Official NCAA 12! Thread

[ryne candy]

Just finished Ore vs TX....lost 14-21 in 2OT. Playing both versions, I am leaning towards getting the 360 version. I wish uploading songs were easier to do on the Xbox; right now, I stream it from my Mac.

edit: now Twigg has me 2nd guessing myself on console preference. Probably be a last moment decision.

[Sharkweather]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owqBHUTnJNU[/ame]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWIKQKHS3lU[/ame]

[Steel Mamba]

CPU bitzes way too much, making the passing game too easy.
Still to many DL on their back.
Read Option is still pointless (and the CPU still can't use it)

There are some improvements to the zone D, not that the AI uses it enough.
I think blocking looks a little better, double teams are solid (not sure what steel mamba was seeing there).
New tackling is crisp.

Unfortunately, the retarded AI is going to ruin this game...again...until they decide to fix the AI playcalling instead of just adding new shit to it.

The blocking in general you mean? Run some stretch plays where the WR has to seal the outside and you'll see what I mean. As far as double teams go, they're technically there, but IMO they still need a lot of work.

For starters, it's just a random animation and doesn't seem to have anything to do with scheme or the personnel you're facing. Also, from what I've seen they never even try to lock a defender down. You'll occasionally see two linemen on one defender, but it's very brief and to me looks ineffective. It's nothing that would make a 3-4 with a dominant NT as realistically effective as it should be. Whereas no double and he's creating a bull rush and disrupting the pocket. With a double he frees up his LBs to hit an open gap. I don't see that type of double team going on in the game.

Look at the first highlight here of Casey Hampton

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZu62TSVnBo[/ame]

That's not something you see in game.

[Bear Pand]

Just finished Ore vs TX....lost 14-21 in 2OT. Playing both versions, I am leaning towards getting the 360 version. I wish uploading songs were easier to do on the Xbox; right now, I stream it from my Mac.

I really wish they'd improve on this overall. Have it set so if you have an MP3 file named Purdue_Firstdown.mp3 the game would recognize that and automatically set it to the Purdue first down sound.

Then people as a community could put together a zip file and it'd be easy setting all the sounds for every team at once.

[Sharkweather]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTXIgOjzsD4[/ame]

[Tengo Juego]

Good Luck to the roster editors. The default is a mess, as usual.

[Ravin]

And I was going to do a IU chise. My god those QB's are terrible. I am so fucked.

[Survivor]

My observations from playing a game with each team (4 games total) on AA difficulty, as I rarely play heisman and prefer to up the sliders on AA.

• I accidently had my xbox set to 480p for some reason right after DLing the demo and was pissed, but after it was fixed the graphics looked good.
• Speed threshold needs to be tinkered with as Oregon's fullback [user controlled] outran the entire Texas defense.
• Glitches galore, Garrett Gilbert seems to be immune to intentional grounding penalties and enjoys throwing it away from within the pocket even when receivers are open.
• The tackling system makes you feel like you earn broken tackles through patience and vision. While on D, I need to learn how to use the X button more effectively.
• The pass rush feels much more realistic and you have to be aware of the pocket as it collapses and moves around. I got sacked a sh!tton at first, but now I'm getting the hang of it and scrambling around the pocket feels more real also.
• Zone defense is killer. It is too easy to get user interceptions, but a lot of these passes the QBs throw deserve to be picked.
• YOU CAN RETURN PUNTS!!!!! Special teams seems better this year, but onside kicks are a little too easy if you kick it short and let it hit the front line's legs.
• Seems like pitches are a little more realistic this year. I can't execute a perfect pitch from ten yards away from the HB while getting facemasked this year, damn it.
• Perhaps it's just me, but while playing against Alabama it seemed Richardson either got blown up at the line or broke a long loooong run on me with perfect blocking.
• Love the Gametrax.
• From the demo, the 3D grass and pylon physics seems like a waste of their time. What they should have done was some fucking dread physics. They are awkward and very poor quality. I think we got better dreads on games on Madden 92.
• These team specific intros are great, but we need more variety in in game celebrations/end of game animations. I swear I get so annoyed seeing the same cutscene of players jumping in the air and pointing before the game, and then the team dance at the end. Blah.
• If commentary doesn't improve next year somehow I am going to start playing RPGs or something.

My final impression? It was enjoyable and I'll play NCAA 12 more than any other game this year (besides maybe FIFA), and I look forward to tinkering with playbooks more than anything. Sure it is still the NCAA we know and love, and it does play well, but it certainly doesn't reinvent itself here. I'll take NCAA's approach over Madden's any day of the week, but I would have loved to have seen a little more in terms of dynasty this year (at least from the features already revealed). Expect a NCAA 13 Early Wishlist thread from me soon with what needs to be in next years game. We have to get started on this stuff early, VSN!

[Sven Draconian]

The blocking in general you mean? Run some stretch plays where the WR has to seal the outside and you'll see what I mean. As far as double teams go, they're technically there, but IMO they still need a lot of work.

For starters, it's just a random animation and doesn't seem to have anything to do with scheme or the personnel you're facing. Also, from what I've seen they never even try to lock a defender down. You'll occasionally see two linemen on one defender, but it's very brief and to me looks ineffective. It's nothing that would make a 3-4 with a dominant NT as realistically effective as it should be. Whereas no double and he's creating a bull rush and disrupting the pocket. With a double he frees up his LBs to hit an open gap. I don't see that type of double team going on in the game.

Look at the first highlight here of Casey Hampton

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZu62TSVnBo

That's not something you see in game.

You know it's illegal for a WR to go in motion and seal a DE...right? You can't crack block a down defender (lineman). In the NFL (yes, I know this is NCAA) you can't even go in motion and block a defender without coming to a stop (No WHAM blocks, popular in the early 90s).

But yes, WR's are ineffective in genearl unless you get the cut block to trigger.

Double teams are fine when they fire. They are pretty dependent on ratings, not completely, and you can get that drive animation where 2 lineman will move the DT 3 or 4 yards. With that said, they don't usually happen to the nose tackle, usually because the LB "shows blitz" and has to be picked up by the guard. It normally will fire against a 3 or 5 tech if you run Power-O, Iso or Inside zone. Normally it will work against an DE if you run stretch (especially if you lineup with a double TE set.

Double teams aren't that common, however, chip blocks are and those aren't in existance in EA football.

[CrimsonGhost56]

sold

[Steel Mamba]

You know it's illegal for a WR to go in motion and seal a DE...right? You can't crack block a down defender (lineman). In the NFL (yes, I know this is NCAA) you can't even go in motion and block a defender without coming to a stop (No WHAM blocks, popular in the early 90s).

But yes, WR's are ineffective in genearl unless you get the cut block to trigger.

Double teams are fine when they fire. They are pretty dependent on ratings, not completely, and you can get that drive animation where 2 lineman will move the DT 3 or 4 yards. With that said, they don't usually happen to the nose tackle, usually because the LB "shows blitz" and has to be picked up by the guard. It normally will fire against a 3 or 5 tech if you run Power-O, Iso or Inside zone. Normally it will work against an DE if you run stretch (especially if you lineup with a double TE set.

Double teams aren't that common, however, chip blocks are and those aren't in existance in EA football.

My bad, I didn't mean seal off the DE. What I'm talking about is securing the outside, blocking a DB or LB who may be in pursuit. Of course I don't expect a WR to be knocking anyone down, I just want them to get a hand on someone. Pick a guy and impede him a bit. Instead, like I've said they'll just roam around and not get a hand on anyone. When they don't touch or impede anyone, almost running in circles, that's something broken with their blocking assignment logic.

I'm not saying it'll happen every time, it doesn't. But, I've already noticed it on the demo, and I know this happened a lot on both Madden and NCAA 11.

I agree that doubles aren't very common, but like you mentioned chip blocks are, and that's not in there either. They need chip blocks for more realistic double situations and more realistic scheming. For example, chipping a great pass rusher then passing him on.

I just got done playing some APF and one particular play stood out. I'm running a 3-4 with Jack Lambert at ILB, my other ILB spot is a generic. The computer goes to run up the gut and 2 guards immediately went after Lambert, doubled him, pushed him back, and neither left until the back was free. Essentially creating a great gap for the runner, and taking the most important defender completely out of the play.

I've yet to see anything like that happen on NCAA. In NCAA when the double comes it's very brief, and I haven't seen it happen at the 2nd level like that. Part of the problem is that there's just not enough fluidity or animations in the game. The players move around too erratically and often have trouble engaging in the canned animations.

[Maynard]

sold

i like how in the game they show off the new features. the new college atmosphere ect ect...same shit they been saying for years.

i also love the new tacked on cut scenes for the pre game. It all feels so lifeless.

the gameplay itself was pretty much the same as always...which is weak.
i have zero interest in this game. waiting out that contract is no longer a big deal. sports games are so bottom of the barrel these days

[spiker]

sold

I hate EA.

/smh

[Sharkweather]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qs-OxBlETTQ[/ame]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYPx-mchT8A[/ame]

[Steel Mamba]

i like how in the game they show off the new features. the new college atmosphere ect ect...same shit they been saying for years.

i also love the new tacked on cut scenes for the pre game. It all feels so lifeless.

the gameplay itself was pretty much the same as always...which is weak.
i have zero interest in this game. waiting out that contract is no longer a big deal. sports games are so bottom of the barrel these days

I think the mainstream game industry in general has kinda tanked a bit. Everyone is trying to appease too many 12 year olds nowadays.