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[Xfire] Chatteox: Hello, and welcome to the Head Coach Dev Chat! The guys from EA will now introduce themselves and start answering your questions. Just ask your questions in the Answer Room and wait for the response in Command Central.
[NFL Head Coach] Jerrold: I am Jerrold, Sr. Product Manager on NFL Head Coach. I have been at EA for almost 1 year. Favorite NFL team -- Da Bears
[NFL Head Coach] Jeremy: Hello, Jeremy Strauser here. I'm the Senior Producer on NFL Head Coach. I work with our designers to make sure that we are building a good game and with the art and engineering teams to make sure that the game is being built as intended. I have been with EA for 11 years now, working on Madden and NCAA previously.
[NFL Head Coach] Jeremy: I'm a life-long Eagles fan.
[NFL Head Coach] Jerrold: Question: Did you meet with all the coaches of the NFL?
Answer: We had an opportunity to interview 30 of the 32 coaches in the NFL to assist with planning for this game.
[NFL Head Coach] Jeremy: Question: djchooch: ![Question]! - What realistic characteristics were made sure to be put in the game to make the effect of you actually feeling like a head coach of a major NFL team?
Answer: We tried to capture everything a coach does, from building a team, game planning and leading the team on the sidelines. We focused on strategy and relationships (trust).
[NFL Head Coach] Jeremy: Question: [LAL]koolman[LGen]: How long did it take to make the game?
Answer: NFL Head Coach was approx and 18 month dev cycle.
[NFL Head Coach] Jerrold: Question: Are all the teams represented equally, or will some have advantages?
Answer: We based the teams on teams in the NFL and rated players accordingly.
[NFL Head Coach] Jeremy: Question: BBizzle: How do you feel about the Chargers this season?
Answer: Rivers looks great so far, and he has great weapons, but letting go of Brees might haunt them.
[NFL Head Coach] Jeremy: Question: djchooch: ![Question]! - What type of graphic rendering program was used to make this game?
Answer: It is an internally developed engine based on the Madden engine.
[NFL Head Coach] Jerrold: Question: Are you trying to target players who aren't fans of Football or fans that want to be the coach?
Answer: We wanted to give people an opportunity to step into the life of a head coach. Every can Monday morning QB, but we wanted to give people the sense of pressure of doing it for real.
[NFL Head Coach] Jerrold: Question: Who were some of the football stars u got to meet?
Answer: Alex Smith, Chad Johnson, Byron Leftwhich, Clinton Portis, Antonio Gates.........
[NFL Head Coach] Jeremy: Question: [Xfire] Pterodactyl Pwner: Do you play any other sports manager games (i.e. Cycling Manager or Football - soccer- Manager)?
Answer: I have yes. I've played some other football games, soccer games and a hockey title --- we felt that even the best here were lacking in terms of production value and overall polish - so our goal was to go beyond just stats and spreadsheets.
[NFL Head Coach] Jeremy: Question: soapflake: is there a lot of video footage in the full version of the game?
Answer: Some, yes. We have 25 reward sequences from Steve Sabol of NFL Films - plus 40 unique draft class intros from Mel Kiper of ESPN.
[NFL Head Coach] Jeremy: Question: AFD KS: What’s the most satisfying part about seeing a project of this scale through to the end? The players playing it? Or knowing you made a great game?
Answer: To me it is seeing the product on the shelves, watching people enjoy it and reading reviews and player feedback (good and bad). It is a huge sense of accomplishment.
[NFL Head Coach] Jerrold: Question: GoldenEye`: are you going to make future head coach games??
Answer: We are still evaluating the feedback from the first one and are not ready to make any announcements concerning future games. Stay tuned!
[NFL Head Coach] Jeremy: Question: djchooch: ![Question]! - If this game took 18 months to make, how many staff members were working on the project all together?
Answer: Our core team is typically between 30-50 people on a game, but it varies at different times of the dev cycle.
[NFL Head Coach] Jerrold: Question: Praetorian: How friendly were most of the NFL stars, did any of them seem like the fame and fortune made them rude and abrasive in behavior?
Answer: The stars that I met were really nice and great to deal with. Most were excited to be playing EA games like Madden NFL 07 and NFL Head Coach
[NFL Head Coach] Jeremy: Question: =HT=Gamma [xfireplus.com]: How does the voice activated commands work? What kind of things can you do with it?
Answer: We use Fonix technology - and we use it to call plays on gameday with voice control, tried to emulate "making the call" as coaches do in real life.
[NFL Head Coach] Jerrold: Question: AFD KS: Can you see this game popular in future years? Will it ever become a classic? And if so, what would make it a classic?
Answer: I love the game and what would make it a classic is the ability to control a franchise and see progress year over year. It is very rewarding to see your strategic planning work to perfection.
[NFL Head Coach] Jeremy: Question: -[aBn].NetGhost^: Question - Why is Tiki Barber's stats so out of wack compared to Shawn Alexander's his overall is 98 Tiki's is 81 Yet they were the top two running backs in the NFL and were not seperated by much?
Answer: Got to remember that we have dynamic attribute ranges, so it sounds like what you are looking at is Alexander at the top of his range and Barber possibly at the bottom of his range - there is no one, always overall rating anymore.
[NFL Head Coach] Jeremy: Answer: BTW - I think LJ and LT might argue for that best RB accolade.
[NFL Head Coach] Jerrold: Question: ĐĐ-ǻƒяø Ŧhµŋďą: Who decided to make a football game with no game play and all strategy and did you think it would be as successful as it has been?
Answer: Fans have been asking for a coaching mode in Madden and even more deep in franchise. NFL Head Coach gives fans what they are looking for and will make games successful.
[NFL Head Coach] Jeremy: Question: BBizzle: Do you believe in the 'Madden Curse', when famous football players are on the cover of a Madden title, their careers spiral downwards?
Answer: Nope, only because I haven't seen a coach or player that does. The NFL is a physical game and if a jinx controls injuries, players would be way more superstitious.
[NFL Head Coach] Jerrold: Question: AFD KS: The Game industry is very competitive - do you think EA are on to a winner with this?
Answer: EA strives to make winners with all the games we put out. If people love coaching and seconding guessing, which they do, we are on to a winning concept.
[NFL Head Coach] Jeremy: Praetorian: Did you get this inspiration from the Owner mode in MLB 2005?
Answer: No (Madden had owner mode too btw) - our core inspiration was other manager sports games + coach mode in older madden pc games. We liked some of the elements and expanded on those quite a bit.
[NFL Head Coach] Jerrold: Question: VÉLØÇîT¥™: In head coach can you go as far as choosing your coaching staff and managing them?
Answer: Yes you can hire and fire your coaching staff. Once you fire someone, you will have to interview a replacement and build your staff.
[NFL Head Coach] Jeremy: Question: AFD KS: What updates can we expect to see for this game as time moves on?
Answer: We updated the rosters upon release and plan to keep them current through the NFL season.
[NFL Head Coach] Jerrold: Question: <3 B-Mak <3: do the developers of games play their own games or is it just not the same excitement if you made it?
Answer: Yes, we play them as we make them and even after release. We even have in studio competitions to see who's the best.
[NFL Head Coach] Jeremy: Question: ĐĐ-ǻƒяø Ŧhµŋďą: What team do you like to coach in the game and who is your favorite player?
Answer: I like to play with the Falcons and get the most out of a great talent like Mike Vick. I also like coaching him to scramble a lot.
[NFL Head Coach] Jeremy: Question: BBizzle: BIG QUESTION: WHATS YOUR SUPERBOWL PREDICTION??
Answer: Personal prediction is Eagles vs. Colts, the Eagles will surprise people and I think Manning will have a huge year.
[NFL Head Coach] Jerrold: Question: BBizzle: BIG QUESTION: WHATS YOUR SUPERBOWL PREDICTION??
Answer: Da Bears (I am a fan what can I say?) and Bengals (if Palmer stays healthy).
[NFL Head Coach] Jeremy: Question: (JLA)МǎńΐΛ12: Did you get any annoyed NFL fans ranting at you and spamming hate mail at all?
Answer: We actually get a lot more positive mail and suggestions than "hate mail" - although fans are certainly passionate about their players' ratings (see Tiki Barber question above).
[NFL Head Coach] Jerrold: Question: =HT=Gamma [xfireplus.com]: Will players be able to start off with a set of pre-made coaches from the team's history, or will they have to start off from scratch?
Answer: There are pre-made coaches, but they do not have history. Players can start off from scratch and create a coach.
[NFL Head Coach] Jeremy: Question: Praetorian: Which do you think is the MOST important in creating a game, the skills of everyone involved or the chemistry and teamwork that goes in to it?
Answer: I think you are asking about our dev team, and if so, it is a mixture of both - we need to balance to make sure we have the right skill sets covered, but teamwork and understanding what we are trying to do is key as well.
[NFL Head Coach] Jerrold: Question: [LAL]koolman[LGen]: What music artist did u get in game music from?
Answer: We used NFL films music.
[NFL Head Coach] Jeremy: Question: VÉLØÇîT¥™: How close does NFL Head Coach come to the real coaching experience?
Answer: I think we do a good job (not great yet) of capturing it. We do a decent job with game planning, roster and coach staff management and game day sideline, but we have plenty more to deliver if we get to do another version.
[NFL Head Coach] Jeremy: Question: RaVeN old xfire: Can u play online, if so what can u do online?
Answer: Yes, of course (Xfire for PC games!) - you can coach head to head using real NFL teams.
[NFL Head Coach] Jerrold: Question: VÉLØÇîT¥™: Would a future head coach game be in store for NBA games or NHL games?
Answer: EA always looks for great opportunities, but we have not made any announcements yet concerning other head coach type games.
[NFL Head Coach] Jeremy: Question: [LAL]koolman[LGen]: if this game gets on G4 tvs xplay what rating do u think they will give it?
Answer: I think they did review it, and they didn't like it - but my guess is they probably didn't spend a lot of time with it and their expectations may have been more for a madden type game than a sports strategy simulation.
[NFL Head Coach] Jerrold: Question: djchooch: ![Question]! - Who first sparked up the idea for the though of being a head coach? Was it a recent idea? Or planned out over time?
Answer: This has been an idea that has come up before from fans requesting a coach mode and has been planned out over time.
[NFL Head Coach] Jeremy: Question: RaVeN old xfire: [Question] Do you enjoying making games and when you were making head coach did you have any arguments?
Answer: I love making games, yes. It is hard work sometimes and there are arguments, but it is arguments over features and design - which is kind of fun too. Jerrold and I argued constantly.
[NFL Head Coach] Jeremy: Question: -[aBn].NetGhost^: Question - Why are some players so much harder to keep at the top of their range and they drop right following a game while others will remain relatively high on theirs over the same period of time?
Answer: Motivation, game results, practice time and who the player is (age, ratings) and trust all really affect this. Yell at a guy with a high trust level and it is a positive, low trust could blow away progress made.
[NFL Head Coach] Jerrold: Question: soapflake: did this game make it to stores as fast as you intended?
Answer: We wanted to kick start the football season a little early and get people thinking about the season earlier than normal.
[NFL Head Coach] Jeremy: Question: djchooch: ![Question]! - What was the biggest detail in the game that was argued by developers? Was it game layouts? Explain.
Answer: I think it was about how to manage your time as a coach during the week. We wanted to make it a trade-off of how you spent your time, but it may have been too limiting.
[NFL Head Coach] Jerrold: Question: VÉLØÇîT¥™: Was presentation a huge factor in the creation of this game, like madden 06 was for the 360?
Answer: The heart of this game is football strategy. We wanted to help people understand the importance of preparing a team to play.
[NFL Head Coach] Jeremy: Question: djchooch: ![Question]! - Will you be able to give your team pep talks before during and after games? Which can boost morale?
Answer: Yes, this is a big part of the game. You can address players and groups of players (bigger groups when the game is stopped) and affect their motivation.
[NFL Head Coach] Jerrold: Question: =HT=Gamma [xfireplus.com]: Are there going to be any custom players you can create and add to the teams, or are they all real players?
Answer: We based the game on the real NFL players, but allow you to create custom coaches.
[NFL Head Coach] Jeremy: Question: BBizzle: Are there certain community forums or message boards that you take advice from frequently, or is it just the community as a whole?
Answer: There are several that I read (madden sites have latched onto Head Coach a bit) - and we have a community manager who surfs all of them and gives us the highlights/summaries.
[NFL Head Coach] Jerrold: Question: djchooch: ![Question]! - Does the Head Coach have advisors and quotas he has to make?
Answer: The Coach has an owner who sets period and yearly goals for the coach to meet.
[NFL Head Coach] Jeremy: Question: (JLA)МǎńΐΛ12: can you make mods for Head coach PC?
