Agility and Acceleration to Dominate NCAA 11?

[Equinox831]

With NCAA 11 only a 5 weeks away, we've been finding out a lot about the game recently. A lot of it has been positive and I'm really excited about the game. The only thing that worries me is the locomotion system. Now before you get your torch and pitchforks, let me explain. The locomotion system is a great addition, especially on those long runs, it creates a smooth and seamless look. The momentum system is also a really cool feature. What worries me is that acceleration and agility are going to be over-emphasized with this system.

In the past, speed was also the attribute that you wanted, because as soon as you got around a corner, you were gone, no acceleration needed for the most part. In NCAA 11, it's almost the other way around. If you have high acceleration with somewhere around 80 speed you'll get to the corner faster then before and then break away, with no acceleration, you wouldn't be able to make it. On defense though, a linebacker will get into the backfield with ease. He only needs to have high enough acceleration to get past the tight end or offensive tackle around the corner, and have a halfback or quarterback waiting to get obliterated. The problem with that is, on shorter runs speed is almost not needed. Now on longer runs, speed is needed, but with agility you almost don't need to worry about it.

Agility is a pretty overlooked attribute, since a flick of the right analog stick could have you constantly breaking ankles, no questions asked. This year though, it all changes.. Agility makes a big difference, but is it too big of a difference? Let's say, you break a long run but there is a safety closing in on you, normally you would run straight forward and hope he took a bad angle towards the ball and you can outrun him. Now, if that safety has 75 agility and you have 90, you can just wait until he gets to you, and cut back into the field (assuming your running down the sidelines) and you'll turn on a dime leaving that safety with absolutely no chance at tackling you. It leaves the defense with a serious advantage, because in the running game, halfback's are going to be just running all over the first level of the defense (D-line) and when they reach the second level, they can just mix there acceleration and agility to just blow past everyone.

I know that not every player is going to have high acceleration and agility, but with how football is now-a-days, the majority of wide receivers and halfbacks have the acceleration and agility to just take things over the top. For the players that don't, your always going to have linebackers, and defensive backs that do. It some ways it counters itself, but with the way EA has been handling Madden and NCAA, (it is a problem in both of the games) I don't think that we can trust them to make sure the system is overpowered.

If you want to read more on the locomotion system, and everything it brings to the table, mostly good but with some bad, check out this article over at ESPN.

Thanks to anyone that reads through that whole thing

[Pokes404]

You just described real life football in your post. Straight away speed is a luxury in real life. Acceleration and agility is what's really critical. It's the reason that football isn't filled with a bunch of track stars. There are a lot of guys who are fast, but can they get to their top speed quickly, and can they change direction quickly? Linebackers with good acceleration are deadly. Guys like Urlacher and Ray Lewis are just as fast as other skill players over a 10-20 yard distance because they can change direction and get to their top speed almost instantly. And how many times in real life do you see a safety one on one in the open field get beat because the ballcarrier cut back across the field? Quite a bit. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjpb_jEcgh4 (Go to 0:49 and watch the long run).

I understand your concern that EA could go overboard with locomotion, but honestly, I'd much rather have that than what we've had in years past. NCAA (and Madden) will never be representative of real life football until they get player movements to a realistic level. If they are able to do that this year or not remains to be seen, but at least they're making some steps in that direction.

[Strummer101er]

I'm very curious to see how this works. Madden and NCAA have needed this for years.

I've always wanted to make a Barry Sanders-style running back, but agility and acceleration have always been worthless in NCAA and Madden.

The closest they've come is NCAA 09, where the speed curve allowed elite-speed players (95+) to throttle off the sprint button and then accelerate to blow past slower defenders.

Unfortunately, the speed curve in NCAA 09 was ruined by disastrous pursuit angles.

By I'm cautiously optimistic this locomotion/agility thing might revolutionize NCAA and Madden.

One more thing: Has anyone ever had a run in NCAA or Madden where you get into the open field, bolt down the sideline and then weave, decelerate and cut back on defenders into the middle of the field? Or a long TD run that starts to right and ends on the left? I've been playing both franchises for almost 20 years and I don't think I've ever seen a run like that. You can't turn defenders around without getting caught by pursuit.

Because of locomotion, this might be the year where you can finally do that.

[cruithear]

Excellent post. I had been thinking something similar (at least, with regards to acceleration), and I and wondering if we are just trading one for the other. Will we really see the differences down the line after we recruit a ton of high acc/agi guys? I hope the truly fast ones are rare, so that you can really see the differences on the field.

[Equinox831]

Quote: Originally Posted by Pokes404

You just described real life football in your post. Straight away speed is a luxury in real life. Acceleration and agility is what's really critical. It's the reason that football isn't filled with a bunch of track stars. There are a lot of guys who are fast, but can they get to their top speed quickly, and can they change direction quickly? Linebackers with good acceleration are deadly. Guys like Urlacher and Ray Lewis are just as fast as other skill players over a 10-20 yard distance because they can change direction and get to their top speed almost instantly. And how many times in real life do you see a safety one on one in the open field get beat because the ballcarrier cut back across the field? Quite a bit. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjpb_jEcgh4 (Go to 0:49 and watch the long run). I understand your concern that EA could go overboard with locomotion, but honestly, I'd much rather have that than what we've had in years past. NCAA (and Madden) will never be representative of real life football until they get player movements to a realistic level. If they are able to do that this year or not remains to be seen, but at least they're making some steps in that direction.

I agree completely, I just don't trust EA with these kind of things, there track record isn't exactly the best. This could easily be another promising feature that they end up screwing up just like they have so many times in the past.

[1GATORFAN4EVA]

I wish you guys would just shutup about it lol. It makes me want the Demo that much more!

[Pokes404]

Quote: Originally Posted by 1GATORFAN4EVA

I wish you guys would just shutup about it lol. It makes me want the Demo that much more!

Well, he brought up a valid concern, I posted my opinion on the matter, and others have posted theirs, as well. What are we really supposed to do on a forum. It'd be pretty boring if everyone just "shut up" and never posted any opinions. If you want nothing but information on the game and no discussion, go to the EA Web site. If you're coming to a forum, you'd better expect some discussion.

No one said "locomotion is going to ruin the game," others just voiced concern over it's implementation and how that might affect the game if not done properly. No one's really going to know until we get our hands on it.

[sniperhare]

Hopefully by NCAA 12 they can implement an upper and lower body strength system and do to blocking what they did with locomotion.