A Better Way of Handling Impact Players

[nadoss]

I like the way impact players were handled in the NCAA Football games. An impact player receives no stat boost or special skills. Every team has three impact players (you could make it two for rugby of course, that would look better), the designations just there to let you know that this is a guy who you want to have involved in the action right now.
For example
Ireland: Heaslip, O'Driscoll are both guys who you want to have the ball
New Zealand: This would be tough to pick two, I'm not a NZ fan, but I'd have to say McCaw and Carter
USA: Clever and Ngwenya (sp?) they obviously aren't as good as players on other teams who aren't impact players (like Sexton or Nonu), but this lets you know that when you play as the USA, these are guys who you can rely on, at least more so than other players.
This way the star serves a function to people playing the game, while not adding some unrealistic stat boost


Question: Who would you put down for the teams as their 2 (or 3) impact players, as defined above. Every team will have the same amount, including teams like Russia, the USA, and Namibia

 

[beerholder]

...so what you're saying is that impact players should have incremental performance as the match progresses? sorry, i've not played football games.

 

[dan the man]

To be Honest i'd rather that there were no Impact/Star players... just let the stats do the talking

 

[nadoss]

the impact player status doesn't change the player at all. its just there to give you an idea of where your best players are, like often, at the beginning of a match, the commentators will mention which player they expect to excel this game, well, this would just allow you to see the 2 players who you can trust with something important. The stats still are all that matters, but sometimes you just need to have a quick visual idea of who your best players are, while playing, because you cant always see the number on the back or sometimes dont even know the team you're playing as that well.

 

[beerholder]

well, if you play a team you wouldknow who your star players are and where they are. but i like the thing where the commentators mention the impact players. that's a nice idea.

 

[dan the man]

So really you just want the Commentary to be really good???

 

[Kage]

Well this is similar to the player icons in RL 3 and RLL which designate a teams fast, strong defensive and playmaking players. I'd say stick with the system as it is and highlight players for their particular strenghts, and maybe even expand the range to include noted tackle breakers, ball winners etc.

 

[beerholder]

So really you just want the Commentary to be really good???

no. well yeah, but no . Kage has it spot on with the RL icons.

and at the beginning of the game the commentary would highlight the key players just in case you never played that team. It would make it easier for you to decide what players you should use.

 

[nadoss]

yeah, we dont really get access to those games in the states, but that sounds about right. Its purely to help the people playing to have a visual indicator of where their best players are. And I know I'm not the most rugby savvy person in the world, but I doubt if you played as Namibia or Russia, you'd know where your star players are, and even when you know your star players, you might not know where he is right now, especially with your roaming flankers. I didn't mind the star at the bottom during Rugby '08 because when I was in rugby league, I was thinking to myself the whole time... Do I have Burger? there he is! (because of the star) and I'd make sure he got it. Its just a visual aid

 

[beerholder]

maybe instead of a star it would be better to show the player's strength, like a boot for a kicker, a fist for a ball carrier, etc.

 

[Teh Mite]

Specialist traits in particular fields on their stats would be the way to go: E.G. Wilkinson is goal kicking, Heyman in propping etc.

Then the "Star" players, instead of a visual representation, simply have additional specialist skills: McCaw is a fetcher and defending supremo, Ashton & Beale are Fast, agile and accelerate rapidly, Carter is goal kicking & passing, Botha is lineout & strength (BUT also has high aggression making him prone to carding), Mils & Foden are Fast & Creative (which could mean the more they see the ball through out the match, the better they get?).

If these traits have both a positive and negative effect it is also an idea, so some players - particularly fly halves - tend to retract into their shells when under the cosh (let's say if territory and possession are below 35%-ish) so their general stats decrease (eg. Hernandez, Flood, Myler, Cooper, Spencer, Geraghty, O'Gara, Sexton, Rockokoco, Any Australian) - If however things are going right (so territory and possession are above a certain percent - Say 65% - their stats go up), or if their aggression is too high they're prone to moments of madness and getting themselves sent off (so eg. Hartley, Mealamu, Botha, Neil Best, O'Connell, Haskell, any Frenchman, Butch James). Or there's the classic injury prone players (eg. Wilkinson, James, JSD, Sheridan, Any Leicester Player).

Food for thought, do with it as you please.