NCAA Football 09 Video w/ Dave Ross: GameSpot

[babyfat9]

EA is so lame....i want to see Ralphie run on the field with the Buffs team, Miami's smoke screen like ps2, Notre Dames like ps2...Michigans banner....and other teams rush the field.....or for christ sakes give us some Logo stomps on the 50 yard line......that's freekin college football....forget this stadium view crap.....like we see the damn stadium anyways when we play.....we only see the field.....get some real college football ethusiast to give you inputs on games instead of men wearing ties, eating donuts at their desks or running to the break room before the free bagels run out !!!!!!!!

[countryboy]

Quote: Originally Posted by TRETCHARUSS

So sad. No pregame show, the 2K series is still superior. It's too bad that the developers don't see the need for this.

While I agree that its pathetic that we get no pre-game show or at the very least team captains on the field for the coin toss, but the 2K series wasn't superior to the NCAA series when it came to college football games.

[countryboy]

Quote: Originally Posted by babyfat9

EA is so lame....i want to see Ralphie run on the field with the Buffs team, Miami's smoke screen like ps2, Notre Dames like ps2...Michigans banner....and other teams rush the field.....or for christ sakes give us some Logo stomps on the 50 yard line......that's freekin college football....forget this stadium view crap.....like we see the damn stadium anyways when we play.....we only see the field.....get some real college football ethusiast to give you inputs on games instead of men wearing ties, eating donuts at their desks or running to the break room before the free bagels run out !!!!!!!!

And I agree with your post, maybe not the men in ties comment, but everything else I agree 1000%

Utter trash. Mainstream acceptance of gaming is killing any hope of ever seeing a 'sim' type sports game on the console. EA will keep pumping out yearly updates that concentrate on tweaked eyecandy and new end zone celebrations while the meat of the game consists of insta-grat rollout bombs and picksix. At least you would think they would get on board with making the game feel and look like a TV broadcast - or even include referees on the field - but apparently that would take away from the budget they have dedicated to the soundtrack.

Complaining will not stop it - have you not realized EA isn't listening ? No, the way to stop it is to not buy it. The old adage "money talks" holds true and while I hear so many people on these boards complaining they quickly follow it by "but I'll still get it". Well, as long as you keep supporting it this crap will remain status quo - especially with no competition in sight.

It is a single game in a sea of choices. It is not life or death so do every sim fan a favor and put your money into something else. Poor sales changed Triple Play, NHL and FIFA and it can change NCAA as well but it starts with each of you. $60 at a time.

[countryboy]

Quote: Originally Posted by fishstick

Utter trash. Mainstream acceptance of gaming is killing any hope of ever seeing a 'sim' type sports game on the console. EA will keep pumping out yearly updates that concentrate on tweaked eyecandy and new end zone celebrations while the meat of the game consists of insta-grat rollout bombs and picksix. At least you would think they would get on board with making the game feel and look like a TV broadcast - or even include referees on the field - but apparently that would take away from the budget they have dedicated to the soundtrack. Complaining will not stop it - have you not realized EA isn't listening ? No, the way to stop it is to not buy it. The old adage "money talks" holds true and while I hear so many people on these boards complaining they quickly follow it by "but I'll still get it". Well, as long as you keep supporting it this crap will remain status quo - especially with no competition in sight. It is a single game in a sea of choices. It is not life or death so do every sim fan a favor and put your money into something else. Poor sales changed Triple Play, NHL and FIFA and it can change NCAA as well but it starts with each of you. $60 at a time.

Nice speech, but I am still getting the game.

Remember, one man's trash is another man's treasure.

[olemiss86]

Quote: Originally Posted by fishstick

Utter trash. Mainstream acceptance of gaming is killing any hope of ever seeing a 'sim' type sports game on the console. EA will keep pumping out yearly updates that concentrate on tweaked eyecandy and new end zone celebrations while the meat of the game consists of insta-grat rollout bombs and picksix. At least you would think they would get on board with making the game feel and look like a TV broadcast - or even include referees on the field - but apparently that would take away from the budget they have dedicated to the soundtrack. Complaining will not stop it - have you not realized EA isn't listening ? No, the way to stop it is to not buy it. The old adage "money talks" holds true and while I hear so many people on these boards complaining they quickly follow it by "but I'll still get it". Well, as long as you keep supporting it this crap will remain status quo - especially with no competition in sight. It is a single game in a sea of choices. It is not life or death so do every sim fan a favor and put your money into something else. Poor sales changed Triple Play, NHL and FIFA and it can change NCAA as well but it starts with each of you. $60 at a time.

