NCAA Football 12 News Post

EA and NCAA Football Announce Videogame Development Fellowship

12:08 PM - January 17, 2012 by RaychelSnr

While we're not sure what this means other than the fact that a couple of computer nerds/college football players will be bringing coffee to developers -- we'd like to congratulate Richard Mancuso and Clint Oldenburg for getting the chance of a lifetime! Press release follows:

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. and LEXINGTON, Ky. – Jan. 17, 2012 – Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA) and NCAA Football today announced that Richard Mancuso and Clint Oldenburg will join the EA SPORTS™ NCAA® Football development team as a part of the inaugural EA SPORTS NCAA Football fellowship, a sixteen-week full-time, paid opportunity for former football student-athletes to apply their skills and knowledge of the sport to the development of the NCAA Football videogame.

Mancuso, a computer science and engineering graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was a three-year starting quarterback, New England Football Conference Rookie of the Year, and was awarded the Boston Globe Golden Helmet Award. Oldenburg, a technical journalism graduate of Colorado State University, was a starting offensive lineman for three years and a fifth round NFL draft pick in 2007.

“We put a premium on identifying individuals that combine real-world experience and knowledge of football with talent and passion for video game development,” said Cam Weber, GM of Football, EA SPORTS. “This first-ever fellowship program provides the fantastic opportunity to help us find experienced football student-athletes, such as Richard and Clint, to add to our development teams and help take our game to the next level.”

For the past 18 years, the NCAA Football videogame franchise has delivered the pride and pageantry of game day by connecting players to the emotion of the college football experience. From fight songs to school specific traditions, all 120 Division I FBS college programs are recreated with unparalleled authenticity. The fellows will both contribute to engineering and design development to further enhance the NCAA Football gameplay experience.

“The inaugural fellows program continues to strengthen our relationship with EA, and it gives former football student-athletes an opportunity to turn their passion and skills for the game into a meaningful professional experience,” added David Bertram, Executive Director of NCAA Football, the coalition established to promote college football, which is managed by IMG College, a division of IMG Worldwide.

The fellowship term will run from January 17 to May 4, 2012. Both positions will be based out of the EA Tiburon studio in Orlando, Fla.

NCAA Football is developed in Orlando, Fla. by EA Tiburon. EA SPORTS is one of the leading sports entertainment brands in the world, with top-selling videogame franchises, award-winning interactive technology, global videogame competitions, and breakthrough digital experiences. EA SPORTS delivers personal access to the emotion of sports through industry-leading sports simulation videogames, including Madden NFL football, FIFA Soccer, NHL® hockey, NBA JAM, NCAA® Football, Fight Night boxing, EA SPORTS MMA, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® golf, and EA SPORTS Active. For more information about EA SPORTS, including news, video, blogs, forums and game apps, please visit www.easports.com to connect, share and compete.

Game: NCAA Football 12Reader Score: 7/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS3 / Xbox 360Votes for game: 104 - View All

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Member Comments

# 1 Herky @ 01/17/12 12:12 PM

This is a fantastic move in EA's part. I firmly think what has been holding NCAA back is realism and bringing in ex-players to assist in development is a very good thing.

# 2 Gotmadskillzson @ 01/17/12 12:30 PM

I didn't even know MIT even had sports teams, let alone a football team.

# 3 scottyo60 @ 01/17/12 12:35 PM

So starting O-lineman now on the team. Please help us in line interaction

# 4 Pokes404 @ 01/17/12 12:36 PM

EA always talks a good game pre-release. Let's see if they're actually going to walk the walk this year.

# 5 Gotmadskillzson @ 01/17/12 12:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scottyo60


	So starting O-lineman now on the team. Please help us in line interaction

Don't jump the gun now.......they had ex QBs and ex RBs on the team for years now. And we just now got scrambling QBs for this generation this year in NCAA 12, but yet the throwing arc and throwing styles are generic and plain. You have RBs who run stiff and don't use their special moves like they suppose to.

So I really don't put too much stock in former football players on the team. I mean hell Ben H is a former lineman himself.......

# 6 BadAssHskr @ 01/17/12 01:43 PM

progress is progress.

probably better to embrace this, than com out jabbing from the get go.

sounds like a move in the right direction to me.

# 7 BaylorBearBryant @ 01/17/12 02:24 PM

Why don't... they hire people who play the game and strive to make it better? Similar to Gotmadskillzson and Playmaker.

I don't get it...

# 8 Isura @ 01/17/12 02:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Herky


	This is a fantastic move in EA's part. I firmly think what has been holding NCAA back is realism and bringing in ex-players to assist in development is a very good thing.

There is already a former Auburn player on the NCAA team. He was shown in the "making of ncaa 12" espn special. He was responsible for RTG though, so hopefully they get more ex-players involved in dynasty testing.

# 9 blkrptnt819 @ 01/17/12 04:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Isura


	There is already a former Auburn player on the NCAA team. He was shown in the "making of ncaa 12" espn special. He was responsible for RTG though, so hopefully they get more ex-players involved in dynasty testing.

If they do I can see there being mark improvement in that mode.

# 10 Boilerbuzz @ 01/17/12 05:47 PM

Yawn. I've said it before. I'll say it again. And I'll keep saying it every time they come with this PR bull. They have had, and I'm sure STILL have, quite a few people on the football teams that know the sport. But they CHOSE to listen to the bean-counters and marketing idiots instead of the designers when it comes to where they focus most of their development. Until I see signs that THAT part of their culture is changing, the rest of this is PR meant to shut up the mindless drones. They can go into a partnership with Bill Bellicheat for all I care. If they don't actually LISTEN to his input, he may as well not even be there.

