I have been a faithful NCAA gamer for as long as I can remember. I loved Bill Walsh's College Football and have bought NCAA on release day for as long as I can remember with the exception of this year because of a late pay check. I've rolled with Notre Dame runningbacks from Reggie Brooks and Jerome Bettis all the way through Autry Denson and now Armando Allen. I have some seen some great leaps and bounds through the series as well as some down years but for the most part have always been pleased with the product over all from year to year. As I now finally own my first next gen version of the game on PS3 I feel very excited where the NCAA franchise can go with the new next gen systems. This excitement prompted me to write this article of ideas I have been brainstorming over for the past week or so since I first purchased and played the game. Contributed by FirstTimer.

I should put this article in the proper context. I am exclusivly a dynasty player. I have never played a game online(Lord help me) nor have I have ever played Campus Legend Mode. My routine is to get the game, play around with it, get my "sea legs" back for the controls of the new year's version, get rosters, and fire upa dynasty and settle in for the long haul. I also use NCAA as a brother to Madden for the use of draft classes in my Madden Franchies as well.So keep in mind many of the ideas seen here are tied directly to the dynasty mode as well as the "down the road" reality that my NCAA dynasty will lead to my Madden franchise.

I am also a Notre Dame fan so excuse the constant references to current/former Golden Domers in the article as I give examples. Hope you all enjoy!

GENERAL ADDITIONS

Formation Subs

First and foremost formations subs have to be added back in. So much of college football and football in general is creating/adjusting to match ups presented on the field by different formations and player packages with in those formations. The lack of them in this years version is rather glaring and takes away from the game ever so slightly. For example, when playing as Notre Dame I would like to be able to use Quarterback Demtrius Jones, the most athletic QB on the roster, in different formations tht will allow me to take advantage of his speed. Being able to use him in formations where options are present would be a huge plus and add to the realism of using special players in special ways. I'm sure formation subs will be back in the game next year but when they do it will be an improvement over this years game, which lacked them.

Create A Team

With the next gen engine Creat A Team(CAT) should make major leaps and bounds over the rather bland and generic system that was present on the old systems. Better and more numerous options for uniforms, helmets, logos, and stadium design should be more than possible and I have no doubt if done correctly would blow gamers away. So much of me missing this option comes from the typically stellar CAT dynasties we see here on MaddenMania by people who creat D-IAA teams. With a new and improved CAT system NCAA would be giving even casual gamers a deeper more varied experience and the hardcore gamer one more tool at their disposal for deeper varied game play options.

Injury and Fumble Sliders

Pretty self explantory here. The whole idea in the brainstorming sessions I went through were how to give the user more control, more ability too customize the game to their liking, and in the end have a more enjoyable experience. These sliders would add to that, as well as give the development team a little room for error when making the game as even if something is not quite "on" it can be tweaked by the user if needed. In the end this helps both sides as EA won't have to hear never neding complaining about something and the user has more control over a game they payed $60 for.

DYNASTY IDEAS

Here comes the area where I spent the most time creating ideas and thinking fo ways to improve the game. In my dream world EA would release strictly a dynasty version of the game with some of the deepest modes ever seen and I would buy it year in and year out. Some of the ideas following here may seem rather "nit picky" but I wrote this from the prospective of a hardcore dynasty player as well as from the perspective of an avid dynasty follower here on MaddenMania.

I tried not only to think of items I would like to see in the game but also what other dynasty players would like to see to improve and deepen the dynasty experince.

Dynasty mode to me is the mode that drives the game. Dynasty mode is what real college football is all about. It's the day in and day out process of recruitng. It's the week in and week out process of marching towards a National/Conference Championship, all the time while marching through bitter rivals as well as conference foes. It's the year in year out process of rebuilding and retooling and mid level team, or reloading a perennial power surrounded by all sorts of expectations; whether they be realistic or not. Dynasty mode is and should be college football. Even the most casual gamers have a team they follow season by season. Dynasty mode should allow them to do so in the virtual world if the so choose but also allow the hardcore gamer to have the deepest college football experience possible.

Basically, Dynasty mode should be geared toward the hardcore gamer and developed as such. Casual gamers have "Play Now" and the online sector locked down. Give the dynasty geeks, of which I am a proud member, something of their own that will be a completely immersive virutal college football experience. Casual gamer can always have the option of turning off the more advanced and tedious options in dynasty mode, but at least have the deeper options there for the players that want them.

