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View Full Version : Updates from the NCAA Football Demo to Retail



cdj
06-21-2010, 09:38 AM
You can view the page at http://www.thegamingtailgate.com/forums/content.php?217-Updates-from-the-NCAA-Football-Demo-to-Retail

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http://www.thegamingtailgate.com/images/NCAA11/smoke.jpg
Courtesy EA Sports (http://ncaafootball.easports.com/blog.action?blogId=DemoUpdates): On Monday the 14th, the demo for NCAA Football 11 was released on Xbox Live and the Playstation Marketplace, and so far the impressions have been overwhelmingly positive. But some are wondering, is the Demo truly NCAA Football 11? It came out a month before the game is due to hit shelves, so does that mean we put another month of work into the game after that? Yes it does! As a matter of fact, we finished the demo on the 1st of May and finished the game on the 1st of June. In this blog I will address some of the differences between the demo and the final product.

What's Been Done Since the Demo?

The following is a list of the most common issues reported on the demo that will not occur in the retail game:


On Xbox 360, the Reese's Perfect Play of the Game will not always be the final play. As some of you have already speculated, we temporarily save off highlights to the hard drive during the game so you can view them later, however this is not something we are able to do in the demo.

The CPU team will now decline penalties.

Front four defensive linemen will generate a better pass rush. There are many contributing factors to this that have been tweaked. CPU defensive linemen will rush the pass more aggressively and will not get thrown to the ground as often when "losing" to the blocker. Defensive ends will also do a better job of getting off their blocks at more appropriate angles to help contain a scrambling quarterback. Additionally, you can always tune the pass rush to your liking using the AI sliders if you still feel it is lacking (or overpowered) in the final product.

A major issue was fixed where the sound would cut out and eventually cause the game to freeze.

Pass defense has been greatly improved, both in man and zone coverage assignments. They will do a better job defending crosses, slants, and the flats in man coverage. Also, deep zone assignments have been improved to defend against the deep pass. Like the pass rush, you can further tune this to your liking using AI sliders.

Improved lead blocking by pulling linemen and fullbacks on tosses and sweeps.

Fixed an issue where place kickers were getting subbed out for (usually) quarterbacks on kicks.

Fixed issue where the commentary would occasionally sound garbled on Xbox 360.

Dual Stick Ballcarrier Control has been improved, making R-Stick moves look and feel more responsive. Also made some visual improvements with turning and leaning animations.

Fixed some issues that caused receivers to drop catches they should have made. Again, this is also something that can be tuned further using AI Sliders.

Quarterbacks will no longer stutter when scrambling and crossing the line of scrimmage.

Fixed several situations where the wrong team was celebrating after a big play.

Playcall will not suggest going for a 2 point conversion when it shouldn't.

In general, we made defenders a little better at getting off blocks. This helps in defending against outside runs and quarterback scrambles as mentioned before.

Fixed several camera issues on kickoffs, including the one where the camera would not follow the ball on the ground.

Fixed a broken play where the quarterback would get stuck in his handoff animation and just run backwards away from the line of scrimmage.

Fixed FB Fake HB Toss play so the quarterback will not toss the ball behind the running back.

Improved head tracking for ball carriers, receivers and defenders.

Fixed some issues with auto replay cameras where it was too low to the ground and was not focusing on the correct targets.

More general tuning was done on option plays to make them run smoother.

Fixed an issue with playcall where it was not remembering the last formation you called.

Fixed an issue where receivers couldn't make a tackle quickly after an interception.

Removed an exploit that would allow for "Rocket Catches".

Fixed an issue where the CPU Ballcarrier would continue to cover the ball during long runs, even if no defenders were near.

Defenders will now be able to press receivers when they are in preplay motion.

Fixed an issue where defenders would turn the wrong way on curl routes.

Fixed an issue where defenders in man coverage would make a bad direction change after pressing the receiver.

Tuned some out-routes out of the backfield that were too effective against man coverage.

Fixed an issue where linebackers would stutter in pre-play and would get stuck.

Fixed some issues with players bumping into each other during preplay adjustments.

