Alright Boyz, Here We Go!!! NCAA Football 2009 impressions thread

[Sun Tzu]

Originally Posted by spleen1015

I have watched those videos that show the bad pursuit. Is that the case on every play or is it just every once in a while?

In my experience (about 30 games against the CPU) it's only in games against the FCS teams, which is once every other year in dynasty mode I believe.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by cartman

It is no where near an absolute debacle. Metacritic scores it an 83, based on 13 reviews. By no means is the game perfect, and no one here is arguing that it is. Yes, there are flaws, but most rational people here can agree that they aren't gamekillers.

So call me stupid for defending the game, but I, along with quite a few other people here, are having a blast with the game as is. If a future patch addresses some of the flaws, that would be great, and further increase the enjoyment. But the game is very far from unplayable at the moment, no matter how much you protest to the contrary. If I wanted an unplayable football game, there is a much better candidate out there from Matrix.

1. Several places have already shown just how bad the reviews are for this iteration. It's blatently obvious in this version more than any other that the reviewers did not play the game nearly enough to find some of the major isues in the game.

2. As I've mentioned previously, the online exhibition mode is not too bad if you can find good opponents. The single player modes along with the online dynasty is a disaster at this point. FWIW, the EA developer keeps backtracking on when the patch will come and which issues it will even address. If last year's game is any indication about how long you'll have to wait and what will be addressed, there's not much to look forward to.

It's obviously absurd to compliment the game by saying that it's better than Maximum Football. So is Atari Football, but that's not saying much.

[Dr. Sak]

Originally Posted by cartman

So call me stupid for defending the game, but I, along with quite a few other people here, are having a blast with the game as is.

Stupid is as stupid does

Also arguing with MBBF about this is like

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Sun Tzu

In my experience (about 30 games against the CPU) it's only in games against the FCS teams, which is once every other year in dynasty mode I believe.

That's totally incorrect. Bill Abner has posted several videos on his blog detailing the pursuit issues in non-FCS games. It's not happening on every play, but it's far from a random issue.

Even assuming you were right for the sake of argument, the AI should work no matter what team is on the field. Excusing it because of what team is on the field is no excuse at all.

[Cringer]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

1. Several places have already shown just how bad the reviews are for this iteration. It's blatently obvious in this version more than any other that the reviewers did not play the game nearly enough to find some of the major isues in the game.

2. As I've mentioned previously, the online exhibition mode is not too bad if you can find good opponents. The single player modes along with the online dynasty is a disaster at this point. FWIW, the EA developer keeps backtracking on when the patch will come and which issues it will even address. If last year's game is any indication about how long you'll have to wait and what will be addressed, there's not much to look forward to.

It's obviously absurd to compliment the game by saying that it's better than Maximum Football. So is Atari Football, but that's not saying much.

You should take your own advice as far as overstating things. You have just recently played the game, and it sounds like very little. I and others tend to enjoy the game after hours of play. It's absurd to say it's a disaster.

[Bigsmooth]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

That's totally incorrect. Bill Abner has posted several videos on his blog detailing the pursuit issues in non-FCS games. It's not happening on every play, but it's far from a random issue.

Even assuming you were right for the sake of argument, the AI should work no matter what team is on the field. Excusing it because of what team is on the field is no excuse at all.

Hey man. You act like those of us who enjoy playing the game are oblivious to the issues this game has. The point is, we get it, however, we choose to see the positives and have a good time. I hate EA just as much as you (possible?) but what can you do. Back in the day (pre-internet), I wouldn't even have thought twice about some of these issues. The blessing and curse of this situation is that, although I am now way to aware of the games faults, EA is held accountable (via forums, youtube vids, blogs). They cannot hide and that is huge.

[Sun Tzu]

k

[cartman]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

I received the game over the weekend. Everything that has been posted about the game's significant flaws is spot-on. I was actually surprised at how little time it took me on my own to reproduce or find some of the major problems. It's pretty embarrassing stuff.

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

It's blatently obvious in this version more than any other that the reviewers did not play the game nearly enough to find some of the major isues in the game.

