynamic fashion inside their zone assignment. Gone are the days of defenders being limited to defending their little circle of assignment and isolating themselves from the flow of the offensive play. This year, defenders will play more realistically inside their assignment. They aggressively pick up players who enter their zones, playing with leverage and using realistic angles to better defend against a pass to a WR inside their assigned area. Defenders will also communicate and point out WR’s to their teammates as they leave and enter different areas of the defense. The defense plays as a more cohesive unit instead of each player appearing to be on an island just defending their area.

This has greatly improved the ability of the defense to defend the middle of the field as well as protecting against the flats where some teams make a living throwing to their running backs. Overall the defenders are just more intelligent within their assignments and it’s much harder to move the football consistently against a good defense.

Another addition that should improve the defensive side of the ball from a physicality stand point is multiple collision tackles. Defenders that peruse will now be rewarded with opportunities to lay the wood to players who are fighting for extra yards or being held up by the initial tackle attempt. Some of the hits I’ve seen are devastating, both in their rendering and on the actual player taking the hit. Injuries seem a bit more pronounced with violent hits and definitely the opportunity to cause a turnover increases for defenses if they are gang tackling and good in pursuit.

Overall I think you’re going to see more balanced game play with the defensive improvements this year and hopefully we can get back to seeing some dominant defensive play in EA SPORTS NCAA Football 2012.

Look for more exclusive hands on information from TSO as we get closer to release day.

[Kodos]

[NorvTurnerOverdrive]

[SegRat]

The first NCAA 12 blog

Hey NCAA fans! It's Scantlebury here to give you some insight on what the Central Gameplay team has been cooking up for the NCAA Football 12 title. We’ve touched several core areas of gameplay including: tackling, blocking, catching, and coverage. The changes we have made will be evident on the very first play of the game and I’m not talking about your first snap – I mean from the opening Kickoff. Let me tell you a little bit about what we’re doing for each of the core areas of gameplay to give you guys a brand new gaming experience.

NO MORE SUCTION ON TACKLES. Yeah you read that correctly. Did you hate it when you would do a spin move then get sucked back into a tackle? Or when you would be running through a hole in the line—a clear lane—and then a D-Lineman just warps in front of you and makes the tackle? Well this year there is no more warping on tackles. Tackles only occur on collision. So you won’t see a tackle happen unless actual collision is made between the ball carrier and the defender. Jukes and spins are more valuable than they ever have been and running through holes in the line never felt so good.

MOMENTUM ON TACKLES. We’ve all seen this happen: you’re running down the field with a full head of steam and then when you meet up with a defender WHAM complete momentum stop. It’s like the two of you were never running and collided with each other from only two feet away. Well, this year when you see that same situation you will actually notice the preservation of momentum on the tackle. Who wins the momentum battle depends on various factors including speed, size, and weight of the participants in the tackle. If the defender wins you’ll see the ball carrier being driven back as soon as they collide and that will carry through even as the players hit the ground. The movement doesn’t stop as soon as the players hit the ground; it carries through just like real life.

TACKLE BUTTON. This is a new feature that we have added this year; the old Dive Button has been replaced by the Tackle Button. Now this doesn’t guarantee that you’ll make the tackle but once you hit the button you are driven towards the ball carrier. There is a timing aspect to this because if you hit the button too early your defender will lunge in a last ditch effort to make a tackle. This is incredibly useful because the same way CPU defenders have no suction on tackle attempts, neither do user defenders. So, as you can imagine, it is somewhat harder to be pin-point accurate and run into that moving ball carrier. The same steering is applied to our Hit Stick and Strip ball Tackle attempt so the choice is yours. Personally, I like the play it safe and hit the Tackle Button.

NO MORE SUCTION ON BLOCKS. You know if we removed the suction on tackles we certainly corrected that on blocks, too. I know too many of us have said at least one time, “hey I got sucked into that block.” Please believe me, I feel your pain. Right when you are about to make a tackle, out of nowhere you get sucked into a block. The crazy thing is you actually feel like you are being pulled, I don’t mean the character in the game I mean YOU (well that’s how I felt anyway). Now that’s a thing of the past. If you get by that blocker or he’s not in the appropriate position to make the blocks you won’t get sucked back into him, you’ll continue traveling to your final destination which is undoubtedly the ball carrier.

