Brando70 wrote:I saw over at OS that you're stuck with 5 minute quarters in the game. Is that true? WTF? I loved the way Madden used the accelerated clock, so why take that out? That really screws up the flow of the game IMO.
They would be correct. Come on, why would you want to play a real 15 minute quarter game in a coaching simulation? Sheesh, the nerve of some people.
It also uses the base Madden game engine from what looks like 2005 -- without the slider adjustments. Throw deep. You'll do fine.
The problem with the "I still get 100 plays" is that the CPU AI sees 1:00 to play as REALLY being 1:00 like a real game clock, when of course in Madden that is anything but the case. It just screws everything up. I'd like to play a real football game with real clock management over being able to pep talk my linebackers.
i think i will wait and see what everyone says before picking this one up
Me, too, Sudz, precisely for the reasons Bill mentioned. It's not that I can't live with five minute quarters on my end, it's that I've always found the EA AI to be screwy with 5-minute quarters. I really liked the way the CPU called plays in Madden 06 with the accelerated clock -- teams would grind it out at times and run long drives.
I don't understand why one would go to the trouble to make a game that inherently appeals to a more hardcore gaming audience, and then do something like restrict your time settings in a very unrealistic fashion. It's not like we're talking some revolutionary AI system. They already pulled off the time management quite well in another title.
Is it a gamekiller? No. But it definitely gives me pause and is going to keep me from rushing to buy it.
Bill_Abner wrote:
They would be correct. Come on, why would you want to play a real 15 minute quarter game in a coaching simulation? Sheesh, the nerve of some people.
It also uses the base Madden game engine from what looks like 2005 -- without the slider adjustments. Throw deep. You'll do fine.
The problem with the "I still get 100 plays" is that the CPU AI sees 1:00 to play as REALLY being 1:00 like a real game clock, when of course in Madden that is anything but the case. It just screws everything up. I'd like to play a real football game with real clock management over being able to pep talk my linebackers.
i think i will wait and see what everyone says before picking this one up
Me, too, Sudz, precisely for the reasons Bill mentioned. It's not that I can't live with five minute quarters on my end, it's that I've always found the EA AI to be screwy with 5-minute quarters. I really liked the way the CPU called plays in Madden 06 with the accelerated clock -- teams would grind it out at times and run long drives.
I don't understand why one would go to the trouble to make a game that inherently appeals to a more hardcore gaming audience, and then do something like restrict your time settings in a very unrealistic fashion. It's not like we're talking some revolutionary AI system. They already pulled off the time management quite well in another title.
Is it a gamekiller? No. But it definitely gives me pause and is going to keep me from rushing to buy it.
are we sure about the time clock? sometimes the things at OS are not reported correctly in the forums...
Based on what I've played of the retail copy so far, throwing it deep every time is not guaranteed success. Phillip Rivers is having a nightmare of a day trying to do it. I've had more success tossing flare passes and posts, underneath routes. Drops are killing me though
TCrouch wrote:Based on what I've played of the retail copy so far, throwing it deep every time is not guaranteed success. Phillip Rivers is having a nightmare of a day trying to do it. I've had more success tossing flare passes and posts, underneath routes. Drops are killing me though
Terry:
Are you playing the PC or console retail version? If console, which one?
This game intrigues the hell out of me. It's the only game on my list until NHL 2K7 and Winning Eleven 10 are released.
Thanks,
PK
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same here PK.. i have been waiting for a game like this to come out for a while now.. TCrouch, have you been seeing enough plays called in the 5 minute quarters?
I've picked Rivers off with Schwiegert and Cooper, and absolutely annihilated San Diego's rushing attack. As I'm doing it, they started to abuse the flats and fades. If they attack the center of the field though, it's just been destruction. I've called almost exclusively cover 1's so far to see what's going on and it's working as it should.
One of the last plays had them flipping a screen out to Lorenzo Neal, who promptly busted through 2 arm tackles, then Danny Clark got chip blocked at the point of attack and sprung him for another 12 yards. This big, slow fullback was just rumbling down the sidelines while my nearest defenders kept getting blocked left and right.
TCrouch wrote:Based on what I've played of the retail copy so far, throwing it deep every time is not guaranteed success. Phillip Rivers is having a nightmare of a day trying to do it. I've had more success tossing flare passes and posts, underneath routes. Drops are killing me though
Thanks Terry keep the impressions coming, looks like no one will have this in stores until tomorrow.
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I'm gonna wait extra long on this one. I applaud EA for apparently innovating, but I think there's going to be an enormous honeymoon period for gamers. The excitement over the game is palpable. So rather than 2-4 days before the analysis starts to balance out, I'm guessing it's a week or two before the flaws appear and the game is evaluated fairly by the larger gaming community.
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Bill_Abner wrote:
It also uses the base Madden game engine from what looks like 2005 -- without the slider adjustments. Throw deep. You'll do fine.
