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Old 06-09-2008, 11:10 AM   #2
Ben E Lou
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Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Greensboro, NC


Ben Lewis
Senior Text Sims Editor
"Ben E Lou"


I agree that the model needs to be expanded. Recruiting is the lifeblood of any college program, and a high school model that has more connection to real life would help the game's universe feel more immersive. I don't think, however, that a full-fledged sim of every high school game is worth the development effort and processing time required. Even the lesser 1A schools have a wealth of information available to them. Stats are a relatively small piece of the puzzle, so having them generated based on the player's talent as only a part of a picture that includes level of competition, star ranking, and the staff's impression of him from watching film and/or visiting, is fine with me. For the high school reputations, I would suggest using a combination of community volunteers, web research, and a user-editable table. (If someone wants a realistic high school model in general, but wants to give their favorite high school a "100" reputation, I say let 'em.) The list doesn't have to be perfect, since the players should have a bit of randomness anyway. Once in a blue moon, a stud player should come from a horrible high school, but most often they should come from the football factories that are near the top in rankings year-in and year-out.


Chris Sanner
Executive Features Editor
"ChrisS"

I would have to agree that having every high school modeled with full stats for each player after games are simulated each week would be an insane proposition at this point for an operation that isn't the size of EA Sports. Instead, I'd much rather see the high schools individually modeled with solid reputation ratings and just go from there. With that sort of modeling being done, I'd much rather see a lot more universities and levels of college football make the cut into the game to make it more like a real coaching experience if you wanted to try to climb the coaching ladder. While playing a text sim and managing teams is fun, I think adding that extra element where you have a realistic job market would be icing on the cake and it's something I really wish a text sim would really focus on sooner or later.


Tim Martin
Writing Staff
"noles_acc"

I also agree the model needs to be expanded, but much more so than Jim is suggesting. Sure, the inclusion of pipelines and knowing which high schools produce more recruits is nice, but those are features, more or less, in NCAA Football, a console game. So, I would actually like to see, in addition to more intricate stat tracking and school reputations, the ability to invite those "prestigious" high schools to your spring game. In the same way a coach woos players, with phone calls and visits, why not add a similar feature to court...the schools themselves? This would add depth to the game at multiple layers. First, let's say you switch coaching jobs, via a firing or career advancement. Why should you have to re-lay the tracks in your recruiting pipeline? Look at how Ron Zook has rejuvenated the Fightin' Illini by summoning his old recruiting connections. Also, this "pipeline" to certain schools should certainly be extended to assistant coaches, as losing a top recruiting coordinator or coordinator could be potentially devastating. I've always felt college football games, text or otherwise, don't give enough credence to the importance of coaching staffs.


Matt Blumenthal
Writing Staff
"TheLetterZ"

It would be going overboard to create a full universe for high schools with full rosters and simulations for every game. While it would lead to a more compelling dynasty, those resources could be better used to enhance the college experience. Refining the high school database and strengthening the relationships between high schools and colleges would add more emotion to recruiting. Ben's ideas for expanding the high school model makes sense, as the focus should be on the relationship between the high schools and colleges. High school coaches have tremendous influence over their players and possess the ability to steer their players in the direction of certain college programs. Colleges tap into these relationships to bring in talent, so pipelines would be a fantastic addition.


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Last edited by Ben E Lou : 06-09-2008 at 11:15 AM.
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