Summer Storms: The NCAA Release Story

[janglar]

I just want my f**king rosters to work and I can deal with the rest. Whose got the latest up to the minute scoop on the roster patch release?

[PlyrzNumber1]

Quote: Originally Posted by Seahawk76

Yep, he's right on the money. NCAA 09 is an unfinished product that was rushed out the door for business reasons. OS should be holding EA's feet to the fire for this, not writing puff pieces.

Amen!

In regards to your comment about overmoderating: its not just countryboy, it's fishpapa(sp?) too.

Beyond that, if Adam/OMT wants a topic "stickied", locked, or other posters comments deleted (because they have critical comments about the bugs/gameplay) the moderators happily assist.

[ChaseB]

Once again, thanks again for all the comments and concerns. I've learned a lot from this experience, and the staff as a whole I think has as well. We'll definitely try to improve the situation moving forward.

I'm off to bed.

[McLite]

Quote: Originally Posted by PlyrzNumber1

Amen! In regards to your comment about overmoderating: its not just countryboy, it's fishpapa(sp?) too. Beyond that, if Adam/OMT wants a topic "stickied", locked, or other posters comments deleted (because they have critical comments about the bugs/gameplay) the moderators happily assist.

That is such absolute ignorance. The overmoderating in this forum is due to countless individuals posting the same things over and over. EA sucks, this game sucks, I'm mad, OS sucks. If we wouldn't have to deal with 100 different people posting the same thing we wouldn't have to close/lock every 5th thread.

I don't know who Adam is...I don't know who OMT is. I've never had a conversation nor have most of the other mods had a conversation with him as far as I know. And he nor anyone else has never told me to lock or close a negative thread. I close replays and I give infractions for those who can't follow the TOS...that's my little job in this huge online world.

I mean give me a break...almost 75% of the threads have been negative, we would have to lock every one. This game is an absolute mess for a lot of people. Online doesn't work, rosters, kickoffs, pass rush, custom sounds, and on and on. Me...I haven't really had a problem with the game. I don't play online, I don't use custom rosters, I tweaked the sliders and I play it and enjoy it for what's it worth.

Do I think this article is bad...yes I do. It completely ignores most of the online community in which it's posted in. It's basically telling a vast majority of the posters they are wrong and over reacting...which is never a good idea. Do I think the game is bad...not totally. As I said I have my fun with it playing Campus Legend and a little bit of Dynasty so far.

If you have a negative opinion then feel free to post it. Just please give some reasons and stay in the threads provided. I'm all for everyone getting their 2 cents in...just stay professional and back it up.

[jpup]

What happened to OS? This is not the site that I once remember. I have been wondering what was going on for some time now. This thread kind of shows my feeling. I agree with AA, Pared, & the others that believe that OS should be held to a higher standard. That high standard is why we all came here and stayed.

I think I'll quit looking at the Home page anymore.

[pietasterp]

There's some good dialogue here, and some excellent points that summarize a lot of our (collective) feelings are being brought to the fore, which is a good thing.

I think the article in question ("Summer Storms") had some good points and made some rather insightful, albeit glib (intentionally so, I imagine, and to good comic effect) observations about forum mentality/trends. The passage about the pre-release hysteria, the standard tap-dance with some members obtaining early release copies of games (and the subsquent inquisition that always accompanies claims of "I got the game early!"), and the early concerns/bad news spreading like wildfire across the forums are all good observations about forum behavior in general, which is what I believe was the main point of the article.

Having said that....as Pared and others have accurately and intelligently articulated, given the recent change in the dynamic of the forums here (from grass-roots, anti-establishment, hardcore sports gaming talk to what now appears to be some concerning or questionable relationships with publishers/developers), this article happened to come about during a perfect storm of change at Operation Sports. If the forum members seem a little touchy on the subject, it's probably because the article appears to trivialize their concerns regarding the NCAA game and over-generalize their complaints as part of a very unhappy and vocal minority. The article may have been well-received if posted at another time, but about this particular game, at this particular time, when it seems OS staff has never been further away from the pulse of its forum members (at least regarding the relative merits of a game, in this case NCAA 09), it seems to be adding fuel to the fire.

The insinuation that OS is now being unduly influenced by EA or anyone else is something only the OS staff can truly comment on. However, as the site gets bigger and bigger, bear in mind that when it comes to a website's credibility and authenticity, especially one that has built its reputation on brutal honesty and unabashed truth without regard to advertisers or publishers feelings, the appearance of impropriety is tantamount to impropriety itself.

[bears5122]

Quote: Originally Posted by ChaseB

Once again, thanks again for all the comments and concerns. I've learned a lot from this experience, and the staff as a whole I think has as well. We'll definitely try to improve the situation moving forward. I'm off to bed.

Many of us appreciate you listening to concerns and being so open minded.

One of the things I'd say is that a lot of the newer pieces seem to just be re-written press releases from the companies. Whether it's touting a feature or a fluff piece on a release. While there isn't anything horrible with that, it's just not that interesting to me and others.

Take the Summer Storms article. While it's been bashed for being a PR piece, it's also a piece that really doesn't offer anything new. Instead of an article re-hashing some board banter, I'd love to see something that actually involves EA answering questions. Whoever the writer is could come up with 10-15 questions that have been debated on the boards and gotten some answers. I'd love to know if they feel the pass rush is weak, or if they intended the pursuit to be built this way. I'd love to know when we can expect online dynasty to be fixed or what the potential timeframe is for a gameplay patch. Most of us are running around like chickens with our heads cut off and this would offer a great chance to put some of these questions to rest.

That kind of stuff peaks my interest. It doesn't have to be a hit piece either. Just simple questions and a forum for EA to give their customers an honest reply (to questions we are interested in hearing answers about).

And that's just one idea. But things like that offer more value in my opinion. Some of the detailed analysis of the games that you see on Bill Harris or Bill Abner's blog are always insightful. A more journalistic approach to the articles, with no bias at all. I think right now most of the homepage content is just re-hashed press releases. A move in the other direction would garner many more eyeballs, including new people who are drawn from other sites.

[kohlrums]

Again-even with all of those issues mentioned you left out one-the ball does not rotate when thrown. This is idiotic. Maybe this is not a gamekiller for some, but if I have a game with all the issues mentioned above, I at least want it to look good when I play it-and it doesn't. when you throw the ball it just floats. The animation for QB's are awful-from the drop back from center, to their throwing motion, to how the ball comes out of their hands well before their arm has moved passed their head on a throw-all the way to the fact that the ball does not make one full rotation on a 15 yard deep out. Is ther anyone at EA that has played football-at any level? The effort put into this year's release is pathetic. I got NCAA 07 on Xbox 360, traded my 360 in for a PS3 so I could get The Show, and bought NCAA 09 this year. NCAA 07 is far an away a better game than this one. How have things gotten so bad? EA is regressing. I am ashamed I was dopped by the reviews to actually spend money on this game.

EA-stop wasting time detailing the viens in players arms, adding a 5th style of helmet, and concentrate on decent gameplay, and getting the ball to rotate when thrown.