|
I've kicked myself periodically over the last three years for setting up my fictional league in Challenge Mode. I don't want to do anything game-breaking, but I can't even do things like change the number of minor league levels (I didn't add a rookie league when I created my league and want to do so now) within the mode, and as we all know, you can't turn it off. I think this is a mistake.
I know the devs have taken a pretty hard stance on this in the past, but I think it's worth bringing up again. If we're worried about the integrity of the leaderboards/achievements, are those really more important than allowing players to do what they want with their saves? There has to be some way of allowing us to permanently turn off CM so that we can customize as we wish without starting a league we've grown fond of from scratch.
Failing that, there's no reason I shouldn't be able to do things like add a rookie league to my fictional league's minor league system while in Challenge Mode. I would also like the option to turn off owner firing as I want to stay with one team for good. I don't think that option would really sacrifice the integrity of CM, either.
Other things I'd like to see in 2021:
- Custom stadiums. Even if the customization is just picking from different options in a template, that works for me. I just don't want to see the exact same stadium every game.
- Banners, etc. in stadiums. Let us deck out our stadiums in style with some simple banners for championships and retired numbers!
- Special field designs for key games. This would also help immersion in both fictional and other leagues: Allow simple designs for the field that indicate it's a championship series or what have you.
- General 3D improvements. The game has steadily gotten better in this area, but I'd like to see more variety in the animations. Slightly different batting stances would be great. Things like the occasional collision or miscommunication in the field or missed diving catches would also be nice - right now, every diving catch is successful, and not knowing whether the play would be made would make watching the games more exciting.
- Overall storytelling. For fictional players especially, this would be great. A little more variety in write-ups after things like great performances, player confrontations, etc. News/rumors about player extension negotiations, free agents, stuff like that can make the game more lively. I don't need a lot here, there are storylines that pop up now and then and they're fun, but a little more in that area would be cool.
- Special events. A lot of the fun for me as a fictional league player is seeing legendary players and teams grow. Could we have the option to schedule special events such as having back members of championship teams for ceremonial appearances or scheduling nights to honor past players for number retirements, etc.? These could come with a slight attendance bump and a little in-game text and maybe an animation of the player/players waving to the crowd.
- Better ways to sort through stats. Sometimes, it's difficult to find what you're looking for even with all the options available. I wanted to look to see if a player was the first in my league to achieve 40/40 status and had to manually go through the best steals years in league history, click on them and see if the player also had 40+ HR that year.
Overall, in-game stadium customization of some sort and continued 3D improvements are my two must-haves. Greater options in Challenge Mode (or the option to turn it off permanently within a save) would also be nice.
|