Features you want to see in next iteration of Big Ant Cricket

[cricket_online]

My wishlist for future iterations of DBC franchise :-

1. Slider setting for line & length info - Have a slider setting which allows users to determine how early or late they want to see the line & length info (at least against AI). With slider at max setting, it will allow users to see the line & length information a full second (or maybe 1.5 secs) before the ball is delivered by the bowler. And when the slider is set at min setting, you don't get line & length info at all. Thus the setting can be tweaked depending on user's reflexes so we don't have to play pre-meditated shots all the time. This would be the top priority for me. At the very least this feature should be implemented for games against AI since it may not be possible to show line & length info in user vs user matches.

2. Scenario Creator or 'Create a Scenario' mode - Users should be able to create any scenario using this mode. E.g., i should be able to set up a test match where I'm chasing 500+ for a win in a Test match, or I can create a scenario where I'm chasing 434 in an odi against SA. This will allow us to recreate any scenario we wish across any format and allow us to relive classic matches/moments from the past. This feature should enhance longevity of the game manifold.

3. Sliders for adjusting gameplay settings for user and AI - Allow users to use sliders to customize various gameplay settings a la Madden NFL series. Thus I can have Batting attribute slider set to a high level (if I'm good at batting), Bowling slider set to a medium level and fielding set to lower level etc. You can also have these settings separated for user and AI just as it's in Madden. Thus if you want a challenging game you can have user slider settings set to hardest difficulty (sort of 'All Madden') and have Ai slider settings at the lowest level (say 'Rookie') so AI can score easily etc. Maybe there can be additional gameplay slider settings such as 'Running between wkts', 'Edges' and 'Extras' so you can adjust these slider settings to get the cricket experience which is right for you.

4. Feedback while batting - A timing bar or some sort of feedback related to footwork and shot timing should be provided after every shot/delivery. Currently I've no idea what i did wrong as I get no feedback at all in the middle. Make this feature optional but do give us this feature.

5. More stable online experience - The online gaming experience has to be much more stable than an afterthought, and no. of bugs should be minimal. Also, it would help if ranked online matches get locked roster or teams similar to what you have in Madden thus you don't come across all those 5 star teams, and maybe also allow only out of the box field sets so you don't see field settings with 9 players on the boundary. For friendly matches anything should be fine but not for ranked ones.

6. Smarter and much improved AI - AI needs to react to situations much better, such as preserve wkts in Tests or when you lost a couple of wkts at the start of an odi, or to go for bonkers when it's a free hit, or to throw caution to the wind while at the end of a shorter format innings or in case the reqd run rate is too high. Currently beating AI is not much of a problem.

7. Stats - Enhanced stats which are not reset or lost after a restart of a saved match. It's cricket where it takes a long time to play out a Test match and losing most of the stats once you resume a Test match takes away from the gaming experience. Maybe look at EA Cricket 2007 for more stats such as Manhattan, Spider, Worm etc.

8. Better out of the box fields - To be honest, out of the box fields in DBC 14 were pretty poor and it sort of amazed you that how can the folks who nailed finer aspects of cricket can be so bad at picking the fields.

9. Improved tutorial mode - Currently you have no idea how various skill settings and attributes affect gameplay or help newbies pick up nuances of the sport. Again I would refer to Madden 16's (or 15) tutorial mode where they walk a user through basics of the sport and what needs to be done to improve at the sport. Same could be implemented for DBC with batting, bowling and fielding.

10. Save and Continue option - Allow us to save and continue option so we don't lose any match progress in case of a crash.

11. Field radar - Last but not the least add a field radar which will help quicken the pace of online matches. Make it optional so folks who don't want to see the field radar can turn it off but others like me can turn it on.

12. Human fielders - Make fielders more human and not a cross between Superman and Flash. I should not b caught on the long on boundary by mid on fielder. And while we are at it make it easy for us to see the impact of skill and attribute settings.

13. Enhanced 'Practice Match' mode - Allow users to pick a batsman and a bowler in Match Practice mode. I would love to bat as my career batsman (or as Don) against a bowler which troubles me the most. And I should also be able to select the line & length of the bowler so i can practice a particular shot on the pitch. Currently we can only do so in nets (select line & length).

 

[ASHES_FAN]

i don't know if this has been suggested before, but i would like to see different styles on how score is displayed depending on which country it is being played in. Like fifa does

 

[kushari]

As everything else has already been covered. I would just point out one thing which I came across quite often. When a fielder, for example Fine Leg Fielder is throwing the ball to the wicket keeper, if there is a leg gully or leg slip positioned there, he will always (without fail) intercept the ball, which in turn allow the opposition batsman to score a easy single. This looks so unconvincing, as why would you try to stop the ball going towards Stump/Wicket keeper when there is a fair chance of a run out? Though its definitely not a big deal, but it affect the otherwise natural flow/logic of the game.


and Of course...More detail STATS. Number of 4s 6s, Strike Rate for Batsman & Bowler etc..

