Im saying it right now to the NCAA Team......No "Strategy Pad" for NCAA 12

[Pull n Pray]

Quote: Originally Posted by Rebel10

I agree MVB. I don't love the strategy pad, I am totally indifferent to it, but it opens up 3 more face buttons for preplay. And it makes sense to centralize them in one location. The previous system was the system for years, but it developed out of a lack of buttons and planning from the old days... where people still used digital controls rather than analog. I see this as similar to the sprint button being RT versus being A. People freaked out when the industry standard speedburst button was moved to RT, from A, but it made sense to do that (esp because sprint was always different depending on the situation: with a QB A was a receiver; with a defensive player A switched players, etc)... But people lost their **** accepting something new.

Oh, those were the days... when sprint was the A button in certain circumstances, and the B button in others.

Preplay adjustments previously required 2 face buttons, 2 shoulder buttons, and 2 analog sticks. Now it only requires the D-pad and the right analog stick. This is a more efficient and more intuitive way of handling pre-play adjustments. It frees up the other buttons to be used for future innovations. The only argument against making the change is that people have become accustomed to the old way of doing things. But Madden has been around for more than 20 years, and I'm sure EA plans for it to be around for another 20 years. They have to do what's in the longterm best interest of the franchise. They have to think about tomorrow's Madden players as well as today's. I'm sure that the strategy pad will aggravate me like it does everyone else, but it does make sense.

A lot of people have complained that it now takes more button presses to do the same thing as. But it really only takes one more button press, and that's the button to initially bring the strategy pad up on the screen. After that, the number of required button presses is the same as it was before. A series of adjustments that used to require 8 button presses, will now take 9. But now you can accomplish whatever you want with your left thumb never leaving the D-pad and your right thumb never leaving the analog stick. Before, your right thumb had to cover the analog stick plus 2 face buttons, and then you also had to use both your right and left index fingers for the shoulder buttons. So theoretically, adjustments should be faster than before once we adjust. Now if EA has intentionally made the system less reponsive, then this obviously won't be the case. But that is really a separate issue. They could have made the old system less responsive if that was their intention.

If anyone has a link, I would love to read the quote from Ian where he says that lag was intetionally introduced into the system. Its hard for me to believe that they would do this. If so, then big thumbs down from me.

[NaptownMVP]

Yeah, I'm sure the Strategy Pad figures big time into the future of the company as a whole.

And the whole "future innovations" argument is off base, too. All that means is exactly what we've been saying: that there was no good reason to make the change.

[bkrich83]

Personally I like the strategy pad and hope it's in next year. That being said, I'd like to see them make the old scheme an option. Options are never a bad thing. See Backbreaker a lack of options killed that game for me.

All things considered though for this year, I don't foresee myself buying Madden. NCAA provides more than enough football fun for me.

[Special27K]

So everyone's all over the "It frees up 3 face buttons and 2 shoulder buttons" and all I have say is so far they haven't utilized those free buttons, even if they do do something with them in the future why couldn't they use the untouched D-Pad instead of messing with something that's already working just fine?

In my head the "It frees up..." theory and the "We weren't using the D-Pad" theory are pretty much garbage cause they sort of contradict each other? I mean the way it is now we still have those 4 D-Pad buttons unused so, it only gives us really one extra button. What other possible things could they option us to do to actually use all those buttons anyways?

I'm just against change in general it doesn't make anything better, it doesn't make it worse really either. The only thing is that it centrally locates all audibles and pre-snap adjustments which is whatever cause at the top of the screen it tells you "X Audible" "RB D-Line" etc. does it not?

[2ndhandsoxx]

I LOVE Ncaa this year, however, it does have its issues as we all know. Having said that, IF the defensive coverage (both zone and man) were not completely broken, and they patched the major issues with dynasty, as well as patching the minor gameplay issues (playaction sacks come to mind)... I wouldn't even CONSIDER buying Madden this year.

Actually, I'm still gonna wait till release day and see how I feel... but I'm heavily leaning towards not buying. That's how much of a deal breaker the terrible strat pad is for me. Bringing it to NCAA would be an abomination.

[2ndhandsoxx]

Quote: Originally Posted by ODogg

I will concede though that perhaps the lagginess/lack of responsiveness is a big area of why I'm hating it right now.

This is the major reason that I loathe the strat pad, just wait till you get into a semi laggy game online, and have to deal with the unresponsive strat pad. On top of that, I have a feeling that kicking online is going to be awful this year. There is always that weird lag in the kicking game when playing online, its going to be BRUTAL with the two button presses now imo.


The fact that there isnt even an OPTION to use the controls we are all used to is my biggest gripe. Why are we forced to use the pad, and not given an option to continue using the buttons we like using? I agree that for beginners, it would be easier to learn with everything in one place, but we aren't beginners. Why force us?

[GreenReign86]

If NCAA even thinks about adding this feature, I say we march down the streets to the EA main office with picket signs held high for all to see. We will revolt, and riot if need be.

[JMBOO]

Honestly, NCAA appears to haven taken the BEST of what was Madden and made a great game of it.

A really fun game, for me anyway.

If they just refine the human control and go with a truely NHL-esque no turbo scheme (think, auto-sprint, only way better/more responsive) and some type of true OTP type game (why not.? And you know, some people like being OL/FB/TE. Hey, name me 5 QB's that have won a championship without quality players at these positions?) it will be a game for the ages (Hey, WR's/DB's can both turn and jump for balls in real life. Why are you telling me that they can't in the game?).

Then again, that is just me.