Dynasty Mode Years / Drafting

[robjv1]

I decided to post regarding the recent poll regarding Dynasty mode, noting that most people only play a couple of years.

Is this because the game gets less interesting once the current NBA guys retire or age and the league becomes dominated by generated rookies? I actually prefer to play the game for the full length of the dynasty.

Usually what I do is take the current rosters, but do a simulated draft so that the rosters are mixed -- I'm not big on trying to recreate exactly what one might find in the current NBA season / playoffs, it's much more interesting to mix things up.

As the computer generated rookies start to dominate the dynasty in the later years, I edit a good portion of them (both ratings and appearances) to populate the league with some more interesting players (as most generated rookies are crappy/undersized/etc). A lot of the players I create are based on past great players.

Sometimes I like to create players with really unusual and conflicting characteristics -- like a 5'5 high-flyer, that can run the floor with incredible/speed quickness, and play some damn good defense, or a big center that moves incredibly well with the ball, with great dribbling skills and a three-point shot and unleash them on the league.

Another trick I like to use is to take a crappy player on the FA list and up his stats, so that the next year, a team that needs a great player can sign him for peanuts. This often helps counteract things when one or two teams really start dominating a dynasty.

[Andrew]

I think the generated rookies certainly have something to do with it for a lot of people, though if you've read badreligionau's NBA Live 10 Dynasty thread in the Dynasty Stories section it doesn't have to make things less interesting or fun to play. I'd say simple boredom and desire for something new plays just as big a role, especially because you can't switch teams freely and there's a brand new challenge to be had by starting again from scratch with a different team (and yes, the real players before development and decline).

It also depends on people's free time, especially since Dynasty Mode hasn't allowed for shorter seasons in the 07-10 editions. Unless you're willing to sim or have a LOT of free time on your hands, you're probably not getting through more than a few seasons before the next game comes out.

Anyway, nice idea making a thread for this, hopefully a few more folks will share their thoughts. I'll move this to The Virtual Hardwood since it spans across multiple games in the series and it'll be a bit higher up in the Forum so hopefully more people will see it.

[robjv1]

Thanks a lot! I actually was reviewing my old posts and realized I made a very similar post about 5 years ago, but always nice to revisit the topic.

Yes, I think the part about people moving onto the new game and a lack of free-time to finish a dynasty in the previous game has a lot to do with it. Given that I only play on the PC and didn't like NBA Live 2007/8 as much, I've pretty much settled with NBA Live 2006 being the only game I play, so that gives me lots of time to complete a dynasty without a new game to dissuade me from continuing on.

I've been playing the current dynasty I'm in for over two years now -- I don't have much free-time to play these days, but I feel pretty invested in the mythology of my current scenario to finish up with it. I should be able to wrap it up in the next few weeks and update it with the NBA PC Project file and start all over again, and it'll be nice to get Rondo and Derrick Rose in the game if nothing else :p

I think what keeps it so interesting for me is the ability to edit things and shape it somewhat and then letting it run wild on it's own. Without the DBF editing, I don't think this franchise would be as engrossing as it is for me.

[Andrew]

That would definitely help. I've gone back to 06 myself for Dynasty play (though I haven't touched it for a few weeks as other things keep getting in the way), obviously if you're sticking with one game for a few years then you can really get some mileage out of a single Dynasty game.

In addition to the generated rookies, I think all the trades and player movement turns a lot of people off after a little while. I've found myself rendering certain Dynasty games unenjoyable from too much trading, changing the face of my team too much or making it a bit too strong or star heavy. The longer you play, the more likely that is to happen over time and when it does occur, that's when you start looking for a new challenge.

[robjv1]

Do you mean CPU initiated trades amongst teams in the first part? In general, I find that there is VERY little trading in my dynasty amongst teams and very few top guys opt to be free-agents. Is this the case for others as well or no? Over time, it seems to result in the same 4 or 5 teams being stronger than everyone else in the league.

The only time great players seem to opt for FA is when there is another really good player on their team in their position and they are getting up there in the years. I will sometimes force trades amongst CPU teams via DBF editing if I get tired of seeing the same team with the same players come up short year after year.

I also like to check out the team records -- if I see a team making big improvements year after year, I'll bump some of the ratings of their young guys up, or send a good player their way to make their momentum continue (left on it's own, I find normally these teams will stall after a few years of growth or begin to regress when the team gets older).

