Great post Hellisan, and good thread.
I've been pulling my thoughts together and for me it boils down to combination of fun gameplay, and a total package of sound football (gameplay + dynasty) that compels me to continue playing.
For me, NCAA 14 doesn't present any "fatal flaws", or at the very least- significant issues, that some earlier versions had that were bad enough to kill the experience (examples: CPU not running enough, RoboQB-especially early versions, fumble rate, jump the snap, defenders taking bad pursuit angles, and superhuman LB's with 57" verticals leaping up to pick off passes, to name a few)
I've been refining my house rules, player edits, etc. over the past 42 seasons in '14 and found that it can yield an exciting, unpredictable, and realistic game of football that surpasses what I've seen in any other version.
This is a great point, and very well said. I would describe the game as more organic than most others.
And I still see new animations and/or things happen that I've never seen before. And I agree, these unique moments seem to happen more often in '14. Here's three things that just happened in my last two games, that I'd never seen before:
- My HB got smacked at the line of scrimmage - ball pops straight up in the air - and my LG Zirkle catches the loose ball in mid-air!
- I just got sacked the CPU QB with my DT by lunging/diving almost immediately after the snap- knifing in between the RG and C to catch the QB's ankles as he was backpeddling.
- Cool interception: I"m backed up on 3rd and long - the CPU brings a DB blitz - I spot an open receiver and I'm trying to get th ball off, but my QB is hit as he releases - sandwiched betwixt a DT and the DB - ball pop up in air and the another defender catches the ball at grass-level for the pick!
This just happened to me in a big way. I started my 6th season with Southern Miss trying to build them up and had delusions of grandeur that I might be able to make a Title run this season. All started well, as I kicked off the season taking down #6 Stanford 33-6 (My Golden Eagles were ranked preseason #43). I continued to 6-0 working my way up to #6 in the polls. Then things fell apart. Despite my earnest and best efforts, I'm at 7-3 now, having dropped 3 of my last 4 games, in C-USA play no less!!
Contrary to what you might think, I'm actually thrilled about this as it demonstrates how '14 has completely shattered my preconception of how I thought this season would play out.
Furthermore, these last four games (where I went 1-3) may very well be the most fun stretch I've ever had in four consecutive games. The CPU earned these victories straight-up without a hint of cheese or comeback shenanigans. Actually it was me trying to make the comebacks, as the CPU was leading firmly at the end of all three halves in my losses. The average margin of victory in those games was under 5 points.
I do a little note when I write down my game results, stats, notes, etc. of how I grade how much "fun" that game was, which is usually a function of excitement, competitiveness and how realistic that game was. These four most recent games graded out at the second highest level, just short of my "epic" category, which only occur once every 5 years on average. Looking back, 6 of my last 10 games have been that good, including a double OT win in the AlamoDome.
So now I sit at 4th on the East side of C-USA when I thought I'd surely lock up my first conference championship. So yea, I got put in my place, and that provides some serious fuel for next season.
Exactly. I'm so glad the game accommodates the ability to tune the tendency of the CPU to run the ball. Making this adjustment to most of the HC's in my conference, I now have games where the CPU will have a functioning run game and almost always eclipse 100 yards rushing. Also, and probably equally important in my experience, is that I have made a change (recent house rule) that I can't control my LE when the ball is snapped. The LE had been the position I usually control, and I had gotten pretty dominant at shutting down scrambling QB's in space; Plus since a right-handed QB will flush to my side, I'd often be sitting there waiting to devour them. Now I control an interior DLineman, and it's really opened up the CPU's ability to move the chains in a way that emulates many of today's fleet-footed dual-thread QB's.
Another interesting thing about moving to that interior DT position is that I can really see a difference in how opposing OL's can block from week to week. One week I can get penetration, help collapse the pocket and hurry the QB to throw it away, and the next I find myself matched up against a really good RG that just stonewalls me.
Lastly, I agree with a previous poster who mentioned how great the community is here. Great place to get ideas, get help on questions, share stories, etc.