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?

This was the first play I tested and yes it does lessen the effectiveness of verts. There was a big improvement in this area from the first visit to the second visit, I will let others comment on what it was last week as I was unable to attend.

2) Did you notice any difference in terms of defensive reaction to counter plays? On NCAA '11 they are way over-effective.

The dev team acknowledged the counter was over effective last year and did work to improve the defensive reation to the play. For me it felt good, as on offense you still had the ability to break a big one, but I did not feel helpless on defense.

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?

Anthony (play designer) and I sat down and talked for a few hours about blocking schemes and the shotgun running game, everything from Auburn's power run game to Oregon's Veer and Midline option from the gun. He was going to work to get a lot of plays and blocking schemes in but am unsure if he has yet, I'll leave it up to the guys that were there recently.

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?

This is another area I spoke with Anthony at length about and it seemed to be better when I was there, but was unsure if this was due to the new defenses or blocking logic.

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?

I will leave others to answer this question as they were still working on offensive line blocking the two times I was present.

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?

I was able to generate pressure from a 4 man rush and they did have the ability to get off blocks in order to maintain containment. No changes to QB contain that I remember. As for DT's I remember seeing a replay where a DT pushed to blockers into the backfield colapsing the pocket but I did not specifically look for it.

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?

I will let others that were there last week respond this this as again they were working on offensive line play.

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?

Rosters were just being put together when I was in Orlando.

8) Any changes to the way run/pass commit work?

None that I noticed.

9) Do dominant nose-tackles, particularly in a 3-4 defense, actually command a double team, particularly in the run game?

What do you mean by command? Just that they are unblockable?

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?

This was the first thing I brought up with the devs and one of the first things I tested on defense and I felt as though I was able to confuse the blocking scheme and generate pressure with zone blitzes, this combined with pattern reading zone coverages allows for some exotic pressures.

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 was able to run the zone read however I spent a good hour with Anthony just talking about the zone read, I will let others comment on if there has been any improvement from the early visits.

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?

The answer is yes and no, the defense called will determine the effectiveness of the offensive play, however again with improved coverages you are able to take things away.

Generally speaking, is the defensive AI better suited to adjust when the offense runs the same play (or very similar plays) over and over?

I'll let others comment.

13) Any adjustments to hot routes on offense or defense?

This is another thing I spent time talking about and how un realistic it is to be able to change routes for each individual play on offense, at the line of scrimmage offenses are able to change concepts which happens most notibly in the quick passing game depending on the leverage of the key defenders. I'll let others comment on if this has changed from the times I attended.

14) Any changes to the kicking game? Will FGs be any more difficult to make than they have in the past?

Not that I remember, other than the fact you won't be able to attempt as many due to better defense.

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?

This was unchanged in the early builds so I will let others respond.