Questions About NCAA08 Football for Original XBOX

[Art01]

I own NCAA 06 and 07 for Original XBOX. I am considering buying NCAA 08 for Original XBOX. My questions are:

1. Does 08 support QB Auto Throw?

2. How does 08 compare with 07 or 06?

Thanks,

Art

[asu666]

Re: Questions About NCAA08 Football for Original XBOX

The QB will act on his own if you snap the ball and do not input anything else on the controller. The big additions to 08 was trick plays, expanded rosters, and better training drills. I still feel that NCAA 08 on Xbox is the best college football game on the market right now. Even more than the new 360 or PS3 versions.

[Young J 334]

Re: Questions About NCAA08 Football for Original XBOX

The QB will act on his own if you snap the ball and do not input anything else on the controller. The big additions to 08 was trick plays, expanded rosters, and better training drills. I still feel that NCAA 08 on Xbox is the best college football game on the market right now. Even more than the new 360 or PS3 versions.

I will give the edge to NCAA 05 for original XBOX. Some of today's NFL greats were in that game!!! What a game. I still play it every now and again. if u want some trick plays use South Carolina's playbook. They have reverses, WR passes, HB passes and a few flea flickers

[Art01]

Re: Questions About NCAA08 Football for Original XBOX

Thanks to you both for your info.

I'll get the 08 version just to compare playabiity with 06 and 07.

I have NCAA 04, 05, 06, and 07.

I did not play 05 as much as the other versions.

Your comment in support of 05 as the best version is the first time I have seen anyone say that 05 was the best. Can you provide additional comments about why you prefer 05?

I also have a 360, but so far, none of the NCAA versions support Coach Mode playing style, so I'll continue to enjoy the original versions. I don't think EA made an 09 version for the original XBOX - please let me know if it is available.

Thanks,

Art

[PSU_DW2]

Re: Questions About NCAA08 Football for Original XBOX

Thanks to you both for your info.

I'll get the 08 version just to compare playabiity with 06 and 07.

08 also has QB Avoidance on the right analog stick and receiver direct when you are scrambling. This right analog stick control is helpful. You can send receivers in specific directions while scrambling outside to either block to find space for a last second pass.

Another difference of 08 compared to 07 on Original Xbox is the lateral is much better programmed. Players are much better at catching laterals in this game and also better at picking up fumbles in this game when compared to 08.

I'll have to pick up 05 for Original Xbox. I played 04, 05 and 06 on PS2. And I've played 06, 07 and 08 on Original Xbox.

I must say I find the Original Xbox games play much smoother and the colours looks much more vibrant and less grainy when compared to the PS2 versions of the game.

NCAA Football 08 for Original Xbox will likely be the last college football game I ever buy.

It's the last year before they took away the 25 second clock and the clock stopping when running out of bounds.

This game has all the traditional rules, with the only change from 07 to 08 is that now kickoffs are from the 30.

But as momentum grows and you score and kick extra points and punts, your kickers / punters are able to kick it farther.

Oh yeah, this game has even more trick plays than 07. 08 also has some new individual defensive player hot routes.

When you get 08 for OG Xbox, check the new controls guide for offense and defense. Kirk Herbstreit will explain the control in greater detail. Basically you can do smart zones that guard the first down line. You can do QB contains with D-ends and D-tackles. Meaning instead of attacking straight ahead they'll try to go arund the guards and tackles. It really adds to the strategy.

You can also block field goals in this game. You could block them too in 07, but field goal blocks are a little bit easier in 08 and much more exciting and with better collision detection.

NCAA Football 08 for Original Xbox is the last great college football game. This game is so refined, has such depth in gameplay.

The gameplay on heisman is great. A few tweaks to the sliders, keeping user and CPU levels even always makes for a very realistic gameplay experience.

I've been updating rosters from last season to this season in this game.

I wanna get some playoffs brackets going in this game.

[Art01]

Re: Questions About NCAA08 Football for Original XBOX

Thanks PSU-DW2 for your thoughts.

I play all football games in "Coach Mode" style, so I don't control the QB. I have not bought any NCAA versions for the 360 because none of them support CM or QB Auto Throw.

I am experimenting with Sliders and Difficulty Levels in 08. I like to play low scoring defensive games, which is always hard to accomplish in any NCAA version. I have reduced the Interception Sliders to Zero in Heisman Level and I have increased Running Back/Blocking levels in the hope that I can convince the CPU to play my style ball.

Many people express frustration with these games. I just treat the issue as a challenge to make the game play the way I want it to play.

