NCAA 09 Glitch Corrupts Pre-Release Roster Files

[Queasy]

link

YouTube Video

About two weeks ago we reported that this is crunch time for the independent roster editors for NCAA 09, which goes to the street today. But as this video ? of NCAA 09?s roster screen ? shows, using a third-party edited file can can corrupt a team?s depth chart and its overall rating, if not delete the team entirely, until EA can patch the game.

For roster editors, this is a setback in a niche that has prided itself on near-instantaneous turnaround of complete roster files by the date the game drops. EA, we?re told, is working feverishly on a patch to resolve this problem. But for now, anyone who downloads any roster file should avoid editing it; and those who do choose to edit it should do so offline, as doing so online risks corruption and can crash the game, according to our source.

Conversations with that source tell of an entire, crucial weekend of work essentially lost. One early-bird editor, working off of a devkit and not a final copy of the game, already got a file out through EA Locker. Other roster editors used it as source for their own files, and discovered the glitch. Even though the original author removed that file, there is still some residual viral spread that could affect unwitting others. It and anything going around right now should be considered suspect until the game is patched.

?I was assured that when I release my rosters on Friday there shouldn?t be any problems wth them,? one editor, who demanded anonymity because of a close, unofficial relationship with EA, told Kotaku. A day-three release of a custom roster file was, to now, considered very late. Now it?s the earliest that a reliable file can be produced.

The corruption ? and this could be a total shot in the dark ? appears to involve nonstandard ASCII characters in certain players? names in the roster file, such as the infamous A?Mod Ned of Florida International, who memorably waded into a melee between FIU and Miami in 2006 on a pair of crutches. Indeed FIU is one of several teams that go missing, for inexplicable reasons, after changes are made to a roster file that was already created and shared by one editor. While that editor has already removed the file from EA locker, others who downloaded it continue to send it to friends unwittingly.

If you intend to game with custom roster files on NCAA Football, you probably should not use them until you see that the game has downloaded a patch from Electronic Arts.

 

[DukeFan21]

An added note, for anyone looking to get free custom rosters once this bug is patched, check http://freencaa09rosters.com . Don't pay for them.

 

[blurredvision]

The main rub of this is that the only person to release a complete set of rosters for the 360 is Pasta Padre. He released them over a week ago (a full week before the game's street date), and refuses to say how he got them. Others who have started from scratch editing rosters have found that after a while, their game will crash, and it's impossible to get any further into the roster editing process, essentially making a full roster impossible to make. So, they have been trying to use his as a base, and simply correct a lot of his mistakes (spelling mistakes, equipment on the player, etc), but then it was found that after editing a few schools, teams were completely disappearing from the game (schools like WKU and Troy, among others), and other schools were having their rankings set to 0.

Right now, the only solutions are as such:

1. Wait for EA's patch, which they have developers who have posted on various boards around the net saying they are definitely looking into this pretty hard.
2. Find and use Pasta Padre's roster file, if you can live with some spelling mistakes and such.

Personally, I'm going with option 2, because what do I care if some random player on some other team I don't care about has their name misspelled? Plus, after 4 seasons, most everyone will be pushed out and all generated names and players will take their place.

 

[Homerboy]

Originally posted by: blurredvision
The main rub of this is that the only person to release a complete set of rosters for the 360 is Pasta Padre. He released them over a week ago (a full week before the game's street date), and refuses to say how he got them. Others who have started from scratch editing rosters have found that after a while, their game will crash, and it's impossible to get any further into the roster editing process, essentially making a full roster impossible to make. So, they have been trying to use his as a base, and simply correct a lot of his mistakes (spelling mistakes, equipment on the player, etc), but then it was found that after editing a few schools, teams were completely disappearing from the game (schools like WKU and Troy, among others), and other schools were having their rankings set to 0.

Right now, the only solutions are as such:

1. Wait for EA's patch, which they have developers who have posted on various boards around the net saying they are definitely looking into this pretty hard.
2. Find and use Pasta Padre's roster file, if you can live with some spelling mistakes and such.

Personally, I'm going with option 2, because what do I care if some random player on some other team I don't care about has their name misspelled? Plus, after 4 seasons, most everyone will be pushed out and all generated names and players will take their place.

So where does one "get" his patch?

 

[blurredvision]

Originally posted by: Homerboy

Originally posted by: blurredvision
The main rub of this is that the only person to release a complete set of rosters for the 360 is Pasta Padre. He released them over a week ago (a full week before the game's street date), and refuses to say how he got them. Others who have started from scratch editing rosters have found that after a while, their game will crash, and it's impossible to get any further into the roster editing process, essentially making a full roster impossible to make. So, they have been trying to use his as a base, and simply correct a lot of his mistakes (spelling mistakes, equipment on the player, etc), but then it was found that after editing a few schools, teams were completely disappearing from the game (schools like WKU and Troy, among others), and other schools were having their rankings set to 0.

