• 'Thank You' from NCAA Football Executive Producer Roy Harvey

    In a blog from NCAA Football Executive Producer Roy Harvey, we learn about Live Tuning, the second game update, and improvements being made to the online experience.

    Click Read More to view the entire blog and to share your thoughts with the community.

    Thank You!

    It's been a while since my last blog (see: A New Game Plan - March 2010) where I outlined our philosophy for the game and the new approach our team took in developing NCAA Football 11. An approach centered on three key elements, Core Gameplay, Collegiate Presentation, and Innovation. Based on the response to the game so far, it seems like we're on the right track. Your response has been fantastic and it certainly wouldn't have been possible without all the great feedback, suggestions, and support from you, our community of passionate college football fans. I want to personally thank everyone who's taken time to send us an email, complete a survey, or post their feedback on the various game forums. The input we receive, both positive and negative, helps us continually improve the game experience today and moving forward.

    IT'S THE SOUND YOU'VE WAITED DAYS TO HEAR... ;-)

    With a nod to my favorite NCAA Football intro video, first things first... I'm happy to report that a title update is coming soon. Look for this in about two-to-three weeks or so (currently estimating mid-August). We'll communicate the official dates as soon as they're locked in.

    This new update covers a variety of fixes and improvements. The team will release more details in the coming days, but I wanted to provide a few highlights as well as discuss one final game "feature" that we have yet to formally announce. First some background...

    WHY BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD FOOTBALL GAMES

    Some of you may wonder, and rightfully so, "how did they miss that bug?!!" The same thing goes on here at the studio, "HOW DID WE MISS THAT BUG!!" usually with some colorful expletives thrown in for good measure.

    But why does this happen? To start with, software development is a complex science and this is why nearly every game and software company on the planet is continually challenged and often frustrated in the pursuit of software perfection. Windows Service Packs, multiple iPhone O/S and application updates, etc. You get the picture...

    Now let's consider video games. Sports games are some of the most complex video games in existence today, and I'd argue that the logic and sophistication of football rivals them all. The real-world game of college football is complicated enough with its massive and constantly evolving rulebook, schedules, and even conference realignments*. Now try to imagine the complexity of a video game in full HD running at 60 frames-per-second while attempting to mimic not only visual photorealism in 5.1 stereo but believable simulated behavior of 22 individual players, refs, coaching staff, broadcasters, and fans. And now connect that same experience to hundreds of thousands of players through a broad array of servers and databases across the country all in real-time over a far-less-than-perfect Internet. This is also why features that seemed almost trivial in the last generation of consoles, seem to be advancing slower with this new generation. Hardware, connectivity, and the scale of "HD" just make everything much more complex to properly develop and execute. To give you some perspective, the NCAA Football 11 codebase contains more than 10 million lines of source code and script combined with over 350 gigabytes of graphics, sound, and data files. This all then gets compiled, compressed, and packaged into what you'll find on your game disk.

    Over the past year we logged tens-of-thousands of hours of QA on the game in addition to tens-of-thousands of hours more in scripted game testing through networks of automated game consoles here at the studio. And even for all that testing, anomalies, exploits, and bugs can still happen. Consider that within days of game launch, more than 1,000,000 games will be played - more games than can be possibly exercised by an army of testers in a single year.

    This isn't an excuse for not getting things right the first time, but I did want to provide some context. Sometimes the problems are edge-cases; sometimes it's an issue of massive online scale that can't be reproduced in a lab, or simply plain old human error. But when problems are discovered please know that we as developers, and true longtime fans of the game, also share your frustration. We take bugs very seriously. Our number one goal is to always deliver the highest quality and most enjoyable game of simulated college football possible. Which brings me to the last unannounced feature you'll find in NCAA Football 11... One way in which we've been working to improve the game experience for everyone this year.

    NEW FOR NCAA FOOTBALL 11 -- LIVE TUNING PACKAGES

    A number of you have already noticed that we do a check for "Online Gameplay Tuning" when connecting to our online servers. Some of you may also have found a new "Tuning" category in the Files menu. This is a new technology for NCAA Football 11 that allows us to not only live update and tune core gameplay parameters -- like fumbles, throw accuracy, and juke success ratings -- but it also allows us to rebalance certain core features such as recruiting logic, blocking, even control the intensity of shadows cast by the football on a sunny day!

    These new Live Tuning Packages (LTPs) contain literally 1000's of key parameters which drive the heart of our game; parameters that live well below the level of specific player or team ratings. With our new LTPs we can often turn changes around in a few days. It can't solve everything, and some issues will still require a traditional client update, but for many items it's definitely a more powerful and faster strategy for tuning throughout the season.

    Our first LTP should be arriving next week along with detailed notes on what the update contains. I can tell you that based on the collective feedback we've received, we will be carefully down-tuning the athleticism of defensive lineman and reduce the number of impressive picks by the big guys. We're also looking to address a few important dynasty progression and recruiting issues.

