[totalownership]

Quote: Originally Posted by CreatineKasey

I'm a 100% ability guy. I think measurables just don't do players justice. Whenever the numbers game comes up I always just think of Jerry Rice and all his unbelievable intangibles. He wasn't the fastest, strongest, or most agile yet he was the best football player ever. How can that be best represented? Abilities. It gives players a life that numbers just do not. RB A has 92 speed 68 STR 88 AGIL 84 OVR RB B has 89 speed 70 STR 85 AGIL 84 OVR Does that really separate much of anything? Would it correctly characterize each player effectively? RB A has a speed ability, a quick feet ability and has a superb spin move RB B has a strength ability, a superb stiff arm and truck stick, and he gets stronger the more he gets the ball. Both players succeed under certain playcalling and playstyles, but they are DIFFERENT playstyles which would be effectively characterized with abilities. Dave Megget VS. Christian Okoye in APF. Perfect example. One guy has bad hands, is a heavy, workhorse, straight ahead plow. The other RB (Megget) has good hands, is extremely agile and can return kicks very well. Both could have the same OVR but both play extremely different and is EFFECTIVELY characterized with abilities. This style of describing players just gives them a life numbers don't give. Some may argue "what about all the non ability attributes" well they can be hidden, but be within an average range, which would be expected for the majority of NFL players. Abilities can just point out outstanding abilities. I think it is important to NOT show the numbers of players. Having ratings unknown draws attention to the style of the player not the number. It's not like when you watch football you think "boy that Ronde Barber is about a 92 zone coverage". You say "boy that Ronde Barber really excels in zone coverage". To me it is a no brainer. I don't like viewing my video game football as just a bunch of polygons with numbers attached to them. That's what happens in a numbers-based game in my opinion. A pitfall for this system could be the issue of average and below average players lacking in abilities along with a way to decipher them and know whether they'd work in their system. I.E. possession WR that's a role player or 3-4 DE not a 4-3 DE. I understand there is a "Weapons" system in Madden but personally that just didn't cut it because the game still reverts back to viewing players as numbers. Numbers can and have worked in the past, I just think abilities work far better for a sports game. I apologize this got a bit long. I just really strongly believe in this topic.

Bravo!!!