Where are all the Gamechangers at?

[SA1NT401]

Quote: Originally Posted by Matt10

I absolutely second this 100%. Have been saying it for a while! Get your butt over there too, THP!

I third this...

[kehlis]

Quote: Originally Posted by Matt10

I absolutely second this 100%. Have been saying it for a while! Get your butt over there too, THP!

Maybe I'm missing something but he said it's why people like GMSS DONT need to go there.

We don't want to lose them as community members.

I wouldn't want him or THP to go.

[willIam9387]

When players are able to find that right difficulty that consistently challenges their skill and provides realism, a sense of fun and immersion normally follows. The slider system of NCAA 14 is not clearly defined, it's tough to experiment and arrive that slider set that puts your skill to the test because we do not know if certain sliders are reversed, do they actually work, etc.

We have SEC, Charter, Matt10, and other slider gurus who work constantly to make the game better for us. The potential for an amazing football sim every year comes down to whether or not we can gain a true knowledge of the slider system and it's intricacies so we can tailor the game to our liking.

[leathrneck34]

I've enjoyed reading this thread. When I first started reading on the thread I wasn't sure I would get very far but I have finished all 6 pages so far obviously. I like what everyone has said so far except that one guy that was talking mostly trash. I feel this game has the potential to be the best game we have had in a long time. Matter of fact I firmly believe it IS the best game thus far in 8 years. All of you that have provided honest feedback in all the different forum threads on here are all right and EA needs to listen to you. This gen is almost over and EA has a new slate to start over on and give us the THE best game we have ever had in any console generation. Be it Ncaa ( College Football15) or Madden 25/15, if they have been listening so far. Only time will tell but I know 2 things. One-people here are very opinionated and passionate. Two- this years game is far above that of years past, and I have enjoyed it far more than any previous version on this generation of consoles.

It's got it's problems, and some are from every year that has come before it and no penalties are not represented right and haven't in 8 years or more. Running is too easy at times and slider's seem backerds ( some of them) or don't seem to work at all. But, we all see it and know they exist while still trying to work around them. So we all can admit the devs we have now and the GC's even though what they have paid attention to aren't all the problems have made a pretty darn good game for the last one on this gen and doing it in one year cycle.

Again, I have enjoyed reading this and many of the other threads on what I consider THE best sports games community site on the web.

[MantiMania]

Quote: Originally Posted by therizing02

Spot on GG. I actually wanna vomit every time I hear a developer for ANY game come out and say.."well we went on the forums, listened to our community members and what they wanted and we pushed to get black cleats in the game." What a freaking joke. I have said multiple times over the course of the last couple of months that I think a lot of the blame has to go to some of the sites, including this very one, in how they conduct interviews, podcasts, blogs, etc leading up to the game. It's the same thing over and over and over. Softball questions that can obviously be answered by the dev spouting off about a new feature. Example: In the Episode 32 Podcast about FIFA: Host: I really enjoy winning on the lower levels, but like a lot of other gamers I find it very difficult to go to the World Class level. What can I do to get better?? Developer: Great question! You know we have the Skills Trainer. Of course I'm paraphrasing, but it's this kind of nonsense that drives me insane! In FIFA why not ask why in the hell is there a huge lack of fouls and what good is a Free Kick/Set Play creator when I never have a freaking chance to use it because there are minimal stoppages in play?!?!?!? The same can be applied to NCAA and the play of safeties. Maybe next year they'll bring in DBs and have them assist in the development of the game the way they used OL this year. Once again, when is someone going to put these guys ON THE SPOT with TOUGH QUESTIONS and get an answer? Website: Why are there no penalties in the game EA: There are Website: Wrong Website: I've played 35 games in Dynasty and Play Now and have seen only 3 fumbles by a WR or RB? What's going on with that? EA:...... I'm not sure why it is so hard to figure out that the majority of people on this site and in these forums and others like want to help create a better game, but to do that the developers need to man up and face the issues and address them when asked.

Because, if the sites/media/interviewers don't play nice, the publishers take their ball and go home.

There are only a few major players in the industry that control 90% of the game's that are released.

If Operation Sports doesn't play nice with them, and tote the publishers lines, the publisher will no longer provide early access to their games.

Basically, the entire video game industry is manipulated/controlled this way by video game publishers.

[MantiMania]

Quote: Originally Posted by jmik58

Maybe it's because I'm getting old, but I don't agree with extreme all-or-nothing arguments or conspiracies. EA has benefited from the GCs but they are limited because of the inidividuals calling the shots with the bottom line in mind. The concept of GCs has made a difference and yes it is a marketing tactic or PR benefit. I really don't think the GCs are the "problem" or reason we don't get the game we want, and they're not just a front while EA pulls levers behind a curtain while bellowing out villainous laughs.

