Hot and Cold Players in NCAA Football 14

EA SPORTS Game Changers are high-profile members of the EA SPORTS community who use their expert knowledge of our games to inform, entertain, and assist others. Today's Game Changers blog comes to us from “Paakaa10” from UnderTheCode.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Paakaa10

Players go on hot and cold streaks in football, and the same is true in NCAA Football 14. Now you can see which players are “Hot” and “Cold” over the course of the game by checking the “Coach Cam” before snapping the ball. This is similar to the “Dynamic Player Performance” seen in the Madden NFL franchise over the past few years, but with a different twist.

At the beginning of a game, before any “Hot” or “Cold” trends have been established, all of your players will be at the same “normal” state. When you access the “Coach Cam” by pushing R2 on PS3 or RT on Xbox 360, push the Right Analog Stick down to “Show My Hot/Cold,” as seen in the screenshot above. All of the players are in their “normal” state, so they all show with a grey circle underneath them.

The same Hot and Cold Player display is available on the defensive side of the ball. Identifying which players are “Hot” or “Cold” will allow you to see your strengths and weaknesses on both sides of the ball, and reveal what to focus on in order to perform on the field.

In the screenshot above, notice the halfback’s player circle in the “Coach Cam” view is yellow, reflecting that the player is getting warm as a result of some positive carries on Tulsa’s first drive of the game.

With a touchdown on the board and the offense back on the field, Tulsa’s quarterback is now “Warm,” and the halfback has “upgraded” to “Hot” with a red player circle. Players that are really performing well will display a pulsing red player circle.

Keep playing well and more players will get in on the Hot and Cold act. With a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, both the quarterback and halfback are hot and the offensive linemen are growing warm, as well. Even a receiver on this play is warm, Tulsa is in complete control early.

It’s not always going to be easy for your players to earn those yellow and red player circles Against a tougher opponent in Oklahoma, Tulsa’s wide receiver has a blue player circle to indicate that he is Cold and struggling. The Golden Hurricane are driving but trailing, and some drops by the receiver have shaken his confidence. If he is unable to step up, he will continue to regress and you may even consider taking him out of the game.

If you manage to put together a stunning upset on the road, your Hot and Cold player display will clearly reflect it. With the Sooners facing fourth down late in the game, Tulsa’s defense is glowing across the board. With a display like the screenshot above, it should come as no surprise that Tulsa forced a turnover on downs and ran out the clock.

Keeping track of your Hot and Cold Players is just one of the new “Coach Cam” tools available in NCAA Football 14. Being aware of when your players are having great games and when a player might need to be coached up will be of the utmost importance if you hope to win it all this year!

 

NCAA Football 14 is now available for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Buy your copy today and #PLAYTRUE.