NCAA Football 13 - Xbox 360

EA Tiburon Makes A Fourth-Down Conversion During A Crucial Drive

2012-07-10T17:00:00Z

If you’ve been waiting for the NCAA franchise to hit its stride and capitalize on the time developer EA Tiburon has had with the current generation of consoles, that moment has arrived. I don’t think this applies to the casual fan, but if you’ve been playing this series for as long as I have, you’re going to be heartened by some of the changes and additions in NCAA 13.

The passing game is revitalized by a slew of improvements that make slinging the ball less frustrating and more fun than ever before. Even with an average quarterback, I like being able to throw to many different parts of the field through a combination of factors like the new ball trajectories, added placement control, and variable throwing speeds. Timing deep balls is still a little tricky, but it’s good to know that you can throw to more routes than ever before. Elsewhere, the improved play-action, new quarterback avoidance moves, and quick pass animations also bolster the aerial attack.

The passing game is also improved because the linebackers’ jumping abilities have been toned down. This means you can finally throw medium-ranged routes around the middle of the field with confidence. That being said, defenses aren’t at a loss in NCAA 13; you have to be careful with the ball. When a defensive back is visually tracking the quarterback and the receiver, they’ll aggressively jump routes for interceptions. This is great, but the flipside is that receivers are still too passive, never challenging for the ball and thus having a disadvantage in jump ball situations. NCAA’s offensive and defensive balance is also maintained by the fact that receivers drop more balls outside of their normal catch radius and lose more contested balls than in previous years.

The on-the-field gameplay sells this game, but scouting in NCAA’s Dynasty mode is another important addition. The mechanic is straightforward, where you’re granted information for the more time you put into it, but I like how scouting and recruiting work together. You can uncover gems and busts, which in turn influences where those players are on your recruit board. However, I still think the recruiting feature needs more points distinction among the different pitches you give recruits, and overall Dynasty mode needs to be injected with some color and personality.

Similarly, both Road to Glory and the new Heisman Challenge (where you can play and unlock Heisman campaign seasons for historic winners of the trophy in a player-focused format like Road to Glory) introduce a new mechanic that offers a limited boost. Reaction Time is a replenishing resource based on your players’ awareness meter that lets you slow down play in real-time. I didn’t mind this gimmick in the Road to Glory/Heisman Challenge context, because at least it makes these modes more fun than they normally are.

NCAA games are always different from year to year, but this year’s additions are noticeable improvements. NCAA 13 doesn’t take the kind of giant leap forward that will be noticed by the masses, but it’s an installment that will be built upon and which we will look back at as a key moment in the franchise’s larger history.

NCAA 13 Sights & Sounds Trailer

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NCAA 13 Dynasty Trailer

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NCAA 13 Makes Its Dynasty Pitch

2012-05-07T19:39:00Z

NCAA's Dynasty mode is at the heart of the game's college football experience, and updates for NCAA 13 hope to make the week-to-week recruit pitching process more accurate.

Like I've done for NCAA 13's gameplay updates in our previous preview, some of the game's new Dynasty tweaks are listed in this easy-to-read format. Be sure to also check out the new screens in the gallery below as well as the trailer at the end of the page.

Last year's game added the coaching carousel and tweaked its recruiting system, and NCAA 13 goes a crucial step further by improving the accuracy of your school's pitch grades to recruits. The basics of the feature are the same, but the team is making a better effort to improve the information that drives those pitches.

RECRUITING

In NCAA 12, your team's BCS ranking the previous season determined many of your school's pitch grades. Developer EA Tiburon figured out that using old BCS rankings didn't produce very realistic results when it came to trying to entice recruits. Therefore, many of the pitch grades for your school are now updated weekly to offer more accurate grades.

For instance, instead of basing your Championship Contender pitch grade on last year's BCS ranking, now it's updated weekly based on your current performance. Specifically, the behind-the-scenes calculations look at how your team projects out four years into the future, and also takes into account who you've just signed, who you're recruiting, and who's left the program.

There are 14 pitch types in NCAA Football 13, including a new one. Here are highlights of just some of the changes that have been made to a few of the pitches. This list is not exhaustive.

Playing Style (New): Now you can pitch potential recruits on how your team playing style may be a good fit for their skill set.
Coach Prestige: The grades are distributed NCAA wide so there is less lumping of coaches around certain grades.
Coach Stability: This combines the old Coach Loyalty and Program Stability pitches and takes into account factors like your years at the school, current job security percentage, and penalizes you if you work your way up and leave for a better program.
Conference Prestige: Formerly static, now it ranks all the teams in the conference and takes the average grade of the top 6 schools. Also figures in the toughest places to play, as well as overall W/L record of the conference – including cross-conference results as they happen.
TV Exposure: Now tied to the team and not the coach. Updated weekly.
Pro Potential: Runs mock drafts to project how players in your program may enter the NFL. It also takes into account your school's draft results from the past four years. The Pro Potential projection runs in the offseason and takes into account transfers, promises you've made to players, etc.
Tradition: Instead of being based on an old BCS ranking, this grade uses your number of overall wins, bowl game appearances, and national championships.
Proximity to Home: Adds a hometown bonus for local prospects and the potential that a freshman on your team gets homesick and leaves the program.

