EA Announces First 3D Sports Strategy Game -- NFL Head Coach

[bob]

Sorry if it has already been posted:

http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/051017/175423.html?.v=1

Become a Coaching Legend in a New Strategy-Based Football Franchise from the Makers of Madden NFL Football


REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 17, 2005--Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:ERTS - News) announced today that NFL Head Coach ((1) working title) will be available in stores in spring 2006, under the EA SPORTS(TM) brand. NFL Head Coach is in development in Orlando, Fla. by EA Tiburon, makers of other NFL properties including Madden NFL Football and NFL STREET. The new exclusive deal with the NFL has allowed EA to build this franchise and work with all coaches in the NFL Coaches Club.

"NFL Head Coach, the third pillar in our NFL portfolio, was developed to satiate all those Monday morning quarterbacks and fantasy football fanatics," said Dale Jackson, Executive Producer, EA Tiburon. "NFL Head Coach is an entirely new football experience that every level of football gamer can play. It provides the strategy that the hardcore fan will demand, but with very easy-to-use controls and assistance for more casual fans. Football will no longer be intimidating for the casual user."

NFL Head Coach reinvents football gaming by introducing the first 3D strategy sports game that challenges gamers to build and manage every aspect of a football team from the ground up. A simple conversation system and an engaging 3D graphical interface allow users to immerse themselves into the lives of an NFL head coach. As head coach, you develop a team strategy, execute it on and off the field, and try to build a winning organization year after year. Your status as a coaching legend will rise and fall based on all of your actions as you strive to become the greatest head coach of all time. Behind the desk, on the practice field, or while wearing the headset on game days, take the reins of your favorite NFL team and lead it to victory.

NFL Head Coach will be available for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, Xbox® videogame system from Microsoft, and PC-CD. This product is not yet rated by the ESRB.

[Ben E Lou]

I wonder if this is what Joe Stallings is working on.

[WrongWay]

The coutdown begins.

[MalcPow]

Interesting news, I know there had been rumors of an EA sim, but this announcement brings some official weight to that gossip. I hope the "fantasy football fanatic" verbiage is for marketing purposes only, and the game itself will be geared more towards those around here, but that might be too much to ask from the evil empire. I think a serious sim would sell well (see FM), I'm just not sure I buy that EA thinks that.

[Izulde]

*Very* intriguing news.

[wade moore]

Ill watch this with cautious optimism...

[jeff061]

How good can the interface be if it's being developed for the PS2 and XBox as well.

[cuervo72]

Originally Posted by bob

A simple conversation system and an engaging 3D graphical interface allow users to immerse themselves

For some reason, I just had Cinemaware flashbacks...

[stevew]

Well, at least there will be a football sim this fall for sure.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by stevew

Well, at least there will be a football sim this fall for sure.

Originally Posted by bob

Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:ERTS - News) announced today that NFL Head Coach ((1) working title) will be available in stores in spring 2006, under the EA SPORTS(TM) brand.

[stevew]

Originally Posted by SkyDog

Close enough.

[moriarty]

I don't want to sound negative ... but prepare to be disappointed.

[stevew]

How did JB get scooped on this story, also. Must have been out partying all night or somesuch.

[Barkeep49]

While I don't have much hope for this edition I am hopeful that a couple years down the road this could be a fun product.

[A-Husker-4-Life]

Sounds like junk to me, I mean they're making to for the PS2....

[Neon_Chaos]

Available for PC-CD, THANK GOD. I hate playing strategy games on consoles.

Now, will the PC version be a port of the console version (like almost all EA Sports titles), or will they PC version have it's own sense of being!?

[Hurst2112]

They are just gonna repack FOF2002 with 3D glasses.

[Maple Leafs]

Originally Posted by cuervo72

For some reason, I just had Cinemaware flashbacks...

Would that be a bad thing?

I want me some fake commercials before each game...

[Johnny93g]

so what comes out first....This game, BBCF, or the new FOF game everyone is convinced is just around the corner

[WSUCougar]

I don't get the 3D aspect...does it just refer to the games being played out in 3D after the coaching strategies are set? Or does it have a console-style player control element?

[gottimd]

Are there any other details behind it, screenshots, demo's, etc or is it just a "Hey, look what we are doing...." press release?

[Emiliano]

Originally Posted by bob

NFL Head Coach reinvents football gaming by introducing the first 3D strategy sports game that challenges gamers to build and manage every aspect of a football team from the ground up. A simple conversation system and an engaging 3D graphical interface allow users to immerse themselves into the lives of an NFL head coach. As head coach, you develop a team strategy, execute it on and off the field, and try to build a winning organization year after year. Your status as a coaching legend will rise and fall based on all of your actions as you strive to become the greatest head coach of all time. Behind the desk, on the practice field, or while wearing the headset on game days, take the reins of your favorite NFL team and lead it to victory.

