NCAA Football 12 - Everything you don't see on Saturday - RaychelSnr's Blog

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RaychelSnr's Blog

NCAA Football 12 - Everything you don't see on Saturday Stuck

Posted on September 11, 2011 at 11:44 AM.

(81)

I watched college football yesterday. Then I decided to play a game of NCAA Football 12.

Then I turned my console off -- there's no comparison to be made here.

The NCAA Football series is in a sadder state than I realized, and if the presentation and atmosphere aren't fixed for next year, I can't see how anyone can continue to spend $60 on the game with a straight face. After this year's "bug extravaganza" that seems to be a never-ending nightmare for series fans, I'm just ready to start talking about a better theoretical time in the future.

Whether it comes or not is anyones guess.

But let's assume the new golden age of NCAA Football is coming next year. Let's also assume it's coming because of my vision and wishlist I'll be going through in the coming days, which may or may not be absolutely scary. I have a vision for the direction of the NCAA Football franchise, as I think the game is just outside the cusp of greatness, and I think it's time to share some of the practical things that can be done on a one year development cycle.

Here are four practical suggestions for the presentation of NCAA:

1) Sit down on a Saturday and watch college football, then ask yourself: does our game capture that?

If you answer yes, your resignation letter can be hand-written and delivered to your bosses; it's a simple letter to write so I won't bother you with anything more.

But if you answer honestly, you'll have answered, "not only no, but heck no." And since you did, you are well on your way to recovery. Now that we know there's a problem, how do we solve it?

2) College football is an all-day event. But more importantly, each game has an intense, incredible atmosphere -- and they're all different. A game at the new Mean Green Stadium is completely different from a game at 'Death Valley'. The thing they both have in common is that both games mean everything to the fans at the game. The fans aren't silent, they don't climax to a dull roar.

This is the first step. Fix the crowd audio, make each game different and also learn what all 120 crowds do in NCAA football. Implement them. Hire a good sound guy. Do something. But I beg you (as do the rest of the fans of your series), actually capture this aspect of the sport.

3) Remember those TV broadcasts? Remember the dynamic camera angles? The way players interacted with each other post play? Remember all the broadcast elements that came together in the big-time production of your favorite team's game? If you are confused as to how to do this, find a TV production crew in a truck somewhere and hire them.

Madden's cameras were a good start, but when players still turn into mindless zombies post-play, you know something is wrong. Just look at how guys play to the camera on a Saturday, look how they play to the crowd. None of that is properly implemented in NCAA.

And you have the ESPN license. ESPN means GameDay. Figure out some way to integrate GameDay that is not cheesy. Have games be the 'GameDay Location' each week and set up those tiered TV games again. Use different graphics for different 'networks'. We're just scratching the surface here on what's possible. But each game feels largely the same, we need to move beyond the static presentations of the past decade. It's time for some dynamism.

4) College football is about tradition, either by invention or by success. Learn about each program, all 120 of them. It's not hard to get an actual working dossier as to what each team's big traditions are. I can name several dozen off of the top of my head, and with a bit of work I'm sure I could get everyone covered up until the Sun Belt and MAC with little further effort.

You know what NCAA fans won't be sad about? If you use real footage for some of these things, and celebrate them as well. Just play NBA 2K titles from prior years to get an idea for how you can integrate real footage within a video game. Why not have pregame cut scenes of fans at Toomers Corner? The Midnight Yell at Texas A&M? The Walk of Champions at Ole Miss?

A repetitive cut scene to start each game isn't creating atmosphere, it's creating more boredom. Start introducing different cut scenes to open each team's games -- or better yet, start making things work within a dynamic environment.

The problem that the developers of NCAA have had is that tradition does not just begin at the stadium. When it comes to Saturday, the entire town is fair game -- and when that aspect of college football is finally and fully embraced within the NCAA Football series, the entire NCAA experience will feel as if it's that gorgeous day of events each time you turn on the game.

Let's face it, the NCAA Football series has a fever. The only cure is more cowbell -- at least in Starkville. Perhaps some War Chants in Tallahassee, Jumping Around in Madison, and all kinds of other things in all kinds of other places.

I see a future for the NCAA series where I turn on my console after a long day of football on a Saturday, and instead of turning it off, I just get to relive the whole experience all over again.

Comments

# 16 radatdude2 @ Sep 11

I like this blog cause im tiered of lying to myself that this game imulates a college football experience

# 17 chivs890 @ Sep 11

See, this exact article is why I've gone over the edge of being angry and frustrated with the developers for not doing it, and I've just gone to 100% complete and utter confusion. Seriously.

Their job is to make the game broadcast look exactly like a real broadcast........ I mean, just, is it not so simple....?? It's just a copy and paste job isn't it..?

Just play a recorded game over and over on one screen, and then develop the game on the other... Have the crowd sound coming out of one side of your headphones, and then the game sound out of the other..... and then just adjust until they sound and act the same? Same with the cut scenes, just watch the real game on one screen, and make the game the same..?

I'm just in a state of bewilderment at the moment as to how someone could possibly not understand the concept of making one thing look/sound like the other.?