# 11 Matt10 @ 01/17/12 07:33 PM

Yeah, I think we need to be supportive, yet skeptical at this point, boys. It doesn't take an ex football player to figure out what's wrong with the game. Just make it how it looks on TV - it can't be that hard to compare and apply.

# 12 mtoo22 @ 01/17/12 07:40 PM

Haven't I heard this song before.... :sly:

I'm to the point where I don't want to tell my friends about it because they always question me later. I'm done talking about NCAA to anyone outside of OS. I want to see real results. No more hype train.

Hail West Virginia

# 13 KushNstien @ 01/17/12 08:34 PM

thats cool, now lets see if they make an impact on ncaa13...

# 14 CM Hooe @ 01/17/12 08:54 PM

Nothing wrong with this move whatsoever.

# 15 NateDogPack12 @ 01/17/12 09:20 PM

From my phone the only part of the title I could see was, "EA Sports and NCAA announce videogame.". I thought we were getting an FCS game.

# 16 billysims @ 01/18/12 07:12 AM

I see it as good. It cant really get worse.

Can it?

# 17 edaddy @ 01/18/12 09:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matt10


	Yeah, I think we need to be supportive, yet skeptical at this point, boys. It doesn't take an ex football player to figure out what's wrong with the game. Just make it how it looks on TV - it can't be that hard to compare and apply.

I agree while I still think this is a PR move I still think we need to be at least supportive yet guarded at the same time..I am pretty sure that EA has had former college players working with them on this game and they also have the resources to obtain any information from NCAA coaches etc. to implement the neccessary intricancies and strategies into NCAA football. I truly think it goes deeper than that as far as coding and what direction EA wants to go with the game. Knowing x's and o's and actually being able to implement them into a game is totally different, and probably hard to do. I don't think EA's problem lies in not actually knowing the game of football its 'being able to put it in the game without becoming to "sim" or "arcade". C'mon man they have football coaches and football players who they can easily get feedback from so I don't see that as a problem. I am more concerned about the feature set not at least being on par with last generation consoles. Features from 7 years ago should not have to trickle in year after year and made to look as if they are somehow groundbreaking. Camera angles, presentation packages, player movement, penalties etc..should've all evolved to a point where the difference is substantially noticeable from last generation..(and frankly it's not).

This game should be open for Beta testing and given community feedback during the cycle. Not just open to a few individuals who happen to either own websites or have the time to devote to this game to figure out the little nuances involved. Skills, Play and a host of other roster makers have done a great job of making this game playable and enjoyable ..but it truly shouldn't have to come down to that at all. While I know that's a pipe dream as far as Beta testing something else needs to get done to get the entire community involved to get feedback..maybe a midcycle demo?..etc..

# 18 jmik58 @ 01/18/12 12:38 PM

Why a player? Get a coach on board and the realism of the gameplay, recruiting, etc would be through the roof.

# 19 TombSong @ 01/18/12 01:44 PM

Instead of the pre-relase hype that they shove in our faces each year, how about addressing some issues that don't require "real world talent" but "programmer talent"

1. Make it so the offense can't tell if a defense is playing zone or man before the defense even lines up. (CB's bouncing outside then inside...or immediately
lining up over their man....some of you know what i am talking about)

2. How about giving me control of how my defenders shift pre-snap, not just moving on their own, giving away if you are playing cover 2 or cover 3. Give me more pre-snap looks other than just show blitz.

3. Make sure flipping plays and motion don't cause my men playing man not to line up properly.

4. Base defenses should be in EVERY formation. I should not have to hunt down a particular base defense in only one formation in my playbook. I should have more run plays in 3 and 4 wide formations...not just draws.

5. Can I please send more than one man in motion ? Can I have formation audibles ?

6. Can you make it so my AI team mates play their zones and not run to cover areas they have no business being in(hook zones in particular) It also seems certain formations make them play their zones oddly.

7. Does shading work ? If so would someone please explain it. Can I assign a LB to jam a TE at the LOS ?

8. Can you make it so stunts/twists are a part of the pre-snap audibles you can make for the defensive line ?

9. CBs playing a cover 3 and chasing a WR that has gotten behind them should NOT be going after balls thrown to another WR BEHIND them. How on EARTH could he know the ball was thrown with his back to the LOS ?

10. Run Blocking and pass blocking still need work. There are MANY times I see offensive linemen not know who to block if they dont find a first level defender to block. Instead of moving on to the 2nd level they just stand there and block no one. They also don't peel off double team blocks fast enough a lot.

11. Can we finally get real multi hit tackles ? Not the I come in to layeth the smack down only to see my defender go into a tumbleweed animation.

12. Super leaping LB's need to go away just like the rain song...their f-f-fake speed and jump height is just plain wrong(Just sing that to the song mirrors)

# 20 blkrptnt819 @ 01/19/12 03:34 PM

As much as i like more ppl with football experience on the staff, I think alot of these problems dont take football ppl to solve. I think some of these things are just put in to solve a gameplay problem. My wish is to take all of those out and just give me a game that plays like what i see IRL. No messed up screen, pass, toss and option blocking. No more defense shedding when turbo is pushed. No more super LB and psychic DBs. Just use the guys expertise to get things exactly right and maybe introduce some new blocking schemes not currently in the game.

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