List of Game play Issues to be fixed in priority order
? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
1) Human controlled teams reverting to default XI line up after game is saved and reloaded
This applies to one-day matches as well as first class/test matches. Whether playing a friendly, international or tour etc, an issue arises as soon as you pick a team that has players that do not belong to the programs default team line up.
If a match is played all the way through with no saving and reloading of game then there is no issue. However if the game is saved, the following issue arises upon reloading:
a) In one-day matches, as soon as the 2nd innings commences your (human) team resorts back to the program default XI line up. So any players you bring in from the squad outside the default XI are replaced with the default players once more.
B) In test matches, as soon as the first 2nd innings commences the same issue as mentioned in a) above occurs. Any players you used from outside the default XI are again replaced with the default XI players you removed in the first place
1b) Cannot chose default field settings with non default XI players
Following on from 1) above, as soon as a game is saved and reloaded the following happens with non default XI players you have chosen from your squad to play in the match
a) Whenever you select a non-default XI player to bowl, you can only use the normal 1 default field. The program allows you to choose any field you desire from the usual list, but only the normal 1 field is used when actually playing the game. This is most bizarre when in the restricted overs of an ODI, as more than 2 fielders are in the outfield. Also, it removes any tactical element from the game as you are stuck with that field for the remainder of the match
Point 1 means that the whole point of picking a squad for a tour, test series etc is defeated, as the game will only allow you to play with the default XI it chooses, and not what you choose.
2) CPU running between the wickets (all skill levels)
The CPU?s batting judgment of when to take a run (especially when ball is hit in the direction of mid on/off is poor, even on the HARD level. Too many suicidal runs taken (even in tests) which result in easy run outs. The readme that comes with the game says that patience is the key when it comes to taking wickets in tests. At present no patience is required as every few overs an easy run out opportunity arises, resulting in even the best teams posting low scores with 5+ run outs evident on many occasions in an innings. (very unrealistic).
3) Statistics
-An innings, which ends while using ?auto play? or played fully by a human, will have an incorrect scorecard when all 10 batsmen are out. All 11 batsmen will be recorded as out, with often one batsmen listed as bowled or LBW without a bowler?s name shown
-Records from tour matches (i.e. touring international side vs. local side) are incorrectly listed under Test (they are actually first class games). They also seem to record the opposition wrong ? e.g. a record I got for Australia vs. West Indies A was recorded as Australia vs. Australia
From your October 2003 interview:
?Is there a detailed stat tracker?
Yep?I love it. It tracks just about everything.?
Sadly, this feature is of no use when the stats being reported are wholly inaccurate.
4) Wicket Keeping
Far too many byes in Test matches. Inability of keeper to take simple catches or stop the ball from going for an unrealistic number of extras.
Again from your interview:
?Has the long 18 month development cycle enabled you to put in a lot more stuff that would be possible for a yearly update? Can we expect some drastic improvements?
Definitely?we have put in loads more content and also taken the opportunity to refine gameplay. Some of the little niggling things from 2002 have been fixed for 2004. e.g.: the wicket keeper now fields the ball.?
Unfortunately, the wicket keeper fielding the ball is not evident with the above issue
5) Auto play issues
Many reported instances of auto play crashing the game back to desktop ? no matter which option is used (end of innings, to next wicket etc). Also if for example, you auto play a 50 over ODI, often a bowler will have bowled more than his 10 allotted overs in an innings.
6) Fielder on the pitch (tests only)
After taking a wicket in a test match, for the next ball only, as the bowler runs up to the wicket, a fielder stands on the pitch half way down the wicket. He can field/catch the ball as normal
7) Stamina bar does not reduce (tests and ODI?s)
No matter how many overs a bowler bowls, his stamina bar never reduces. They have been recorded instances of bowlers bowling 17 overs in a row in tests and their stamina bar is still at maximum. The whole idea of implementing a stamina bar to increase the strategy element in picking different types of bowlers depending on pitch conditions etc is defeated. You can pick two fast bowlers for a green pitch
in tests, and bowl them both all day long (i.e. 45 overs each) without any downturn in their performance
These Andrew are the major issues that need addressing urgently in a form of the patch. However, some other points we would like to bring to your attention are:
(All these points are raised again from your Cricket2002.tk interview)
?Weather and the pitch play a crucial part in real-life cricket. Do they play a role in Cricket 2004 too? If so, could you give us an example of how this works in Cricket 2004?
Yes, both play a part. Pitch wear will affect how the ball bounces, swings, spins etc. Rain will also play a big part in the flow of play. We were unable to include rain in Cricket 2002 but we?re happy to inform everyone that the DL rule has been fully implemented in Cricket 2004 and rain will as you pointed out, realistically affect gameplay?
There has not been one reported case of the Duckworth-Lewis rule being implemented in a one-day match?
?Does the CPU still never bowl no balls?
Given the new stat database?there will be no balls.?
Again, not one reported case of the CPU bowling a no ball ?
?We?ve heard you have something called the ?World League?. Is this only for the English and Australian club teams or can we choose international sides as well?
This mode involves management aspects such as buying and selling players along with playing matches. Since this cannot be implemented for International sides, currently this feature supports only the domestic teams.?
There is no such feature for domestic teams ?
?What's the status of the game right now? Are you having your testers look for bugs and making some corrections?
We are now well into our test phase. We have a big team of guys working on it.?
As you can see from the all the points listed above, many issues unfortunately seem to have got past the testing phase unnoticed. It?s this last point that adds weight to our argument that a patch to rectify the major issues that should have been picked up in testing, is indeed forthcoming.
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not 80th
