Gameplan Adjustments have been whittled down...

[TIMB0B]

Offense loses "Get Open" and "Impact Blocks" while the defense loses "Defensive Line" (Jump Snap) and "Pass Defense" (INT/Swat).

If they're getting rid of these because they're not really "gameplans," then I propose they include the removal of "Holding Blocks, Catching, and Big Hits." I could go either way on "Strip Ball," but if it stays, then "Big Run" needs to stay to counter it.

[SmoothPancakes]

I was trying to remember what the removed gameplans were. I'm sort of torn on losing the offensive adjustments, since Get Open was nice to have to direct my WRs during drives. The defensive adjustments, it might just be because I've been playing as literally nothing but an Offensive Coordinator in all of NCAA '12 and NCAA '13, but I never touched those once and couldn't really care less about them.

[jello1717]

I was trying to remember what the removed gameplans were. I'm sort of torn on losing the offensive adjustments, since Get Open was nice to have to direct my WRs during drives. The defensive adjustments, it might just be because I've been playing as literally nothing but an Offensive Coordinator in all of NCAA '12 and NCAA '13, but I never touched those once and couldn't really care less about them.

When you saw the CPU jumping the snap on nearly every play (which I like since it makes them better on D), that's a defensive gameplan adjustment. When you saw the safeties get lost and not cover deep WRs on lots of 3rd and longs, that was a defensive gameplan adjustment.

[baseballplyrmvp]

has anyone noticed if the aggressive zone coverage bug is still in?

[WolverineJay]

has anyone noticed if the aggressive zone coverage bug is still in?

The CPU still switches to aggressive zones when I checked in 2 separate games. However, I haven't seen the safety ignore the deep threat for the ten yard in route of NCAA 12 and 13 so far I am happy with the way the CPU plays the deep ball when they switch to aggressive zones. Small sample size in the demo though.

[jaymo76]

I'm glad jump the snap is gone. It was a pretty silly gameplan IMO as it was way over-powered and the reward hugely outweighed the risk.

[TIMB0B]

When you saw the CPU jumping the snap on nearly every play (which I like since it makes them better on D), that's a defensive gameplan adjustment. When you saw the safeties get lost and not cover deep WRs on lots of 3rd and longs, that was a defensive gameplan adjustment.

There was a little discussion about this a year ago, but half of those adjustments aren't really applicable to an actual gameplan. They are more akin to a player's tendency and discipline, so they should embed those into player attributes to separate the role players from the impact players.

[ram29jackson]

has anyone noticed if the aggressive zone coverage bug is still in?

don't know...but I had like 3 third and 18's in a game and converted all over the deep middle on all-american

[WolverineJay]

Yes passing over the middle on in routes, posts, slants, and drags is way too easy. The passing game in general is way too easy though because you get all day to throw. I have now switched the pass blocking sliders on Heisman to 25 for both me and the CPU and it makes the pass protection much more realistic (3-5 seconds to pass instead of 5-8 seconds).

I was finally able to see the aggressive zones glitch. After the CPU D switches to aggressive zones and the CB plays a deep blue zone (cover 3) he will run with the WR and sometimes the CB will run back towards line of scrimmage allowing an easy catch then the CB tries to catch back up for the tackle. That is the DB glitch from NCAA 11 when deep zones just were not very responsive.

I was also able to get the safety to bite on a 10 yd out route by the sideline WR (split end) and my slot WR ran past the SS for a catch but he was immediately tackled due to the quick reaction as soon as I pressed the receiver's icon. This happened once despite my playcalling trying to exploit it the entire 2nd half so I will say the aggressive zones glitch is toned way down in the demo.

[punter]

I remember when game planning in football games required your QB to run back 40 yards to throw a 40 yard pass, and a running back had to run for 250 yards on one play just to get a TD.:nod:

[AustinWolv]

I remember when game planning in football games required your QB to run back 40 yards to throw a 40 yard pass, and a running back had to run for 250 yards on one play just to get a TD.:nod:

ROFL. I was playing the hell out of Tecmo Bowl in the XBL arcade about a year ago. :D

I won't be sad when all the game adjustments are taken out. "Power-ups" have no place in the game. True gameplanning options before the game would be a badass addition, like if you checked your next opponent and see that they rely heavily on TE passing, you could have your LBs focus on chipping the TE releases and safeties focus on TE coverage, and you *couldn't* change that until halftime when adjustments would be allowed again.

[punter]

ROFL. I was playing the hell out of Tecmo Bowl in the XBL arcade about a year ago. :D

I won't be sad when all the game adjustments are taken out. "Power-ups" have no place in the game. True gameplanning options before the game would be a badass addition, like if you checked your next opponent and see that they rely heavily on TE passing, you could have your LBs focus on chipping the TE releases and safeties focus on TE coverage, and you *couldn't* change that until halftime when adjustments would be allowed again.



