Things that need to happen for NCAA 11

[IndyColts2]

The first thing the makers of NCAA 11 need to do is scrap things that are not used often that are really just there to take up space. Lets face it, there are plenty of things that can be implemented but people like Adam Thompson say that there isn't any space to put it in the game. So:

1) Season Showdown: It is a good attempt to bring everyone together like how FIFA does but lets face it, nobody truly plays this mode regularly either. Free up some room, nobody really cares if their school wins NCAA's Season Showdown Tournament. Instead, they want to have their own tournament inside of their dynasty.

2) Campus Legend: Either they need to actually make this mode fun again or they need to scrap it altogether. This year they made a great effort with Erin Andrews and all that but there needs to be more. The old Campus Legend on last gen was pretty good. Taking tests to keep your G.P.A. up, running drills to boost a specific stat, etc. They should make you only be able to do the drills once a week though. If not, then just scrap it, its boring and you cant do anything.

Presentation
Tied with gameplay, to me this is the most important aspect of a sports video game (or any game actually). Everyone can agree that the Presentation of NCAA is stale and played out since it came onto Next Gen games. Luckily, NCAA basketball finally added CBS and ESPN presentation to its game. REAL CBS and ESPN Presentation, not just the ESPN ticker that tells you real life scores online.

1) ESPN, CBS, and ESPN on NBC: No more EA Sports logos EVERYWHERE. I want ESPN incorporated in everything now, CBS, NBC, etc. NCAA Basketball 10 really made its presentation alive with real network visuals and presentation. College Gameday should start the intro to the game with the old booth shot of Lee, Kirk, and Brad from last gen NCAAs. They talk about the game and 1 key player from each team, and then Lee picks which team he thinks will win.

In the background is all the fans from that game with signs and cheerleaders getting thrown in the air. ESPN style polls, BCS standings, player stats, team stats, etc. You could even add Aflac trivia into it, that would really be a cool addition. ESPN scoreboard, and an ESPN ticker that pops up like it used to that shows other games scores at that time.

Halftime would have the players running into the locker room and then it would show highlights and stats, of course ESPN style. It could also show the top two performing players from each team and then it could show how the players that were chosen as impact players at the beginning and compare them and see how well they are playing.

Post Game has the players running into the middle of the field shaking hands and stuff, the coaches talking to each other, player interviews, and then everyone running off. In certain cases (upsets), the crowd swarms the field. After, show the player of the game, highlights, stats, etc.


2) Players jerseys need to get grass stains or muddy during dry or wet games. The field needs to tear up when a player makes a big cut or when it's a wet game. The football needs to be lighter, smaller, rotate the right way, and actually look like a football when its in the air.

3) Equipment: Check the Equipment thread. Also, the player models need to be fixed a little. If you don't make the graphics better but just do this I really wouldn't care. The jerseys need to look like the players are wearing them, not like it's painted on them. Tackle animations (since you won't scrap them and make real ones) need to have players being pulled by their jerseys and either be tackled or break through them. When that happens you should be able to see the jersey pull of the player and then if he breaks it, the jersey snaps back to the players pads. Just like how the towels are free flowing, the jerseys need to be like that.

Gameplay
1) Pro-tak needs to be incorporated. Yea you can argue that College Football doesn't have a whole bunch of pile ups but why wouldn't you put in a realistic tackling system? You can even make it occur only between the tackle box. Pile ups always happen there no matter what level of football your in.

2) Locomotion: As close to real physics as possible. No more skating players, no more cutting the opposite direction without proper planting and gathering. Make every thing different, not every player can cut as good as others, and not every player makes one cut. Some studder there feet and then break. Players need to be able to slip and slide in wet or snowy conditions.

3) Player spacing and size: Right now, I can't explain it well so bear with me, the player size and spacing on the field just doesn't seem right. This and the locomotion and physics go hand in hand. If locomotion and physics aren't implemented correctly then player spacing and size won't be factored correctly. As of now, you can't throw to a receiver when a defender is 5 yards away. In real life, 5 yards is FAR to catch up to a player who is running away from you and the throw is leading the receiver. In NCAA 5 yards is like 1 yard, you can zoom up and break up any pass. Passes to the flat with a corner on the receiver is a pick 6 everytime. The players are either too big, or the field is too small.

4) Ball physics: Along with locomotion & physics, player spacing & size, is ball physics. This is really important because right now you can place your own loft on a pass. It is either a high pass or a beam pass, no inbetween. I have been saying to put some sort of power meter like FIFA's shot meter. You can have the option to change its sensitivity, but as default it could be the speed of FIFA's shot meter because the time it takes to shoot and pass a ball is somewhat the same. With this you can place as much loft as you want on a pass without having it sail on you if you get it right. This can be intertwined with Throwing Power and Accuracy, so now QB's with more power but low accuracy will have a faster meter, so more of their passes will be bullets or floating passes. Players with low power and high accuracy will have a slower meter and the pass will have a better loft, but the pass will not be as fast. And of course players with high power and accuracy will have a meter that isn't too fast that will allow you to put the right loft and power onto the pass.

