NCAA Football 2010

[shymoose91]

Originally Posted by PH3AR

it coomes out earlier than Madden thats all i know and i think Madden comes out in the beginning of August

i believe it comes out july 14
and id be in for the league
ill take the UCONN Huskies

[caliblue15]

Last week was the start of some great info on NCAA Football 10; we released the details on Season Showdown and then followed this week with the huge drop of TeamBuilder. If you have not seen anything about it there is a video here: What is TeamBuilder? and we are not done; expect to see even more details about Season Showdown in the upcoming weeks.

Also a couple weeks ago we released a video about Dynasty on the NCAA Football 10 website. To be fair that video did not even come close to explaining the amount of detail that has gone into Dynasty Mode this year (and Online Dynasty). Luckily I am able to take a little time and explain the other tuning we've been able to get done over the year. We also took a handful of screen shots to show... like so:

A lot of what was tuned for NCAA Football 10 was feedback gathered from forums and community day (held here in Maitland a few weeks ago). Before getting started I just want to say; Thank you everyone for helping us get together many of these details.

This blog is going to cover five different parts of our Dynasty Modes:

* Recruits
* Scheduling
* Poll Logic
* CPU Logic
* Progression

Ok get ready for a pretty long read ...

Recruits have undergone an overhaul to when they are created in Dynasty Mode. We are creating a situation where you simply do not "reload" with freshmen every year and instead have to actually allow your players to grow into juniors or senior for the majority of your roster. Here is a list of what was done with Recruits for NCAA Football 10:

* Recruits will not come in as highly rated. Overall all recruits have been lowered in how high their Overall rating will be when they are created.
* Not as many "elite" recruits. Instead of the majority of recruits starting out at 80+ there will only be a handful.
* Recruits will take the quality of the school more into account when they are created. Location was too important when recruits were created in NCAA 09, going forward the quality of the school will be the most important factor. This also helps to slow down the growth of smaller schools when under CPU control.
* 40 times are more realistic - you will not see any recruits come in with a 4.19 time.
* ATH will now have more ratings to play different positions; the ratings have been redone to include attributes to make them true athletes. For example you'll find some ATH with Route Running and Man Coverage ratings that will allow you to place them at either WR or CB.

Scheduling in Dynasty has gotten a pretty major update; we've addressed a few issues from NCCA 09 as well as improved future year's schedules.

* Big East Champ no longer tied to the Orange Bowl. Previously if you won the Big East you were forced to play in the Orange Bowl (unless playing for a National Title).
* Big 12 schedule is now on a two year cycle. You play everyone in your division and then you play 3 teams from the other division for two years. In those two years you alternate between home and away. In years 3 and 4 it will switch to the other 3 teams in the other division (home and away).
* Big 10 will not have night games in November. This was a new rule put in this year.
* Arizona State always played Cal & Oregon State on the road in NCAA 09, this has been fixed.
* Additional Rotations for conferences that do not a true rotation (Pac-10 for example) now games will not be on the same date every year. For example Stanford - Cal will always be the last game of Pac-10 schedule but Stanford - Oregon will be different dates in future years of Dynasty.

Poll Logic has been tweaked to allow for more early season movement as well as taking better account for the ranks of your opponents.

* Biggest example is an unranked team beating two highly ranked teams can now become ranked.

CPU Logic has been updated in how they recruit, handle their rosters, and simulate games.

* AI after filling all their needs will begin to target a specific position. In years past they would always go after QB's and FB's now in NCAA Football 10 the CPU will select different positions to attempt to add depth.
* CPU will perform position changes. For example if they have two Right Tackles (84, 87) and one Left Tackle (75) they will move one of the RT's over to LT.
* We revisited some of the simulation logic and now less teams are going undefeated

Lastly with the changes to recruits we had to make some changes to Progression.

* With players coming in lower some stats will now progress faster. This also means ratings that did not progress in years past will now go up; for example Speed.
* Team Prestige is now a much bigger factor in Progression; the quality of your team will influence how fast your players gain attributes.
* Position Changes will no longer cause athletic attributes to go down (SPD, STR, ACC, etc.). When you move a player from WR to CB you will no longer see his speed drop.

That's quite a bit of information for Dynasty Mode (and Online Dynasty)... I feel like I'm back in school writing a 1000* word essay.

Thanks for taking the time to read over our updates. I look forward to getting the game in your hands as July 14th fast approaching.

-Russ Kiniry
Designer - NCAA Football 10

* - Technically it ended up being 975 (yes I counted this as well)

[Beefbowl]

I'm assuming this will have trophies correct?

[caliblue15]

Originally Posted by Beefbowl

I'm assuming this will have trophies correct?

From what I know, yes!

[lettucenpico]

Originally Posted by caliblue15

Quick note before I get into the shots below; this is not the official post for NCAA Football 10 this week. Expect another drop of information really soon.

