PDA

View Full Version : NCAA Football 11 Demo Available Now! Share Your Impressions



Pages : [1] 2

cdj
06-14-2010, 03:49 AM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZf8OWt9JtQ
The NCAA Football 11 demo is currently available on X-Box Live and the PlayStation Network.

The demo features four match-ups playable in four two-minute quarters. The match-ups include Missouri vs. Clemson, Miami vs. Ohio State, Florida vs. Florida State, and Oklahoma vs. Texas. Playing each match-up as well as sharing word of the demo with friends will unlock selectable Nike Pro Combat uniforms for use in the full retail version of the game.

After downloading and playing the demo, leave your thoughts, comments, impressions, and detailed information on any bugs you may encounter here.

Flav
06-14-2010, 05:28 AM
This.. IS.. AMAZING. I'll have impressions when I get home from school :( (If i can drag myself to my car :p)

cdj
06-14-2010, 07:00 AM
Started my download on 360. Sitting at 18% on the 1.66 GB download.

Coachdenz
06-14-2010, 07:41 AM
I got up at 4AM this morning and seen your message saying the PS3 for later today, I should have just stayed up, once I go back to sleep it is to hard to get out of bed later :)


Once the PS3 is up please someone post.



Also another site saying 5 fumbles in one game, I hope this is not right and also this is not how they plan on balancing the game between offense and defense.

how about the pass rush?

waiting for more trusted sources.

cdj
06-14-2010, 07:56 AM
Coachdenz - Once the PS3 version is out, we'll post it here and update the main post on the first page.

The fumbles issue is an interesting one. I've seen posts at OS talking about it and some of it is happening when the QB slides.

JB, JStein, and I played the game in late April (demo was being finalized at that point) and the consensus was that fumbles may have been a bit high - personally, I didn't think so but I'm sure/hope they went with the consensus. I'd guess that based on feedback they toned it down and the retail version won't be like it is now.


My download is at 51%. I will try and get some vids up once it finishes.

Solidice
06-14-2010, 08:17 AM
got mine downloading now. ~26%

JBHuskers
06-14-2010, 08:37 AM
Will start my downloads around 5PM when I get home.

skipwondah33
06-14-2010, 08:48 AM
Yeah can't start mine until around then either.

Solidice
06-14-2010, 09:05 AM
just started Missouri at Clemson(me). in the rain..

rain falls on the camera during rain games. and the players actually look wet.

sounds like the new Stadium PA guy made it into this year's game.

JBHuskers
06-14-2010, 09:11 AM
just started Missouri at Clemson(me). in the rain..

rain falls on the camera during rain games. and the players actually look wet.

sounds like the new Stadium PA guy made it into this year's game.

Yep!

Solidice
06-14-2010, 09:21 AM
kicking seems less. tried a 56 yarder with Clemson's kicker and barely got to the endzone with full power kick.

Solidice
06-14-2010, 09:31 AM
lol. I don't know if the rain affects kicking, but I missed 2 FGs that cost me the win. Missouri beats me 10-7. presentation seems greatly improved. the post game "celebration" seems better, as in, you actually see players after the game. lol. I guess the captions go out to hand shake?

it's going to take some getting use to the new playcall screen as well as the locomotion. overall, I like the feel of the game. I saw quite a few new plays, just in clemson's playbook. although I never looked at their playbook in NCAA 10, so it's possible they're not new.

Solidice
06-14-2010, 09:35 AM
Starting OU vs. UT(me). Texas' band is still on the field at the begining, although only for a few seconds, before the team entrances.

love the pre-game warm-up. also, hungry for Reese's now.

also, forgot to mention, should have been my first mention, that the pass speeds is lower. no more 100 MPH fast balls like in NCAA 10.

HWill
06-14-2010, 09:37 AM
lol. I don't know if the rain affects kicking, but I missed 2 FGs that cost me the win. Missouri beats me 10-7. presentation seems greatly improved. the post game "celebration" seems better, as in, you actually see players after the game. lol. I guess the captions go out to hand shake?

it's going to take some getting use to the new playcall screen as well as the locomotion. overall, I like the feel of the game. I saw quite a few new plays, just in clemson's playbook. although I never looked at their playbook in NCAA 10, so it's possible they're not new.

Sounds good. Downloading right now. 22%

gschwendt
06-14-2010, 09:41 AM
Anton is streaming while he plays the demo.
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/ncaa-football11-demo-game-play#utm_campaign=twitter.com&utm_source=4583417&utm_medium=social

psusnoop
06-14-2010, 09:54 AM
Anton is streaming while he plays the demo.
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/ncaa-football11-demo-game-play#utm_campaign=twitter.com&utm_source=4583417&utm_medium=social


Thanks, got a kick out of him dropping 11 into coverage and the play taking about 2 minutes to finish

iBrandon
06-14-2010, 09:58 AM
I played three games before I went to work. So I’ll give a quick break down on what I saw.

Locomotion seems to really add to the game.
The game is very fluid.
The speed seems to be fine during gameplay, exceptt on kickoffs, the speed seems to be faster to me. Kind of weird.
I like the camera angle, some have complained about it.
We can change difficulty, but that’s about it. No sliders, no game speed slider.
Controller figuration – You can turn on auto pass and auto speed burst. I didn’t mess with those options though. So I’m not really sure what auto pass does.
QB sneak is done like Madden last year. QB falls forward and you pick which side.
Man alignment still doesn’t seem to work on defense.
ESPN integration is pretty cool.
I like the intro’s… I was getting some of the same cutscenes during pregame though. Maybe there will be more in retail version.
Commentary is really no different.
I was able to get some pretty good pressure with my front 4.
I tried to pitch the ball on an option twice while getting hit and it resulted in a turnover.


If I can think of more, I’ll post them. I made some notes on my phone to post while at work.

gschwendt
06-14-2010, 09:58 AM
Thanks, got a kick out of him dropping 11 into coverage and the play taking about 2 minutes to finish
Yeah... he's a tourney style player so don't expect true-sim. But he was one of the guys that EA brought down to NCAA CD and he was very helpful in input not only for how to fix some tourney style tactics but also just good input all around. I think he has a thread on here talking about wanting help in learning more sim tactics though.

HWill
06-14-2010, 10:00 AM
To the guys who have played it already, Do you think locomotion was worth the hype?

gschwendt
06-14-2010, 10:01 AM
To the guys who have played it already, Do you think locomotion was worth the hype?
From the impression I've read and my experience at CD, I'd say it is definitely worth the hype. A definite game-changer.

JBHuskers
06-14-2010, 10:03 AM
To the guys who have played it already, Do you think locomotion was worth the hype?

Definitely. The run game is a blast now....there are so many things you can do.

lilheavy
06-14-2010, 10:04 AM
Real quick...

Game feels new and fresh
The auto sprint does pretty well
Ace Bunch has a new end around play
New PA Boot HB Screen out of I Twins (was in the wishbone normal in 10)
Assignment AI gives you a better idea of where the hole should open up
WR Middle Screen will be deadly when called at the right time
Bubble screens are nice

JBHuskers
06-14-2010, 10:05 AM
I played three games before I went to work. So I’ll give a quick break down on what I saw.

Locomotion seems to really add to the game.
The game is very fluid.
The speed seems to be fine during gameplay, exceptt on kickoffs, the speed seems to be faster to me. Kind of weird.
I like the camera angle, some have complained about it.
We can change difficulty, but that’s about it. No sliders, no game speed slider.
Controller figuration – You can turn on auto pass and auto speed burst. I didn’t mess with those options though. So I’m not really sure what auto pass does.
QB sneak is done like Madden last year. QB falls forward and you pick which side.
Man alignment still doesn’t seem to work on defense.
ESPN integration is pretty cool.
I like the intro’s… I was getting some of the same cutscenes during pregame though. Maybe there will be more in retail version.
Commentary is really no different.
I was able to get some pretty good pressure with my front 4.
I tried to pitch the ball on an option twice while getting hit and it resulted in a turnover.


If I can think of more, I’ll post them. I made some notes on my phone to post while at work.

Yeah there are no drastic changes. A few added things here and there, and the subtraction of Corso.

HWill
06-14-2010, 10:10 AM
Thanks guys. Good to hear. This thing can't download fast enough.

cdj
06-14-2010, 10:11 AM
Just finished a game....Ohio State 17, Miami (CPU) 10. No fumbles, BTW Rudy. ;)

Going to upload them, hope to have it up by noon and more vids throughout the day.

JBHuskers
06-14-2010, 10:11 AM
Thanks guys. Good to hear. This thing can't download fast enough.

Hah ... 5PM can't come fast enough.

Solidice
06-14-2010, 10:15 AM
I've seen the "pro-tak" gang tackling 2 times in 2 games so far(I've been passing more though). both times it seemed good and like it "should".

Buckeye
06-14-2010, 10:19 AM
JB- I was hoping it would be earlier than 5pm for us PS3 guys considering it's E3 week. Guess not!

gschwendt
06-14-2010, 10:20 AM
JB- I was hoping it would be earlier than 5pm for us PS3 guys considering it's E3 week. Guess not!
As Jeff mentioned, today is not a normal PSN Update day so it could release at any time. Their usual time is between 2-5pm ET on Tuesdays so that's all we have to go off of.

JBHuskers
06-14-2010, 10:22 AM
JB- I was hoping it would be earlier than 5pm for us PS3 guys considering it's E3 week. Guess not!

Well I have both a 360 and PS3, but I'm at work and won't be home until then :D

Buckeye
06-14-2010, 10:32 AM
Well I have both a 360 and PS3, but I'm at work and won't be home until then :D

Great! I look forward to your impressions on the demo :)

Kwizzy
06-14-2010, 10:36 AM
I'm with ya JB.... get off work hopefully around 4 ish... I'm gonna start the DL & then I've got a trap shooting league on Monday nights so I probably wont be able to play it until after that. :rolleyes:

JBHuskers
06-14-2010, 10:38 AM
Great! I look forward to your impressions on the demo :)

Got to play the demo back at the end of April...curious to see if much changed. At that point, I think they were about one or two weeks from having to finalize the demo and sending it to Microsoft and Sony.

Solidice
06-14-2010, 10:41 AM
playing as FSU against Florida now. read option in Pistol formation now, didn't work too well for me. lol

also, the slant play in shotgun spread is changed, the outside WRs still does the slant, but the inside now does a bubble route(like the bubble screen, but with no blockers), instead of running a weird angle to the sidelines and turning 180 degrees like in the past.

Edit: NM. it's a new play. the one I was thinking about that was there last year is called quick slant. the new one is slant bubble. and they are both there.

AustinWolv
06-14-2010, 10:48 AM
Pulled it this morning and played about 7 quarters.

Wow, it is a gorgeous game. It feels like the previous game in some aspects, but very different in running the ball. Had a effing beautiful off-tackle run out of shotgun for a TD......the blocking was textbook-awesome. The blocking definitely looks better, but the defense still can blow it up, as I saw a stud LB shoot past an attempted block and stuff a run. It just looked like just good 'ol plain football, not suction crap. I was really trying to force the run at points, so the defense was keying on that and blew up some plays which was cool.

Didn't get a great feel for the read option yet, so need to practice with that. As I said, I was forcing the run a lot, so they were waiting on it. They jumped the speed option plays also.

Only ran a couple plays from under center, and the run blocking looked really good in-play. Would have loved to see the replay of the earlier-mentioned TD and a couple other runs.

Didn't play around with menu items at all, just sent the online invite out and went straight into game.

Squib kick is cool. :)

The bubbles, middle screens, and WR screen looks badass. Saw how coverage can blow them up and how one missed tackle turns into an 8 yard gain when the play looks bottled up..........very impressive in that is the type of stuff you see on Saturdays and how the agility and acceleration of playmakers could come into play.

Playing defense felt different as you can't just jet over to something and have to get used to the player's momentum.....I screwed up in coverage and gave up a TD due to that. Nice.
Didn't see a lot of changes in the defensive playbook, but the coverage animations and the way defenders go after the ball looks cleaner, not as video game hokey.
My CB picked off a nice pass in the endzone which looked natural, not morphed....he reacted to the ball as he was getting back into the play.

Initial impressions: I'm excited to play more. Can't wait to try more tonight and more of the plays and sets.

cdj
06-14-2010, 10:51 AM
The Draw play is deadly, especially Lead Draw out of I-Form. Just beat Texas 22-10. No fumbles in this game either.

AustinWolv
06-14-2010, 10:52 AM
Posted in the other thread by mistake:
http://www.thegamingtailgate.com/forums/showthread.php?277-NCAA-Football-11-Demo-Available-Now-(360)-Share-Your-Impressions&p=4196&viewfull=1#post4196

Camera seemed pretty good.

Buckeye
06-14-2010, 11:02 AM
Got to play the demo back at the end of April...curious to see if much changed. At that point, I think they were about one or two weeks from having to finalize the demo and sending it to Microsoft and Sony.

Yeah you guys have a much better perspective, having played different builds. I would really like to read your impressions on how they tuned blocking AI - "fixing" it from an X's and O's standpoint but at the same time making sure that there are instances of missed assignments like real life.

Solidice
06-14-2010, 11:06 AM
started playing as Miami versus OSU, scored a touchdown on a long run, celebrated with the mascot. :o

steelerfan
06-14-2010, 11:15 AM
The scores you guys are posting are very high for 2 minute quarters. Is the game clock stopping between plays on the demo?

Solidice
06-14-2010, 11:17 AM
my 3 games so far have been 10-7 loss, 10-7 win in OT, 13-10 win in OT. clock always stops on 1st downs, and people are probably running no-huddle I suppose.

HWill
06-14-2010, 11:27 AM
Just started playing as OSU against Miami. JB and gschwendt, you guys were right about locomotion. The running game feels different. Presentation is amazing. The animations are cleaner. The new playbook menu will take some getting used to, but overall, I am impressed.

Solidice
06-14-2010, 11:28 AM
the camera for squib kick needs some work. it couldn't keep up with the ball at all, then afterwards, the camera was in the ground. all I could see was grass.

Kingpin32
06-14-2010, 11:38 AM
Well I'm off to class, hopefully the demo will be up when I get out.

iBrandon
06-14-2010, 11:39 AM
I played three games before I went to work. So I’ll give a quick break down on what I saw.

Locomotion seems to really add to the game.
The game is very fluid.
The speed seems to be fine during gameplay, exceptt on kickoffs, the speed seems to be faster to me. Kind of weird.
I like the camera angle, some have complained about it.
We can change difficulty, but that’s about it. No sliders, no game speed slider.
Controller figuration – You can turn on auto pass and auto speed burst. I didn’t mess with those options though. So I’m not really sure what auto pass does.
QB sneak is done like Madden last year. QB falls forward and you pick which side.
Man alignment still doesn’t seem to work on defense.
ESPN integration is pretty cool.
I like the intro’s… I was getting some of the same cutscenes during pregame though. Maybe there will be more in retail version.
Commentary is really no different.
I was able to get some pretty good pressure with my front 4.
I tried to pitch the ball on an option twice while getting hit and it resulted in a turnover.
RB's seem to be able to get "skinny" and get through the hole.


If I can think of more, I’ll post them. I made some notes on my phone to post while at work.

AustinWolv
06-14-2010, 11:47 AM
Yeah, the playbook menus were slowing me down quite a bit; have to get used to how they are now.

