Now that we have announced the full broadcast integration of both ESPN and CBS Sports into NCAA Basketball 10, Producer Sean Campbell is here to elaborate on what you can expect to see and hear with these new presentation packages.
This is the first time that an EA SPORTS title has had full ESPN in game presentation and the first time any sports game has had CBS Sports integration. It is also the first time that a sports game has had the option to choose your presentation package, complete with different announcing teams. ESPN covers over 500 college basketball games per year and CBS Sports has been broadcasting the tournament since 1982. Knowing this we feel that the integration of these leading brands evoke a strong emotional response when seen in game and will provide you with a greater level of authenticity and immersion. With all of these changes and innovations there is obviously going to be a lot you have never seen before, let's break it down and walk through all of the different presentation elements that make up what you will see and hear in NCAA Basketball 10.
Audio
One of the first things you will probably notice when you enter into either type of presentation package is the music. ESPN and CBS Sports coverage of college basketball have legendary signature tunes that instantly remind people of college basketball and March Madness. It was a must that we had the authentic music that both broadcasts use to help set the tone for a college broadcast as well as help to help lay the foundation for differentiation between the two broadcasts. Both sets of music really help set the stage and will definitely stir up the feeling of that comes along with exciting college basketball.
Your ears are not done working after the music stops. College basketball has great announcers that are synonymous with the sport and we have assembled a collection of the best around. D1ck Vitale, Brad Nessler and Erin Andrews are back calling your ESPN games this year. The ESPN crew recorded 2000+ new samples which makes their commentary fresher, less repetitive and ensures they can speak to all of the new gameplay elements that will be taking place after tip off (more on this in Novell's gameplay blog). We had a lot of community feedback on the ESPN announcing team's commentary and we've spent time on addressing some of the issues like repetitive calls, but for the most part the new samples really help to freshen up the sound of this stellar team.
If you've seen/heard the NCAA Basketball 10 attract video then you can start to get a sense of what to expect from Gus Johnson in a CBS Sports broadcast. In game he is paired with broadcast legend Bill Raftery who brings his signature style color commentary to help round out the best new addition of video game commentary this year. These two combined to record over 4000 brand new samples and it sounds amazing in game.
Adding a brand new announcing team in one year was a huge challenge. We had to make sure we had the gameplay basics nailed with enough variation to keep it non-repetitive, but we also had to make sure we covered storylines, dynasty and the NCAA tournament to the best possible degree to give the user a worthwhile experience as well as do Gus and Bill justice. Our audio SE Eric Herbstreit, Connor Dougan and Novell Thomas combed through the commentary every single day for just about the entire cycle making sure we were using everything we recorded and things were sounding broadcast quality.
Overall, with the inclusion of authentic broadcast music, the 2000+ new samples for Vitale and Nessler and the incorporation of a completely new pair of announcers, audio has definitely been taken to the next level for NCAA Basketball 10.
Cameras
Cameras were another major focus for presentation this year. Being that we had full, authentic graphic package art for two of the most recognizable broadcasts, we had to make sure that what we were framing it with and putting in the background was just as authentic. Doing this meant changing/tuning all of the cameras in game. (Click images to view in full screen)
To begin with we added a variation of the broadcast gameplay camera. Along with the standard wide angle broadcast angle, we added a camera with a tighter focus and zoom behavior when the ball enters certain spots on the floor. This camera will be focused tighter when the ball is in the key/post area as well as the top of the screen along with baseline. This will allow you more choice in how you experience the game from the broadcast camera angle depending on what it is you want to see.
We replaced every single secondary camera from NCAA Basketball 09. All the replay, post whistle, post basket and free throw camera angles are new. The positions of these cameras are meant replicate authentic broadcast camera location and behavior. This means you will see more cameras at court level and in places around the stadium where a camera man would be situated during a real live broadcast. There are no more cameras that feel like they are hovering in space providing replay angles that you have never seen on TV before. Everything you see in game will be through the eyes of a camera that you would be used in a television broadcast. The game looks tighter and more authentic and this will really help you immerse yourself in the game and make it more exciting.
With all of the new overlay graphics we have this year, we had to make sure they were given the appropriate backdrop to sit on. All of the full screen graphics are paired with new wide angle cameras similar to what you would see in a television broadcast. While some overlays (mostly pre-game and halftime) are matched with a NIS of players, mascots or cheerleaders.
Overlays, Wipes & Montages
If you have not seen the broadcast integration trailers, take a peek to see some of the overlays and wipes in action. This was one the biggest investments of the whole presentation project. We created two brand new packages from scratch in one year. Usually a presentation package upgrade is one version and evolves in a lot of ways from the previous year. For us, not only were we starting from square one, we were going to double the amount of work that is usually spent on presentation graphics.
Here's just one example to consider helping you get a picture of the amount of work and detail that was involved. Our lead screen artist had to create 2 sets of broadcast specific logo sets (that are used in different overlays and wipes) for every team in the game. That's over 600+ unique pieces of art for logos alone! You'll see these logos in various overlays like National Top 25, player stat pop ups and team/player montage wipes (to name a few).
With this being the first time EA has had the opportunity to get broadcast style overlays and wipes in the game we really wanted to make sure we nailed the functionality and quality that people are used to seeing when they watch college basketball on ESPN and CBS Sports. We had an amazing team of artists, renderers and SE's working on building and implementing all the assets in game. We received tons of source art and animations from ESPN and CBS Sports to help us capture as much detail in the art and animations as possible.
What you see in game aims to replicate what you see on a broadcast. Here are a few examples of overlays you will see at different points in the game.
Pre-game
o Starting lineups
o Players to watch
Halftime
o Keys to the game update
o 1st half stats
End of game
o Players of the game
o Replay montage with score
In game
o National and Conference Rankings
o Player stat pop-ups
o Team stats
o Individual current game stats and averages (when in dynasty)
We also re-skinned every EA SPORTS gameplay pop up and menu that you see in game that is specific to the game. For example: play calling, pause menu, timeout menu, coach PIP.
(Note: If you make roster edits to names or appearances you will see those changes reflected in overlays anywhere you see a player head or a place for a player name, one example being starting lineups.)
Replay montages were another element we added in game that really add a lot of production value and are key pieces in helping you to follow storylines throughout the game. Along with your standard single highlight replay (with replay wipe and speech commentary) there are montages that show a collection of a certain type of replay based on how the teams are performing. If a team is shooting a high % from 3 there will be a 3 point shooting montage, if a player is taking over the game you'll see a montage with his highlights, if your whole team is playing well you'll get a team montage. There are numerous different variations of montages that can be shown, each with their own specific wipe and speech commentary, and they really add another layer the stories that are unfolding every time you play a game.
There are also general highlight montages that play along with the broadcast music and speech commentary at the end of each half and when a timeout is called. These montages really help to give the game time to breathe as you enjoy some highlights from your game.
People who watch college basketball are used to seeing and extracting info out of the score overlays and montages during the games they watch on ESPN and CBS Sports. We had to nail this functionality and be true to the broadcast in order to make it authentic and easy to gather info and make changes based on that information. It is also a lot of fun knowing that the stats showing up in the ESPN or CBS Sports broadcasted game you are playing are a direct result of you playing a game or working through a dynasty. ESPN and CBS Sports are recording and surfacing YOUR stats, YOUR team's averages, YOUR work.
As you can see there is a lot to see and hear in this year's game. Take a look at the screens and the video for a taste of what it looks like in action. Next time I will be talking about presentation in dynasty and the tournament. Thanks for reading.
~Sean