I've had the problem with my teams getting too star/talent heavy as well. A lot of times I'll make a Pau Gasol-style lopsided trade to a team that needs a good player to weaken my own team. I try to build my team around a certain makeup and I so I tend to dump guys that don't fit in well to my system.

Basically I like my Center to be a power guy/defensively oriented with little offensive skill, my PF guy to be a big man with good post-up skills and a soft touch around the basket, my SF to be a spot up 3pt shooter and my best defender, my SG sort of a well-rounded athletic guy with mostly above average skills, and my PG to be strictly a passing PG with good D.

[Andrew]

There are the CPU-initiated trades, but I was talking more about user-made ones; the tendency to wheel and deal too much with your own squad and reaching a point where your team is too different or too stacked to be fun/challenging to play with, leading to boredom and a desire to start over with something new. However, some of the games since NBA Live 06 have had a problem with the CPU making way too many trades especially when it comes to the stars, notably NBA Live 09 and NBA Live 10.

[Shoot1stAskL8R]

Weird. I play Dynasty mode to try and cripple other teams. Then after the season is over, I kinda hope the worst of them extend me an offer so I can fix their issues. It almost never happens and I stick to my original dynasty, but I'd like to actually make amends directly instead of monkey-wrenching my own team. (Would've been nice to be given the option to jump ship.)

Gameplay does/did get boring around year 4 or 5. Most of the existing superstars are retired or have lost much of their abilities, and not many rookies have elevated to FSS levels. (Then again, I think I also had 5 years of weak drafts.)

[Andrew]

What's your GM rating? If you've got a rating of 100 then you're pretty much guaranteed to get an offer to change teams in between seasons, especially if you win the championship.

[robjv1]

Gameplay does/did get boring around year 4 or 5. Most of the existing superstars are retired or have lost much of their abilities, and not many rookies have elevated to FSS levels. (Then again, I think I also had 5 years of weak drafts.)

Yeah, this can be a major downer. As stars start to retire, I pay close attention to the All-Star game and the Rookie/Sophmore game. After the games, if somebody looks like they have potential or just for the heck of it, I'll boost up their abilities to combat the "glass-ceiling" problem of generated rookies never progressing to superstar status.

You gotta be careful not to boost them too high though -- I had this guy in my dynasty "Cyrius Coleman" that took multiple awards at the end of his first season. Oops!

Another fun thing to do is to up the ratings of someone on the FA list that just sits there and let a team with lots of cap space (usually a bad team, but not always) sign him.

I guess the way I play the dynasty mode is a mix of spontaneous development and giving certain teams and players a helping hand in order to make the dynasty mode more interesting as the years go by. It almost feels like a social experiment, which is what keeps it interesting for me... just mess with things a little bit and let it run wild.

[Hg8Harrier]

Oddly, I do get superstars in Live. In year three of my current franchise, a computer generated player is second in the league in scoring at over 27. No .dbf editing required. Of course, he's a center on a team without any other pivots.

I think that you really have to buy into the mythos of a franchise. I only play a number of games each season, which keeps it new and fresh. The playoffs and the All-Star games are a must, however. Those show you the best and the brightest... or, at least, those players that are decent that are stuck on awful teams.

Good thread, it offers some food for thought.

[Andrew]

I guess the way I play the dynasty mode is a mix of spontaneous development and giving certain teams and players a helping hand in order to make the dynasty mode more interesting as the years go by. It almost feels like a social experiment, which is what keeps it interesting for me... just mess with things a little bit and let it run wild.

That's also where the PC versions have had a huge advantage over the years, our ability to not only mod the game but make corrections as necessary. They've brought some of that flexibility to the consoles with the ability to make trades for CPU teams (allowing you to correct strange and downright stupid ones) and edit ratings, but it comes at the cost of Dynasty Points which are used to develop your staff and ultimately your roster.

[robjv1]

Yes, I am doubtful that NBA Live/Elite will ever return to the PC and even if it did, I imagine it would be far less editable. What is the reasoning for dropping NBA Live as a PC offering anyways? Just no future in PC sports games? Last I heard, games like World of Warcraft were doing great business, but I guess sports is less profitable.

HG8Harrier - I agree completely, it is all about whether or not you buy into the mythos of your franchise. I played every game in the first couple of seasons, but am a bit more selective about it during the season. I play all of the playoff games though.

[Andrew]

Pretty much. The PC version had poor sales compared to the console versions.