26 Franchise Mode New Features Discussion
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Hey everyone! I’ve been playing franchise mode for a long time and wanted to share some of my thoughts that I think would help the game feel a little more personable.
I am a big sim guy, so some of these ideas are centered around stuff that’s not actually in the game, but specific to the mode.
- Popularity/Fans
I think it could be fun to tie in fandom into the franchise experience a little bit more. More popularity leads to more fans in the stands and more money to spend. Top prospects debuting and big trades or big signings could boost popularity too.
- Coaching Staffs
Manager Archetypes: I think it could be interesting if prospective managers had an archetype that could elevate your team in different ways.
- Player Development: This archetype would lead to faster progression for younger players/top prospects in the big leagues
- Old School: This would lead to slower/stunted regression for older players.
- Fan Favorite: This could be a popular former player that leads to increased popularity from fans (and increased chance to resign players in FA)
- Front Office Identity
Team would have an “identity” in their team makeup. This aligns with market size kinda. Certain teams horde prospects and will not (or rarely) trade their young guys for a star. On the contrary there are teams that are constantly trading top prospects for stars. Then there are the teams that will trade stars in arbitration for prospects too. Could be a fun new dynamic to trading in the Show.
- Free Agency
Minor League Contracts! I know a lot of people want that for signing aging veterans.
Also - I know players have preferences (location, coaching staff, etc) but I think it should matter more to Free Agents (sometimes). Just like in real life - some players prefer location, some want top dollar.
- Rivalries
This has to do with expanding quirks for players. Some players kill rival teams, while for others the “lights are too bright”. I thought this could work for player v player too when one guy beats up on the other it can grow the rivalry.
- Storylines
This is basically just a module on the mode that contains the same info you see in game on the bottom ticker. As someone who doesn’t play a lot I enjoy seeing the content that displays in game. When guys hit milestones, who gets traded, who got put on waivers, that kind of stuff.
- AI Announcing!
This is the biggest undertaking on the list (or so I think). I think implementing some AI in announcing could lead to a more fun, dynamic in game experience. You could have enhanced storylines like a guy playing against his hometown team, a guy who is absolutely owning another player (ie rivalries) and other things like that without it being so cookie cutter after a while.
I’d love to hear your thoughts! If you read this far, thank you!
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In general, it is time that sport video game companies start integrating AI concepts into their games, and broadcast commentary would be the best and most natural fit, and would absolutely revolutionize the immersion factor in video games, especially sports themed games.
Eventually, some company is going to implement this integration and when that happens, it's going to put every other company at a huge competitive disadvantage. Imagine the commentator and color analyst actually calling the game based on what's actually going down, using the actual player names and accurate descriptions of what happened?
Extending this concept to pre-game and post-game interviews and again the immersion advance would be monumental. The trick would be to secure the voice rights for the AI integration, but I am sure this could be done.
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@PriorFir4383355_XBL I completely agree! I think the commentary is something that every sports game struggles with due to the limitations of recordings and scripting. If AI could add some more flair and personality it could be a really fun inclusion into the next generation of sports gaming