Hey NCAA Football Fans I wanted to jump in and show some work being done with the Offensive/Defensive Line play. Rather than just a bunch of stuff I read, figured it would be better to post some shots and comment a little on each one.



Well there you have it, a full pocket. You can see that both Offensive Tackles (OT) were able to ride the Defensive Ends (DE) or Linebackers (LB) out wide behind the Quarterback (QB) instead of just standing them straight up. This year we are giving the Tackles the ability to take a Defensive End wide around the QB in a realistic fashion.

First look at the right side of the line:





Here is a close up view of the LB being strung out wide by an OT; you can see the body lean as the LB is trying to get around the OT using a speed rush. Instead of being pushed once or twice and standing still you’ll notice the interaction between the OT and DE (or LB) play out in a more natural sequence.

Now let’s take a look at the other side of the line and the different rush style:



This example is showing an attempt to use a bull rush and muscle his way to the QB; however the OT is able to keep the DE at bay. And like on the other side of the line push him out wide to help create that pocket from the first screen shot.

All the above shots are from the same play to give an example of how things are progressing on the NCAA Football 10 game-play front. And before you ask this does mean we are working on the ability of the Defensive Line to get to the QB as well:



The edge rusher in this case was able to make a move back inside. Sorry to ruin the suspense… it ended in a sack.

We are still in the process of working how often the defender vs. the offensive line will win. Like how much does Finesse Moves factor against Pass Block Footwork? Or how often will AI defenders attempt special moves? And a number of other tuning issues. It is a high priority to the team right now to ensure our line play is balanced on both sides of the ball.

That is all for today... Check back in a few days for this week’s NCAA Football 10 Blog.

Russell Kiniry – Designer NCAA Football 10

Is that shot from a replay view, or someone actually playing it?

[caliblue15]

Replay, how else would you take a picture at just the right time? Its the same graphics though.

[Frenchy17]

Is this still open, I will take LSU if they are available.

[caliblue15]

Originally Posted by Frenchy17

Is this still open, I will take LSU if they are available.

Yes its still open, and if people quit during the year, I can add people right in the middle, so we need backups!

[Another_Dude]

Originally Posted by caliblue15

U changed ur post.. lol

I'm Kansas State, Go Bill Snyder!!!

Not fair Cali...I'm in Manhattan! The guy that lives closest to the home stadium should have dibs!


The Hall of Fame Can Wait

[caliblue15]

Originally Posted by Another_Dude

Not fair Cali...I'm in Manhattan! The guy that lives closest to the home stadium should have dibs!


The Hall of Fame Can Wait

Really, I'm in the dorms, so i'm probably not closest.. lol.

The Hall of Fame Can Wait

There I fixed it for you.

Also OP, updated. We have 10 teams, from what I know its 12 teams, but we will need backups incase people drop and stuff, as I can add everyone in the middle of the season and delete people.

[Another_Dude]

Originally Posted by caliblue15

Really, I'm in the dorms, so i'm probably not closest.. lol.

The Hall of Fame Can Wait

There I fixed it for you.
.

OK, you win. I'm just east of town off of 24. When I get my FPJ installed I'll have to have you out to judge the setup.

I guess I'll sit out of the league as there's no way I could take anyone other than the 'Cats.

Now beat the he11 out of the chickens.

[caliblue15]

Originally Posted by Another_Dude

OK, you win. I'm just east of town off of 24. When I get my FPJ installed I'll have to have you out to judge the setup.

I guess I'll sit out of the league as there's no way I could take anyone other than the 'Cats.

Now beat the he11 out of the chickens.

I was 13-1 last season in the league. You don't have a backup favorite team?

[Another_Dude]

Put me down for OU and don't tell anyone.

PSN: Another_Dude


Now where did I put my visor?

[caliblue15]

Good Choice, gotta go with the Ex KSU coach...

[Another_Dude]

Originally Posted by caliblue15

Good Choice, gotta go with the Ex KSU coach...

Which also leaves:

KU, Arizona State, USF, Wisconsin, Virginia's Special Teams.....

[caliblue15]

Originally Posted by Another_Dude

Which also leaves:

KU, Arizona State, USF, Wisconsin, Virginia's Special Teams.....

Ex KSU coach, coached by Bill Snyder.

[fatediesel]

Former Arizona State and Nebraska quarterback Sam Keller has sued the NCAA and EA over the “blatant and unlawful use of student likenesses” in the NCAA football and basketball video games. I've always wondered how it is legal to create carbon copies of amateurs and sell the game without compensating the players. I'm most surprised this lawsuit hasn't happened already. I hope this doesn't affect the year's game or future versions.

http://www.collegefootballtalk.com/2...er-videogames/

[caliblue15]

Not going to go anywhere.. most stupid lawsuit ever.

[The Gnome]

If U of M (Michigan) is open I'm in if you still have room...