CATCHING THE LOVE. Yes, we had to give some love to catching, as well. We made a deliberate effort to add some new sprint catches to reduce warping and sliding when the receiver positions himself to catch a pass. Another great addition is the brand new dive catches. If the ball is far out ahead of you then a dive catch may get you there to make the play. The dive catches in NCAA Football 12 are reliable and incredibly useful. And, in case you were wondering, yes, the user can trigger the same dive catches that the CPU players can trigger. In previous years, you would get the same ineffective generic dive catch every time you hit the button, but now you get a dive catch that matches the same way you get a sideline catch or a jump catch that matches. Trust me; if you make use of it when the opportunity arises you won’t be disappointed.

That’s just a few of the gameplay improvements in NCAA Football 12 that I know will enhance your experience. Stay tuned for Part 2 of this blog for more information regarding tackling (add-ons and stealing tackles), as well as new and improved defensive zone logic.

Additional information will be released soon, including announcements about your favorite features like Dynasty and Road to Glory!

[MizzouRah]

Thanks SegRat..

[Logan]

I love the developer blogs which basically state "Hey here's all the things we sucked at for the last 10 years but you spent $500 on it anyway, thanks!"

[Kodos]

Good news for fans of Coach Mode (I know we have a few here). It's in for this year.

NCAA Football 12 Developer Chat on EA Sports Live, Coach Mode Announced - Operation Sports Forums

[BillJasper]

Originally Posted by CleBrownsfan

Not to thread jack the NCAA thread but isn't this the year that Madden was suppose to get an overhaul in the franchise area? Any news on new features for MAdden?

IGN has a bunch of info, but this single screen shot scares the shit out of me...

IGN: Madden NFL 12 Screenshots (PS3) 3447734

A '57' rated fullback averaging 29.1 yard per carry.

[BYU 14]

Originally Posted by Kodos

Good news for fans of Coach Mode (I know we have a few here). It's in for this year.

NCAA Football 12 Developer Chat on EA Sports Live, Coach Mode Announced - Operation Sports Forums

This is a welcome addition. Takes me about a month every year just to get a good set of sliders, so I like this option.

[Mike Lowe]

All of this and OL will still not register pancakes in games to match simmed stats. Awesome.

[Balldog]

Originally Posted by BYU 14

This is a welcome addition. Takes me about a month every year just to get a good set of sliders, so I like this option.

Yeah but will we still have to play special teams ?

[Kodos]

I'm am officially very excited about NCAA 2012. Custom conferences (4-16 teams, ability to rename, etc.), the ability to start as a coordinator and move up..... This is a dream come true. Hopefully they've bumped the number of teambuilder teams you can use too.

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/116/1169273p1.html

Now, sure, you could customize conferences in NCAA Football 11, but that was really just a swap. You could switch a team out of a given conference, but you had to put another in its place. This year, you can do whatever the hell you want. You can take the Big 12 and drop it down to four teams or go nuts and crank it up to 16. You can set it so that your conference only plays weekday games, name the divisions, and even mess with who gets to go to which bowl. NCAA Football 12 gives you the keys and lets you drive the game wherever you want it to go.

E3 2011: NCAA Football 12 Is Yours to Rule
Customize your coach, conference, playbook and so much more.
May 19, 2011 May 19, 2011 May 19, 2011
User icon for Greggy-IGNLevel 18
by Greg Miller

LATEST IMAGES
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LATEST VIDEOS
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EVENT COVERAGE
E3 2011

It can be hard getting excited for an annual football franchise. Sure, there will be new players, new mechanics, and a new sheen to everything, but in reality, isn't it just the same thing as last year? In the case of NCAA Football 12, the answer is "hell no."

We already know that the presentation in NCAA Football 12 has been amped up this year with team traditions, the Georgia bulldog sitting on the sidelines, and so on. Still, there's a lot left in this story, and it's yours to write -- particularly in the game's Dynasty mode.

NCAA Football 12 Video Preview

One of the first "professional" video game articles I ever wrote was bitching about how my alma mater Mizzou's coach was a fat ass in the NCAA games but not in real life. Well, five years after publishing that insightful editorial, EA and Tiburon have responded and given players the ability to create their own coaches from scratch. You can modify looks, set ages and even pick an alma mater. Save these changes, and you can share them with the world and every mode in your game.

That stuff might sound cosmetic, but it plays into the cool changes in Dynasty mode. When you start, you can choose to go be the head coach of whatever school you like, but the real challenge is taking on one of the new offensive or defensive coordinator slots and working your way up to running an entire team. Yes, this year you can be one of the assistant coaches and manage just one side of the ball for entire games. Do well, and the shot at a head coaching job might pop up.

