Been playing DBC 13 and 14 for the past couple of years and there are a few things that are just minor annoyances - I'm sure others have mentioned a lot of these things but I'm fairly new to the board:
GAMEPLAY:
- It seems a bit too easy to get runs playing across the line of the ball and a little too hard to score playing in the V (unless mid off or mid on are out). Even on higher game difficulties, I can play leg glances and cut shots with almost no fear of being trapped LBW or nicking off, but trying to beat mid off and mid on (and even fast bowlers) is nigh impossible.
- On the rare occasions when the ball does hit the pad or body (including the gloves) it dies immediately. This means no bat-pad catches and no leg byes. I've been playing for two years and I don't think I've ever even seen a leg bye.
- The game doesn't account at all for the handedness of fielders. My right arm fast bowler can hit the stumps from the boundary throwing left-handed.
- The patches have obviously tried to do a lot for the edge mechanics, but there's still not enough variance. It would be cool to see more edges flying over slips, falling just short, darting in between keeper and first, etc. Sometimes it feels as if my fielders are wasted in the slips.
- Seen a lot lately about fielding AI concerns. Definitely agree here. I repeatedly score hundreds without a single run through the off side.
- I don't see a whole lot of impact of conditions on gameplay, either with respect to weather or on the pitch. Even if these were exaggerated slightly, I think it would be a cool addition to the depth of the game.
IN-GAME DISPLAY:
- Right from the outset, it's hard to understand why the game shows you a forecast for today only in a test-match or four-day game. I'd rather see something (even if it were variable and incorrect sometimes) for the last couple of days of the match than know what the weather will be at midnight today.
- It would be neat to be able to use L2 pre-delivery to see which player is fielding at each position, rather than the name of the position.
- On the bottom line where the individual scores and figures are shown, I would like to be able to see how many overs the bowler has bowled in parentheses next to his figures.
Additionally, here are a couple of things I'd like to see with respect to Career Mode - again, I'm sure many of these have been mentioned:
Overall feel: I really enjoy the depth and immersion of the Childish Things "Cricket Captain" titles on iOS. They do a fantastic job with transfer systems, generation of new players, variety of leagues, conditions, and strategic elements. If DBC 17 were able to remotely approach the depth of CC with respect to Career Mode, I think you'd really have something special.
Career Calendar: I'd like to see my career player have a legitimate 12-month calendar for each season, which displays the fixtures that my player is committed to for each of their respective leagues and teams. You see something like this already when you create a custom tour in DBC 14. If my player is on multiple franchise teams and an international side, it should be part of his reality that he misses large chunks of his domestic season. This should also make playing against other domestic sides more interesting as they'll have international players available for some matches but not others.
Dynamic Lineups: This is pretty obvious. Players in poor form should be dropped, even if they're the career player. Players should move up and down lineups, and when captaincy is achieved, the career player should be able to do the same.
Tiered Domestic/International Participation: Domestic teams should have Second XIs (one-day and three-day) and international sides should have U19s and A-teams before participation on the international first team. This should also be where newly generated players show up to replace retiring older players - Ryan Sidebottom should not still be playing for Yorkshire ten years into my career
Major ICC Events: World Cup, World T20, U19 World Cup, Champions Trophy....these all need to be on the calendar, obviously.
ICC World Rankings: Rankings should be available for batsmen and bowlers in all three formats as well as for international sides, with rewards for reaching the top of the table.
Statistical Continuity: As of right now, statistics post for players only in games that are actually played by the user, so a new player in an opposing side would only have matches against a career player's side in their in-game stats. Clearly these players are playing other matches during their own theoretical careers, and those stats should be reflected.
Ratings Availability: It would be good to be able to access the various ratings for teammates and even opponents in Career Mode - it would help with things like field placings and bowling strategies.
Net Bowling: I know others have mentioned this, but it would be helpful to be able to bump skills in the nets bowling as well as batting. Perhaps the game could offer challenges like "hit the top of off stump" with rewards for accuracy and pace. You could apply these to batting in the nets as well.
And finally, I would love to see an
International Captain mode introduced - play the full international calendar with player development, simulated (or playable!) U19 and A-sides, trying to win ICC trophies and get your nation to #1 in all formats - even perhaps bring an Associate side to ICC events through WCL qualification and pushing for Test status and Full Membership!
A lot of big dreams, but even if only some of them come to fruition, can't wait for DBC 17!
