NCAA 2006 impressions thread

Inuyasha · Post by **Inuyasha** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 12:25 pm

Accel. Clock would have been nice this year since it takes about 40-45 min to play 1 game most of the times. Or at least a in-game save.

Also, they should include some kind of sim game to end option. You're going to have those games vs dogs that you're up 40 points by halftime and it's just a waste of time playing out that 2nd half.

Sudz · Post by **Sudz** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 2:15 pm

u jagoffs going to post some impressions or what?

Post by **ScoopBrady** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 2:21 pm

Sudz wrote:u jagoffs going to post some impressions or what?

Go ahead...make my day!

That was my Clint Eastwood impression. Any requests?

Sudz · Post by **Sudz** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 2:26 pm

dynasty mode stuff would be nice....

don't make me send buddy hinton to yr home.

tjung0831 · Post by **tjung0831** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 2:29 pm

Sudz wrote:dynasty mode stuff would be nice....

don't make me send buddy hinton to yr home.

maybe you should try reasoning with him before sending Buddy Hinton over!

Danimal · Post by **Danimal** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 2:35 pm

Sudz wrote:dynasty mode stuff would be nice....

don't make me send buddy hinton to yr home.

What exactly do you want to know. I am 4 games into my Michigan Dynasty. Aside from in season recruiting, which I already covered there doesn't appear to be anything new. Although it looks like they removed that probation crap, or at least I don't see it.

Post by **ScoopBrady** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 2:35 pm

Sudz wrote:dynasty mode stuff would be nice....

don't make me send buddy hinton to yr home.

I wish I could help you but I typically don't play dynasty modes and haven't really checked out NCAA's yet.

Danimal · Post by **Danimal** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 2:39 pm

You know what the best thing about getting this game a week early is? The fact no one has ruined it for me yet.

- No game killing bugs
- No discovered money plays
- No trying 25 different slider sets

yada..yada.

I really wanted to get an online game in before the servers get killed next week, but seems like no one wants to go online. Is everyone afraid something is going to happen to their Live account for having the game early?

Sudz · Post by **Sudz** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 2:53 pm

so..it is the usual franchise stuff?

abner said something about some slo-mo zoom cam...can all that BS be turned off?

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 2:54 pm

I heard they have some kind of a new complicated registration process to create names this year?

Plus the last few months, they've been pimping the EA Premium Pass, trying to get you to sign up.

Danimal · Post by **Danimal** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 2:56 pm

Sudz wrote:so..it is the usual franchise stuff?

abner said something about some slo-mo zoom cam...can all that BS be turned off?

Tonight I will take a close look at Dynasty and see if there is anything else new. But I didn't really notice anything at a glance.

As for the Slow Mo Impact Cam, I have no idea if it can be turned off (will check) but in all 10+ of my games I have seen it pop up twice, it usually happens when something really good occurs (big hit, amazing juke) and it is so quick it didn't really bother me.

Sully · Post by **Sully** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 3:17 pm

Danimal wrote:You know what the best thing about getting this game a week early is? The fact no one has ruined it for me yet.

- No game killing bugs
- No discovered money plays
- No trying 25 different slider sets

yada..yada.

I really wanted to get an online game in before the servers get killed next week, but seems like no one wants to go online. Is everyone afraid something is going to happen to their Live account for having the game early?

I played a couple games online last night. If you're around tonight, just shoot me a PM.

Danimal · Post by **Danimal** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 3:19 pm

wco81 wrote:I heard they have some kind of a new complicated registration process to create names this year?

I'm not even sure what this means.

Danimal · Post by **Danimal** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 3:20 pm

Sully wrote: I played a couple games online last night. If you're around tonight, just shoot me a PM.

I won't be home until about 10pm CST, but I will look for you.

Inuyasha · Post by **Inuyasha** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 3:25 pm

The player penalty stuff is still in there but doesn't seem to occur every week like it did last year.

Slo-mo isn't that bad, it's only once a game if that for me. I've had it happen to me only twice, during a juke and stiff arm.