Mmm... Let's hope... I'm not too optimistic about it, but...

[gottimd]

A simple conversation system? Not a complicated Sim engine?


So will it be:

Do you want to trade with me? Circle yes or no.

[jeff061]

But it will be heavily influenced by how many relationship points you have built up with each GM. Or how about those fabulous dinner dates you can bring those in demand free agents on?

I think that's the market EA shoots for.

[cuervo72]

Originally Posted by Maple Leafs

Would that be a bad thing?

I want me some fake commercials before each game...

Not at all - Cinemaware games were fantastic.

(and I didn't actually ever play TV Sports Football, but the dialogue line had me thinking of trying to woo the scientist's daughter when you meet here in the zeppelin in Rocket Ranger. )

[Icy]

I always wondered myself why EA didn't publish a football or NBA GM game knowing the sales success they have with Total Club Manager at least in Europe (the soccer manager game based on the FIFA 3D engine).

Of course the game will be crap if you're looking for deep, but it will be a top seller for the ocasional joystick fan who wants to become a manager without needing to think a lot. That is exactly TCM for soccer, a bunch of awesome ideas to try to compete with Sigames and their FM but that ends being a joke year by year. Their only selling point for TCM is that it uses the 3D engine from FIFA but at the end, the players play as they want and the manager options don't work at all, something that a casual fan won't notice while hypnoticed by the 3D graphs, but that a text simmer would hate.

[Bee]

Originally Posted by Johnny93g

so what comes out first....This game, BBCF, or the new FOF game everyone is convinced is just around the corner

My guess...Arlie will announce BBCF abouth two weeks in advance of release. Jim will show up a week before that and announce TCY2 has been released. The EA game will get delayed and then cancelled.

[Ajaxab]

Icy hit the nail on the head. Although I haven't tried TCM in the last couple of iterations, I returned the version I got a few years back as it was complete rubbish. The 3D engine worked okay, but got really repetitive after a few games.

I think that's the problem with any kind of management game that decides to head in the 3D direction at this point given our current technology. There simply can't be enough animations in the engine to make the games variable and still have a sensible statistical engine behind the eye candy.

I'm skeptical on this one given that EA has to go for the lowest common denominator to generate the most sales, but maybe a few generations down the road, EA might be onto something.

[Mustang]

The Sims - "NFL"

[Emiliano]

Originally Posted by Icy

I always wondered myself why EA didn't publish a football or NBA GM game knowing the sales success they have with Total Club Manager at least in Europe (the soccer manager game based on the FIFA 3D engine).

Of course the game will be crap if you're looking for deep, but it will be a top seller for the ocasional joystick fan who wants to become a manager without needing to think a lot. That is exactly TCM for soccer, a bunch of awesome ideas to try to compete with Sigames and their FM but that ends being a joke year by year. Their only selling point for TCM is that it uses the 3D engine from FIFA but at the end, the players play as they want and the manager options don't work at all, something that a casual fan won't notice while hypnoticed by the 3D graphs, but that a text simmer would hate.

I totally agree with Icy.

[lighthousekeeper]

Originally Posted by Mustang

The Sims - "NFL"

For some reason, I wouldn't be surprised if this came to be.

[albionmoonlight]

Originally Posted by press release

Football will no longer be intimidating for the casual user.

Have you known any "casual users" to be intimidated by Madden. Isn't a sports console game about the most comfortable, non-intimidating game out there?

I don't even know what they mean by that statement.

[Raiders Army]

Madden is getting to the point that I would imagine that it would be hard to "pick up and play". I get this feeling every time I play a FPS. Everyone is so good that I just quit after a few minutes of not knowing who the hell killed me.

[Darkiller]

this is *interesting*.

1 - I like the fact EA sports looks into this field of football games.
2- Still, I worry about the "head-coach" terminology used here, as I'd be more comfortable if they would say something like "put yourself in the General Manager's seat" istead of Head-coach. Pretty significant difference in my opinion.
3- you have to be both intrigued and worried about EA making its own version of FOF (FOF for retarded ?)

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by Ajaxab

Icy hit the nail on the head. Although I haven't tried TCM in the last couple of iterations, I returned the version I got a few years back as it was complete rubbish. The 3D engine worked okay, but got really repetitive after a few games.

I think that's the problem with any kind of management game that decides to head in the 3D direction at this point given our current technology. There simply can't be enough animations in the engine to make the games variable and still have a sensible statistical engine behind the eye candy.

I'm skeptical on this one given that EA has to go for the lowest common denominator to generate the most sales, but maybe a few generations down the road, EA might be onto something.

