NCAA Football 13: Gameplay Webcast - Recap

[baseballplyrmvp]

they didnt talk about weight/momentum.....was anything changed regarding that?

i keep coming back to this extreme example but its a good indicator of how flawed some aspects of the game are.

you can edit a d-tackle to be 7'0" tall, 400 lbs, but only a 50 ovr rating, and have him line up over an offensive guard who's 5'5" tall, 160 lbs, but a 99 ovr; and the guard will hold the d-tackle back all game long. a sumo wrestler vs a 6th grader in a shoving match....and the 6th grader wins?

Honestly, I don't this engine allows for all of that. At least to the degree that we want it to be.

oh, i know it can be done. i was playing madden 11 last night, and i had a 260 lb center who was driven 6 yards back into my quarterback by terrance cody in a 1 on 1 engagement. madden 11 had this!

i'm not talking about an all out physics type of engine. i just want to see the line play move. i want to see a road-grading (330 lbs+) right guard and tackle be able to drive defenders 10 yards downfield. i wanna see a 350 lb d-tackle drive an o-lineman back into the qb just because of how much bigger he is than the o-lineman. i want to see these kinds of things.

[baseballplyrmvp]

dp

[WolverineJay]

Any changes or tuning to the non-option running game? Can the user tell the difference between a power back(I was one and I haven't felt the game replicates this accurately since NCAA 06) and a finesse back(Jukes, running to daylight, avoiding contact)?

[psuexv]

Definitely will be interested to hear more about the WR catching. As was stated in one of the other threads, it will be interesting for example if I read a blitz and my WR doesn't, but I throw the ball with a little more lob to get it there slower will he be able to turn and see the ball to make a catch.

[Gotmadskillzson]

1. No mention of WR/DB jostling.

2. No mention of improving OL/DL interaction.

3. No mention of fixing the pass rush for DEs.

4. No mention of CPU ball carriers actually using their special moves: Spin, Juke, Stiff arm

5. No mention of fixing the elusive animation for it don't look like the damn truck animation.

6. No mention of punt blocks or FG blocks.

7. No mention of CPU punters doing coffin corner kicks in the right situation instead of just kicking it into the end zone.

8. No mention of pass interference.

9. No mention of fixing the bull rush animation.

10. No mention of expanded ratings, new ratings, DPP, improvements to locomotion.

11. No mention of fixing the QB from sliding when he only has 1 defender in front of him.

[Avross]

I was thinking to myself about how bad madden is compared to NCAA which is the real bread winner for EA it's strange we haven't heard any news from madden 13. Besides Nike uniforms. I actually like playing madden 12 online. I think they got alot of things to talk about in order to be talked bout with NCAA series. NCAA have done some major improving in the last 3yrs. It's funny they push NCAA to the limits everytime just imagine what's gone happen with the new gen consoles. They will have so much more space to add more plays animations teams specific traditions. Maybe spring games it's endless. Im Sure they are working on it now

[Kwizzy]

Long story short here fellas, Line play was NOT the focus this year. I know it's disappointing for many of us who have it ranked as the top gameplay item, but it it what it is. The decision was made to focus on the passing game aspects discussed in the playbook. Now, as someone who typically focusses on the run game (especially from the shotgun & pistol) I was pretty dsappointed when the gameplay enhancements were announced but only because they are not in MY most important areas. 2 of my top 3-4 wishlist items were OL/DL play & momentum in interactions. This is not to say that things haven't been tuned because, as G said, they have done some with it. The overhaul many hoped for was not in the plans this year. Disappointing for many I know, but once you deal with that fact, read on.

(Please note that I have only been able to attend the January event this year so many of my opinions are based on presentations given and conversations with the devs about the features they were working on. CDJ, JB, and G have had more recent time with the game so they'd be better judges of implementation.)