So not only are we stupid for liking the game, you are just so superior to the established reviewers that you obviously missed your true calling.

What a tool.

[Huckleberry]

I've read about half this thread, and I have to say that the game looks like a piece of shit in a lot of ways. Sure, MBBF doesn't comport himself all that well, but that doesn't change the facts that I've seen about the game. I mean holy hell, just watch some of the videos.

I find it odd how vehemently some are defending this game. If it has to do with the messenger, okay. But that doesn't make the game great.

[MikeVic]

Sorry if this has been posted, but I just saw it on the Dubious Quality blog... NSFW due to language, but such a funny vid:

The Nut and the Feisty Weasel: Laugh Til I Cried

[cartman]

Originally Posted by Huckleberry

I've read about half this thread, and I have to say that the game looks like a piece of shit in a lot of ways. Sure, MBBF doesn't comport himself all that well, but that doesn't change the facts that I've seen about the game. I mean holy hell, just watch some of the videos.

I find it odd how vehemently some are defending this game. If it has to do with the messenger, okay. But that doesn't make the game great.

90% of it is the messenger. We aren't trying to say that this is the "greatest football game ever". Those of us enjoying it admit that the game is by no means perfect, and it does have some bumps and warts.

You play a game and at the end of it thought it was a blast. But then someone posted a video of a play in the game, and you noticed that one of your players did something completely wrong during the play. Yes, you might think it was odd that the player did that, but while you were playing, you were having fun and didn't notice. Is the game now an "utter disaster" and not an enjoyable game?

[Kodos]

I'd give the game an 8 right now. It has plenty of warts, but I'm having a lot of fun with it.

[Noop]

I have fun with the game and could careless if it has some glitches. If you want something to be perfect then you must be really out of touch.

[Cringer]

Originally Posted by cartman

90% of it is the messenger. We aren't trying to say that this is the "greatest football game ever". Those of us enjoying it admit that the game is by no means perfect, and it does have some bumps and warts.

You play a game and at the end of it thought it was a blast. But then someone posted a video of a play in the game, and you noticed that one of your players did something completely wrong during the play. Yes, you might think it was odd that the player did that, but while you were playing, you were having fun and didn't notice. Is the game now an "utter disaster" and not an enjoyable game?

I have said it's the best football game I have played. I also pointed out early on when I said that though, that I haven't played any console football game for several years. It was bound to be better to me I think just because of that.....

[KWhit]

A ton of this has to do with the messenger, IMO.

I was actually looking for a way that I could try to return the game the other day because of the online dynasty bug. I've decided to keep the game, though, for now.

But I will say that this is the buggiest console game I have personally ever played. The fact that custom rosters, online dynasties, and sliders were 100% broken at release is completely inexcusable.

[Phototropic]

As a single player game I think it's pretty bad. I'm putting it aside for the most part until the patch. I could certainly overlook a lot of the issues in a multiplayer environment.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by KWhit

A ton of this has to do with the messenger, IMO.

I was actually looking for a way that I could try to return the game the other day because of the online dynasty bug. I've decided to keep the game, though, for now.

But I will say that this is the buggiest console game I have personally ever played. The fact that custom rosters, online dynasties, and sliders were 100% broken at release is completely inexcusable.

Agreed. If they don't truly fix online dynasties and/or the gameplay, I'll be trading this game in. The messenger is a huge factor here.

[cartman]

I thought the online dynasties were fixed with the server side stuff they did last week? Since then I haven't heard of anymore corrupted lockers.

The one outstanding issue I've heard was that you couldn't successfully talk someone into staying an extra year if they decided to leave early.

[kingnebwsu]

Originally Posted by Kodos

I'd give the game an 8 right now. It has plenty of warts, but I'm having a lot of fun with it.

Sounds right to me. Very brief & accurate assessment. Maybe just a shade over an 8...but if we're not dealing with decimals then an "8" sounds dead-on.

Originally Posted by cartman

I thought the online dynasties were fixed with the server side stuff they did last week? Since then I haven't heard of anymore corrupted lockers.