I did more with RTTH and it started out pretty cool with the espn crib like stuff but now it's just like playing dynasty. Maybe it'll get better down the road. I read somewhere that once your 4 years are up in rtth, you can either import your player into the nfl draft in madden06 or become a head coach in ncaa06. The only thing about this mode is that the drills you have to do seem not to matter. You get scholorships offered to you based on how well you perform the drills, but you can decline them and just go to any school as a walk on. Your overall rating doesn't get effected if you walk on or go with a scholorship. You start at that position anyway.

Other drill modes this year, sort of like the rushing attack mode in madden last year. There are 3 other drills you can do.

Post by **ScoopBrady** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 3:57 pm

I'd be up for some online action this weekend. I'm not sure if you're on my friends list Danimal but my gamertag is todcomplex if you want to shoot me a friends invite.

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 4:51 pm

They make you jump through more hoops to register a name to use when you log into EA's servers.

Danimal · Post by **Danimal** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 5:13 pm

wco81 wrote:They make you jump through more hoops to register a name to use when you log into EA's servers.

Oh, I haven't gone online yet. Don't know.

Inuyasha · Post by **Inuyasha** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 5:35 pm

I haven't logged online yet but from other forums I've read, it looks like they ask you to join their online network and espn.com. I think one is free and the other one they charge your CC.

Post by **Jared** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 7:50 pm

I haven't had too much time to play, but I've gotten a few games in. A few things I've noticed.

There's no "catch-up" speed on defense. Once a faster player has gotten behind a slower player, he's gone. Because of this, it seems like they've tweaked the AI to take better, and possibly more conservative, angles to the ball carrier.

Also because of the lack of catch-up speed, it's a game of big plays. If your safety takes the wrong angle and misses, then it's a touchdown. Also, I've already had two kickoff returns in about four full games worth of play.

Receivers won't always run their routes right. It's not that they'll run the wrong route, but that they'll run it inaccurately. Haven't seen it much, but it's a nice touch. You also see blown coverages on occasion.

Quarterbacks will often overthrow long passes up the middle, especially if it's a bullet.

The drops are toned down a bit. There still seems to be more drops than I'd expect, but I don't know if it's because there are lots of drops in college ball, or if there's something still weird about the game. I'm going to need to play more to get a better feel for this.

The biggest, best improvement I've seen is that the zones aren't nearly as superhuman as they were in 2005. Last year, it was very difficult to go up against a zone defense. This year, it's much more realistic (though still difficult). Players get realistic jumps on passes...much more like 2004.

Screens work a little more realistic...sometimes they will get really good yardage, while other times they'll get blown up.

Overall, the running game seems easier than the passing game. I'm playing with Florida on AA and every full game my RB (Wynn) has had at least 150 yards rushing (8 min quarters). Yet my passing game with Chris Leak has been poor...the normal QB line for me has been something like 9-29, 138 yard, 1 TD, 3 INTs. Though this could just be me, since I haven't played any football games in a while.

Overall, I'm enjoying the game. It's definitely worth buying, as (so far) I don't seen any potential game killers yet. I'll try and post more impressions tonight.

MizzouRah · Post by **MizzouRah** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 9:38 pm

Jared wrote:I haven't had too much time to play, but I've gotten a few games in. A few things I've noticed.

There's no "catch-up" speed on defense. Once a faster player has gotten behind a slower player, he's gone. Because of this, it seems like they've tweaked the AI to take better, and possibly more conservative, angles to the ball carrier.

Also because of the lack of catch-up speed, it's a game of big plays. If your safety takes the wrong angle and misses, then it's a touchdown. Also, I've already had two kickoff returns in about four full games worth of play.

Receivers won't always run their routes right. It's not that they'll run the wrong route, but that they'll run it inaccurately. Haven't seen it much, but it's a nice touch. You also see blown coverages on occasion.

Quarterbacks will often overthrow long passes up the middle, especially if it's a bullet.

The drops are toned down a bit. There still seems to be more drops than I'd expect, but I don't know if it's because there are lots of drops in college ball, or if there's something still weird about the game. I'm going to need to play more to get a better feel for this.

