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

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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

# 61 scottyo60 @ Sep 13

I have an honest question about people who say competition at least in the NCAA sense. Did anybody try and play I think it was 2k3 NCAA? that game IMO was horrible (While I liked NFL 2k3) Or the old Sony produced Gamedays I think it was? While it may have been "competition" it wasn't very much if any and I have serious doubts either of those series made the NCAA team work harder.

# 62 cquigley @ Sep 14

Someone mentioned that if it keeps coming out yearly then they won't have as many improvements. I hate to say it but they should take a page out of Activision's book and have 2 studios working on the game. See how that pans out. So then there's two years you basically get to fine tune the game to make it how the fans think it should be.

# 63 geezmeister @ Sep 14

Couldn't agree with you more. Our woo pig soooie call is one of the most unique in the country and it has not been in the series since 07. Did you happen to watch the Michigan Notre Dame game this weekend? Do you think that Ann Arbor came to a dull roar at any point.....hell no! I want each game to feel like it is huge and I pay 60 bucks and some change each year for that. Did it really take 6 years to get bowl patches, active pylons... Oh sorry almost forgot the wind socks. Where's some eye black, some commerative patches, how bout letting us create uniforms for our current favorite team instead of stupid teambuilder. I play NCAA now because I need my fix, but where
are the after play stats, career stats, upcoming big games. I would pay 100 dollars for a game that had the
complete package that you just mentioned. Ahhh I feel better now thanks Sanner

# 64 mwjr @ Sep 14

Say what you will about the game, but All Pro Football had the crowd noise and reaction down perfectly. I broke Earl Campbell on a long TD run and the crowd exploded when he he hit the open field and got even louder when he crossed the goal line.

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