CLW
06-14-2010, 11:49 AM
Sounds promising although the "high" scores (for 2 min qtrs) concern me.

gschwendt
06-14-2010, 11:49 AM
Watching Anton play the demo... he ran a Pistol HB Dive (at my request) and I'm happy to report that it looks like they fixed the animation on the handoff (thanks to my feedback :) ).

CLW
06-14-2010, 11:53 AM
Yeah there are no drastic changes. A few added things here and there, and the subtraction of Corso.


The subtraction of Corso can only be a good thing. Just sayin'

cdj
06-14-2010, 11:53 AM
The scores you guys are posting are very high for 2 minute quarters. Is the game clock stopping between plays on the demo?

My 22-10 score had my team (OU) with a 70+ yard TD run and I also scored in the final seconds to run up the score on Texas.

Solidice
06-14-2010, 11:56 AM
apparently I'm being used to invite to play the demo for the pro combat unlock. I've gotten about 10 messages already. lol

AustinWolv
06-14-2010, 11:56 AM
Sounds promising although the "high" scores (for 2 min qtrs) concern me.

Depends what level people were playing on and if turnovers occurred.

When guys are open, they are open and pretty easy to hit in the passing game. When they are covered, the CPU seems to do a pretty good job of staying with a guy and cutting off the passing lane, i.e. being between the receiver and the ball.

Plus, I was being a punk and going for 2pt conversions in order to check out more offensive plays. :)

HWill
06-14-2010, 11:57 AM
I like how they tweaked the speed rating. For instance, Pryor only has 82 speed, but still plays fast. BTW, Does anyone else have a craving for a Reese's, or is it just me?

EDIT: Pryor has 91 speed. Not sure what I was looking at.

AustinWolv
06-14-2010, 12:01 PM
Ha, the sponsored ad caught my eye too.

Don't recall anybody explicitly mentioning it, but when the CPU went no-huddle, you have access to your defensive playbook for the set you were in at the time, so you have all the blitzes, coverages, etc. to pick from in that set as compared to being stuck with your previous play call and audibles in previous versions.

CLW
06-14-2010, 12:01 PM
Depends what level people were playing on and if turnovers occurred.

When guys are open, they are open and pretty easy to hit in the passing game. When they are covered, the CPU seems to do a pretty good job of staying with a guy and cutting off the passing lane, i.e. being between the receiver and the ball.

Plus, I was being a punk and going for 2pt conversions in order to check out more offensive plays. :)

Sounds good. At other sites I was also seeing reported 28-0 and the like for scores. It was giving me concerns/night mares of Wide Open Gameplay 2.0.

Solidice
06-14-2010, 12:01 PM
of course, Reese's has the perfect balance of chocolate...... and peanut butter.

Solidice
06-14-2010, 12:18 PM
one of the bigger issue I've having is that sometimes my runner will get stuck on my blockers if I get too close and it's hard to get off of them. just going to take some time to get used to it I guess.

JBHuskers
06-14-2010, 12:26 PM
The subtraction of Corso can only be a good thing. Just sayin'

I agree. I found it funny that it took a couple hours of gameplay at Community Day to realize he wasn't in the commentary. :D

CLW
06-14-2010, 12:37 PM
I agree. I found it funny that it took a couple hours of gameplay at Community Day to realize he wasn't in the commentary. :D

Lol perhaps we have all learned to block out his now "painful" lines which have been the same since lord knows when. It would be interesting to know when the last time he actually did "work" in the EA studio to add to their commentary library. It has to have been years ago.

cdj
06-14-2010, 12:40 PM
Opening quarter of Ohio State vs. Miami:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FjUFtSx-Z8

ebin
06-14-2010, 12:41 PM
Don't recall anybody explicitly mentioning it, but when the CPU went no-huddle, you have access to your defensive playbook for the set you were in at the time, so you have all the blitzes, coverages, etc. to pick from in that set as compared to being stuck with your previous play call and audibles in previous versions.

Good to hear. Sounds like this will at least give the defense a fighting chance against the no-huddle.

gschwendt
06-14-2010, 12:43 PM
Lol perhaps we have all learned to block out his now "painful" lines which have been the same since lord knows when. It would be interesting to know when the last time he actually did "work" in the EA studio to add to their commentary library. It has to have been years ago.
They've added new lines with him every year up until now. The problem is that his are so unique that they easily become repetitive.

CLW
06-14-2010, 12:51 PM
Nice vid CDJ! What difficulty level were you playing on? It was nice to also see the Draw actually work quite nicely.

lilheavy
06-14-2010, 12:51 PM
Ha, the sponsored ad caught my eye too.

Don't recall anybody explicitly mentioning it, but when the CPU went no-huddle, you have access to your defensive playbook for the set you were in at the time, so you have all the blitzes, coverages, etc. to pick from in that set as compared to being stuck with your previous play call and audibles in previous versions.

I'll have to double check to confirm but I believe I was able to switch to a different formation also....


The Draw play is deadly, especially Lead Draw out of I-Form. Just beat Texas 22-10. No fumbles in this game either.

Yes...that play is deadly, and it looks beautiful when everything goes the way its supposed to. I also like the Ace spread set...it has the bubble screens on both sides with blocking, the bubble slants play, and then a draw play with the wideouts running the bubble slants routes. Thats a deadly combination right there. Also on option plays the pitch man actually maintains his pitch relation with the qb instead of running behind you to go block someone like he did last year. It felt good to pitch the ball about 25 yards down the field for a TD.

CLW
06-14-2010, 12:55 PM
They've added new lines with him every year up until now. The problem is that his are so unique that they easily become repetitive.

Wow that is somewhat surprising to me. However, you are probably right, his lines are so...... corny/over the top that after you hear it once you will undoubtely hear it a billion times until you would rather go through a SAW trap than to have to listen to it.

cdj
06-14-2010, 12:56 PM
I have it on All-American.

Going to work on Qtr 2, but here is the demo opening video with Kirk Herbstreit:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UgODHwIfvVM

rhombic21
06-14-2010, 12:58 PM
Enjoying the video, CDJ. If you get a chance, explore the defensive playbooks some. That's something we haven't heard much about, and I'd be interested to see if there are any changes, especially in the Nickel and Dime formations (which are likely to be more important than ever with all the new spread offensive plays/formations).

gschwendt
06-14-2010, 01:01 PM
Enjoying the video, CDJ. If you get a chance, explore the defensive playbooks some. That's something we haven't heard much about, and I'd be interested to see if there are any changes, especially in the Nickel and Dime formations (which are likely to be more important than ever with all the new spread offensive plays/formations).
Granted they weren't complete but my experience with them at CD was that they were largely the same. I believe at that time they mentioned they'd be visiting the defensive playbooks but not sure how much they were touched. I will say though that I sat down with one of the gameplay guys and showed him specifically the issues with 425 & 335 man coverage.

iBrandon
06-14-2010, 01:02 PM
Sounds promising although the "high" scores (for 2 min qtrs) concern me.

High scores shouldn't concern you... that's a problem every year until you mess with sliders.

iBrandon
06-14-2010, 01:13 PM
Ha, the sponsored ad caught my eye too.

Don't recall anybody explicitly mentioning it, but when the CPU went no-huddle, you have access to your defensive playbook for the set you were in at the time, so you have all the blitzes, coverages, etc. to pick from in that set as compared to being stuck with your previous play call and audibles in previous versions.
I haven't seen this mentioned either, but I love this.

AustinWolv
06-14-2010, 01:16 PM
I'll have to double check to confirm but I believe I was able to switch to a different formation also....
I don't recall seeing it, but what with the new playbook menus I might have missed that. Seems an argument could be made either way for that capability being included.

gschwendt
06-14-2010, 01:26 PM
I don't recall seeing it, but what with the new playbook menus I might have missed that. Seems an argument could be made either way for that capability being included.
Yeah, we went back and forth on that one for our feedback at CD. The end result being though that since the offense has their full playbook, so should the defense. However, with both of them, there are no player substitutions so if you were originally in 4-3 and after a no-huddle call Dime, you'll have OLBs as slot CBs.

AustinWolv
06-14-2010, 01:35 PM
Good deal, thanks for the confirmation.

Flav
06-14-2010, 01:37 PM
Just got home from school, about to dig in and finally enjoy a game without feeling rushed.

Flav
06-14-2010, 02:16 PM
Sort of having trouble running the read option.. When I pull and run the QB still follows the path that the RB is supposed to take. help?

ChiCitySports
06-14-2010, 02:41 PM
About to start downloading, from this thread I am very excited.

Solidice
06-14-2010, 02:56 PM
Sort of having trouble running the read option.. When I pull and run the QB still follows the path that the RB is supposed to take. help?

yeah, I'm having the same issue. I read the unblocked defender crashing down, I keep it with the QB, it seems almost like the QB completely stops for a second which allows the defense to pounce on my QB.

JBHuskers
06-14-2010, 03:08 PM
You guys will have to let me know what you think of the QB Player Lock / Road to Glory camera .... I worked on tuning it with Jeff Luhr back in March :)

Kingpin32
06-14-2010, 03:08 PM
Is there no more bluff playcalling? I couldn't really tell in CDJs video of the demo.

JBHuskers
06-14-2010, 03:16 PM
You guys will have to let me know what you think of the QB Player Lock / Road to Glory camera .... I worked on tuning it with Jeff Luhr back in March :) (posted this in the other thread too)

JBHuskers
06-14-2010, 03:17 PM
Is there no more bluff playcalling? I couldn't really tell in CDJs video of the demo.

It was in at community day. It's one of the trigger buttons IIRC.

Solidice
06-14-2010, 03:18 PM
after playing a few games and seeing the playbooks, I'm really looking forward to seeing Texas Tech's. bubble screens, improved draws will help out. still hoping for shovel passes, but kind of doubt it at this point. hopefully they added some more under the center plays. Tech uses motion when under center, and has a set of linked plays where a player(last year it was HB Harrison Jeffer for the most part) goes in motion with the snap coming right when he is at the QB. the ball can either go to the motion player, or to the HB behind the QB in a draw-like run, or a PA off all that for a pass. I think Houston had a similar play to it in NCAA 10.

Solidice
06-14-2010, 03:20 PM
You guys will have to let me know what you think of the QB Player Lock / Road to Glory camera .... I worked on tuning it with Jeff Luhr back in March :) (posted this in the other thread too)

is Jeff still the Lead designer for the NCAA game team? I know NCAA got a new Exe. Producer.

JBHuskers
06-14-2010, 03:21 PM
is Jeff still the Lead designer for the NCAA game team? I know NCAA got a new Exe. Producer.

He's a director of some sorts.

Kingpin32
06-14-2010, 03:23 PM
You guys will have to let me know what you think of the QB Player Lock / Road to Glory camera .... I worked on tuning it with Jeff Luhr back in March :) (posted this in the other thread too)

Speaking of Road to Glory, did they add anything new to it?

cdj
06-14-2010, 03:26 PM
BTW, the team is aware of the QB Walk glitch and have a fix lined up.

JBHuskers
06-14-2010, 03:29 PM
Speaking of Road to Glory, did they add anything new to it?

The improved camera angles....other than that we are not sure. The build we played on at Community Day didn't have much of an update to it.

cdj
06-14-2010, 03:41 PM
Miami vs. Ohio State - Quarters 2 & 3


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vnie0jLvU6M

iBrandon
06-14-2010, 03:49 PM
I didn't notice until someone pointed it out on OS, but there are no stat overlays. I'm guessing they are in retail version, at least I hope so.

Flav
06-14-2010, 03:51 PM
I didn't notice until someone pointed it out on OS, but there are no stat overlays. I'm guessing they are in retail version, at least I hope so.

I'd rather have 4 different matchups than stat overlays. I'm buying the game no matter what so.. :p

Rudy
06-14-2010, 03:52 PM
Can't wait for Sony to load the freaking demo already! I'm home people! Let me play (after dinner and time with the family)!
:)

cdj
06-14-2010, 03:53 PM
I didn't notice until someone pointed it out on OS, but there are no stat overlays. I'm guessing they are in retail version, at least I hope so.

In the full version we played, there were overlays so don't worry there. Several of us suggested they even increase the frequency of those. In our opinion, people want more player and stat updates throughout the game.

Flav
06-14-2010, 03:54 PM
cdj,

When I run the Read Option and I keep it with my QB he doesn't take the trail towards the end once he crashes down, he takes the same path as the RB. Any help to this?

iBrandon
06-14-2010, 03:56 PM
In the full version we played, there were overlays so don't worry there. Several of us suggested they even increase the frequency of those. In our opinion, people want more player and stat updates throughout the game.

I hope they listened. More is better.

AustinWolv
06-14-2010, 03:58 PM
cdj,

When I run the Read Option and I keep it with my QB he doesn't take the trail towards the end once he crashes down, he takes the same path as the RB. Any help to this?
Are you taking control of him?

gschwendt
06-14-2010, 03:58 PM
BTW, the team is aware of the QB Walk glitch and have a fix lined up.
Very good to hear. I never ran into the issue before but I can imagine the frustration for the guys who play random online games.

Flav
06-14-2010, 03:58 PM
Are you taking control of him?

Yeah, am I not supposed to?

lilheavy
06-14-2010, 03:59 PM
You guys will have to let me know what you think of the QB Player Lock / Road to Glory camera .... I worked on tuning it with Jeff Luhr back in March :) (posted this in the other thread too)

I was pointing out the QB player lock camera posititon to a friend earlier. I prefer that angle.



It was in at community day. It's one of the trigger buttons IIRC.

Left Trigger

JBHuskers
06-14-2010, 03:59 PM
Very good to hear. I never ran into the issue before but I can imagine the frustration for the guys who play random online games.

Yeah from what I hear that KILLED online play back in 09.

Rudy
06-14-2010, 04:02 PM
Nice vids guys. The camera looks better.

Rudy
06-14-2010, 04:05 PM
Some guys have said the deep ball is too easy. I'm a big believer in that if you err on big plays, err on too many. Those are fun. If they happen too infrequently the game gets overly frustrating and leads to too much blitzing with little risk.

JBHuskers
06-14-2010, 04:09 PM
Some guys have said the deep ball is too easy. I'm a big believer in that if you err on big plays, err on too many. Those are fun. If they happen too infrequently the game gets overly frustrating and leads to too much blitzing with little risk.

I wonder if those guys are playing on Freshman difficulty.

Kwizzy
06-14-2010, 04:22 PM
Demo is up for PS3

Coachdenz
06-14-2010, 04:35 PM
that's good to hear, will have to start the download around 530 maybe I can play around 11Pm

Kwizzy
06-14-2010, 04:36 PM
yeah I started 15 min ago & I'm at 6% so should be a fun wait! :(

Twinky34
06-14-2010, 04:45 PM
I am at 19% while waiting for ea to get to ncaa football 11 at e3

gschwendt
06-14-2010, 04:52 PM
I wonder if it's a coincidence that the largest number of people from my friends list are online than have been in a long time, yet only two of them are playing a game :D

Kingpin32
06-14-2010, 04:54 PM
I wonder if it's a coincidence that the largest number of people from my friends list are online than have been in a long time, yet only two of them are playing a game :D

I'm one of them lol.

Flav
06-14-2010, 05:42 PM
Just lost a heartbreaker against Mizzou right before OT :(. Offense made some clutch plays.