The one outstanding issue I've heard was that you couldn't successfully talk someone into staying an extra year if they decided to leave early.

I also thought that the online dynasties were pseudo-fixed? Maybe? I really want to get the NOFL rolling. Seriously, if it gets to mid-to-late August and it's still not working, I think the leagues will be pretty much ruined for this year. I want to be knee-deep in the dynasty by October, because that's when all of the triple-A top-quality titles come out and my time for NCAA will be reduced to a game or two each week.

[Celeval]

This is also why I'm planning on getting NCAA for the PS2.

[Eaglesfan27]

I mentioned it because there are reports on OS of people's dynasties being started after 7/23 and still being corrupted... it could be fixed and these people could be mistaken or it might still be an issue.

[kingnebwsu]

Dang...that sucks. I was hoping it would have been fixed by now. I'll keep an eye on OS. But keep us posted as always, EF27

[Karlifornia]

If anyone wants a game tonight, let me know.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by Sun Tzu

In my experience (about 30 games against the CPU) it's only in games against the FCS teams, which is once every other year in dynasty mode I believe.

Georgia and Oklahoma are in FCS?

EA SPORTS World: NCAA Football 09 Video



EA SPORTS World: NCAA Football 09 Video

[fantom1979]

Well, Noel Devine is very fast. I also like how Pat White just sits there the entire time. No reason to block or get out of the way or anything. He never moved after the handoff.

[fantom1979]

Originally Posted by Phototropic

As a single player game I think it's pretty bad. I'm putting it aside for the most part until the patch. I could certainly overlook a lot of the issues in a multiplayer environment.

As someone who has played 4 online games in 5 years, this makes me rather sad. I don't expect perfection, but to see some of the things that are broken right now is just silly. They have been making this game since Bill Walsh, you would think that things like pursuit angles would have been solved years ago.

[Cringer]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

Georgia and Oklahoma are in FCS?

EA SPORTS World: NCAA Football 09 Video



EA SPORTS World: NCAA Football 09 Video

Maybe this is why I don't see it much so far. I am not sitting around trying to create unrealistic football from the start of the play........

[spleen1015]

It is amaysing to watch those videos and see how all of the other players on the field make the exact same moves as the ball carrier.

[gstelmack]

Yes, the circle run by the RB is just tailor-made to confuse an AI.

[rowech]

I guess you can find a flaw in any game if you purposely try and do stuff like that. If you actually just play the game as it was intended, how much of that stuff happens?

[Kodos]

But the fun is tearing the game apart!

[Sun Tzu]

bah...just tired of this shit.

[Kodos]

Looks like one was on Heisman and one was on All-American (you can see if you click on the link below the viewer window). Still, if you play normally, these things don't come up.

[Mike1409]

Originally Posted by Kodos

Looks like one was on Heisman and one was on All-American (you can see if you click on the link below the viewer window). Still, if you play normally, these things don't come up.

The person who put these videos up also said on OS that he tried but was unable to replicate these videos when playing the game on varsity.

[dbd1963]

Originally Posted by rowech

I guess you can find a flaw in any game if you purposely try and do stuff like that. If you actually just play the game as it was intended, how much of that stuff happens?

I'm not trying to pick on you in particular because almost everyone is doing it, but as I'm not personally involved this time, it's fascinating to see the kind of rationalizing we'll do for a game that we wanted to like, but has turned out to be crap.

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by dbd1963

I'm not trying to pick on you in particular because almost everyone is doing it, but as I'm not personally involved this time, it's fascinating to see the kind of rationalizing we'll do for a game that we wanted to like, but has turned out to be crap.

Who really does that when playing a game? I've played many games now, but I've never tried to run in circles.. hasn't even crossed my mind. So I guess I'm trying to rationalize my fun I've had with the game so far?

Next up: see if running into the stands causes a beer tent to placed on the 50 yard line

[Kodos]

That works, but you have to do it in a mascot game.

[Logan]

Put me in the "this isn't crap, I'm having a blast" pile.