That all being said, the areas that they DID focus on are very impressive and spot on. The things they have set out to address will greatly impact the passing game. None of these improvements are fluff IMO. They are details, no matter how minor, that will greatly reduce some of the frustrating BS that has happened in the passing game in recent years. I will try to post a more detailed list of my thoughts later but just to sum up my general thoughts I'd say: Not the direction I'd personally hoped for but still a very stong & needed Gameplay feature set.

[gschwendt]

#3 - How the hell do we know where to pre-order from w/o knowing anything about the new Heisman Mode?
#5 - Wasn't leading passes with L stick already in the game?
#6 - Trajectory - how is it different from what we have now? Sounds like the exact same system where you can throw Moon Balls or Bullets but it looks allot better.
#16 Read/React - Wait/See approach on if they eliminate psychic DBs by CPU. ?: if I user control the defender must my player be able to see the ball to swat?

3-Wait until the Heisman Mode playbook
5-It was, but this is definitely to a much larger degree. It's similar to the past but far from the same
6-As I understand it, there are different lobs so if you're throwing a 10 yard lob, it won't go to as high an extreme versus a 40 yard lob.
16-I'm not 100% certain but I'm fairly sure that you'll still have user control over those things. I'll do some testing this week.

I absolutely love the changes and new additions to the game. I feel like the gameplay should finally be more sim and way less arcade. Only things I didn't see addressed are Line play and penalties. What goes on in the trenches so to speak is probably the most important factor on how successful you are on gameday. I would appreciate it if the CD guys would chime in on those two legacy issues.

Ok I see G has addressed some areas that weren't overhauled, but what about penalties? Any tuning or changes to them?

Trust me, they know that we want line play addressed, I assure you of that. It's not happening this year unfortunately but they know how big of a complaint this is. As for penalties, I'm not aware of any specifics on that... I'll try to find out more but from a personal standpoint, that's never been a huge issue from the community until this year (NCAA12). I think the OL/DL, WR/DB, and Special Teams have always drowned those out, at least in my mind.

they didnt talk about weight/momentum.....was anything changed regarding that?

i keep coming back to this extreme example but its a good indicator of how flawed some aspects of the game are.

you can edit a d-tackle to be 7'0" tall, 400 lbs, but only a 50 ovr rating, and have him line up over an offensive guard who's 5'5" tall, 160 lbs, but a 99 ovr; and the guard will hold the d-tackle back all game long. a sumo wrestler vs a 6th grader in a shoving match....and the 6th grader wins?

I don't know if they made any specific changes to that this year but I know that last year that was improved... weight particularly mattered in blocking matchups. That said, ratings are going to override characteristics... otherwise, what is the purpose of having those ratings.

Did you feel as though the pass rush was able to get there quicker than last year consistently? Last year it was basically an instant sack or 8 seconds to throw the ball.

I haven't seen the game since January so I really can't give very good impression on that. However I'll certainly look at it while I'm down there this week.

Any changes or tuning to the non-option running game? Can the user tell the difference between a power back(I was one and I haven't felt the game replicates this accurately since NCAA 06) and a finesse back(Jukes, running to daylight, avoiding contact)?

I don't believe they gave any particular focus to that but that's not to say that small tuning couldn't improve it somehwat. I'll take a look and give you some feedback on what I see.

[WolverineJay]

Thanks Kwizzy. I see what you're saying and do wish other areas were the main focus for gameplay in 13'. I really think it would be in EA Tiburon's and us as a community best interests to have the first community day whenever they are deciding what to focus on gameplay wise. I understand you guys like me want the best game possible but it seems your hands are tied on how much of an impact you can truly make if the decisions are made and implemented before you even get there. Having said that I'm sure you do your best to give feedback in the areas of the game that need serious overhaul and improvement.

Thanks G for taking the time to answer our questions. I do appreciate what all you CD guys do each year.

[illwill10]

Any changes to playbook and Dline play?

[gschwendt]

Any changes to playbook and Dline play?

What changes are you looking for in each area? As mentioned, no overhaul to OL/DL interactions but if there's something else you're looking at specifically, let us know.