Flav
06-14-2010, 05:50 PM
I really like how if you are running the option and you are about to get tackled then when you pitch the ball it doesnt go directly to the RB. Usually a fumble (realistic)

Buckeye
06-14-2010, 05:54 PM
Has anyone tried the triple option yet?

Flav
06-14-2010, 05:57 PM
Everytime I scramble with the QB then I cross the line of scrimmage he puts his shoulder down even if there isn't a defender near by. It is almost like he slows down a bit. This happen for anyone else?

CLW
06-14-2010, 05:57 PM
Knew the wife would sabotage me. Go out for dinner and the demo comes out literally 30 minutes after we leave. Oh well starting the PS3 download now. Here is to some late night demo gaming.

Flav
06-14-2010, 06:10 PM
New PA Announcer = Nice. sounds like the one we have at the Big House sort of. Man I can't wait for the full copy!!

JBHuskers
06-14-2010, 06:28 PM
Going to finish watching the EA briefing, then it's on to the DEMO!

JBHuskers
06-14-2010, 06:35 PM
Going to finish watching the EA briefing, then it's on to the DEMO!

Actually I think I'll be watching the Ubisoft conference at 7 first then the demo.

Deuce
06-14-2010, 06:58 PM
I must have gotten lucky tonight with my internet. Took me about 40 minutes to dl. Only played one game so far(OU-Texas) and lost. The thing that really excites me is that I can tell that using a crap team is going to be very hard. My passing with OU was not very good and the QB I'll use in my dynasty is far worse than Landry. I have a feeling I'm going to have some 'moral' victories!! :D

Twinky34
06-14-2010, 06:59 PM
Got to like the no huddle on both sides of the ball you don't have to audible to change plays

texacotea
06-14-2010, 07:16 PM
OK...presentation is great. Everything looks good and makes me fell kinda like im watching a game. Went 1-3 against the CPU with my only win with clemson:mad:

Oklahoma killed me with the hurry up and the locomotion is great, caught myself over running plays more than ever. Getting caught in a zone where I think it will be passed and they lead the receiver. Not complaing just my eff ups. This plays well and see a balanced offense moving the ball really well. Also seems a little harder to throw and that the defense is reacting better to the passes.

cdj
06-14-2010, 07:20 PM
I get the feeling that the keys to NCAA Football 11 are:
- Run the ball.
- Stop the run.
- Win the game.

The games where I established the run, I was victorious. When I tried to get fancy or pass happy, I lost. If my foe ran the ball well, it was a battle. This is good though as the run game is a big indicator of success for the vast majority of college teams.

Flav
06-14-2010, 07:23 PM
I get the feeling that the keys to NCAA Football 11 are:
- Run the ball.
- Stop the run.
- Win the game.

The games where I established the run, I was victorious. When I tried to get fancy or pass happy, I lost. If my foe ran the ball well, it was a battle. This is good though as the run game is a big indicator of success for the vast majority of college teams.

Seems like I will be unstoppable with Michigan and Shoelace then.

Just played every single matchup.

I went 1-3 as well. The only game I one was when I was Clemson. Even though I lost 3 out of the 4 games have been in overtime, and I can't seem to put this demo down. I'm scared whats gonna happen when I have the actual disc :p

CLW
06-14-2010, 07:24 PM
FYI - CDJ getting a "video is too long" for your 4th Qtr video. However, good to hear the run game could be a major factor for a change.

cdj
06-14-2010, 07:25 PM
FYI - CDJ getting a "video is too long" for your 4th Qtr video. However, good to hear the run game could be a major factor for a change.

When I edited it, it was under 11 min, but somehow it added a few seconds. By now, everyone can download the demo, so I'm not going to edit it. It's been rendering and then uploading for three hours or so.

skipwondah33
06-14-2010, 07:28 PM
Played 1 game so far with the demo. Some quick things I noticed. Note I'm playing on Heisman

- Fumbles seem to be happening quite a bit. Fumbled 3 times and the CPU fumbled once, this all in 3 quarter.
- QB's still seem accurate but not as accurate, the lower ball speed and game speed in general help
- Between the play select screen and certain angles during gameplay I'm getting a little dizzy. Also seems to jitter a bit.
- Its great you have time to make user plays with the ball in the air. Read Brantley perfectly on a In route in the endzone and picked it. Also read a corner post and made the swat.

I can see an improvement from last year's gameplay. With only one game I can tell that, going to play some more.

Flav
06-14-2010, 07:32 PM
Insider info: NCAA demo from old build. Several demo bugs already addressed in final build. Look for EA blog addressing improvements soon.

From twitter :)

CLW
06-14-2010, 07:57 PM
Firing up the demo now. Mizzou (me) Clemson (CPU) Heisman

rhombic21
06-14-2010, 08:02 PM
I wonder if those guys are playing on Freshman difficulty.

I'm playing on All American (the default skill level for online), and I routinely beat man coverage or cover 3 over the top on simple streak routes. I am also seeing some instances where it looks like the CB doesn't cover deep for some reason in a cover 3 zone, which results in a wide open streak route.

Honestly, the defensive AI on this game is pretty terrible. There's minimal pressure from the front 4, man coverage has been toned way down (perhaps to realistic levels), and QBs are still too accurate. The game is out of balance in favor of offense too much, particularly with regards to the passing game (which is now that much deadlier as a result of the fact that run plays are blocked better, which forces the defense to honor the run more).

Rudy
06-14-2010, 08:04 PM
Took 1.5 hours to download the demo on the PSN. Only got one game in and I'm rusty. I do like the presentation and ESPN music. Team entrance was cool as are the fan cutscenes (remember I didn't play much of NCAA 10). I'm just about to head downstairs and get some more gaming in. Kids finally asleep.

Few things: I like the added momentum but I need to play much more to truly see the effects.
Play of the game isn't the last play of the game on the PS3.
I'm not annoyed by the camera this year. Passing speeds seem realistic.
One game and I beat OSU 28-7 after Pryor throws three picks (one pick 6).
I do NOT like the play calling interface. Four plays and lag free skips to the next four plays are better than this new setup imo.

Not a whole lot to report after one quick game. Time to get some more games in.

Flav
06-14-2010, 08:05 PM
The refs get in the way too much :(

I OU a Beatn
06-14-2010, 08:05 PM
I played 2 games as Florida vs Florida State on All American to kind of get a feel for how the game is going to play online. I won the first game 28-7 and the 2nd one 24-21. They have clearly made a lot of improvements. The game is really, really smooth and for the most part, so are the animations. It also seems that they have improved shotgun run blocking, which is a much welcomed improvement. They also improved a lot of the animations and it actually looks like a football game now. The graphics are very, very good, too.

There are a few issues I have with it, though. First of all, the menus are slow as hell. They had better be faster in the final game or it's going to get on my nerves severely. The play calling screen is especially bad.

Defensively, I see a ton of problems again. Zones once again appear to leave the middle wide the hell open. Instead of LBs trying to jump the route, they'll sit behind the WR and just let him casually catch the ball. So yes, in theory, you'll once again be completely unstoppable if you're smart and patient enough to throw 5-10 yard routes over the middle the whole game.

That is in part because of the severe lack of pass rush both from the front 4 and when you bring blitzes. It's even worse than last year, and probably equally as bad as '09. This DEFINITELY needs fixed. I brought 8 guys against a 5 man line and did not get nearly the pressure that I should have. It's just completely unacceptable. I also saw a lot of blown coverages that led to me catching an easy bomb for a touchdown.

I only saw 1 fumble in 2 games, so that doesn't appear to be a problem for me. I didn't fumble once, nor did I hold in R1 once, either.

If they fix the zone defenses and the pass rush, this has the potential to be the best game they've ever made on any console. It's fluid, it's great looking, it has deep playbooks, the no huddle play selection is sweet, the crowd sounds better, the animations are much improved, the locomotion is sweet and the best addition they've made in a long time, etc...

They just really, really, really need to fix the things I mentioned.

OH YES, also, it is WAY too easy to get outside in the running game. I ran 3 or 4 outside run plays from IForm in a row and busted all of them for 10+ yards easily by breaking it outside. That also needs to be fixed, but I don't think it's nearly as big of an issue as the pass rush/blitzes and zone defenses as they can somewhat be limited by user play.

Flav
06-14-2010, 08:14 PM
Has this happened for anyone else? When you are scrambling and you cross the line of scrimage, the quarterback lowers his shoulder and slows down. Doesn't look fluid to me.

ryby6969
06-14-2010, 08:16 PM
Maybe I am confused but wasn't the leaning and twisting with the running back supposed to be in this game? If it is, how do you do it? I try to use the right analog and all I get are jukes and trucks. Pretty sure I remember JB talking about it after CD.

cdj
06-14-2010, 08:18 PM
Maybe I am confused but wasn't the leaning and twisting with the running back supposed to be in this game? If it is, how do you do it? I try to use the right analog and all I get are jukes and trucks. Pretty sure I remember JB talking about it after CD.

Hold forward, then move left or right to get the lean and twist. It's easier to see in Practice Mode and master then just to jump in a game and learn.


Keep the thoughts and impressions coming. It will be very helpful leading up to release which you will find out about later on.

Deuce
06-14-2010, 08:22 PM
Hold forward, then move left or right to get the lean and twist. It's easier to see in Practice Mode and master then just to jump in a game and learn.


Keep the thoughts and impressions coming. It will be very helpful leading up to release which you will find out about later on.

Is this a tease to some more good news coming down the line? :)

ryby6969
06-14-2010, 08:29 PM
Hold forward, then move left or right to get the lean and twist. It's easier to see in Practice Mode and master then just to jump in a game and learn.


Keep the thoughts and impressions coming. It will be very helpful leading up to release which you will find out about later on.


Thanks, I knew I was doing something wrong! ;)

I OU a Beatn
06-14-2010, 08:32 PM
Community Day guys, do any of you know how old the build of the game the demo was built off of? I was just curious if there's a chance that some of the things I mentioned will be improved/tweaked when the final version is released. Did you guys notice the issues with zone coverage, pass rush, and over effectiveness of outside runs whenever you were able to go hands on with it during Community Day?

Kwizzy
06-14-2010, 08:32 PM
first game: Texas (CPU) 14, Oklahoma 0... had 3 fumbles in the first half (cpu had 1) ... trying to get used to the playcall screen. Can't really get a feel for the game because I've been drinkin so any legit thoughts will have to wait til tomorrow! :D

Twinky34
06-14-2010, 08:35 PM
1 and 1 right now playing on Heisman losing with Clemson won with Texas. other two tomorrow

cdj
06-14-2010, 08:53 PM
Community Day guys, do any of you know how old the build of the game the demo was built off of? I was just curious if there's a chance that some of the things I mentioned will be improved/tweaked when the final version is released. Did you guys notice the issues with zone coverage, pass rush, and over effectiveness of outside runs whenever you were able to go hands on with it during Community Day?

The demo went final in late April, so the gameplay build is probably from a few weeks (or more) before that. I've read that some issues in the demo have been addressed since then and there should be a blog on that or some details.

At the CE, the pass defense had some issues (IE: clueless safeties) which are not that way in this demo. The blog on issues addressed will probably help answer your question more effectively.

JeffHCross
06-14-2010, 09:03 PM
The game is out of balance in favor of offense too much, particularly with regards to the passing game (which is now that much deadlier as a result of the fact that run plays are blocked better, which forces the defense to honor the run more).In my last game with Mizzou, I was able to find the seams you're talking about, but before that I was really struggling with the passing game, so I was finding it to be the exact opposite. Catching seems way too low, saw too many passes just fall after guys got their hands on it. The accuracy is a little too high, but the balls are floating so it offset in my eyes.

In three games I didn't have a single fumble. Though I did have three passes where my QB was hit as he threw and it went right at a DL. Hopefully that's not nearly as frequent.

On another note, I saw the ball spiral. Hopefully the guys who have been whining about that for years will be quiet now ... or find something else to whine about, I suppose.

cdj
06-14-2010, 09:03 PM
I played six games on the 360 today and had zero fumbles and the CPU had 2 or 3 total (2 lost IIRC). I'm surprised when I see the high number of fumbles others are seeing.

Coachdenz
06-14-2010, 09:05 PM
Started Download at 5:30 pm, just finished at 9:03pm that's what you get for having 1.5 DSL plus a ton of people hitting the servers.

installing now.

AustinWolv
06-14-2010, 09:16 PM
I played six games on the 360 today and had zero fumbles and the CPU had 2 or 3 total (2 lost IIRC). I'm surprised when I see the high number of fumbles others are seeing.
I've seen some fumbles as well. 2 by the CPU in one game, 1 by me in that game. Another one by me in another game.

Use the cover-up button, I guess. :)

Both games I played tonight were on Heisman. Good feel to it. Really enjoyed it. Passing is a touch tougher than AA, but still very manageable. CPU QB was way patient in one of those games and then routinely took off running as the pocket broke down, but that was after a long time. Happened several times. Interesting, very patient.
Playing more soon. :)

JeffHCross
06-14-2010, 09:20 PM
Don't recall anybody explicitly mentioning it, but when the CPU went no-huddle, you have access to your defensive playbook for the set you were in at the timeYou actually have access to your entire defensive playbook. Formations can be switched by moving down/up.

JBHuskers
06-14-2010, 09:21 PM
Alright, all settled in finally after all the E3 fun and the playcall blog coming out. Getting a game going now.

I OU a Beatn
06-14-2010, 09:25 PM
The demo went final in late April, so the gameplay build is probably from a few weeks (or more) before that. I've read that some issues in the demo have been addressed since then and there should be a blog on that or some details.

At the CE, the pass defense had some issues (IE: clueless safeties) which are not that way in this demo. The blog on issues addressed will probably help answer your question more effectively.

Sweet, thanks for the heads up. I'm eagerly anticipating that blog just to see what has been addressed since the demo build.

JBHuskers
06-14-2010, 09:28 PM
Sweet, thanks for the heads up. I'm eagerly anticipating that blog just to see what has been addressed since the demo build.

Me too. I wanna see it as well.

JBHuskers
06-14-2010, 09:29 PM
Taking Mizzou and those quad formations against Clemson first.

Kingpin32
06-14-2010, 09:31 PM
I played 3 games before I came to work, and only had 2 fumbles, and both of them came from the hit stick.

Coachdenz
06-14-2010, 09:45 PM
my 1st game OU (me)vs Texas I won 10-7.

not bad for 1st game.
players felt like they were floating or something.
Alot of over throws (which I like)
had 4 fumbles in this game, 3 right before the half which was one play with 3 fumbles and the other was at the end of the game.
New playcall screen I don't know about right now, maybe I will warm up to it, but at the moment leaning on the dislike side.
I started really gashing the D at the end of the game with outside runs.
ESPN stuff at the 1st of the game does nothing for me.

I know that I had alot of dislikes but there is something about this game that I do like just can't place my finger on it.

rhombic21
06-14-2010, 09:51 PM
I am not experiencing any issues with fumbles thus far. I am still seeing some really questionable things in pass coverage, particularly with regards to passes over the middle in the seems area and with regards to deep passes down the sidelines. On the latter, it appears that CBs are too aggressive, particularly in cover 3 zones and in man coverage without any safety help, and that they get turned around and beat deep too often. It's not unrealistic from the standpoint that if a player was squatting on routes the way CBs do in this game they would give up the big play, but the problem is that there doesn't appear to be any way to instruct your CB to play off and not bite on the initial cut.

