Nitpicks, comments, musings, and other banter regarding NCAA

[AuburnAlumni]

Well...first off...I'd like to reiterate for the millionth time that NCAA is THE premier sports series in my opinion. I say this because even though NFL2k, ESPN College Hoops, etc. all get my cash as well...90% of my "gaming time" is usually spent playing College Football.

That being said...after nearly a full year of playing this game non-stop both online and in dynasty mode, on all levels of difficulty, sliders, etc. I've put together my list of "nitpicks" and general comments on the series. If you have any additional comments, feel free to add.


First....

1. Features-overall, this game has THE best variety of features, goodies, etc. of any game I know. However, some of the features I would like added are a spring game or some kind of "Spring Training" feature that you can use to affect the increase or decrease of players attributes.

For instance..if I decide to focus on speed and agility drills, I'll have more increases in those areas..yet may see no increase or a dropoff in strength, tackling, etc. Or if I decide to really have my guys hit the weights hard, they may experience larger jumps in strength, etc. but may lose some speed or agility.

....Year Round Recruiting. ESPN College Hoops really showed us what is possible in this arena. It is an absolute perfect fit for NCAA and should be utilized in the series soon. In fact...you could add areas to the Sports Illustrated such as the Top 100 HS prospects, Featured HS game of the week with focus on the potential "superstar" recruits involved in the game.

....More work on Classic games and Rosters. To me...it seemed that many of the classic teams had some huge errors as far as bizarre ratings, wrong years, numbers, etc. The ability to edit the names and equipment of classic teams would be great as well.

.....Recruiting needs to be more balanced. The ability to consistently sign 15 5 star recruits by top programs is well..ridiculous.

2. Gameplay

....***OPTION TWEAKING*** I've stated before that the option really needs to be "tweaked" quite a bit. Basically...there is no real "rating" for how effective a QB is at running the option and 99.9% of ALL pitches are "perfect". In fact...many folks online have gone strictly to an option attack because there is very little worry of ever having a bad pitch, fumble etc. because of the unreal ability for a QB to pitch the ball with 2 defenders hanging on his pubic hairs. There need to be bad pitches, fumbled pitches, etc. and all should be affected by some kind of QB "option" attribute.

.....Bump N Run is Waaaaaaaaaay too effective. I've had games against superior teams where literally EVERY WR was held for at least 3-5 seconds like they had run into a brick wall.


.....Improved Offensive Line AI. Too many times, lineman still "brain fart" or fail to pull effectively on a counter, etc. Even the All American type talents.

,,,,Certain plays are still way too effective. Shotgun HB Direct in the 3 WR with a TE set is virtually unstoppable for a 4-5 yard gain...even against 4-4 and goalline. By that same token..the fact that someone can play a Dime, Bump N Run, Cover 2 or Outside DB Blitz and shut down 90% of a person's playbook shows that work still needs to be done on how certain defenses match up against certain offenses.

....If I have one more instance of a Punt returner or Kick Returner trying to catch a ball that is CLEARLY going out of bounds or is surrounded by 10 opposing players, I'm going to scream. The return AI really needs to be worked on.

That's pretty much my main concerns. But like I said...I play the game non-stop anyway to say it's a fine product is an understatement.

[Mangum]

I agree with everything especially with the offensive line AI. I hate it when the CPU DLinemen just blows by my linemen, sometimes untouched for easy sacks. On the other hand the CPU will punish my DE if I try and just blow by them.

[timmg]

I agree, especially on the perfect option pitch, I've got pretty good at intercepting the pitch, but
I still hate the way it is automatic If I don't get in the right position to intercept it, hopefully they will fix it, if they do my friend is in trouble!!! They also need to add a medical red-shirt.

[fpac]

The only thing I can add right now is hopefully they fix the conference schedule rotations this year. That's one of my main gripes with the game.

[Mizzou23]

Quote:

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fpac said:
The only thing I can add right now is hopefully they fix the conference schedule rotations this year. That's one of my main gripes with the game.

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This is my biggest problem with the game. It makes the dynasty mode pretty stale after awhile, although I still love playing season after season.

I agree on the offensive line play too, but the same kind of thing happens with the fullback. I'm sick of running the I-Form counter play and watching my fullback run right by a linebacker, trying to block no one in particular. It doesn't happen every time, but it sure is aggrevating when it does.

[agte]

I think that has more to do with awareness than anything else

[KoKe]

to go along with recruiting it would be cool to have the recruits go on official visits but only be allowed 5 like in real life plus it would also be cool to be able to see a list of schools that have offered a scholorship. also we should be able to recruit a kid like call and send him letters wtih out offering a scholorship untill he has be further evaluated. Brad Smith for Heisman in 04

[elicoleman]

I think they really need to get snow into the Dynasty this season, because I know if I decide to play BYU, Air Force, CSU, etc....I know there is going to be snow in November. I would just love to have this come into the game, every one in a while.

As far as everything else you said, its dead on. The miraculous pitches, and the rotating schedules. If they could implement year round recruiting, I would go all in my pants.