New Features Aren’t All Free in NCAA Football 12

[mattbooty]

Re: New Features Aren’t All Free in NCAA Football 12

But there was a computer portion, correct? What makes all of that information so cheap for the servers but the ability to advance my week costs $3 per online dynasty? Why is FIFA UT web app free? That's where my questioning of this charge comes into play. I can't possibly see this causing more server bandwith or stress than the Fifa UT and the NCAA OD do/did.

I don't know what FIFA UT is so I can't speak for that, but as in the post I just put up, these features will require significantly more processing power than what online recruiting in NCAA 11 and the console based OD features do. Which is expensive.

[jeremym480]

Re: New Features Aren’t All Free in NCAA Football 12

To be the commisioner of multiple leagues last year you had to pay.

This is correct. Last year it costs 800 MS points ($10) to be the commish of 3 dynasties http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Pr...f-000345410900 .

To be the commish of 5 dynasties cost 1200 MS point ($15).

http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Product/Commish-of-5-Online-Dynasties/00000000-0000-400c-80cf-000445410900

This year it cost $6.99 plus you get the ability to advance weeks as well as, sumersim and call plays in supersimmed games. Other's can complain and call EA evil all they want to but, to me they're offering a fair price for a product that I want, that's even cheaper than last year might I add so, I call that a deal.

[mattbooty]

Re: New Features Aren’t All Free in NCAA Football 12

I have the same technical background, which is why I made what I would call an educated guess on the subject.

Yeah bandwidth absolutely will play a part of it. Advancing will use very little bandwidth as the server must be storing most of the data already so everything happens on the server side... actually calling plays on a game will require more but the data itself should be small in size and it looks like the graphics are pretty basic so they shouldn't require much to transfer and probably can be cached and re-used... (and I'm not arguing with you so please don't take it that way, just throwing out my own educated guess)

[bkrich83]

Re: New Features Aren’t All Free in NCAA Football 12

Yeah bandwidth absolutely will play a part of it. Advancing will use very little bandwidth as the server must be storing most of the data already so everything happens on the server side... actually calling plays on a game will require more but the data itself should be small in size and it looks like the graphics are pretty basic so they shouldn't require much to transfer and probably can be cached and re-used... (and I'm not arguing with you so please don't take it that way, just throwing out my own educated guess)

I agree. I used the term bandwidth as a laymans term to be all inclusive. Most people associate bandwidth as all of those things.

[ODogg]

Re: New Features Aren’t All Free in NCAA Football 12

How am I making their point for them? Their point was that EA didn't lobby for the deals when it is clear they did. Heck, they even tried to get NBA and MLB as well.

You made the point that EA, even if they really did offer mega-deals before they were approached (which no one has ever proven, just speculated) still were the suitor that could have been turned down just as the MLB and NBA has.

The "bad guy", if you don't like this exclusive situation as it currently stands, is the folks who run the sports themselves, the NFL and the NCAA not the company who brought the contract.

The bottom line here is that once the NFL and NCAA decided to go with the exclusive agreements then EA had to bid as much as they could to get the contracts. As for your comment about they had more money than 2K, yeah, so what? Usually the company who has more money wins a bidding war.

EA has nothing to be ashamed of in making a very sound business decision securing two of their most profitable products. If 2K or any other company had the resources they would have done the exact same thing.

So in summary, you made the other sides point for us when you brought up the NBA in your post. Your anger, or your dislike, of the exclusive agreements should be 100% directed at the NFL and the NCAA, if they had so desired they could have gone the route of the NBA and there would be multiple games by multiple devs. EA had no decision to make once the exclusive agreements became desirable to the NFL and NCAA..

[ODogg]

Re: New Features Aren’t All Free in NCAA Football 12

I love how the only defense for what EA is doing here is
'well, other companies do it'
'it's only $3'

Sometimes when everyone is doing something, it isn't necessarily the right thing to do, ya know?