Monitoring how well you're doing comes down to dynamic meters and annual goals. As your boys perform on the field, you're going to be able to see how satisfied your school is with you. That's not entirely new, but the change here is that each goal you're assigned has a different weight. Winning your division is going to mean a lot to a smaller school, but Ohio State's going to want that and a National Championship.

At the end of each season, the coaching carousel pops up and shows who has retired, who has been fired, and who has taken another job. This is your chance to see how things shake down for the school you really want to go to. Your prestige is obviously what schools are looking at when offering you a contract, but if you're alma mater is on the market, it'll be more attracted to you and likely to cut you some slack if your prestige isn't rocking. Similarly, if your coach is getting ancient, don't expect people to be beating down his door with offers.

I was a big fan of online Dynasty last year, and applying these coaching options to a group of friends is what really gets me excited. A Dynasty where we all start out as offensive or defensive coordinators puts a new spin on the competition, but it's far from the only tweak. When you setup a Dynasty, you have control like never before -- you can make and break conferences.

Now, sure, you could customize conferences in NCAA Football 11, but that was really just a swap. You could switch a team out of a given conference, but you had to put another in its place. This year, you can do whatever the hell you want. You can take the Big 12 and drop it down to four teams or go nuts and crank it up to 16. You can set it so that your conference only plays weekday games, name the divisions, and even mess with who gets to go to which bowl. NCAA Football 12 gives you the keys and lets you drive the game wherever you want it to go.

Simming a game from a PC will look like this.
Simming a game from a PC will look like this.
I can't wait to see what this means for my online Dynasty with friends, but there are even more bells and whistles in that vein. Whereas last year I could go on the web at work and recruit players for my console-based team, this year I can go on and simulate games against the computer where I'm actually calling the shots. Rather than have to play the AI when I get home, I can play the game from my work PC -- pick plays and even sub in players. I can watch the on-screen dots (it looks like when you watch a football game on summary on ESPN.com) move down the field during conference calls and make progress for my Dynasty. The league commissioner can even advance the week via the web this year.

I like NCAA Football as a series, but before, I felt like I could skip an iteration of the franchise if I had just bought the last one. I have NCAA Football 11, and there's no doubt I'm getting NCAA Football 12. The changes EA has made this year speak to what I've wanted out of the game for so long -- customization. I can't wait to start an online Dynasty with my best friend and work our way up from lowly offensive coordinators to a National Championship coaches.

Plus, not having a really fat Mizzou coach by default will be sweet.

[Ksyrup]

I definitely like the the fact that coaches are going to retire, even the idea of starting as a coordinator is pretty cool. I just hope the coaching carousel thing isn't cosmetic - I hope they have certain schemes attached to them, so if GT's coach retires or gets fired, the new coach brings in a new offense and they don't keep running the option.

If I had to guess, I'm betting the names change but nothing else does.

The conference customization sounds cool, but as a practical matter, I bet I'd never use it.

[Kodos]

I'm already dreaming up realignments. It's like Conference Armageddon all over!

[Ksyrup]

Yeah, I can understand it would be cool to make up an alternate college universe - or try to reimagine what the conference alignments would look like in a few years if they went to the 4 16-team super-conferences that were getting talked about last year - but I prefer to play realistically.

[k0ruptr]

why do they always make it sound so damn good. argh.

[Kodos]

Yeah, Baby!

[Izulde]

...I was going to pass this year, but conference realignment and the coach/coordinator modes may have sucked me in. Damn it.

[wade moore]

I took last year off.

Maybe all of this customization combined with an FOFC league would get me interested.. hrmm..

[CleBrownsfan]

Another year where I say to myself I'm not going to buy an EA football game this year but still do... who was I kidding?!

[gstelmack]

Another year where folks say they would never buy an EA football game again, change their minds when all the screenshots and interviews come out, and are complaining about it 2 weeks after it hits and threatening to never buy another EA football game again...

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by gstelmack

Another year where folks say they would never buy an EA football game again, change their minds when all the screenshots and interviews come out, and are complaining about it 2 weeks after it hits and threatening to never buy another EA football game again...

I broke the seal last year, finally, by not buying one.

I'll at least wait to see what FOFC people say before I buy one. I really didn't miss it all that much reall,y, which is telling.

[CleBrownsfan]

Originally Posted by gstelmack

Another year where folks say they would never buy an EA football game again, change their minds when all the screenshots and interviews come out, and are complaining about it 2 weeks after it hits and threatening to never buy another EA football game again...

I personally never publicly complain - I just take EA Sports games in stride

[Kodos]

I skipped two out of the last three Maddens, but haven't skipped any of the NCAA Footballs. NCAA 2010's OD was horribly screwed, but last season's worked well enough.

