Will NCAA 2010 catch up to NCAA 2000?

[MassNole]

Okay lets start off with the parameters here. Yes, graphics have improved 10000%, I don't think anyone could or would dispute that. The game play is better as well, perhaps not has improved as it could be, but it is improved.

Now comes to the bread and butter of the game, the dynasty and game play features. This is where NCAA 2000 is still ahead of the current series. In NCAA 2000 we had the following features.

1. Concurrent Division 1A/1AA Dynasties
   Yes, you could take a D1-AA team in Dynasty mode and play along with the big boys. You competed for the same recruits and D1-AA even had its own Top 10. I'll admit recruiting was busted as I recall Bethune Cookman bringing in 3 of the top 10 players one year.
   Now lets fast forward to 2009/10. We now have transfers, this could be implemented into the game nicely as players could transfer down a level with no penalty. With teams having the ability to jump conferences, teams could jump into D1-A (FBS).
2. 24-32 Team Tournament or Bowl Games, you choose!
   Okay lets be fair to EA, the NCAA may be the guilty party here in not allowing this, but nonetheless it was an awesome feature. I believe 24 to 32 teams made a tournament at the end of the year and you played through at the end of the season. As it progressed the games actually started to get difficult.
3. Create a Play
   You could create somewhere between 3-6 plays to put in your playbook. The designs came from pre-designed routes and formations, so it still wasn't as deep as Football Pro but was solid enough. Today this feature could be absolutely sick, but alas EA would rather give us Campus Legend and Mascot Games.
4. Better Custom Schedules
   Sure we still can do this today, but it just isn't the same. On the PS1, yes the PS1 you had the option of scheduling an OOC game and selecting the stadium it would be played in, which of course included bowl games. So instead of FSU-Alabama in Doak Campbell, it could be scheduled for Alltel Stadium ahead of time. It also had several NFL stadiums like the Vet and the Meadowlands.
   Today this could be implemented with recruiting to use as a means to get exposure in another part of the country. Say I am USC, I could schedule a game in the Cotton Bowl to get exposure in Texas.
   In another feature you could basically make yourself an independent by removing conference games from your schedule. You could also rearrange your conference games if you wanted to, and you could do this for every single team. So if you say wanted Florida and Miami to rekindle their once year rivalry, you could do so. You get sick of Notre Dame beating up on the Service Academies, well change their schedule. I know this can basically be done today, but not with the ease this was done.

So what do you think, will we ever see a game as complete as it once was, or will we keep dealing with a few table scraps and whatever garbage marketing comes up with.

[fistofrage]

No, from what I saw from 2008 on the 360, its 3 or 4 years away from being where we need it to be and thats if they make progress.

If EA would stop adding gimmicks and just give us back all the features that worked on previous generations, we would be fine. I'm not asking them to reinvent the wheel, just take the square tires off and put the old round ones that are sitting in the garage gathering dust back on.

[MassNole]

I know that's the thing, it isn't like asking for these things is asking for a lot, it is only asking for EA to do what they've already done in the past. I don't care what excuses EA or their apologists come up with, there is no excuse for NCAA 2009 to not have the same features that NCAA 2000 had two generations ago.

If EA wasn't so lazy this game could be beyond good. Hell, with the expanding technology I don't see why we can't at the very least have every FCS team to go along with the FBS teams, if not also having D2 and D3 teams.

The ability to create plays could be amazing, hell I don't see why we couldn't create our own entire playbooks and formations. You know, that technology is only 15-16 years old from the old Football Pro games.

I also wish they left the option to use the old recruiting engine. I like what EA did, but it is just too time consuming in dynasty mode. I don't want to spend that much time recruiting, I want to play a game.

[Bamboospine1998]

Interesting and good points.

The IA/IAA thing is so true. Now with more memory capability it could even expand beyond 2000 with all teams having individual stat keeping, and IAA players being eligable for the draft into Madden.

Also the tournament is something I would like. If you could play the FBS/FCS season concurrently then this would work well. Players would have the option to use it in FBS if they wanted.

Being able to arrange ALL teams schedule would be a great addition as well.


I still play 2001 sometimes, but the graphics are so much better in 08, it is really just a trip down nostaglia lane.

[bkfount]

the best time to add the 1aa teams to the next gen game would be in NCAA 09. With exposure from things like App State beating Michigan, and winning a 3rd consecutive NC, if EA doesn't add this level of schools back in this year, they never will.

[MassNole]

Quote: Originally Posted by bkfount

the best time to add the 1aa teams to the next gen game would be in NCAA 09. With exposure from things like App State beating Michigan, and winning a 3rd consecutive NC, if EA doesn't add this level of schools back in this year, they never will.

Most definitely true, which is why I am holding out hope we'll have FCS dynasties in this game because of Appalachian State.

[Bamboospine1998]

It would be a great time, focusing on what App State did could boost sales for an already popular game. But EA would have to offset the loss of sales in Michigan.

[bkfount]

Quote: Originally Posted by Bamboospine1998

It would be a great time, focusing on what App State did could boost sales for an already popular game. But EA would have to offset the loss of sales in Michigan.

I know that's a joke, but adding the D1AA schools is just a nice feature, not really boosting or affecting sales. EA isn't stupid, they treated 1AA teams like half assed cupcakes on the ps3 version, with generic fight songs and stadiums. They were only really good for having realistic schedules. They know probably only 2% of the people buying NCAA each year even care about D1AA schools, and people have been fine with the generic 1AA teams used in schedules.

The schools aren't in because EA found out most people don't care. That's why I said that if they don't get in after the most high profile year for the division in recent time, then they never will.