EA Sport "NFL HEAD COACH"

[cwilloughby]

FIXED version posted. Damn development environment changes for school got in the way! BAH!

:P

[yabanci]

Here is my thinking on the game:

not buying it until certain problems are fixed
cwilloughby fixes problems
now I'll buy it
more problems are reported
not buying until problems are fixed
cwillouhby fixes problems
now I'll buy it
more problems are reported
not buying until problems are fixed
cwilloughby fixes problems

f-ck it, I think I'll put my trust in cwilloughby and go ahead and buy the game.

[AgustusM]

my 2 cents

cwilloughby has fixed the biggest issues (qtr time and picks)

AND

I am enjoying playing the game immensely

AND

I do think you should all buy it

HOWEVER

Much of the game is bad, for the simple design reasons and how long it takes to do everything. and please don't confuse long with deep. I don't think the game is really that deep - I just have to listen to my ST coach tell me every meeting he thinks my K should be my P, until I listen to him and then he changes his mind the next meeting - this kind of repetitive nonsense goes on and on in HC, takes alot of time and adds nothing.

In the end, there is so much to like - I agree wholeheartly with Gary G. that we are all so desperate for a 3D NFL sim that we are willing to play/buy this game even with all of its very serious flaws.

[stevew]

Anyone playing on the PC with a gamepad? I was thinking that might(sadly) make it a bit better? I'll probably pick it up in a week or two.

[Raiders Army]

Originally Posted by stevew

Anyone playing on the PC with a gamepad? I was thinking that might(sadly) make it a bit better? I'll probably pick it up in a week or two.

Do you mean playing the games? If so, you can't play the games, you only coach them by picking the plays, talking to the players, call timeouts, etc.

[stevew]

I meant using the gamepad to navigate through the menus on the PC. If it's possible? Since the game was designed for Joysticks and a console.

[jefflackey]

I can't imagine the type of gamer who doesn't care a lot for realism and thus doesn't worry about skewed stats, 5 minute quarters (nothing like the AI running the clock down by taking the full time to call each play halfway through the last quarter, on it's second posession) etc. putting up with having to spend 15 minutes every week or so watching a running back run up against a single linebacker, no full contact, over and over and over and over and over and over and over .... Oh, and each time he has to pick the play, pick the back, pick the LB, etc. Throw in that he'll spend at least as much or more time on things like that which have 0 entertainment value as he does in an actual on the field game. Heck, I'm a sim fanatic, I've had an SI CM/FM running on my notebook PC non-stop for years, and I get bored to irritation at the drills.

Question - it appears that your coaches will do some subbing without input from you? Is there a way to prevent this or make them more agrressive at it?

[Surtt]

Originally Posted by stevew

Anyone playing on the PC with a gamepad? I was thinking that might(sadly) make it a bit better? I'll probably pick it up in a week or two.

I am, it helps immensely.

[Raiders Army]

Originally Posted by stevew

I meant using the gamepad to navigate through the menus on the PC. If it's possible? Since the game was designed for Joysticks and a console.

Ah. I've gotten used to the layout and scheme. To me, a joystick wouldn't improve my experience whatsoever.

[Surtt]

I am seriously wondering if they haven't got Daivd working on this project some where.
Last night I scored a TD on a -1 yard run.

[AgustusM]

Originally Posted by jefflackey

putting up with having to spend 15 minutes every week or so watching a running back run up against a single linebacker, no full contact, over and over and over and over and over and over and over .... Oh, and each time he has to pick the play, pick the back, pick the LB, etc. Throw in that he'll spend at least as much or more time on things like that which have 0 entertainment value as he does in an actual on the field game.

I agree 100% with this - and if you simulate these practice drills you get lousy rating preperation and a ton of injuries.

[jbmagic]

Originally Posted by stevew

Anyone playing on the PC with a gamepad? I was thinking that might(sadly) make it a bit better? I'll probably pick it up in a week or two.

Does not work with gamepad.

