Making dynasty mode feel more organic

[Footski10]

What is the best option for saving your historic dynasty photos? I do not post my dynasty on here, I just keep a personal spreadsheet. I end up only keeping a few pictures per season because I'm worried that the file size will get too big.

[Deegeezy]

Quote: Originally Posted by Footski10

What is the best option for saving your historic dynasty photos? I do not post my dynasty on here, I just keep a personal spreadsheet. I end up only keeping a few pictures per season because I'm worried that the file size will get too big.

Photobucket is where I keep mine.

I still have pics from dynasties I did dating all the way back to 2006 on there.

[Footski10]

Quote: Originally Posted by Deegeezy

Photobucket is where I keep mine. I still have pics from dynasties I did dating all the way back to 2006 on there.

Thanks. I will check it out. I think keeping pictures definitely helps a dynasty last.

[SilverBullet19]

Photobucket here too. Everything can be organized in folders etc to keep it clean

[BDawg35]

I hate the bands around the calves, so I take them out whenever I can.

I hate that the CPU punters pretty much just drill the ball directly into the end zone, so before my current season (my 12th in this dynasty), I maxed the punter AWR and KAC for every team I play to 99. I still see stupid punting tactics, but I am seeing some more punts knocked out of bounds inside the 10.

I'll occasionally change a black name on a white player to something else, but since I'm kinda pressed for time when it comes time to fire up the PS3, I let a lot of stuff go. I will change some last names if they are what I consider "NCAA Football last names." Names that are rare, but that I tend to see duplicated numerous times in NCAA Football (like Concepcion and Treangen).

I don't do Jrs. and III's, because then the last names don't get announced.

[SilverBullet19]

Quote: Originally Posted by Cheese2121

Love the rules for retiring/honoring numbers SB! For me, I think you just know "that" player when you see one. I have never seen one myself but hey who knows maybe I will at some time.

I agree sometimes it's a no doubt regardless of the "rules." For me, Brian Givens is a sure thing. He built the program and owns EVERY school passing record. My RB, a Heisman winner, may turn into an honorary number. I like the fact that since he's a transfer that's the best he can get...it adds controversy.

Quote: Originally Posted by Deegeezy

I have another one I'd like to add, which kind of goes back to one of my original points - equipment editing. I am currently in year 11 of my dynasty, the year 2020. When going in and editing my team's equipment and the upcoming opponents', I give everyone tight jersey sleeves and I also give several players visors. I get rid of the old, bulky white elbow pads, give virtually everyone gloves except for the QB, I also give more players bottom half sleeves...It kind of gives off a more futuristic look, which makes sense since we are now several years into the future What is pretty neat is that now, when I go back and look at old pictures from games when I first started the dynasty, the 2010 season (2010 real life), the games visually now LOOK like old games, with everyone having older looking equipment and the default jersey sleeves. I think the next move I will make will be to start giving more players the Revolution-style helmet types.

I do the editing too. When I got my schools first uniform contract I changed almost everyone to tight sleeves.

I give my QB a knee brace on his plant leg. Sometimes I'll give him a glove on his off hand too or an elbow pad on that arm.

I often give all my offensive lineman knee braces.

I put braces/tape on players who have had injuries on that specific joint.

If a guy gets a few concussions, I give him a more modern helmet like the REVO or DNA. The newer tech SHOULD protect them better.

I change facemasks a lot. If my TE is a big pass catcher he gets a smaller, less intrusive facemask. A big power running back gets more of a linebacker type facemask.

[ehh]

Keeping track of your dynasty in a spreadsheet is big. Stats, schedules, awards, recruiting, etc. It's a case of "the more you put into it, the more you'll get out of it". In addition to my team stuff, I always keep track of recruiting misses and top players in my state. You'll get some nice story lines here and there.

In my old Penn State dynasty, one year I lost out on the #1 QB in the country (who happened to be from PA) to Ohio State. At the start of the season I was a slight favorite over OSU. We were neck and neck until his visit to Columbus, where he immediately committed before ever visiting Happy Valley. He was the starter his junior and senior year, I went 1-1 against him though he played poorly in both games. It was fun to hype up the story line in my head, "Penn State looks to make traitor pay for leaving state!" kinda thing.

I recently started a Michigan dynasty and it's even more fun since I'm battling an in-state rival in MSU in addition to Ohio State on the recruiting trail. I lost out on the top player in MI to MSU (a DE) and lost a recruiting battle over an insanely fast RB out of Ohio to OSU. No doubt I'll be keeping a close eye on those two over the next four years.

Besides that, I do the usual with "special numbers" and changing names and appearances. I make up suspensions/benchings for my players arbitrarily, usually if things get boring or too easy. I'll "suspend" my star QB for a big game once a blue moon to spice things up. I'll make my starting RB lose his starting job for a half over some made up reason (late to practice, etc). I don't have a system for it or anything, I just go with the flow.

[JHamilton9]

I agree with all those who say that the more you put into it, the more you get out. And it's funny how storylines just magically appear. For instance, I started as an OC, became HC at an in-conference school, and went 1-6 against my old school and mentor. My only win was in his final year before he retired, and I barely won that game after they lost their starting RB and QB.

Much like Cheese, I keep track of statistics and players, and I always export the draft class to Madden just to see how some of my players pan out in the pros. The only reason I play/watch Madden is just to see my players. My two-time Heisman winner and my first player to be selected in the first round ended up being an average running back and a journeyman player, being with 4 teams over 6 seasons. My All-Conference middle linebacker ended up being a stud in the pros.

I also go a little crazy with the spreadsheets. Ok, a lot crazy with the spreadsheets.

I created coursework for the student-athletes, and I would keep track of their grades throughout each semester (fall/spring/summer). I would have fall finals during Championship Week, and if players didn't make the minimum GPA, they would suspended from the bowl game (if we had one). I usually ended up with one or two suspended, but once I ended up with five.

From there, I started to institute the APR (Academic Progress Report) followed by the NCAA. If a school doesn't meet the minimum requirements,
they could face punishment, including postseason bans and scholarship reductions. That made me really think twice before cutting a player, because the player could drop out of school and hurt my APR or he could stay (the less likely result) and I kept track of his classes until he graduated.

Another junior WR declared for the draft, but it ended up being a unique situation. My spreadsheet had him graduating in 3 years, and his OVR wasn't high enough to be showing up in the Madden export. So I re-created him, put him through the recruiting process (basically sitting out the year) and then coming back as a "graduate transfer" (I finished second in recruiting him back, behind USC).

I also have a spreadsheet for practices to create injuries and awareness of opponents, and I also lower some ratings due to injuries (ie, dropping a RB's agility and speed after suffering a sprained ankle). I have another spreadsheet to monitor player behavior (ie, like a player getting into a fight late night and having to suspend him for a game or two).

Finally, I use a combination of StoneCalf's "Diamond & Duds" and Hellisan's "Manual Offseason Improvement."

To me, these "add ons" seem to make the game a fuller, richer experience.