 

[Daniboy95]

As everything else has already been covered. I would just point out one thing which I came across quite often. When a fielder, for example Fine Leg Fielder is throwing the ball to the wicket keeper, if there is a leg gully or leg slip positioned there, he will always (without fail) intercept the ball, which in turn allow the opposition batsman to score a easy single. This looks so unconvincing, as why would you try to stop the ball going towards Stump/Wicket keeper when there is a fair chance of a run out? Though its definitely not a big deal, but it affect the otherwise natural flow/logic of the game.


and Of course...More detail STATS. Number of 4s 6s, Strike Rate for Batsman & Bowler etc..

Adding to that, I have noticed another annoying issue in online, sometimes when the batsmen misses the ball and it goes to the keeper, the batsmen tries to take a bye and the keeper throws the ball. The bowler must run towards the ball to stop the run. But he is running back to non strickers end and the fielder from Mid on or Mid off trying to collect the ball from the middle of the pitch. This is little unrealistic as well and loosing a fair chance of run out.

 

[whiteninness]

i don't know if this has been suggested before, but i would like to see different styles on how score is displayed depending on which country it is being played in. Like fifa does

You can change this in the settings. I think that's enough.

 

[angad]

Posting some suggestions I had with respect to the changes I would like to see in the future versions of the game:



I) Fluidity in Batting. Currently batting looks very non-fluid in a way that it is full of jerky animations (e.g. batsman goes from still to shot withing micro seconds). The feel of batting is great, its just the look of it that can be made better.

For e.g. if you see any video of real-life batting, you would notice how the batsman is constantly making subtle movements while the bowler is running into bowl. These may include tapping the bat, getting into the 'ready position' to play the delivery, moving into the final position, follow through. I would love to see such fluidity and timing in animation as it would make the look really authentic.

Here are some ways that I feel can improve the fluidity of batting and also enhance the gameplay experience (it may sound good, but I can understand it will be very challenging to implement):

• Make foot movement independent of 'when' the shot is played. So, even before the ball is bowled I should be able to move my foot to get into position for the delivery as it happens in real life. I might choose to shuffle, or move my front foot, or move back....all of it whenever I want to. This would not only look good (if executed well) but would also give me (and bowler) the feedback on where I am in my stance to play a particular shot.
• You can assign it to the speed and length of the movement of the LAS. So for example, I move the LAS half way forward before the delivery is bowled then I am on the front foot but dont have the full stride forward...now from here I can decide to move back or forward or towards the off/leg etc. just as it is in real life. The speed with which I move the stick would determine the speed of the foot movement (with adjustments for limitation of animation) and if I am late with this, it would then mean I am not balanced while playing the shot and thus may result in a false stroke or penalty in timing.
• We should be allowed to check our shot by not pushing the RAS all the way. This way, we can check our shot if we mis-read the speed of the delivery at the last moment. This will give us the option of changing our shot at the last moment based on our batting position just like in real life. For e.g. say I wanted to play a cover drive, but realizing that I am not in the right position, I stop the RAS mid way, now based on the timing (and area) of the bat hitting the ball this may either result in a defensive shot or the ball looping up in the air.
• Similarly some more stuff can be thought out for making batting (including the decision making that a batsman makes when he is at the crease) as realistic as possible, but in look and feel.

II) Online play to have separate modes for 'Default Teams' and 'Created Teams'. However This should only be in terms of change in attributes, height, bowler type (i.e. stuff that have an impact on gameplay) etc. Change of Name, Physical Attributes, stats. (i.e. all the stuff that doesnt have an impact on gameplay) should be allowed for default teams. The current setup in cricket academy already allows you to choose the stuff you want to copy. If you only copy non-gameplay relevant stuff, then it still constitutes a default player instead of a created one for online purposes. However, for this to work, you need to ship the game with the correct gameplay-relevant stuff so that the players remain authentic.

III) PES My Club styled mode. Once you have sorted out point II above, it would be easy to implement a PES My Club styled mode (since official licenses are not there, a mode like Fifa FUT might not work). Once you have the feasibility to identify default players even though their appearance may have changed, I believe this mode may work wonderfully. For e.g., you get a player called Chushant Sharma from this mode that will have attributes fixed by you guys (based on Ishant Sharma obviously) and once we add him to our club we have an option to change his appearance by copying it from a created player in the academy.

