NCAA Football 18: A Game So Good, We Truly Wished We Could Play It All Day

[pietasterp]

One thing I wonder is how the 2018 game would have dealt with and implemented the run-pass option plays.

It took the game at least 2 (in my opinion, closer to 3-4) years to properly implement the read-option into the game so that it was a useable play (in terms of how it was supposed to look and run), and the RPO's are probably even more complicated than that.

The problem with the read-option in the game for many years was twofold, in my opinion:

1) the game designers misunderstood the blocking scheme for the play, and so it didn't work as it was designed (e.g. the DE on the side being "read" is intentionally unblocked in favor of the downfield LB on that side, which didn't really make it's way into the game until the last version)

2) the game engine allowed players - most egregiously 300+ pound DE's - to stop and turn on a dime, so that even if the play was read correctly and the DE was crashing down on the RB, the DE could still recover (even after fully committing to tackling the RB) and tackle the QB if he kept the ball. I had forgotten how bad this was, but a quick YouTube aside to NCAA 2012 illustrates how this fundamentally altered the use-ability of the read-option play.

Anyway, this is not meant to be negative or re-hash old criticisms, but I am fascinated by how the experience with the read-option was an interesting and instructive illustration of how difficult it is to implement new offensive strategies in the game, since college football offenses are constantly evolving and becoming ever more interesting and intricate.

I think the read-option is a very nice microcosm that illustrated a lot of the 'shortcuts' the game was taking to make it play a generally decent and realistic game of football, and the addition of RPO plays would almost certainly expose many more of the programming assumptions/flaws that the current engine was using.

[xCoachDx]

Sad knowing this will never happen. I wish I enjoyed 14 as much as you guys, but that game is absolutely unplayable to me. Too many issues vs AI. Pass defense is just completely broken and ruins everything for me.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[pietasterp]

Quote: Originally Posted by xCoachDx

Sad knowing this will never happen. I wish I enjoyed 14 as much as you guys, but that game is absolutely unplayable to me. Too many issues vs AI. Pass defense is just completely broken and ruins everything for me.

Definitely had its share of problems. I don't think anyone is doubting that.

[xBaBaBooeyx]

NCAA 18?! Next gen console, new commentary, new plays! The possibilities are endless. And then I woke up....

[TarHeelPhenom]

Quote: Originally Posted by pietasterp

Definitely had its share of problems. I don't think anyone is doubting that.

The thing bout 14 that EA did right was that they made the game deep. It is the deepest in terms of modes and customization ever made. The editor fixes a LOT of issues that we wouldn't otherwise be able to fix and therefore has add years of replay ability. Had they continued to build upon 14 I think at this point NCAA would have overtaken Madden. I really do...

[pietasterp]

Quote: Originally Posted by TarHeelPhenom

The thing bout 14 that EA did right was that they made the game deep. It is the deepest in terms of modes and customization ever made. The editor fixes a LOT of issues that we wouldn't otherwise be able to fix and therefore has add years of replay ability. Had they continued to build upon 14 I think at this point NCAA would have overtaken Madden. I really do...

I would argue it had already overtaken Madden (unless you mean in terms of sales numbers). It was always the more interesting game to me - by a wide margin.

The worst part is reading college football previews for the upcoming season. I sure wish I could fire up an Alabama-FSU game right now to get pumped for the upcoming season openers....

[Turbojugend]

I just wish they could continue this series with the NCAA and conference licenses, teams, stadiums, etc., and make everything else super-generic and highly customizable. At the very least, EA would need the NCAA license just to sell the game, because unfortunately there is still a huge majority who won't buy a college football game unless they can play as the USC Trojans or Texas Longhorns right out of the box. But we don't need official rosters/likenesses, the fanbase can take care of that.

I look at what 2K has done with customization in the NBA2K series and I really wish NCAA Football 18 could be that. In NBA2K you can download just about any major college hoops team imaginable -- logos, unis, courts, rosters, you name it -- and add them to your season. The inspiration and dedication of the NBA2K fanbase is really incredible, the user-created teams basically look as legit as the official NBA teams in the game. I spent a month rebranding old-school ABA teams and I rarely even play that game. Now imagine that level of customization in a college football game, it would be amazing.

[xCoachDx]

Quote: Originally Posted by Spartan Warrior

Love NCAA 14, but there are so many things they would have added by now. -RPOs -Grad transfers -Medical retirements -Recruiting years ahead -More specialized defensive playbooks -Create a uniform -Spread punt, rugby punt

Doubtful on many of these as NCAA Football was made by EA sports

"If It's In The Game, We'll Get It In There Eventually"




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk