Don Bradman Cricket in the Press

[gunit123]

Don Bradman Cricket 14: Big Ant, bare bums, and Don Bradman

Great read from IGN India.

I'd have to back up the view that the release in the UK was dreadful - the only way I knew about this game was accidentally stumbling upon it in the PS Store weeks after the release, otherwise I don't think I would be playing (never mind knowing about it) a really enjoyable game in DBC 14 today.

 

[ChinamanSpin]

Don Bradman Cricket 14: Big Ant, bare bums, and Don Bradman

Great read from IGN India.

Thanks mate, hadn't seen that yet

(Agree with what you were saying though)

 

[Chief]

In Big Ant's position I'd rather they reviewed it after it got patched.

True. It's not usually an option that's open, but yeah: I'll take that!

 

[Chief]

Don Bradman Cricket 14: Big Ant, bare bums, and Don Bradman

Great read from IGN India.

I'd have to back up the view that the release in the UK was dreadful - the only way I knew about this game was accidentally stumbling upon it in the PS Store weeks after the release, otherwise I don't think I would be playing (never mind knowing about it) a really enjoyable game in DBC 14 today.

This is the same article we've been talking about for the past coupla pages! IGN recycle stuff on different regions.

 

[Chief]

New Zealand, high on Cricket fumes, review. Game review: Don Bradman Cricket - Entertainment - NZ Herald News

 

[cricfan11]

New Zealand, high on Cricket fumes, review. Game review: Don Bradman Cricket - Entertainment - NZ Herald News

Unlike predecessors in the cricket genre you don't have that much control over exactly where you place the ball

I disagree, I actually bowl better in DBC than other games. The feel of bowling those outswingers in corridor of uncertainty and inswinging lbws, is amazing. About placing the ball, well you get your accuracy over the time with practice.

 

[MattW]

Especially as bowling difficulty in the donut-based games was on having the marker bouncing around the pitch and being very hard to control, as well as then needing the perfect timing on a button press to avoid a no ball. Made it far more difficult to bowl consistently.

DBC's is far better, but even Ashes 2013's crucifix system worked better than the old games.

 

[Biggs]

Ashes 2013's crucifix system

...that should've been on the back of the box features list.

 

[Chief]

Especially as bowling difficulty in the donut-based games was on having the marker bouncing around the pitch and being very hard to control, as well as then needing the perfect timing on a button press to avoid a no ball. Made it far more difficult to bowl consistently.

In Lara games, bowling was based on a "we have to be able to dictate what is and isn't a good ball" because there was no way to easily explain it to the players without. They taught the player how to play the GAME and not the SPORT (because: easier!). The marker moving was because, with the ability to say "that ball is good and that one is bad", you didn't want the player to bowl in the exact same place every single time.

Ashes lessened that movement and instead gave a bigger marker for poorer bowlers (because they are less accurate), but I actually felt this was an advantage to PvP because the batsman would know less where it was going.

Proper use of the analog sticks meant that IC10 had a bit more about it: if you turned the pitch marker off then it was basically the same as DBC, but with a button press instead of a stick movement for timing. But that principle of "what is and isn't a good ball" remained.

I think the BA system is a step up, but crucially it needs proper bowling tutorials adding to make sense of it for more mainstream players. It only works for people who understand bowling currently, which limits the market massively: they need to teach them the sport. OR the option to use either system dependent on player knowledge: An "Arcade" version and a "Simulation" version. (hears pitchforks sharpening).

 

[cooks1st100]

Ashes lessened that movement and instead gave a bigger marker for poorer bowlers (because they are less accurate), but I actually felt this was an advantage to PvP because the batsman would know less where it was going.

I've always thought this but if the marker had been invisible then the concept would have worked as it would have been harder to bowl a good line/length.

Proper use of the analog sticks meant that IC10 had a bit more about it: if you turned the pitch marker off then it was basically the same as DBC, but with a button press instead of a stick movement for timing. But that principle of "what is and isn't a good ball" remained.

A problem with DBC is there doesn't appear to be this principle. You can hit most balls either on the front-foot or back no matter what length and the AI even more so.

.
I think the BA system is a step up, but crucially it needs proper bowling tutorials adding to make sense of it for more mainstream players. It only works for people who understand bowling currently, which limits the market massively: they need to teach them the sport. OR the option to use either system dependent on player knowledge: An "Arcade" version and a "Simulation" version. (hears pitchforks sharpening).

I really like this "Weak Zone", "Strong Zone" analysis they are using in the World Cup. This is something Big Ant should consider looking at and recreating for both gameplay and for how it could be used as a tutorial tool.

At the opposite end of the spectrum I really hope they don't ever bring in the "voice of the T.V. umpire". Hearing " can you rocknroll it" for the hundredth time would cause me to boot something!!

 

[Chief]

I really like this "Weak Zone", "Strong Zone" analysis they are using in the World Cup.

LOL. I've been looking at that all morning thinking about how it would fit into a game.

Trouble is that's a FURTHER step of asking people to understand the fundamental principles. Need to teach the general rules, and then show when to stray from them to exploit weaknesses in batsmen.

It would make the player's attributes actually mean something, which doesn't come across in ANY cricket game I can remember (although Lara 05 *seemed* like it had it, I was never convinced)

 

[Biggs]

..."Strong Zone" is invariably wide outside of off-stump for all the players though, it's hardly a fascinating stat.

 

[barmyarmy]

I was playing some associate DB14 action last week and poorer bowlers are harder to hit sometimes; which has been a curse of a lot of cricket games.

 

[blockerdave]

LOL. I've been looking at that all morning thinking about how it would fit into a game.

Trouble is that's a FURTHER step of asking people to understand the fundamental principles. Need to teach the general rules, and then show when to stray from them to exploit weaknesses in batsmen.

It would make the player's attributes actually mean something, which doesn't come across in ANY cricket game I can remember (although Lara 05 *seemed* like it had it, I was never convinced)

to be honest, i think you're making too big a thing of the "teach people the rules/game" etc. an example would be Madden; obviously it has a huge and knowledgeable US market so it just hits the gameplay, not being overly concerned with spoonfeeding the basics. i remember playing it on the mega drive, having no idea of the rules and basically fake-punting everything and running with the QB... slowly i learned the principles and the rules through immersion in the game.

i'm not denying that DBC can be a little too arcane at times, but i don't think it should be taken too far the other way. Nail a really good representation of the gameplay with better feedback (why i edged the ball is useful feedback is useful whether i fully understand the game or not), and i think it can still be accessible for everyone. try and make it spoonfeed the newcomers, even if only on lower levels, and you'll alienate your core.

 

[MattW]

I'd just add little control indicators when you're doing it wrong. Like if you're spinning the stick in the wrong direction, just quickly pop up an animation of the right way around. Show the right contextual controls during the match.

The game very unsubtly turns back on the bowling assistance for you in some circumstances, but it doesn't really help you with the controls - other than letting you see all of them at once.