NCAA Football 11 Demo Available Now! Share Your Impressions

[morsdraconis]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

[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

[steelerfan]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

Yeah as you said....graphics and etc. are toned down for the demo. Was that way on Tiger 11 as well.

[CLW]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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.