I understand that gameplay features are a whole different beast and requires all sorts of code and all of that stuff that is well beyond me to make, but such easy tasks such as the presentation should be perfected in one go easily. Well, the vast majority of it anyways. Obviously animation stuff can get a bit awkward, but just overlays and sounds etc you just simply make them a carbon copy of what's in a real game and paste it in..

I dunno, I'm just lost in the whole system at the moment and just simply don't understand how it's possible to get some of this stuff wrong.

# 18 Bufftigerbear @ Sep 11

Great blog. Bottom line is that we have to stop purchasing these games that lack innovation. We are supporting the laziness of these programmers, developers, etc. by buying a title each year regardless of the quality. They put on a nice front with their ESPNU special, pretending to care about the game, etc; but they all just want to get paid... and getting paid they are. Due to our support.

# 19 chivs890 @ Sep 11

Excellent article by the way. It's simply common sense which EA just seem as if they just literally make up in the last day, all of it.

I bet I could collect a load of chanting sounds and band sounds and tweak them until perfect in the space of a day, maybe two at max, and I've never done any game development or anything even like that before.

# 20 jwilphl @ Sep 11

I'm in agreement 100%, and I've felt this way for years now. I don't personally understand it, and that is the hardest part for me to overcome. Why can they not copy a TV broadcast? All you have to do is watch and repeat. It makes no sense that they can't and haven't done this.

Aside from that, the sound is still AWFUL. When a couple guys got carted off the field due to injury, I could literally hear individual people clapping and yelling. That is an embarrassment.

The year is 2011; I have almost zero hope that EA will ever change their tactics or this product. It really seems to me they make the product this way on purpose. If it is an honest mistake, then they need to just completely rebuild the staff there.

Regardless, competition would be huge, and I'd love to see 2K get in on the game again--they seem to understand and really integrate all that polish and details that EA never manages to capture. However, I know this is a pipe dream and I doubt any other companies get in on the niche sport that is college football (until I start my own once I have enough capital).

So the truth is, if you want the college football experience, stick with games on TV or going in person.

# 21 football0021 @ Sep 11

Awesome read. I couldn't agree more.

# 22 therizing02 @ Sep 11

Another problem is that a lot of these developers consistently confuse atmosphere and presentation.

Presentation
*ESPN
*Stat Overlays
*Commentary
*Pre Game screenshots

Atmosphere
*Dynamic Crowd reactions
*Stadium Specific Sounds
*Good Post Play cut scenes
*White Outs ala Penn State

I also found it very disturbing and maybe it's an obvious sign of cluelessness, but on the ESPN Making of NCAA 12, when they started to talking about plans for NCAA 13, the first thing that Haumiller said was "band location".

Ben, I don't give a **** where the band sits and does their thing in any stadium. How does THAT improve the atmosphere and presentation?

# 23 BaylorBearBryant @ Sep 11

I'm glad someone from OS finally had the stones to say what needed to be said. The NCAA series on next gen has been weak. The amount of innovation from year to year is non-exisistant.

The amount of bugs and glitches is inexcusable.

# 24 blnkimgn @ Sep 11

I agree with BaylorBearBryant, I am so glad someone on OS has finally stopped defending the devs and has said what has needed to be said for awhile. This is probably one of the worst college football games I have ever played. I would actually be willing to pay an extra $20 if they made the game 2 discs, that would obviously have to be installed, but they would allow for both FBS and FCS team inclusion, I'm sick of playing FCS Southeast when I know its supposed to be a team like Appalachian State, or not being able to expand without getting rid of an FBS team. So much about college football IS the atmosphere, its what makes the game! There is no way I should be playing in Blacksburg and it sounds and feels like I'm playing at LA Tech. This game just needs to be imploded and worked from the ground up for an entirely new game.

# 25 UMhester04 @ Sep 11

I agree 100%..look at NBA 2k12 and the innovation that team brings to their game. Go read that myplayer blog that just came out and tell me if that doesnt blow your mind that they can fit all this stuff in in just one year, and its only 1 game mode!! Then go read a blog about this years NCAA, when they detail game modes that dont even work until 2 patches and 2 months after the release date, and theres still problems. Unbelievable.

# 26 BRxSKINSx @ Sep 11

That was great dude....NOW, if only EA would read this and try to make it work....I played NCAA for about a week or so, and I haven't played it again since....I wasted 60 bucks on the game....Am I mad...? Kinda....but I'll get over it.....because next year, I WILL NOT be buying NCAA....I can care less what gimmick they try, I will not buy the game....UNLESS some miracle happens and they give the game away free....

# 27 khaliib @ Sep 11

A picture is worth a thousand words and the big eye don't lie!!!

Comparison vid's/sounds are the best way of explaining what your write-up's are about.

or maybe memebers can submit comparisons and/or examples of what gamer's expect in a football game.

Hope you don't get into trouble with this very candid/honest write-up as we need the support of the various Forum/blog leaders to show how lacking the 2011 football experience is.

Especially since they rely so heavily on these mediums as Free Marketing of their games.

# 28 tzinc @ Sep 11

This game is absolute crap. They promise more and deliver less everytime. They remove good things from older versions and screw up things that worked in older versions and put in new crap that doesn't work anyway. Seriously W T F???

# 29 canadaman9 @ Sep 11

Agreed completely! There needs to be some competition from other companies for the NCAA Football series