NCAA Football 14 Preview and Video Interview with Ben Haumiller (IGN)

[Gotmadskillzson]

Re: NCAA Football 14 Preview and Video Interview with Ben Haumiller (IGN)

Procedural awareness ? Oh God I hope that means the scrambling QB and returners on special teams don't run directly into defenders anymore and actually try to AVOID being tackled. Last year in the beginning that had scrambling QBs done right, then they broke it with their patches to the point every time the QB tried to scramble he went directly into the defensive tackle.

But anyway, nothing pissed me off more then to punt the ball, they would have all this space to the left and to right of them and they would just run up the middle into 3 defenders.

[Big FN Deal]

Re: NCAA Football 14 Preview and Video Interview with Ben Haumiller (IGN)

Procedural awareness ? Oh God I hope that means the scrambling QB and returners on special teams don't run directly into defenders anymore and actually try to AVOID being tackled. Last year in the beginning that had scrambling QBs done right, then they broke it with their patches to the point every time the QB tried to scramble he went directly into the defensive tackle.

But anyway, nothing pissed me off more then to punt the ball, they would have all this space to the left and to right of them and they would just run up the middle into 3 defenders.

I listened again and he seems to say "conceptual awareness", not procedural awareness, so my bad. In some other video they do claim that the CPU will utilize moves though and learn through a new "real AI" tech circa FIFA/NHL, so hopefully that works out.

[Ziza9Noles94]

Re: NCAA Football 14 Preview and Video Interview with Ben Haumiller (IGN)

My favorite part was the mention of hand fighting and procedural awareness so players are aware of other players when moving through traffic. Hopefully this transitions to the WR/DB interactions too. Least favorite part was the end discussion about that dreaded "balance" of "fun" vs realism, please just let that notion go, realism IS fun in a sim. The straw man of an unexpected fumble in a big game as a reason for capping capable realism should stop. Fumbles and mishaps period are a part of football, so there needs to be variety in a football game, not just oversimplified win/loss.

For example, there can't be just two shotgun snap animations, one that playsout for a high snap over the QB and one for a successful snap. There needs to be several types of snaps ranging from ideal to potentially disastrous. In a basketball video game with passes and lobs for dunks, there are variations of these things in-game so when one of these result in a complete mishap, ie pass flying well over the intended targets head, it seems dynamic and organic, not like a win/loss dice roll.

For all the strides they seem to be making that "fun" balance POV is still holding EA football games back from being as good as the top sports sims, imo.

I can't disagree with anything you've said. I also feel that more realism is fun. I think though the conflict comes into play when execs see the potential to market beyond us/the hardcore. I imagine some suit, fresh from a board meeting or marketing/sales mtg., stops by and says something like, "Ben, how can we expand our demographic and increase sales? The hardcore players are locked in. How can we make it less intimidating for the casual crowd to jump in." Then you get the developers trying to balance arcade "fun" with sim realism.

[slickkill77]

Re: NCAA Football 14 Preview and Video Interview with Ben Haumiller (IGN)

You guys have to realize that he has a point. We demand realism to the T with every sports game we play no matter what it is, but most guys/girls aren't hardcore sim players. Most people are casual buy Madden every year because they want to sling it around type people. We make up a small group of the people that buy this game and/or Madden. We are just the more vocal goup

[Big FN Deal]

Re: NCAA Football 14 Preview and Video Interview with Ben Haumiller (IGN)

he har

I can't disagree with anything you've said. I also feel that more realism is fun. I think though the conflict comes into play when execs see the potential to market beyond us/the hardcore. I imagine some suit, fresh from a board meeting or marketing/sales mtg., stops by and says something like, "Ben, how can we expand our demographic and increase sales? The hardcore players are locked in. How can we make it less intimidating for the casual crowd to jump in." Then you get the developers trying to balance arcade "fun" with sim realism.

You guys have to realize that he has a point. We demand realism to the T with every sports game we play no matter what it is, but most guys/girls aren't hardcore sim players. Most people are casual buy Madden every year because they want to sling it around type people. We make up a small group of the people that buy this game and/or Madden. We are just the more vocal goup

I understand and respect the business side of it but that shouldn't mean everyone is forced to play within their subjective balance, there should be options/settings, not just sliders. In that video he specifically uses balancing things as reasoning for not having something like fumbled snaps but instead they should be in the game with an option to disable them. I am not suggesting they create a toggle for every little detail, just simply one toggle option for "variance" or "human error", that can be turned off or on.

That's the kind of approach I think they need to take, including, an all encompassing simulation setting where the balance for realism vs fun is removed and the game is preset to play as realistic as possible.

Anyway, that's been my battle cry for a long time but it's still good to see the things they have added. I am just concerned about that fun balance watering this stuff done in the final build.