Fixed some issues where defenders would get caught offsides a lot against the no huddle.

Fixed the issue causing a delayed whistle in post play.

Fixed an exploit that disables bump and run after a play is flipped, causing coverage to go back to normal.

Fixed an exploit that allowed you to consistently recover onside kicks.

Adjusted CPU AI for kick returns so that they will not attempt to catch kickoffs that are headed out of bounds.

Improved CPU clock management so they will call a timeouts properly to set up a late field goal.

Fixed an issue where the Read Option would not be executed properly from the hash marks.

Numerous Commentary Fixes and Additions

Various other tweaks and tuning to improve general gameplay.


Thank you again for all the terrific feedback. I hope you continue to enjoy the demo until July 13th, when you can pick up the full retail version of NCAA Football 11.

I OU a Beatn
06-21-2010, 09:45 AM
Well, both of the issues I had with the demo(pass rush and pass coverage) have been supposedly "greatly improved," so I guess time will tell. Definitely encouraging to here, though.

gschwendt
06-21-2010, 09:47 AM
Well, both of the issues I had with the demo(pass rush and pass coverage) have been supposedly "greatly improved," so I guess time will tell. Definitely encouraging to here, though.
Yeah... obviously we still have to see what the final product entails but it sounds like the majority of the complaints from the demo were at least addressed and potentially fixed. Very good to hear.

The only thing I see missing is the QB Walk. I don't play online randoms but I know that can be horrible for those that do.

Sinister
06-21-2010, 09:56 AM
i would like for them to allow scrambling out of the wildcat formation

JBHuskers
06-21-2010, 10:09 AM
I have a feeling we definitely owe some thanks to CDJ on a few of these....he took a LOAD of notes when we were playing the hell out of the demo at the NFL Draft.

Deuce
06-21-2010, 10:13 AM
Good stuff. I was really only worried about the pass coverage. If they corrected that I'll LOVE this game.

Thelaw
06-21-2010, 10:19 AM
Very glad to see that they fixed the camera for the squib kick.

Flav
06-21-2010, 10:26 AM
* Fixed an issue where the Read Option would not be executed properly from the hash marks.

I hope that is when the quarterback took the same path as the running back?!?

steelerfan
06-21-2010, 10:37 AM
Here's to hoping these fixes are effective!

Sounds like they hit on everything we've talked about.

psusnoop
06-21-2010, 10:49 AM
I have a feeling we definitely owe some thanks to CDJ on a few of these....he took a LOAD of notes when we were playing the hell out of the demo at the NFL Draft.

Thanks guys!

Really looking forward to seeing this game on the 13th.

AustinWolv
06-21-2010, 11:06 AM
Good read. rhombic's zone assignment complaint might still exist, but a lot of other items that have been noted have been fixed. Thumbs-up. Days are ticking!

Kwizzy
06-21-2010, 11:39 AM
Sounds like they touched on a majority of the issues we've experienced... Still curious to see the extent of the changes they can make using the new "tuning" feature.

From what I can tell from the demo, IMO this is a VERY GOOD game that has the potential to be GREAT if a few of these issues are in fact fixed or able to be fixed using tuning.

cdj
06-21-2010, 11:43 AM
I have a feeling we definitely owe some thanks to CDJ on a few of these....he took a LOAD of notes when we were playing the hell out of the demo at the NFL Draft.

I'd say some of these changes are the result of Community Day feedback in March, but more importantly from feedback on NCAA Football community sites and gaming sites like The Gaming Tailgate, EA Forums, Operation Sports, NCAA Football Freak, pastapadre, Madden Matrix, Console Sports, Tradition Football, The Sports Game Guy, etc. The dev team enjoys reading constructive feedback from passionate fans of the series who play the game and genuinely want to see it improve. Just because they don't post doesn't mean they aren't reading forums.

AustinWolv
06-21-2010, 12:21 PM
Just because they don't post doesn't mean they aren't reading forums.
Lurkers! I know you are there! Still haven't figured out why you haven't tabbed myself and JeffH to fix the UM and OSU rosters for you every year!!