[xMrHitStickx904]

Any changes to playbook and Dline play?

Read Kwizzy's post sir.

[illwill10]

Long story short here fellas, Line play was NOT the focus this year. I know it's disappointing for many of us who have it ranked as the top gameplay item, but it it what it is. The decision was made to focus on the passing game aspects discussed in the playbook. Now, as someone who typically focusses on the run game (especially from the shotgun & pistol) I was pretty dsappointed when the gameplay enhancements were announced but only because they are not in MY most important areas. 2 of my top 3-4 wishlist items were OL/DL play & momentum in interactions. This is not to say that things haven't been tuned because, as G said, they have done some with it. The overhaul many hoped for was not in the plans this year. Disappointing for many I know, but once you deal with that fact, read on.

([

I am run-first guy. There were alot of games where if I had 60+ plays on offense, I ran 40+, even 50 times a game. I recruited 2-3 RBs at a time. If i didnt have 200 yards rushing a game or had a big advantage in TOP, I was disappointed. But, I run majority out of pro-style formations.
I was actually hoping for a realistic rb touch slider. I want to run a RBBC offense like LSU. But, I dont want to make serious changes to fatigue slider that will keep my star RB out.

[illwill10]

What changes are you looking for in each area? As mentioned, no overhaul to OL/DL interactions but if there's something else you're looking at specifically, let us know.

I dont know why I put Playbook there. I meant run game.
As far as DLine, I want to know if DTs arent overpowered as they were last year and if DEs have a bigger impact. I can deal with OL play as far as no double team pass blocking and almost entire offense syncing up and blocking every defender on a run play.

As far a run Game, I want to know about any changes to break tackle animations

[WolverineJay]

I'm taking it that the QB Ratings from Madden still haven't come over to NCAA? Short, Medium, Deep Passing Accuracy, Throw on the Run, and Playaction. I was really hoping with the passing game changes this would be included.

Even if it was generic like a Scrambler would have low PA ability but a very high Throw on the Run rating and a pocket passer would have terrible ability to throw on the run. If they aren't in can Awareness be tuned in somehow to make it where higher AWR Qb's are better at PA and get more bites on the play fake or pump fake although not ideal it would still help make the smart veteran QB stand out over the young inexperienced QB.

[Kwizzy]

Thanks Kwizzy. I see what you're saying and do wish other areas were the main focus for gameplay in 13'. I really think it would be in EA Tiburon's and us as a community best interests to have the first community day whenever they are deciding what to focus on gameplay wise. I understand you guys like me want the best game possible but it seems your hands are tied on how much of an impact you can truly make if the decisions are made and implemented before you even get there. Having said that I'm sure you do your best to give feedback in the areas of the game that need serious overhaul and improvement.

Thanks G for taking the time to answer our questions. I do appreciate what all you CD guys do each year.

I actually think that the January event is a a perfect point to get the community events started. It's early enough in the cycle to still have a real impact in the game (At least one really HUGE thing that I noticed from our first event conversations was added that wouldn't have been in the game) while being late enough in the cycle for us to be hands on with some of the stuff that's already done. If we went any earlier we wouldn't be able to test out anything directly.

As for bringing us in while they are deciding what to include in this year's game: They have our lists from the end of the event in January. I know my list and others include not only feedback on the current game, but a Top 3-10 items for each area for next year. On top of that, they constantly look on community sites & their own social networking accounts for feedback as well. All of that is factored in to the decision making process and with that they decide on a feature set.

As an example here are my Top 6 Items for NCAA 14 taken directly from my notes in January:

NCAA 14 Top 6 Gameplay Items:
1.OL/DL Interactions (Including momentum conservation)
2.Pursuit Angles and Realistic Run Fits
3.WR Blocking (In both running plays & in WR Screens)
4.New Win/Loss Animations
5.CPU AI Execution (Especially the QBs & HBs)
6.Special Teams Overhaul

*Edit*-I should note that Item 5 will be on my list until the day I can't tell whether I'm playing the CPU or a human player at all.

