A Potential Improvement for Be A Player Modes

[K0ZZ]

Re: A Potential Improvement for Be A Player Modes

I have been calling for an end of skill points in be a pro modes for a couple of years now. The development should be as true to life as possible and sorry you don't get generic points for making a lay-up that you can use to improve your ball handling or grab a rebound and improve your 3pt shooting or steal a pass and jump higher. The way you practise, play, or train should be the sole determining factor how your ditigal self progress or regress.

IMO skill points and the lack of A.I. in your teammates are the two biggest downers in BAP modes.

Going off this, should progression be tied to how much you use a certain attribute? Such as if you make a lay up, it would add points to only that field and no other? Or would you rather it just be yearly based as it is in season modes?

The later has been proven to be disliked among fans, especially in sports like the NBA, where if you had to play eighty-two games as a sixty overall guard, just to get bumped up to sixty four for your next eighty-two games it would be an absolute death sentence to the field.

[da ThRONe]

Going off this, should progression be tied to how much you use a certain attribute? Such as if you make a lay up, it would add points to only that field and no other? Or would you rather it just be yearly based as it is in season modes?

The later has been proven to be disliked among fans, especially in sports like the NBA, where if you had to play eighty-two games as a sixty overall guard, just to get bumped up to sixty four for your next eighty-two games it would be an absolute death sentence to the field.

The former. You should progress as the season goes along however I would like to see the progress tapered. There should be some kind of combine and for games like Madden that is linked to NCAA your college self should have some realistic bearing on your pro potential.

[jmik58]

Be A Pro modes basically need to adopt an RPG feel (a game within a game) to make any significant difference from the current offerings. There needs to be character traits and choices that the player has to make that develop that character and narrative. Of course this would mean that the player would need to balance finances and relationships off the field/court/etc. Is there enough space on a blue-ray disk for all of that plus the other modes on sports video games? The point being; this would not be a toe in the water. You really have to go all-in to pull a change like this with success.

[Yeah...THAT Guy]

Re: A Potential Improvement for Be A Player Modes

Not sure if it's been mentioned, but this article kinda reminds me of when Madden initially introduced Superstar Mode and had the part where you picked your parents and that basically set how good your player would be. I miss that aspect, along with a lot of the other stuff they removed from that mode.

[da ThRONe]

Re: A Potential Improvement for Be A Player Modes

Be A Pro modes basically need to adopt an RPG feel (a game within a game) to make any significant difference from the current offerings. There needs to be character traits and choices that the player has to make that develop that character and narrative. Of course this would mean that the player would need to balance finances and relationships off the field/court/etc. Is there enough space on a blue-ray disk for all of that plus the other modes on sports video games? The point being; this would not be a toe in the water. You really have to go all-in to pull a change like this with success.

Honestly at the moment I don't think that's really necessary. Maybe a touch of the RPG stlye(if it doesn't become repetitive). I think the attention should be on realistic progression, better interaction with management, and better AI for your teammates.

[chuguman99]

I think that games should implement a system where the BAP plays about a week or so at the college level prior to being drafted. That way, your performance could determine whether your player is a 1st round pick with instant success or a less wanted prospect that has to work their way to the top.

[XiaNaphryz]

I really wish more sports game developers would take a closer look at the My Life mode in the Power Pro games as an example of how to flesh out what else you can do in a Create-And-Play-A-Single-Player type of modes. Here's an older OS article on it: http://www.operationsports.com/features/632/mlb-life-does-the-career-mode-right/

[willz1985]

I've said for years that Madden's superstar mode should include the full NFL combine, i mean how hard could it be. And when i say the combine i mean the actual combine in Lucas Oil Stadium, not some practice field.

They kinda had something with the miniature pro days but got rid of it.

As for fifa, i cant really think of something that would improve the mode, as unlike madden he same pro you create offline is the same one you use in pro team matches.

The best mode by far in any sports games is MLB: The Show's Road to Glory, it really does a good job of simulating a baseball player's career from the minors all the way to the bigs.

NHL is pretty good too, the addition to play a 4 year career in the WHL lets you literally play through a full career

[Heshi]

Nice idea, but it leads to nowhere. "All roads lead to Rome" because you are just too good. Even with low ratings you will dominate your league, and if you keep stuck on the bench despite your great stats, you will start to complain. Just think of Road To The Show, I think it was 08, when at the start of your career you would be sent back to AAA even when posting otherworldly numbers because of your low ratings. What did people do? Complain.

I for my part suck at career modes, and I do live the life of a fringe player stuck in AA or as the third string running back. If you want to have more "realistic" careers, then simply don't play sports games as often and don't own everybody

So there's no solution to this, as long as you keep controlling your player directly. There have been text based games like the old "New Star Soccer" that demand decisions and you just click on what you would like to do. Do you try a risky dribble or do you pass the ball? It's probably the most "realistic" thing in terms of narrative, but who would accept a text based career mode in, let's say, "Madden"?

[Manonamission]

I have only tried three different Be a player modes (MLB power pros 2008, NBA 2k series, and MLB The Show 12) and have loved them all. I do acknowledge that these are considered some of the best be a players though

[arneliring0012]

Re: A Potential Improvement for Be A Player Modes

I agree with you too Mate.

I agree with you for the most part. However, the issue that these modes must overcome is the short attention span of most gamers and/or the limited time available to play through all the modes.

I would imagine that most sports gamers tend to stick to the calender with their respective sport. I play baseball games during baseball season, football in the fall & winter, etc. I'm lucky to get through one full franchise season with each iteration of a game.

That being said, who wants to spend all their time crafting a BAP only to end up on the pine spitting sunflower seeds for a living? The intent of the mode is to allow the basement QB to achieve "the dream." Most of us have already experienced enough failure in life and would rather avoid another dose of depressing real-world realism and failure.

I agree with RockitOldSchool. If the mode could be developed in a manner similar to the board game "Life" it might work. You decide in the beginning if you want to "roll the dice" and see what happens or go the guaranteed superstar route. Maybe there can be a risk/reward element tied to the decision. For those that go the "gamble" route maybe they get achievements or unlockables that are only available in that mode. If you prefer the guarantee of success, cool, but your in-game rewards are fewer or less-impressive? I don't know. But, I do know that I don't have 4 hours a day to fully flesh out a BAP mode only to find out that my player should be bagging groceries rather than shooting jumpers.

[saan356]

Re: A Potential Improvement for Be A Player Modes

I perform I would get much more use out of this mode.

[jackgold46]

Re: A Potential Improvement for Be A Player Modes

At least games don't immediately make your player a starting anymore (I don't think they do at least), because in Madden 10 you're usually already ranked in the excellent 70s and get the starting job at your position on the team that creates you regardless of what position the starting already there is.