;)

Kwizzy
06-21-2010, 12:26 PM
Lurkers! I know you are there! Still haven't figured out why you haven't tabbed myself and JeffH to fix the UM and OSU rosters for you every year!!

;)

HA! Don't count on it, us Husker fans have got 2 guys WHO GO TO THE COMMUNITY DAYS EVERY YEAR & still we can't seem to get any input! Although I will say I'm pretty happy with the Husker's roster this year for the most part so maybe we do have some pull after all! :p

Deuce
06-21-2010, 12:29 PM
Man, I just read the list again. Awesome! I'm so happy to hear about the pass coverage and d-line pressure...and both can still be tweaked. I realize we always had those sliders but the demo had me scared b/c the pass d was so bad. Its going to be hard to stay away from the demo for the next 22 days.

ebin
06-21-2010, 12:32 PM
That's an impressive looking list. Its going to be a long three weeks!

iBrandon
06-21-2010, 12:33 PM
Great stuff. Hopefully everything is works as well as it should.

Coachdenz
06-21-2010, 01:08 PM
this is good news.

AustinWolv
06-21-2010, 01:30 PM
HA! Don't count on it, us Husker fans have got 2 guys WHO GO TO THE COMMUNITY DAYS EVERY YEAR & still we can't seem to get any input! Although I will say I'm pretty happy with the Husker's roster this year for the most part so maybe we do have some pull after all! :p

That is because they are still being punished for burdening college football with the Solich years. College football is much more harmonious when Nebraska has a solid team.

Kwizzy
06-21-2010, 01:48 PM
That is because they are still being punished for burdening college football with the Solich years. College football is much more harmonious when Nebraska has a solid team.

haha... better Solich than Callahan & that's saying something... Well hopefully harmony will be restored this year, it'd be nice to win the Big 12 on our way out! Sorry for getting off topic.... so yeah... updates from the demo look good :p

Kingpin32
06-21-2010, 02:10 PM
So it seems that they fixed all the problems from the demo for the retail. So whats going to be in the day 1 patch that I heard about?

Schauwn
06-21-2010, 02:16 PM
I love that they're fixing all of this. There are definitely a few things on that list that I noticed a bit, the read option from the hashes, deep zones, the FB fake toss and the animation where the QB gets stuck trying to hand it off. luckily that one happened to the comp, but still sucked. oh and also where the QB stutters running across the LOS

Jayrah
06-21-2010, 02:17 PM
Man, that's a huge relief. This is sufficiently larger than past tweaks and fixes between demo and final build. EA continues to impress me with their efforts this season. I'm guessing that this is in large part due to the 3 day CD instead of 1. The noticeable issues take more than a few times of play to recognize, and the fact that most of this list was undoubtedly discovered by those that played at CD is a great indication that it was the right move to extend it. Thanks EA, and thanks cd guys. Looks like a great job

AustinWolv
06-21-2010, 02:28 PM
So it seems that they fixed all the problems from the demo for the retail. So whats going to be in the day 1 patch that I heard about?

Maybe MP exploits, network tweaks, and the like?

Moostache
06-21-2010, 02:36 PM
I respect the efforts that have been made to point things out and improve the games - especially cdj, who is as good a guy and stand-up person as I have met in the online gaming world to date; BUT, there is no way in hell I am falling in line with believing ANY of this until it is proven.

I have heard the promises of patches to fix things and the excuses of "early builds" too many times to suck back one more drop of that Kool-Aid.

Let me get this straight...EA releases a demo that is riddled with flaws and exploits and problems. Then they claim to have magically "fixed" all of these issues - in very vague, circular wording like "removed", "fixed" and "tuned", without so much as a scrap of hard evidence showing these fixes and how they corrected the issues.

What in the last 6 years has EA done to deserve the benefit of the doubt? Is it the string of great releases? The series of groundbreaking, genre defining NCAA games on the XB360 and PS3?

I am unsold until there is video PROOF of these fixes in action AND video proof that their alleged attempts to fix these things did not irreparably break other aspects of the game (before and after videos preferably....and I don't want to hear the "there is not time to do that" nonsense either...in the era of YouTube videos, EA could be FLOODING the market with proof!). Because everyone can SEE what they are shown - instead of BELIEVE what they are told, I do not expect to see anything like this until the users themselves make the videos and put them up post release - most likely showing examples that directly dispute this list of "fixes"...