If that's the only defense you see in this thread you're selectively reading. There have been far more posts from users who are ok with DLC in regards to pricing to the consumer vs. costs of a game to develop than "other companies do it" or "it's only $3".

But then again, it's far easier to just ignore the arguments that are actually integral as to why those who are ok with the DLC are defending it and focus on the arguments that are shallow and easier to belittle as baseless.

[poopoop]

Re: New Features Aren’t All Free in NCAA Football 12

You made the point that EA, even if they really did offer mega-deals before they were approached (which no one has ever proven, just speculated) still were the suitor that could have been turned down just as the MLB and NBA has.

The "bad guy", if you don't like this exclusive situation as it currently stands, is the folks who run the sports themselves, the NFL and the NCAA not the company who brought the contract.

The bottom line here is that once the NFL and NCAA decided to go with the exclusive agreements then EA had to bid as much as they could to get the contracts. As for your comment about they had more money than 2K, yeah, so what? Usually the company who has more money wins a bidding war.

EA has nothing to be ashamed of in making a very sound business decision securing two of their most profitable products. If 2K or any other company had the resources they would have done the exact same thing.

So in summary, you made the other sides point for us when you brought up the NBA in your post. Your anger, or your dislike, of the exclusive agreements should be 100% directed at the NFL and the NCAA, if they had so desired they could have gone the route of the NBA and there would be multiple games by multiple devs. EA had no decision to make once the exclusive agreements became desirable to the NFL and NCAA..

Please, the NFL/NCAA isn't exempt from any blame either. They share it with EA.

[ODogg]

Re: New Features Aren’t All Free in NCAA Football 12

You guys have to be trolling. Once again, I'll state.... WHAT OTHER COMPANY CAN I BUY AN NCAA OR NFL FOOTBALL GAME FROM ON MY XBOX 360 OR PS3?

First of all there have been competing products on the consoles since the exclusive agreements were signed:

Backbreaker
Black College Football Experience
Backyard Football
Family Fun Football
All Pro Football 2K8
Blitz II the League

Seems like all of those are football games to me. Sure they don't have the NFL or NCAA license but they are football. And as I've stated before, if you don't like the fact that other companies don't have the right to make an NFL game or an NCAA game then TAKE IT UP WITH THE SPORTS.

There is no merit at all here to criticize EA for DLC due to the exclusive agreement. This would be occurring just the same as it would if we had ESPN 2K11 coming this fall. Why you say? That's not true you say? If there was competition EA would not be doing it you say? Uh yeah they would because there's no one out there in their right mind who is going to say "Wow, I was going to buy NCAA 12 by EA over ESPN2K12 College football but then I don't like the fact that you have to pay $2.99 to advance the dynasty so now I'm going to buy ESPN's game instead."

Don't believe that? Think that argument is bogus? Well how about this, if there was a 2K NFL/NCAA game you can almost bet on the fact that there'd be some sort of DLC made by that company as well. The bottom line here though is the DLC is, as has been stated, a minor feature that is not going to influence anyone here as to be a game changer in the product they are buying in regards to competition vs. no-competition.

You are comparing another company, in a different genre, with a totally different DLC than what EA Sports is offering.

How is that one sided at all?

EA's football games compete against ALL sports games. Some people can only afford a couple of sports games a year and often they will choose between Madden or NBA...or NCAA football vs. MLB the show. This whole argument of apples vs. apples is nonsense...if you're hungry and you're at the market you're looking at all the various fruits, they are all competing for your money.

So even if one throws out the entire argument of EA has competition from other football products, even without them being licensed, it's pretty ridiculous to say that they have no competition considering the quantity and quality of sports (and even non-sports) games that sit on the shelves beside Madden and NCAA now every year.

[ODogg]

Re: New Features Aren’t All Free in NCAA Football 12

Please, the NFL/NCAA isn't exempt from any blame either. They share it with EA.