Only keyboard or mouse or both for the PC

[Surtt]

Originally Posted by jbmagic

Does not work with gamepad.

Only keyboard or mouse or both for the PC

I used "Total Game Control" to map the keyboard buttons to my gamepad.

[jbmagic]

Originally Posted by Surtt

I used "Total Game Control" to map the keyboard buttons to my gamepad.

cool

I try that later on my logitech gamepad. That will be make it much easier.

[rkmsuf]

Originally Posted by jbmagic

cool

I try that later on my logitech gamepad. That will be make it much easier.

be well john spartan

[Swaggs]

At least the Jeff Fisher commercials are pretty funny.

[stevew]

Originally Posted by rkmsuf

be well john spartan

Was he a wordsmith, too?

[rkmsuf]

Originally Posted by stevew

Was he a wordsmith, too?

the prose flows from him in that movie

[Raiders Army]

Ouch. I take it back what I said about the games being ridiculously easy. On All-Pro I got stomped by the Broncos 48-24. I hate losing, but I especially hate losing to them.

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by Raiders Army

Ouch. I take it back what I said about the games being ridiculously easy. On All-Pro I got stomped by the Broncos 48-24. I hate losing, but I especially hate losing to them.

And we love that you hate it.

Stay well Al Davis, stay well. . .

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by Raiders Army

Ouch. I take it back what I said about the games being ridiculously easy. On All-Pro I got stomped by the Broncos 48-24. I hate losing, but I especially hate losing to them.

That's good news as far as the game goes though.

I hope to have some time tomorrow to get back into this game.

[SirFozzie]

Wow, you can tell that the air has just gone out of this, even with the mod for PC, it leaves the Console folks high and dry. It's not even a joke like the Maximum football thread went.

I'm waiting for my PC version to get here and then we'll see/

[VPI97]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

even with the mod for PC, it leaves the Console folks high and dry. It's not even a joke like the Maximum football thread went.

Yeah...there's no way I would buy this for a console. I played for a while pre-mod and the game was ridiculous. After being able to adjust sliders, it's starting to look very good...this is easily a good replacement for Madden.

[Super Ugly]

I jumped the gun and went for the digital download, rather than patiently waiting for a hard copy to be shipped overseas. What a dumb move. After spending three hours downloading the game, there's some kind of a problem with EA downloader. Even though I'm logged in, it says that I'm not logged in ... and I can't play until I log in. Let's just say that EA technical support isn't exactly helpful, either ...

[SirFozzie]

Love Bill Abner's quote about FOFC regarding NFL HC.

I was browsing the Old Curmudgeon Front Office Football forum -- particularly this thread. I enjoy reading this board mainly because you can just feel the jaded gamerness oozing from your monitor. I respect guys that talk about games like they're sitting on a porch waiting for those pesky kids to trample on their lawn. I can relate

[Gary Gorski]

Originally Posted by VPI97

After being able to adjust sliders, it's starting to look very good...this is easily a good replacement for Madden.

Just an honest question from me, as a game developer, were you really looking for a Madden replacement with this or were you hoping for FOF meets 3D graphics/Front Page Sports 2006?

[SirFozzie]

BTW, Gary.. you got quoted over there too

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

Love Bill Abner's quote about FOFC regarding NFL HC.

I was browsing the Old Curmudgeon Front Office Football forum -- particularly this thread. I enjoy reading this board mainly because you can just feel the jaded gamerness oozing from your monitor. I respect guys that talk about games like they're sitting on a porch waiting for those pesky kids to trample on their lawn. I can relate

That's awesome. Gonna have to check his blog out again .

[datdudebob]

where do i get the patch from i got 1 from football freaks but that dont work i wont the patch that everybody has been talkn about on here can anybody send me the link or post a link on here my email address is [email protected] if that would be real helpful i'll chk back in a few

[AgustusM]

Originally Posted by Gary Gorski

Just an honest question from me, as a game developer, were you really looking for a Madden replacement with this or were you hoping for FOF meets 3D graphics/Front Page Sports 2006?