You go ahead and save your $60. I am going to spend mine on the game and enjoy it. You are actually probably one of the folks that will buy the game two days or so after the release.

[Moostache]

The cycle of pre-release and post-release comments is as predictable as having a game released every year.

For those who expect revolutionary gameplay and simulation changes, you will always be disappointed. If you have not figured that out by now, you are either 12 or have an IQ around that number....

The biggest change we will see in NCAA has already happened in NCAA 2007 - the addition of a new engine version of the game for "next-gen-PS3/XB360" Until the next console hardware revision, sometime between 2010 and 2012, the only thing possible on an annual release schedule is a tweaked version of the game.

The solution to this would have been easy enough - simply offset the releases of Madden and NCAA each year to allow for 2-year cycles between "new" releases. Offer up sponsored roster downloads or upgradeable rosters (something that I believe IS in NCAA 2009 on XB360 finally) and call it a day. Allow people who NEED accurate rosters to use file sharing to update the game (similar to the way NFL2K5 is still alive and kicking 4 years after release). If you make a good enough game, that can work, although it is very hard to profit from such an arrangement...

The problem is exactly as others have already pointed out - as long as people BUY THE GAME, then there is NO FINANCIAL INCENTIVE for EA to change business-as-usual. For veteran player like myself, who are on their 4th console generational shift (Sega/Super-NES --> PS1 --> DC/PS2/XB --> XB360/PS3), this is old hat. The pattern plays itself out EVERY TIME:

1) new console released
2) "new" version of Madden / NCAA is developed on new engine
3) annual re-releases come out and tweak gameplay, player models and re-hash old features as "new" by bringing them over for the first time over a series of years.
4) new elements and gimmicks (HFA, Impact Players, Mascots/Cheerleaders) are added and subtracted each year
5) the game "peaks" after 3-4 years on a console and then backslides at the tail end of a generation.
6) lather, rinse, repeat...

THAT'S reality...the only way the status quo changes is when external forces necessitate a fundamental change in strategy. The only way THAT happens is when large percentages of people stop buying the product. Arguing about it, complaining about it, even being involved in the Community program and TELLING EA about it directly does not have anywhere NEAR the impact that a 25% drop in sales year-over-year would have.

Its business...we will always get the bare minimum possible to keep people from not buying. Anything more than that costs money and eroded profits...

I have been to EA Community Days in the past. I have sat with the producers and developers and even the marketing people. The schism is that marketing holds sway at EA. They seem to have final say on budgets and staffs and time lines; and as a result, the developers and producers (so frequently savaged as "lazy" or "incompetent" on message boards) face a constricted time line, a limited budget and staff and an expectation to release the game on time without question. It is simply not possible to do much better than they already do. They live on the Kobayshi Maru - the famed "no-win scenario" from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan...

Anyone who thinks EA does not know about these things that people want in game (better presentation, more realistic settings to allow for simulation play, added online functionality) is living under a rock...they know. I have told them about it personally and face-to-face. I have written huge wish lists and detailed ways to improve the game.

Nearly 2 years ago (at the Community Day for Madden NFL 2007) I asked them point-blank during a producer Q&A session about the inclusion or licensing of Natural Motion's Euphoria engine for use in Madden and / or NCAA. The discomfort of the producers that day was palatable. It was obvious that they a) knew what it was, b) wished they had a similar tool and c) were under company orders to not really discuss it too much. What we have seen since then nicely fills in the blanks as to why - licensing the engine was going to mean cutting in someone else on the Madden / NCAA pie (don't ever underestimate the fact that Madden is ANNUALLY in the top-5 selling games period - that's a BIG pie and EA as a business is very dependent on it for profits). Either EA could not or would not license the product from Natural Motion, so we see the tech-demo "Backbreaker" becoming closer to reality (due to release this year). IF NM's Euphoria engine can be adapted to deliver a fluid and dynamic 11-on-11 football experience, that MAY just finally force EA's hand.

