NCAA Football 10: Microtransactions in Dynasty Mode

  • By BrianEk, GameSpot
  • Posted Jun 12, 2009 4:40 pm PT

It looks like NCAA Football 10 will be getting into the microtransaction game. This morning, while rummaging around the game's dynasty mode menus, I came across an option to "Add a Pipeline State" while setting up my Auburn dynasty. Clicking on that option took me to an XBL menu where, for...

It looks like NCAA Football 10 will be getting into the microtransaction game. This morning, while rummaging around the game's dynasty mode menus, I came across an option to "Add a Pipeline State" while setting up my Auburn dynasty. Clicking on that option took me to an XBL menu where, for 150 MS points (or roughly $1.87), I could add a maximum of one more pipeline state (of my choosing) to my recruitment map.

Here's the description for the "Pipeline State Addition" as it appears in the game:

"Pipeline States can help you recruit in an area while playing Dynasty Mode. After purchase you will be able to select a Pipeline State anywhere in the nation to give you another state to help you sign the top recruits. This will affect every team you control in Dynasty Mode and Online Dynasty Mode."

In addition to choosing to buy the "Pipeline State Addition" boost individually, the game menu also gives you the choice to purchase "all dynasty accelerators". Choose this option and you're taken to another XBL menu where, for 1000 MS points ($12.50), you can purchase all of the dynasty mode boosts in the game. Here's the description as it appears in the XBL menu:

"Unlocks all of the Dynasty Accelerators: Recruiting Advisor, Coaching Seminar, Toughest Places to Play Boost, School Pitches Improvements, Maximum Player Training, Pipeline State Addition, and Recruiting Reports. These will affect every team you control in Dynasty Mode and Online Dynasty Mode."

I'm a bit unclear on what some of these boosts do for you, particularly Coaching Seminar and Toughest Places to Play Boost but the effects of tools like the Recruiting Advisor, the Pipeline State Addition, and the Recruiting Reports are tangible. During a regular dynasty mode season, you'll have both Recruiting Advisor and Recruit Report menu options available to you in the main Recruiting menu. Clicking on either the Advisor or the Report option will give you the option to purchase it individually.

The Recruit Advisor will help you identify talented players who are interested in being recruited by your school. The advisor can also help more quickly unlock effective pitches for a handful of recruits each week. Here's the game's description for the Recruiting Advisor:

"While playing in Dynasty Mode (Offline or Online) your Recruiting Advisor will bring you one of the following four items every week: Information on Recruits that you can add to your Recruiting Board that you may not have known they were interested. Hints on the top Pitches for some of the Recruits on your Recruiting Board. Hints on which Prospects on your Recruiting Board are willing to listen to your pitches more than other weeks. Inside information on which Recruits will sign to your school instantly. This will affect every team you control in Dynasty Mode and Online Dynasty Mode."

Recruit Reports is a tool that lists all of the players you've recruited during the season, their position, caliber, as well as the time you've spent recruiting them via telephone. By clicking the right stick on a player, you can bring up more information on him, including his top 10 school choices, his interest level in each of the competing schools, whether or not he has received scholarship offers from other schools, and any campus visits he has planned during the season. As with the Recruiting Advisor, the option appears on the main Recruiting menu and you can purchase it individually by clicking on it. Here's the game's description of Recruiting Reports:

"It can take a lot of time and effort to see where your rivals are spending their Recruiting Time every week in Dynasty Mode. The Recruiting Reports will bring the information from the previous week. Knowing which recruits your opponent is targeting and how much time they are spending with each recruit can help you make informed decisions while spending your Recruiting Time. This will affect every team you control in Dynasty Mode and Online Dynasty Mode."

I'm awaiting clarification on what the remaining dynasty mode boosts do for you in NCAA 10, as well as if the prices listed above are final. Stay tuned.

40 Comments

  • PROSPEREAGLES

    Posted Nov 2, 2009 9:36 am PT

    too bad u cudnt get any of this stuff in last years game

  • PROSPEREAGLES

    Posted Nov 2, 2009 9:36 am PT

    @cazy098

  • NoseWeed619

    Posted Oct 9, 2009 4:50 pm PT

    I can't beleive that you can get ahead in this game with just buying a lot of this stuff. That doesn't seem fair at all. I mean, one of the best things about the offseason, before you could buy, and basically cheat, was recruiting, and all of the things that you do as a coach during the offseason, because you would actually do that in real life as a college football coach.

  • MFazio23

    Posted Jul 14, 2009 10:51 am PT

    Can't say this bothers me too much, since I just won't buy them. It'll only be unfortunate for people playing online dynasties where this isn't blocked.

