rudyjuly2's Blog
PRESENTATION
• This area improved a bit. ESPN integration and team entrances are good. Custom stadium sounds are always great although it would be better if you could select the default team to make editing quicker.
• I still like Brad Nessler but losing Corso hurt. I miss his humour. They need to add a third analyst to bring some fresh blood to the commentary.
• Cut scenes are good but I’d like to see real time presentation like MLB the Show along with real coaches on the sidelines.
• Where are the stats? Football on TV is always displaying stats for both the current play and cumulative stats over the course of a game. Stat overlays are very rare in NCAA 11. They need to take a page out of Madden’s book in this area.
DYNASTY
• The recruiting difficulty is fantastic. It allows you to play as elite programs and maintain realistic recruiting levels to keep the game from getting too easy.
• The recruiting changes were very good. Adding a set number of topics and randomizing the topics reduced some of the tedious aspects. Some might find it too time consuming (there is a quick call feature) but I find it addicting and fun.
• Still lacks discipline. The recruiting needs to allow you to sway topics down and not just up.
• Pipelines are big but the game doesn’t let you see what state the kids on your current roster are from. That’s important if you want to maintain pipelines.
• When changing positions weight seems to have no effect. A free safety under 200 pounds shouldn’t be able to turn into a solid defensive lineman. Please fix this as the calculated overall rating for a player in these scenarios also messes up the depth charts.
GAMEPLAY – Running Game
• The new “locomotion” momentum system combined with improved blocking logic has really improved the running game. You have to read holes and lay off the turbo. Option blocking is correct now making the reads realistic and fun. I’d like to see a little more weight and momentum given to the players but the improvements to the running game are one of the highlights of NCAA 11.
• The read option is still a bit weak. Blocks don’t hold up as well as other running plays but it still works.
• I’m not a fan of the dual stick controls as I really don’t know how necessary leaning my upper torso is. The truck move doesn’t work as well as in the past and the stiff arm doesn’t work at all.
• The computer can’t run the spread option. The quarterbacks are lousy at running the option and whenever you face a spread team like Oregon and Michigan; those rushing attacks are putrid when compared to reality. The 120 Ways to Win does not apply to the cpu if they run a spread. A huge emphasis needs to be placed on this, particularly as some of the top college players play in this system.
GAMEPLAY – Passing Game
• There are more misfires on throws this year and sliders help fix most concerns.
• Press coverage is done well. The jam takes a good amount of time (not too long) and wide receivers still beat it at times resulting in big plays. Good risk-reward here.
• The addition of the hurry up is nice. It gives the teams more personality but why restrict the ability to call plays at the line of scrimmage to this mode? If I choose to huddle, I’d like to have the same ability to call a variety of plays at the line through an improved audible system.
• Linebackers still jump too high in the air knocking down passes that lack arc. The pass trajectory of these passes needs to be improved so this doesn’t happen as much.
• Play action passing is horrible. Far too many sacks and not enough time to throw the ball. Play action is a big part of football and yet you really can’t use it much in NCAA 11 for fear of the automatic sack.
• Zone defence was horrible when this game was shipped and is still bad after three patches. They need to make defenders smarter in zones and also split the pass coverage slider into separate man and zone sliders so we can fine-tune this area ourselves. If one area is too dominant it makes defensive play calling boring. Safety play is particularly bad here.
• The cpu is far too blitz happy, particularly on third downs leaving slot receivers too open many times. Tone this down and disguise the blitzes better.
• The cpu defensive play calling logic is flawed as they tend to choose their personnel based on down and distance and not enough on offensive personnel. They often come out intent on stopping the run on early downs leaving their secondary exposed. This is clearly a problem when facing spread teams.
• Mobile cpu quarterbacks not only run the option poorly, they also rarely scramble. When they do the game still chooses a safe baseball slide the majority of the time. These athletes should be fighting for yards. It’s not the NFL. More rollouts and scrambles are necessary to distinguish the pocket passers from the mobile quarterbacks.
