Where Do Sports Games Need to Focus Most? (Roundtable)

[Steve_OS]

To have some fun with our staff writers, and to get them to pick a position...

Written By: Raychel Sanner

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[JeromeD4Life]

Yay, I'm finally the first comment on something! But, anyways, I agree with Matt and Joel that gameplay has the main thing that sports games focus on first and foremost. As Joel said, "Deep modes lend well to  fantastic gameplay and lend players to  return time after time, wanting more." With good, realistic gameplay akin to what we'd see in real life, modes such as Franchise or Career ones become that much more enjoyable because it feels like we are actively playing in the league or are a real GM. Now, this is not to say that these modes shouldn't be seriously improved themselves, (so don't get those ideas, sports games programmers and developers) because they most definitely should. Career modes could stand to make it feel more like you are an real-life human being playing in the league as Franchise should make you feel the same in regards to being a GM. However, if I would say what they should primarily focus their efforts most towards, it would be to give us gamers realistic gameplay, which would serve as a solid base for the game and make any mode, however dull otherwise just that much more enjoyable.

[joepatowski]

This legit feels like a 2k promotion piece. With all the issues they currently have, how can you all stand by it without mentioning the issues?

[Nicholasht571998]

Easy franchise mode.

[edaddy]

I love the premise that all of you agreed that realistic gameplay is the base for any good sports simulation..sadly its been put on the backburner for some sports simulation titles..this is a good read...

[tril]

Re: Where Do Sports Games Need to Focus Most? (Roundtable)

This legit feels like a 2k promotion piece. With all the issues they currently have, how can you all stand by it without mentioning the issues?

that's the consistent excellence of 2k. 2k shows and proves every year (some years, more so than others). as well as THE SHOW...

on-line gaming will be the hardest thing to ever master. there are too many variables that factor into gameplay. and most those factors most of the time has to do with user preference.

[drugsbunny]

Re: Where Do Sports Games Need to Focus Most? (Roundtable)

I would like to see a focus on user-created content incorporated thoroughly into the games themselves. I would like to see created teams with full-scaled commentary. Nothing un-nerves me more than making a team, only to have the commentator call them "home team". I want to be able to make a team and really engrave the team into the city I choose. I want to close the gap between reality and fantasy with my created content.

[JKSportsGamer1984]

Better physics & collision detection without question!  Madden I'm looking at you!

[JKSportsGamer1984]

Joel Smith is 100% right. Gameplay should always be top priority.  I want to see these companies make a major push towards realistic signature player movement moving into next gen.  I'm also hoping for the elimination of player clipping, however I know that it is tied to animation sequences.  Two man canned animations have to go!

[Frostball]

Franchise mode

[CaseIH]

Its  very simple,   the  2 main focus points to should be making both gameplay and Franchise mode the  top priority. The online  crowd is always going to have a lot of crybaby casual fans, who will never be happy because they dont understand how the sport is played IRL.
Plus you cant make a game to counter stupidity and ignorance, online will only be as realistic, or sim as the 2 people who are playing each other, simple as that, nothing the devs can do, they cant coded humans brains,lol.

What is happening now, and I will use NBA2k for example, is the devs are trying to make gameplay based on both teams competing being humans. So what happens with NBA2k, and probably Madden, baseball is totally different, due to their isnt a constant flow of action. Anyway, whats happening is they are trying to code  to humans playing each other, and its affecting the simulation aspect of gameplay offline. Which is why were seeing such a lack of fouls being called off line, and why we arent seeing charging and blocking fouls, or really any over the back or loose ball fouls. The only fouls are reach ins and when a player is driving into the lane and going up for the shot, or a player posting and getting fouled in the act of shooting. There isnt any fouls being called on perimeter shot attempts, especially when a player is attempting a 3 pt shot, and with how so many teams are jacking up 3's these days, you always see atleast 1 or 2 shooting fouls on 3pt attempts per game.

Devs will never be able to perfect online play with humans, it would be impossible, because they have no control on how a human is going to play. So they need to focus on playing the CPU, and focus on making gameplay in the Association as realistic as possible both in the gameplay and in the simulation stats.

Your not going to loose online player by focusing on offline gameplay and Franchise modes. People are always going to play online against each other,  and those kids will always dish out money to buy VC to build there MyPlayer's skills up.
Its simple there is always going to be a group of online players who are always going to cry and whine about something. If the devs put their focus of gameplay of playing the CPU and the realism of it, along with getting simulation stats accurate, it will ultimately make online play better as well. Because the true basketball fan with any knowledge at all will play MyLeague online with friends, who are all liked minded, in wanting realism. Wanting a foul to be called when a offensive player plows into the defender and knocks him down, and a bad pass being a bad pass resulting in a turnover, or a player taking to many steps for a travel which needs to be implemented in the game.

Right now if a offensive player is backing you down, and you try to take a charge, and they knock you down, there isnt a foul called at all,and the offensive player goes right up and scores. That is BS, and the devs should be ashamed at their lack of effort in making what they call a basketball simulation.
The NBA2k devs are lucky their competition is as incompetent as they are, because if they werent and they were capable of making a actual simulation of the NBA,  the NBA2k devs would be needing to find a new job, because they would lose a lot of business.
Madden there isnt much to say, there isnt any competition, so they are able to get away with not putting any effort into their franchise mode, and why its still bare bones.

MLBTS, the past couple yrs has taken their focus off of offline Franchise mode, and started catering to online play, and while I cant say  one way or another if their sales has been hurt any yet, but I knows there are quite a few people getting sick and tired of their lack of effort into Franchise mode, which was their staple and what made MLBTS, and what put MLB2k out of business. But I didnt buy it 2 out of the last 3 yrs due to their lack of improving Franchise mode, and I know this yr a few people on here  who were die hard MLBTS Franchise guys didnt buy and did like me and went the text sim route with OOTP.

Both NBA2k and MLBTS got to where they were, due to their Franchise modes, is because of us hardcore fans, who play Franchise mode.  Its a shame they have  screwed those of us who made their company grow to what they are today.

[Grey_Osprey]

Re: Where Do Sports Games Need to Focus Most? (Roundtable)

All sports games are NOT created equal. Some are years ahead of others in certain areas when it comes to replicating their sport, gameplay, modes, options, customization, etc. With that in mind, I there are 3 areas that I would like to see them concentrate.

1. Gameplay

2. modes & customization - looking at you Madden (franchise)

3. QA/QC - adequate testing and bug/glitch resolution PRIOR to launch.

[shanev]

Re: Where Do Sports Games Need to Focus Most? (Roundtable)

Gameplay is definitely number one. But editing and customization is a close second. I spend more than half my time every year making up players, teams, and rosters. A game with a crap editor and no ability to share creations (like NHL) really suffers.


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[timpfla]

Gameplay first and foremost.... Franchise/Career/Season modes.. At least for me... I'm the minority but I love season mode... I am not a good enough player nor have ever been to compete online and I refuse to buy my way to a better team.. 

[Retropyro]

“But it’s a video game bro! You can’t expect it to be so real!”"Yes, yes we can."

Yes, a million times yes to this.