Why do you rate 05 as the best version? Are you saying that 05 is better than 08 as well?

Thanks again,

Art

[Ignatz]

Re: Questions About NCAA08 Football for Original XBOX

I'm a little surprised there's been so little mention in this thread of the supposed major flaws that the 08 version has...every other time this game has come up before everyone states that the broken pursuit angles and the automatic field goals ruin the game. Do those of you with such positive experiences with 08 find a work-around for these flaws, or do you just learn to cope?

[Art01]

Re: Questions About NCAA08 Football for Original XBOX

I have observed the poor pursuit angles and the high number of interceptions. I have not found a direct cure for either issue. However, I may have found a way to effectively neutralize these issues by minimizing the number of opportunities for them to arise.

I am still experimenting with Heisman and I am having success creating low scoring games with few long outside runs or kick returns and a low number of interceptions. I will publish my sliders tomorrow when I turn the game on again. I am finding that in my mode of play, Momentum swings are more realistic and have less total impact on the game. My overall strategy is to force the CPU to play against me in a more realistic manner and I believe I am having a reasonable amount of success.

Please keep in mind that I am playing Coach Mode, so I do not control any players on the field, with the exception of my Punt Returner, who never calls a Fair Catch on his own, so I must occasionally do so to prevent fumbles. Of course, it's not true CM because I must also snap the ball and control kicks.

I am enjoying 08 for original XBOX at this time. I play as Alabama and I have made a few changes to player ratings to reinforce the running game. I play against top teams, use 8 minute quarters, and I usually play AWAY, either in their stadium with Home Field Advantage On, or on a neutral field with Home Field Advantage Off. I have played five games in a row with the total score less than 40 points and all games decided deep in the 4th quarter, with the final score being less than a TD delta.

Art

[PSU_DW2]

Re: Questions About NCAA08 Football for Original XBOX

Console : Original Xbox

Game: NCAA Football 08

Screen Format Setting in Xbox Settings Menu : Widescreen

Rosters : Updated Rosters for 2008 season. Seniors from last year removed from Depth Charts.

Rules (Default for 08) :

25 second clock

Clock stops when running out of bounds and stays stopped until next snap all game.

Gameplay Settings:

Difficulty : Heisman
Quarter Length : 15 Minutes
Game Fatigue : On
Injuries : On
Impact Camera Rotation Off
Home Field Advantage : On
Camera Shake : On
Campus Challenge : On
Return Camera : Off

A.I. Setting (Heisman Sliders)

Offense Code : wqUGuAA2

After entering, check to make sure it looks like this :

QB Accuracy : 55% / 55%
Pass Blocking : 45% / 45%
WR Catching : 50% / 50%
RB Ability : 60% / 60%
Run Blocking 45% / 45%

---------------

Defense Code : OTCpYfo2

After entering, check to make sure it looks like this:

Awareness : 75% / 75%
Knockdowns : 50% / 50%
Interceptions : 30% / 30%
Break Block : 50% / 50%
Tackling : 60% / 60%

-------------------

Special Teams Code : 8YM7cIQ4 (that's an upper case i 3rd from last, not an L)

After entering, check to make sure it looks like this:

FG Length : 50% / 50%
FG Accuracy 50% / 50%
Punt Length : 95% / 95%
Punt Accuracy : 60% / 60%
Kickoff Length : 95% / 95%

Yup. All user and CPU percentages are equal. That's what makes them so realistic. Oh, and CPU kickers, if you don't block it, are accurate on field goals. I haven't yet seen them miss. Even if you turn down CPU FG Kick Accuracy to 0%, if you don't block it, they still always seem to make it. This is a bug. It's not too bad because you can block FG's sometimes, especially with the momentum and confidence. And if you edit the kicker on the CPU team and put his kick accuracy to 40, the lowest it can go, it seems to make their FGs not as straight. So I don't know if this is so much a work around as it is a glimmer of hope. that perhaps they could miss. You can block a lot of kicks, especially if you switch control during the FG snap. I haven't been able to block punts, but FG's you can definitely block in this game on heisman. It's a lot of fun. I can expand a lot on this. If you want me to, just ask.