Answer: I'm not sure that I understand this question fully - from my perspective we didn't make the game to be mod'ed but there are some creative community members who have written some apps that run on top of it to affect stats that I have seen.
[NFL Head Coach] Jerrold: Question: VÉLØÇîT¥™: Do the players themselves ever fight between each other? For example, on the eagles last season, the constant fighting between TO and McNabb.
Answer: The Coach does manage relationships with assistant coaches, agents and owners. Player conflict is not mangaged by the Coach.
[NFL Head Coach] Jeremy: Question: -[aBn].NetGhost^: Question - Why is it that some practice types the suggested ones can have little or no effect on players that it was suggested for yet when switched to different ones, for example something it shouldn't even be used with you can have a major effect on their ratings?
Answer: Practices have a big impact on play level success and finding the right balance of practice keeps player ranges higher.
[NFL Head Coach] Jerrold: Question: djchooch: ![Question]! - Will players every go on strike if not given the salary expected? Also, if a player is underpaid will they play poorly?
Answer: We have contract negotiations and some players will flat out refuse to sign if not offered a reasonable salary.
[NFL Head Coach] Jeremy: Question: RaVeN old xfire: [Question] When you made the game did you ever get bored and how many hours per day did you spend making it?
Answer: I'm sure I had some days when I got bored, but it probably wasn't about making the game. Our jobs are full-time, plus we do work some late nights at the end to get things done on time.
[NFL Head Coach] Jeremy: Question: (JLA)МǎńΐΛ12: I played the demo, and it works great with 1.4 Ghz and Intel Extreme graphics card, did you purposely invite low-end PC users to be the coach?
Answer: Yes, we wanted to be accessible to low-end, since this wasn't about pushing the latest graphics cards, we wanted to open the game to as many players as possible.
[NFL Head Coach] Jerrold: Question: GoldenEye`: Can conflicts occur between head coaches and players or assistant staff members?
Answer: Assistant and staff members will quit if the trust between head coach and assistant drops too low.
[NFL Head Coach] Jeremy: Question: AFD KS: Head coach has clearly had a lot of hours put into it, which aspects are you most proud off? the UI ?
Answer: I like the overall production value and NFL feel of it (music, NFL Films, ESPN, Hall of Legends, etc.) and the coaching environments (office, meeting room, draft).
[NFL Head Coach] Jerrold: Question: AFD KS: Head coach has clearly had a lot of hours put into it, which aspects are you most proud off? the UI ?
Answer: I love the draft and the war room. I like Mel Kiper giving me grief over bad picks. It was especially exciting to have the real rookies to choose from.
[NFL Head Coach] Jeremy: Question: djchooch: ![Question]! - Can you argue with game officials such as refs about bad calls? And can you still challenge plays?
Answer: No arguing, maybe in the future, as that is a part of the game. Yes you can challenge calls, but your time window is short - you need to look at the stadium replay and decide quickly.
[NFL Head Coach] Jerrold: Question: Carand: Question: Do you have a growing reputation in the league if you coaches very good?
Answer: Your assistant coaches will be in demand if you become successful and help you move up the hall of legends.
[NFL Head Coach] Jeremy: Question: [LAL]koolman[LGen]: If u cold change any thing about the game what would it be?
Answer: I would like to make the gameday experience more dramatic, more frantic and give you a lot more feedback from your assistants/players as to what is working or not.
[NFL Head Coach] Jeremy: Question: Carand: Question: Is there any way to conspire with other head coaches?
Answer: Eh, no.
[NFL Head Coach] Jerrold: Question: soapflake: in game do players argue and create drama if you make certain decisions or pull them out of the game?
Answer: When you motivate players, you get feedback to know if the motivation worked or didn't. If you continue to get negative feedback, it will impact their play on the field.
[NFL Head Coach] Jeremy: Question: AFD KS: Are you happy with the out come of the game? No major issues that require patching?
Answer: Yes, we are happy with it and no major game issues for patching - we did have to patch an online connectivity issue between the digital purchase and boxed product, but that is it so far.
[NFL Head Coach] Jeremy: Question: RaVeN old xfire: Are there any cheer leaders in the game, if so do you get to make them?
Answer: Sorry, no - not a focus (yet).
[NFL Head Coach] Jerrold: Question: djchooch: ![Question]! - Is there any story mode included in this game? Such as play as a legendary NFL Team like the bears of 88?