[WolverineJay]

I actually think that the January event is a a perfect point to get the community events started. It's early enough in the cycle to still have a real impact in the game (At least one really HUGE thing that I noticed from our first event conversations was added that wouldn't have been in the game) while being late enough in the cycle for us to be hands on with some of the stuff that's already done. If we went any earlier we wouldn't be able to test out anything directly.

NCAA 14 Top 6 Gameplay Items:
1.OL/DL Interactions (Including momentum conservation)
2.Pursuit Angles and Realistic Run Fits
3.WR Blocking (In both running plays & in WR Screens)
4.New Win/Loss Animations
5.CPU AI Execution (Especially the QBs & HBs)
6.Special Teams Overhaul

This is why I still think it would be in everyone's best interest to go in earlier and then again after the final decisions are made(like your January event) on what the next version will focus on. That way I think that one huge item that you got into NCAA 13 might have been 3 or 4, but who knows its all speculation on my part.

[Kwizzy]

This is why I still think it would be in everyone's best interest to go in earlier and then again after the final decisions are made(like your January event) on what the next version will focus on. That way I think that one huge item that you got into NCAA 13 might have been 3 or 4, but who knows its all speculation on my part.

To be clear, I'm not saying there's only 1 but that 1 really jumped out at me as Legend was giving his presentation. While I see what you're saying, I don't know that there would be value in making a trip before Jan. We are in pretty consistent contact with EA with regards to the community's feedback & wishlists. A good example of this is the TGT Wishlist tournament. You can ask CDJ, JB & G for more details but, one of the reasons it has become more broken out into different areas of the game & takes place earlier in the year now is a direct result to conversations with the devs as to how to make that bracket have as much impact as possible. I have personally been asked a dozen times "How'd we do addressing the tournament results?". So there are mechanisms inplace & constantly being tweaked to allow for more community impact. The events without the game there to be played would be pretty worthless IMO.

[baseballplyrmvp]

I don't know if they made any specific changes to that this year but I know that last year that was improved... weight particularly mattered in blocking matchups. That said, ratings are going to override characteristics... otherwise, what is the purpose of having those ratings.

thanks for the responce tommy. in responce to the bold, its absolutely true....and i'm not gonna question that.

however, in the example i referenced, i dont expect a 50 ovr 400 lb dt to toss aside a 99 ovr 160 lb guard like he's a ragdoll. that shouldnt happen due to the ratings. i fully expect the guard to stay in front of the dt and in-between the dt and the qb. from what we were told a couple of years ago, the run and pass block strength and footwork ratings are only used when a defender uses a particular move against them, and the generic run and pass block are used to get in position to block. even with that though, the 400 lb dt doesnt need to pull a move to have an impact in the game. he (dt) should still be able to push back the guard into the qb even if his moves arent working against the guard.

but hey, the additions they did make look awesome.

[WolverineJay]

To be clear, I'm not saying there's only 1 but that 1 really jumped out at me as Legend was giving his presentation. While I see what you're saying, I don't know that there would be value in making a trip before Jan. We are in pretty consistent contact with EA with regards to the community's feedback & wishlists. A good example of this is the TGT Wishlist tournament. You can ask CDJ, JB & G for more details but, one of the reasons it has become more broken out into different areas of the game & takes place earlier in the year now is a direct result to conversations with the devs as to how to make that bracket have as much impact as possible. I have personally been asked a dozen times "How'd we do addressing the tournament results?". So there are mechanisms inplace & constantly being tweaked to allow for more community impact. The events without the game there to be played would be pretty worthless IMO.

True they do have the wishlist tournament results to look at prior to the community events. And I do understand that a community event without the ability to actually play the game would be not as helpful to EA Tiburon as it is currently when you can give them immediate feedback after playing the new game.