The biggest, best improvement I've seen is that the zones aren't nearly as superhuman as they were in 2005. Last year, it was very difficult to go up against a zone defense. This year, it's much more realistic (though still difficult). Players get realistic jumps on passes...much more like 2004.

Screens work a little more realistic...sometimes they will get really good yardage, while other times they'll get blown up.

Overall, the running game seems easier than the passing game. I'm playing with Florida on AA and every full game my RB (Wynn) has had at least 150 yards rushing (8 min quarters). Yet my passing game with Chris Leak has been poor...the normal QB line for me has been something like 9-29, 138 yard, 1 TD, 3 INTs. Though this could just be me, since I haven't played any football games in a while.

Overall, I'm enjoying the game. It's definitely worth buying, as (so far) I don't seen any potential game killers yet. I'll try and post more impressions tonight.

Thanks Jared! Much appreciated!!!

XXXIV · Post by **XXXIV** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 9:42 pm

MizzouRah wrote: Thanks Jared! Much appreciated!!!

Yep!!!

So who is actualy selling the game?....

I want one!

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 10:04 pm

Jared wrote:Also because of the lack of catch-up speed, it's a game of big plays. If your safety takes the wrong angle and misses, then it's a touchdown. Also, I've already had two kickoff returns in about four full games worth of play.

That sounds like 2004, which also allowed big RAC yards because if you led a drag or crossing route towards the sideline (and the QB often had all day to wait for a crossing route to go from one side of the field to the other), a quick WR could turn up and just run along the sideline all day.

It was breakaway speed but it was also the defenders taking really bad angles, especially trailing the exact path of the WR rather than staying downfield a bit to prevent big RAC.

But Bill was saying there are a lot of drops on crossing routes so maybe give the breakaway speed, maybe that's a good thing to balance the game between the offense and the defense. Of course, it could also mean people turn to bombs if the short crossing routes aren't working well enough.

Sudz · Post by **Sudz** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 10:06 pm

great post, jared.

Post by **Jared** » Fri Jul 08, 2005 11:53 pm

Unfortunately, I'll be at the beach all weekend with little/no internet and XBox access...so I won't be able to play/opine much on the game before the release. What I will say is that it's a very good game.

I started a dynasty with Florida (rosters are out already!) and the first game is against Wyoming. They've got a decent team, with a very good QB and one star WR (92 rating). I never got through the game (no game report....was doing lots of slider tweaking and resetting), but they kept passing and looking for the star WR throughout the game. I had to change my strategy to take him away, and then they'd pass pass pass to their #2 and #3 receivers, where they were less effective.

I also played a full game against Tennessee, a 31-28 thriller. Tennessee ran on most plays, and I wasn't doing a very good job of stopping the runs up the middle, so they kept on going up the middle. I don't know if they would have ran more outside if I was stopping the inside run...but I like the fact that they were (or at least seemed to be) attacking my weakness.

I've only done rather minimal tweaks with sliders. I'm probably bumping human WR catch a notch or two, increasing human tackles a bit (because every now and then you have one of those "bump against the guy that doesn't initiate a tackle animation" moments...which is ok unless that guy is THE tackle necessary to make any play), decreasing kick and punt accuracy and distance a bit...and that's about it. I might want to tweak a few more things, as my outside running is a little more effective than I think it should be (maybe I'll increase breaking blocks by the CPU).

Haven't fooled around with the dynasty mode options much. Recruiting is definitely different than last year....primary thing is that it's in-season recruiting. You set targets and then....well, I'm not sure, since I haven't gotten any farther than game 1.

One thing I'm concerned about is that having the A button as the run button might make it easier for the cheesy players to go crazy with the Hail Mary roll out and run plays. Not sure though...it's tough to really see if there are gamebreakers without lots of people online. But there seems to be LOTS of QB spy plays...I think I remember seeing one with 3 spies (!).

There are still the usual EA football annoyances though, such as Mario running and DBs being excellent and jumping up and deflecting passes at their backs when they're face-guarding the receiver. Also, the field feels a little small (but I've had this gripe for a while now...and I have no idea if it's just in my head or not).

But overall, the game is definitely solid. I'm kind of thinking that this is what NCAA 2005 should have been.