Operation Sports is proud to present our interview with Jeff Thomas, Producer of NFL 2K3.

Operation Sports: Can you describe in detail the improvements to franchise mode?

Jeff Thomas: Well, it is hard to describe the improvements in this year's franchise mode from last years...It is all brand new. Really! The first thing we did this year was hit the delete button on the NFL2K2 franchise mode and start completely over, from the ground up. This year’s franchise mode is a complete departure from what people are used to seeing in an NFL franchise mode; menus, menus, and more menus. The object of NFL2K3's franchise mode is to "ground" the user, to eliminate the feeling of swimming in menus four deep. How we do this, is by creating environments that represent the types of things you do as an NFL coach. For example, the first place you go is your office. From here you do much of your game planning, like setting up defensive match-ups, depth chart planning, and play-calling tendencies. You can also go to the front office to sign contracts, and do trades.

Operation Sports: Are there less broken tackles and dropped passes than last year?

Jeff Thomas: Yes, these tuning issues have been addressed. We have also added Gameplay AI sliders, which will allow users to tune the game to their liking.

Operation Sports: What online features are there?

Jeff Thomas: This question is dependent on which platform you are talking about. NFL2K3 will be online on both X-box and PS2. The PS2 online interface functionality will be similar to the Dreamcast functionality of NFL2K1 and 2K2. Users that are familiar with those interfaces will feel right at home on the PS2. X-box users will have a different interface experience than PS2 users. MS dictates the X-box Live interface experience for all on-line games. This has many benefits for X-box owners that wish to play on-line games. All games will generally have the same interface, so once you understand how to navigate one game you will know them all. Other cool things that are available with this design are cross game challenges, user feedback, and stat tracking. But by far, the coolest thing is voice chat using the X-box communicator. It is unbelievable in NFL2k3!! It is so cool to trash talk to someone across the country while playing in your living room.

However, the main point with on-line gaming is gameplay and that is identical on both systems. NFL2K3 is very responsive and a blast to play on-line no matter if it’s on the PS2 or X-box.

Operation Sports: Will there be an option to change your quarter lengths (1 min, 5 min, etc.) at any point during Franchise Mode?

Jeff Thomas: Yes.

Operation Sports: How is the highlight show, is someone commentating?

Jeff Thomas: Highlights are shown in Franchise and Season modes. They are part of each ESPN weekly wrap-up. Each week you will see the ESPN play of the week. And yes, the new studio guy Clark Dishman calls the highlight. But to really check out the highlight system, try winning a Superbowl!

Operation Sports: Will there be a halftime show with situation and team specific commentary about the first half?

Jeff Thomas: With the introduction of the studio guy this year, we are able to send you back to the ESPN studios for a halftime and postgame reports.

Operation Sports: How is the ESPN Presentation? How is it used throughout the game, menus, and during the game?

Jeff Thomas: ESPN presentation is everywhere. From menus to overlays, to wrap-ups, to all of the music, ESPN is everywhere. When we signed the deal with ESPN to use their likeness in our games, we knew it was going to bring one thing for sure - sport authenticity. When people think of ESPN, they think of sports, and that is what we want people to think when they play NFL2K3. The license has allowed us to complete the NFL2K ”package” so to speak. This is very apparent from the time you boot it up, hearing the Sportcenter music, until right before you shut it off after a game wrap-up in the ESPN studios.

Operation Sports: Will the playing field degrade more realistically than last year, like in the rain, snow, etc?

Jeff Thomas: We spent a huge amount of time improving the field in NFL2K3. The detail is amazing, gone are the days of the yard lines fading away in the distance. And yes, the field does degrade completely different and more realistic this year.

Operation Sports: Did you add historical teams this year?

Jeff Thomas: Yes we did. Not only did we add a bunch of historic rosters, we added a whole slew of historic uniforms that you can select as throwback uniforms for any of the current teams.

Operation Sports: Will the CPU manage the clock better this year?

Jeff Thomas: Yes. There has been a HUGE improvement in this aspect of the game.

Operation Sports: How will the draft ticker work?

Jeff Thomas: Like an ESPN draft ticker, how else?! You will get updates of what teams picked which players in the NFL Draft.

Operation Sports: What is the Sega challenge feature?

Jeff Thomas: This is a COOL feature! The challenge works in conjunction with Segasports.com. Users start off by enabling the challenge in the game, at this point all options are reset to factory defaults and cannot be changed. Users then play a game against the AI and upon returning to the challenge menus they will see an alpha numeric code has been generated. This code can then be entered in at www.segasports.com to see how you rank nationwide in many stat categories. Prizes will be given away for top players as well as the best players will get an opportunity to be on the SegaSports Challengers (a hidden team) in next year’s NFL2K4!

Operation Sports: Will there be online roster updates, tournaments, and stat tracking?

Jeff Thomas: Yes, keep an eye out on Segasports.com for more information.

Operation Sports: What sliders are in the game? Could you list them?

Jeff Thomas: Blocking, Passing, Tackling, Running, Catching, Coverage, Pursuit, Kicking, and Fatigue.

Operation Sports: Can the user edit current player attributes?

Jeff Thomas: Yes, every attribute, and dig this, you can change every current player’s accessories as well; stuff like arm pads, face masks, shoes, etc.

Operation Sports: If you can put a player on the trading block, can you offer deals to the CPU teams for their players on the trading block?

Jeff Thomas: Of course.

Operation Sports: Do players improve/decrease in ratings during the franchise or after?

Jeff Thomas: Another area where we worked hard at was getting a near unlimited number of player progressions curves, so you’ll definitely see players rating improve/decrease during Franchise mode. There a number of elements that will either increase or decrease your player ratings, so watch your new recruits carefully after every game.

Operation Sports: After importing the college players from NCAA 2k3 into NFL 2k3 how will the college players attributes from NCAA 2k3 carry-over into NFL 2k3?

Jeff Thomas: We spent a good deal of time balancing the attributes from NCAA to NFL to get them right. Players should play as well as you would expect them to.

Operation Sports: Is the TV Broadcast angle playable (realistically) during game play? Are there any new game play camera angles at all?

Jeff Thomas: We have added additional camera functionality including deeper pass camera options and a run camera swing option that is really cool.

Operation Sports: When do u begin work on NFL 2k4?

Jeff Thomas: Now! Rest is for the weak here at Visual Concepts!

Operation Sports: What are all the features that the Xbox version has that the PS2 and GameCube version don't (or vice versa)?

Jeff Thomas: We really tried to make the games as identical as possible. However, we also tried to take advantage of each machine’s strengths wherever possible so no matter what version you buy for your respective systems, your getting the most out of NFL2K3.

Operation Sports: How will you come up with an offensive and defensive playbook for the Texans?

Jeff Thomas: We looked at the Coaching staff and made the best determinations from their past play-calling tendencies as well as looking at the roster of players to see how they would utilize the strengths of the team.

Operation Sports: Will there be an interface outside of franchise mode that will let you sort player statistics? So, for example, will there be a way to sort the top WR's in the NFL by their speed rating before playing an exhibition game?

Jeff Thomas: We have completely re-done our stat display systems. We have gone to a Box Score style display for all in-game statistics. It gives more functionality to the user and it is in a format familiar with people that look at stats on… let’s say a website like ESPN.com? Also, at anytime, ANYWHERE in the game, when a player’s name is highlighted, you can press a button to get a player card that includes all of the player’s career stats as well as their attributes!

Operation Sports: Will pre-season performance affect player ratings in franchise mode?

Jeff Thomas: Yes.

Operation Sports: Will stadium shadows progress/change as afternoon turns to dusk?

Jeff Thomas: Yes.