NCAA Football 12 News Post

NCAA Football 12 Preview

09:17 AM - April 21, 2011 by ChaseB

At this point in a console generation, it feels like sports games are at an advantage and disadvantage. On the one hand, developers should have an immense amount of understanding of the consoles they are working on now. This means adding those extra little elements of joy and polish can be more easily worked into the development of a game. However, it seems like it would be almost crazy to talk about installing an all-new physics engine or something else along those lines at this point in a console's life cycle. Changes like that just seem to happen more often than not at the start of a new console generation.

And NCAA Football 12 might epitomize that double-edged sword. Some of the tweaks that I was shown and was able to mess around with are immediately noticeable and mostly positive, but for folks wanting widespread change, a new engine or some masterful stroke of development genius that will create this all-new football game should probably reel in their expectations a bit.

Read More - NCAA Football 12 Preview

Game: NCAA Football 12Reader Score: 7/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS3 / Xbox 360Votes for game: 104 - View All

NCAA Football 12 Videos

Member Comments

# 41 bonannogiovanni @ 04/21/11 10:05 AM

Chase can you tell me if at last broadcast cam made it in? Thanks

# 42 BlueNGold @ 04/21/11 10:05 AM

Here's a gameplay question I forgot to ask in my post, if it can be answered:

How is the DB/LB pass defense? Are we still going to see those super-swats we've seen in the past, or is that more realistic now?

Also, this kind of ties into the first question, but is pass trajectory changed at all? I think that probably played a big part in the super-swats.

# 43 blkprince04 @ 04/21/11 10:07 AM

good write up chase, everything sounds good so far, i was expecting some sort of gameday feature i guess that will be in ncaa13....great article.......

# 44 shanew21 @ 04/21/11 10:11 AM

Does the CPU AI actually scramble this year? Do running QBs exist? And how does the commentary sound?

# 45 COACH WEBB @ 04/21/11 10:14 AM

Also ELATED to hear that they worked on the zone defense! Man, I had too many blown coverages in 11 and still do.

# 46 ChaseB @ 04/21/11 10:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chen_sc


	the espn ticker that updates scores out of town is in?

I can't say at this point since I didn't see it during my regular exhibition game. But are you looking for real-life scores or like other games going on within your dynasty on the ticker?

Quote:

Originally Posted by poopoop


	The part about gameplay sounds like a tuner set not a new game.

I think that judgment would be a little unfair.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mm boost


	Chase, here is a question. When conference games are played, is there presentation tidbits that let you know that you are playing an ACC game vs. say an out of conference game? I feel like these types of things really add to making each game you play feel authentic. Oh, and can you elaborate a little more on these ESPN presentation packages? So we will have end of the quarter highlights, and a half-time highlight show? Will there be commentary, and in the build that you saw/played, was there commentary included yet? Thanks for the write up!

What stuff are you looking for in that department in terms of in-conference vs. out of conference?

As far as packages, there are highlights within like this really professional looking ESPN overlay between quarters -- as well as some of the cut scenes. I wish I could find a picture of it, but it's really nice. I also know the NCAA guys went right to ESPN and asked them to give them their whole pregame package from start to finish so they could mimic it down to the last detail. It was not yet final when I saw it, but was getting close.

I don't think there will be a highlight "show" though, no. Commentary was in the build I played, but sound is usually low and you're also talking with the developers and all that so it's not worth mentioning at this point since I don't really have an opinion I could back up right now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MaizeHaze


	Chase, can you go in depth on the espn presentation being more like a real espn broadcast this year? ie. starting lineups at the start of the game, more stat overlays etc.

I don't remember starting lineups, but honestly, that makes sense because it's just generic numbers and faces. In a game with player licensing it makes more sense to have that. It would look dumb in NCAA I think. In terms of stat overlays, I only played a half so it wouldn't really be a good judgment yet of how often they show up or anything. I tend to just write about stuff I see rather than what I'm told etc., so this is why I don't want to really speculate or anything.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MHammer113


	Chase - Did you feel like the crowd reacted to situations and at the end of the game if you're winning does the game just end or do players finally make motions of winning?

Only played a half so can't say for end-of-game stuff.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr Death


	Thanks for the honest write-up Chase! Your comment about Mo-Cap'ing wild animals made me laugh! I have a couple of questions... and am praying that your answer is not what I am expecting... did you see/use all the new plays and if so, is the Shovel Pass in the game? And... what of the Leaping Linebackers? Are they still so prevalent in this years game from what you played? From your article it sounds like you passed a lot... just wondering on these things! Thanks again!

Sorry brudda, didn't really mess with new plays much so didn't see if a shovel pass is there.

As I said in the preview, I actually threw a ball past a LB's head and he didn't react. The developer I was playing with (Ben Haumiller) was noticeably displeased about that and the tuning with reactions and so forth seems to be ongoing because of the other coverage changes that were made in this year's game. But, no, I didn't see the leaping linebackers, although I personally made a fantastic leaping swat play with my safety on a deep ball.

