Press Row Podcast: NCAA 14 - 1-on-1 with Ben Haumiller

[cdj]

It’s Episode 19 of the Press Row Podcast, a special Press Row One-on-One with NCAA Football 14 producer Ben Haumiller (@benhaumiller) and host Richard Grisham (@richgrisham). They talk all about the new physics engine in the game, the newest gameplay updates coming this fall, as well as some of the cool things and challenges that come to designing football games for a staggering variety of gamer.

Click here to listen to the show, then share your thoughts with the TGT community.

Some notes from the show:

- Thought highlights of NCAA Football 13 included gameplay improvements (such as Total Control Passing) and scouting within Dynasty Mode
- Heisman Challenge did not live up what they were hoping when they first started (developing) it, but was big step to have actual players in the game.
- Infinity Engine: Extra six weeks made the difference in getting it in Madden NFL 13.
- Next step: Apply physics to force impact. For example: improved stiff arm.
- Early on it seemed IE would make it in NCAA 13, but as time went on it was left out for the good of the game.
- Most noticeable aspect of IE2 will be how no two plays are exactly alike with infinite possibilities.
- Discussion on Stumble Mechanic
- 31 new option types (including inside veer). Running option will be a fun part of NCAA 14.
- Focus on playcalling in proper situations along with attempt to match school play-style.
- No matter the school, there are very passionate fans who want school represented correctly and accurately.
- Schools unwilling to share many trade secrets, no matter how common that aspect may be across college football. Designer Anthony White looks at the coach, their lineage, game tape, and coaching clinics to help determine the proper playbooks, formations, and plays for each school.
- Discussion of pre-play option/pitch keys. Simply shows who to read; is not there once ball is hiked.
- New feature: Skills Trainer that will provide mechanics of how to play the game (teaching user how to use features), such as the read option, shovel option, ball hawk, Total Control Passing, etc. Will showcase features added in recent years.
- Personnel-Based Playcalling: Feature designed for hardcore community, but benefits all as CPU will call plays in this manner helping to avoid personnel issues in no-huddle.
- Balancing act in designing/adding features for casual & hardcore fans, but hardcore fans must be happy as they will tell their friends and spread the word about the game.
- Lots of excitement in the building for the potential with next-gen consoles (PS4/720).
- The show concluded with discussion regarding changes coming to real-life college football in the years to come.

[GatorfanStovy]

I'm thinking this skill trainer thing will be pointless for most of us here unless they throw in some tricky button matching system to run the option lol. I'll listen to the pod cast later .

I'm still hoping Importing draft classes get put back in too as well as RTG import mode into Madden there is always hope.

[SmoothPancakes]

I'm thinking this skill trainer thing will be pointless for most of us here unless they throw in some tricky button matching system to run the option lol. I'll listen to the pod cast later .

I'm still hoping Importing draft classes get put back in too as well as RTG import mode into Madden there is always hope.

You'll have to talk to the Madden guys. That is out of the hands of the NCAA team after Madden went and decided to do a bunch of dumbass scripted Twitter and Facebook crap in Franchise, oops, Connected Careers, and killed off the import options so it wouldn't interfere with all their hard scripting work.

[CLW]

Good God. These IDIOTS continue to put EA employees in AWKWARD situations by mentioning real players and either current or potential future plaintiffs. It's as if these morons want NCAA Football as a series to come to and end.

EDIT: Just listened to the whole podcast and unless I missed something during a mini coma not a word was asked or obviously said about defense.

[jaymo76]

Yes! They're not taking out mascot mode... this forum would have erupted for sure. Seriously though, I didn't find anything in this discussion held any info. There's no real need to listen if you don't have the time.

[Jayrah]

Good God. These IDIOTS continue to put EA employees in AWKWARD situations by mentioning real players and either current or potential future plaintiffs. It's as if these morons want NCAA Football as a series to come to and end.

EDIT: Just listened to the whole podcast and unless I missed something during a mini coma not a word was asked or obviously said about defense.

I don't see the big deal because we DO play with our own representation of the players due to the edit feature. That's all Ben has to say. There aren't any names on the licensed product so there's no correlation to who fans portray as the players. I realize about the lawsuit and stuff but in order to really get away from all the crap EA is going to have to start changing numbers on their players to not match real life teams. Until then it's nobody's fault that people portray their correct numbers as the players IRL and it's really not a big deal that they are doing it. Can't blame a baby for choking on the cracker that you gave it.

[SmoothPancakes]

I don't see the big deal because we DO play with our own representation of the players due to the edit feature. That's all Ben has to say. There aren't any names on the licensed product so there's no correlation to who fans portray as the players. I realize about the lawsuit and stuff but in order to really get away from all the crap EA is going to have to start changing numbers on their players to not match real life teams. Until then it's nobody's fault that people portray their correct numbers as the players IRL and it's really not a big deal that they are doing it. Can't blame a baby for choking on the cracker that you gave it.

That sounds all great and well on here. It's a completely different deal in the courtroom, especially depending on who the judge is. Get the right (read: wrong) judge, and that O'Bannon douchebag and the rest of the washed out has-beens and wannabes win and get a large payday. Then who knows what EA does. Either NCAA Football turns into All Pro (or whatever game it was) will 100% generic crap to avoid future lawsuits of the same issue, or they drop the game altogether due to potential further future litigations and related costs.

[CLW]

That sounds all great and well on here. It's a completely different deal in the courtroom, especially depending on who the judge is. Get the right (read: wrong) judge, and that O'Bannon douchebag and the rest of the washed out has-beens and wannabes win and get a large payday. Then who knows what EA does. Either NCAA Football turns into All Pro (or whatever game it was) will 100% generic crap to avoid future lawsuits of the same issue, or they drop the game altogether due to potential further future litigations and related costs.

Well someone gets it. And O'Bannon et al. have a perfect judge for them in liberal la la land San Francisco (quite possibly the most liberal plaintiff friendly federal court in the country).