    NCAA FOOTBALL 11 ONLINE SERVER UPDATES

    The NCAA Football Live Team, a group dedicated to server-side health and maintenance, has been very busy over the last two weeks since launch. We apologize for any issues you may have experienced in recent days. The team has been upgrading hardware, tuning databases, and fixing web issues as they arise. Most of these changes happen behind-the-scenes on a daily and nightly basis. Here a few of the most visible fixes so far:

    -- Fixed online leaderboard exploit
    -- Fixed potential crash at online team-select screen
    -- Fixed post-game email formatting
    -- Optimized various database queries
    -- Various hardware upgrades and backend optimizations

    Work will continue on server optimizations throughout the season to ensure a fast and enjoyable online experience for everyone. We're also working to do a better job of communicating upcoming fixes and outages so that everyone has a better handle on what's happening. And by the way, just to dispel a common myth, if you have lag issues when playing an online opponent, it's unlikely to be an EA Server issue. Our matchmaking system works by telling your consoles to directly connect to each other for the game and then report back the results. The network traffic doesn't go through our servers like an MMO. If you have problems or disconnects, it could be your ISP, local networking gear, or simply someone unhappy about the way the game is going and pulling the cord. It happens. ;-)

    NCAA FOOTBALL 11 CLIENT UPDATE 2

    More details on the client update to come, but here are three of the big ones we've solved:

    -- RANDOM PLAY ACTION CRAZINESS - Sure it looks funny, but annoying as heck when it costs you a drive or a game. We're sorry we missed this one as well and apologize for the issue.

    -- SEASON SHOWDOWN STATS REPORTING - The season showdown warning is harmless right now and this issue and related lobby problems ultimately get fixed with the update.

    -- UNIFORMS THAT NEVER NEED WASHING - This is one of the more painful ones for us given all the work on visuals this year. The game actually does degrade uniforms; unfortunately we broke something in a final build that made the impact way too subtle. Consider this one solved with the update. And we want you to know that we've really been enjoying the great "Art of NCAA Football" threads. It's clear we have some incredible photographic talent in our community! So I expect things will go next-level when the update rolls out. For example, this shot comes straight out of the updated game:



    LOOKING AHEAD

    My apologies to longtime fans like ODogg who can't find peace without dreadlocks. ;-) Or others who've been aggressively petitioning for broadcast cameras or bowl patches. We just weren't able to get them into NCAA Football 11 given all the other work we had to take care of this year. And unfortunately, these aren't things that we can simply "patch in". I can tell you they're on our wishlists as well and we hope to get to them in a future version. Look for a link to a new Satisfaction and Feature Request Survey in my next blog.

    Thanks again for the great support!

    Roy
    NCAA Football 11
    Executive Producer

    PS -- You can still email me at NCAAFootballFeedback@ea.com. As always, given the incredible amount of email I get daily, I don't always have time to reply, but I do promise I'll read everything you send. Please keep it civil and spam free ;-)

    * Conference changes for next year's real-world NCAA College Football season didn't officially happen until after our game was completed and off to manufacturing.
    Comments 72 Comments
    1. morsdraconis's Avatar
      morsdraconis -
      An EXCELLENT article. I REALLY like having Roy as the Executive Producer for this game. He comes across VERY intelligently and definitely seems to really care about making the game the best it can be. Definitely one of the best hiring/promotions EA has made in a while.
    1. JeffHCross's Avatar
      JeffHCross -
      Incredible write-up. Exactly the type of communication that has been lacking from a lot of game companies over the years. Very impressive.
    1. JeffHCross's Avatar
      JeffHCross -
      On another note, this blog post is making me feel ridiculously good. What an ego boost.

      1) Earlier today I said "for all we know" they're working on tuners and patches. Bingo.
      2) When the uniform degradation was first mentioned I missing, I suggested that the lighting changes may have nullified it. Boom goes the dynamite.

      Just feels good to get some things right. It's a rare thing for me.

      EDIT: cdj/whoever, it'd be really nice to get something from Roy or the team about whether or not the dynasty/recruiting/progression fixes would necessitate a restart of the dynasty.
    1. TheShockDoctor's Avatar
      TheShockDoctor -
      I am very impressed with the work they are putting in even though the game is already out. And it is greatly appreciated
    1. JBHuskers's Avatar
      JBHuskers -
      Roy is a very cool guy....that was a great write-up....

      Surprised that this is coming on a patch -
      UNIFORMS THAT NEVER NEED WASHING - This is one of the more painful ones for us given all the work on visuals this year. The game actually does degrade uniforms; unfortunately we broke something in a final build that made the impact way too subtle. Consider this one solved with the update. And we want you to know that we've really been enjoying the great "Art of NCAA Football" threads. It's clear we have some incredible photographic talent in our community! So I expect things will go next-level when the update rolls out. For example, this shot comes straight out of the updated game:
    1. PigSooie's Avatar
      PigSooie -
      Great article and great news.