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by Kodos

That works, but you have to do it in a mascot game.

[Toddzilla]

what better: defenders running in circles or paralyzed quarterback ?

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by kingnebwsu

Dang...that sucks. I was hoping it would have been fixed by now. I'll keep an eye on OS. But keep us posted as always, EF27

For some reason, the huge OS thread has completely disappeared. However, they have a brief announcement thread up pointing to a thread on EA's main boards with a FAQ and a support request form. Here is the FAQ posts which I thought might be beneficial to the various commisioners on here:

Question: I heard that Online Dynasty is broken. Is this true? Since launch, we have identified issues that have caused some of our Online Dynasties to experience problems, including games getting skipped, and Dynasties becoming unusable. We believe these issues affect less than 5% of our Online Dynasty users. We have already fixed many of these problems so that they should no longer occur with new dynasties. We have repaired some dynasties that were previously broken. We are now looking at fixing other problems, and repairing all other dynasties that are broken when possible. Question: How can I avoid problems? The NCAA team is doing everything they can to fix any outstanding online dynasty issues and to prevent further problems in the future. However there are a few things you can do to help ensure you don’t lose online dynasty data. 1. Always save your online dynasty locally on your HD/Mem Card. Doing so means that if your dynasty ever has problems in the future you can start a new dynasty from the save file, re-invite your friends and pick up where you left off. To restore a Dynasty from a save file, follow these steps after you retire your Online Dynasty: ...1. Convert the Online Dynasty to an Offline Dynasty. ...2. Save the Offline Dynasty ...3. Quit the Offline Dynasty ...4. Delete the Online Dynasty save. ...5. Host Existing Dynasty from the Dynasty save. 2. Try not to cancel uploads of dynasty data before they finish. We are currently investigating a problem to prevent this action from corrupting dynasties. In the meantime it is best not to cancel an upload when it is occurring. 3. If you are a member of an Online Dynasty, but the Dynasty does not show up in your list, there is a workaround that should work. See the third post in this thread. Question: What are you doing to fix these problems? The NCAA 09 Development team has been working in earnest since we first became aware of these issues shortly after launch, and we will continue to focus our efforts on fixing these issues until we are satisfied that the Online Dynasty experience is at an acceptable level of performance. Question: What kind of problems? There are different symptoms that users are experiencing. See the next post. Message was edited by: NCAADevLead (EA Id)