Oh yeah, and speaking of leaps, NEW DIVING CATCHES. I'm looking through my notes and realizing that was something I probably should have mentioned. Saw two of these new animations, and they looked good. One of was a catch where the player fell down to the field to make the catch, and another was near the sideline.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Legend Killer


	Good right up Chase. I love that NCAA 12 is getting Custom playbooks aswell. The updated defense and the new tackling system sounding good. It might not be perfect. But it is getting there. Presentation seems to be heading in the right direction again this year. But one thing kind of caught my eye about the defense part of the blog. Where it said the CBs will play a little more inside to make it much harder to complete a pass on the slant route. I'm all for that and all. But I really hope the AI does not mirror image the WRs routes like it does in madden 11. If so then I'm going to hate it. But overall great write by you ChaseB. Keep up the good work bro.

Yeah, seems more like a positioning thing now rather than reading the route. They will lean that way by default basically.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rgiles36


	Chase, You touched on the TV side of presentation. How is the presentation handled in-game? Are there more statistical overlays? More variety to the camera work in between plays?

There are certainly some camera cuts and different angles, and these go to the pregame ceremonies as well to help keep them fresh. There also seems to be more of a focus on making sure replays play a lot during the game.

Beyond the ceremony, the commentators do highlight a player to watch before the game. However, it's honestly been a while since I played NCAA and sometimes I get things that were in NCAA mixed up with what was in Madden and vice versa. So if that wasn't in last year's game, it's new this year?

# 47 chen_sc @ 04/21/11 10:19 AM

[quote=ChaseB;2042326987]I can't say at this point since I didn't see it during my regular exhibition game. But are you looking for real-life scores or like other games going on within your dynasty on the ticker?

the other games that are going on in my dynasty...

# 48 Bumble14 @ 04/21/11 10:22 AM

Chase-

Can you give me the ratings for Michigan State ;-P

Can't wait for those posts to start coming..haha.

# 49 Dr Death @ 04/21/11 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChaseB


	Sorry brudda, didn't really mess with new plays much so didn't see if a shovel pass is there. As I said in the preview, I actually threw a ball past a LB's head and he didn't react. The developer I was playing with (Ben Haumiller) was noticeably displeased about that and the tuning with reactions and so forth seems to be ongoing because of the other coverage changes that were made in this year's game. But, no, I didn't see the leaping linebackers, although I personally made a fantastic leaping swat play with my safety on a deep ball. Oh yeah, and speaking of leaps, NEW DIVING CATCHES. I'm looking through my notes and realizing that was something I probably should have mentioned. Saw two of these new animations, and they looked good. One of was a catch where the player fell down to the field to make the catch, and another was near the sideline.

Thanks for the answers!

# 50 roadman @ 04/21/11 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ch46647


	I did read that. However, I wasnt sure if this was just an extension of "Pro-tak" or not. I am not a fan of the pro-tak system they developed. It looks good on occasion but for the most part it just looks like players morphing into a canned group hug....

Then you need to go to the IGN video thread.

Double hit tackles are in the game.

# 51 WildcatDawg @ 04/21/11 10:34 AM

Chase - what about option teams not recruiting mobile qbs? Did they fix that? A couple years into dynasty and many option teams just fall apart because they only recruited pocket qbs.

# 52 COACH WEBB @ 04/21/11 10:35 AM

FSU will get our revenge on these guys this season!

# 53 RGiles36 @ 04/21/11 10:35 AM

Thx for answering my question Chase.

# 54 ChaseB @ 04/21/11 10:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by roadman


	Consecutive hit tackles are sort of what you alluded to in the article. The expression bowling pin tackles has also been used. It's when one tackler wraps you up and other tacklers in the same area fall over like tumbleweed.

Right, that's what I thought, I perhaps should have just used different jargon. Anyway, yeah, I didn't see many of those wild scrum sequences where guys are just falling all over. I'd say it was most noticeable on kick returns where there were a couple times where guys got blown up without it turning into a mess. I feel like what maybe happened once or twice was an extra guy would get there and have no reason to get involved so he'd just sort of stand around. I'm sure what ideally would happen is he at least pushes on the pile etc. rather than just staring, but it certainly looks better than the SNIPER ON THE GRASSY KNOLL! stuff.

And, again, it's not perfect either. They're still tuning it, and there was at least one instance where one player slightly sucked into another for a tackle attempt.

Quote:

Originally Posted by volstopfan14


	Chase can you tell me anything about Tennessee's team entrance?

There was a sizzle trailer with just entrance after entrance in it that I saw that seemed a bit different from the sizzle trailer released to the public. I do remember the Tenn. players banging on a T but can't recall beyond that. From what I gather, I think if you are a "major" school with a worthwhile entrance, it probably will be there. But I'm not that familiar with Tenn., so what's significant about it that would perhaps stop it from being in the game in its "true" form?

Quote:

Originally Posted by ch46647


	Chase, you did mention the crowd noise got some attention. Is it dynamic to what it going on the field? Is it much louder and more exciting then previous years? EA football games have always struggled with the "Ebs and flows" of a real crowd. That is why it sounds so generic and not exciting.