Is this based on time spent with the Head Coach game or just your assumptions and general dislike for past EA titles?
An before I get jumped on I am serious, if you're telling me I can throw deep every play with no problem then I won't be buying the game.
No, that's not what I'm saying. I'm saying if you mix it up you can complete a lot of deep balls. I think EA Sports games are like this to a certain degree and it's just what I noticed with Head Coach. I should also note that I have played a whopping two games so salt grains should be taken. But it was pretty easy to catch the AI off guard going deep.
Ok Bill fair enough, I think there is no shock on my end that the game play engine is like Madden's, I can live with that. I'll be interested to hear your thoughts on going through all of it, sounds like Terry is enjoying it from his post over at OS.
I'm not expecting perfection, just looking for enjoyment. This seems more of a role playing sports game then a coach only sim, and if it is fun then I think I can part with 40 bones.
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I haven't played enough games of it to form a definitive love or hate relationship with it, but I may agree that any decent playcalling will catch the CPU defense napping...offense or defense. I shredded the Cleveland offense with a mixture of man/blitz and zone coverages, and haven't tried since. But I'm curious to think if it's a consistent thing or an aberration. Trent Dilfer wouldn't throw seven picks in a game at any point...
I took a chance and got this. So far I have 3 or 4 hours in and I finally just got to the draft. I needed to glance at the rules for RFA and Franchise players etc so that slowed me a little.
Initial impression with no football game play, game is immersive as hell. Interface is klunky as hell. But so far its got some kind of addictive quality to it.
Oh yes, the manual is s***.
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After playing it most of last night, I have to say that I'm disappointed. It's not that the game is bad, is that the interface makes the game bad. I'm going to go over what bothers me first.
It feels like you are always 2 clicks away from the screen you need, and the information whether its stats, attributes or roster is 5 clicks away. It's not so much of a problem if you are willing to get a pad and paper but the interface shouldn't get in the way. It's hard to keep on eye are your roster while you are resigning palyers
Bill on his blog talked about forced animations. You can thank the 12 year olds and EA's animation department for forcing these down your throat. Why in any game are we forced to watched animations is beyond me.
Second is in game stats display. Why change somethign that wasn't broken. They give you a folder system for stats. Meaning that you have to wade through 25 "folders" of stats. Just dumb.
Enough about the interface, which I think is a gamekiller. It will get better over time but not easier to use than Football Manager, or OOTP. It's easier to manage your teams in Madden and in MVP. Granted they are more simplistic.
The other thing that holds this game back is the finite amount of tasks you can accomplish in a setting. I understandwhat they were trying to do. Make it difficult to call every agent in the world to see if you can get a better deal. But what's the reasoning in that I can only make two roster changes during office hours. That's stupid.
EA also makes it tidious interviewing coaches and signing players. Let's say I want to fill an open LB coach slot. If I like the first guy I interview but want to see what the second says, I can't do that. Technically you can but you have to schedule another interview with him. In the final task before deadline, you should have a call back option or review offers and not just for coaches. Its disappointing that its so hard to do simple things.
There's no mistake that the game is deep. The practices and in-game play is a good experience. But the game is too restricting and EA instead of offering you the ability to play coach, forces you to play "master of tasks".
I've put in about 12 hours now and I think it's a fantastic idea that is poorly executed. Bad interface, bad (really bad, actually) AI, strange player progression, too few plays per game thanks to the 5 min rule, next to no penalties, and way too many INTs equals a tough sell for me. That said, you can see that there is a super game buried underneath all the crap. If Head Coach does anything, it proves that a deep text sim (with all of the needed trappings of a good text sim) combined with good graphics *could* be an amazing gaming experience. For me, Head Coach isn't it, though.
Unfortunmately with some time in I agree with most everything written above. But for some reason I keep playing.
The interface is pure crap. Why on earth would you make a fake windows interface? I mean you have scroll bars in your game that are fake, you can't grab and scroll lists with them you have to click and click and click.
Dumb design decessions, why can I only make 2 depth chart changes per office hours session? It's great I can tell my DE to make his move left or gith but why can't I tell my Defensive Line to get more pressure on the QB?
There are so many little things that bother me and so many things that could be done better, but again I can't stop playing it. I think that will end thought in a few days.
This is definetly one of those games where it is going to be home much can you live with in terms of annoying design decesions.
Last edited by Danimal on Thu Jun 22, 2006 2:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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My enthusiasm for this game now has cooled from "must buy" to "rent," mainly due to the interface that you describe.
The Football Manager soccer management series handles a mind-boggling amount of data with a very slick, intuitive interface. I'm spoiled by that, and something that lacks that spit and polish might drive me nuts.
I need to rent to find out.
Take care,
PK
"You know why I love boxers? I love them because they face fear. And they face it alone." - Nick Charles
"First on the throttle, last on the brakes." - @MotoGP Twitter signature
Might be that the next iteration is good if EA stick with it.
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