      These guys really deserve a pat on the back for communicating with the fans and working hard to make NCAA Football a great game. They obviously care about the fans and their product. Very refreshing.
    1. Roy38's Avatar
      Roy38 -
      Great update from the EA front. I really like the direction the new Executive Producer is taking this franchise.

      As much as we complain about issues, bugs, etc., you know there is no way they can replicate the amount of data they can collect in one weeks time after the game has been released. In some ways, we are the product testers, and he acknowledges that in a stand up, professional matter.
    1. steelerfan's Avatar
      steelerfan -
      This is great news!

      I'm very happy to hear about the progression being addressed. Also, I thought that something must be up with the clean uniforms. I wasn't willing to believe that they implemented the fantastic Linear Lighting at the expense of degradation. I'm really glad to know it's fixed. I guess we won't have to wait "months" for tuners either. Great news!

      Thank you, devs, for the hard work!
    1. ebin's Avatar
      ebin -
      Wow, that was a fantastic read. This is exactly the kind of communication we've been asking, nee begging, for for years. It is both refreshing and reassuring to hear Roy talk about how important it is to them to get things right. This franchise is clearly in good hands.

      I've read people say that EA can't afford to admit that they are working on patch, that it somehow will scare away potential buyers. I think this article demonstrates just the opposite. The people for whom this stuff really matters (us) have, for the most part, already bought the game. The guys who buy it to pass the time until the season starts aren't going to care about the things that get fixed in the patch, and acknowledging that EA knows about the concerns and is working on a fix reassures and rewards those loyal customers. Hats off to Roy for recognizing that and reaching out to the community.

      Oh, and I'm STOKED to see uniform degradation in a patch! Come mid-August, I might never get off the couch, lol.
    1. Sinister's Avatar
      Sinister -
      this is making really hard to want to play madden . ncaa is just so good . madden better be as good or for the first time madden will be collecting the dust.
    1. CLW's Avatar
      CLW -
      Good news!

      On a semi-related note, several people are reporting that after multiple years in dynasty mode all the teams stink. I think someone indicated that there were only 2 B+ teams in the entire country after 15 years. No A- no A no A+ teams. Any of you powers that be with contacts heard anything about whether this issue is being worked on/EA is aware of it? Its like the exact opposite of the problem last year of over progression.
    1. cdj's Avatar
      cdj -
      I think that's the progression issue they are talking about, but not 100% sure though.

      JB simmed ahead 4-5 years and saw that Alabama was the highest rated team at B+ - but they had went 55-1 in that time!
    1. rhombic21's Avatar
      rhombic21 -
      Will we get some kind of on-screen notification when a new tuner set has been released? Other than just playing and looking for differences, is there something that will notify us when an update has been posted?
    1. cdj's Avatar
      cdj -
      Quote Originally Posted by rhombic21 View Post
      Will we get some kind of on-screen notification when a new tuner set has been released? Other than just playing and looking for differences, is there something that will notify us when an update has been posted?
      When you start up the game, it checks for an 'Online Tuning Update' (I think that's what the game calls it) and when deployed you should see the percentage meter as it downloads it. I'm under the impression they will post a blog stating what's in the Live Tuning update before deploying it.
    1. jaymo76's Avatar
      jaymo76 -
      Man I like this guy. What a class act. I love seeing the "messy" unis and I'm glad to hear that recruiting and leaping linebackers are things that MAY be fixed in the first tuner set.
    1. xMrHitStickx904's Avatar
      xMrHitStickx904 -
      great article right there, makes me be very patient for an update with this article, impressive read right there.
    1. skipwondah33's Avatar
      skipwondah33 -
      I've been trying to say something similar to people for the longest time whenever I heard negative gripes about games. "software development is a complex science"
    1. ebin's Avatar
      ebin -
      Quote Originally Posted by skipwondah33 View Post
      I've been trying to say something similar to people for the longest time whenever I heard negative gripes about games. "software development is a complex science"
      It's amazing how many people think "fixing" things in video games is just a matter of toggling a few settings. Not anybody here, of course!
    1. skipwondah33's Avatar
      skipwondah33 -
      Quote Originally Posted by ebin View Post
      It's amazing how many people think "fixing" things in video games is just a matter of toggling a few settings. Not anybody here, of course!
      Yeah its the same stuff I here from my co-workers dealing with their computers. lol
    1. JBHuskers's Avatar
      JBHuskers -
      Quote Originally Posted by jaymo76 View Post
      Man I like this guy. What a class act. I love seeing the "messy" unis and I'm glad to hear that recruiting and leaping linebackers are things that MAY be fixed in the first tuner set.
      Yes very GREAT guy for this franchise. I've had the honor of meeting him, very awesome and very down to earth.