Dynasty mode has improved over the years but has not made the advancements that it could have made as it was kept strapped down by the need to keep the casual gamer interested in the mode. There are some deeper changes/additions that could be fully optional so that the casual player can still run a dynasty as in years past but the harcore gamer could have the best dynasty experience in the history of football gaming. In the end everyone would be a winner.

On to the ideas.......

Player Editing

An improved player editing feature would give the game more personality, literally. I won't harp or raise hell over the lack of clear visors, the lack of long hair, or eye black in this years game as I feel it wasn't a game killer by any stretch and I have confidence we will see them back in next years game, but they obviously need to make a return. It may seem nit picky to some but it adds to the depth and over all realism of the game. Players like Matt Leinart were distinctive no tonly for their play on the field but also for their "look". It adds to the "reality" of playing with someone like Jimmy Clausen if he has the eye black he typically wears.

Overall the player editing menu needs some changes in set up. There needs to be a "General" area where you choose things such as: helmet, facemask, eye black, visor, mouth piece, neck pad, shoulder pad type(more on that later), long socks(more on that later) and shoe type.

Then there needs to be seperate "Home" and "Away" menus to choose what type of accessories(and the colors of them) the player wears at home or away such as: wristbands, long sleeves, and ankle tape. Long sleeves should have the option added in to be worn in "Cold Only". For example, I don't want a player wearing long sleeves in Aubust but as the season progresses and it gets colder I would like the player to wear sleeves. So "Cold Only" could mean a game time temperature of 50 degrees or less.

Long socks,as mentioned above, should be an option. Notre Dame, for example, in colder weather wears long blue socks at home and long white ones on the road. Just another small touch to add realism to the game. These would also fall under the "Cold Only" option.

Pad shelves/ Shoulder pads need to be fixed. Too many players in the game have 1960's-esque pad shelves. More and more players, especially at skill positons, are now going to the lower, sleeker pad shelve look. The game should reflect this without making the consumer go through and edit the pad shelves themself. The option to raise or lower them is nice, but overall te default look of most players pad shelves was much too bulky.

Here's where the previously mentioned "shoulder pad" equipment option comes into play. Perhaps rather than having one lone pad shelf setting have different should pad equipment options, much like different facemasks. Quarterbacks, runningbacks, wide recievers, linemen, line backers, and defensive backs would all have different shoulder pad types to choose from(simlar to the option of choosing a different style of helmet). These would be available in the "General" section equipment editing menu. It would eliminate the need for one pad shelf setting that has to be universal across all positions. Once again, it's the little tweaks and adjustments to the game that will improve it drastically and make the game be more realistic.

Having the option to change the color/type of the equipment for home or away as well as warm or cold weather adds the realism and progression of the season as well as the dynasty as a whole. We see hundreds, if not thousands of players over the course of a dynasty and with out in depth editing options they all begin to run together as clones of one another. More advanced editing options will increase realism as well as the personality in the game.

Throwing Animations

Think "Signature Style" from the NBA2k series. You obviously wouldn't see a throwing type called "Leinart", "Quinn", "V. Young", "Brennen", or "Clausen" but different throwing types could be added as options. The reailty is that all of the previously mentioned players throw the ball differently and have different set ups, arm slots, and follow throughs. You wouldn't need to add hundreds of different types but some varied options outside of "over" or "side" for the quarterback throwing style would be an amazing addition.

Atmosphere

Here's where college football really shines over all other sports and that should be reflected in the game. While I don't think EA has done a bad job of caputuring the atmosphere and they have the right idea in general tweaks and changes need to be made. As of right now every game "feels" the same. Notre Dame vs Navy feels like the same game and atmosphere as Notre Dame vs Michigan. This shouldn't be. The crowd noise /chants/cheers, announcers, and bands should be more intense for bigger rivalry match ups and big games. I should know just by the sound of the game what type of game it is.

More college music should be added and played more often. it could be team specific music like Notre Dame's "Rakes of Mallows" or the "1812 Overture" or could be generic but more music needs to be added and played during the games. That's one of the best and most uinque things about college football and it's atmosphere, the bands. It needs to be better represented.

Custom team introductions need to make a return. Whether it be the Notre Dame "Play Like a Champion Today" sign slap to "The U" fog machine entance or Clemson's run down the hill on to the field additions like this should be made.

Something still does not feel right about the weather in the game. Even when it is raining or snowing the game still feels too "bright". There should be a more noticable difference between a sunny game in August and a cloudy cold and dreary game in November. Also when it is snowing and raining it should seem darker than it does now as the sun is obviously blocked.

Season long field progression should be seen as well. Grass isn't as green in November as it was in August when the season kicked off, especially in the midwest. Looking at Ohio State's field or Notre Dame's field should allow you to venture a guess what time of year it is by the coloration of the grass.