-----------------

Penalty Sliders

False Start : 90%
Holding : 50%
Face Mask : 70% (Still haven't seen a 5 yard facemask, but I have seen one 15 yard face mask late in a game, and it was called for a 15 yarder. They should still have that 5 yard facemask in the game since the rule wasn't changed until this season)
Offensive Pass Interference : 90%
Defensive Pass Interference : 90%
Clipping : 70%
Intentional Grounding : 60%
Roughing the Passer : 10% (they still call it at 0% so this doesn't seem to matter)

Auto Instant Replay : On
Field Lines : Both
Camera : Classic
Pre-Play Menu : On (when I am playing CPU)

Audio :

(Going into a game in the front end...) Play-by-Play : Normal. This allows you to see the Gameday Crew's picks and game opening sequences.

(After coin toss, press Start / Pause Menu, Settings, Audio...) Play-by-Play : PA Only. This allows you to not have commentary, only the PA announcer during the game. For long games, it makes the game more tranqui, especially when playing evening games. The PA announcer allows time to go by easier, instead of having to listen to kirk herbstreit and corso) I leave Ask Corso on though.

Controller Layout Settings :

Player Lock : On
Auto Subs : On
Auto Sub Out : 68%
Auto Sub In : 82%
Passing Mode : Quick
Man Shift : Auto (I like Auto for CPU games, but for multiplayer with friends, sometimes it's fun to put this on manual. It opens up the gameplay a bit to having to "adjust" to certain formations. this is one of my favorite options in this game)
Auto Strafe : Off (This makes the game challenging you have to strafe and square up yourself by pressing the R button in gameplay as a user player to contain running backs or receivers after catching passes with manual strafes)
Auto Throw : Off (I like this option, but it's more of a challenge to have Auto Throw off, and it makes it fair and "live" in multiplayer games.)

Well, that's it. Enjoy

These are great sliders.

I have these sliders and I have been playing a game between Penn St and Iowa with updated rosters for this season.

To give you an idea of what kind of stats you can get and what kind of games you can get with these sliders, with 15:00 quarters, I am Penn St on the road at Iowa. With 2:27 left in the 1st quarter, the score is 10-9 Penn St. I just scored after falling behind 9-3. (They got a TD but I blocked their extra point)

In terms of stats after 12:33 of game time, which isn't even a quarter of the game, here are some stats:

Momenutum has been pretty even in this game. I had about 50% momentum for a while, theyn they got 50% momentum with their FG. Then they got it up to 100% with their TD. Then, I blocked their extra point and pushed their momentum down to about 90%. Then I scored to make it 10-9 and now the momentum is even. And the crowd has quieted down.

Here are the game stats so far.

Penn St - Iowa
First Downs 8 - 5
Total Offense 195 - 156 yds
Rushing yards 62 (Clark 48 yds rushing, Green 13 yds off an option pitch) - 50 (Greene 52 yds rushing)
Passing yards 133 (Clark 3/9 68 yds, 1 INT, sacked once) - 106 (Stanzi 4/6 106, sacked once)

Penn St - Iowa
3rd downs 3/6 - 0/3
4th downs 1/1 - 0/0
Red Zone 1/1 (FG) - 1/1 (FG)
Turnovers 1 (Clark INT) - 0
Punt Return Yds 10 - 8
Kick Return Yds 38 - 25
Punts 1 (56.0 yds / punt) - 2 (43.5 yds / punt)
Penalties 0 - 1 (0 yds - I drew Iowa offside at their 1 yd line by faking the snap with (B) button and they were penalized a half a yard. Iowa stopped me and forced me to kick a FG)

Time of Possession Penn St 8:03, Iowa 4:30

Now, this is very early. There could be lots more penalties as the game wears on.

But that gives you a good indication of what kinda stats you can get after 12+ minutes of action. 10-9 is a pretty low score after that much time. I've had games that are a lot high scoring. But I've been playing the game cautiously so far and have kept it fairly close and low scoring.

Momentum plays a key role in this game. I went up 3-0 and it looked like smooth sailing, but I gave up a field goal. They tied it 3-3 and they took some momentum. Then they got a 31 yard touchdown run by Shonn Greene. I managed to block the XP, but which was important, because instead of them getting full momentum they only had about 90% momentum after I blocked it. I got to the 43 yard line of Iowa. Put D-Will in at QB, and they blitz I swing it out to Stephfon Green, 43 yard TD pass it becomes. And I get the extra point by Kevin Kelly. It's now 10-9. Long way to go.

