Bill Abner's first Head Coach Impressions

[Step2001]

Head Coach use the Madden 08 engine (next gen)!

This is why people who review games need to read about what they are playing. Also need to be into the game. Because if they are not, then their overall attitude about the game comes of with negative tones.

Just saying to much info & making out like the off season stuff is tedious. Has to send shutters down interested gamers who still have bad flashbacks about the first H.C.!

It's the second time we have read that Head Coach has to much info and the person playing the game is/seems to be overwhelmed.

Come on! This is not Madden! This is a "Sim" Football game!

[swaldo]

Let's chill on Bill. Trust me, he is the one person we want checking out this game. I have read his posts for years and this dude is a total football gaming nerd (in a good way.) His opinions are always spot on and he is very intelligent. He has the balls to tell EA their new shining star isn't so bright two weeks prior to release! In fact OXM and EGM totally missed the slider issue in their Madden reviews. With that said it's good to hear things are looking good so far and I look forward to more impressions.

Note to Bill: I could not read your blog so I'm glad someone posted it here. I am using Internet Explore version 7.0.5730.13.

Question for Bill: Could you keep an eye out for rushes with negative yardage? I posted here awhile back that they were too high in the 2 full games EA posted. I counted 29% rushes for negative yardage as compared to 9% which is the NFL average. The link to that post is below but it's long winded. Thanks!

Running game is BUSTED!

[GridironGamer]

Quote: Originally Posted by Bill_Abner

It wasn't a complaint as much as it was a surprise. I'm fine with data. I play as many text sims as anyone here -- it's just a very 'heavy' game for something on a console. This screams for a PC interface. Plus, there is, it seems at first glance, a lot of busywork if you decide to do everything, but you can sim steps if you wish. I plan on simming the daily practice sessions, for instance. As for the ratings, this is true. I simply jumped into the game without looking at too much so if that is the case with the ratings then that makes more sense. Well, sorta. A 23 ovr rating is insanely low. No one else on the roster is anywhere near that. I can buy the Dorsey playbook thing, and that's pretty cool if that's how it works. Are you guys able to read the blog with IE7 btw? Blogger is acting mighty odd tonight.

This is my only negative so far, no PC So ideal it is for the PC.

[JRod]

Quote: Originally Posted by JBucc

I hope they didn't go too far with the system ratings. I don't want to bring in Adrian Peterson and have him become a scrub because we run a different scheme. And there is NO system in which Ken Dorsey is better than Brady Quinn.

But this is football. If you were to put Terrell Davis in the Lions blocking scheme he probably wouldn't be that good of the back. If you put Sanders in the Bronco running scheme he probably would be very good but maybe not excel.

Ratings aren't the important right now. After madden, if HC can get the core of the game right without any balance or gameplay issues, HC will be a very strong title.

[ahunter5]

Too much information? Overthrows? Reading that the ratings actually change based on the system?

I'm in. I truly can't wait for this game.

[Cubfan]

Thanks for the impression Bill i truely can't wait to get my hands on Head Coach. I don't mind have alot of info it just means i may be writing stuff down so i don't forget. Glad to hear about QB's over throwing their wide recivers.

[SlyBelle]

Quote: Originally Posted by Bill_Abner

It wasn't a complaint as much as it was a surprise. I'm fine with data. I play as many text sims as anyone here -- it's just a very 'heavy' game for something on a console. This screams for a PC interface. Plus, there is, it seems at first glance, a lot of busywork if you decide to do everything, but you can sim steps if you wish. I plan on simming the daily practice sessions, for instance. As for the ratings, this is true. I simply jumped into the game without looking at too much so if that is the case with the ratings then that makes more sense. Well, sorta. A 23 ovr rating is insanely low. No one else on the roster is anywhere near that. I can buy the Dorsey playbook thing, and that's pretty cool if that's how it works. Are you guys able to read the blog with IE7 btw? Blogger is acting mighty odd tonight.

Bill, I can't see your blog in IE7 either. It was working yesterday but can't see it today.

[Bill_Abner]

Not sure what is up with Blogger.

"Step2001" sorry I seemingly ticked you off by the PS2 comment but it was just my first impression when loading the game engine. It didn't look like Madden 08, if that's what you are getting at. You get different camera angles, and I was viewing my game from the Press Box. I'm fairly certain that my football gaming "steet cred" allows me to review a game like this seeing as I've played FOF (every edition), Deep Route.com's new game, Bowl Bound, FOF: The College years, Haffner's games, Total Control Football, going all the way back to FPS Football in the early 90s and to boardgames before that. This is very much my kind of game.

I played the first Head Coach. This is nothing like that game. I personally don't care what the graphics are like in a game like this but from the camera angles that you get (you don't get the normal "madden view" from what I can tell) the game looks more like an HD PS2 game than what I remember Madden 08 looking like. Again, that might just be the camera I'm using--or old age memory loss. That's quite possible, too.

Anyway, I should have time later this evening to play some more. I need to attend a youth soccer coach clinic this afternoon so hopefully later today Blogger will be back up and running for me and I'll get some TV time with HC.

I do love that I can play 15 minute quarter games with the fast clock. It's nice not having to use 8 minute quarters.

As for ratings, I dunno how it's doing it. I'll have to look more closely. I still think a rookie drafted in the 3rd round with a 23 looks odd when no one else on the team is close to a rating that low (his potential is like a 30). That might be an anomoly though. I haven't looked at any other team. And yes, this would really shine on the PC. I really miss not having a mouse and a spreadsheet-like interface for a game with this much going on.