2-3 years later, this open letter from the NCAA community still reigns true today:

link: http://www.amazon.com/review/R2BTGYP...=operasport-20

Problems caused by EA hijacking "The Community."

Over the past few years EA has gone to great lengths to improve their faltering reputation with "The NCAA Community." Whether it came in the form of sending EA representatives to forums, the "Community Leaders" program, or the Game Changers" program; EA has shown that they value having a positive image in "The NCAA Community." While this all sounds great, we find their efforts to be entirely disingenuous.

Before they even try to reach out to "The NCAA Community," EA attempts to define "The NCAA Community" in a way that eliminates those who are openly critical of their product. For instance, Utopia is notably absent from EA's list of "Community Sites," despite the fact that we are the largest NCAA specific community. The only interaction we've had with EA this year was a Cease and Desist letter in response to our April Fool's prank, proving that they not only read the site, but they also did not find our prank nearly as funny as we did (in retrospect, our April Fools descriptions of the game were actually far more accurate than the glowing reviews found on other sites). We acknowledge that EA attempts to avoid interaction with us because we are uncouth, drunk, and/or overly hostile; but that doesn't mean we aren't part of the community!

We also aren't the only ones to be excluded from EA's community program. Several other critical community members, including those who belong to TheSimStandard YouTube group (many of whom have provided incredibly detailed documentation to show problems with the game and ways to solve them) are also shunned by EA. This, despite the fact that they reach far more people than many of the "Community" sites that are included. For example, videos uploaded by TheSimStandard channel contributors have combined for a total of 713,955 views and they have well over 20,000 subscribers, while several of the sites that are included in the program appear to reach fewer than 100 members and are rarely updated with new NCAA related content. The simple fact is that EA has systematically worked to prevent anybody who is openly critical of their game from receiving any official recognition for their efforts. Instead, they choose to define "The community" as those sites, regardless of size/exposure, who will toe the EA company line.

The "Game Changers" program, much like the "Community Leaders" program before it, is a complete farce. As much as EA talks about incorporating community feedback into the game, it is increasingly evident that EA does nothing of the sort, and these programs are simply an extension of EA's marketing strategy. Simply put, we do not see any substantial in-game results from the "Game Changers" program, but we do consistently see a ton of pre-release hype along with glowing reviews. To be fair, we do not fault the "Game Changers" in this. We truly believe that most of them have the best intentions and that they have put in a lot of work attempting to make this a better game. The problem lies entirely in the fact that EA simply can't (or won't) make most of the changes suggested by the "Game Changers." The game engine itself is so archaic, bug-filled, and ad-hoc at this point that most of the common and recurring issues cannot be solved without a significant commitment of resources from EA, which is a commitment they won't make. Instead, EA will take input from the game changers and promise grandiose changes like "Custom Playbooks" and "Pattern Matching Coverage," while the actual implementation of those "features" will be nothing but ham-fisted tweaks to an aging game.

Beyond being simply ineffective, we believe that the "Game Changers" and other EA sponsored "Community" programs fracture the true gaming community and create a divisive environment that allows EA to release such buggy games without the proper amount of community outcry. This is due to the fact that EA places the "Game Changers" in the unenviable position of answering to angry gamers for all of EA's fumbles. These "Game Changers" serve as the only link between the average frustrated gamer and the NCAA football developers. They become de-facto customer service representatives, without the paycheck. The frustrated gamers and the frustrated "Game Changers," who now must put up with misguided personal attacks, end up divided. Instead of directing the frustrations and anger at the proper target, the community bickers between themselves.

We are therefore extending an olive branch to the "Game Changers." We don't hate you, we just lash out in frustration because EA has forced you to play customer service representative for a terrible product. We even apologize for directing our anger and frustrations at you, when EA is clearly the culprit. Please join us in calling EA out for the incredible levels of failure that are present in NCAA12 and Patch #2.

Signed-
The Utopia moderating staff and frustrated NCAA gamers elsewhere

[bkrich83]

Why would GC's have any information on patches? I get the EA is the root of all evil sentiment from the OP, and I'd love to get some patch info from EA, but to point to the GC's due to lack of info on patches, makes zero sense.

[MantiMania]

Quote: Originally Posted by bkrich83

Why would GC's have any information on patches? I get the EA is the root of all evil sentiment from the OP, and I'd love to get some patch info from EA, but to point to the GC's due to lack of info on patches, makes zero sense.

EA is the root of all evil sentiment from the OP?

Here's the OPs post (which is justifiable given the purpose of the gamechanger program as defined by EA):

What I don't see is any interaction by EA's Gamechangers. Isn't that what they are supposed to be doing? Trying to interact with the community and talk about issues in a constructive manner? Maybe find a way to figure out if we are getting a patch soon?

Where in that quote is there anything to do with EA being the root of all evil? You would think somebody with almost 100K posts would know how to read a thread/comprehend a point being made before making erroneous points.