10 for '10: Dynasty Mode

The next instalment of 10 for '10 is now available to read here.

Welcome to the second instalment of 10 for '10, a series of articles outlining what I feel are the ten things we most need to see in NBA Live '10 in different areas of the game. In the first instalment, I covered gameplay with the ten items I feel would greatly improve the game this year. Today we're moving on to a new list of ten, this time focusing on Dynasty Mode.

i agree to all of your points, and to reiterate... MULTI-TEAM DYNASTIES ARE A MUST!

Thanks for reading.

but of course

Good points Andrew. I definitely agree with reorder roster screen (it was just so simple & I'm of old school like you & it just seemed to work so well. Can't say same for player rotation. I can understand the idea & happy to leave it in as an option, but reordering was so much more simple. Often simple can be better), improved stats, multi-team trades, shorter season lengths, offline & online multiplayer dynasty modes.

Didn't know you couldn't hire & fire coaches & assistant coaches. I thought because all the 2k games had it for years, that Live must have it. But yes, it's a gimme. It needs to be in there.

To add a few things, I'd like to see more emphasis put on the NBA Draft. Green room invitees, cut scenes, the Commissioner actually announcing the pick, team & names & the crowd's reaction. It should happen. You should be allowed to either sim the Draft or actually be there, where each team gets to pick & you can try & swing trades & what not.

Maybe you can answer this Dynamic DNA query Andrew in dynasty modes since I haven't played it in Live '09. I understand there are no updates, but if say a team like Golden State trades for Shaq or Tim Duncan, will that automatically slow down the way the team plays somewhat?

I would also like teams to draft, trade, sign players based on team management philosophies and current coaching staff. The Warriors might pick athletes and gunners, the Spurs will take best available talent whom has the skills to step in right & away & help, & the Grizzlies will just screw up

Thanks X, glad you enjoyed the article. Bringing back the Reorder Roster function in Dynasty Mode is way overdue. Playing through my 09 Dynasty, I'm a little more used to the Player Rotation/Inactive List method out of sheer necessity but it's still more cumbersome than it needs to be and it's basically two menus doing the job of one. It's small, but it's an essential part of team management so it definitely makes my top ten.

Team DNA does change somewhat in Dynasty Mode according to trades and signings, since it's taken from the individual player DNA.

Clear "Injured" status upon entering a new Dynasty game

This was a major downfall of 365 and actually was the reason I didn't play a full dynasty in 09 like I had in previous years. Good ideas on the options though, hopefully they are paying attention.

Options for shorter season lengths in Dynasty Mode

the lack of the 29 game option hurts like hell. I dont care what kind of Sim options there are, I dont feel like there is enough control for me over my team when I sim. Idealy I would love to keep the sim options we have along with a sim to finish option, or a drop in drop out kind of game/sim hybrid. That would allow me to play 12 minute quarters, but I def can't play full 12 minute games.

if shorter season is added to Dynasty then it would be nice to run more than one team

That was great Andrew. You hit the nail on the head with those points. The ability to toggle between seeing interest/salary and contract length has been one of my biggest gripes in dynasy along with the inability to back out of a trade once you know if a team will accept your proposal. I'd love to see three team trades too along with ten day contracts. Does EA read these 10 for'10 blogs and if so have you received any feedback from them? Keep up the great work.

Idealy I would love to keep the sim options we have along with a sim to finish option, or a drop in drop out kind of game/sim hybrid.

That's something I forgot to mention. Sim Intervention is great but I'd love for it to be able to work the other way and sim to the finish or as you said, sim a bit and then jump back in so you could play the first and fourth quarters or sim to the end in a blowout but jump back in if the lead starts slipping away.

That was great Andrew. You hit the nail on the head with those points. The ability to toggle between seeing interest/salary and contract length has been one of my biggest gripes in dynasy along with the inability to back out of a trade once you know if a team will accept your proposal. I'd love to see three team trades too along with ten day contracts. Does EA read these 10 for'10 blogs and if so have you received any feedback from them? Keep up the great work.

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it. Haven't gotten any feedback from the devs as yet, I probably should've done this earlier in the year when we were doing the Wishlists but hopefully the guys have had time to check it out. In fact, I hope a couple of the points have given them a chuckle and they're thinking "Well, we'll show you!"

Looking back at this topic, I can't recall if you stated that D-League/minor leagues should definitely be in NBA Live '10 as it seems like a gimme to me. Also improved draftees (variations of names, countries of origin) wouldn't hurt. Draft & team management can be 10 times better if it was a priority. I understand gameplay is king, but sad to see the dynasty mode only marginally improved since Live 2000 (a whole decade later & not much better).

I made brief mention of it at the end of the article but the D-League wasn't officially in my ten things. There has actually been some noteworthy improvement in Dynasty Mode the last couple of years with the "push" concept and some Wishlist staples making it into the game, but as of NBA Live 09 there was still some fine tuning to do with simulated stats, award winners etc and there's certainly things that could still be added. As much as I'd like to have the D-League in the game it's probably something I'd forego to see some of my nitpicks fixed up.

I know they definity need multi player dynasty if they want to keep up with 2K. 10 Day Contracts would be wonderful too. Another beef i had with Live 09 for XBOX 360 is the numbers are so small even with my glasses on that I had to sit up close to the tv just to see them.

I mentioned that in my piece on presentation, I daresay we're not the only ones who feel the text should be bigger. From the looks of some of the overlays in the early screens, it might be a bit better in NBA Live 10.