SCOUTING

For the first time, you will be able to scout recruits to find out important info about them such as their attribute ratings. Like almost all the features in the game, this can be done from your computer's browser as well.

OTHER DYNASTY TIDBITS

You now have a better chance of breaking into a recruits' top ten schools list because the AI will no longer clutter that list with schools that are only there because of their high prestige. If you put the time and effort into recruiting a kid, you'll pop up on their radar.
Player Promises are available to you from the start.
Athletes can be head-and-shoulders above other players at certain positions instead of just a little better. Furthermore, some athlete recruits will be triple threats at three positions.
There are no more random topics where you talk about something that the recruit is possibly not interested in. Instead there are Prospect's Choice calls where they talk about a topic that matters to them.

ETC.

The Broyles Award is available for the best assistant coach.
Custom Playbooks have been bug fixed and improved so that there's no minimum number of plays required.
ESPN's Rece Davis will give updates on other games as they occur (also in your online dynasty), including Heisman alerts, noting when a player is having a big game, upsets, etc. Davis' updates will then trigger commentary by Brad Nessler about how these games might affect your BCS standing, whether it's a rival school, and more.

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NCAA Football 13 hits the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 on July 10.

NCAA Football 13 Strengthens Its Aerial Attack

2012-04-17T19:00:00Z

NCAA Football 13 developer EA Tiburon is addressing both legacy issues and introducing new elements to this year's game thanks to some exciting gameplay changes on both sides of the ball.

NCAA 13 gameplay designer Larry Richart says that the gameplay team has doubled in size and that the title contains "the most gameplay changes we've made in the console generation."

This is just the tip of the iceberg for the game announcements, so be sure to check back in the future for details on Dynasty mode and more. Don't forget to check out the screenshot gallery at the bottom for some new shots as well.

THE PASSING GAME

Like an inexperienced QB, past NCAA titles have struggled in the passing game. Because of either super-jumping linebackers or poor accuracy, QBs could only consistently throw to a few areas on the field, which limited your options in the passing game. Add in the ineffectiveness of play-action plays, and even a 2nd and five could feel like a third and long.

To improve this, EA has added over 20 new pass zones on the field, as well as a variety of ball speeds and trajectories. This should hopefully avoid moon balls as well as create more areas to put in the ball in around the field – including more medium-ranged passes. Accordingly, a pass out of the backfield looks and feels different than a hook route or a screen, and deep outs are different than slants.

Improved player-controlled ball placement with the left analog stick, such as leading receivers on slants, throwing it high for jump balls, and fades. You've been able to use the left analog stick in passing in previous games, but this year the ball placement – and the catches associated with them – let you put the ball in more places where defenders can't reach it.

After the snap, the passing icons for your receivers are grayed out until the receiver reaches the point in the route where he expects the ball or is actually looking at the QB. EA created exceptions for when teams execute corner blitzes or the receiver beats a jam at the line of scrimmage and is suddenly open. When these circumstances happen, then their icon will light up like normal. This doesn't mean you can't throw to a receiver whose icon is gray or that you can’t lead the receiver or throw into space; it simply creates a more realistic window of when the receiver is able to catch the ball because of when he's expecting it. Taking control of the receiver overrides the icon system regardless.

NCAA 12 had four different dropback animations. NCAA 13 has 20, including one- to seven-step drops, some of which happen much faster than the standard drops from last year. In general, quarterback moves like dropbacks, throw-on-the-run animations, shovel passes, and pitches take less time to complete. EA Tiburon says it wants your moves as a QB to be less jittery to allow for better pocket shapes and user control.

NCAA 13 introduces receiver-specific pump fakes, with different fakes for whether the quarterback is you're inside or outside of the pocket. Like the other QB actions, pump fakes unfold faster. Say goodbye to the drawn-out jump/spin pump fake.

Play action has been a weak spot for both the Madden and NCAA franchises for years now, as the run fake gave defenses plenty of time to beat the blocks and meet the quarterback in the backfield before he had a chance to scan his receivers. For NCAA 13, EA Tiburon is trying to make play-action viable with quicker handoffs and the handy ability to abort the handoff before it occurs by hitting right trigger. When this happens the running back automatically starts blocking. EA is also adding more plays where tight ends chip block defensive ends before releasing into a pass pattern to give play-action plays more of a chance to develop.

A new catching system features more than 430 new catch animations, which hopefully means fewer balls going right into the facemask. This list includes some that were in previous titles but weren't occurring. The developer also wants to allow more user catches, so player control of receivers has been slowed down slightly so you can get receivers in better position for user catches.

If the intended receiver is still within five yards from the line of scrimmage and is looking at the QB, the QB will automatically perform a quick shovel pass instead of a big windup throw.

EA has cleaned up the animation for option pitches to address getting tackled in mid-pitch and to fix the ball morphing through the body. The distance between the running back and the quarterback is also taken into account.

Quarterbacks can get out of potential sacks in the pocket with a new eight-direction QB avoidance system. This allows them to shrug off, sidestep, spin out of, or duck to avoid a sack.

DEFENSE

In NCAA 13, defenders do not react to passes unless they turn their head to locate the ball or they react directly to a receiver's movements.

Different defenders cover receivers using different techniques. Some play off a receiver, allowing them to see the ball better and react to plays like slants. Others play more underneath coverage knowing they have safety help over the top. Defenders also engage in hand fighting with receivers as they both run down the field. Defensive backs can even knock the ball out of a receiver’s hand after the initial catch.

EA has rebuilt the pre-snap defensive alignments from scratch. They are now based on mirroring what the offensive is doing in order to get the best matchups. Defenses now adjust to counter to unbalanced offensive formations, and they also better disguise whether their defensive coverage is man or zone.

SPECIAL TEAMS, PLAYCALLING, ETC.

EA has adjusted punt and kick-off coverage lanes to keep players from bunching up. The receiving teams also have better wall setups than in past years.

AI-controlled playcalling shows more variance by flipping plays, cutting down on the re-using of plays, and incorporating more team-specific tendencies such as spread offenses in the red zone or at the goal line.

The controller layout for NCAA and Madden are synchronized so they are the same between the two games.

Coming Out Of The Tunnel

2012-04-02T19:00:00Z

Many ways exist to improve a yearly franchise like NCAA Football, and the development team at EA Tiburon has a number of things on its wish list for NCAA Football 13. Today it unveiled the first details about the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 title coming on June 10.

For those of you wondering about all-important gameplay changes for NCAA 13 – don't worry – they are forthcoming. EA Sports tells us big changes are in store for the passing game, but for the first batch of details the studio wanted to focus on presentation changes.

TRADITION

Different football programs' various traditions and quirks are some of the things that makes college football so fun, and EA Tiburon is always looking for more ways to tap into the college vibe.

NCAA 13 does this in a couple ways. Building on the school-specific touches from previous years, NCAA 13 adds USC's Song Girls as well as Texas' distinctly dressed cheerleaders. New mascots are coming to the sidelines as well, including the Texas A&M dog Reveille, and mascots are being given new antics like parachuting into stadiums. Since Battlefield 3 borrowed elements of the ANT animation system EA Sports uses for its titles, DICE returned the favor by allowing EA Tiburon to use its paratrooper animations to make sure the airborne drops look right.

Ever since the introduction of rivalry trophies, fans of the series have clamored for celebration sequences for these emotional victories. This year players grab the trophies in jubilation, whether it be the Old Brass Spittoon that Michigan and Indiana play for or the BCS trophy.

UNIFORMS

Schools use of multiple alternate uniforms (like Nike's Pro Combat unis) are great for the fans, but it creates a moving target for EA Tiburon as it attempts to keep up with an unveiling process shrouded in secrecy by the schools. Although the day-one disc includes some of the alternate uniforms being used in the upcoming season, the development team is still considering the right way to deliver the unannounced jerseys. EA wouldn't clarify whether it plans to sell these as paid-DLC or release them via free updates.

GRAPHICS

NCAA 13 builds on the foundation of NCAA 12 improvements by improving to the high-dynamic range (HDR) lighting introduced last year. This brings more depth and variation to colors on the field, brightening them as they are bathed in light and dimming them when players pass through shadows.

The game also introduces motion-blur and evolving lighting passes that occur per play instead of only at the beginning of a new quarter. The time of day no longer suddenly skips forward from bright sun to dusk at the beginning of the third quarter.

While the addition of motion-blur could be one of those small details that ends up making a big difference, these additions could also end up being just minor blips for the back of the game box.

AUDIO

In past NCAA titles, EA Tiburon recorded the crowd audio by rounding up a group of developers in the studio's nearby parking garage for the echo and having everyone yell their lungs out. The resulting audio was then padded out in the studio.

NCAA 13's crowd audio is being created with a new crowd mix using tech from EA Canada that integrates ESPN's on-field audio feed. The difference between the two is noticeable, with this year's crowd chants containing more depth of sound. Specifically, I enjoy the fact that you can hear what sounds like random crowd noise mixed in with the chanters, making it sound like a spontaneous, free-form occurrence. In all, EA Tiburon recorded 24 new chants for the game, including specific chants for Ohio State, Pitt, Virginia Tech, LSU, Georgia, Arkansas, and many more.

Most importantly, EA has re-recorded commentary from mainstays Kirk Herbstreit and Brad Nessler. Not only will you hear more lines from each, but EA identified repetitive passages in NCAA 12 (like after sacks, during punts, etc.) and made sure that for NCAA 13 the duo delivers more varied audio during these natural chokepoints. To further diversify the commentary, EA Tiburon is promising more in-game teaching moments by Kirk and Brad, as well as references to previous events in the games. This could be anything from mentioning a blown lead or recalling an early turnover that now holds added significance.

Stay tuned for gameplay details from EA Sports in mid-April.

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