NCAADevLead (... Posts: 16 Registered: 7/29/08

Re: Online Dynasty FAQ Posted:Jul 29, 2008 10:42 PM in response to: raczilla (XBox) Reply Alert 1. I am unable to join my Dynasty ..a. I am either the commissioner or a member of a Dynasty. ..b. When I select my Dynasty and try to “Continue Dynasty”, I get kicked back out to the main menu. 2. I am unable to retire my Dynasty ..a. I am the commissioner of a Dynasty. ..b. When I select my Dynasty and try to “Retire From Dynasty”, I get a popup that says my Dynasty was retired. But when I go back into the “CONTINUE ONLINE DYNASTY” screen, the Dynasty still shows up. We have identified a server issue that was causing dynasty files to be placed in the wrong locker. When a duplicate file belonging to the wrong dynasty was in your commissioner’s locker, it made it so that members of the real dynasty were unable to connect, and also made it so that the commissioner could not retire the real Dynasty. Status: 07/23 – We applied a server patch that should prevent additional corruptions of this type. 07/25 – We began repairing dynasties that were previously affected by the duplicate file, by removing the duplicate file. In most cases, we were able to repair the dynasty so that users could now connect and play their dynasty as normal. In a few cases, we were unable to repair the dynasty correctly, and we had to delete the dynasty. Current – We are continuing to repair these issues. If your dynasty is still experiencing one of these issues, please post a report to the Official Online Dynasty Support Thread so that we can investigate. 3. I can’t see my Dynasty ..a. I am either the commissioner or a member of a Dynasty. ..b. My Dynasty doesn’t show up at all in the “ CONTINUE ONLINE DYNASTY” menu. UPDATE - 07/30 We have identified the core root of this problem. The settings strings that lists your Dynasty memberships re getting cleared. The good news is that this means that none of the Dynasty information is actually lost! We believe this issue may be related to canceling a Dynasty upload or losing connection while uploading a Dynasty. Status: Current UPDATE 07/30 – There is a workaround for Dynasty members to get back into their Dynasty. See the next post. For Dynasty commissioners who are unable to see their Dynasty, we are currently investigating a server side fix. In the meantime, we will attempt to repair these on an individual basis. If you are experiencing this issue, please post a report to the Official Online Dynasty Support Thread so that we can investigate. When you report, please make sure to note whether or not you have Canceled a previous Upload. We may be able to restore your missing Dynasty by fixing your locker. Keep in mind that if you start a new Dynasty, we will NOT be able to restore your old one. 4. My game results got lost ..a. I am either the commissioner or a member of a Dynasty. ..b. I played a game, and when the commissioner advanced the week, the results of the game were different. We believe this was also caused by the wrong locker issue. In rare cases, your game result file was being uploaded to the wrong locker. When your commissioner advanced the week, he didn’t have your game result file, and so the game was simmed as if you had never actually played it. Status: 07/23 – We applied a server patch that should prevent additional corruptions of this type. Current – Because dynasties have already been advanced, we are unable to restore missing game results. However, we do not believe any game results that were uploaded after 07/23 should end up missing. If you are still experiencing missing game results, please post a report to the Official Online Dynasty Support Thread so that we can investigate. 5. My game results got duplicated ..a. I am either the commissioner or a member of a Dynasty. ..b. I played a game, and when the commissioner advanced the week, the game results showed up twice. I got either two losses or two wins for the same game! Status Current – We are currently investigating this issue. If you experience this issue, please post a report to the Official Online Dynasty Support Thread so that we can investigate. 6. Players are leaving in the offseason after I convinced them to stay! ..a. I am either the commissioner or a member of a Dynasty. ..b. Some of my players were going to leave for the pro draft. I was able to convince them to stay, but when I advance to the off-season, the players are no longer on the team. Current UPDATE - 07/30 We are not currently looking into this issue, since it does not affect your ability to participate in a Dynasty. 7. I am unable to play user vs user game ..a. I am either the commissioner or a member of a Dynasty. ..b. When I try to play a user vs user game, I get weird uniform and playbook errors and before I am able to start the game, one of us gets kicked out with "game session no longer available" error. Current UPDATE - 07/30 RESOLVED This is caused by an issue with your local router. 1) On your X360 or PS3, do a network test and take notice of the result that you get for NAT 2) If it is a 3, you will need to change it on your router 3) Log into your router and look for a section called DMZ 4) Input your X360 or PS3 IP address here 5) Save it, and run your network test on your X360 or PS3 again. 6) Your NAT setting should now show up as a 1 or 2 If this does not resolve your issue, please post to the Official Online Dynasty Support Thread. X. I have another problem If you are having another problem, please post a report to the Official Online Dynasty Support Thread so that we can investigate. Please include as much specific information as possible about your Dynasty and about the problem you are seeing, including what you were doing up to the point at which Message was edited by: NCAADevLead (EA Id)

NCAADevLead (... Posts: 16 Registered: 7/29/08

Re: Online Dynasty FAQ Posted:Jul 29, 2008 10:43 PM in response to: NCAADevLead (EA... Reply Alert UPDATE - 07/30 Added information on the "I can't see my Dynasty" issue Added the "Players leaving" issue Added the "unable to play user vs user game" issue WORKAROUND If you are a Member of a Dynasty, but that Dynasty does not show up in your list, there is a workaround that your commissioner can try. 1. The commissioner must enter the ONLINE DYNASTY SETUP->USER TEAMS & COACHES SCREEN 2. Select the user who is unable to see the Dynasty 3. Press RB to remove the user from your Dynasty 4. EXIT the USER TEAMS & COACHES screen - This step is important! 5. Enter the USER TEAMS & COACHES screen again. 6. Add the user again as normal The commissioner must exit the screen after removing the user. It won't recognize any changes if you remove and then immediately add the user! If you are a Commissioner of a Dynasty, and you are unable to see your Dynasty, there is no current workaround. You should make a post to the Official Online Dynasty Support Thread so that we can repair your Dynasty.