I know this wasn't directed at me, but I was looking for a 3D FOF - Madden is fine for what it is and I will still buy it - but this game has come very short of my expectations.

[Gary Gorski]

Originally Posted by AgustusM

I know this wasn't directed at me, but I was looking for a 3D FOF - Madden is fine for what it is and I will still buy it - but this game has come very short of my expectations.

Yeah, that's my feeling as well which is why I asked the question - I knew the stats wouldn't be as accurate as FOF and that the GM stuff wouldn't be as good as in our type of games and I was willing to sacrifice *some* of those as long as they were in the ballpark to have the ability to work in a 3D environment. I like Madden for sitting down with friends and playing a console game - nothing else so I was not hoping for a "Madden replacement" with this and I wonder if this community, which was built on playing a text sim game, is happy with it being such.

[Eaglesfan27]

I was not looking for a Madden Replacement either. I was hoping for an updated FPS Football type game. I think with the excellent mod work being down by Cwill this will meet my needs well enough, although, my view could be colored by the fact that there hasn't been a game that has come close to filling that niche and my enjoyment of that niche for almost a decade.

[Barkeep49]

Personally, I think the idea of a Head Coaching RPG is very alluring. And that's what my hopes were with this game. Certainly not a madden replacement, as I enjoy showing my skillz off against my friends, nor an FOF replacement, since graphics don't lend themselves well to in depth management. But having a game which emphasized personality? That's been the thing that has made Football Manager appealing to me and seeing any of those aspects in a sport I care about is a good thing.

[MalcPow]

Originally Posted by Barkeep49

Personally, I think the idea of a Head Coaching RPG is very alluring. And that's what my hopes were with this game. Certainly not a madden replacement, as I enjoy showing my skillz off against my friends, nor an FOF replacement, since graphics don't lend themselves well to in depth management. But having a game which emphasized personality? That's been the thing that has made Football Manager appealing to me and seeing any of those aspects in a sport I care about is a good thing.

This is pretty close to why I bought the game, not that I've had a chance to play much yet. I didn't see it as a replacement for madden or fof, but as a kind of the Sims with Football. Not a career sim or arcade td-fest, but something based in the world of football that's kind of an rpg with different personalities and storylines. It seems like it lives up to that, I'll have to see after I put it through its paces, but conceptually that's a fun game for me, in a different way obviously than those other games.

[johneh]

I hate it that that in the 80s, early 90s you had games like Tom Landry Football, Microleague Baseball & Football plus many others, yet today you have to choose between Madden or FOF with nothing that combines the two effectively.

[AgustusM]

Originally Posted by johneh

I hate it that that in the 80s, early 90s you had games like Tom Landry Football, Microleague Baseball & Football plus many others, yet today you have to choose between Madden or FOF with nothing that combines the two effectively.

I agree - the early years of sports gaming had a lot of promise - problem is when Sierra's Football and Baseball titles died - the idea of a visual sim died with it.

Now we have incredible in depth text sims with FOF and OOTP and incredible visual games like Madden - but nothing that comes close to what I want which is a combination of the two.

[Raiders Army]

Originally Posted by johneh

I hate it that that in the 80s, early 90s you had games like Tom Landry Football, Microleague Baseball & Football plus many others, yet today you have to choose between Madden or FOF with nothing that combines the two effectively.

Funny you should mention Tom Landry Football. I loved that game in college and this reminds me a lot of it.

[VPI97]

Originally Posted by Gary Gorski

Just an honest question from me, as a game developer, were you really looking for a Madden replacement with this or were you hoping for FOF meets 3D graphics/Front Page Sports 2006?

Realistically, there was no chance, no chance at all, that this game was going to be as good statistically as FOF. For that reason, I was wanting a replacement for Madden's inept coach mode (I get my joystick action from the NCAA series...not Madden). So, this does the trick as well as can be expected.

[A-Husker-4-Life]

Originally Posted by Raiders Army

Funny you should mention Tom Landry Football. I loved that game in college and this reminds me a lot of it.

