Pastapadre Online Dynasty Update Weeks 1-3
July 28, 2008 by pastapadre · 15 Comments
Once the Pastapadre Online Dynasty was resurrected it was back to concentrating on playing. The non-functioning screenshot uploading feature (which seems to be an isolated problem just occurring with the OD ones) had delayed this first recap in the hopes that it would be fixed. But as it has not I wanted to update on the first three weeks anyway and bring everyone up to speed on where things are at.
The top rated team currently is Clemson at #8 and four other teams are in the top 25. Only two teams have losses on their record but as the schedule progresses and the vastly over-matched FCS teams become no longer a factor the potential to see more teams taking a hit will be there. Week four is already open and you can follow along throughout the dynasty in the forum.
Padre vs Fred Challenge Through Four Games
July 27, 2008 by pastapadre · 7 Comments
As Fred took a 3-0 lead with a rout of Georgia by Florida it was absolutely necessary that I come up with a victory in game four to avoid the sweep. We have a history of going on streaks against each other so even though it would be a long shot I wasn’t ready to admit defeat in the series. With Clemson at home against Auburn it took a conservative and efficient effort and one big play to finally break through with the win. Continue on for a short recap, highlight videos, and poll to determine the game five match-up.
NCAA Football 09 Wii Impressions
July 26, 2008 by pastapadre · 15 Comments
As the first of the All-Play titles it was pretty obvious that EA Sports didn’t have much confidence in NCAA Football 09 for the Wii. I even noted that a while back when EA was showing off the whole All-Play lineup…except for NCAA. Even feature wise it didn’t match up lacking the online component that the others had.
I took a different approach with this game (and will do the same with all Wii titles) going into it looking for something different. Would it provide a quick paced and fun experience? Few hardcore sports gamers are only going to have a Wii. It’s much more likely that someone would pick up the Wii version as a complimentary title to one they’ve already purchased for the 360 or PS3. So head-to-head would be a focus, areas such as the mini and mascot games would need to provide enjoyment, and how well the controls worked would be critical.
Continue on to read my initial thoughts on the Wii version of NCAA Football 09 along with a gameplay video.
Update on NCAA Football 09 Issues
July 25, 2008 by pastapadre · 105 Comments
The roster editing patch is currently in certification at Microsoft and Sony. There is no specific day the patch will be approved and pushed out but it should not be too long now, possibly by the end of next week.
The second patch, which is intended to improve different gameplay elements, is still in the evaluation period. Right now a reasonable expectation on when this patch will arrive is September. So far it will include fixes to sliders, improvements to kick/punt return coverage, and various tuning to areas such as zone coverages, man vs RBs, and strafe catching. There will be more included in the patch but as of now those are the things that are confirmed.
The issues with Online Dynasty have been identified and some fixes have been implemented that should prevent them from occuring in the future. This didn’t require a patch as it was server related. Anyone who has a dynasty that they are locked out of where it boots you back to the menu screen can leave your gamertags (commish preferred) in the comments and I’ll pass them along as they may be able to recover the dynasty.
No word yet on a fix for the uploading of online dynasty screenshots. It is apparently being looked into.
Online Dynasty Resurrected
July 21, 2008 by pastapadre · 41 Comments
After the utter disappointment of today comes some reason for hope. After investigating issues with the online dynasties throughout the day EA was able to remove a couple rogue files from my dynasty’s locker. Everything now loads up fine and appears to be accurate up to the point where the problems began. The Pastapadre Online Dynasty may attempt to advance to week two late tonight or in the early morning.
While this was just a temporary solution, and there is no guarantee the same problem won’t occur again, it is encouraging. Hopefully they’ll be able to restore all the damaged dynasties while finding a permanent fix very soon.
Online Dynasty Disaster
July 21, 2008 by pastapadre · 108 Comments
Online Dynasty in NCAA Football 09 was shaping up to be to be one of, if not the best new feature in a sports game in years. It had a true next-gen feel to it and into just the first week of the feature it had rejuvenated my interest in playing games against the CPU. The ability to have most of the games against the CPU offered the flexibility to progress a dynasty smoothly (unlike online leagues) while keeping the interactivity of having other users involved made it an exciting proposition.
Unfortunately the biggest feature for the game doesn’t appear to work right, as numerous reports of different things happening to wreck dynasties have been reported. That is the case with the Pastapadre Online Dynasty, which before week one could even be completed has seen an early death. I can no longer load into the dynasty as it just bumps me back to the main menu, and looking at the settings from the outside shows completely inaccurate settings and sliders.
Needless to say this is one of the most frustrating developments I’ve ever experienced when it comes to sports gaming. Previous years have brought terrible online performance though that was corrected with 09. Now the most anticipated and hyped feature doesn’t function correctly. And for those that haven’t had problems yet they’ll have to face anxiety each time they load it up. Not exactly the experience that was promised.
Along with the Online Dynasty problems there are a few other areas of concern, though minor in comparison. The Weather Channel feature hasn’t seemed to function since day one and the uploading of screenshots lately have not been working (though videos remain fine for whatever reason).
At this point even a patch can’t salvage the damage that has been done. I have little interest in restarting a dynasty from scratch. A few days ago I stated how enjoyable the game and new features were and how that would keep me playing through the release of Madden 09. Now it looks as though that won’t be happening.
I’m truely crushed by this development. I’m not sure where to go from here.
Padre vs Fred Challenge Game Two
July 18, 2008 by pastapadre · 22 Comments
The challenge continues against Fred from Sportsgamer with game two of our NCAA Football 09 series. Heading into this game Fred held a 1-0 lead after surviving a dramatic ending in the Navy vs Air Force game.
The voting from the last poll dictated that Illinois vs Michigan would be played, which meant I would be taking Michigan at home. This was another game filled with anxious moments. Continue on for a recap and highlights as well as a new poll to vote on what teams will be used in game three.
Community Event Impact on NCAA Football 09
July 17, 2008 by pastapadre · 48 Comments
One of the biggest benefits to the early community events is being able to provide input that can be acted upon. This is the first year with the football titles in which that opportunity has been available. So it’s important to look back at what was mentioned coming out of the first event for NCAA Football 09 and see how much impact it actually had on the final product.
The game was reeled in from then to now and I have somewhat mixed feelings on that. It was much more “wide-open” originally which provided a greater feel that anything could happen at any time which I enjoyed. But the frustration of realizing the defense couldn’t get any stops started to build along with how many interceptions were being returned for touchdowns. Now the game is more constrained, and while keeping the possibility that “anything can happen” it just does so much less frequently. Playing defense can still be frustrating but not because of allowing big plays, instead because stopping the short safe ones consistently is unlikely.
Continue on to read quotes from my event impressions and my feelings on those areas now. For reference you can check out impressions from the first event through parts one and two. How much was acted upon based on the feedback that was given?
Pastapadre vs Fred Sports Game Challenge
July 16, 2008 by pastapadre · 19 Comments
In what will be a challenge throughout various upcoming sports titles, Fred from SportsGamer and I will be playing a series with each game for bragging rights all the while getting the community involved and recapping the outcomes. First up is NCAA Football 09 which will be a seven game series.
Game one was Navy (PP) @ Air Force (Fred). Continue on for a short recap and highlights. There is also a poll for choosing Thursday’s match-up which will feature two teams from the Big 10.
NCAA Football 09 Patch News
July 16, 2008 by pastapadre · 51 Comments
A patch for NCAA Football 09 to fix editing issues is on the way. The expected time for the patch to go live is 5-10 days from now according to a producer post on Operation Sports. To make this time frame it would appear that Microsoft and Sony would be giving the certification of this patch priority. I wouldn’t count on it being pushed out that quickly (seems awful optimistic) but it is good news to know that they are actively attempting to get it out as soon as possible.
Only two things will be fixed with this patch. The bug that causes the game to freeze when editing players as well as how depth charts reorder after editing a player.
Apparently this will not adversely affect any ongoing dynasties that have used named rosters. A patch to improve various gameplay elements and address other issues is planned for the future.