Kingpin32
06-14-2010, 09:53 PM
I am not experiencing any issues with fumbles thus far. I am still seeing some really questionable things in pass coverage, particularly with regards to passes over the middle in the seems area and with regards to deep passes down the sidelines. On the latter, it appears that CBs are too aggressive, particularly in cover 3 zones and in man coverage without any safety help, and that they get turned around and beat deep too often. It's not unrealistic from the standpoint that if a player was squatting on routes the way CBs do in this game they would give up the big play, but the problem is that there doesn't appear to be any way to instruct your CB to play off and not bite on the initial cut.
Maybe thats the point of the Pass Commit option, to prevent your CB from biting on cuts. Have you tried using that yet?

JBHuskers
06-14-2010, 10:01 PM
My running diary on game one:


The band on the pregame entrance is really quiet.
First game and I have rain...yay!
Had trouble stopping Clemson's no huddle for a few plays.
Recovered a fumble in the redzone.
Had a hard time establishing the run.
Converted a few 3rd downs and then a goal line run for the TD.
Camera starts underground when it cuts to the ref on a penalty, expect it to be fixed for retail.
User pick on play one of Clemson's 2nd drive.
Fly route is seeming to be easier this year....completed two deep balls this half.
Burnt the corner on a hook post....14-0
Gambled on a play and got beat deep....was able to catch up to him and stop him around the 15.
Gave up a FG to end the half up 14-3.
Hooray to the chicks wearing spaghetti straps in the rain.
Fumbled opening kickoff of 2nd half.....14-10
Running kicks back trying to wedge in the holes of the kick coverage is a blast.
Realized I needed to be more paitient to get the good run game going.
ANOTHER completion on a deep fly route.
Slot post was WIDE OPEN for the TD, 21-10.
Hit the QB as he threw....still got some zip on it, but it ended up being too much zip...very nice.
Be careful if you use presnap adjustments for the DL to crash in, I did this at community day as well....but if you go to fast you'll get an encroachment.
Clemson lost another fumble....not sure why they were running 3rd and 20 with 1:09 left in the game.
Ran the clock out and took a 21-10 victory.

rhombic21
06-14-2010, 10:05 PM
Yeah, something is definitely wrong with the way that players in yellow ("hook") zones are matching up with receivers. It looks like they are too concerned with dropping to a predetermined area, and that they don't match up right with threats that enter their area. This results in players running free through the middle of the field.

JBHuskers
06-14-2010, 10:08 PM
I was on All-American FYI for my notes.

Kingpin32
06-14-2010, 10:08 PM
Yeah that happened to me a lot as I was playing. And sometimes when I was in Man coverage, there would still be a guy running wide open somewhere, but that could be due to a mismatch in coverage.

AustinWolv
06-14-2010, 10:08 PM
You actually have access to your entire defensive playbook. Formations can be switched by moving down/up.

Yep, found that tonight, but forgot to post on it. Good catch.

I OU a Beatn
06-14-2010, 10:09 PM
Yeah, something is definitely wrong with the way that players in yellow ("hook") zones are matching up with receivers. It looks like they are too concerned with dropping to a predetermined area, and that they don't match up right with threats that enter their area. This results in players running free through the middle of the field.

Yes, and they also do the same thing they've done since I can remember. If a receiver runs a hook, instead of getting in front of the receiver or fighting him for position, the defender will happily wait behind the WR for him to catch the ball before tackling him. If they were more aggressive, I don't think the issues would be quite as glaring. As it is right now, though, it's pretty annoying and most definitely noticeable. I do believe it's better than past years, but it could still use some tweaks. I really hope they address this in some way for the final game. That and the ineffectiveness of line/blitz pressure are the 2 biggest issues I've seen so far.

Coachdenz
06-14-2010, 10:17 PM
2nd game felt like a track meet. Clemson vs Mizzo which I guess it should. Clemson (me) 21 Mizzo 17

Qb can get outside to easy.
Throwing the ball to the middle deep seems easy

Ball rotates on replays....yeah!
I think my QB was something like 12/13 in this game for around 190 yards.
Game kinda felt like wide open gameplay, but again I guess it should with this teams, I just wonder how it's going to feel when playing with a
team Like Bama which plays D, hope it's not wide open.
I played alot with my DE and outside LB in this game just to see how I could rush, about 4-5 times my player would warp into the Tackle so he could block me. Not very happy about that.

Kickoff returns feels faster than normal play, I returned one for a TD
Did see the CPU drop a wide open pass and had my DB beat by 5 or more yards.

As i said before I come up with the bad, but theres something I like about it.

JBHuskers
06-14-2010, 10:17 PM
I actually got some good pressure on the QB and vice versa.....it wasn't ALL of the time, but I did get some good rushes, and I got sacked a couple of times.

morsdraconis
06-14-2010, 10:19 PM
One thing that's REALLY been a pleasure for me is how when you bullet the pass it's not a bullet. It's a normally thrown quick pass where it has some zip but isn't on a line. It has some arc. That shit drove me CRAZY in previous versions (not just '10).

Just won my first Heisman difficult game as Texas 10-7 on a last second field goal. Starting to get a bit worried about the viability of the defense in this game. On the one hand, spreading someone out forces them to basically play man, giving you easy crossing routes and such or play zone and making it HORRIBLY apparent to everyone that you are playing zone but, on the other hand, it seems like zone defense is crippled now. Defenders definitely do not seem as aggressive with following a receiver when they enter their zone area. That's going to be serious problems if it's not different in the final version of the game.

There are definitely some changes to the defensive playbooks. Mainly seems to be addition zone blitz setups.

REALLY REALLY liking how the offensively lineman will occasionally bite on a defensive player rushing up field and then dropping into coverage. Had a truly realistic looking sack from a play where the RE dropped back into coverage and the OT hesitated for just a second which allowed the blitzing LB to get around him and get the sack. Tried it again later and it didn't work so it's definitely not an every time thing.

Had another REALLY realistic looking sack happen on a blitz with the 3-2-6 Dime formation against a 4 or 5 WR set (can't remember which off the top of my head). It's the Cover 2 Man play where the O-line has the LE crash inside and the MLB blitzing behind him. RT followed the crashing DE as the RG double teamed the crashing DE, resulting in the MLB coming free. Need to test it more to make sure there isn't a nano blitz hiding there or something but I'm pretty sure what I did was spread out the line and then spread out the LBs.

Overall, I'm very happy with the line blocking but the CPU is retarded good at running the ball on Heisman. The HB makes CRAZY good reads and it's quite hard to stop them once they get going (or, at least, that's been my feeling about it).

rhombic21
06-14-2010, 10:20 PM
My issue with the pressure is that it seems to be all or nothing. Either instant pressure or very little pressure. I have noticed that a lot of pressure seems to stem from getting a "jump the snap", which happens much more when you set the DL to aggressive.

JBHuskers
06-14-2010, 10:30 PM
Beatn, when you were talking about the playcall screen being slow. I think that was in switching formations while you're in the play list. If you go back one step to formation view, they'll switch between formations a lot quicker. Hopefully it's quick both ways for the retail version.

shadez
06-14-2010, 10:40 PM
Hey JB.....did the players "look to the sideline" in the build you guys played when going no huddle? I've yet to see that in the demo.

It's not a big deal, but I do remember seeing that in some of the vids released by EA.

JBHuskers
06-14-2010, 10:44 PM
Hey JB.....did the players "look to the sideline" in the build you guys played when going no huddle? I've yet to see that in the demo.

It's not a big deal, but I do remember seeing that in some of the vids released by EA.

The last build we last played at the end of April is what you're seeing now. When we were down for the NFL Draft we basically played the demo build to see if there was anything completely glaring or major before they would green light it for E3. So minus a few tweaks here and there, we're playing the same thing then as we are now. There will be some differences in the retail and the demo, and of course the first patch.

JBHuskers
06-14-2010, 10:45 PM
Just finished game two, this one was on the PS3 where the first one was on the 360. I lost 14-3 with Florida State against Florida. The deep ball wasn't there in this game like it was with Mizzou against Clemson. Only had one fumble in the game, and it was recovered by the offense. Game was overcast as well. So maybe the rain makes a difference in the frequency of fumbles to some degree (of course there are many other factors as well).

morsdraconis
06-14-2010, 11:11 PM
Jesus christ, reading the impressions of this game on the "other forum" is like walking into a warzone with a live grenade in your hand. It's immediately obvious who the EA haters are...

cdj
06-14-2010, 11:14 PM
Hey JB.....did the players "look to the sideline" in the build you guys played when going no huddle? I've yet to see that in the demo.

It's not a big deal, but I do remember seeing that in some of the vids released by EA.

Your players do that if running no-huddle (& aggressive tempo, I think) but you can't see it b/c the playcall screen is in the way.

jaymo76
06-14-2010, 11:49 PM
[After a two hour download I got in SIX games... I couldn't turn it off. The game is fun though this is definitely the year of OFFENSE first! I purposely didn't read any posts today because I wanted to go into this completely fresh and overall I am very impressed. Yes, there are issues but I can live with most of them.

The good:

The Pistol (Ohio) wow! This will be my offense for 11
ESPN... good, not grerat or excellent but a HUGE upgrade from 10
The entrances... good, though I would love to see the visitors enter
The pregame/post game... add a lot to the game
Fan cut scenes add so much personality to the experience
Replays are AMAZING... I mean wow!!!
Passing game feels good and the deep ball plays well
Run game is fluid... though perhaps a little to easy to exploit???
The stadiums look amazing
Lighting and the sky settings are beautiful
rain drops on the camera... nice touch
Pro-combat unis... we can never have enough unis
Stadium PA announcer sounds great
The no huddle is awesome... I will use this a ton
Formation subs... although I would like to also see Madden's on the fly subs
fatigue actually works
refs on the field :)(but no chain gang...:()
etc. etc. etc.

The not-so good:

Any Qb's or RB's that don't go warp speed??? They are so much faster than everyone else
Crowd... awful like last year
FUMBLES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Enough already!!! Conservative doesn't do anything!!!
User pics.... 7 in six games for me (on AA)
No halftime show... just seems weird to have pre and post but nothing in the middle
Tons of offense... there may be a lot of high scoring games this year???

The unsure:

I am still trying to warm up to the new playcalling screen... I will need a few more games for sure...

Overall, EA/Tiburon has done one heck of a job! Day one purchase... as usual:o

steelerfan
06-15-2010, 12:21 AM
Just finished all 4 games. I played on AA. I went 2-2 in this order: lost 17-14 as Miami, lost 10-7 as Texas, won 23-20 in OT (17-17 after regulation) as FSU and won 21-0 as Clemson.

Some thoughts:

- CPU ran the opening kick for 6 in my 1st game with OSU. It was cool because I kicked down the middle and the CPU couldn't return them all the way if I did that in '10. Unfortunately, the Miami fans celebrated by showing the "U".

- The deep ball is way to easy.

- I like the new PA announcer.

- Presentation and graphics are great (hopefully will be tweaked a bit).

- Didn't have a fumble problem except in the "rain game" (Mizzou-Clemson).

- Pass defense needs some serious tweaking.

- Pressure was good (particularly when blitzing which I felt was terrible in '10 when blitzing) but sometimes there was no pressure at all. I had one play where I was in Cover 3 Zone and the CPU must have had 10-12 seconds to throw.

- I couldn't run against OSU or OU, which is good.

- It's hard to judge the game (particularly the running game) with 2 minute quarters.

- I scored an embarrassingly easy 80-yd TD using the Circus play in Hail Mary to end the 1st half against Clemson. I threw to the crossing route then simply ran to the corner adding a little "Tecmo" running (zig-zag) and watched 2 defenders dive and miss.

- I saw next-gen Mario Running.

- I'm not a fan of the playcall interface.

- I love the no-huddle.

- The players seem to be gliding a bit and sometimes keep their feet too close together when cutting to change direction. I can't explain it but it looks weird.

- If sliders work, I believe I could tune this build to be very fun and realistic which is good since this is an old build.


Overall, I had fun and I still have very high hopes that the final build and any patches will make this the NCAA game I've waited for on this generation of consoles.

steelerfan
06-15-2010, 03:28 AM
I just finished playing all 4 games a second time on AA. This time I went 4-0. I won 21-0 with OSU, 17-3 with OU, and 10-7 with both Florida and Mizzou.

I did see many more fumbles this time around. I also think the fans wearing orange jerseys (UT and Clemson) look like their jerseys are red. There is also a weird instance where the ball will warp back and forth between a players hands when he's running in the end zone after a score. Not that I use it really, but Ask Coach suggested a Slants play on 3rd and goal from the 5 with 1 second remaining in a 7-7 game instead of suggesting a FG.

All of these things can/should be fixed in the final build (except the jersey color thing). The one that concerns me is the pourous pass defense.

cdj, IIRC, at one time you said that there was something coming to help on defense. Is that something we know about yet?

Also, building on what I said in my above post about it looking weird the way players change directions, they seem to look like a top. They have a narrow base and change directions by leaning one way or another.

But, again, let me say that if sliders work and pass defense is tweaked - this will be a fantastic game.

Rudy
06-15-2010, 05:52 AM
I thought the pass rush was pretty good on AA. Played 5 games on that level and it's too easy after I'm shaking some rust off. I went 4-1 and beat OSU pretty easily with Miami. Pryor threw 3 picks in one game and had two fumbles in the other. Too many fumbles imo. I hope there is a fumble slider. I don't think we should have to go "conservative" or cover up the ball constantly. NCAA 08 had too many fumbles. I hope we hear more about the slider system soon.

Playing as a DL is a lot of fun. Less suction imo. I was able to get some nice sacks with the Miami DE and the Clemson DE.

Sideline awareness is a lot better.

PS3 ball rotates in replays!

Locomotion is nice but part of me wishes it was even more effective (heavier momentum).

Some people are saying the deep ball is too easy. Not sure about that but I did hit a few and if it's too easy I'm OK with that. I saw a WR beat a CB jam on one play and toasted him. Very nice.

Why did the cpu win the coin flip in OT and go on offense first? Wasn't this fixed already?

CPU QB still makes a few too many bad decisions on default AA imo.

Definitely saw a few instances of warping to the ball (WR sped up to catch) but only saw this a few times.

I like that auto strafe is back. I feel with the toned down passing speeds I'm a factor on defense. Madden 10 passing speeds were too slow imo - these feel just right.

I don't have a good feel for the running game yet and barely tried the option. Need some longer quarter games and more play time to get a good feel for it.

The worst thing about the demo is the play call screen limiting you to 3 plays and the slow cycling. This is worse on defense imo. You better know your playbooks. I wish they hadn't changed this.

Overall I liked it. I won't say I was blown away by it but this demo is infinitely better than the NCAA 10 demo. I'm going to have to try Heisman tonight since the cpu offense just isn't very good on AA right now.

skipwondah33
06-15-2010, 08:04 AM
Played my 3rd game lastnight Texas vs OU. All games have been played on Heisman. I don't mess with any of the gameplanning stuff or use run/pass commit. Don't like either.

Fumbled 2 more times, while the CPU had 1 fumble. (Brings the total in 3 games up 10 fumbles between the two of us. Every game I've played has been a defensive battle, although I can't seem to get much pressure on the QB as they just sit in the pocket and always find a target...though a good portion have been batted down.