[SaintBrees]

Re: NCAA Football 14 Preview and Video Interview with Ben Haumiller (IGN)

One interesting thing I saw in this article, is there is going to be a stamina meter per play and stamina is going to play a bigger role throughout the game. Hold on to that sprint button every play and you wont have any energy in the 4th.

[CcAaRrSsOoNn3]

Re: NCAA Football 14 Preview and Video Interview with Ben Haumiller (IGN)

NO MORE SOCK GLITCH!?!?


Thank you Jesus!!!!

[boxboy99]

Re: NCAA Football 14 Preview and Video Interview with Ben Haumiller (IGN)

I get they want to balance fun versus realism. In light of that, I think botched snaps would be fun and part of the game. On of my best memories in football gaming was watching a snap sail over my quarterbacks head in APF 2k8. I only seen it happen once and didn't even know it could happen. It was shocking to see. It would be okay to add if it rarely happened and there was an option to turn it off. Although poor snaps could making recruiting and who you play at center more interesting.

[CcAaRrSsOoNn3]

Re: NCAA Football 14 Preview and Video Interview with Ben Haumiller (IGN)

I get they want to balance fun versus realism. In light of that, I think botched snaps would be fun and part of the game. On of my best memories in football gaming was watching a snap sail over my quarterbacks head in APF 2k8. I only seen it happen once and didn't even know it could happen. It was shocking to see. It would be okay to add if it rarely happened and there was an option to turn it off. Although poor snaps could making recruiting and who you play at center more interesting.

Agreed. Would mean you cannot just plug and play any player at Center.

[DorianDonP]

Re: NCAA Football 14 Preview and Video Interview with Ben Haumiller (IGN)

I think the casual crowd will buy it regardless of it becoming more "sim". I think it's a copout to keep saying they have to appeal to the casual crowd because for the most part, those people go with the flow anyway. It's one of two football games on the market, both made by EA. It's not like they have a choice if they just wanna sling it around with some friends.

[DorianDonP]

Re: NCAA Football 14 Preview and Video Interview with Ben Haumiller (IGN)

Also, there are ways to remedy the problem he cited in the botched snap argument. It would just be something never done before in football games, which seems to be something they are afraid to try. Innovation.

Instead of pressing x to snap the ball. How about you have to use the analog stick, sort of like how you use the stick to shoot free throws in NBA 2k? If you aren't smooth with using the stick, then there is a greater chance that you will botch the snap. QB awareness and C attributes would tie into how precise you have to be when bringing the stick back to snap the ball.

A system like that could also factor into OL penalties like false starts, so it's not random. It's based on you being patient and precise with your stick skills every snap.

Now some will argue that pressing x is just easier and better, but I think if it got implemented, people would roll with it just like they roll with everything else.

[MizzouBravesFan]

Re: NCAA Football 14 Preview and Video Interview with Ben Haumiller (IGN)

I think the casual crowd will buy it regardless of it becoming more "sim". I think it's a copout to keep saying they have to appeal to the casual crowd because for the most part, those people go with the flow anyway. It's one of two football games on the market, both made by EA. It's not like they have a choice if they just wanna sling it around with some friends.

TBH though nowadays it's almost hard to decipher what's "sim" and what's not because real college football is almost like an arcade game now lol....

[jello1717]

Re: NCAA Football 14 Preview and Video Interview with Ben Haumiller (IGN)

Instead of pressing x to snap the ball. How about you have to use the analog stick, sort of like how you use the stick to shoot free throws in NBA 2k? If you aren't smooth with using the stick, then there is a greater chance that you will botch the snap. QB awareness and C attributes would tie into how precise you have to be when bringing the stick back to snap the ball.

This is exactly the sort of thing that we sim gamers would love, but would absolutely piss off the casual gamers which is easily EA's largest demographic. Using the example from the video, while I would love for a bad snap to decide a football game, but if this happened to a casual gamer he'd be up in arms and would bash the hell out of EA for it.

[cparrish]

Re: NCAA Football 14 Preview and Video Interview with Ben Haumiller (IGN)

Instead of pressing x to snap the ball. How about you have to use the analog stick, sort of like how you use the stick to shoot free throws in NBA 2k? If you aren't smooth with using the stick, then there is a greater chance that you will botch the snap. QB awareness and C attributes would tie into how precise you have to be when bringing the stick back to snap the ball.

A system like that could also factor into OL penalties like false starts, so it's not random. It's based on you being patient and precise with your stick skills every snap.

Now some will argue that pressing x is just easier and better, but I think if it got implemented, people would roll with it just like they roll with everything else.

Even better, just give people the option of using either or.

[moylan1234]

Re: NCAA Football 14 Preview and Video Interview with Ben Haumiller (IGN)

^Yes I agree cparrish I like the overall concept, but please give the option at least because I cant hit a free throw to save my life on 2K.

Also, I think both players involved should have a separate like snap or exchange rating because I can tell you as a former center bad snaps are just as often the qbs fault