[Josh_Looman]

Quote: Originally Posted by Bill_Abner

Not sure what is up with Blogger. "Step2001" sorry I seemingly ticked you off by the PS2 comment but it was just my first impression when loading the game engine. It didn't look like Madden 08, if that's what you are getting at. You get different camera angles, and I was viewing my game from the Press Box. I'm fairly certain that my football gaming "steet cred" allows me to review a game like this seeing as I've played FOF (every edition), Deep Route.com's new game, Bowl Bound, FOF: The College years, Haffner's games, Total Control Football, going all the way back to FPS Football in the early 90s and to boardgames before that. This is very much my kind of game. I played the first Head Coach. This is nothing like that game. I personally don't care what the graphics are like in a game like this but from the camera angles that you get (you don't get the normal "madden view" from what I can tell) the game looks more like an HD PS2 game than what I remember Madden 08 looking like. Again, that might just be the camera I'm using--or old age memory loss. That's quite possible, too. Anyway, I should have time later this evening to play some more. I need to attend a youth soccer coach clinic this afternoon so hopefully later today Blogger will be back up and running for me and I'll get some TV time with HC. I do love that I can play 15 minute quarter games with the fast clock. It's nice not having to use 8 minute quarters. As for ratings, I dunno how it's doing it. I'll have to look more closely. I still think a rookie drafted in the 3rd round with a 23 looks odd when no one else on the team is close to a rating that low (his potential is like a 30). That might be an anomoly though. I haven't looked at any other team. And yes, this would really shine on the PC. I really miss not having a mouse and a spreadsheet-like interface for a game with this much going on.

Thanks for the feedback, Bill. I'll respond to a few of your points...

Martin Rucker being a 23 is a bug. I'm fixing that with the roster update. For some reason, I accidently gave him really low ratings for some of his key attributes. He's fixed now.

I'm also bumping up Quinn over Dorsey. Dorsey is now around a 65 while Quinn is about a 79.

I bumped Rogers, too but our game is a little different than Madden. Rogers is rated a little lower because I'm not sure he's a true 3-4 DT. I've heard they may even play him with Corey Williams at DE. That's how the system stuff works. Rogers also has a lower learning rating than most because he seems to struggle picking up new schemes (at least that's what I've read). That will drop his overall.

If you have any other weird roster issues, let me know so I can check into them Monday.

I'm glad you're having fun with the game. I would suggest you grab the roster update on August 12th. I promise that your roster issues will be addressed.

As for the camera angles, we did add a camera angle that is similar to Madden, but is a little bit closer to the field. Have you tried that one? One of the complaints from the first game was that the camera angles felt like you were playing Madden, so we wanted to make sure we had some different angles to choose from.

[Bill_Abner]

Quote: Originally Posted by Josh_Looman

Thanks for the feedback, Bill. I'll respond to a few of your points... Martin Rucker being a 23 is a bug. I'm fixing that with the roster update. For some reason, I accidently gave him really low ratings for some of his key attributes. He's fixed now. I'm also bumping up Quinn over Dorsey. Dorsey is now around a 65 while Quinn is about a 79.

Hi Josh, thanks for clearing this up. The Rucker thing had me baffled and to be honest I'm glad it was a mistake rather than an intentional decision. That 23 was really throwing me for a loop. And yeah, I agree with the change for Dorsey. I know that if DA gets hurt, and Quinn ends up being a bust...if we have to use Ken Dorsey as the starter -- we're done.

Quote:

I bumped Rogers, too but our game is a little different than Madden. Rogers is rated a little lower because I'm not sure he's a true 3-4 DT. I've heard they may even play him with Corey Williams at DE. That's how the system stuff works. Rogers also has a lower learning rating than most because he seems to struggle picking up new schemes (at least that's what I've read). That will drop his overall.

Rogers is a mystery. And ratings are a very, very subjective thing. I really doubt we use him at DE (man I hope not...) but it's a valid question as to whether he'll be the middle plug that the Browns need. I think it's more a question of desire to play than a question of talent but when you have an X factor like that I can see how it would be tough to rate him.

Quote:

If you have any other weird roster issues, let me know so I can check into them Monday.

I'll look at it later today. I just remember seeing Greg Spires at DE and he left the Browns back in 2001, I think. Isn't he in Oakland? Or did he retire? Like you said, the roster update will probably fix that stuff. And I'm not that much of a roster stickler -- I can easily cut Spires and just move on.

Quote:

As for the camera angles, we did add a camera angle that is similar to Madden, but is a little bit closer to the field. Have you tried that one? One of the complaints from the first game was that the camera angles felt like you were playing Madden, so we wanted to make sure we had some different angles to choose from.

I think I'm going to use the overheads cams -- maybe stick with Press Box. I like that 'entire field' view more than the up close angles. I have a hard time seeing the field with those cams.

As weird as it sounds, the fact that the game has bad throws that aren't always deflected, dropped, or picked makes me extremely happy. My game time has been nil so far (one half of a preseason game) but I really liked the flow of the games. There is going to be a lot to digest though.

Question: what is the best way to meet some of the GM goals? One of my goals was to get a backup OG to a certain knowledge level. I don't see a way to specify that player during practices. How is that done?