There are a lot of things that I would like to change in dynasty mode for the NCAA series, but I want to focus in on one thing that could make a HUGE difference - the way that players develop and progress.
One of the biggest issues with dynasty is that it becomes stale because the process and the teams start to feel the same.
Also, you can't recreate teams that focus on getting 2-3 star kids and developing them (Boise State, Virginia Tech) or teams that recruit all 4-5 star kids but that doesn't translate to success on the field. Player's and teams need to develop dynamically with different factors.
Here are 3 simple traits that should be added to all recruits & players:
These factors would then factor in with the school that they chose to go to. A school with a higher grade for Athletic Facilities would get a very small boost to progression. (Reason being that some of the best athletes work out in box sized gyms with paint peeling off the walls)
Where the real difference with a school would be is the coaching staff. Obviously, we need to have the ability to hire our own coaching staffs (like hiring coordinators in Madden). Along with head coach, offensive coordinator, and defensive coordinator there should be added a strength and conditioning coach.
All of your coaches would have a skill set (this would progress over time as well). They would have grades by positions (or by skill that would be the same as players) as well as motivation and potential grades for themselves.
Obviously, you have your A+ coaches (Saban) and those teams would do well all-around. But, you could also choose to implement a power run game and hire a coach who is a C overall but an A in running back skills and run blocking (despite being a D in QB/WR/pass blocking). As such, the progression of your teams running backs + run blocking would progress better and faster than your passing game = your team turns into a true power running team (instead of just by playbook definition).
Your head coach ratings, offensive coordinator ratings, and defensive coordinator ratings combined with a players Work Ethic + Skill Potential rating would determine the success and speed of that players skill development.
Your strength and conditioning coach would have a set of ratings that would coincide with a players athletic ratings. An A+ S&C coach would be great with increasing size + strength as well as agility + speed. But you could also hire a C coach that specialized in size + strength, or one that was all about speed.
Your strength and conditioning coach's rating combined with a players Work Ethic + Athletic Potential rating would determine the success and speed of a players athletic development.
What this system would accomplish is two-fold:
College Football is all about a unique player or a coach who can turn a program around. With a system like this it would allow for the story of a 2 star kid who had great potential & work ethic and hooked up with the right coach to have a great career. Or it would allow for a diva 5-star kid with a poor work ethic to have minimal development and be a complete bust. Or a coach who has average kids across the board but focuses on excelling at one aspect of the game to overachieve with his program.
How much more would you play NCAA Football's Dynasty if every player you recruited had a different story? If you could create a true "coach/program style" and not just by playbook definition?
College Football is such a unique sport, it's about time that NCAA Football reflected that in an appropriate manner.
One of the biggest issues with dynasty is that it becomes stale because the process and the teams start to feel the same.
- You recruit kids with the same faces as your existing team
- Their ratings are pretty predictable based on star rating
- They develop at a predictable pace
- Your team 12 years into dynasty looks and feels like the team you started with
Also, you can't recreate teams that focus on getting 2-3 star kids and developing them (Boise State, Virginia Tech) or teams that recruit all 4-5 star kids but that doesn't translate to success on the field. Player's and teams need to develop dynamically with different factors.
Here are 3 simple traits that should be added to all recruits & players:
- Athletic Potential - how much room this player can develop physically before they reach their physical ceiling.
- Skill Potential - how much room this player can develop their skill & awareness ratings before reaching their skill ceiling
- Work Ethic - how quickly and reliably this player will reach their athletic and skill ceilings
These factors would then factor in with the school that they chose to go to. A school with a higher grade for Athletic Facilities would get a very small boost to progression. (Reason being that some of the best athletes work out in box sized gyms with paint peeling off the walls)
Where the real difference with a school would be is the coaching staff. Obviously, we need to have the ability to hire our own coaching staffs (like hiring coordinators in Madden). Along with head coach, offensive coordinator, and defensive coordinator there should be added a strength and conditioning coach.
All of your coaches would have a skill set (this would progress over time as well). They would have grades by positions (or by skill that would be the same as players) as well as motivation and potential grades for themselves.
Obviously, you have your A+ coaches (Saban) and those teams would do well all-around. But, you could also choose to implement a power run game and hire a coach who is a C overall but an A in running back skills and run blocking (despite being a D in QB/WR/pass blocking). As such, the progression of your teams running backs + run blocking would progress better and faster than your passing game = your team turns into a true power running team (instead of just by playbook definition).
Your head coach ratings, offensive coordinator ratings, and defensive coordinator ratings combined with a players Work Ethic + Skill Potential rating would determine the success and speed of that players skill development.
Your strength and conditioning coach would have a set of ratings that would coincide with a players athletic ratings. An A+ S&C coach would be great with increasing size + strength as well as agility + speed. But you could also hire a C coach that specialized in size + strength, or one that was all about speed.
Your strength and conditioning coach's rating combined with a players Work Ethic + Athletic Potential rating would determine the success and speed of a players athletic development.
What this system would accomplish is two-fold:
- Each player would have his own unique development process
- It would allow for the creation of a true "program style" or "coaching style"
College Football is all about a unique player or a coach who can turn a program around. With a system like this it would allow for the story of a 2 star kid who had great potential & work ethic and hooked up with the right coach to have a great career. Or it would allow for a diva 5-star kid with a poor work ethic to have minimal development and be a complete bust. Or a coach who has average kids across the board but focuses on excelling at one aspect of the game to overachieve with his program.
How much more would you play NCAA Football's Dynasty if every player you recruited had a different story? If you could create a true "coach/program style" and not just by playbook definition?
College Football is such a unique sport, it's about time that NCAA Football reflected that in an appropriate manner.
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