This kind of hits on my thoughts...

but what I often wonder is do I WANT a 3d sim? I don't see myself sitting in front of an hour or two of watching a game and just staring at it..

The only way I see this being entertaining is if it was done in a "sportscenter" style, not watching the game from start to finish...

Either that or maybe the old x's and o's running around.. honestly, that would do it for me...

[corbes]

Originally Posted by wade moore

Either that or maybe the old x's and o's running around.. honestly, that would do it for me...

That's what I want -- the x's and o's, like 1985 NFL Challenge. Add that to FOF, let me call the plays -- that's what I want.

[QuikSand]

It's a console game, that will be ported for the PC. That's how they do.

I think the genre benefits from all additions, and perhaps there will be some joystick jockeys who find this intriguing enough to start them looking for a real management sim... but I rather doubt that's what this is going to be. This one will be on my "wait and see" list... but not even at the top.

[cuervo72]

Originally Posted by Raiders Army

Madden is getting to the point that I would imagine that it would be hard to "pick up and play". I get this feeling every time I play a FPS. Everyone is so good that I just quit after a few minutes of not knowing who the hell killed me.

Honestly, I tried Madden a few years ago for the Playstation (think it was the playstation), and I couldn't run the ball, couldn't complete a pass, and quickly gave up. I have Madden 2004 for the PC, but the only thing I do there is uniforms (and I've not done that for quite some time either).

[Ben E Lou]

I have confirmation that Joe Stallings is the producer for this one. At least they have someone on the point who is intimately familiar with the text sim genre. {shrug}

[Ajaxab]

Originally Posted by wade moore

but what I often wonder is do I WANT a 3d sim? I don't see myself sitting in front of an hour or two of watching a game and just staring at it..

That is another great point. One of the great things about the text sim is the pace. You can get through a lot of games in a short amount of time. This advantage would obviously get lost in a 3d sim where you sit and watch an entire game for an hour or two. FM does the best job of keeping a solid pace of play while integrating managerial and player moves in a way that makes sense to the user.

I don't know about others, but I'm curious as to just how many gamers really use the franchise options on their console games. I wonder how many seasons on average a console sports game career goes for the normal player. If EA's NFL sim requires one to sit down for an hour or two watch a game at the same pace as Madden, I can't see it working for people who want a long career.

TCM has a quick sim option that allows you to bypass watching the whole game, but people have reported that the stat engine for quick sims is much different than for watching the whole game. I'm still not convinced it can be done given today's tech.

[Barkeep49]

Originally Posted by SkyDog

I have confirmation that Joe Stallings is the producer for this one. At least they have someone on the point who is intimately familiar with the text sim genre. {shrug}

That's a generous description to say the least.

[MalcPow]

Originally Posted by SkyDog

I have confirmation that Joe Stallings is the producer for this one. At least they have someone on the point who is intimately familiar with the text sim genre. {shrug}

Hopefully EA's ownership of every license imaginable will allow him to avoid some of his earlier troubles with copyrighted material.

[stevew]

Originally Posted by cuervo72

Honestly, I tried Madden a few years ago for the Playstation (think it was the playstation), and I couldn't run the ball, couldn't complete a pass, and quickly gave up. I have Madden 2004 for the PC, but the only thing I do there is uniforms (and I've not done that for quite some time either).

Yeah, i bought 2005 the other day for 10 bucks, and thought that i could have a fun time with it. After trying to run any kind of semblance of an offense or defense for a couple quarters, i quickly put it on the shelf, and now use it for screenshots.

[Draft Dodger]

Originally Posted by SkyDog

I have confirmation that Joe Stallings is the producer for this one. At least they have someone on the point who is intimately familiar with the text sim genre. {shrug}

we're all familiar with the phrase "biting your tongue"?

well my fingers are chewed down to little nubs to avoid typing what I want to type here...

[Zippo]

I would love to see an NBA version of this.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by SkyDog

I have confirmation that Joe Stallings is the producer for this one. At least they have someone on the point who is intimately familiar with the text sim genre. {shrug}

Correction: one of the producers.

[stevew]

Originally Posted by Zippo

I would love to see an NBA version of this.

Yeah, NBA games dont really play well on a console or computer, it invariably breaks down to you driving and dunking, or launching 3's. it would be cool to coach a team, to actually see how they execute on the floor, run your rotations, etc. I never played football organized, so i dont know many of the nuances(what to use vs different types of coverages, etc), whereas i played a ton of basketball, and know the game better.

[Bee]

Looking forward to druez's review...

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by Bee

Looking forward to druez's review...

[NoMyths]

Originally Posted by SkyDog

Correction: one of the producers.

Does this mean we'll have a "Springtime for Hitler" endzone dance to look forward to?