The camera angle, play call screen and instant replay cam/angles is really making me dizzy. They focus in, out, then to another sequence very quickly and its hard to keep up with. And is it me or is the lighting seem a bit dark?

What really feels realistic is that on kickoffs the game does appear to move faster which IRL kickoffs are faster than a typical down because everyone on the kick team is sprinting down field.

The running game is pretty nice, actually had some real good runs. On the other hand the CPU's run game is unstoppable at times when they stick to it.

I'll play some more later

cdj
06-15-2010, 08:54 AM
cdj, IIRC, at one time you said that there was something coming to help on defense. Is that something we know about yet?

There's something that will help the game in general.

The ball warping between hands is something that we saw at the CE, but was fixed later on. I played the 360 and PS3 versions yesterday. The Texas jerseys in the crowd do look red on PS3 and there's some small graphical hiccups in terms of the shadowing, but I don't expect that to be a problem in final build.

In a game last night, I scored 73 and 76 yard TD runs off the HB Lead Draw on back-to-back offensive plays with OU. Dangerous stuff. That was on AA difficulty.

JBHuskers
06-15-2010, 09:02 AM
Yeah as you said....graphics and etc. are toned down for the demo. Was that way on Tiger 11 as well.

CLW
06-15-2010, 09:17 AM
I've played 12 games so far.

First 4 out of the gate Heisman 1-3. (only W was Miami @ Ohio state 10-0, L FLA @ FSU, L Mizzou @ Clemson, L OU v. Texas). All of these games went down to the wire. There were two games that I "should" have one but for multiple fumbles. Perhaps, I'm doing something wrong, but I'm seeing a TON of fumbles (2-3 per game) for both myself and the CPU.

Next 4 AA (same teams as above) 4-0. Most were not really close with the exception of the FLA @ FSU game which I won 31-28. The game got silly in a hurry. I think there were 4 defensive TDs (3 by the CPU 1 by me).

4 This Morning Heisman (flipped the teams) 3-1. (only loss OU v. Texas by 3). more of the same close games as before. For me Heisman appears to definitely be the way to go when playing the CPU at least.

Some thoughts:

- The Deep pass is "back" - CPU attempts them in realistic situations. I am somewhat concerned that they may be too easy to complte for a HUM though. If I got time from the o-line or bought time by rolling out to avoid the rush, guys running deep routes would often get WIDE OPEN.

- Fumbles occur FAR TOO FREQUENTLY - this seems to be hit or miss. Some guys are seeing few/none. Others like me are seeing a ton.

- Scores/Scoring % Per Possession seems too high - I'm frequently getting 20+ PPG even on heisman difficulty. If I multiply that out to my normal 6 min qtrs that I like to use I'm putting up 60 PPG regularly. Concerned about the lack of defense.

- Pass rush - I'm not sure if I'm just "seeing things" or not but I seem to get virtually no pass rush if I do not also use the Pass Commit feature. It seems that when I select pass commit on say a 3rd and long my front 4 get a good/reasonable rush. If I blitz in the same situation my blitz gets there in a hurry. If I do not use the pass commit it seems like the CPU has all day to throw. I recall one play where the CPU sat in the pocket for what seemed like 7 seconds (literally) before a receiver finally found a hole in the zone and the CPU found him.

- Running - I love the new blocking. It just looks/feels more realistic. However, I don't feel it has made the run game any more powerful/easier than it was before. I love that the CPU can now wear you out pounding the rock. In the past I never worried about the run but now if I don't the CPU will run it right at me for 10 yard gains from time to time.

- Spin too effective? - I've noticed that if you get the ball in space and hit the spin button the defender NEVER makes the tackle. This has led to some HUGE runs/passes as I spin right past the would be tackler.

- Pass coverage too weak? - I have concerns that the coverage (especially zone) is far too conservative/weak. I haven't messed with the "strategy" settings at all yet so perhaps this can be fixed by setting them to aggressive.

- QBs still too accurate - While it is somewhat better than in the past (ive actually seen a few "wild" throws) QBs are still far too accurate which leads to only 4 possible results on 90% of pass attempts: (1) completion; (2) dropped pass; (3) DB deflected; (4) interception.

- Still getting used to the new playcalling format - going to take some time to get used to but I believe eventually it will be no big deal either way.

Overall: The game is playing much better than I can recall it playing so far on next-gen. The presentations/replays are really nice. Although there are some issues I believe that with the right sliders and hopefully a few tweaks by EA prior to release this game could be the best we have seen from the series since the 04-05 days.

EDIT: Another thought that just crossed my mind, does anyone else think the CPU defensively playcalling is overly agressive? It seems like in my games the CPU is blitzing roughly 2/3 of the plays. This of course is leading to a feast or famine for their defense.

rhombic21
06-15-2010, 09:42 AM
There are some SERIOUS issues with pass coverage. Hook zones still seem to be messed up, though not in exactly the same way as before.

The deep zones are also problematic, both for safeties and cornerbacks. It appears that there's some kind of problem with these players constantly misjudging how fast the WR is moving, and not getting out of their backpedal and protecting deep until after the WR has already run past them, by which time it is too late to react, due to the locomotion.

CLW
06-15-2010, 09:56 AM
A glitch that I just thought of.

Last night while playing as Florida against FSU, FSU called a playaction pass. Everything looked normal until the RB and receivers continued to go as they should, but the QB just kept running bent over straight back. Eventually, my defense caught up and just as he was hit he threw a duck which fell incomplete.

Is this the "moon walk" glitch you guys were talking about?

cdj
06-15-2010, 09:57 AM
A glitch that I just thought of.

Last night while playing as Florida against FSU, FSU called a playaction pass. Everything looked normal until the RB and receivers continued to go as they should, but the QB just kept running bent over straight back. Eventually, my defense caught up and just as he was hit he threw a duck which fell incomplete.

Is this the "moon walk" glitch you guys were talking about?

No, but I ran into that in Clemson's playbook right now. IIRC, it's I-Form Y-Trips, PA Boot Screen. The Moon Walk will warp your QB 40 yards downfield at the snap.

I OU a Beatn
06-15-2010, 10:07 AM
Now that I've had more time to mess around, I can safely say I'm not even buying this game unless they fix the pass coverage. Hook zones are completely wrong. Not only do they do sit in the wrong spot on the field, but it's often way too deep and they will make no attempt whatsoever of cutting in front of a receiver.

Then, as rhombic said, there's all kinds of problems whenever the DBs actually cover the wide outs. I've had 3 or 4 times where there was a wide open score because the DB either fell down or for some oblivious reason turned around and looked at the QB.

I also had an instance where the CPU had run a no huddle, and I called a cover 2. I controlled the safety on the left side of the field and covered the edge as I was supposed to. The CPU throws to the flat on the right side(remember with Cover 2, that side should be covered by a close CB with safety help) and there is NO ONE is the area. The RB catches the ball, turns around, and runs 30 yards untouched for the score. Whenever he scored, there still was not a defender on the screen. Where the hell my DB and safety went is completely beyond me.

Combine those issues with the severely underpowered pass rush and ability for blitzing players to get to the QB and you've got a recipe that is going to make it nearly impossible to stop offenses.

This is all on All American like online play uses, by the way.

CLW
06-15-2010, 10:15 AM
Now that I've had more time to mess around, I can safely say I'm not even buying this game unless they fix the pass coverage. Hook zones are completely wrong. Not only do they do sit in the wrong spot on the field, but it's often way too deep and they will make no attempt whatsoever of cutting in front of a receiver.

Then, as rhombic said, there's all kinds of problems whenever the DBs actually cover the wide outs. I've had 3 or 4 times where there was a wide open score because the DB either fell down or for some oblivious reason turned around and looked at the QB.

I also had an instance where the CPU had run a no huddle, and I called a cover 2. I controlled the safety on the left side of the field and covered the edge as I was supposed to. The CPU throws to the flat on the right side(remember with Cover 2, that side should be covered by a close CB with safety help) and there is NO ONE is the area. The RB catches the ball, turns around, and runs 30 yards untouched for the score. Whenever he scored, there still was not a defender on the screen. Where the hell my DB and safety went is completely beyond me.

Combine those issues with the severely underpowered pass rush and ability for blitzing players to get to the QB and you've got a recipe that is going to make it nearly impossible to stop offenses.

This is all on All American like online play uses, by the way.

The Zone defenses are indeed suspect (at best). I've also noticed on run plays the LBs and secondary are seemingly too slow to react and keep dropping back into coverage even after the RB has crossed the line of scrimage.

I've successfully mixed in a zone here and there but its a rare feat (particularly on Heisman).

I'm fearful that if it isn't fixed in HUM v. HUM games you are going to be left to only playing man and either bringing the house or playing cover 2 man and just allow your opponent to drag you up and down the field to a slow death.

Kwizzy
06-15-2010, 10:28 AM
I haven't played enough to agree or disagree here but I must say, with all of the announcements released & after playing 3 games of the demo, I am VERY concerned that defense is going to be severly underpowered at best this year. It concerns me that when I play with Nebraska (one of the top 3 defenses in the country) I'm going to have to participate in a shootout. It bothers me that 120 WAYS TO WIN only applies to offensive principles.

Hopefully they have addressed some of these concerns in the final build or can do so in the first patch. Otherwise it could have a marginalizing effect on what is an otherwise impressive set of additions this year.

gschwendt
06-15-2010, 10:39 AM
Then, as rhombic said, there's all kinds of problems whenever the DBs actually cover the wide outs. I've had 3 or 4 times where there was a wide open score because the DB either fell down or for some oblivious reason turned around and looked at the QB.

One of the builds we played at CD had this same error. It had some issue with where the DB was trying to switch between animations from back-peddling to turn & running. They fixed it in a later build but I suppose it somehow snuck back in there. I have confidence that they'll get it straightened out.

For the other issues, I haven't played the demo very much yet but I have to hope that they'll have most of them addressed.

One thing that hurts is that we don't have an instant replay so for instances like your 3rd paragraph, you can't go back and see what actually transpired. Hopefully the eventual blog that was mentioned addresses some of those concerns.

cdj
06-15-2010, 10:41 AM
At the Community Event, some of the devs did say that the new additions (Locomotion, Real Assignment AI) helped make the offenses strong and worked well enough to make them very high-powered, but they did recognize that and stated they were working to make sure the defense wasn't helpless. At the CE, several of us (maybe all) did point out some slow reaction times by defenders. Hopefully when they post the info on improvements between the demo and retail version it will address some of these defensive issues. Personally, it also makes sense to have a high-powered demo to try and sway casual gamers into buying. However, with varying difficulty levels in the demo you'd hope the D would be sharper, but a lot of these issues will need to be addressed by Locomotion tuning.

CLW
06-15-2010, 10:45 AM
At the Community Event, some of the devs did say that the new additions (Locomotion, Real Assignment AI) helped make the offenses strong and worked well enough to make them very high-powered, but they did recognize that and stated they were working to make sure the defense wasn't helpless. At the CE, several of us (maybe all) did point out some slow reaction times by defenders. Hopefully when they post the info on improvements between the demo and retail version it will address some of these defensive issues. Personally, it also makes sense to have a high-powered demo to try and sway casual gamers into buying. However, with varying difficulty levels in the demo you'd hope the D would be sharper, but a lot of these issues will need to be addressed by Locomotion tuning.

I may be crazy, but I seem to recall in Madden a defensive reaction slider (or something to that effect) where the user could adjust how quickly the CPU responded to both the pass and run. Perhaps giving us the option to adjust more things to our own liking (we all have different wants/needs) could solve the issue(s).

I OU a Beatn
06-15-2010, 10:47 AM
I just really hope they fix the issues I mentioned. This game is genuinely fun so I'd have to have it ruined by something that I know can be tuned without all that much effort. Hopefully it's addressed in the final game, and if not, hopefully via a patch. If they do fix those things bringing balance between offense and defense, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that this will be the best game they have released this generation...by far.

As it is now, those issues are really dampening things for me.

Kwizzy
06-15-2010, 10:53 AM
I hear ya CDJ but here's the issue with that, "make sure the defense isn't helpless". That represents a lack of acknowledgement of DOMINANT defenses.

The issue with defense isn't locomotion tuning IMO... Combined with improper zone location & reaction, it's a lack of focus on what makes great defenses so dominant. Press coverage throwing off timing, well timed blitzes catching the oline & QB off guard, stunts and twists on the dline confusing blocking schemes, etc.... It seems their approach to defense is to tune it to give it a chance against whatever adjustments they have made to the offense. That needs to change.

I realize this is only the demo, & i hope you're right & everything is fixed or at least better. But this is a major concern I have just based on comments of others, the feature list for this year, and a couple games with the demo personally. At this point, it's definitely not enough to say well, we've fixed that in the final build. They've said that in the past, & it hasn't been the case. They would serve themselves well to release videos of any changes since the demo went to cert.

rhombic21
06-15-2010, 10:56 AM
To me, it just seems like the locomotion has exposed how faulty some of the existing defensive AI was. Defenders in the past could get away with essentially squatting on routes and jumping on the WR's first break, without any real threat of getting beat deep. Now that's not the case (and rightly so), but they haven't updated the defensive AI to reflect that. So it seems like defenders are often times still playing too aggressively as though they can get away with the things they did in the past. This is amplified by some of the issues with zone coverage, which result in defenders flat out covering the wrong areas and not reacting realistically to receivers that threaten their zones.

This extends beyond the simple issue with the hook/yellow zones over the middle (which simultaneously seem to result in too passive coverage against extremely short routes, and too aggressive/short coverage when receivers go deeper downfield towards the seam areas). For instance, in cover 2 zones, the CBs in the flat zones should sink back and get underneath deep routes down the sideline, particularly when there is no threat to the short flat area. Realistically, most teams employ a cover 2 scheme that resembles what you see if you put the CBs in purple zones instead of the light blue flat zones. But my point here is that just as they have offensive line blocking rules, they should also have defensive keys and defensive coverage rules. Defenders far too often find themselves standing around and covering nothing but grass, when in real life a player in that position would alter his coverage to adjust to the play. For example, if a LB is in a flat zone and covers a HB out to the flat, he doesn't just stop covering him completely when that HB turns up the field and goes down the sidelines, unless a second player enters the short zone. If there is nobody near his primary zone, then an LB in that situation will get depth and guard deeper down the sidelines.

Another MAJOR area that needs to be addressed defensively is with regards to pre-snap alignment. This is a serious problem, not only with man coverage where you end up in situations where defenders are lined up on the completely wrong side of the formation, resulting in wide open receivers, but also in terms of run defense and reaction to motion. Many of the defensive alignments that are widely used on the game would rarely be used in real life, particularly when the offense motions into an unbalanced formation. There desperately needs to be an easier to way to audible from the 2 deep safety alignment to a single high safety alignment.

My point here is that there are probably some things that can be addressed with AI tuning and tweaking, but there are other issues that require a major reboot of the way defense is programmed in this game.

cdj
06-15-2010, 11:00 AM
I hear ya CDJ but here's the issue with that, "make sure the defense isn't helpless". That represents a lack of acknowledgement of DOMINANT defenses.

The issue with defense isn't locomotion tuning IMO... Combined with improper zone location & reaction, it's a lack of focus on what makes great defenses so dominant. Press coverage throwing off timing, well timed blitzes catching the oline & QB off guard, stunts and twists on the dline confusing blocking schemes, etc.... It seems their approach to defense is to tune it to give it a chance against whatever adjustments they have made to the offense. That needs to change.

