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QuikSand · 09-01-2009, 09:33 AM

I know it's pretty popular to claim that, perhaps in the name of realism, a predictable model for this sort of thing is not ideal. I put this into a "be careful what you wish for" basket.

(And yes, this comes from the guy who pretty clearly makes a lot of use of the current chemistry system, witness Ben's thread and "examples" above)

I really don't think that having totally (or largely) unpredictable elements like this in the game would add to my enjoyment. If I draft the stud player my team needs, and then for reasons that are unforeseen to me he turns out to hate other players on the team or otherwise disrupts things, causing me to have to upend other things that I have really invested in... well, I don't think that adds to the sort of enjoyment I get out of a game like this. If that sort of problem is going to trace back to a label/tag something like the "red flag" in the current FOF (or an expanded version of the same), then I can handle that as a trade-off I accept or don't. But to reassemble something like the chemistry system we have in FOF now, but simply remove the elements that make it predictable I think would make a real dent in the "enjoyability" factor of this sort of game.

My mantra in this sort of game is this: What I want is a game that requires me to make meaningful decisions that substantially drive meaningful outcomes for my team. Realism is great, and simulating the NFL is a real value added. But what I really want is a game where I am engaged, challenged, and rewarded/punished for my decisions. Having pure dumb luck play too great a role undermines what I want out of a game like this.

The predictability in the current chemistry system means that I can decide whether I want to invest in this sort of thing for my team. It is a trade-off, it limits some other decisions that might have helped my team in other ways. But to me, I like that it's my decision that counts there. The actual implementation (looking at birthdates, and the other silly stuff that goes with it if you really pursue it) is of less consequence to me overall. What I like is that you can make an active decision to go for a "good chemistry" team and try to gain an advantage on your rivals that way. Eliminate the predictability, and you may emasculate this potentially interesting and rewarding strategy, and you lose something from this game, I think.

09-01-2009, 09:33 AM	#16
QuikSand lolzcat Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Annapolis, Md	I know it's pretty popular to claim that, perhaps in the name of realism, a predictable model for this sort of thing is not ideal. I put this into a "be careful what you wish for" basket. (And yes, this comes from the guy who pretty clearly makes a lot of use of the current chemistry system, witness Ben's thread and "examples" above) I really don't think that having totally (or largely) unpredictable elements like this in the game would add to my enjoyment. If I draft the stud player my team needs, and then for reasons that are unforeseen to me he turns out to hate other players on the team or otherwise disrupts things, causing me to have to upend other things that I have really invested in... well, I don't think that adds to the sort of enjoyment I get out of a game like this. If that sort of problem is going to trace back to a label/tag something like the "red flag" in the current FOF (or an expanded version of the same), then I can handle that as a trade-off I accept or don't. But to reassemble something like the chemistry system we have in FOF now, but simply remove the elements that make it predictable I think would make a real dent in the "enjoyability" factor of this sort of game. My mantra in this sort of game is this: What I want is a game that requires me to make meaningful decisions that substantially drive meaningful outcomes for my team. Realism is great, and simulating the NFL is a real value added. But what I really want is a game where I am engaged, challenged, and rewarded/punished for my decisions. Having pure dumb luck play too great a role undermines what I want out of a game like this. The predictability in the current chemistry system means that I can decide whether I want to invest in this sort of thing for my team. It is a trade-off, it limits some other decisions that might have helped my team in other ways. But to me, I like that it's my decision that counts there. The actual implementation (looking at birthdates, and the other silly stuff that goes with it if you really pursue it) is of less consequence to me overall. What I like is that you can make an active decision to go for a "good chemistry" team and try to gain an advantage on your rivals that way. Eliminate the predictability, and you may emasculate this potentially interesting and rewarding strategy, and you lose something from this game, I think.