NCAA Football 11

[Naples39]

The off-season in Online Dynasty mode is TEDIOUS when you're only using one human player. It forces you to wait 20 minutes in between each little activity like graduating seniors, tranfer requests, etc.

It turns out that this is intentional. According to a poster over on OS, EA posted a message on the news link stating that they had to do this to help the servers. The message stated that over time that the delay will be reduced or removed.

Aside from those delays, do you find that webpage based recruiting and other features make an online dynasty worth doing with only one player?

[MizzouRah]

I played another game today vs North Carolina and it was actually quite fun.

I still find at times, the game has that "scripted" feel to it - I've seen some plays where the WR gets an animation speed up to catch the ball and I don't remember seeing that with 2010.

I do love that the game now tells you how far a FG is on the play calling screen, but I don't understand why it doesn't default to punt or FG when the logical situation calls for that?

I'm getting used to the auto speed burst, but I still find myself holding the right trigger way too much.

I still think 2010 is better, but I have many more games to go before I can make a verdict one way or the other.

[Aristo]

I still find at times, the game has that "scripted" feel to it - I've seen some plays where the WR gets an animation speed up to catch the ball and I don't remember seeing that with 2010.

I think that is definitely the case, but it is something that I actually like about the game. While aesthetically it may not look great, I think it is part of the game running the numbers and giving the WR a boost when the game takes into account not only the ratings of the players involved, but also what kind of boost or penalty is involved when the right or wrong play is keyed on. It also facotors in all of the settings in the gameplan that can improve decrease the chances of a catch, and even if the player will have room the to run or get tackled quickly.

There is a lot going on under the hood, and I can live with it not always looking smooth if I get the general feeling that the game is being fair with how it allocates success and failure. So far, I feel like decisions I make, or worse, fail to make, have impacts on how the game plays out. Nothing feels like it is an automatic win or loss, but over time, good decisions do tend to benefit you, and poor ones tend to hurt you. I also feel like when I take the abilities of the players I am using and facing, different strategies are more useful with different teams.

And in the big picture, i think the game looks and feels great. So when it makes an adjustment on the fly, I view it as the game giving me credit for using the right strategies in my gameplan, or my opponent using the wrong ones.

[Murph]

The off-season in Online Dynasty mode is TEDIOUS when you're only using one human player. It forces you to wait 20 minutes in between each little activity like graduating seniors, tranfer requests, etc.

It turns out that this is intentional. According to a poster over on OS, EA posted a message on the news link stating that they had to do this to help the servers. The message stated that over time that the delay will be reduced or removed.

Aside from those delays, do you find that webpage based recruiting and other features make an online dynasty worth doing with only one player?

Web recruiting is cool, but those delays in the off-season are brutal. As a result, I decided to abandon my online dynasty after one full season and switch over to an offline one. Unfortunately, this year, they don't let you convert it back and forth, so you have to basically start over.

[icvu42]

I finally picked this up last night and played one game....what a great game! I played as Georgia vs. North carolina and the game ended as a 10-10 tie (I missed a FG at the end of regulation and didn't feel like playing OT)........I had success early on passing...then when he shut down my passing game, i was able to run pretty effectively...... I had a sweet interception in the end zone to prevent a TD......

Rick

[bkrich83]

Web recruiting is cool, but those delays in the off-season are brutal. As a result, I decided to abandon my online dynasty after one full season and switch over to an offline one. Unfortunately, this year, they don't let you convert it back and forth, so you have to basically start over.

Looks like they are changing that.

http://forum.ea.com/eaforum/posts/list/1319163.page

[JRod]

I was having a lot of fun in the game until my bowl game then the dreaded NCAA AI came into full force and it wasn't even concealed.

I was AF taking on Oregon. Oregon is rated A- for offense and B+ for defense. As AF I was 8-2 beating #6 TCU in a game that had zero EA comeback AI it was just a hard fought game. I beat #22 Utah later in the season and it was much the same game -- close hard-nosed football.

With Oregon, in the 4th Quarter I was down three and they pretty much blow up the option all game so I was doing screens, play-actions, and short passes all day long. Once in while, I went deep and really burned them because they were playing to stop the run. Then I went into the 4th Quarter.

The same plays stop working...which is okay since any good football team will do that. They were busting through my line...again okay since they were doing that all game. But they didn't get smarter or play better football...they played EA football.

On plays where I had a wide open receiver LBs were swatting down passes were the receiver was 15 yards behind them and not on bullets. Lobs are simply too slow allowing players 20 yards away to catch-up and swat the ball. Balls would hit WRs, since no one was round that player, you just knew the ball was going to be dropped...not once in a drive but 2-3 times in a 4-down set. I would audible WRs (which I think is cheating since the AI can't react to audibles) and sure enough the ball would sail past not once but multiple times. Which is okay except for the fact that my WRs never attempted to make a catch on the ball a couple times, they just stood unable to attempt the catching animation.

I know this was going to happen because on Oregon's drive to take the lead, the QB had an invisible shield, where the defenders would go into a weird stuttering animation and slow down as they got to the QB, and the QB just blew by them on option plays. My guys would go for a tackle then warp immediately into a missed tackled animation further out than normal. It was weird but so evident, it pissed me off.

I had no right as AF to be playing as 8-2 in a bowl game. I played hard all season. I only gave the CPU higher blocking and run ability but everything else was untouched.

It's so frustrating to see that the cheating is still in there because they can't get ability, mismatches and size right. Anyway I'm done with NCAA and I was having a blast with my AF season. But the cheating killed it knowing that hard work in a game is ruined in games like this.