I can't speak for sure about the dynamism of the crowd throughout a game yet, but, in general, the crowd was a major focus. The only real info that I can 100% confirm and talk about is how they captured different audio levels to better show off the loudness of one stadium vs. another. I agree with your assessment though of why it has sounded generic in the past.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scrapps


	Chase, appreciate the info. Did you happen to find out anything about the possibility of new camera angles? Anything at all?

You know this is my bad because I know it's a big deal to folks. I just plain forgot to ask about camera angles you could play from.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DubTrey1


	Tremendous write up. Thanks for the info. Chase, one quick one - on the gameplay side of things, how did the flow and feel of the game differ from 11? Did you notice the CPU calling blitzes every other play? CPU offense ? Notable things?

Played against a human so can't say. Haumiller seemed to enjoy sacking me though.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Legend Killer


	I'm just wondering will we see any gameplay footage today or will it be a while before we can see some??

It won't be from us because no footage was allowed to be captured there. So if it comes from anyone, it will be from EA.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ch46647


	I did read that. However, I wasnt sure if this was just an extension of "Pro-tak" or not. I am not a fan of the pro-tak system they developed. It looks good on occasion but for the most part it just looks like players morphing into a canned group hug....

I think Pro-Tak is here to stay for now. They might try to rename it or something to sort of get away from some of the "stigma" that some fans feel is attached to it now, but I think you'll just see a progression of that engine. Having the players able to come in from every angle for tackles does clearly help.

Also, at the end of the day, they want to be a game driven purely by physics-based interactions, but as their stance has always been, they want to do it right and in a way they think looks good.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlueNGold


	Here's a gameplay question I forgot to ask in my post, if it can be answered: How is the DB/LB pass defense? Are we still going to see those super-swats we've seen in the past, or is that more realistic now? Also, this kind of ties into the first question, but is pass trajectory changed at all? I think that probably played a big part in the super-swats.

I made a good swat attempt on a fly route with my secondary. I didn't feel like it was a super swat, but I assume you're more talking about when the CPU does it versus when a human does it?

The trajectory question is a good one where I think the data is inconclusive for now. I was more doing a vertical-style passing style while playing, so there were not too many passes over the middle. I don't recall any pass being swatted down at the line though. Linebackers slapped away a couple throws, but they were not of the jumping swat variety.

Quote:

Originally Posted by blkprince04


	good write up chase, everything sounds good so far, i was expecting some sort of gameday feature i guess that will be in ncaa13....great article.......

Yeah, I want to expand here that the developers reallllllyyyyyyy wanted that in this year, but they just ran out of time in terms of squeezing it in. While it's a bummer, perhaps it's better that way than doing it half-arsed like the Madden halftime show from the past.

Quote:

Originally Posted by shanew21


	Does the CPU AI actually scramble this year? Do running QBs exist?

Good question. I asked about it that issue, and Ben did say tendencies and players acting like they should is a bigger focus this year. Again though, I played a human so can't talk about first-hand thoughts on the topic.

# 55 COACH WEBB @ 04/21/11 10:40 AM

Zone coverage

# 56 mvb34 @ 04/21/11 10:40 AM

Thanks Chase for the preview!!
How was the OL vs DL play?
How was the pass rush?
Thanks

# 57 ChaseB @ 04/21/11 10:42 AM

[quote=chen_sc;2042327004]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChaseB


	I can't say at this point since I didn't see it during my regular exhibition game. But are you looking for real-life scores or like other games going on within your dynasty on the ticker? the other games that are going on in my dynasty...

Since I did not get into that mode, I can't say.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bumble14


	Chase- Can you give me the ratings for Michigan State ;-P Can't wait for those posts to start coming..haha.

Breaking news: Dynamic game-to-game player ratings are in the game BUT only as it relates to bowl games for Michigan State. In this year's game, the Spartans all drop to ratings of 30 when the bowls roll around.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tweezy90


	reading that they went out and recorded the sounds to all the stadiums has me really excited...any team specific chants in the game??

I didn't say they recorded the sounds to all stadiums, just that they captured some to better ensure they create an experience that is more true to real life. Can't say if team-specific chants are in there.

Quote:

Originally Posted by WildcatDawg


	Chase - what about option teams not recruiting mobile qbs? Did they fix that? A couple years into dynasty and many option teams just fall apart because they only recruited pocket qbs.

Again, Online Dynasty, TeamBuilder, Dynasty Mode and modes in general were not shown or discussed. And anything I do know is still embargoed until the future.

# 58 thomasgentry @ 04/21/11 10:44 AM

chase , can you tell us they did not put the chain gang in the game this year.

# 59 brza37 @ 04/21/11 10:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChaseB


	Good question. I asked about it that issue, and Ben did say tendencies and players acting like they should is a bigger focus this year. Again though, I played a human so can't talk about first-hand thoughts on the topic.

Do you mean that detailed player tendencies like in the Madden teaser will be in NCAA 12? And if they are will they be editable?

# 60 COACH WEBB @ 04/21/11 10:45 AM

« Previous 1 234 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Next »

More Links

NCAA Football 12 Preview