  • Sparty_On

    Posted Jul 2, 2009 4:37 pm PT

    I'm excited for NCAA 10 & Madden NFL 10 as well they get better every year that is a fact. It is never the same as some have claim. July & Aug are always great because of NCAA & Madden. Both games are worth $60 dollars which isn't a ripoff.

  • rando22

    Posted Jul 1, 2009 9:37 pm PT

    @crazy098

    i'm with ya.

    i think i'll hold out till Backbreaker comes out

  • Bigmas88

    Posted Jun 23, 2009 10:48 am PT

    Thinks you a like EA my mom and dad being trying to make me stop playing videos games for years, but just so happens with this news it just did it. I QUIT I done with gamer. I'll sware I will never touch a game again because of this. I going to go home get a educations books to read and go elevate my mind, or Best yet I going to match back and for get this ever happen.( "NO ONE SHOULD PAY FOR SOMETHING THAT SHOULD BE FREE"- BIGMAS88

  • TMac17

    Posted Jun 21, 2009 3:34 pm PT

    THIS IS STUPID!!!!

  • knighthawksfan

    Posted Jun 21, 2009 2:12 pm PT

    This is kind of stupid too spend all these points too get the full version of the game that is stupid. They should of add these parts in dynasty mode for free. Give me a break EA Sports with the bull crap. You guys are making us pay too much for this game and then spend more money on microsoft points for little stuff come on now.

  • jazztrumpet5

    Posted Jun 20, 2009 2:08 pm PT

    If they want to utilize microtransactions, they should lower the sales price to $39.99.

  • icecoldkilla78

    Posted Jun 19, 2009 12:11 am PT

    this is going to be so unfair in online dyn... its kinda cheap for some people to have hints and tips on certain players in rectuiting that others dont

  • crazy098

    Posted Jun 18, 2009 10:21 pm PT

    I have never understood the hatred of EA until I read this article. They now want us to pay for things that were free in last year's game? That is unacceptable. If this process continues, EA has just lost a loyal customer.

  • baltimoreos06

    Posted Jun 18, 2009 12:23 pm PT

    dont buy it then. stop crying women

  • ohjtbehaaave

    Posted Jun 17, 2009 8:32 pm PT

    Geez... I remember the days when a game gave you EVERYTHING EA! Do they really have to milk it like this? It's like they've spent more time thinking up ways to milk every penny out of this game with microtransactions way more than they actually tried innovating anything new to the gameplay etc...

    How long until EA holds the Football, Basketball and Puck out of their sports games and charges us $2.00 for it before we can play the game? To be fair.. so far the EA NHL team has done everything with the gamers best interest in mind. This paying for pipleline states is absolute BS imo... just like how EA held back golf courses in Tiger 10 on 360 and PS3 to charge for them. It's just Greed! Don't buy this stuff people!

  • costlywar

    Posted Jun 17, 2009 12:15 pm PT

    No, they are not holding a gun. They don't have to, they just steal your money while you are still an idiot/sucker. Thats the whole point. Gamers get hypnotized by the demo and when they buy the game (especially the football game) . Only to find out that its pretty much the same song and dance, from the year before. Ea Sports does make other games decent,though, like the boxing and hockey.

  • williamf30

    Posted Jun 16, 2009 5:50 pm PT

    i think all of you are idiots.... EA IS NOT HOLDING A GUN TO YOUR HEAD MAKING YOU BUY THESE THINGS!!!!

  • dontblush

    Posted Jun 16, 2009 1:07 pm PT

    Truck EA.

    I can't say what I want to say

  • costlywar

    Posted Jun 16, 2009 10:20 am PT

    Some geek in thier development team thought this was cool. Maybe he should be on the unemployment line and then realize how tough it is to cough up $60.00 plus pay extras for the extras that should be included.. By looking at the video demo, it looks so similar to last year's version., anyway. I'll hang on to the 09' for this fall. Come April 2010 it will be on sale for $26.99 or about the fair price that they should charge to start with. Hello EA Sports, are you reading between the lines?

  • maverick_76

    Posted Jun 15, 2009 4:39 pm PT

    This is stupid, why am I paying $60? So I can have a chance to spend even more money for the basic game?

  • Adubbb

    Posted Jun 15, 2009 4:22 pm PT

    I agree that this is bogus, even though it's how life is, people with money to spend always get more. If they want to charge for something, I would be for charging to have an online dynasty $20 bucks to be commissioner and $10 to join, this would force people to be committed to playing in the ones that they join, which is THE #1 PROBLEM with online leagues and what not... IMO People join leagues all over the place an never continue to stay active or once they are losing they drop out and don't take the time to try and build a team and get better at the game. Every league will have people at the bottom because they are "zero sum", in order for someone to win someone has to lose. I would be in favor of any microtransactions that promote a better online experience. And as for the exclusive license, EA is the only company that even makes a NCAA Football game, to my knowledge. And has been the only ones for ever. But the bottom line is, they are good at this particular game (IMO) so I will be buying it, as I am sure that many of you will too. You just don't have to purchase all the other stuff. The only thing I say is that PSN need a points system like Xbox Live, so that we can earn points to get some of this stuff by playing, though PSN is Free, unlike Xbox Live, so keep that in mind as well. But make no mistake I think paying for these features is just wrong, unless they are in addition to what we've always had in previous games.