IV) More celebration animations for bowlers and batsman that we can choose from during the gameplay itself (e.g. Fifa celebrations). These can include celebrations or even taunts (clean ones like staring, winking, smiling, laughing, clapping) during the game.

V) Slight change in bowling action as a tell for different type of deliveries including the release of the delivery that should be late for shorter deliveries and early for fuller ones.

VI) Instruction for AI (Defensive, Aggressive, Slog) when captaining a side in career mode

VII) Have different 'voice actors' for commentary. Give them individual character like 'Always Excited', 'Serious', 'Stats Guru', 'Funny' etc.

 

[Bob350]

Some great ideas from Biggs and blockerdave. I will try to add few more of my wishlist.

I mostly play career mode and that's where my suggestions would be. As most said this mode needs a complete overhaul.
We need to have in game targets.Such as

For batting :
Finish the game, stay as long as you can, keep the run rate steady, see the new ball through, Target a bowler, start hitting after this over etc.

For bowling :
Build the pressure, get wickets, attack a batsman, bring down the run rate, maintain economy below a number etc.

These goals should pop up during the game as well. It should be like we are receiving the feedback from the dressing room or captain based on the current match situation.

We need a realistic AI batting. Tail enders to bat like Tail enders.

I don't care about licenses but would love if the focus is on improving gameplay as close to the real game. Like

Improvement in ball physics , fatigue. Fatigue should increase based on the climate and it should play an important role.
When the batsman is tired it should be difficult to run 3 or hit over the ground.
Like blockerdave said heartbeat should be on when the player is tired as well.

Batsman should be able to walk the run to improve his fatigue a bit. Drinks or session break to improve the strength of the player. It should play a similar role for bowler as well.

Career mode should be calendar based. County level should not be restricted to only English and Australian season. It should be based on the home country of the player. Yes, there can be occasional calls for those counties which brings in international players as well. Since we are going to have stadium creator tool, I hope career mode will have the ability to use custom stadiums as well .

Contract system:
We need to have contracts at the beginning and it should be based on the performance. If the performance is so bad the game should end for that player after a few seasons. Good performance should be rewarded accordingly.

Finally on STATS & commentary , they should be vital part of the game. We need more of those like worms, players overall Stat and how they are performing in the current season etc and the commentators should be able to explain the match situation and discuss about that. It should be more lively than commenting on each delivery.

 

[rvch.savage]

I'd really like to see real life gear on the Playstation and Xbox versions.

 

[rvch.savage]

I would also like to see a Career mode where you can control an entire team, like Fifa's Manager Mode.

 

[hussainr97]

These have probably been mentioned too-

1.)SHOTS - There is no square drive or slog sweep, it would be nice for those shots to be added in. Also the normal sweep shot really lacks power. Also, we should be able to charge the ball and hit it on the ground, or charge and block the ball. Playing spin is about getting to the pitch of the ball, but we can't do that in this game.

2.)POWER SETTING - There needs to be a way to decide how hard you want to hit the ball. Maybe make it so if you push the analogue the whole way, the shot is more powerful, and if you just push it gently, not the whole way, then it's not as powerful. At the moment, there is no way to play with soft hands, drop, and run.

3.)BATTING MECHANICS - The batsman don't look smooth playing their shots. Often the suddenly go from one position to another. The movements need to be more natural, they shouldn't look too forced.

4.)MORE MECHANICS - It seems that the ball often doesn't carry so well, and it seems a little slow. Also, when a spinner is on, the ball barely bounces, and it's impossible to cut or pull a spinner as the ball just loops down really slowly.

5.)FIELDING MECHANICS - The fielders in the current game are too good, and they seem superhuman. Tone them down a bit.

6.)FIELDING ABILITY - Maybe give each fielder a different skill level and skill type in fielding. For e.g. Give a slip fielder high reflexes, while an outfielder should have high running speed, good arm and accuracy. Also give poor international fielders a poor fielding skill.

7.)BATTING STYLES - Create a set of different styles of batting, and attribute them to each player. Allow us to choose different styles for our career mode player.

8.)BOWLING ACTIONS - Same as above.

9.)CROWD - Crowd should be more dynamic. Different sections should do different things, and they should only cheer for the home side (unless a neutral venue). They should also react to the game (if it's intense, make them quiet, and cheer louder when they cheer, make them hit seats during intense phases), and maybe have crowds in different countries act the way they act.

10.)LICENSES - May be expensive, and may not be feasible till the next installment after this. but if possible it would be nice, and it would open a whole new window of possibilities. You could have a FIFA Ultimate team type thing if you get licenses.

11.)SPONSORSHIP - Perhaps have real companies sponsoring the advertising boards, and billboards. Maybe even get some real cricketing brands sponsoring the gear.

