Videogame Coaches Deserve Some Respect

[Steve_OS]

Ryan Spencer checks in today with an article entitled Videogame Coaches Deserve Some Respect. Often forgotten in the sports videogame world the coach is a vital part of any real world sporting event, whether it be from a tactical or presentation perspective.

"There are several things that developers need to do in order to better capture the importance and influence of coaches. First of all, coaches should resemble their real-life counterparts in appearance, skills and tendencies. In NBA 2k8, there is a stark contrast between the appearance of players—with photorealistic faces, tattoos, and body types—and coaches, who, aside from skin tone and hair color, don’t look realistic at all. In NCAA Football, coaches don’t have ratings other than “prestige” and “experience,” which only come into play while recruiting."

[CMH]

I agree 100%

It's about time coaches have their own ratings/attributes in sports games. They are an important piece of the puzzle and need to be recognized as such.

[Scott]

Re: Videogame Coaches Deserve Some Respect

I agree 100%, definitely need to have ratings, maybe not as many as players of course...but ones such as Experience, Gameplan, Strategy.

[bxpapito]

There you go .. SCEA "MLB 08 Programmers" Write this down, for next year's game...

[tril]

The only way a coach feature will truely work is if you take the game calling ability out of the players hands. Other than that the player playing the game is already coaching, by calling/running certain plays, subbing certain players in and out.
the only possible way coaching could work is if they implement this during practice sessions. not practicing certain plays for games can have an affect on whether a play works during a game or not. thats how I see coaching implemented.

[auburntigersfan]

I can't wait for nfl head coach to come out

[JBH3]

NCAA Football is definitely a game which needs help in this arena. Coaches don't even retire in that game, and the same set of 117 coaches at the beginning of your dynasty are the same ones there 10 yrs down the road. Except maybe Joe Pa got fired and is coaching the University of Louisana Monroe. It's completely stupid, and unfortunately it appears it's going to be the same it's been this yr too so the "wait till next yr" card has been played. It's actually quite appalling that the NCAA dev's haven't thought to do more w/ the college football coaches since they are just as important as making sure the option runs smooth during gameplay or the "college atmosphere" is implemented.

Other games like Madden, or the MLB/NBA 2K's could go a step further in what the coaches do (as you mentioned).

At least they give us some kind of realism/coaching carousel since they are all games which have real and generic coaches which get hired/fired, and they all let us hire a full staff.

It would be really cool to see something like you mentioned for Herm Edwards be implemented for all coaches. It would be like the current Madden equivalent for the newly introduced "Weapons" that we got last yr. They could have coach "Weapons". Bellicheat's would be camera's spread throughout the stadium...lol...But seriously that would be cool, and add another layer of challenges to the game.

[J.R. Locke]

I was hoping with NBA 2k addition of all those team specific sliders that these would "follow" coaches to new teams. So if Don Nelson ends up somewhere else after G.S. that team becomes a run and gun style of team.

Also it would be great if 2k redid all of the franchise off season coaching controls.

As for NCAA Football I haven't played that game since 2004 but a new coaching system would likely induce maybe another purchase.

[baa7]

Re: Videogame Coaches Deserve Some Respect

You know, I think the idea in any sports game is that the person with the game controller in their hands is the coach...

What's next? Interfering owners who won't let you pitch with your star reliever because he wants him to be moved into the starting rotation? Yeah, that would be a ton of fun, hoo boy.

[Village Idiot]

Re: Videogame Coaches Deserve Some Respect

Some focus in this area would be fantastic. I'd love to see something like where a guy like Bob Stoops (or whomever) took a job in my conference, and after three or four years, turned, say, Purdue into a mirror-image of OU, while OU, relacing him with some scrub, fell off the map. Multiply that scenario by 20 and you've got some serious depth for Dynasty mode.