  • QingJao86

    Posted Jun 15, 2009 2:43 pm PT

    All of them should be free and just come with the game. Adding pipeline states should only be done through recruiting like it was done in past games. Same with coaching advisor if its how it sounds. Recruiting advisor should come with the game as should recruiting reports, it is a great feature, but have it come with the game for crying out loud! And the others shouldn't even be an option if I am understanding correctly.

    Maybe if we start complaining now they might change this, can anyone still say that this monopoly is a good thing? If it wasn't for the monopoly I can assure you these features would be included at no extra cost to help them compete.

  • fudger2

    Posted Jun 15, 2009 12:59 pm PT

    .........................really? This is by far the worst feature in any sports game ever made. I was excited for this years game but they throw something like this on the people that let them keep their jobs by buying the same game over and over again. Whats next? Maybe they'll make us pay to run the option or even worst, make us pay to download the roster names. EA is incredibly dumb for adding this.

  • hansmacher

    Posted Jun 15, 2009 11:58 am PT

    you have to be kidding, i didnt buy 09 figured i would wait a year, and now this, come on

  • MFDOOMED

    Posted Jun 15, 2009 10:46 am PT

    GARBAGE!!!!!

  • colgevasdet

    Posted Jun 15, 2009 9:27 am PT

    What's next???? Do you start off with 10 colleges and if you want more you have to buy them? Give me a break. I think I'll just buy NCAA 09 off of Ebay for $5

  • geaux321

    Posted Jun 14, 2009 10:04 pm PT

    That's pretty weak, I prefer to get them the old fashioned way over years of recruiting.

  • StromileSwiftee

    Posted Jun 14, 2009 2:01 pm PT

    At first I was looking forward to NCAA... now this?!?!!? EA is absolutely horrible!!! Cannot wait until they lose their exclusivity rights. Reminds me of when they charged for alternate uniforms in Madden. Good job guys!

  • rbenns2

    Posted Jun 14, 2009 11:47 am PT

    EA is back to it's old tricks. . . again!

  • Army4God

    Posted Jun 14, 2009 3:34 am PT

    Had been debating whether or not to buy another year of the same old thing, this makes the decision for me. Maybe, they'll learn for next year.

  • yuca247n

    Posted Jun 14, 2009 2:09 am PT

    now I'm not buying this game for sure this is nuts. I hope a lot of ppl don't buy this add ons or we're going to start seeing this year after year after year.

  • costlywar

    Posted Jun 13, 2009 3:16 pm PT

    I think we the players (gamers) should file a class action lawsuit against EASports for ripping everyone off! $60 for tweaked games, plus pay extra for other little features. Do they think we are that gullible! Football is a big time prime sport. They are taking advantage of the gamers. Come on, a buck here, a buck there, it adds up!

  • jjwalker9600

    Posted Jun 13, 2009 11:44 am PT

    This is crazy. You will be paying $60 for the game and now you have to pay for the extras. This is a total ripoff.

  • gavin0330

    Posted Jun 13, 2009 7:47 am PT

    i am outraged by this

  • Thrallia

    Posted Jun 13, 2009 4:27 am PT

    wait....so you have to BUY pipeline states instead of earning them? and you don't get recruit reports like you did in 08 and 09 unless you BUY them?

    If so...this is the stupidest thing EA has done in a long time.

  • Espurs117

    Posted Jun 13, 2009 3:20 am PT

    Possibly the worst feature ever made in a sports game.

  • VexedLucifer

    Posted Jun 12, 2009 10:57 pm PT

    lol sounds like they just took away features and want you to buy them back. No thank you.

  • Lydeck

    Posted Jun 12, 2009 8:06 pm PT

    Maybe the reality will settle in once people stop buying this trash and these guys are down at Wal-mart filling out applications! Unreal!

  • slycooper21

    Posted Jun 12, 2009 7:47 pm PT

    This is lame. Just a gimmick to make more money. I'm sure you'll be just fine without these.

  • dkdaplaymaka

    Posted Jun 12, 2009 7:06 pm PT

    ok so its best to get da expensive one then what about online shrine is it still on thurr. the main point madden 10 is da BEST game this yr college wont b played as much like it was this year madden online franchise is better draft scoutingsuper bowl celebrations why ncaa havent got the picture

  • ocdog45

    Posted Jun 12, 2009 5:28 pm PT

    Hell No!

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