5) More realistic tackles, catches, swats, etc. Most of the animations are either played out or unrealistic.

6) Run Blocking: Real zone or man blocking, pulls, traps, hooks, reaches, etc. Not that hard to give each lineman an assignment for each play. Also, slide protection needs to work on run plays. Stretches don't work because their are no assignments so none of the lineman reach. At least make slide protection work so you can make them all reach to the stretch or toss play.


Plays, Playbooks, Coaching
Every team needs more plays, whether it is trick plays like screens, or just more variety of plays. Not just HB Dive in the same exact hole every time. The line of scrimmage is like this:

---9---7---5--3--1--2--4--6--8---------------
-----x-------t--g--c--g--t--te------------------
-------------------qb-----------------------z---
-------------------fb----------------------------
-------------------rb---------------------------

In my high school offense the plays are called in double digit numbers. Run series are 20, 30, and 60. The second number is which hole the play goes to. So 67 power is a lead play (60series 7 hole). I'm a WR so i dont know what the O-line does but i figure the LT kicks out whoever is on his outside shoulder, the guard hooks whoever is in front of him inside, and the fullback leads the running back through the gap. I think the RG pulls also. I don't think there is a run play that goes into every gap and there needs to be.

1) Play Creator: Just like Team Builder was implemented, you can do the same with Play Creator. More options though, you should be able to set O-line assignments, option routes for receivers, the ability to make play action default, the ability to make a screen play, etc. Also, you should be able to make your own special teams plays and formations for kickoff, punt, kick return, punt return, etc.

Dynasty
1) First off, all coaches in College Football get paid so they all need to be included in the game on their teams with their history record. Nick Saban should be Nick Saban on Alabama with a National Championship on his record at LSU. Position coaches, Offensive and Defensive coordinators. I want to see Bud Foster on V Tech. Coaches need to be fired and hired for all 120 FBS schools.

2) Sports Illustrated: NCAA 06 had the newspaper with a picture for each page from the game that the feature player just played. Real picture with the player either making a catch, tackle, or doing the heisman or something. The article was then about the player. All that needs to be put back in and improved in whatever way it needs to be. That feature is something that EVERYONE loved and it needs to be back in. Do away with the newspaper you have now and put the old one back in.

The heisman trophy presentation from back in the day also needs to be added in again. I think that was just fine and it doesn't need to have a whole bunch of other stuff, maybe just be a little longer. I dont want to ask for having all the season awards winners having their own presentation because that is pushing it.

3) Real scheduling and the ability to schedule future opponents. The ability to set up a contract with another school to play each season switching home teams starting 3 years in the future. The ability to set up a contract with ESPN (when your school is a nationally prominent school, not any school can do this) and play on national T.V. every game ala Notre Dame.

4) FCS teams: All FCS teams need to be back, with all their head coaches on their teams. All records and history, also they need to be apart of the dynasty along with the FBS. Not just substituting them with D-1A schools.

Along with the FCS comes the D-1 Playoffs. All FCS teams should be able to compete in their own playoff.

Also with the FCS comes transfers. Players should be able to transfer up or down between both divisions and their stats should follow, being separated for each season and division.

5) Spring Games & Senior Bowl: Spring Games are a must and the Senior Bowl is just a side thing that can be a fun mode to play. Spring games are very important because they actually make the offseason feel meaningfull. At the end of the game, you name your team captains for the season, set up your depth chart, redshirt players, change player positions and you can evaluate all your incoming freshman and those players who didn't play the year before.

6) Crowds: Duke and Miami (OH) don't have full stadiums at every game like USC and Alabama do. If a team that is lower than 4 stars prestige, then they should have 80% of the stadium filled at most unless they are playing a rival or a ranked team. This season Miami U was 1-11, at the end of the season they had like literally 200 people at the game. Nobody goes to a losing teams games and that needs to be reflected in the game.

Recruiting
This definitely has to be the hardest part about making NCAA. It can't be too time taking, but then again it has to actually resemble real recruiting. I kinda like the phone calls, but the old NCAA also had the point system. I think you should incorporate both and shorten the length of phone call time. You should be able to set up in-home visits, you should be able to just send letters to your recruits, etc. Not just phone calls are made when a college recruits a player.

2) Rivals.com: The whole recruiting interface can have a Rivals.com look to it and that by itself would make recruiting more interesting. Just like how NBA 2k9 had NBA.com, NCAA 11 can have Rivals.com with articles about top players and stats from their high school, the Army and Under-armour all-american bowl, etc.

[moylan1234]

mascot games don't take up memory since the mascots are on the game already. some other good points though

[scoota500]

never knew that lol

[jbrew2411]

I didn't read all of your post but a few thing cought my eye. First was getting rid of the mascot game took one guy one day to do. Does not take up much room. Second was your change to the play book and names of plays. Keep in mind that EA makes these games for anyone to play. A person that has never played football would not understand gaps. I wish they would add the create-a-playbook from the old days. You made some great points. Points that have been made before. I think Adam and the team are working to make the game better but these guys maybe fans of football but they are not football people. They are out of touch on somethings. Over at EA's site you can read Q&A's that Russ has done and see that they are computer guys and not football guys. I think they see they need to make some strides forward since Madden, Live & even March Maddness have all made strides but NCAA seems to be behind.