I realize this is only the demo, & i hope you're right & everything is fixed or at least better. But this is a major concern I have just based on comments of others, the feature list for this year, and a couple games with the demo personally. At this point, it's definitely not enough to say well, we've fixed that in the final build. They've said that in the past, & it hasn't been the case. They would serve themselves well to release videos of any changes since the demo went to cert.

That line about defenses is my own line & paraphrasing so please don't attach that to the team. :p They want teams with great defenses to play that way. I agree on your other points. I hope they get very detailed when explaining the differences between demo and retail as well as when they announce any additional game features coming.

Kwizzy
06-15-2010, 11:31 AM
haha yeah cdj I knew those were your words not theirs, but you get what I mean right? :D

Rhombic I couldn't agree more, especially with your first paragraph. I think the limitations placed on players by adding actual physics to the game will begin to show some glaring errors in the AI of the game, especially on defense. What we are seeing in this demo is a reflection of the fact that defenses in real life need to react, as a unit, to what the offense is trying to do in order to overcome the physical limitations on a single player. So like you said, if there is no threat to the flats, the defender needs to react to that and help out elsewhere.

Also to one of your other points. Defensive alignment needs to be addressed ASAP. Lining up correctly and factoring in the strength of the offensive formation is crucial to any success a defense has. In this game, when I see a 3 WR set & call a Nickel, I shouldn't have to flip the play if that 3rd WR happens to line up on the right instead of the left. There are many alignment issues that need to be fixed, along with how players react to the offense before defenses will have more than a fighting chance.

steelerfan
06-15-2010, 11:40 AM
There's something that will help the game in general.

The ball warping between hands is something that we saw at the CE, but was fixed later on. I played the 360 and PS3 versions yesterday. The Texas jerseys in the crowd do look red on PS3 and there's some small graphical hiccups in terms of the shadowing, but I don't expect that to be a problem in final build.

Thank you.

jaymo76
06-15-2010, 01:27 PM
I haven't played enough to agree or disagree here but I must say, with all of the announcements released & after playing 3 games of the demo, I am VERY concerned that defense is going to be severly underpowered at best this year. It concerns me that when I play with Nebraska (one of the top 3 defenses in the country) I'm going to have to participate in a shootout. It bothers me that 120 WAYS TO WIN only applies to offensive principles.

Hopefully they have addressed some of these concerns in the final build or can do so in the first patch. Otherwise it could have a marginalizing effect on what is an otherwise impressive set of additions this year.

I'm at work right now so I haven't played since last night but after the excitement of the demo died down I had to reflect on the experience. I am still excited about the game BUT the PASS DEFENSE has MAJOR issues to be worked on. Let's hope sliders will solve these. In the Miami/OU game Pyror (er... #2 for legal purposes) had well over 15 seconds on one play.... and I was in a 4-6 D!!!! Also, my secondary gets scorched. If you play around with the GAME PLANNING and the RUN Commit be prepared to be burned big-time on the pass D.

On another topic... I still beleive that SPEED KILLS in NCAA 11. Anyone with speed and acceleration are untouchable. I hope that is tuned in the retail version.

Come on clock... I need to get home for some more gaming!!!

Flav
06-15-2010, 01:39 PM
Playing the Clemson Mizzou game and its raining. I just ran a 5 WR Package and the slot ran an out route. He actually slipped on his cut which I thought was realistic and it didn't happen often in '10 :)

morsdraconis
06-15-2010, 02:40 PM
I'm at work right now so I haven't played since last night but after the excitement of the demo died down I had to reflect on the experience. I am still excited about the game BUT the PASS DEFENSE has MAJOR issues to be worked on. Let's hope sliders will solve these. In the Miami/OU game Pyror (er... #2 for legal purposes) had well over 15 seconds on one play.... and I was in a 4-6 D!!!! Also, my secondary gets scorched. If you play around with the GAME PLANNING and the RUN Commit be prepared to be burned big-time on the pass D.

On another topic... I still beleive that SPEED KILLS in NCAA 11. Anyone with speed and acceleration are untouchable. I hope that is tuned in the retail version.

Come on clock... I need to get home for some more gaming!!!

But why? That's real life.

If the dude has 4.3 speed and the acceleration to hit that speed ridiculously fast, why shouldn't he be a burner that can get behind coverage and make teams pay for single coverage on him?

Hell, I just played a game where I nailed my TE on a fly route overtop of double coverage because they brought the safety up to the line of scrimmage letting him get behind both players. It happens.

Now, if it happens every time, that's when there's an issue.

jaymo76
06-15-2010, 02:57 PM
But why? That's real life.

If the dude has 4.3 speed and the acceleration to hit that speed ridiculously fast, why shouldn't he be a burner that can get behind coverage and make teams pay for single coverage on him?
Hell, I just played a game where I nailed my TE on a fly route overtop of double coverage because they brought the safety up to the line of scrimmage letting him get behind both players. It happens.

Now, if it happens every time, that's when there's an issue.

I don't dissagree with you. However, my point is that for the demo every QB and RB seem unstoppable (PS3). It didn't matter if I was Ohio or Mizzou... a QB run could easily go for 20-30 yards time after time. Also, RB speed as compared to defensive pursuit just seems off... like 2-3 steps behind. I don't find this an issues of Wr's or anyone else, just your power positions of QB and RB.

Kwizzy
06-15-2010, 03:04 PM
But why? That's real life.

If the dude has 4.3 speed and the acceleration to hit that speed ridiculously fast, why shouldn't he be a burner that can get behind coverage and make teams pay for single coverage on him?

Hell, I just played a game where I nailed my TE on a fly route overtop of double coverage because they brought the safety up to the line of scrimmage letting him get behind both players. It happens.

Now, if it happens every time, that's when there's an issue.

The problem, IMO, isn't that the offensive players are so explosive, it's that we haven't been given defensive improvements adequate enough to stop them on a consistent basis even if we decide to focus on them. At least in the demo.

xGRIDIRONxGURUx
06-15-2010, 03:15 PM
i played the demo without reading any reviews here, at all, then played the demo some more AFTER reading some of the responses here...

from a "coaching" standpoint...

OFFENSE
* blocking obviously is great
* little glitchy on a few of the options (i expect this to be fixed in retail)
* passing game is more realistic as far as bullet vs lob and the accuracy that comes along with them
* good explosion from the RB's when you do hit speed burst once you find the hole

DEFENSE
* on PS3 i can get great pressure with 4-5 (havent had the problem some have had here)
* only time i see a problem with deep coverage is when my DB's face a vertical route inside and a corner route on the outside
* good flow to run plays to give good support, and i PURPOSELY scrambled my butt off with pryor and saw no problems with pursuit

there are tons of other things i saw, but i do think some DAI will need to be tuned pretty seriously so that FS's in that cover 3 situation will flow to help out so that CB's dont sit on someone having to pick from a 1 on 2 situation... im assuming some awareness tweaking could fix this problem easily...

i think the speed/acceleration is spot on, and does not/will not "rule" in NCAA 11, its all fluid, and for the FIRST TIME the game/field feels "crowded" during the play as it does in real life in college ball... that crowded feeling FINALLY comes from a great balance of GOOD BLOCKING mixed with GOOD penetration... the blitz now scrapes correctly when the blitzer recognizes run away from him...

man coverage (with time) still tends to give up the meshes and crosses a tad too easy, but the whole reason for those routes exist for these coverages anyways, so really no complaints... and they can be covered easily if you switch and cut in front of the route, but you better be sure otherwise its automatic 6 for CPU (and eventually user)... but the corner routes vs man are much better covered...

i did see the locomotion REALLY take over on defense when i TRIED to turbo blitz, which from what i can tell is completely out now... i tried, and tried, and tried, and tried, and tried to get a rocket catch off on a deep vertical, but being the demo, im not sure if its just removed altogether or animations out, or just left out or what... but i couldnt even come close to ANYTHING that looked like a rocket catch like you could still do from last year... on the deep ball you really have to have a step on someone, and with saying that the DB's do better vs the pump fake than in NCAA 10...

the near to true life midline out of the pistol in the MIZZOU book is nifty, cant wait to use it with a real option/mobile QB though, as i cant tell if its the slower QB, the glitchy option delay thats in the demo, or if its just going to be a wasted play b/c it wont animate correctly, but i do like the idea in theory... along with a lot of the changes in the books, even on plays that were in last year, being able to run some of this stuff is just awesome with great blocking... even if im only gaining maybe 3 yards... still nice...

the speed option from ACE BIG doesnt work like it did in NCAA 10, you can still read it, but the automatic 4-6 yards doesnt happen anymore... i do like how they actually account for the DE on load options, forcing you to read the first LB/OLB/SS thats forcing the alley... GREAT STUFF THERE!!! (big thumbs up from a coaching stand point) the pitch is a tad off on timing, as i find myself sometimes hitting it 2-3 sometimes 4 times before it will actually pitch the ball... aggravating... really sucks...

back to defensive coverage on zones though, i LOVE that the underneath guys dont "hug" to people crossing their zones like they do in NCAA 10, no LB has eyes in the back of his head... so i dont see why they would have eyes in the back of their head on the game... i never liked the whole running backwards and sideways while you sat still in the pocket to only sit right in front of someone on a deep curl that they never "saw" the whole play...

the one thing that sums everything up for me on the NCAA 11 demo is this... "PLAY CALLING"

those zones will be exploited if they are stretched correctly, man will be beat without a good blitz to accompany it... the run game will actually help you with setting up the PAP, so now we can actually open the game up from the offensive side... on the defensive side though, a needed tweak to the awareness will help out with some of this deep ball conversation... but if you are going to blitz, again, PLAY CALLING, YOU BETTER BRING NUMBERS... blitzing 6-7 on NCAA 11 demo with the FIXED blocking, is like sending 4-5 on NCAA 10 game...

i am EXTREMELY satisfied with the demo, as its only a demo, and i have absolutely no concerns, especially with the way they have responded so far in the builds to our feedback, and with the talk about certain things now, they will follow suit and tweak as we see needed to ensure the best game play experience...

"E"

iBrandon
06-15-2010, 03:31 PM
What is the auto-speed burst used for? I’m guessing it just uses speed bursts for you atomically? I would think the same for auto pass? They will pass just pass the ball?

Rudy
06-15-2010, 04:07 PM
I'm going to try the auto-sprint tonight. I'd still like to know the sliders available this year.

Gamecock999
06-15-2010, 04:10 PM
Downloaded and played 4 games last night, went 2-2 on AA. First game lost with OU, just getting a handle on the new controls. Won with Miami, mostly passing. Lost with UF, gave the CPU 2 pick 6's. Actually came back and tied it, but it scored at the end. Blew out Mizzou with Clemson. Up 28-0 at one point. Used a lot of PA passes and got 2 int's. On this game, the CPU threw 2 hail mary type passes over jumping double coverage twice towards the end of the game (just to make it close I think). Not realistic.

Overall, game played smooth. The jury is out on the run game. On all 4 games, I felt as if I were controlling a guy on skates rather than running, especially on kickoffs. Couldn't cut at all. One extreme to another almost. Thumbs up though. The actual game usually plays much better. Counting down to the 13th.

AustinWolv
06-15-2010, 04:31 PM
Had a small glitch last night when I went into an OT game. Triple OT to be exact. Anyway, the little down and distance window in the lower right got stuck on the word 'turnover' during one of my possessions. Wouldn't change at all through the whole series. When possession changed to the CPU, it reset and worked properly again.

xGRIDIRONxGURUx
06-15-2010, 05:48 PM
I felt as if I were controlling a guy on skates rather than running, especially on kickoffs. Couldn't cut at all. One extreme to another almost

i dont know too many players in real life NCAA/NFL that can sprint down on kickoff coverage and make sharp cuts... thats why youre taught from pee-wee league on up to stay in your lanes...

i see quite a few of these type of comments, and most of it is because were used to an ultra-responsive player who can turn on a dime, and leave you change... now that we are finally getting a realistic representation, such as... the inability to cut precisely while sprinting full speed, the inability for LB's to see out of the back of their head, the inability of DE's to man-handle the outside edge, things are different...

we have to be careful (while i know gamecock gave a thumbs up and im not really saying its him) but we have to be careful or else we will just end up hating a game that we have asked for... we all wanted more realistic, more life-like, more simulation... like i said in the write up... play-calling just became the biggest thing EVER in this game... especially on the defensive side of the ball...

"E"

psusnoop
06-15-2010, 07:03 PM
Had a small glitch last night when I went into an OT game. Triple OT to be exact. Anyway, the little down and distance window in the lower right got stuck on the word 'turnover' during one of my possessions. Wouldn't change at all through the whole series. When possession changed to the CPU, it reset and worked properly again.

This has happened to me during a normal game and lasted the whole way through. Maybe a glitch thread should be created to list anything that we might see during the demo test runs.

Gamecock999
06-15-2010, 07:30 PM
i dont know too many players in real life NCAA/NFL that can sprint down on kickoff coverage and make sharp cuts... thats why youre taught from pee-wee league on up to stay in your lanes...

i see quite a few of these type of comments, and most of it is because were used to an ultra-responsive player who can turn on a dime, and leave you change... now that we are finally getting a realistic representation, such as... the inability to cut precisely while sprinting full speed, the inability for LB's to see out of the back of their head, the inability of DE's to man-handle the outside edge, things are different...

we have to be careful (while i know gamecock gave a thumbs up and im not really saying its him) but we have to be careful or else we will just end up hating a game that we have asked for... we all wanted more realistic, more life-like, more simulation... like i said in the write up... play-calling just became the biggest thing EVER in this game... especially on the defensive side of the ball...

"E"

I understand what you are saying here, and I've read other posts prior to the release about getting use to the running game. It is a demo, and different, just that. In the final build, I'm sure it will play a little different. I personally will just have to get use to the new running game, just like everyone, and that's not a negative thing. I love the realism.. In the past 16 years, this is absolutely the best college football game produced. It has definitely come a long way just since 08 on next gen.

I OU a Beatn
06-15-2010, 07:35 PM
It has the potential to be the best, but if it remains in it's current state, it's going to be one of the worst. The underwhelming pass rush combined with inability for blitzing defenders to bring pressure along with the absolutely putrid pass coverage are going to be severe issues if they aren't fixed in the final game.

JeffHCross
06-15-2010, 07:38 PM
Eh, it's still above and beyond NCAA 07 and NCAA 09 on next-gen. Even the Offense-fest that was 09 was worse than this.

SmoothPancakes
06-15-2010, 08:49 PM
well, pretty much any thoughts I had from playing my first game of the demo have already been stated here, multiple times even. But I do know one thing, I need to work on my game bad. :( Apparently just straight picking up and playing the game after hardly playing NCAA 10 at all since January isn't recommended.

Just played the Miami-Ohio State demo, and what a way to blow it. I was up 24-7 with 1:30 left in the 3rd quarter, and then proceed to give up 3 passing touchdowns. Miami onside kicked twice, the first time, my player picked it up, promptly fumbled it, Miami recovered and then ran it all the way for a touchdown to make it 24-21. And then my players decided not to pick up the ball at their feet on the second onside kick, Miami recovers, and promptly throws a 60 yard bomb on their first offensive play to take the lead 28-24 with 20 seconds left. After getting a pass off to my receiver running a corner route and getting him out of bounds around the 50 with 1 second left, I was able to throw up a hail mary, only to have it knocked down in the end zone.

