Originally Posted by
rhombic21
Everything sounds very encouraging, so far. I have a few specific questions.
1) It sounds like the improvements to zone AI will dramatically lessen the effectiveness of things like SG 5 wide and 4 verticals type plays. Is that the case?
It definitely will... however a good player on offense can find the holes in the zone (like they should in real life). I think it was very well done. As well, I had good success using the Quarters Normal (I think that's the formation name) where a safety is in the box beside the LB against 5-wide.
2) Did you notice any difference in terms of defensive reaction to counter plays? On NCAA '11 they are way over-effective.
I can't say one way or another... I didn't look at this specifically.
3) To what extent did you see a more fully developed running game from the shotgun? In other words, do more playbooks have non-finesse HB runs, such as dive and power plays? In a similar vein, the QB wrap plays from last year were basically broken. Do these work effectively now?
There are more plays to work with out of the shotgun run game but some of the shotgun formations are still missing attacks at all of the various gaps. Essentially it's better but wouldn't call it case closed. I didn't run any but in talking with Anthony White, he did specifically mention that they worked on QB Wraps.
4) Bubble screens on NCAA '11 did not really work all that well because of poor blocking AI and some odd animations that seemed to throw off the timing of the play. Do these work better now?
Another one that I didn't really run that much of... too hard to break out of the habit of the same playcalling from NCAA11. I do know that they are working on better WR blocking out of screens but a lot of that was going to happen after we left last week.
5) Is play action fixed so that it does not result in a disproportionate number of sacks? Similarly, is the defense able to respond/recognize play action effectively?
Yes... they made sure to mention to us in January that they would be addressing it. Essentially the problem with NCAA11 and the past was that the DL didn't react at the possibility of the run... instead they just had the reaction to get to the QB. This year though, the DL will have to pause to figure out whether it's a run or a pass, and then react. I didn't call a lot of playaction while I was there but the ones I did, it certainly seemed to work better while not giving the offense a big advantage.
6) In terms of pass rush, did you see any significant changes in terms of DEs/OLBs getting better speed pressure off the edge and/or containing mobile QBs? Have there been any changes to how "QB contain" works? What about DTs? Do dominant DTs get penetration against both the run and the pass?
Honestly the DTs were overpowered last week, particularly in the run game so I couldn't give a fair estimate of them... it's part of tuning that I'm sure they'll address before they ship it. As for the others, I don't think there were any significant strides in edge pressure other than the fact that since there is less suction, the rushers do have more opportunity to get around the edge; that said, there aren't any new animations (that I saw) to provide a true speed rush DE.
Generally speaking, how would you compare the pass rush in '12 to '11. I don't just mean in terms of sacks generated, but do you see a more realistic pocket? Do you see more realistic amounts of time in the pocket to pass against a 4 man pass rush? On NCAA '11 it basically felt like you either had all day or no time at all, and the real problem is that there weren't enough instances where the offense did not get sacked but was forced to throw it in under 4 seconds. To what extent is that still the case?
7) I don't know if this counts as a non-play now feature, but do we have the Madden QB ratings yet? Similarly, NCAA QBs have been way too accurate for years, which has contributed to zones being under-effective and spread offenses being too hard to stop. To what extent is that the case this year (on default sliders)? Will there finally be a premium on pocket passers? Are there more significant penalties for throwing off-balance or on the run?
No new QB ratings. Regarding QB accuracy, I think it's better but at the same time it's hard to gauge while also adjusting to the new zone defenses.
8) Any changes to the way run/pass commit work?
No changes
9) Do dominant nose-tackles, particularly in a 3-4 defense, actually command a double team, particularly in the run game?
As mentioned before, the DTs were overpowered while we were there last week. I'm not aware of any code-based changes to account for focusing on double teaming them.
10) Ever since NCAA '09, the OL has basically been psychic, in that they know who is blitzing and who is dropping back into coverage based on pre-snap assignments. This tends to make overload blitzes much less effective than they should be, and actually opens up some potential exploits with "fake blitzing." One of the most frustrating things about pass defense on NCAA '11 is drawing up a zone blitz, and the having the OT on the complete opposite side of the play peel back at the snap of the ball to pick up an overload blitz to the other side. Does this still happen on NCAA '12?
Another thing that I didn't really focus on... I do think it's better but to what degree I couldn't tell you. I do know that in January we made sure to mention issues with blitzes in the past, particularly the OL knowing a blitz is coming including mentioning the exploit of hot-routing a DB to blitz and then manually controlling him. Whether or not they were able to fix that, I'm not sure.
11) Many of the triple option and read option plays on NCAA '11 did not work as well as they should have because the double team logic often struggled to correctly identify players at the second level to block. This was especially an issue when the defense blitzed linebackers in the gaps between offensive linemen. Is this issue improved in any way on NCAA '12?
I will say that run blocking is better and I believe Oneback discussed this with them but I don't think it's something that they fully corrected. I can't be certain either way though.
12) Suppose my opponent keeps throwing the same route over and over. For instance, let's say that he keeps coming out and throwing the slant pattern to the right side on 3rd and short. Does the defense ever react to this? Is there any mechanism for me to manually tell a defender to shade to a particular side?
Not that I'm aware of.
Generally speaking, is the defensive AI better suited to adjust when the offense runs the same play (or very similar plays) over and over?
13) Any adjustments to hot routes on offense or defense?
Not that I'm aware of.
14) Any changes to the kicking game? Will FGs be any more difficult to make than they have in the past?
They seemed relatively the same from last year. Granted I'm a guy that hits 99% of all of my FGs so I may be a bad one to ask but I still had no trouble hitting FGs.
15) One of the things that is frustrating about run defense on NCAA '11 is that defenders really have no concept of gap responsibility. Essentially, at the snap of the ball everybody moves to try and tackle the ballcarrier, without any respect to the gap/hole they are responsible to fill. This is primarily an issue for DL and LBs. Do we see any changes in this respect? Will linebackers who are not assigned to blitz be more effective at stepping up and plugging holes when they recognize the play?
I want to say it's better but not leaps and bounds. I do know that it was one of the things that we talked with them while we were there but I don't believe it was something they were able to fully implement for this year.
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