NCAA Football 12

[Zeppo]

I do like it, XXXIV, indeed I do. Obviously I haven't played it much and I may be fooling myself, but somehow I feel the running game is different to the core and far better than in the past. There's something about the blocking that simply makes much more sense, and with less 'all-or-nothing' in the tackles there is more incentive to pick your way through the traffic and no temptation to jam the sprint trigger all the time. Also the passing game seems very well balanced to me with far fewer of those warping recoveries by defenders. I'd like to try out speed minimum at 40 or 45, but since you can't seem to use sliders for unranked online game with friends (or any weather at all, either!) I'm not sure I want to get used to anything other than default. With the running game the way it is, I'm excited to play around with some option offenses and feel like in good ol' NCAA style there is so much variety among the teams that there is almost no end to the depth in match ups.

[toonarmy]

Ah, the joys of turning off autosave. Just lost 6 dynasty games that I had played in a row due to a cute little game freeze. There's over five hours down the drain. Should have learned my lesson with EA games and freezing by now and learned to save every once in a while.

On another note, I'm liking the improved polls this year. They are more logical overall than in the past. There have been only a few head-scratchers, which occurs in real life too.

[Aristo]

So how is that turning off auto-save working out for you? I can't imagine playing six games without saving.

[XXXIV]

I can't imagine playing six games without saving.

Grain of salt.

[XXXIV]

I do like it, XXXIV, indeed I do. Obviously I haven't played it much and I may be fooling myself, but somehow I feel the running game is different to the core and far better than in the past. There's something about the blocking that simply makes much more sense, and with less 'all-or-nothing' in the tackles there is more incentive to pick your way through the traffic and no temptation to jam the sprint trigger all the time.

Running the ball and following your blocks in this is game is very rewarding. So far everything about it feels right.

Live adds that extra dimension. I had a great time last night in our games and also enjoyed the quick single game beating I took today at the hands of TC.

[toonarmy]

So how is that turning off auto-save working out for you? I can't imagine playing six games without saving.

Well I turned off autosave because it froze on me twice while autosaving. I guess I got a false sense of security with it off. Considering the large number of people over at OS and other forums having really bad freezing problems it will likely be addressed in a future patch.

[Aristo]

Interesting. I have not had a freeze yet on the 360. But the way EA handles auto-save does make the menus seem really sluggish.

[toonarmy]

Interesting. I have not had a freeze yet on the 360. But the way EA handles auto-save does make the menus seem really sluggish.

Yeah, well I had played almost 40 hours until my freeze in the actual game, so that's not too bad. Plus, I was doing the dynasty I was in as a test to get settings for my next dynasty. Just an annoyance. The menus do seem a bit sluggish on the PS3 as well at times I'm noticing. Ah well, back to my new dynasty, where I am saving after each game now. This game is like crack.

[Lancer]

You sure you didn't burn the disc with 40+ hours of gaming since release, causing the game to freeze?

[Leebo33]

I'm really enjoying the game on the 360. I'm just playing random games against the CPU on All-American and have had some really good ones. There have been a few questionable CPU play calls but fewer than previous versions and as good as any other football game. I'm glad there is some extra time between NCAA and Madden this year so I can really appreciate this one. I've only seen one bug so far. In one of my games the clock on the first quarter ran out but the quarter just kept going with the clock on 00. I wanted to see how long it would go before recognizing the end of a quarter but gave up after about 15 plays. I simmed one play and then it began the second quarter.

[snaz16]

I suck on the AA level. Got beat at home as Miami vs. S. Carolina 24-9. Which isn't all that much a stretch. Then lost as Florida to UNLV , 17-14 at the Swamp,which is. I threw 5 int. as Brantley. One thing about this game was both teams traded fumble returns for TD's, which I don't recall happening a whole lot in the past. Played one game in coach mode with Ohio St.(me) vs. Kansas,and won that 27-0. It wasn't as immersive as playing as normal,but overall not a bad experience. Enjoyed the camera angle though.

[Rodster]

I'm returning my copy (PS3) back to Amazon when it arrives. In the meantime I popped in NCAA 11 thinking that i'll buy the 360 version of NCAA 12 when Amazon gets their game back.

I don't know i'm just not in the mood for football. I really got bored with NCAA 11 and i'm dreading the thought that NCAA 12 will bore me as well.

[Teal]

I try not to get into the regular season/dynasty stuff with my favorite team until the real season kicks off. I'm in an online dynasty with Terry, but using 2 star teams (Troy), and doing the RTG stuff now. Keeps me from getting bored, as RTG is really, really good, and I'm hoping that the dynasty will be, as well. I'll start with Auburn once the 'bug' hits sometime in late August, early September...

[toonarmy]

So much for the EA football gets stale to me after playing for a while. Stayed up until 5 this morning playing and still itching for more. There is a great variety in my games and the CPU teams truly do play differently from one team to another. I've had a couple instances in which crappy teams gave me a run for my money because it took me a while to adjust to their style. I'm slowly breaking my bad habit of dive tackling. It still burns me from time to time, though.

[Teal]

I had a bad habit of hitting the right stick for a big hit, and got burned alot last year. I'm just running into them now. And I STILL jam on the RT even though there's no turbo anymore...old habits die hard...

