Another NFL management game wishlist

[igothermida86]

Alright to start of I do not like text based games, id rather have a console based management/simulation game, having said that, here are some things I would like to see in such a game:

1. NO player ratings:
instead, the user has to rate the players he has (and has the option to rate players on opposing teams, free agents, and the upcoming draft class) based on stats, age, position, how the team will use this player, and other such indicators which includes ways to get to know players and their psychological traits. These ratings would be the user's own perception of how good the player is and so would not be consistent through out the whole league and would also lead to more realistic trading. The user also has the ability to change a players potential rating but this, once again, is just the user's view of how good the player can become nd potential in the game is not a fixed rating, in fact almost any player is capable of becoming a superstar (but there would be discepancies in the players' likelyhood in becoming a superstar, e.g. Mark Sanchez has a better chance than Kevin O'Connell, but this 'superstardom chance' rating would not be known by the user) This view of rating and potential is much more realistic because in a coach's real life, all the players in the league do not have known ratings and set potentials, the coach has to decide for himself who are the most valuable players (there may have to be some set system though to stop users from setting players like Peyton Manning as a 72 rating and players like Kevin Kolb as a 99) These ratings can also be based on mini camps, training camp, work outs, weekly practice performance, etc. There could however be other ratings possible such as durability, but that's a whole nother issue

2.Scouting:
Once again, there should be no ratings (accept maybe some vague ratings) and instead the user should have to select who to scout based on a complete record of the players' career stats in college (something amazing to go along with this would be video footage of each kid but its completely unrealistic that that could ever happen). The scouting process should just be more intense than it has been in other games, this is the future of your team that you're picking, and the user should be able to select exactly what he's looking for in a player and tell the scouts to look for that. And please, have some realistic results.

3.Tracking Players:
This would allow the user to select any player on other teams, their own team, in free agency, or in the upcoming draft and then get updates on the player's situation and stats

4.Indepth trading:
the user should be able to do everything in trades that teams can in real life, like trade future draft picks (at most 2 years in advance though) and have three team trades and have some teams value draft picks more or young players over vets, etc. or maybe have a team try to dump some of its salary cap

5.GM/Coach:
the game should give GMs and coaches their own personalities and preferences on how to run their teams, some could prefer stars over team players, draft picks over players, vets over rookies. Some teams may have controlling coaches, and some coaches can have different reactions to players/personnel/media/etc. actions. Some GMs prefer to build through the draft, some like free agency, some are good scouters, and some are trade heavy, this should be incorporated into a game

6.Player Personalities:
This idea is straight forward, it's just hard to put into a game effectively. Players must have possible traits such as show offs, team players, nice guys, self aware, etc. and these traits should effect their actions, reactions, and the actions of the people around them

7.Free Agency/Contracts:
Negotiations, players biases/preferences for certain teams (players giving discounts for certain teams because they want to win or want to play with a certain star, etc.) there should be realistic contracts with holdouts, incentives, bonuses, options, and more

8.Historical INaccuracies:
Many simulation games allow the user to take hold of historical teams, so I want to see it be that nothing is repeated. Just because you're playing with the 1999 Ravens doesn't mean that you will automatically win the superbowl that year because certain situations may happen differently (they can still win the superbowl though). Or if you go back and draft Dan Marino with the Jets instead of the Dolphins, he shouldn't have the same career, in fact he could turn into a total bust because the Jets may treat him differently

9.'Game Changers'
This idea is stolen from NFL Head Coach where random events, often from off the football field, may effect the team but this idea should be elaborated on and have more of an adverse effect on the team. The events can include steroid use/accusations, fights, motivators, outside injuries, etc.). This can also inculde teeter totter retirements where guys go back and forth between playing and retirement or comebacks from retirement or guys coming from other leagues such as the CFL

10.Complete Control Factor
This should allow the user to choose level of control he/she gets over the organization they run, they can be the owner and the GM and the coach, or just the GM, or only perform half of the GM's duties

11.Smart AI
enough said

12.Creatable Stats/Important Stats
It should allow the user to create new stats that are measurable in the game and can help to identify the best players (this would be near impossible to do and so I do not actually expect it to happen...but a boy can dream), and/or allow the user to put importance on certain stats for certain positions so that his scouts look for these stats

Basically, what I'm saying I want is for there to be no discernable difference between me sitting down and playing this game and me going out, buying an NFL team, and appointing myself the owner, GM, and head coach of that team.

Thank you

Thoughts?

[cloudedskate]

The thing about player ratings is you need some way of telling how good a prospect is. You definitely would need things like 40 times, bench presses, height, weight, and all the physical stuff when scouting. I think video games will always have a ratings system because there is no way that you could actually watch game film for the 300+ prospects and free agents a year.

Maybe a way to change the ratings system would be to make it vague. Let's say I choose to scout Jamarcus Russell in the 2007 draft. I tell my scout to scout him. My scout comes back and says, "Cannon Arm. He will be a Top 5 arm in the NFL. He has had weight problems. Teammates do not like him. Product of a spread offense." If I scouted my favorite Head Coach player ever, Xavier Cox, would my scout say, "Best size:speed ratio in the NFL. Faster than most receivers, taller than most lineman. Good D-Line moves."

That scouting system has potential but would be extremely hard to implement. It would probably make me draft 1 or 3 busts a year, instead of the way Head Coach works now, when you can build a Superbowl winner in one year if you don't put limits on yourself.

Looking over the rest of the list though, I like most of the ideas. I would like to add a mode where you don't start out as the Head Coach. Instead you start as a position coach or scout and work your way up to Head Coach or GM.

Oh, and I want longer draft paths. Either that or make it so after 15 years you start on a new path.