Dynasty Mode Bread and Butter

Firstly the menu in Dynasty mode feels clumsy in some palces. This year especially in the section where you see national rankings, Heisman leaders, ect. I preferred the previous years versions of the menu much better. I do like the addition of the "local" stories I just feel the menu could be better.

A crazy idea I also had was that as the coach of the team you were actually allowed to vote on a weekly basis in the coaches poll. Too nerdy of an idea? Sure. But having a list of the top 40 teams from last week and then ranking a new Top 25 week in and week out just as a real coach does would be a cool addition and add to the depth and realism of the mode.

Ranking logic needs to be tweaked as well. Teams like Toledo should not be ranked in the Top 5 after running the table in the MAC. Some of the factors that go into the CPU rating the teams need to be adjusted to take into account strenght of conference ect.

Being able to make contratcs with other schools for scheduling games should be added. It can get redundant playing the same schedule year in and year out with the only difference being whether it was home or away. As an example as Notre Dame I should have contracts with certain teams to play until a certain year and at the end of that I can attempt to renew that contract if both teams would like to. Things such as the teams being rivals would help factor into teams wanting to accept or not. If I choose to not renew a contract with a team I should be able to search out a contract with another team for perhaps a long term deal, a simple 2 year "home and home" agreement, or a 1 year deal. Conference teams would have the same option for the game leading up the open of their conference season.

Assistant coaches and coordinators should be added to the game and would serve as an intricle part of the staff. They could be signed from elsewhere, leave for other schools or chances in the NFL and would factor into the recruiting process as well as the performance of the team on Saturdays. This would allow for system changes and also add depth to the recruiting process as a recruit may like your experience but doesn't want to play for a first year coordinator so he goes elsewhere to a school with more experience there as a result. Or the exact opposite where the recruit wants to play for a young new coordinator and is excited about it so it helps you pull him in.

Speaking of recruiting I like the direction the depth of the feature is going but signing day in the offseason should be a much bigger deal than it is right now. You should see breakdowns of where the top recruits went prior to seeing the class rankings and overall it should feel like a bigger deal if you got a great class, or came up short.

Draft classes should be larger too to allow for more unsigned rookie free agents in Madden. In order to properly do this though Madden would ahve to allow for larger rosters and practice squads.

Impact players still needs some tweaking. it's not nearly as overdone as in years past but there needs to be more variance in the type of players. Simply because a player is rated highly doesn't mean he is an impact player. Someone like Joey Getherall from Notre Dame would have been rated fairly low(low- mid 80's) in previous games but during his time playing for the Irish he was a huge factor for the team. Was he a big name nationally? No. But in South Bend on Saturday's he was very important. Which leads me to my idea...

There should be two levels of impact players. One for players who are impact guys like Reggie Bush who are national powers and transcend the game at times. The other level should be for guys like the Joey Getheralls of the world. They aren't on the level of Reggie Bush but they are still vitally important to the team. This would allow Reggie Bush to still ight up anyone he comes across while at the same time allowing an impact runningback from Western Michigan to play well but not play like Reggie Bush....because he isn't Reggie Bush.

In a perfect world I would like to be able to choose my impact players as sometimes the most important gusy aren't the most highly rated. Based upon overall rating the CPU would decide whether or not the player was a "national impact" player or a "team impact" player. Maybe you have an 84 OVR rated quarterback who the CPU would not choose as your schools impact player but in playing the game he is a strong senior who makes big plays and plays well in big games and rivalry games. As the person who controls the game play that player to me would be my "impact" player.

If the computer is going to continue to choose the impact player it should take more into account than overall rating(In the current system). Rating could still be invovled but other factors such as stats, rivalry performances, and the system they play in should be taken into account. Too often I would be playing an option team where the impact player was a wide reciever with a overall high rating but very little impact on the game as a member of a team that runs the ball 40 times a game.

End

I'm sure this is much longer than anyone would have liked to read. Am I asking for too much? Maybe. Will someone at EA even see this? I hope so. I vastly enjoy NCAA 2008 and this post was simply an attempt to put into words how I think the game can be improved and progress into the future. I hope that anyone who read it enjoyed it and if anyone at EA reads it that the ideas either make it into the game or give them ideas of their own on where to take the series. I'd love to see all these features added in by next season, but I know that may be a bit unrealistic but maybe..just maybe...some of these ideas will get into the game as the NCAA franchise moves ahead. Thank you to anyone for taking your time in order to read this.