• The cpu QB always tends to drift to his right in the pocket which results in numerous sacks for the left defensive end while the right DE gets paltry sack numbers.
• For defensive purposes I’d love to see a game planning option where we can shade DBs inside or outside to take away slants or outs as required.
• A hot route to fake a blitz would add some strategy.
• Bring back the DL slant out option. It was removed for a double spy which I never use.
KICKING GAME
• As usual, kickers have super strong legs on default. Must I tone this down every year by myself? When I do tone down the leg strength the cpu will still attempt field goals on Heisman that it has zero chance of making. Please fix.
• The kick return game, particularly punt return, is bad. Blocking on returns is simply bad and you can have your two year old defend returns if you want. The cpu will never break a long return.
SLIDERS
• I prefer the overall slider system of NCAA to Madden’s cumbersome sub menus but more sliders are needed.
• Split pass coverage into two new sliders: man coverage and zone coverage
• Fumbles, fatigue, injuries.
• Pass deflections. Some of us don’t care for super leaping linebackers so let us tone this area down ourselves.
• Kick and punt return blocking sliders.
MISCELLANEOUS
• Please offer in game saves next year. It’s crucial for some of us that don’t have an uninterrupted hour of gaming time.
• I’d like to see a true defensive camera next year instead of just player lock. Just use the same offensive camera angle and flip it 180 degrees.
• More camera angles period but keep the NCAA 11 default camera angle! I really like it and dislike all of the Madden angles.
• Please bring back full replays to the PS3. I hate that they get cut off all the time on long plays.
• Dreadlocks are needed. Denard Robinson may win the Heisman and yet he doesn't have his dreads in the game.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I really like NCAA 11. It’s a good improvement and the best NCAA game yet on my PS3. Definitely worth buying for the college football fans even if it isn’t perfect. For NCAA 12 they need to focus on the mobile quarterback more than anything. I want the cpu quarterbacks to run the option much better and scramble more often. That’s the one wish I’m hoping for next year. Hopefully Santa Claus delivers.
# 2
rudyjuly2 @ Oct 6
I do agree about that. The defensive playbooks haven't been touched much at all. I'd like a lot more variety there. It would be great if we could choose the DL stunts but Ian already said that would take too much work.
# 3
maceo_diamond @ Oct 6
Too bad. I would be ok with not having control over the stunts if I just had more defensive plays and formations. Or maybe the same formations but even more alignments within the formation so that the offense would be so comfortable. A huge part of being able to pic apart a defense is simply recongnizing what formation they are in.
I know that Green Bay runs a Psycho defense that has one down lineman. Now, I am not asking for an entire playbook like that, but it would be nice to have more formations that mirrored those used in real life.
Also, it would be nice if D-lineman would pass rush a little better. I don't want the overactive DL that we had before the patches, but a little more pass rush wouldn't hurt. There are several impact DE that go largely unnoticed. You really don't even have to chip them with a back or account for them at all. That would make defense so much easier and much more realistic. But very seldom do you see an Impact DE just beat even a mediocre OT.
I agree with your assessment of the CPU gameplay though. Athletic QBs are not the scramblers they should be...not in the least.
I know that Green Bay runs a Psycho defense that has one down lineman. Now, I am not asking for an entire playbook like that, but it would be nice to have more formations that mirrored those used in real life.
Also, it would be nice if D-lineman would pass rush a little better. I don't want the overactive DL that we had before the patches, but a little more pass rush wouldn't hurt. There are several impact DE that go largely unnoticed. You really don't even have to chip them with a back or account for them at all. That would make defense so much easier and much more realistic. But very seldom do you see an Impact DE just beat even a mediocre OT.
I agree with your assessment of the CPU gameplay though. Athletic QBs are not the scramblers they should be...not in the least.
rudyjuly2
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Right now, we do have a few formations to choose from, but the plays are all the same. That is not so in the real world. Perhaps if we had access to more defensive schemes and playbooks, stopping the offense wouldn't be such the chore.