The Missing Pieces: An Updated Checklist

[dc5_lov3r]

-Have a FCS Dynasty or Season (Mode)
-A Playoff option for Dynasty or even in Game Modes (Play Now or Dynasty)
-Hand Warming Pouches (Cosmetics)

[PantherBeast_OS]

Some of this stuff have been addressed in ncaa 10

[da ThRONe]

This problem aways gets overlooked but this can ruin a games. They need player tendencies. Im tired of Sam Bradford running the option(because they use a speard offense) or taking off running more than the fast QB its sicking.

[HamTonks]

Quote: Originally Posted by Pantherbeast

Some of this stuff have been addressed in ncaa 10

I know -- when '10 is released, addressed issues will be crossed out, leaving behind the problems that should, theoretically, be addressed for '11.

[HamTonks]

Quote: Originally Posted by da ThRONe

This problem aways gets overlooked but this can ruin a games. They need player tendencies. Im tired of Sam Bradford running the option(because they use a speard offense) or taking off running more than the fast QB its sicking.

Well, technically speaking, that's not Sam Bradford -- it's QB #14. I suppose this is how EA could leave themselves some wiggle room for not having players exactly like their real life counterparts.

I'll add this though -- the players should be consistent with their real-life counterparts.

[HamTonks]

List updated.

[Dr Death]

Having read through this thread I would like to add my .02 and I realize some of these have been mentioned prior, but I feel if something seems redundant, perhaps it needs to be that way so that EA realizes the importance to us, the ones who purchase their games...

That said... here's my list as of 31 May 2009:

Gameplay - It cannot be stressed enough, the gameplay needs to be addressed. The juke moves are so unrealistic that if a human being attempted these moves they would end up with a torn groin, a pulled hamstring and more than likely, a torn ACL.

I get that little kids buy these games too. Or their parents do. But, as somebody mentioned, give us a Realistic Mode as well as the current mode. Just from reading through various threads on this website as well as EA's and Utopia, I would be willing to bet that over 75% want more realism.

This includes, but is not limited to, realistic momentum. It is so frustrating to see a MLB moving to his right, covering a RB and have your QB throw behind the MLB, to his left, and see that same MLB change direction in a heartbeat, leap 10 feet into the air and make a perfect interception.

How about a motto change... if it isn't in the game, it's not in the game! In essence, let's get real here.

Shovel Pass - This real life play was in NFL2K5 and that was 5 years ago. Why does EA still not have this in? It's not in Madden either. If you can pull the left trigger and pitch the ball, surely you can create the shovel pass. It's a little flip of the ball, from QB to RB... it isn't that difficult.

Fix The Shallow Crossing Route - How is it possible that a QB can only complete roughly 50% of shallow crossing routes because the other 50% are hitting his own linemen in the back, butt or head? Hopefully this is fixed in 2010, if not, this should be priority number two behind gameplay in 2011.

Refs/Chain Gangs - Yes, I too want this in, but not at the expense of more passes falling incomplete because the refs won't/can't get out of the way.

Halftime/Post Game Highlights - Again, NFL2K5 had this in and did fairly well with it.

Spring Game - This is something that desperately needs to be put in.

Offensive Line Adjustments - This is something that I have never seen anyone list as a wish, but it would be super cool if we could have our O-line spread out just as Mike Leach does with Texas Tech.

Improved AI - This could go many ways, but if I am playing Texas Tech, shouldn't they resemble TT in real life and throw the ball 50 + times a game?

Disguise Defense Coverage - Pre-snap, I can tell what the D is in... I can tell if it's Cover 1, Cover 2, Cover 3, Cover 4, Man or Blitz. Please... make this more difficult. (This could go under the very first topic)

Option Routes - There are several Run & Shoot teams in college football, and in NCAA there are a few routes that have limited option routes. Would it be that difficult to implement 3 option routes per WR? Or at least for 3 of the WR's?

Custom Playbooks - Count me in as one who wants this feature. I'd love the Create-A-Play feature too, but only if we had total access to all routes, and not just square based routes. Perhaps this needs to be a web feature ala Team Builder.

Injuries - Yes, I have the option of turning this off... but then, that doesn't help make for a very real experience now does it? So can we tone this down? There are way too many injuries as is... most result in only brief periods of time missed, but it's so annoying to have an injury every 4th play, no matter how insignificant.

Defensive Line Audibles- Something else that drives me crazy; say I am in 5-2 and call a Cover 3... my two ends are supposed to cover the flats... yet if I hot route my D line to move left at the snap, those two ends are now moving left and not falling into coverage. Can we make it so the D line audible doesn't affect the D linemen falling into zone areas?