Basically, football games have always been my most important video games. They've driven console purchases at times (I bought the POS Dreamcast because of NFL2K).

I know there will be problems with Madden and NCAA this season, like always, but hopefully no gamekillers.

Edit 1: Honestly, this is making me wonder how I'm going to have time for Madden 2012.

Edit 2: I hope they allow us to have playoffs. That would send my expectations into outer space...

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Kodos

I'm already dreaming up realignments. It's like Conference Armageddon all over!

Me too. I was planning on skipping this year, but this has me hooked..

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Kodos

I skipped two out of the last three Maddens, but haven't skipped any of the NCAA Footballs. NCAA 2010's OD was horribly screwed, but last season's worked well enough.

Basically, football games have always been my most important video games. They've driven console purchases at times (I bought the POS Dreamcast because of NFL2K).

I know there will be problems with Madden and NCAA this season, like always, but hopefully no gamekillers.

Edit 1: Honestly, this is making me wonder how I'm going to have time for Madden 2012.

Edit 2: I hope they allow us to have playoffs. That would send my expectations into outer space...

You just described me as well. I've skipped the last 2 Maddens and at least broke that cycle, but I just can't pass up NCAA. That being said, I was planning on skipping NCAA and getting just Madden this year. Not sure if I have time for both this year with work and everything else going on... hmm.

[BYU 14]

Damn total freedom to realign conferences and the ability to start as a coordinator.....Hooked again!

[General Mike]

Originally Posted by Kodos

Yeah, Baby!

Does this mean I can change the names of the Big Ten divisions to Humanoids and Animals?

[Kodos]

Yes. Yes you can.

[General Mike]

I got my 1987 allignment all set.

ACC (8)
Clemson
Duke
Georgia Tech
Maryland
North Carolina
North Carolina State
Virginia
Wake Forest

Big Ten (10)
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Michigan
Michigan State
Minnesota
Wisconsin
Northwestern
Ohio State
Purdue

Big 12 ---> Big Eight (8)
Colorado
Iowa State
Kansas
Kansas State
Missouri
Nebraska
Oklahoma
Oklahoma State

MWC ---> Southwest (9)
Arkansas
Baylor
Houston
Rice
Southern Methodist
Texas
Texas A&M
Texas Tech
Texas Christian

MAC (9)
Ball State
Bowling Green
Central Michigan
Eastern Michigan
Kent State
Miami (OH)
Ohio
Toledo
Western Michigan

Pac12 ---> Pac Ten (10)
Arizona
Arizona State
California
Oregon
Oregon State
Stanford
UCLA
USC
Washington
Washington State

SEC (10)
Alabama
Auburn
Florida
Georgia
Kentucky
Louisiana State
Mississippi
Mississippi State
Tennessee
Vanderbilt

WAC (9)
Air Force
BYU
Colorado State
Hawaii
New Mexico
San Diego State
Utah
UTEP
Wyoming

Conference USA ---> Big West (5/9)
Fresno State
New Mexico State
San Jose State
Utah State
UNLV

Sun Belt ----> Lost Dogs(12/8)
Boise
Idaho
La Tech
Nevada
=======
Arkansas State
Florida Atlantic
Florida International
Louisiana-Monroe
Middle Tennessee State
North Texas
Troy
Western Kentucky

Note: I may move the first 4 schools to the Big west

Big East ----> Lost Dogs 2 (6)
Buffalo
Connecticut
Marshall
UAB
UCF
USF

Independents (24)
Akron
Army
Boston College
Cincinnati
East Carolina
Florida State
Louisiana-Lafayette
Louisville
Memphis
Miami
Navy
Northern Illinois
Notre Dame
Penn State
Pittsburgh
Rutgers
South Carolina
Southern Mississippi
Syracuse
Temple
Tulsa
Tulane
Virginia Tech
West Virginia

Hopefully we can edit conference prestige as well

[Danny]

Why was every single tackle I saw in the gameplay video a high one that was at least above the waist, if not chest level.

[RainMaker]

Any word on if FCS schools made it back into the game?

[Kodos]

No word on FCS schools yet, as far as I know.

[Kodos]

NCAA, Team, Ratings | Tradition Sports Online - Madden Online Franchise, NCAA Online Dynasty, FIFA Online Leagues, Forza Online Leagues, NBA 2K Online Leagues, NHL Online Leagues, Tiger Woods 2012 Online Tour

Team ratings have been revealed. Let's all go laugh at their rating for Michigan's defense.