12.)DOMESTIC TOURNAMENTS - Try add domestic tournaments from more countries in. So next game, I want to be able to start career mode in Pakistan or New Zealand or something. I don't want England and Australia to be my only options.

13.)COMMENTARY, STADIUM MAKER, KIT EDITOR HAVE ALL BEEN MENTIONED.

 

[hussainr97]

Forgot to mention.

14.) UPDATING TEAM ROSTERS - All teams should have a roster that keeps updating with official squads. Players should retire, and new players should debut.

 

[dhump]

Ok here are my 2 cents I loved some advice's above and love to see them implemented, but for me personally these things will effect and make the game-play much much more interesting. Specially in career mode which increases the shelf life of the game massively.

I would suggest to make massive effect on players quality due to ability and attributes you set for a certain player. I would copy a little from a post made by fellow member in another thread to explain what I mean.

Minimum (0 bars) - The batsman should bat like Chris "Phantom" Martin, i.e. no clue which end of the bat he's holding and averages between 0 to 5
Maximum (Full bar) - The batsman is a reincarnation of Don Bradman and would be literally impossible to get out cheaply unless he gets a corker and averages in 80s or 90s
Bar half full (50% skill level) - The batsman averages around 30
Bar 75% full - The batsman averages in high 40s
Bar 80% full - Batsman averages close to 60
Bar 90% full - Batsman averages in 70s (should be very very very difficult) (A super star mode can be added so 1 player per team kind of rule)


Similarly for bowling my scale would be as follows...

Minimum (0 bars) - Bowler who doesn't bowl and would average in excess of 100
Maximum (Full bar) - Bowler who averages in teens a la Sydney Barnes
Bar 50% full - Bowler who averages in high 40s
Bar 75% full - Bowler who averages in early 30s
Bar 80% full - Bowler who averages in late 20s
Bar 90% full - Bowler who averages in early 20s (should be very very very difficult)(A super star mode can be added so 1 player per team kind of rule)

This should be the base standard of how a player should act depending on his skill points, but like in reality factors like conditions and form should play positive and negative effects.

- Net sessions for career player should result in increasing of these points but slowly.
- At the start of inning batsman and bowler both should start at around 70%-80% of his original ability and only gain his original ability after middling few balls and scoring some runs. (start of inning nerves)
- Golden patch or bad patch implementation: Scoring runs or good bowling match after match should result in a good patch that would add some visible skill points to certain player for specific period. (a season,few matches also getting out cheaply or too many extras or expensive overs can reduce these back to normal)
- Difficult to bat on bowling wickets and the other way for bowling: Batting on bowling wickets can result in some point reduction or your actual nervous period is longer on such wickets.

A player that is pure batsman must not have bar less than 50% and same can be done for a pure bowler. Chances of improvement is important and should be there to make it interesting and worth playing so (gamer)as a batting all-rounder can bat in nets dont throw his wicket and spent time on wicket must be able to grow as a batsman with 90% bar and also improve his bowling.

I think adding such abilities will keep the interest going as you can actually see the improvement in your player and playing the game will be more gifting and satisfying as a user.

I hope I am able to explain what I meant using my ever demising English skills.

 

[whiteninness]

I don't think that licensing would "open a whole new window of possibilities"

In fact, the lack of licensing led to the Bradman Academy, which itself led to a variety of teams and players, many historical, that is not matched in any other sporting game.

NBA 2k series is the best sporting series today (arguably). They have historical teams, for which they have to seek individual approval for every player as there is no collective body covering them. Each year it's a big deal when they add a few new teams, and even then there are often players missing.

In Bradman do you want to create the 80s Rebel Tour? Go ahead.... @blockerdave

Licences would help with the grounds but even then the current grounds are very pretty (although the crowds need a significant improvement)

 

[blockerdave]

Very very true. My big concern for the next iteration however is that if there's no way to transfer from the DBC14 academy the new game's team selection may be somewhat limited - I don't see myself ploughing all that time into team/player creation again

 

[whiteninness]

That would be a pain. Perhaps BA could interact with the PC community to port over the best teams? This would be a nice way to filter out the crap/replicas, whilst keeping the hard work.

It would also be nice if the default player ratings were realistic. The ones that came on the disc were crap.

I'd love to see an improved modability of the game. Right now it's not exactly easy, particularly for newcomers. The main issue is with the guernseys. It's annoying that copying the file to your folder is not enough; you have to manually select all of the colours for the shirt, pads, pants etc. Doing this for every team is a right pain.

I noticed, again with NBA 2k, that you can upload custom images to a server that can then be downloaded by everyone (e.g. stadium adboards). I know BA is probably scared of unsuitable content, but I'm just saying it has been done... 2k can probably afford to pay people to monitor it though.