[GunTrpsRtRioBootX]

I agree that run blocking schemes need to be improved but to give the NCAA team props they really emphasized the actual "Power" running play on this year's game: which is called "power-o" in the playbooks. Basically you get the playside linemen blocking "down" or away from where the play is going, you get the FB to "kick" the EMLOS (end man on line of scrimmage) usually the DE, then you get the backside guard to pull and lead through the hole. One of the oldest running plays ever used and surpisingly still used today. Nowadays most running plays on the college or pro level consist of zone blocking or straight "man on man" or "big on big," whatever you wanna call it. The Power-O is one of the few that call for any pulls, along with counter, just because defensive players are so athletic these days that if you take the risk of pulling a linemen chances are someone might sneak through his gap and make the play. Reach blocks definitely need to be addressed for stretches/zones.

As far as option blocking schemes go, they are probably the most recognized in the game. Veer blocking (not blocking the DE b/c he's the read player) is the most common. Surprisingly they've captured the basics of the option offense play-wise they just need to catch up in the blocking department.

I also think pass blocking schemes should be taken into account. Along with slide schemes, usually used on rollout passes, they need to utilize zone pass blocking and man pass blocking. In zone, lineman's responsibilities are to their respective gaps, while in man they actually pick a guy to pass block wherever he goes. Zone pass blocking is used for teams that like to blitz between the tackles, while man is more effective for edge blitzes.

The last part might be a little too complicated but it will hopefully at least get the wheels turnin.

To sum it all up EA, give the big uglies a little lovin; very underappreciated and underrecognized aspect of football, yet very significant. Will def appeal to the gameplay supporters.

Good post by jbrew. Here's to hoping that they compromise to appeal to the hardcore football minority.

[rudyjuly2]

Quote: Originally Posted by IndyColts2

The first thing the makers of NCAA 11 need to do is scrap things that are not used often that are really just there to take up space. Lets face it, there are plenty of things that can be implemented but people like Adam Thompson say that there isn't any space to put it in the game. So: 1) The Mascot Games: The most unused mode in the game that continues to make its way into NCAA. Only some can truly argue that they use this feature and those are kids under 12. But even though they can say they use it, they still don't play it regularly like Play Now, Online, or Dynasty. Kids have 1 or 2 fun games with their friends one day after school and after that day, they will never play mascot mashup again. Scrap this big waste of memory and free up some room for what I have to say later.

Stopped reading after this. Cleary you must be new here and don't read much on the forums. No point in continuing to read when you are clearly uninformed. This has only been debated for two years and has been stated many, many, many, many, many, many, many times that it took virtually no developer time or space to do this. It has nothing to do with the other aspects of the game.

I'm being serious, we need to sticky the information on Mascot games in this forum so I stop seeing this ridiculous piece of misinformation debated every month.

/rant

[IndyColts2]

Quote: Originally Posted by rudyjuly2

Stopped reading after this. Cleary you must be new here and don't read much on the forums. No point in continuing to read when you are clearly uninformed. This has only been debated for two years and has been stated many, many, many, many, many, many, many times that it took virtually no developer time or space to do this. It has nothing to do with the other aspects of the game. I'm being serious, we need to sticky the information on Mascot games in this forum so I stop seeing this ridiculous piece of misinformation debated every month. /rant

Ok that's great i didnt know it didnt take up memory but that doesn't mean that the other ideas are a waste of time. Im not new here i just didnt know about tht sorry buddy. And to the other people, i like NCAA and Madden im not here to rant about how bad it is. I play Madden every weekend, im simply stating what should be in the game. No need to get all defensive...

Season Showdown needs to be scrapped and the mascots really dont need to be in the game either. My point about the mascots is that nobody in college football celebrates with the mascot when they score so they dont need to interact with the game. Just have them dance in the back if you want, they dont need to be apart of the game.

[IndyColts2]

Quote: Originally Posted by jbrew2411

I didn't read all of your post but a few thing cought my eye. First was getting rid of the mascot game took one guy one day to do. Does not take up much room. Second was your change to the play book and names of plays. Keep in mind that EA makes these games for anyone to play. A person that has never played football would not understand gaps. I wish they would add the create-a-playbook from the old days. You made some great points. Points that have been made before. I think Adam and the team are working to make the game better but these guys maybe fans of football but they are not football people. They are out of touch on somethings. Over at EA's site you can read Q&A's that Russ has done and see that they are computer guys and not football guys. I think they see they need to make some strides forward since Madden, Live & even March Maddness have all made strides but NCAA seems to be behind.

Im not saying change the names of the plays im saying make more run plays go into different holes. All the run plays either go up the middle or they go outside the tackles. There are no plays other the HB blast that goes into a different hole.

Also im not saying make everything all complicated with the blocking schemes, im simply saying they should put simple assignments into each play. Reach on stretch plays, pull and kick out on trap plays..actually now that i think of it is there even a trap play in the game? all the plays are the same in every playbook, im just saying they need to put more plays in and take out the same repetitive plays.