Man the was a great game, it had funny names like Joe Montanna and stuff like that... Hey do you remember a game called I think "the ultimate coaches club football by microprose". It was pretty good for it's time...

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by VPI97

Realistically, there was no chance, no chance at all, that this game was going to be as good statistically as FOF. For that reason, I was wanting a replacement for Madden's inept coach mode (I get my joystick action from the NCAA series...not Madden). So, this does the trick as well as can be expected.

This was my thought out of this game. I still have not decided whether I want to buy this or Madden, but I feel like anyone that was expecting a complete mesh between Madden and FOF was just setting themselves up for failure.

[Raiders Army]

Originally Posted by A-Husker-4-Life

Man the was a great game, it had funny names like Joe Montanna and stuff like that... Hey do you remember a game called I think "the ultimate coaches club football by microprose". It was pretty good for it's time...

Nope. I don't remember that game. It sounds pretty good though.

Anyhow, I find a lot of similarities between this game and Tom Landry. They're not accurate stat machines (at least not yet), but you pick the plays and I find it extremely frustrating when my RB gets stuffed or a WR drops a pass.

[AgustusM]

Yes I played Coaches Club quite a bit - it was back in the early 90's it only had 2 or 3 releases, but for its day it was better then the like versions of FB Pro or Madden.

I still have it somewhere in the garage, I think on 5 1/4 disks.

[Buccaneer]

Originally Posted by Raiders Army

Funny you should mention Tom Landry Football. I loved that game in college and this reminds me a lot of it.

Tom Landry Strategy Football was, imo, the best football sim in its days. FPS was already out but its early versions were inferior to TLSF, esp. on the Mac (but FPS had more marketing clout). What is truly sad was that TLSF was the next-to-last time enjoyed playing a football game on the computer, after NCAA 99.

[Buccaneer]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

Love Bill Abner's quote about FOFC regarding NFL HC.

I was browsing the Old Curmudgeon Front Office Football forum -- particularly this thread. I enjoy reading this board mainly because you can just feel the jaded gamerness oozing from your monitor. I respect guys that talk about games like they're sitting on a porch waiting for those pesky kids to trample on their lawn. I can relate

Hey.

[jbmagic]

Bill Abner Review:
http://sportsgamer.blogspot.com/

More Head Coach

As I wind down my review for NFL Head Coach, I wanted to share a few more observations now that I have played a full season of games with the Abner-Built 2006 Browns. Here 'goes:

