Custom Playbooks in NCAA 13 - What's new?

[Unconquered]

Any info on how custom playbooks have been updated for NCAA 13?

I was generally disappointed with the bugginess and sloppiness of custom playbooks last year, and I'm hoping custom playbooks in NCAA 13 can be built from scratch, with only Special Teams as a mandatory formation.

Has the dev team released any details?

[gschwendt]

Yeah, they've been mentioned, I think during the Dynasty webcast.

Essentially, they've fixed all of the major complaints. You still have to start with a team's playbook, however you can strip everything completely out down to only having 1 play in your playbook. The only requirements are that you have to have one offensive/defensive play and that the special teams plays remain. If you want to rip out everything including goalline and only have Wildcat Jet Sweep, you can do so.

All formations are now available to pick from including I-Form Tight, all the various Wildcats, and so on. So if you wanted a playbook with nothing but every single Wildcat variation, you could do so.

As well, last year was frustrating if you were removing a play that was an audible, you had to go in and change your audible. Now you can rip even those out and it will adjust your audibles accordingly until if you eventually get down to only one play, that one play will fill all of your audible slots.

Hope that answers your questions but if you still have more, feel free to fire away.

[souljahbill]

That works for me.

[Marlowe]

Will you be able to choose quick audibles in your custom pb or are you still at the mercy of randomness?

[kstauf]

If you create a custom defensive playbook, will the kickoff return formations still be missing like in 12?

[gschwendt]

Will you be able to choose quick audibles in your custom pb or are you still at the mercy of randomness?Based on discussions, I wanna say that it's still at the mercy of randomness. I didn't test much with that aspect of it.


If you create a custom defensive playbook, will the kickoff return formations still be missing like in 12?I honestly don't know. I played around with the playbooks in April but didn't create a defensive one. That said, on NCAA12, you can still access the other return formations by hitting the :ps3cir:/:360b: button at the return playcall, then choosing "by formation" instead of coach's choice (or whatever it's called). It's an annoyance, but they are all still there.

[Unconquered]

Sounds awesome, although I still wish they'd let us start a playbook from scratch. Building a playbook on top of another playbook leaves room for bugginess, I think ...

One (slightly weird) question: Do know if we have any control in determining the order of formations within our playbook? I like my playbook to start with the Ace formations, then I forms, then Shotgun. Last year's custom playbooks would jump around in no particular order.

I know it seems like a minor thing, but I like a logical progression in my playbook.

[gschwendt]

One (slightly weird) question: Do know if we have any control in determining the order of formations within our playbook? I like my playbook to start with the Ace formations, then I forms, then Shotgun. Last year's custom playbooks would jump around in no particular order.

I know it seems like a minor thing, but I like a logical progression in my playbook.I don't think you have any control over that, however I know for sure that it was one of my complaints in January that they were randomly added. It sounded like things would be in the same order that they are in the menu (ie Ace first, then Empty, etc.) however I imagine what it will be is that it will be the same order that the playbook you start with uses. So for Oregon, you would have Shotgun first whereas for Alabama you'd have Ace first. To essentially answer your question though, I don't know the answer.

My biggest complaint was on defense because in my NCAA12 defensive playbook, my tabs go 425, 43, 335, Quarters, 52, Nickel, Dime. Ideally it'd be something more like 43, 52, 335, 425, Nickel, Dime, Quarters.


One thing that will be better is that since you can strip out all sets, you can now order how your sets appear in each formation. When add a set, they will appear in the order that you added them. It was that way last year but since you couldn't remove sets because of restricted plays, those would always appear at the top anyway. If you keep any of the sets from the original playbook, those will appear first and then the ones you add after them.

Obviously if you build your playbook and then a week later come back and add another set, it will appear at the bottom so there's not a true customization of order, but it's still a good way when you start.

[ram29jackson]

I may actually do a custom playbook this time !

[Unconquered]

One thing that will be better is that since you can strip out all sets, you can now order how your sets appear in each formation. When add a set, they will appear in the order that you added them. It was that way last year but since you couldn't remove sets because of restricted plays, those would always appear at the top anyway. If you keep any of the sets from the original playbook, those will appear first and then the ones you add after them.

That annoyed me last year too, so right away this should be an improvement.

Hopefully the same logic will be applied to formation order (i.e., strip out all plays and formations except for Special Teams, and then add formations/sets in the desired order).

[Unconquered]

One more question in roughly the same vein: Has anyone seen any new formations, especially Ace formations? I was hoping they'd bring over some of the Singleback formations from Madden 12, such as Singleback Tight Flex ...

[EDJ]

Formations being ordered correctly is huge, and it will help my no huddle attack in selecting similar personnel groups close together.
And for all plays being available from the start will really help diversify things.

I hope Nebraska's "Quadruple Option" makes a surprise visit to available plays. :whoa:

http://youtu.be/Lh5KZ-z6AtM

[jaymo76]

So just to be clear, we are actually able to change GOALINE plays this year? I found it a real pet peeve that in 12 we could not add/delete goaline packages.

[gschwendt]

So just to be clear, we are actually able to change GOALINE plays this year? I found it a real pet peeve that in 12 we could not add/delete goaline packages.There's only one Goalline formation now... Goalline Normal. You can remove it completely if you'd like. Previously, the other old variations were just renamed normal formations like Goalline Maryland I, etc. So if you want to use the Maryland I as your goalline, you just add the Maryland I.

[ThaShark316]

Yo GS, how many formations do we get this year? 40 again?

[gschwendt]

Yo GS, how many formations do we get this year? 40 again?So far as I'm aware, the size limitations didn't change.

[xGRIDIRONxGURUx]

http://youtu.be/Lh5KZ-z6AtM

Urban thinks it's sexy... the equivalent of "I'd hit that"... "I'd run that" :nod:

[PDuncanOSU]

Will you be able to choose quick audibles in your custom pb or are you still at the mercy of randomness?


Based on discussions, I wanna say that it's still at the mercy of randomness. I didn't test much with that aspect of it.

I was really hoping to be able to asign the quick audibles. As a spread-to-run team, I want to be able to quick audible to a bubble screen in any formation.

Bubble Screen to constrain the defense (http://www.elevenwarriors.com/2012/03/why-bubble-its-all-about-constraint)

[Marlowe]

I was really hoping to be able to asign the quick audibles. As a spread-to-run team, I want to be able to quick audible to a bubble screen in any formation.

Bubble Screen to constrain the defense (http://www.elevenwarriors.com/2012/03/why-bubble-its-all-about-constraint)

Only way I found to do that in '12 was to strip out all pa plays from the formation. Then the pa quick audible became your screen. Unfortunate it might still be the only way in '13 again.

[Kwizzy]

Formations being ordered correctly is huge, and it will help my no huddle attack in selecting similar personnel groups close together.
And for all plays being available from the start will really help diversify things.

I hope Nebraska's "Quadruple Option" makes a surprise visit to available plays. :whoa:

http://youtu.be/Lh5KZ-z6AtM

I tried! Believe me when I say, I TRIED!!! :smh:

[EDJ]

I tried! Believe me when I say, I TRIED!!! :smh:
Bummer. Oh well, my interest went from -1 to 9 on a scale of ten since the demo released. Can't wait for July 10th.

Did you get a glimpse of the Nebraska playbook by chance? If so, is it more or less the same as last season?
I more or less run a similar customer playbook with Flexbone thrown in to no huddle between flex and Diamond looks. But if UNL's has a solid playbook, might not need to waste my time on a Custom book.