For people advocating true "change" in place of annual refinement, I would recommend that you stop reading NCAA / Madden forums, start reading BackBreaker forums and out your money where your mouth is....otherwise, accept the situation for what it is - annual refinement of varying degrees of success to a game you either find enjoyable on some levels or do not.

[countryboy]

Quote: Originally Posted by Moostache

The cycle of pre-release and post-release comments is as predictable as having a game released every year. For those who expect revolutionary gameplay and simulation changes, you will always be disappointed. If you have not figured that out by now, you are either 12 or have an IQ around that number.... The biggest change we will see in NCAA has already happened in NCAA 2007 - the addition of a new engine version of the game for "next-gen-PS3/XB360" Until the next console hardware revision, sometime between 2010 and 2012, the only thing possible on an annual release schedule is a tweaked version of the game. The solution to this would have been easy enough - simply offset the releases of Madden and NCAA each year to allow for 2-year cycles between "new" releases. Offer up sponsored roster downloads or upgradeable rosters (something that I believe IS in NCAA 2009 on XB360 finally) and call it a day. Allow people who NEED accurate rosters to use file sharing to update the game (similar to the way NFL2K5 is still alive and kicking 4 years after release). If you make a good enough game, that can work, although it is very hard to profit from such an arrangement... The problem is exactly as others have already pointed out - as long as people BUY THE GAME, then there is NO FINANCIAL INCENTIVE for EA to change business-as-usual. For veteran player like myself, who are on their 4th console generational shift (Sega/Super-NES --> PS1 --> DC/PS2/XB --> XB360/PS3), this is old hat. The pattern plays itself out EVERY TIME: 1) new console released 2) "new" version of Madden / NCAA is developed on new engine 3) annual re-releases come out and tweak gameplay, player models and re-hash old features as "new" by bringing them over for the first time over a series of years. 4) new elements and gimmicks (HFA, Impact Players, Mascots/Cheerleaders) are added and subtracted each year 5) the game "peaks" after 3-4 years on a console and then backslides at the tail end of a generation. 6) lather, rinse, repeat... THAT'S reality...the only way the status quo changes is when external forces necessitate a fundamental change in strategy. The only way THAT happens is when large percentages of people stop buying the product. Arguing about it, complaining about it, even being involved in the Community program and TELLING EA about it directly does not have anywhere NEAR the impact that a 25% drop in sales year-over-year would have. Its business...we will always get the bare minimum possible to keep people from not buying. Anything more than that costs money and eroded profits... I have been to EA Community Days in the past. I have sat with the producers and developers and even the marketing people. The schism is that marketing holds sway at EA. They seem to have final say on budgets and staffs and time lines; and as a result, the developers and producers (so frequently savaged as "lazy" or "incompetent" on message boards) face a constricted time line, a limited budget and staff and an expectation to release the game on time without question. It is simply not possible to do much better than they already do. They live on the Kobayshi Maru - the famed "no-win scenario" from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan... Anyone who thinks EA does not know about these things that people want in game (better presentation, more realistic settings to allow for simulation play, added online functionality) is living under a rock...they know. I have told them about it personally and face-to-face. I have written huge wish lists and detailed ways to improve the game. Nearly 2 years ago (at the Community Day for Madden NFL 2007) I asked them point-blank during a producer Q&A session about the inclusion or licensing of Natural Motion's Euphoria engine for use in Madden and / or NCAA. The discomfort of the producers that day was palatable. It was obvious that they a) knew what it was, b) wished they had a similar tool and c) were under company orders to not really discuss it too much. What we have seen since then nicely fills in the blanks as to why - licensing the engine was going to mean cutting in someone else on the Madden / NCAA pie (don't ever underestimate the fact that Madden is ANNUALLY in the top-5 selling games period - that's a BIG pie and EA as a business is very dependent on it for profits). Either EA could not or would not license the product from Natural Motion, so we see the tech-demo "Backbreaker" becoming closer to reality (due to release this year). IF NM's Euphoria engine can be adapted to deliver a fluid and dynamic 11-on-11 football experience, that MAY just finally force EA's hand. For people advocating true "change" in place of annual refinement, I would recommend that you stop reading NCAA / Madden forums, start reading BackBreaker forums and out your money where your mouth is....otherwise, accept the situation for what it is - annual refinement of varying degrees of success to a game you either find enjoyable on some levels or do not.