Not only is the NFL/NCAA not exempt from some of the blame, they are 100% accountable for ALL of the blame. Because there is no way EA could have made the exclusive agreements without those who run the sports agreeing to such a deal.

[Senator Stone]

Re: New Features Aren’t All Free in NCAA Football 12

I don't play MLB 2k11, so I don't know for sure.....but it's my understanding that it doesn't contain any DLC. However, MLB The Show does. So there are competing baseball games, but one has DLC and one doesn't.

How is it exactly that if we had 17 different NCAA games available, the best one wouldn't still charge for a premium extra as DLC?

[poopoop]

Re: New Features Aren’t All Free in NCAA Football 12

Not only is the NFL/NCAA not exempt from some of the blame, they are 100% accountable for ALL of the blame. Because there is no way EA could have made the exclusive agreements without those who run the sports agreeing to such a deal.

It takes 2 people to sign a deal. Both of them bear responsibility. You want to paint EA as some victim who had no choice whatever. It'd be one thing if this was a single occurance and the NFL was the only exclusive deal they had. But they also have signed exclusive deals with NASCAR, AFL, ESPN and NCAA football. Guess who the one common denominator is.

[ODogg]

Re: New Features Aren’t All Free in NCAA Football 12

It takes 2 people to sign a deal. Both of them bear responsibility. You want to paint EA as some victim who had no choice whatever.

EA doesn't bear any responsibility at all here when it comes to gamers not liking having a choice. Because if EA had passed on the deal then the license simply would have gone to another company.

It'd be one thing if this was a single occurance and the NFL was the only exclusive deal they had.

That's because in many industries it's quite common to have one exclusive provider of a product, such as DirecTV being the only NFL provider for the NFL package. It's not because EA is some evil corporation buying up the world, it's the choice of those who own the product to go this route, i.e. the NFL and the NCAA.

But they also have signed exclusive deals with NASCAR, AFL, ESPN and NCAA football. Guess who the one common denominator is.

EA has more than most companies for one simple reason, they have more money and have produced games for longer than most companies. If 2K sports had more money and more industry clout then they'd have the majority of exclusive deals. It's simply how business works.

I'm not sure what your point here is other than to infer that having more exclusives indicates some sort of evil or corrupt plan by EA to screw consumers, if so that's laughable, the only plan at work here is a business plan to make a profit by publishing a game that their client who sold the said exclusive agreement (in this case the NFL/NCAA) is satisfied with...

[bkrich83]

Re: New Features Aren’t All Free in NCAA Football 12

It takes 2 people to sign a deal. Both of them bear responsibility. You want to paint EA as some victim who had no choice whatever. It'd be one thing if this was a single occurance and the NFL was the only exclusive deal they had. But they also have signed exclusive deals with NASCAR, AFL, ESPN and NCAA football. Guess who the one common denominator is.

For ESPN, 2k's contract with them had expired and 2k declined to extend the deal. My understanding is that 2k did not even bid on the AFL or NCAA deals. However in the NCAA's case I am not 100% sure.

[poopoop]

Re: New Features Aren’t All Free in NCAA Football 12

No my point is it's "laughable" to act like EA doesn't have any (0%) responsibility. I don't care what Direct TV does, I'm talking about EA and a pattern of behavior they've established over the years. You choose to ignore it, fine whatever.

They're not doing it with the goal to screw over consumers, that's ridiculous. Does it happen as a result? Well you could argue it does, but that's not their goal.

[bkrich83]

Re: New Features Aren’t All Free in NCAA Football 12

No my point is it's "laughable" to act like EA doesn't have any (0%) responsibility. I don't care what Direct TV does, I'm talking about EA and a pattern of behavior they've established over the years. You choose to ignore it, fine whatever.

They're not doing it with the goal to screw over consumers, that's ridiculous. Does it happen as a result? Well you could argue it does, but that's not their goal.

If those entities put it up for sale what exactly do you expect EA to do? The NFL is to blame for this mess. EA is just a convenient and easy target.