[sportdan30]

I don't think I've ever been more frustrated with a football video game. I'm playing on All-American. The A.I.s pass coverage is super human. They react to everything. The linebackers swat any and everything throw their way. Not only that, but 9 times out of 10, a defensive tackles is ready to sack me within two seconds of snapping the ball. I haven't touched Dynast or RTG, but the games on Play Now are unplayable for me. I've messed with the sliders and I still can't find that happy medium. It's looking more and more like I'll trade this in next month towards Madden.

[Rodster]

Dan how about dropping the difficulty a notch until the game clicks for you?

[sportdan30]

Dan how about dropping the difficulty a notch until the game clicks for you?

The problem is that I have no problem with Varsity, but AA just kicks my butt and spits me out. Now, I know there is an exceptional game here, and honestly this year's version feel more realistic than ever before. Mismatches, looking for one on and one coverage, etc. Others have expressed their frustration as well so I know it's not only me. I guess maybe a little bit has to do with me playing with Kansas.

[Rodster]

Then base your sliders off of Varsity, then when the game clicks move it up a notch.

[Wilk5280]

are you doing the following?
- Mixing up your pass / run plays
- hot routing rb / te to stay in and pass block
- adjusting oline's blocking scheme
- varying your snap count

[Danimal]

[ Others have expressed their frustration as well so I know it's not only me. I guess maybe a little bit has to do with me playing with Kansas.

No offense but it is you.

Coverages can be exploited, dropping back and flinging it around doesn't work unless you have really good match ups. the pressure is realistic based on the players abilities. In short it plays more like football so you have to call your game appropriately.

[TCrouch]

are you doing the following?
- Mixing up your pass / run plays
- hot routing rb / te to stay in and pass block
- adjusting oline's blocking scheme
- varying your snap count

Those are some of the little things that surprised me. I would see some "Strategy +10" or something flash up, because I had run the a few rushing plays out of a formation, then hit a play action. Shifting the OL to the blitzer's side helped a lot.

But the single biggest thing I've seen to alleviate some of the instant pressure is to vary that snap count. That's when I started seeing the added bonus of a lot of offsides/encroachment penalties from the CPU. Of course, the offset is sometimes I get some false starts, so I go on 3 or 4 a lot less on the road than I do at home. But quick snapping, going on 2...changing up that snap count is HUGE in stopping them from jumping the snap and creating instant pressure like that. I've never seen it have as big an impact in any football game I've played.

[FifaInspected]

Guys,

Are any of you having problems swatting the ball while trying to defend the receiver? I'm hearing that this is may not be working as advertised.

[toonarmy]

are you doing the following?
- Mixing up your pass / run plays
- hot routing rb / te to stay in and pass block
- adjusting oline's blocking scheme
- varying your snap count

Those are some of the little things that surprised me. I would see some "Strategy +10" or something flash up, because I had run the a few rushing plays out of a formation, then hit a play action. Shifting the OL to the blitzer's side helped a lot.

But the single biggest thing I've seen to alleviate some of the instant pressure is to vary that snap count. That's when I started seeing the added bonus of a lot of offsides/encroachment penalties from the CPU. Of course, the offset is sometimes I get some false starts, so I go on 3 or 4 a lot less on the road than I do at home. But quick snapping, going on 2...changing up that snap count is HUGE in stopping them from jumping the snap and creating instant pressure like that. I've never seen it have as big an impact in any football game I've played.

This is a good point and definitely true. I was shocked at first at how much the CPU was jumping the snap. I started varying my snap count and, voila, less jumped snaps and more time in the pocket on passes and better holes on runs.

Another thing that helps me a lot is mixing up my formations and not getting into a pattern of play calling. The CPU adjusts more quickly now than ever before. If I am mixing up my play calling and recognizing coverages then I almost always have at least one receiver that is open on pass plays to the point I have a good chance of completing a pass. Also I've found that you need to take what the CPU gives you in order to open up plays down the field. I have to be content with hitting receivers on short routes for a while before I can begin taking chances down the field. Against crappy teams it is not as necessary, but against good teams with a good secondary I have to be careful about how I approach the play calling.

[TCrouch]

Exactly. And I've found myself digging a bigger hole the worse a game gets. I have played efficiently for a half, then made one mistake, and watched the entire game come crashing down. I've also played within my limits and had extremely efficient games. Then I've had the random offensive explosion where I put up 400+ yards and 5 TD's passing.

But the minute I start trying to force anything, or going back to a play that worked for me well earlier, is the minute I start throwing multiple picks. I played a road game as my RTG QB last night against #2 Ohio State, and I actually managed to throw 3 interceptions on 4 pass attempts. I've never seen anything like that. As the game wore on, I only got worse This is a week after throttling #7 USC 38-8 on the road as well. I'm LOVING the different outcomes.

As for the swat, I use it and it works very well. I'm not sure what people would be referring to. I only use it when I'm in position to do so, though. I don't try to swat over the top or from weird angles like I was able to do the last few years. If I'm step for step with the wideout, I've never seen the swat fail to trigger. It may not always actually contact the ball, but he at least tries.