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NCAA Football 12
NCAA was a better game than Madden last year, and it was partially
due to what designer Ben Haumiller has called an all-encompassing
approach to development. Instead of highlighting a marquee
focus for the year, the NCAA team made sure that they made improvements
in a wide swath of areas. It paid off then, and hopefully it'll do so
again in NCAA 12. Haumiller promised additions to various areas of the
game, including online dynasties and custom playbooks, but right now EA
Sports is talking about two features in particular: the game's
presentation and its new tackling system.
Last year, a big deal
was made about a new visual presentation, and this year the improvements
continue with a new lighting system that uses different layers of
exposure to reveal extra player detail as well as provide a visual pop.
Moreover, lots of work has been done to beef up the custom team
entrances, whether that's the spear of Florida State's Chief Osceola or
Colorado U's bison. Best of all, these will be shown from different
angles each time to help keep them fresh.
For fans of schools
without famous pre-game ceremonies, don't worry, your team won't lack
excitement. The game's presentation as a whole is being improved through
things like more of a presence from ESPN, bowl- and conference-specific
intros, and end-of-quarter highlights just like on TV.
NCAA 12's
new presentation is alluring enough, but arguably more important work
is being done to the title's gameplay. Suction/magnet tackles, blocks,
and catches have plagued both NCAA and Madden for years, and while
Haumiller wouldn't say that the game contained a whole new physics
system, it is clear that the it's much smarter about the way it runs
animations.
Tackles don't initiate until a defender makes contact
with the ball carrier, which not only cuts down on animations (which
were sometimes also mismatched) from running too early and thus causing
players from unnaturally sliding towards each other, but this new
contact system also creates more realistic tackles.
Since tackles
are no longer initiated until direct contact is made, naturally gamers'
timing is going to be off when they go to lay a hit on the ball
carrier. While the right analog hit stick remains, the game has also
changed the dive tackle button to a more generic tackle button. Press it
just before contact and your defender will break down in anticipation
of contact. Thus, it will help wrap up and drive through the ball
carrier.
You can apply these new interactions to other areas,
whether it's offensive linemen moving their feet to actually engage a
defender correctly or receivers catching passes. Haumiller showed off
how this applied to WRs diving to catch balls. Since the game no longer
slides receivers into position before they make the catch, diving at the
right time can ensure you grab those balls thrown just out of reach.
Better
AI zone play from your defenders has also been added to shore up some
of the franchise's legacy issues, and this means that a linebacker or
corner will now trail and shade receivers out of their zone before
passing them along to the safeties.
According to Haumiller, these
additions and improvements are just the tip of the iceberg, and if
that's true, then the series will have likely once again followed a
winning game plan to success.
For more on NCAA, check out the video below as well as our previous coverage including:
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