NCAA Football 11 Patch #3 and Live Tuning Pack 3 Arrives September 7th

[Azamien]

Re: NCAA Football 11 Patch #3 and Live Tuning Pack 3 Arrives September 7th

I don't think the special teams game besides downfield blocking can actually be improved in this game.

The bad snaps are necessary and would require new animations to work. They also probably need a long snapping rating. The long snapper is much more important than any game really has given it credit for. Not just any lineman can line up and dnap the ball 15 yards for a punt. Unless you actually are a long snapper, I can guarantee most of your snaps will skid across the ground, go too high, or go to far over to one side.

Punters also don't take long enough strides which gives them more room to get off kicks. Most punters generally move forward about 3-5 yards on a punt. On the game the punters only go forward 2 yards because their first step is unrealistically short. Bad snaps would also help alter strides as that is what causes a lot of blocked punts.

The lineman on punt teams also block for way too long. They should be getting up the field a lot faster than they do but they stay back to block too long.

The ball trajectory on field goals hasn't been right in any game I know. Neither has the way a team blocks on field goals. I can understand not being able to put in the acutal way a team blocks, but the team kicking the field goal should never be able to push the other team trying to block the field goal back like they do at times.

Most changes to any of the special teams stuff would have to probably come on NCAA 12. Until then though I'm going to continue to enjoy the things they did well on NCAA 11 and these changes in the next patch. Best football game I've played in awhile.

While I agree with the majority of your post, there are some things that could be patched/tuned for special teams:

1. Stop the receiving team blockers from jumping up at the line to try to block punts. It's ridiculous and the only thing it serves to do, other than just look flat-out stupid, is make sure that any returner reaching the second level will be destroyed.

2. For the CPU, and coach mode players, tune the returners to try to take the ball outside. Right now AI-controlled returners will only make slight adjustments to their path. They never try a full cut to the outside, instead going right into the teeth of the kicking team's pursuit. To test out what I mean, call a punt block when the opposing team has the ball on the hash, then let the AI control the returner for you. Assuming the CPU didn't leave their gunners out instead of bringing them in to help block (I've only seen this happen once) your returner will have an entire side of the field open to them. I guarantee, though, that he'll go straight into the tacklers instead of going to the open sideline.

Obviously this isn't a problem for online players, but it is a problem for any offline player since the CPU will never have any decent returns, and doubly so for any coach mode players.

I really believe those two things could be adjusted in a tuner or a patch.

My other pet peeve with special teams is how the AI can never, ever come close to blocking a kick. I have no idea why, and even less idea of how they can fix it since I can't even figure out why the AI sucks so bad at getting any sort of pressure on the kicker. Maybe it's something that could be tuned, maybe it isn't. But something isn't right.

[Sundown2600]

Re: NCAA Football 11 Patch #3 and Live Tuning Pack 3 Arrives September 7th

I"m going to venture a guesa and say the AWR issue fixes the depth chart issue, atleast partly/mostly.

One of the biggest things that dictate overall rating (which is what the CPU uses to start) is awareness, regardless of whether it matters during gameplay or just during sim. One of the penalties for playing a kid out of position was a HUGE hit in the awareness rating. If the awareness ratings are already suffering a huge hit (from design) than there is no penalty to starting a safety at end. He's just a really fast, athletic, player in the computers logic. So looking at LB for example, a corner looks like a freak of a linebacker. Great speed/agil/acc + great coverage ratings. Worse strength and tackle ratings....but the way the formula for OVR is setup, the speed probably matters more.

What used to make the LB a LB and a corner a corner was AWR. You try playing a Corner at LB and he drops about 25 points in AWR and 10 points overall.

Just a theory.

Outstanding point and your theory is not a theory it's a plain fact. Remember back to the PS2/Xbox days when position changes first made their way into the series. Switching a player from one position to another would affect his overall rating and his awareness rating. The more his overall and awareness dropped the more unsuited he was he was for that particular position. The logic in those days was really good because there were also instances when a position change would cause a boost in overall and it was at that point when you could make a decision to make a pos change. It seems this year the dev team has not penalized smaller players (corners, safeties) when they are moved to the D-Line. This definitely happened last gen. There was no way a safety or corner could play on the line because his rating would plummet. In so doing the CPU depth charts were never an issue because there would always be a random low rated D-Lineman or at worst a big linebacker who would out rate the corner or safety. On that note, it even seems the logic in those days factored in a player's size and weight into the equation.

Now I'm not sure if this is happening this gen or not, because tbh this year is the first year that I've been satisfied with this game to the point that I know I'm gonna keep it. I'm gonna sim some dynasty seasons and check to see how bad the CPU logic is. I'm hearing it's really bad in regards to pos changes and recruiting and that's unacceptable considering how well these areas of the game worked last gen.