* Without the FOFC PC Mod, the game is ass. It's a novelty. With the mod, it's a significantly better game because you can now change quarter length, gameplay sliders (that now work), and the difficulty level (which was preset to Pro w/o the ability to edit it).
* I played the season w/o changing the difficulty and the Browns finished 12-4. This on its face isn't a huge deal because in the NFL teams can turn it around from season to season. But my team finished 12-4 despite Philip Rivers earning a 68.9 QB Rating. It was a weird year...
* I usually get a lot of flak for ripping big budget sports games for screwing up simulated stats. NCAA 06, MLB 2K, NFL 2K, etc. I ask: is it ok to rip a coaching simulation for the same thing? After the season ended I checked the league stats and saw that the CPU never uses its backup running back unless the starter gets hurt. Are you ok with 4 backs getting *500* carries? 500. Several backs ran for 1500+ yards and only averaged 3.2, 3.5 or 3.6 per carry. 400 carries is a ton for a back -- 500 is a literal shitload.
* However, this bizarre blip aside, the stats in Head Coach aren't too hateful. Not great, sorta Madden-like. (DTs get way too many simmed sacks, for example)
* I saw 4 kickoffs returned for TDs in the games I played. (I played 13 of the 16, and have not yet started the playoffs)
* The CPU returned a grand total of ONE punt. The rest were all fair catches. My returner only returns kicks if I select PR Block. The blockers that race downfield do not attempt to block the gunners. Ever.
* My Dline had 2 sacks the whole year. My LBers and safeties had their share, but the line gets mauled in this game. Maybe it is because I run a 3-4? Whatever it is, the DEs *never*, not once, beat an OT off the snap and got to the QB. Every DL sack (for me or the CPU) was a coverage sack. Maybe a pass block slider change is in order...
* Without messing with the mod tool, the CPU QBs are *very* Madden-like. What I mean by this is that you may play a game where the CPU completes 55-60% of its passes. You'll play just as many games where it goes 6 of 28 with 4 picks. This goes back to my first point -- w/o that mod tool this game is ass. Why they didn't include sliders when they were already there in the code is anyone's guess. They make an enormous difference.
* As earlier noted in previous posts, the interface and off the field design might be the most tedious in the history of gaming. Of course you can sim and skip over the practices and the other daily boring routines (really -- the weekly staff meeting..could that be anymore useless? Oh, yeah, before I forget -- the Browns finished top 5 in pass defense with a DB coach rated an 11 -- out of 99. These coaches don't mean shit, apparantly.) Anyway, even though you can sim past the tedium, it is in your best interest not to because this is where you'll get the vast majority of your injuries -- during contact drill practice that you simulate. My team suffered injuries in the 3 games I simmed. The rest of the games? Not a one. That's right. Not one injury unless I simmed the practice week.
* In addition, if you sim the week your players do not improve nearly as much than when you manually do the practices, which gets boring real fast.
* EA needs to retool the design of this game so that we can do what we want when we want to do it. Screw the whole "coach time" thing. Let me change my friggin' depth chart as much as I want to without seeing multiple load screens because I only get two actions per "office hour." That's asinine. Everything is a hassle. If you want to sign a FA during the year due to injury (which as I said only happens if you sim) you can't just call up an agent. You need to go into your calander and hunt for the Sign Players task and switch that with your current task. The entire interface is like this. It's mind-numbingly ridiculous.
Even with the sadistic GUI and the other football bizarro-ness, I'm still playing it...about to play the Jags in the playoffs. Head Coach is the guy sitting on horseback with a stick, a string and a carrot. We're the horse.

[Buccaneer]

From the sound of it, Bill wants this to be a Madden game if he skips over the HC part. I understand the tedium and bad design but that's really the selling point of the game. Otherwise it's Madden-lite.

[dbd1963]

I'm enjoying the game, but not without problems. The INTs appear to be down now, but even on All Pro I'm kicking tail, and I doubt I shoud be. I've only played one game on All Pro though, so maybe I should try it a few more times. The first half was a nail-biter, I was only up 9-3, until I hit a long pass with under a minute left. Add to that, the Panthers had a punt return TD called back in the first half that would have given them the lead and some momentum. Maybe the game played out as it should, but I found the 2nd half a cakewalk. I think the Panthers should have been a lot harder to beat, especially at their house.

They were running pretty good on me, though.

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

Love Bill Abner's quote about FOFC regarding NFL HC.

I was browsing the Old Curmudgeon Front Office Football forum -- particularly this thread. I enjoy reading this board mainly because you can just feel the jaded gamerness oozing from your monitor. I respect guys that talk about games like they're sitting on a porch waiting for those pesky kids to trample on their lawn. I can relate

That's a classic. We are FOFC.

[AgustusM]

Originally Posted by Buccaneer

From the sound of it, Bill wants this to be a Madden game if he skips over the HC part. I understand the tedium and bad design but that's really the selling point of the game. Otherwise it's Madden-lite.

tedium and bad design are the selling point?

for me the selling point was NFL simulation - not Madden lite - but Madden HEAVY.

I don't want The Sims: NFL

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by AgustusM

tedium and bad design are the selling point?

for me the selling point was NFL simulation - not Madden lite - but Madden HEAVY.

I don't want The Sims: NFL

This is so weird to me that you and others were expecting this... I just don't see how this was a realistic expectation out of this game if you read the previews, the ads, and know EA Sports...