[Rodster]

JRod is this the best version of NCAA you've played so far? I still haven't got NCAA 11 but have been thinking about it. Still have NCAA 09 to keep me going till Madden 11.

[JRod]

JRod is this the best version of NCAA you've played so far? I still haven't got NCAA 11 but have been thinking about it. Still have NCAA 09 to keep me going till Madden 11.

Best...well probably 90% of sports games can be considered the "best" until the next version comes out. The AI, while not truly comeback AI is a game killer for me. It doesn't happen in all games but it's something that bothered me for years. Outside of that, there's a few quirks but nothing that makes it a bad or boring game.

[MizzouRah]

JRod is this the best version of NCAA you've played so far? I still haven't got NCAA 11 but have been thinking about it. Still have NCAA 09 to keep me going till Madden 11.

The problem with 09 is that the pursuit angles are horrible. Just line up a speedy WR as your #3 and he becomes the greatest of all time.

[Rodster]

Thanks Mizz, I just do Play Now as I don't have any interest in doing a Dynasty. For me I always like a pick up and play game of NCAA or Madden. I'm having a lot of fun with '09 (PS3) but if the gameplay is a ton better on '11 then i'd try that.

What's putting me on the fence ATM was reading something GTHobbes posted in the Madden 11 thread were the hands on of the game felt off wrt Locomotion and the gameplay in Madden. So I don't know if they have figured it out and fixed it or it will be a problem when it's released.

[MizzouRah]

Thanks Mizz, I just do Play Now as I don't have any interest in doing a Dynasty. For me I always like a pick up and play game of NCAA or Madden. I'm having a lot of fun with '09 (PS3) but if the gameplay is a ton better on '11 then i'd try that.

What's putting me on the fence ATM was reading something GTHobbes posted in the Madden 11 thread were the hands on of the game felt off wrt Locomotion and the gameplay in Madden. So I don't know if they have figured it out and fixed it or it will be a problem when it's released.

For now, I say 10 is the best of the series as I haven't had a ton of time with 11 yet.

Wait for more impressions before getting 11 as it's going to be awhile before I can really get into a dynasty to check it out.

[dbdynsty25]

There are definitely some crazy ass bugs in this game. The two most horrific examples were when games were well in hand, so it wasn't that big of a deal, but it's still a problem. As mentioned before in this thread, I've now seen the play action safety a few times as well as the missed field goal, but still retain possession, but going the opposite direction bug. How the heck do either of those get through? You play like 5 games and you see them both a few times. Nice QA lab EA.

Even still...best version of EA football yet, without a doubt. Hell, just watching receivers actually catch the ball and keep their feet in bounds makes it the best one ever after 20 years of incompletions.

[Danimal]

Isn't it amazing thought that were 20 years into EA football games and they still can't model PI and Defensive Holding. The only time you'll see these calls is when a human is in control of a player, that tells me they have an issue with the CPU getting called too much.

That play action bug was in the demo, they said it was fixed in the first patch...guess not.

[AJColossal]

What's weird is that I definitely saw defensive PI in the demo but not in the full version.

Penalties have improved in these games but there's still a ways to go...

[JRod]

Is the PA bug where the QB loses the ball and neither plays are abel to pick up the ball. I think that happened on a PA pass that turned into a fumble.

That pissed we off, it was a close game too. I was able to have the scrum kick the ball out of bounce but that cost me the entire 3rd quarter.

[Naples39]

I've played about 10-12 games and I only saw one bug; PA handoff bug where the QB ran back for 40 yards before "waking up." I guess it could be worse.

[dbdynsty25]

That pissed we off, it was a close game too. I was able to have the scrum kick the ball out of bounce but that cost me the entire 3rd quarter.

Whoa. Nice sentence. LOL.

And to answer your question, the PA bug that I'm referring to is the one where the QB will fake the handoff to the running back and just keep running straight out of bounds or out of the end zone for a safety.

[Murph]

That pissed we off, it was a close game too. I was able to have the scrum kick the ball out of bounce but that cost me the entire 3rd quarter.

Whoa. Nice sentence. LOL.

And to answer your question, the PA bug that I'm referring to is the one where the QB will fake the handoff to the running back and just keep running straight out of bounds or out of the end zone for a safety.

I've experienced both of these bugs. The fumble that neither team can seem to recover until the quater ends and the QB dropping back the length of the field.

I've also had about two defensive pass intereference calls out of two full dynasty seasons so far.

[Teal]

Hmmm...haven't seen any of 'em.

[vader29]

I've only seen the play action bug once when I was rushing the qb, chased him to the 5 yard line thinking I was going to get a huge sack but then he proceeded to throw it 50 yards for a completion and what ended up being a 2 yard gain.

[Danimal]

Vader play your OD game so i can see if I have to balance the run sliders more (joking)

[Aristo]

I saw the playaction bug in one game. I still sweat calling a playaction (partly because I get sacked too often), in more than 20 games I still have just seen it the once.

I actually had defensive pass interference called on the CPU one time in all of those 20 g+ games. So it can happen, it just doesn't very often.

I also ave seen a bug where the CPU run a Read Option play, but the QB just freezes and never moves until I sack him. I've seen this in about half of the games I've played, but have yet to see anyone else mention it.

I have yet to see the FG or XP bug where the wrong team gets the ball.

But overall, I'm still enjoying the hell out of the game.

[XXXIV]

Whats up with the servers? or is it just me?

I keep getting connection failed message.

[vader29]

Whats up with the servers? or is it just me?

I keep getting connection failed message.

The only connection error messages I get is the one that says the stats won't count towards your school, been getting that since the first week the game was out, haven't had any trouble with the servers otherwise.