[Chas]

Re: NCAA Football 11 Patch #3 and Live Tuning Pack 3 Arrives September 7th

That pumpfake-glitch still works...

At least, it worked against me.

[Buckeyes_Doc]

Re: NCAA Football 11 Patch #3 and Live Tuning Pack 3 Arrives September 7th

That pumpfake-glitch still works...

At least, it worked against me.

Because it's September 6th

[Solidice]

Re: NCAA Football 11 Patch #3 and Live Tuning Pack 3 Arrives September 7th

That pumpfake-glitch still works...

At least, it worked against me.

Because it's September 6th

pretty much. patch has not been released, so of course it'll still work.

[Colorado Cooler]

Re: NCAA Football 11 Patch #3 and Live Tuning Pack 3 Arrives September 7th

Son of a.. well.. yeah

Looks like I'll be starting my dynasty over again. Increased freshman ratings, increased tuning package stuff. I'll just sim my first year this time, it'll be the third time .

That said, this is a big step in the right direction and with the season starting I can't wait to jump back in.

I wish I could be so optimistic -- 42% of my offensive playbook isn't viable in off-line play. Play action is suicide and shotgun runs are a loss waiting to happen because run-blocking mechanics are deficient. I understand the need to do some more tuning but if major strategic elements of the game aren't repaired, it's all for naught.

[novadolla]

Re: NCAA Football 11 Patch #3 and Live Tuning Pack 3 Arrives September 7th

Can't wait for the pump fake to be fixed. Just played 2 cheesers in a row that decided to use that in the 4th quarter to beat me. They will now get a game invite on Sept 7th for a rematch/trip to the woodshed

LOL, GET EM

[Deegeezy]

Re: NCAA Football 11 Patch #3 and Live Tuning Pack 3 Arrives September 7th

i wished they make the QB acc back they way it was before patch 2.
Also the WR catching. After Patch 2, all WR plays as 99 catching. Specially catching after contact. They never drops balls, almost never, not even 58Ovr WRs

Oh well.. maybe next year.

Agreed...The passing game was perfect before the 2nd patch. I miss the overthrows, especially from the CPU.

[Rebel10]

Re: NCAA Football 11 Patch #3 and Live Tuning Pack 3 Arrives September 7th

Sounds good, but unfortunately, no mention of hot zone defense got completely ruined after Patch & Tuner #2. It's great news for sure, I always like to hear about improvements, but the zone defense issue kind of blows. I've almost entirely stopped calling zone defenses, which prevents me from using about 70% of my defensive playbook.

[socrateach]

Re: NCAA Football 11 Patch #3 and Live Tuning Pack 3 Arrives September 7th

So must I start my dynasty over to take full advantage of all of the fixes, or will everything be fixed in my current dynasty? Sorry if it's obvious, but I don't want to put time in today if I need to start over tomorrow.

Thanks.

[Chas]

Re: NCAA Football 11 Patch #3 and Live Tuning Pack 3 Arrives September 7th

pretty much. patch has not been released, so of course it'll still work.

Wow...my bad.

[acts238shaun]

Re: NCAA Football 11 Patch #3 and Live Tuning Pack 3 Arrives September 7th

As far as position changes the most radical one I've had is fs to qb. Most of the time its run stopping LB's moving to DE and hard hitting SS's to LB. Occasionally I'll move a CB to FS or a FS to SS or vice versa. I think that's one thing ea got right this year

[ProfessorMD]

Re: NCAA Football 11 Patch #3 and Live Tuning Pack 3 Arrives September 7th

I recently had to go offline with my ps3 (move to a university which blocks ps3, xbox, etc. from accessing internet). Will I be able to get these files from the forum and upload them to my ps3? Thanks for any help guys, im unfamiliar with this situation.

[acts238shaun]

Re: NCAA Football 11 Patch #3 and Live Tuning Pack 3 Arrives September 7th

When I say they got it right I meant it from the standpoint that guys come in as a running back and switch to cb wr lb s or even as a de.

Case in point, tenarius wright and tremaine thomas were both viewed as linebackers coming in but one is a safety and the other a de. I like that part of recruiting this year.

[moss84_18]

Re: NCAA Football 11 Patch #3 and Live Tuning Pack 3 Arrives September 7th

do you guys think i should restart my texas dynasty if im in week 10 of my second year??? or should i just keep dynasty going?? (the tuning pack will still work if i dont restart right?)

the thing im most worried about is that it will have been 2 recruting classes already and idk how bad the kickers will be in my next season

what do you guys think?? are you restarting?