Cycling Players - We've all been there... your DE is closing in on the QB, you take him over to sack the QB and just as you hit the B button, the QB throws and you are now the DB covering the WR... only now you're face down on the ground because you dove to sack the QB... Somehow, this needs to be addressed.

Celebrations - Winning a Conference title game, a major bowl game or the National Championship Game should result in better post-game celebrations. Make us feel like we actually earned something.

Hot Cheerleaders - Okay, so I am getting a little nit-picky here. But college cheerleaders are, for the most part, pretty darn hot. Is a little eye candy too much to ask for?

Heisman Presentation - This might be tough to do, but it would be so cool to see an actual Heisman Award show.

Game Times - Someone here, or another site, mentioned the ability to determine your start time for games. I agree completely.

Practice Makes Perfect - In Dynasty mode, we should see improvements in players if we actually use the practice mode.

Senior Bowl - Wouldn't this be cool... one last chance to see, and play with, departing Seniors.

Redshirt Options - Say you start a season and in week two a true Freshman gets hurt and is out a significant period of time. (5 weeks or more) We should then be able to Redshirt him just as real college teams can.

Wow... I just realized how long this post is. I'll stop for now. I will say that I am truly excited about Team Builder this coming year. But if most of the above items were addressed, 2011 would be a banner year indeed.

[Moostache]

This could also be titled "Make running inside and outside equally balanced"...for years now, one of the constants in NCAA (and Madden for that matter) has been the use - in one form or another - of the "Fast Guy Run Outside" offense.

Now, this is NOT a glitch necessarily, just a programming anomaly that impacts realism. It IS possible to have fun with the game even with this error in place (its been like this in one way or another forever), but if the game is looking to improve or become more realistic, then in addition to player locomotion / momentum and QB pocket protection and drop-back passing, this is another area to fix...



This is just an illustration, but the issue is the lack of balance between the interior running game and the outside running game. One of the major annoyances is the uneven-ness of interior running. Frequently, engaged defenders do not stick out an arm to slow a runner or attempt a tackle, they simply warp off the block into a tackle animation and bring down the runner...this same mechanic SOMETIMES works on the outside runs, but more often than not, edge defenders get "stuck" to their blockers for an extended time...thus allowing fast RBs, QBs and CBs/WRs placed at QB to run for yardage to the outside that they cannot gain on the inside (ie. between the Tackles).



In the video (available as Part 2 of 3 for Season Showdown at EA's NCAA 10 website - http://ncaafootball.easports.com/media.action ), you can see that the user, controlling Jahvid Best...err, sorry Cal HB #4, clearly has a hole on the interior to hit on a called Dive play...yet that is NOT where the ball is run. This is largely due to the fact that the interior defense (DT's and LB's and even DE's) in general shed blockers and make tackles at a higher rate than the edge defenders do.

When a play is designed to run up the middle, and the user CHOOSES to take the ball elsewhere - usually to the outside - it is almost always because the long route is more successful overall. The game does a fair approximation of defending this at times, but persistent users are able to annually find the gimmicks and flaws that allow the "strategy" to persist.

The "fixes" are usually either hampering the offensive blocking AI or casuing the RB to stumble and lose speed - in both cases, the cure is worse than the disease for "realism". Just because the game is progammed incorrectly does not mean that guys with great agility and speed like Best should be "controlled" to mask the game's problems.

The actual fix would be to correct the blocking mechanics so that a defender with outside shoulder leverage can disengage to the outside - and the only thing a blocker could do to maintain the block would be holding. This would result in the user still having control of his player at full ratings...if he wanted to try busting Jahvid Best to the outside on a called Dive play, then he could...BUT if the OT or TE on the outside was poorly rated for awareness or Run Block ability, the act of breaking the run to the outside might work, but would also increase the chances of a holding call by a ratings based factor...

As it is, THIS is the usual result (or a high percentage):




There are numerous examples of the game making compromises to cover holes in the basics of its programming for "football". If the core programming were addressed, then things like warping and speed cheats and unrealistic player momentum could all be addressed.

I am a bit of a realist here...I KNOW EA Sports is not about to scrap their core programming (no matter how many times they throw around the phrase "built from the ground up" - which coincidentally would be astounding that they would tear something down to the ground and then rebuild it with many of the same animations and sequences intact year after year). This is most likely never going to happen on XB360 or PS3. I just hope that when the next "next-gen" transition takes place that EA considers some of these changes for that core engine.