I think I need to go take a shower. I feel dirty after the abuse I just took in that last 3:30 of the game. :(

Kingpin32
06-15-2010, 08:54 PM
Did anyone else experience a tad bit of lag while they were playing the games?

rhombic21
06-15-2010, 09:10 PM
BTW, the hook zone issue is basically a combination of the problems from '09 and last year. Part of it has to do with when the ball is on the hash marks. The players will still drop to incorrect locations unless a WR runs across their face. It's not as bad as it was last year, but it's clearly not fixed correctly. We'll see if it's in the final version. If so, then that's just hilarious. It would almost be better if they didn't do anything at all. Now it looks like they tried and are so clueless that they didn't realize that they hadn't fixed the problem.

Second, it appears that players in zone coverage in general are just not very aware of receivers in their area, and are not cognizant of the fact that they can no longer change direction on a dime. So you see routes developing and you as a human know that the defensive player needs to be entering "sprint as fast as you can to gain depth and play catch up" mode, but the CPU that is controlling the defender doesn't, which results in some big plays.

And as others have stated, the players on both sides appear to be completely ignorant of both first down and endzone markers. And defenders make no effort to get between the WRs and the ball, which is very reminiscent of the way zone coverage was on '09.

Also, the CPU seems to come with some really questionable playcalls. I just won a game because the CPU came with a cover 0 blitz (no deep safety help over the middle) when they were up by 3 and I had to go 80 yards in less than 20 seconds. Maybe it's fixed in the final build, but it doesn't look to me like the CPU has a very good logic for understanding game situations in calling defensive plays.

rhombic21
06-15-2010, 09:19 PM
As for the pass rush, I have to agree with those who have noted that it seems like the pass rush is pretty reasonable when the defense pass commits, but that it is very lackluster when it doesn't. Given the revamped nature of the running game, which might make it difficult to pass commit as often as was the case in the past, this might be problematic, though it is difficult to tell for sure.

I OU a Beatn
06-15-2010, 09:21 PM
So if you pass commit pre-play, the pass rush is better?

I haven't really used commit in the demo. If the defense still plays the run relatively well while pass committing and the defensive line generates more pressure, that would definitely help things out. I'll have to tinker around with it a bit. As of right now without pass committing, I'm getting pretty much zero pressure whatsoever which only makes the problems in the secondary that much worse.

rhombic21
06-15-2010, 09:55 PM
Yeah, if you pass commit and set your DL to aggressive, you get some decent pressure. It also seems like the ends get a little bit of a better rush if you individually hot route them to blitz straight ahead and spread the line. Many of the default plays have the DEs rushing at an angle into the OL, whereas if you have them rush straight ahead they do something that more closely resembles a speed rush.

As for the problems in the secondary, they are really pretty massive. And in some ways worse than '09 because even in zone defense you can end up giving up huge plays on simple streak routes. At least on '09 you could sit back in zone and force them to dink and dunk. Now you can't seem to do anything to prevent your CBs from biting on double moves or simply falling down/getting turned around for no reason. It's like the AI has no concept of the overall defensive scheme, and doesn't understand that if that player gets beat deep, there's no help. Same thing goes for players in man coverage with no safety help over top. In real life, corners in that situation generally play off and make sure that they don't get beat deep (sacrificing quick passes underneath). That's why stuff like comebacks work in real life, but never really work on the game. On the game, corners pretty much always play a hyper-aggressive mode where they break down and squat as soon as the WR makes his first break, whereas in real life, corners don't do that because they know that it makes them vulnerable to giving up a big play deep. In the past, corners on NCAA and Madden could get away with this logic because they were able to turn and recover unrealistically fast. Now that they can't do that anymore, it's a problem.

Locomotion is a great idea, and it works great in many areas of the game, but without massive improvements to the defensive AI, in terms of players understanding how they fit into a larger scheme, it's going to be a giant problem. Defensive players need to know when they can be aggressive, because they have help over the top, and when they can't.

beartide06
06-15-2010, 10:17 PM
Ok just played a game on the demo on heisman. I was Ohio State playing Miami and I was winning 28-7 with about 50 seconds left in the game. I jumped offsides and they snapped it, my guy picks it off, then gets hit and fumbles it and they pick it up and run it in for a TD. When they decide whether or not to accept the penalty or decline it... THEY ACCEPT IT and don't score instead of declining it and getting the TD!!!!

Keontez
06-15-2010, 11:58 PM
the near to true life midline out of the pistol in the MIZZOU book is nifty, cant wait to use it with a real option/mobile QB though, as i cant tell if its the slower QB, the glitchy option delay thats in the demo, or if its just going to be a wasted play b/c it wont animate correctly, but i do like the idea in theory... along with a lot of the changes in the books, even on plays that were in last year, being able to run some of this stuff is just awesome with great blocking... even if im only gaining maybe 3 yards... still nice...


Did you mean Pistol out of FSU's playbook? I dont see it in the Mizzou playbook. I wanna try this play out.

jaymo76
06-16-2010, 12:02 AM
It has the potential to be the best, but if it remains in it's current state, it's going to be one of the worst. The underwhelming pass rush combined with inability for blitzing defenders to bring pressure along with the absolutely putrid pass coverage are going to be severe issues if they aren't fixed in the final game.

I would not say it will be one of the worst as this game just has such an upside... BUT... the pass rush and man-to-man coverage are absolutely brutal. But hey, this was the case last year before the patch with NCAA and Madden. I am interested to hear the feedback from the Tiburon team at E3 about these issues and if they have been addressed in the final build or if it is a patch issue. Okay back to the demo... loving these Pistol formations this year!

JBHuskers
06-16-2010, 12:04 AM
Curious to see Pasta's reaction to the demo after playing the final build at E3. See what differences he's noticing.

jaymo76
06-16-2010, 12:23 AM
Curious to see Pasta's reaction to the demo after playing the final build at E3. See what differences he's noticing.

Just read it.... his concerns are what we have been saying.... no pass rush and minimal defense vs the pass...

Rudy
06-16-2010, 05:30 AM
Played two games on Heisman. Beat Mizzou 24-14 and lost to OSU 14-0. Game is definitely more competitive on Heisman although it was hard to run and I didn't like the pass rush (cpu all over me, me struggling to get a rush). I think sliders will help.

I hope I don't have to use pass committ or the game planning to get a rush. Things may be tweaked for retail or an early patch could address some concerns. Sliders may fix things too.

xGRIDIRONxGURUx
06-16-2010, 08:03 AM
here again... even pasta... and most here...

this game has correct blocking... aka... 4 man pass rush will sometimes get pressure, but you are going to have to dial up your play-calling to get the heat you want and expect from past versions of this game...

there is no real life game in which a 4 man rush absolutely rattles a QB, unless you have a carlos dunlap type player @ DE or insert other beastly athletic DE here, namely Suh... ive said it already... blitzing, is going to require numbers in NCAA 11... your calling plays is going to have to shape up way more than previous versions, because the normal crash the DL out wont get you a sack unless its a pure coverage sack in which the QB is holding the ball for 5 seconds... it just wont happen, just as in real life... the G's this year on the OL are too smart and dont just sit anymore...

they have made the game like real life... fluid, quick but not hyper-speed, and you MUST CONTROL perfect angles or you will whiff like an idiot and look like a nub when you dive right past a RB... and just like real life, offense is powerful... defenses today in the college game rely on mixing up looks and coverages, and its going to take some last second audibles from man-to-zone and zone-to-man to confuse your opponents, and as i have stated... blitzing 6 this year is what you would get with the unrealistic 4 man rush of yesteryear versions...

my advice for NCAA 11... know your playbook on defense... and you BETTER be able to read and recognize your opponent, whether OD or just Ranked online game, because there wont be any superman DE crash out sacks this year until some in OD start recruiting 90 ACC LB's and ATH's and placing them at DE's... then you may see some jumps on these OT's where the G cant scrape to double or seal up...

and i dont understand why if you WANT a PASS rush... why you dont want to PASS COMMIT... doesnt make sense to me and sounds a bit lazy... everyone is spoiled by former versions of this game where you can half-a__ it through everything and rely on generic stuff that was broke... now everyone is having to actually send numbers when you want to blitz, and nobody likes it...

this game plays true-to-life a lot more than everyone is giving credit... you have 11 men... its your job to place them correctly... otherwise you will get burnt up on the pass... now keep in mind i do think a bit of tweaking could be made to awareness to help out with flooding of zones on vertical routes... but other than that its really not bad at all... i love it...

everybody needs to take off the "old version goggles" and stop looking at it from "what youre used to doing"... we all asked for a new game that plays more realistic... we have it... and we are complaining...???

"E"

rhombic21
06-16-2010, 08:13 AM
I'm sorry, but you're wrong. Even with a 4 man rush, the QB should rarely have more than 5 seconds to pass the ball. And some of these teams have pretty good defensive lines. The issue isn't just sacks and pressures. The issue is that a lot of times you get all or nothing. You either get instant pressure or the QB has 7+ seconds to sit in the pocket and scan the field.

I'm not complaining about coverage for the player that I'm controlling. I'm complaining about the CPU covering the areas that it's supposed to. Putting those 11 guys in position only matters if they carry out the assignments that I give them.

CLW
06-16-2010, 08:31 AM
I'm sorry, but you're wrong. Even with a 4 man rush, the QB should rarely have more than 5 seconds to pass the ball. And some of these teams have pretty good defensive lines. The issue isn't just sacks and pressures. The issue is that a lot of times you get all or nothing. You either get instant pressure or the QB has 7+ seconds to sit in the pocket and scan the field.

I'm not complaining about coverage for the player that I'm controlling. I'm complaining about the CPU covering the areas that it's supposed to. Putting those 11 guys in position only matters if they carry out the assignments that I give them.

Completely agreed. I almost feel like going to youtube and showing videos of a 4 man rush getting after the quarterback within 3-4 seconds on a regular basis just to show what you me and everyone else is talking about.

I fooled around last night and committing to pass + d-line agressive settings do help you get a much more realistic pass rush. However, the flip side once again is I did not see ONE offsides call after I chose to go agressive with my d-line. Again, everyone is just going to automatically set their d-line to agressive to get the "jumped snap" with no possible negative ramifications for making that decision.

I also messed around with Mizzou last night. I played on Heisman and went no huddle staying in the shotgun quad sets and WOW there are at least 5 plays that literally cannot be stopped. Simply hike the ball make the correct read and it will either be a completion or a dropped pass. The CPU tried zone, man, blitz everything and they were TOAST every play. I ended up putting up 31 points in the game scoring on every possession.

The more I play this game the more I FEAR that there simply is going to be ZERO defense in this game (except for finding and manipulating AI glitches).

Kwizzy
06-16-2010, 09:08 AM
Not to sound like a homer but a great visual of this would be Nebraska's dline from last year. We rarely brought more than the front 4 because we had Suh & could get quick pressure just fine with 4. It would be nice to see the game have to account for dominant players like Suh, McCoy, Cody, etc... and make teams pay for having to double them. Completely with you guys on this.

rhombic21
06-16-2010, 10:02 AM
CPU just ran wildcat. Then ran no-huddle and audibled to pass a play in 5 wide with the HB at QB.

Really, this AI playcalling logic is just terrible. On both offense and defense.

I OU a Beatn
06-16-2010, 10:24 AM
CPU just ran wildcat. Then ran no-huddle and audibled to pass a play in 5 wide with the HB at QB.

Really, this AI playcalling logic is just terrible. On both offense and defense.

I'm not going to complain a bit about their play calling. Play Backbreaker a few times and neither will you. :D

I actually haven't seen them make too many bad calls. I've seen a couple times where they ran it right up the gut in 3rd and like 5 when I was showing blitz, but other than that, I haven't had many problems with that. Defensively they call of a bunch of stupid plays, but that's been an NCAA staple since I can remember.

willisj318
06-16-2010, 10:29 AM
Did anyone else experience a tad bit of lag while they were playing the games?

I did, in menus and playcalling especially. I thought the game was fun, it played better than last years. Either I suck at defense or its impossible to stop. I played on AA. 14-14 tie UT vs Oklahoma, I was UT. 14-16 passing and 2TDs. No stops until the 4th OT. I missed a 4th down and they made a FG to win. Next game was OSU vs Miami. I was OSU. It was pretty defensinve for the first half then in the last 30 seconds Miami scored on two bombs and I scored on a bomb. I just hope that isnt going to be howe the end of the games are.

Also the cpu called timeouts to stop the clock even though I was kicking the xp multiple times.

CLW
06-16-2010, 11:49 AM
Not to sound like a homer but a great visual of this would be Nebraska's dline from last year. We rarely brought more than the front 4 because we had Suh & could get quick pressure just fine with 4. It would be nice to see the game have to account for dominant players like Suh, McCoy, Cody, etc... and make teams pay for having to double them. Completely with you guys on this.

Last year's Nebraska squad is a good example. If you have good/great defensive lineman in college you are going to get pressure with your front 3/4 within 3-4 seconds on most plays. Will it be every play? Of course not. However, I'm seeing far too many instances of 5+ seconds in the pocket with no duress then when the pressure finally does come its still too easy (IMO) to avoid the pressure by escaping the pocket buying another 2-3 seconds while your WR running a deep post route eventually outruns the CB/S and its bombs away.

jaymo76
06-16-2010, 07:07 PM
Last year's Nebraska squad is a good example. If you have good/great defensive lineman in college you are going to get pressure with your front 3/4 within 3-4 seconds on most plays. Will it be every play? Of course not. However, I'm seeing far too many instances of 5+ seconds in the pocket with no duress then when the pressure finally does come its still too easy (IMO) to avoid the pressure by escaping the pocket buying another 2-3 seconds while your WR running a deep post route eventually outruns the CB/S and its bombs away.

Perfect summary.

Deuce
06-16-2010, 07:15 PM
What do you guys think about sliders being able to 'fix' the issues that most of you are seeing? Can sliders fix it or will it require a patch?

xGRIDIRONxGURUx
06-16-2010, 07:36 PM
why i noted the dunlaps and suhs... i was taken literal when i said "5 seconds"... guys... pick at whatever you want.. but this is the best game to date... a 4 man rush gives you 3-4 to throw... and thats about what you get on this game... at least when im playing... and i wasnt talking about user controlled players rhombic... i was speaking about awareness updates for those CPU guys who dont help out in certain zone situations in the vertical game like they should...

im not calling people a liar... but seriously... take off the "goggles" (whatever equivalent of beer goggles that makes a game look bad when its really good) and start seeing this as a game that you are going to have to learn to play "new"... not like anything we have played before... they said that SO MANY TIMES in the videos... "we want you to feel like you have never played this game before"... they followed through... its not an issue of "all or nothing" its an issue of you want a 4 man rush to get you 10 sacks a game... but thats not realistic... (10 is exaggerated but you get my point)... we cry for a realistic game... the demo is LIGHT YEARS AWAY FROM ANYTHING WE HAVE EVER PLAYED but yet, you act (along with a few others ive seen post this) that it "could be the worst version ever"

this can be taken like a prick punk statement... but i will say it anyways... im not trying to piss anyone off... but some people need to get off the "old version bottle" and start eating some NCAA 11 grown up food...

this game forces you to be a better signal caller... a more controlled user... to play with strategy... and it seems like most of the ones complaining (i said most) are the ones that piss and moan about PS2 and the glory days... where you could hardly do anything wrong on defense... even on next gen consoles all the way up to 10, we have had the *** EASY MILK IN A BOTTLE stuff on defense to allow people to play lazy (insert run commit along with other crap here) and now that people are having to call a good game on BOTH sides of the ball... its hard all of a sudden...

i dont know... maybe im the punk here for responding like this, but honestly... when i saw that the one dude played vs the CPU and lost 63-8 on heisman... i knew the upgrades werent going to be received well... b/c the CPU overall is way more advanced than ever...

the stuff like the audible to 5 wide with QB in, thats stuff that can be patched... which you will say... "they should have all that fixed"... i say... "i would say the same thing if they sat on their butts all off-season and gave us an updated roster of last years game" but they didnt... so have faith... give feedback... and keep playing...

i just watched a highlight clip of the big 12 game vs texas... and on average except for a few stunts that got by... 4 seconds on the sacks...

just saying...