[Ajaxab]

Originally Posted by rowech

I guess you can find a flaw in any game if you purposely try and do stuff like that. If you actually just play the game as it was intended, how much of that stuff happens?

I obviously can't see the intent of rowech's question, but in still trying to decide whether this game is actually worth it for offline play, this becomes an honest question for me. If you actually just play the game as it was intended, how often do the strange occurrences happen? I guess Sun Tzu has shared a few thoughts on this, but I'm looking for a few more comments.

At this point, I am more persuaded by the critics than by those who are having fun with the game, but I am open to being persuaded the other way if offline play isn't as riddled with gameplay issues as it seems.

[Eaglesfan27]

Honestly, I don't see many strange occurences when playing as intended. However, right now the solo play is not much fun for me because:

1. QB's either throw too many completions or too many interceptions depending upon sliders. I'm not interested in switching to a DB just to intentionally swat the ball down to keep interceptions low.

2. The CPU running game is impossible to make challenging without overpowering the human running game with the current slider issues.

3. The pass rush is too weak and unrealistic in most of the games.

4. QB's are way too accurate under pressure.

5. Punt and kickoff return coverage is broken.


However, I'm having fun in MP games and I'm hopeful the patch will fix some of these issues. OMT on OS said that the gameplay patch should go final tomorrow and should be released in 2 to 3 weeks, but he stressed that time frame is just an estimate.

[TCY Junkie]

I like to play DE or DT and I lose interest because the way the oline and dline plays out. The punt coverage is completely broken. I have other thoughts but they are probably bias because of the DT and DE play.

[Noop]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

3. The pass rush is too weak and unrealistic in most of the games.

4. QB's are way too accurate under pressure.

I agree with #3 the most because I have a stud defensive line who do absolutely nothing at all. I have tried shifts and slants but still nothing.

As for #4 that is so true before my 360 red lighted again I noticed despite me bring the house the QB was making accurate passes as if there was no pressure.

A note about a possible glitch in the game. If you play as the safety(either one that is in zone) the play will be unsuccessful a majority of the time. We had to outlaw the practice among my friend because it really was a cheat. I am not sure if this happens to just us or everyone but I am putting it out there.

My XBOX crapped out so I am going to send it in for repair and my PS3 is in Atlanta.

[Bigsmooth]

If a guy is skilled at playing safety, it is really tough to make it happen on O. However, most people aren't that skilled and it is pretty easy to go right at them.

[Karlifornia]

Originally Posted by Noop

A note about a possible glitch in the game. If you play as the safety(either one that is in zone) the play will be unsuccessful a majority of the time. We had to outlaw the practice among my friend because it really was a cheat. I am not sure if this happens to just us or everyone but I am putting it out there.

I'm not sure I really understand what you're saying. Care to elaborate?

[Noop]

Originally Posted by Karlifornia

I'm not sure I really understand what you're saying. Care to elaborate?

If you play as the Free Safety for instance whose responsibility is to play the deep zone. Instead of playing the deep zone you roam freely the offensive play a majority of the time will not be successful. It doesn't matter if it is a run or a pass, the play will not be successful or as good as it should be.

For example, one of my buddies is playing close to the line so I did to run the slants play. I tried about three times and twice I got tackled by the invisible man and once I broke for a huge gain after breaking the tackle of the invisible man.

It seems as though moving the safety playing the deep zone causes the invisible man to appear. I wish my XBOX360 didn't three ring so I can post the highlight I had saved.

I think it is a glitch but it could also because my XBOX was only working because I did the towel trick and might have missed up something inside.

[Galaxy]

I played around with the stupid mascot game today, and the guys were doing back flips while running with the ball.

[Logan]

Are you high or is there really such a thing as the "invisible man?"