The thing about these sliders is, it's hard.

you really have to have a solid defensive playbook and keep your secondary cautions and deep at times. Make sure you don't get beat by a long pass. A 15 yard pass over the middle is not the end of the work. A deep ball pass after biting on a play action, you are toast. The thing about long games is you have to realize, especially when playing on the road on heisman, on these sliders that you have to use user control. Switch players, move guys around on defense pre-snap. Pass commit sometimes. (don't run commit as much because it is too risky, unless perhaps you they have the ball first and goal)

My user stats so far in that game after 12+ minutes of first quarter action (user stats are very important to track when playing on these sliders. if you start losing big you can check these stats and see why)

Tackles 7/12 B
Sacks 1/1 A+
Swats 2.3 A-
Picks 0/0 No Stats
Catches 3/4 A-

Now, that's not too bad. But had my tackling been like 9/12 or 11/12, I may be winning 10-3 or something. Who knows. That's why this game is so fun and so great and so deep. So much better than anything we've seen on 360 or PS3. Those consoles can't run games like this.

On heisman these sliders do the trick. It is a very very deep game. Keep in mind, I updated Penn St's and Iowa's roster from last year. I didn't change the ratings of players from last year, only took last year's seniors out of the starting depth charts and updated team captains, and added a few (not all) freshman. Good luck.

[Art01]

Re: Questions About NCAA08 Football for Original XBOX

Presuming that you are controlling players, how do you think your settings would affect a CM game?

Art

[PSU_DW2]

Re: Questions About NCAA08 Football for Original XBOX

Presuming that you are controlling players, how do you think your settings would affect a CM game?

Art

Well, I think it depends how good of a coach you are. If you aren't "controlling players" have QB Auto Throw option on in controller settings, are covering when they pass and have some run stoppers stopping the run on running plays, you'll be okay.

User control allows you to make a quick adjustment to a play, to a place that the CPU A.I. may not exactly have went.

I think you will find these sliders very challenging for coach mode, but very balanced also. You will find yourself having to make sneaky decisions.

I play CPU vs CPU mode sometimes and watch the A.I. battle it out with these sliders sometimes, but I never actually do coach mode. I personally like making plays with the sticks, but it might be interesting for me to put QB Auto Throw on, and try a game with Coach Mode.

I a more of a scrambling quarterback with user control. Perhaps it would be interesting to do coach mode and try to execute a short passing game. That would be fun.

So I think you would be okay with coach mode and these sliders. The thing that you may find is it's hard to play defense without user control.

I am usually shifting d-linemen presnap, moving guys around, backing up safeties to be in position for long passes. You have to do this because the A.I. is so good with these settings on heisman.

With RB Ability at 60%, sometimes tacklers will overrun a defender, it depends on how good that tackler is. Tackling is also at 60% to balanced out that RB ability.

Sometimes making manual user tackles, while one of the hardest things in the game, as you can see from my 7/12 tackling grade so far in that Penn St Iowa game, I can do much better.

But, if you pass commit and guess right sometimes on plays, you can find success.

Momentum can get against you, especially in long games if you are not careful, coach mode or no coach mode in this game on heisman.

Oh, one more thing, I forget to mention that I also set the Roughing the Kicker penalty to 0%, even though they still call it on some field goal attempts. That slider seems to be broken too.

I put unsportsmanlike conduct at 0%, also. That slider seems to work as I have not seen an unsportsmanlike call yet in this game.

Let me know if any of you guys are using those sliders. I'd like to know what kind of results you are getting.

[PSU_DW2]

Re: Questions About NCAA08 Football for Original XBOX

[PSU_DW2]

Re: Questions About NCAA08 Football for Original XBOX

[PSU_DW2]

Re: Questions About NCAA08 Football for Original XBOX

Later on in the 2nd Quarter...

Ladies and Gentlemen, this is what Jordan Norwood can do...

[PSU_DW2]

Re: Questions About NCAA08 Football for Original XBOX

Okay, so a few more observations about this game.

I experimented with Clark going into the game, putting his 'Injury' rating at 98. Not 99, 98. Anyway, in this game Clark sprained his elbow, and is out for 3 weeks. Now, with a 98 injury rating, I am kinda surprised Clark got hurt. I'll up it to 99 to see if that allows him to play and not get injured, but perhaps that injury rating is just the severity of the injury. But a sprained elbow you think would be less than 3 weeks out. Also, in this game Quarless broke his finger, only out a week.

Anyway, besides giving clark a higher injury rating, I didn't edit any other player's stats. I will have to test this more and move that rating around and see what kinda injuries happen over the course of a 15 minute game. I do play a scrambling game with Clark.

I am in a dogfight with Iowa. After 30 mins of football, the score is 31-25 Penn St.

It's been back and forth. Check out the box score with these slides and the scoring summary.





This has been an incredible game so far. More halftime stats to follow...