I am Rod Tidwell on this one (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTFJocQBLyE), and they need to show me the money, convince me...SHOW me that they have done what they say they have done...and preferably they should be screaming it into their phone to convince me to even give them another chance!

I got Bob Sugar on the other line EA!

cdj
06-21-2010, 02:43 PM
Your points are very valid, Moos. No one knows how things will play out come July 13, but I will say to EA SPORTS' credit that they are doing a better job of getting the Community Events early enough to get feedback into the title. As you and I know, that wasn't an option at events like the NCAA 08 & 09 event which were held when the game was all but finished. IMO, the NCAA team is doing what they can to try and solve as many in-game issues that exist as quickly as possible. We'll find that out leading up to 7-13.

And I would pay to hear you scream "Show me the money!" :p Glad to see you here! I hope to see you sign up for the Championship Series.

CLW
06-21-2010, 02:53 PM
I guess we just have to trust EA that they "greatly improved" (whatever that means) the DB AI and the pass rush. Using subjective/vague terms like that leaves EA opened up to MAJOR ridicule if people are not happy with the pass rush/DB AI improvements.

What I would call "greatly improved" is going to be much different that what someone else might call "greatly improved" which of course is different from what EA calls "greatly improved". It's like that "hope" and "change" stuff. But I digress.

Moostache
06-21-2010, 03:31 PM
And I would pay to hear you scream "Show me the money!" :p Glad to see you here! I hope to see you sign up for the Championship Series.

Thanks Chris, if I could get pre-recorded sound bites to play through my headset, people would be hearing it online during every game! SHOOOOOOOW MEEEEE THHHHEEE MOOOOONNNEEEYYYY!!!!

I am registered for the series...just got to decide which console to play on...I did both the last 2 years and its really hurts my participation because I was constantly switching back and forth (makes getting a good series of games in against one or two opponents that way)...

I'm leaning towards the 360 this year and moving my Madden playing to PS3 to have a more natural split.

Moostache
06-21-2010, 03:36 PM
I will say to EA SPORTS' credit that they are doing a better job of getting the Community Events early enough to get feedback into the title. As you and I know, that wasn't an option at events like the NCAA 08 & 09 event which were held when the game was all but finished. IMO, the NCAA team is doing what they can to try and solve as many in-game issues that exist as quickly as possible.

The NCAA team has seemed to be MUCH more responsive to their fans compared to the Madden team this year. I will still enjoy the game (with the right opponents, the wrong ones just get a quit or no games in the first place), but like I have been saying over at MMP, I can't help but wonder "what if"? Especially, wondering what would NCAA 11 play like if it had everything it does and added the Euphoria based collisions to handle tackles, blocking and big hits...one day, one day...

beartide06
06-21-2010, 03:53 PM
Every time I have gotten let down on something this year or been worried EA has actually countered that with updates like this lol. I am very glad that almost all the glitches I have seen are fixed so far. There are still a couple that were not mentioned on the list that I have seen, but nothing too drastic.

Rudy
06-21-2010, 05:07 PM
I really like the list. The real test is how much that stuff improved. I'm probably going to keep playing my Detroit Tigers season with just a little of the NCAA demo sprinkled in until release. I'm tired of 2 minute quarters.

Sinister
06-21-2010, 05:42 PM
CDJ, would you be able to tell me if the Rocket catch exploit means no jump ball on offense or something else that was triggering the animation that made it unstable.

Flav
06-21-2010, 05:44 PM
I'm also interested in hearing about the rocket catch. I formally used to be a tournament style player and I would cheese so I'm just wondering what it was like in the demo (haven't tried)

Sinister
06-21-2010, 05:46 PM
I'm also interested in hearing about the rocket catch. I formally used to be a tournament style player and I would cheese so I'm just wondering what it was like in the demo (haven't tried)

i liked it . it didn't seem to powerful to me but having taller recievers jump for the ball i thought was cool, also i saw an animation where he jumped stretched out for the ball and fell on his back.

cdj
06-21-2010, 05:46 PM
CDJ, would you be able to tell me if the Rocket catch exploit means no jump ball on offense or something else that was triggering the animation that made it unstable.