Ya I use to play TB for hours when it first came out on the NES. I guess I'm pretty happy how new football games play compared to 25+ yeasrs ago.:))

[AustinWolv]

My first all-nighter ever for any reason was when myself and a friend alternated quarters playing through seasons of Tecmo......that fucker lost the Super Bowl.

[ram29jackson]

these coupled with run commit -left-right -middle are just silly non sim junk.

I do use conservative run and catch against cheesing strangers online though

[TIMB0B]

True gameplanning options before the game would be a badass addition, like if you checked your next opponent and see that they rely heavily on TE passing, you could have your LBs focus on chipping the TE releases and safeties focus on TE coverage, and you *couldn't* change that until halftime when adjustments would be allowed again.

Completely agree with the true gameplan options however, gameplans could technically be changed at least between each offensive/defensive series if not play-to-play. It's really up to the coach and how well he recognizes what needs to change.

[WolverineJay]

Well after a few more games this time using an under center pro style playbook (Alabama). I immediately could see the DB aggressive zones glitch. My WR#2 for Alabama has 4 catches for 224 yards and 3 TD's :smh: This is really becoming a frustrating demo for me. I love the option run game in NCAA 14 but with the DB glitch still in the game I may just pass altogether. I don't much feel like handicapping myself yet again. It just can't be that hard to remove the Defensive Adjustments Zone Coverage from the game heck EA Tiburon already removed a few game plan items in NCAA 14. What a shame since I was seeing it with shotgun plays but far less than last couple years. I am an under center first type player so this is a big blow to my NCAA 14 plans.

[AustinWolv]

Completely agree with the true gameplan options however, gameplans could technically be changed at least between each offensive/defensive series if not play-to-play. It's really up to the coach and how well he recognizes what needs to change.

Major adjustments usually don't occur series to series. Little tweaks, sure, but not strategy or major gameplan. Even at halftime, it isn't like huge changes take place.

[TIMB0B]

Major adjustments usually don't occur series to series. Little tweaks, sure, but not strategy or major gameplan. Even at halftime, it isn't like huge changes take place.

A scripted gameplan, sure, but certain adjustments like the examples you gave (doubling a TE, etc.) can be done on the fly. But it's still a matter of how quickly the coaches recognize the other team's gameplan i.e. throwing to the TE.

I think we should continue this discussion, and expound on it as a wishlist idea for EA.

Here's what I posted a year ago:

...there are some of these adjustments that do pertain to coaching philosophy: Zone depth, Option defense (more on this in a moment).

The existing gameplan adjustments don't have to be scrapped in a sense, but merely embedded into the player's attributes giving them more unique identities of whether they're a playmaker or simply a role player - actually bringing the player tendencies to fruition. For example, why should a run stopping tendency DL-man have the same Jump Snap advantage as a pass rushing tendency DL-man? And what does jumping a snap have to do with a gameplan? Coaches ideally would like their DL-men to get off the ball quickly all the time.

And for coaches specifically, playcall aggressiveness should determine the zone depths and option defense (noted above) from the current gameplan adjustments. This is such an important slider because it would give coaches a unique identity as well. Zone blocking, man-to-man blocking, or a balance of both; this could go a long way with offensive playcall aggressiveness. For example, if your coach is aggressive, he'd run a zone blocking scheme. Man-to-man would be conservative. Balanced would include both.

Okay, let's move on to my "gameplan" suggestion...

To make gameplan more authentic, think about what a gameplan is. A gameplan involves at least 2 factors: Your scheme vs your opponent's scheme. So, an ideal way to overhaul gameplan is to base it off of those 2 factors and go from there.

Not much needs to be added to do this. Here's why...

The game currently already has a pseudo gameplan option in the "coach philosophy" menu with the playbook selections, run/pass ratio slider, aggressive playcall slider, and the substitution slider. However, this is for when simulating your games, and does not affect your playcall menu in-game when you actually play.

So, this is what I suggest...

Step 1: Load your game to the "controller select" menu. At this point, your specific offensive & defensive playbooks lock in place as well as your "Aggressive Playcall" slider setting, so if you want to change these you need to back out and do it under coach philosophy.

Step 2: Scout opponent. Like the current "uniform option" at the bottom of the screen, a "scout opponent" option is available where you toggle and see your opponent's base offense/defense and their run/pass tendency (ratio or stats).

Step 3: Create a gameplan. Under the scout opponent option, you can adjust your run/pass sliders for both offense and defense to counter your opponent's. Keep in mind, they may be adjusting theirs to yours.

Step 4: Start game.

Now, here's what your adjustment does. Once you're in-game at the playcall screen, there are three options: "Ask Coach," "By Formation," and "Play Type," Your "gameplan" will be toggled under the "Ask Coach" option. Your pre-game slider adjustments will have sorted/eliminated plays from your playbook and consolidated it into the "Ask Coach" option. However, it doesn't stop there. Your playbook is condensed even further by your "Aggressive Playcall" slider setting. Again, the aggressive playcall slider is unique because it gives your head coach and coordinators a coaching style identity. This slider setting, for a D-coordinator, would determine the aggressive/balanced/conservative zone depth from the existing "gameplan adjustments" the game has.