Answer: Your story is trying to become the greatest coach of all time. You will be able to compare yourself to all time greats like Shula, Noll and Halas.
[NFL Head Coach] Jeremy: Question: (JLA)МǎńΐΛ12: Is single player gonna make NFL HC a popular must-buy game?
Answer: I think the single player strategy game of NFL HC is very good, and we're happy with this version. Is it must- buy? I don't know. For NFL fans looking for a strategy game, I think it is.
[NFL Head Coach] Jerrold: Question: [LAL]koolman[LGen]: What kind of unlockables r there?
Answer: As you progress in the game you will unlock "Sabol" moments. Steve Sabol, the voice of the NFL will tell you about the progress of your career.
[NFL Head Coach] Jeremy: Question: AFD KS: The gaming world is big on Mods, with whole communities springing up, who make and work on mods and "mini games" within (such as CoDJumping in the Call of duty Series) Does this game support mods? And what kind of options can we expect to see?
Answer: We don't officially support mods on that scale - but a lot of that is up to the community
[NFL Head Coach] Jerrold: Question: VÉLØÇîT¥™: Will there be an induction into the hall of fame if you play for enough seasons and becoming extremely good?
Answer: You can move up the Hall of Legends and be bronzed at the end as the greatest head coach of all time.
[NFL Head Coach] Jeremy: Question: -[aBn].NetGhost^: Question - With the PS3 coming out soon are there any plans to take advantage of its hard drive capabilites as well as its online shop capabilites?
Answer: Not ready to announce anything yet - though as a fan, I'm anxious to see what PS3 offers.
[NFL Head Coach] Jerrold: Question: <3 B-Mak <3: can older coaches suddenly and realistic pass away during a game because of their old age?
Answer: Sorry no death in our game. You can only be fired for poor performance.
[NFL Head Coach] Jeremy: Question: djchooch: ![Question]! - Does the morale change between home games and away games? Do they react differently in different stadiums?
Answer: There is some affect, but it is not major --- coaches and players told us over and over that professionals don’t get phased by playing on the road.
[NFL Head Coach] Jeremy: Question: (JLA)МǎńΐΛ12: If there is going to be online capabilities, is there a filtering option for any pimped-up punks?
Answer: There really hasn't been any major cheating or griefing going on so far - I think it is due to the style of the game, but we have some built-in protections, too.
[NFL Head Coach] Jerrold: Question: djchooch: ![Question]! - Can you condition your players for poor performance during a game or practice? Such as running, Running happys, or doing pushups?
Answer: Running plays in practice will prepare your team for success in the game.
[Xfire] Chatteox: Ok, that concludes our chat with Jeremy and Jerrold -- a special thanks again to them for coming out and answering all your questions. We'll now hand out the tickets to an NFL game and then 10 signed copies of the Head Coach!
[NFL Head Coach] Jeremy: They've asked me to give away the NFL tickets...
[NFL Head Coach] Jeremy: Drum roll please...
[Xfire] Vee: [drum]
[NFL Head Coach] Jeremy: And the winner is DJCHOOCH! We're excited to let you know you've won the pair of football tickets. Talk to Xfire about the details.
[NFL Head Coach] Jeremy: Take it easy everyone, have fun.
[NFL Head Coach] Jerrold: Take care, guys!!
[Xfire] Vee: Djchooch - send me a msg and we'll get your details.
[Xfire] Chatteox: And now for the winners of the signed game copy:
[Xfire] Chatteox: 10. (JLA)Mania12
[Xfire] Chatteox: 9. Velocity
[Xfire] Chatteox: 8. DD-afro-Thunda
[Xfire] Chatteox: 7. GoldenEye
[Xfire] Chatteox: 6. soapflake
[Xfire] Chatteox: 5. Raven
[Xfire] Chatteox: 4. nick62690
[Xfire] Chatteox: 3. =HT=Gamma
[Xfire] Chatteox: 2. [LAL] koolman
[Xfire] Chatteox: and Carand
[Xfire] Chatteox: congratulations to the winners, and thank you for coming out to the chat!
[Xfire] Chatteox: please sent me a PM if you won a copy of the game
[Xfire] Vee: AND - we want your feedback. We'll have a survey open until 8pm EDT - one person will win a game of their choice.
[Xfire] Vee: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=112632478199