EA would have to clarify that. I would assume a jump ball is still possible, not the part where the QB can bullet it in ever time. That's just a guess though.

JeffHCross
06-21-2010, 07:40 PM
Lurkers! I know you are there! Still haven't figured out why you haven't tabbed myself and JeffH to fix the UM and OSU rosters for you every year!!Hahaha. I would be hopeless at updating the Buckeyes this year. Spent too much time thinking about my 1995 team.

JeffHCross
06-21-2010, 07:41 PM
So it seems that they fixed all the problems from the demo for the retail. So whats going to be in the day 1 patch that I heard about?The day 1 patch, from what I've seen, in just a rumor on some sites. They're expecting that these fixes are actually going to be in an early patch, rather than the retail release. I haven't seen anything official on a Day 1 Patch yet. It's speculation at this point.

Sinister
06-21-2010, 11:11 PM
i think the rocket catch thing may have to do with defense , i was playing a bit ago and i watched the safety run with his back to the ball turn and jump , while my reciever had to take a step then turn and jump.

Jayrah
06-22-2010, 12:25 AM
The day 1 patch was speculation/hope as far as I know based on all the issues in the demo. Because of the early CD though, most of the issues will be or already have been addressed prior to release. So the need for a day 1 patch is now muted.

jaymo76
06-22-2010, 12:40 AM
As long as defense (coverage and line play) are improved I will be very happy. :cool:

jaymo76
06-22-2010, 12:56 AM
I know it's not related to gameplay, but in the demo at the half the players go to the locker rooms and then the game pauses to start the third quarter. CDJ et al, is that how it is in the final version or is there any sort of halftime stat pack or highlights??? Just curious. :)

procops1
06-22-2010, 01:48 AM
HA! Don't count on it, us Husker fans have got 2 guys WHO GO TO THE COMMUNITY DAYS EVERY YEAR & still we can't seem to get any input! Although I will say I'm pretty happy with the Husker's roster this year for the most part so maybe we do have some pull after all! :p

yeah how is niles paul like an 83?! the man is a beast come on.

cdj
06-22-2010, 08:01 AM
I know it's not related to gameplay, but in the demo at the half the players go to the locker rooms and then the game pauses to start the third quarter. CDJ et al, is that how it is in the final version or is there any sort of halftime stat pack or highlights??? Just curious. :)

I think there are some extra cutscenes and graphics, but we didn't see a halftime show or anything like that.

JBHuskers
06-22-2010, 08:19 AM
yeah how is niles paul like an 83?! the man is a beast come on.

800 yards and 4 TDs last year....I'd say that's not a bad rating for him.

Kwizzy
06-22-2010, 08:25 AM
800 yards and 4 TDs last year....I'd say that's not a bad rating for him.

Yeah I don't really have a problem with Niles' rating (or really anyone on offense, if anything they're overrated. See Dontrayevous Robinson!) Like I said, I'm actually pretty impressed with our roster in the game this year. our D may be a bit underrated but not a huge deal. Maybe we should take this elsewhere...

CLW
06-22-2010, 08:58 AM
As long as defense (coverage and line play) are improved I will be very happy. :cool:

If those two issues are addressed adequately to provide some balance this game has all the potential to be great.

I OU a Beatn
06-22-2010, 11:10 AM
It's unfortunate that we wont be able to see the fixes in action until the actual game comes out. I have a hard time believing they fully fixed the pass rush and pass coverage, but I don't have any way of knowing for sure until I buy it.

jaymo76
06-26-2010, 09:22 PM
It's unfortunate that we wont be able to see the fixes in action until the actual game comes out. I have a hard time believing they fully fixed the pass rush and pass coverage, but I don't have any way of knowing for sure until I buy it.

Past experience tells me you are probably correct. I haven't been impressed by Dline play since 07 on last gen.:o