Right now, the only solutions are as such:

1. Wait for EA's patch, which they have developers who have posted on various boards around the net saying they are definitely looking into this pretty hard.
2. Find and use Pasta Padre's roster file, if you can live with some spelling mistakes and such.

Personally, I'm going with option 2, because what do I care if some random player on some other team I don't care about has their name misspelled? Plus, after 4 seasons, most everyone will be pushed out and all generated names and players will take their place.

So where does one "get" his patch?

You'll have to find it in someone's online "EA Locker". I'd start with going to some of the bigger sports forums (operationsports.com, nccastrategies.com, etc), and see if there are any posts that are sharing it. Somebody is bound to have it somewhere.

 

[blurredvision]

Here is a guy who has them:

http://www.operationsports.com...osters-xbox-360-a.html

 

[blurredvision]

If anybody needs the one roster file that's known to work at this time, I have it uploaded to my EA Locker, gamertag blurredvision06.

 

[hdeck]

does your roster suffer from the edit glitch?

 

[blurredvision]

Originally posted by: hdeck
does your roster suffer from the edit glitch?

Yes it does. The problem is in the game code, so at this point, there's no rosters you can get or make that won't run into the problem. With the rosters I have, you most likely will have problems if you edit too many players, or even create your own players.

But if you don't plan on touching the rosters at all, then they work fine, save for some screwed up ratings for FIU.

 

[Feldenak]

Originally posted by: blurredvision
If anybody needs the one roster file that's known to work at this time, I have it uploaded to my EA Locker, gamertag blurredvision06.

Have to have Gold membership to get it?

 

[blurredvision]

Originally posted by: Feldenak

Originally posted by: blurredvision
If anybody needs the one roster file that's known to work at this time, I have it uploaded to my EA Locker, gamertag blurredvision06.

Have to have Gold membership to get it?

Possibly not, since the EA Locker option is right on the menu, and you don't have to go into the online portion of the game to get it. When you choose to download a roster, it'll give you your list of friends, plus an option to input a gamertag. Give it a try and report back, I'd be interested in knowing.

 

[uli2000]

Does this affect the PS3 version as well?

 

[Feldenak]

Originally posted by: blurredvision

Originally posted by: Feldenak

Originally posted by: blurredvision
If anybody needs the one roster file that's known to work at this time, I have it uploaded to my EA Locker, gamertag blurredvision06.

Have to have Gold membership to get it?

Possibly not, since the EA Locker option is right on the menu, and you don't have to go into the online portion of the game to get it. When you choose to download a roster, it'll give you your list of friends, plus an option to input a gamertag. Give it a try and report back, I'd be interested in knowing.

I decided to just get a 1 month Gold sub and d/l the rosters. It was a hassle of Cat5 causing choking hazards and the router sitting on the stairs (to reach down stairs) was a tripping hazard but seeing Kodi Burns taking snaps instead of QB #18 was worth it.

 

[blurredvision]

Originally posted by: uli2000
Does this affect the PS3 version as well?

Yes.

 

[blurredvision]

One of the EA developers stated yesterday that they found and fixed the bug, and have submitted it for certification, which they expect to take 5-10 days before release to everyone.

 

[Queasy]

Patch coming

We have identified and fixed the bug causing the game to crash when editing rosters. This bug also causes teams to disappear and team ratings to change.

The patch is being tested tonight, and assuming all goes well it will be submitted tomorrow for certification. The expected release is in 5-10 days.

Until the patch, we recommend you cease editing rosters. Rosters that have been corrupted by the bug will not work after the patch. If you have a roster in progress and have not encountered any freezes or missing teams, it will work after the patch. There is a possibility a roster can be corrupt and not have surfaced any problems yet. This is why we recommend that you stop or back up your work among multiple save files.

We are also fixing the bug where the depth chart gets reordered after editing a player with this patch.

These are the ONLY fixes in this patch. We are planning on a 2nd patch with many fixes, but we had to get this one out the door.

We appreciate everyone's patience on this matter.

Special thanks to CDJ, 21SEC, and Fairdale Kings for helping us track this down.

 

[cpacini]

this is a bit off topic, but how many players are on the rosters this year? is the roster limit still 70 or has it been expanded to a more reasonable number?

 

[AtmaVegeta]

I patched mine using DT (earosters com) and I didn't have any errors. Loving the game so far, just wish they would bring back Create-a-Team. ><

I did have to change a few roster things (for Arkansas) but for the most part it was accurate.

 

[leeland]

So I just got this game off of eBay last night...is the roster bug fixed?

Also, is it pretty straight forward to get the free rosters?

Thanks,
Lee