"E"

rhombic21
06-16-2010, 07:48 PM
I don't believe that you are honestly only getting 3-4 seconds to throw against a 4 man rush on this game. And the zones aren't just messed up on deep routes, they're messed up on short routes too.

rhombic21
06-16-2010, 08:31 PM
I just threw for nearly 500 yards and 6 TDs with 2 minute quarters using OU against Texas. Just run 5 WR Four Verticals every single play. The computer will never stop it.

Kwizzy
06-16-2010, 08:46 PM
Gridiron,
I don't know where you saw anyone on this site being overly negative or critical. Maybe, you're carryin some of the stuff you've read on utopia with you. I think all of us have said that this is one of the better efforts EA has put in in quite awhile. Locomotion, Assignment AI, recruiting, etc... have all been pretty well hailed as MAJOR upgrades by everyone here. We have simply voiced our concerns with something all of us have been noticing. For years the defensive AI has been able to get away with not "understanding" some of the concepts of a team defense due to the lack of realistic physical movement restrictions. The addition of locomotion, while great, may have opened up another can of worms that needs to be pointed out.

No one is saying this isn't a GREAT improvement merely offering some constructive criticism.

I OU a Beatn
06-16-2010, 08:49 PM
Gridiron, there is such a thing as being an EA hater. It definitely does exist. However, none of us here hate EA. I've noticed in basically every single one of your posts that you are blindly defending every aspect of the game no matter what. Whether you care to admit it or not, there ARE problems with the demo. Whether or not they exist in the final game is a while different matter, though judging from years past, the exact same issues will exist in the final game.

First of all, I'm getting 5-8 seconds to throw the ball when facing a 4 man rush, and get about the same amount of time whenever the CPU has the ball. That. Is. WAY. Too. Long. Even when you pass commit and have your defensive line set to aggressive, it still doesn't generate nearly the pressure I should be seeing whether it be a 4 man rush or with blitzing defenders as well. If you say you only get 3 seconds to throw the ball on average, I'll straight out call you a liar. I've played it, and tons of others have as well, and you're the only person I've seen say that.

The game forces you to be a better signal caller? LOL. No, it doesn't. As rhombic said above me, you can run Verticals the entire game and score at will. You can run a post route every single play and score at will. There's SEVERE issues with how the defense defends and responds to the pass. Defenders in zone drop to the wrong spot in the field, they will NOT make an effort to defend someone in their zone, DBs constantly get turned around for some reason leading to easy touchdowns, and there's also occasional issues where they just line up incorrectly leaving someone wide open from the start. Of all the games I've played football wise this generation, this one is the single worst at making me make the correct reads. I don't have to make reads. I can pick a route that's going to be wide open before I even run the play.

Now, like I said, this is based on the DEMO. Whether or not it plays the same in the final version remains to be seen. I just think you really need to hop in between the "EA is amazing" and "EA sucks" train and see where I'm coming from.

morsdraconis
06-16-2010, 08:56 PM
I just threw for nearly 500 yards and 6 TDs with 2 minute quarters using OU against Texas. Just run 5 WR Four Verticals every single play. The computer will never stop it.

You're playing on All-American right?

Try it on Heisman and come back to me. I GUARANTEE you, you will not do that on Heisman because the pass rush will get to you in time.

Rudy
06-16-2010, 09:02 PM
Last year's Nebraska squad is a good example. If you have good/great defensive lineman in college you are going to get pressure with your front 3/4 within 3-4 seconds on most plays. Will it be every play? Of course not. However, I'm seeing far too many instances of 5+ seconds in the pocket with no duress then when the pressure finally does come its still too easy (IMO) to avoid the pressure by escaping the pocket buying another 2-3 seconds while your WR running a deep post route eventually outruns the CB/S and its bombs away.

Nebraska isn't a real good example though. Suh had more tackles than any DT in college football since Cortez Kennedy. The other DL were great too. Crick had 9.5 sacks. That's a DL where you don't have to bring pressure.

I'll defend Gridiron a bit here. Just look at a team like the Patriots. Against most teams Brady is sipping a cup of coffee back there against a 4 man rush. NFL teams average one sack for every 15 attempts. It's hard to find stats on how often teams blitz and their effects. I'd love to know the average time spent in the pocket vs. various 3-6 man rushes. Here is one article with a little insight (only NFL). http://profootball.scout.com/2/932036.html

Kwizzy
06-16-2010, 09:05 PM
You're playing on All-American right?

Try it on Heisman and come back to me. I GUARANTEE you, you will not do that on Heisman because the pass rush will get to you in time.

I dunno man, the safety play is suspect at best from my experiences so far (on heisman). I don't doubt he could do it.

As far as the pass rush goes: I think the cpu is getting decent pressure on me so far but I am having trouble getting any coverage at all, especially on shorter crossing routes, & therefore no time for my dline to get pressure for the most part. My concern isn't so much with playing against the cpu because I'd rather the cpu was able to get some yards. My concern lies with what happens when I play someone online.

CLW
06-16-2010, 09:05 PM
What do you guys think about sliders being able to 'fix' the issues that most of you are seeing? Can sliders fix it or will it require a patch?

Well that probably depends on what sliders we are given and how effective they are. In the past, sliders have been helpful and other years it feels like they are either entirely ineffective or are counter-productive. My guess is it will probably take both. EA has always favored offense as they clearly believe (and probably are right) that easy offense sells games. "Pink Hats" want to put up points and feel like they are "bad ass".

As far as a slider set, my guess is Heisman and the following adjustments would be needed:

HUM/CPU

OFFENSE
QBA-15/20
PASS BLK-30/35
WR CATCH-40/50
RBA-50/50
RUN BLK-40/50

DEFENSE
PASS COVERAGE-85/100
PASS RUSH-85/100
INT-50/50
RUN DEFENSE-50/50
TKL-50/50

I OU a Beatn
06-16-2010, 09:05 PM
You're playing on All-American right?

Try it on Heisman and come back to me. I GUARANTEE you, you will not do that on Heisman because the pass rush will get to you in time.

Speaking for both rhombic and myself, 90% of our games are spent online against human opponents. The difficulty is hard set at All American and you can not change it. Setting the difficulty to Heisman on the demo wont help a bit.

oweb26
06-16-2010, 09:11 PM
First of all, I'm getting 5-8 seconds to throw the ball when facing a 4 man rush, and get about the same amount of time whenever the CPU has the ball. That. Is. WAY. Too. Long. Even when you pass commit and have your defensive line set to aggressive, it still doesn't generate nearly the pressure I should be seeing whether it be a 4 man rush or with blitzing defenders as well. If you say you only get 3 seconds to throw the ball on average, I'll straight out call you a liar. I've played it, and tons of others have as well, and you're the only person I've seen say that.

. As rhombic said above me, you can run Verticals the entire game and score at will. You can run a post route every single play and score at will. There's SEVERE issues with how the defense defends and responds to the pass. Defenders in zone drop to the wrong spot in the field, they will NOT make an effort to defend someone in their zone, DBs constantly get turned around for some reason leading to easy touchdowns, and there's also occasional issues where they just line up incorrectly leaving someone wide open from the start. Of all the games I've played football wise this generation, this one is the single worst at making me make the correct reads. I don't have to make reads. I can pick a route that's going to be wide open before I even run the play.

Now, like I said, this is based on the DEMO. Whether or not it plays the same in the final version remains to be seen. I just think you really need to hop in between the "EA is amazing" and "EA sucks" train and see where I'm coming from.

You could have run verticals alot on last years game IIRC, I honestly cant remember a year that the post route wasn't deadly, these are old problems that apparently will not get fixed, so why fuss every year? .....I'm just sayin.

Another thing is, if you know you can exploit one play why run it over and over again? I know this new COD generation will do it ( inside joke to IOU) , but just don't run the damn play. I really feel as though its more shitty(predictable) play calling by the computer more than anything else, probably with a slight condition of fucked up programming.

JeffHCross
06-16-2010, 09:18 PM
As IOU said, he and rhombic spend a lot of time playing Online. More often than not Random Online, I believe. So problems like Four Verticals being ridiculously easy are going to plague them.

rhombic21
06-16-2010, 09:20 PM
Played again as Florida vs Florida State. 82-0 on 2 minute quarters. I recovered about 6 onside kicks.

QB finished with somewhere north of 800 yards passing and 11 TDs. Could have been more, but by midway in the third quarter all my WR's were tired and the game subbed in CBs, who dropped some easy passes.

rhombic21
06-16-2010, 09:25 PM
Also, LOL at the CPU coming with a corner blitz with 2 seconds to go in the half after I've already thrown 4 TDs, all on the same play (which involves me throwing bombs to the WR that this blitzing CB was covering). Just pathetic.

oweb26
06-16-2010, 09:26 PM
As IOU said, he and rhombic spend a lot of time playing Online. More often than not Random Online, I believe. So problems like Four Verticals being ridiculously easy are going to plague them.

OMA, danger close+noob tube was a problem on COD, either you accept it and still play or move with your life.

Rhombic are you proving a point or bragging..:)

I OU a Beatn
06-16-2010, 09:27 PM
You could have run verticals alot on last years game IIRC, I honestly cant remember a year that the post route wasn't deadly, these are old problems that apparently will not get fixed, so why fuss every year? .....I'm just sayin.

Another thing is, if you know you can exploit one play why run it over and over again? I know this new COD generation will do it ( inside joke to IOU) , but just don't run the damn play. I really feel as though its more shitty(predictable) play calling by the computer more than anything else, probably with a slight condition of fucked up programming.

Honestly, I can't even remember all the issues last year. I know the pass rush sucked. I know run commit was way overpowered. I know zone defenses were broken(which is why I'm not surprised they're still broken), etc..I stopped playing the game after a month because I got tired of the problems. In theory, if I was playing the CPU, I could avoid all the issues with the AI. However, I don't. Almost all my games are played online against random people who will more than happily abuse every issue the game has, which is why it's so imperative for them to fix as much of it as possible to make the experience more enjoyable online. If the defense plays in the final version like it does in the demo, online scores are going to be in the 50s every game.

Yes, I blame Call of Duty. :D


As IOU said, he and rhombic spend a lot of time playing Online. More often than not Random Online, I believe. So problems like Four Verticals being ridiculously easy are going to plague them.

I'd say 99% of my games are against random people. I think the only person I played last year that I knew was rhombic. :D

Perhaps that's me setting myself up for failure, but I don't think I'm asking for much. Back during the PS2 days(yes, I know, but it ties into my point), there were issues with the game. However, they weren't game breaking for the most part. Offense and defense were balanced and the best player usually won. That hasn't been the case with this current generation. '08 had frame rate issues, way to effective defense, and enormous lag online. '09 had the pass rush issues and problems with zone coverage. '10 had the pass rush issues and problems with zone coverage. '11 looks to be much the same only worse. Like I said earlier, a lot of this probably can be fixed to make for an enjoyable experience playing against the CPU. Playing against someone online, someone random no less, and they're going to do everything in their power to win meaning every little thing they can to break the AI, which is frustrating when they're successful only because of badly programmed AI.

I really, really, really hope the issues I talked about are fixed in the final game, and if not, at least fixed with a patch. If not, it looks to be another disappointing month before I get tired of the BS and begin an 11 month wait until NCAA Football '12.

CLW
06-16-2010, 09:27 PM
Played again as Florida vs Florida State. 82-0 on 2 minute quarters. I recovered about 6 onside kicks.

QB finished with somewhere north of 800 yards passing and 11 TDs. Could have been more, but by midway in the third quarter all my WR's were tired and the game subbed in CBs, who dropped some easy passes.

WOW and I thought I was tearing up the CPU secondary running the Mizzou no huddle quad sets.

mundo
06-16-2010, 09:27 PM
so the demo of a football game has some sizable defensive flaws...Stated and Noted.

I am interested to see what fixes they implemented and slider affects before I cast the game as worthless.

morsdraconis
06-16-2010, 09:33 PM
NM.

oweb26
06-16-2010, 09:33 PM
Honestly, I can't even remember all the issues last year. I know the pass rush sucked. I know run commit was way overpowered. I know zone defenses were broken(which is why I'm not surprised they're still broken), etc..I stopped playing the game after a month because I got tired of the problems. In theory, if I was playing the CPU, I could avoid all the issues with the AI. However, I don't. Almost all my games are played online against random people who will more than happily abuse every issue the game has, which is why it's so imperative for them to fix as much of it as possible to make the experience more enjoyable online. If the defense plays in the final version like it does in the demo, online scores are going to be in the 50s every game.

Yes, I blame Call of Duty. :D



I'd say 99% of my games are against random people. I think the only person I played last year that I knew was rhombic. :D

Perhaps that's me setting myself up for failure, but I don't think I'm asking for much. Back during the PS2 days(yes, I know, but it ties into my point), there were issues with the game. However, they weren't game breaking for the most part. Offense and defense were balanced and the best player usually won. That hasn't been the case with this current generation. '08 had frame rate issues, way to effective defense, and enormous lag online. '09 had the pass rush issues and problems with zone coverage. '10 had the pass rush issues and problems with zone coverage. '11 looks to be much the same only worse. Like I said earlier, a lot of this probably can be fixed to make for an enjoyable experience playing against the CPU. Playing against someone online, someone random no less, and they're going to do everything in their power to win meaning every little thing they can to break the AI, which is frustrating when they're successful only because of badly programmed AI.

I really, really, really hope the issues I talked about are fixed in the final game, and if not, at least fixed with a patch. If not, it looks to be another disappointing month before I get tired of the BS and begin an 11 month wait until NCAA Football '12.

See this was a nice constructive post and on that note I have nothing left to say.....lol.... But I will say that not having football seems alot easier now due to the shit ton of games that come out between Sept-xmas.

Sidebar: Man its hard to type holding a sleeping baby every time I try and lay her down she wakes up in 10 min, momma need to come back home.

cdj
06-16-2010, 09:39 PM
Played again as Florida vs Florida State. 82-0 on 2 minute quarters. I recovered about 6 onside kicks.

What's the trick to the onside kicks? I only tried one or two (didn't recover any), but it seemed like I was close...figured there was probably a way to recover them.

rhombic21
06-16-2010, 09:43 PM
I go a little bit right and up from center (about 3/4 of the way up and maybe a few clicks left), and then power it to the line on the power meter (which I believe represents 80 or 90% power). I bunch of times it would hit off a receiving team player and then my team would recover.