Jude

[caliblue15]

Hello all, my name is Anthony White and I’m here to share with you all what work we did this year for the Flexbone offense. Going into our current development cycle for NCAA Football 10 our top playbook priority was making sure our version of the Flexbone offense is a more accurate representation of its real life counterpart. We didn’t necessarily want to just take what’s already in place on the Gen 2 versions of NCAA Football. Our goal was to take it above and beyond anything that had been done previously with the Flexbone offense on any platform.

Last summer we were able to acquire the actual coach’s game film of the Navy Flexbone offense. Having access to this valuable resource really gave us an advantage when it was time to identify what new formations that we needed to create, what plays did we need for those formations, and most importantly what new player animations we needed to mo-cap in order to get those plays working properly in our game. The results of our efforts produced eight new formations and over 200 new plays.

Here’s a look at the new formations that we created based on our film study.


Flexbone Twins Over



Flexbone Slit Wing Z




Flexbone Spit Wing X




Flexbone Close




Flexbone Slot Right




Flexbone Trips Right




Flexbone Trio Right




Flexbone Tackle Over




Running Game:

The running attack from this unique offensive system is what it’s most known for, and it’s not all about the triple option. There are numerous things that can be done with the running game out of the Flexbone. Some of the new plays that we were able create this year thanks to the new animations include Wingback Toss both weak and strong with a play action pass to compliment it, Midline QB Iso which is a double option scheme where the quarterback can either handoff to the fullback or duck inside the playside B gap following the lead blocks of the two wingbacks, FB and Wingback Load Option plays which also include play action compliments, and the Wingback Jet Sweep.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2u9kg...layer_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nT1_f...layer_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkCmZ...layer_embedded


Those are just a few of the new plays we were able to add for the Flexbone offense, but the most unique one of all we added in my opinion is the Trap Option. The Trap Option calls for the quarterback to open up to one side of the formation where he then fakes it to the fullback before he pivots and rotates counter clockwise and runs the option in the opposite direction with the backside wingback being his pitch man. It gets its name Trap Option due to the fact that the backside guard pulls and “trap blocks” the play side defensive end.

This play to the defense starts out looking like our normal Triple Option play to the defense, but it attacks the opposite side of the field instead. Before we could get this play up and running in game we needed to capture new player animations featuring the quarterback and fullback. What generally happens is we identify on film what we want and we in turn communicate that to our mo-cap talent so that they can go out and execute what we’re looking for. It’s very similar to coaching where you introduce a new scheme to your players and during its installation you walk through each of the finer points of the scheme with each player so that he knows exactly what he needs to do within the play.

Here’s the mo-cap video of the quarterback and fullback carrying out the first phase of the Flexbone Trap option play.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UXd7...layer_embedded

Here’s that same animation in NCAA Football 2010.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SENuA...layer_embedded

Passing Game:

Much attention was also paid to the passing game portion of the Flexbone offense. When you open up the playbook you’ll notice that most of the running plays have some sort of play action compliment that starts out looking like that run play. Many of these new plays are a both your more traditional play action passes along with the option passes. One of the new pass plays are PA Switch in which the outside receiver runs a post route and the wingback to the side runs a wheel route up the sidelines. This is a common scheme in the Flexbone offense.


We also wanted to bring some new fresh ideas to the drop back passing portion of the Flexbone offense. As many of you know this style of offense has the reputation of being a bad offense to run when you’re trailing in the game and need to throw the ball. Some of the new passing plays we added actually take a page from the Run & Shoot offense. Two run & shoot pass concepts we added are “60 Go” and “60 Choice”. In these two plays the left wingback goes in motion to the right slot which forms a trips alignment. On 60 Go the outside receiver on the now trips side runs a streak route, the motion wingback runs an option route where he can take it to the post or he can go straight up field, and the right wingback runs to the flat. The goal is to read the curl/flat defender. If he jumps the flat route, the quarterback should be able to make a quick throw to the option route, if said defender jumps the option route, then the quarterback makes a quick throw to the flat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVsFU...layer_embedded

We also included Four Verticals and WR Middle Screen out of Flexbone Trips Right, Left, and Trio Right. The goal of any offense is to be balanced and that holds true with this style of offense. If you’re playing with one of the Flexbone offense playbooks and your opponent is loading up to stop the run, you’ll have a multitude of viable passing plays at your disposal to keep your opponent honest.


Playbooks:

The team playbooks that feature the Flexbone offense prominently are Army, Georgia Tech, and Navy. Air Force also has multiple Flexbone formations in their playbook along with other more traditional formations. Here’s a look at the formations and sets that make up our Flexbone playbooks.



Even the Goal Line formation for Army, Georgia Tech, and Navy Is a Flexbone formation.



It was fun seeing the Flexbone offense through the design phase from concept to its implementation into the game. There's a perception right or wrong that we can just draw up a play and it magically appears in game working the same as it does in real life. There's a lot of planning that goes on amongst the design staff, software engineers, animators, and mo-cap talent to make it all work. It’s our hope that you guys will enjoy what we now have to offer with the Flexbone offense in NCAA Football 10.

Anthony White, Assistant Designer, EA SPORTS