An example: you're playing an Air Raid offense, so you adjust your sliders to a heavy pass defense ratio. Your base defense may be a 4-3, but your gameplan would remove any formations that don't have at least 5 defensive backs. So all 4-3 formations, 5-2, 4-4, etc. would be removed. Then, with your playcall aggressiveness slider setting (say it's set to very conservative), it would remove all plays with blitzes as well, condensing your playbook to a specific gameplan. With this example, it's a very conservative pass defense gameplan.

On top of all this, coach prestige could be factored in. When you select the "ask coach" option (i.e. your gameplan), if your coordinator is an A+, he would suggest a play that would most effectively work given the situation (1st down, 2nd down, 3rd and long, 3rd and short, etc.). Conversely, if he's a D, he will suggest a poor play given the situation. How the play works, though, ultimately depends on the user (at least offensively).

Even with all this, you could still abandoned your gameplan by simply selecting plays from the "By Formation" or "Play Type" options.

Side note: "No-Huddle" should be added to coach philosophy. There needs to be an actual option to toggle whether you're a huddle/no-huddle offensive team. And in the game, if you're a no-huddle team, you shouldn't have to ever hit the no-huddle button, it automatically goes no-huddle. And if you change formations, it should make the applicable adjustments. A WR shouldn't line up at TE. (Substitutions are still allowed. If you notice in a real game, the ref will stand over the ball. That's because if the offense makes a substitution, the defense is allowed to as well, therefore they stop play until the defense makes their substitutions. Other than that, the offense can snap it as quick as possible if they don't make substitutions. I'd like to see an illegal sub penalty.)

Adding to this, I came up with some additional "adjustments" that may make more sense. Some of these may not seem like much, but they add a new wrinkle to offensive/defensive style.

OFFENSIVE GAMEPLAN ADJUSTMENTS


Cadence CONSERVATIVE: SILENT COUNT AGGRESSIVE: HARD COUNT


+ No False Starts + Higher Offensive Jump Snap Chance


- Lower Offensive Jump Snap Chance - More False Starts







Offensive Line Splits CONSERVATIVE: NARROW SPLITS AGGRESSIVE: WIDE SPLITS


+ Prevent Inside Blitzes + Bigger Running Lanes


- Smaller Running Lanes - Susceptible to Inside Blitzes







Offensive Line CONSERVATIVE: DOUBLE TEAMS AGGRESSIVE: CUT BLOCKS


+ Double Team "Keyed" Defensive Player + Take Out Legs of Playside Defenders


- TE or FB/RB Stay Home Block - More Illegal Chop Block Calls






Run Blocking Scheme CONSERVATIVE: MAN BLOCKING AGGRESSIVE: ZONE BLOCKING


+ Block Assigned Man + Base, Backer, to Safety Progression


- Minimal upfield progression - Backside Defenders unblocked







Pass Offense CONSERVATIVE: QUICK ROUTES AGGRESSIVE: STRETCH THE FIELD


+ Receivers Look for Pass Immediately + Deeper Route Depth


- Shorter Route Depth - Receivers Look for Pass Later



DEFENSIVE GAMEPLAN ADJUSTMENTS


Defensive Line Techniques CONSERVATIVE: BULLRUSH AGGRESSIVE: STUNT


+ Occupy Blockers to free up Linebackers + Higher Chance of Backfield Disruption


- Less Chance of Making a Play in the Backfield - Susceptible to Screens and Playaction Pass







Linebackers CONSERVATIVE: READ PASS AGGRESSIVE: GAP READ


+ Initial Step toward Coverage Assignment + Initial Step toward Run Gap Assignment


- Susceptible to Screens and Draws - Susceptible to Playaction and Intermediate Pass







Safety Support CONSERVATIVE: ROLL COVERAGE AGGRESSIVE: LOAD BOX


+ Double or Cloud Cover "Keyed" Receiver + Run Support


- Susceptible to Run - Susceptible to Playaction and Deep Pass

[TIMB0B]

I guess no one really wanted to discuss this further.

[Ironmanfootball]

As a HS defensive coordinator, I make adjustments at halftime. However, we play ironman. Usually you can make them series to series, or at least at the qtr break.

[TIMB0B]

As a HS defensive coordinator, I make adjustments at halftime. However, we play ironman. Usually you can make them series to series, or at least at the qtr break.

Okay, for the sake of the video game, let's say you are given pre-game options to set your gameplan, then you can only make adjustments again after each quarter or timeouts.

[ram29jackson]

they took out jump the snap so the option would work more IMO

[TIMB0B]

they took out jump the snap so the option would work more IMO

Makes sense. That was killer to the flexbone. Regardless, that's a skill anyway, not a gameplan so good riddance.