Before I choose to switch games - couple of questions?

[kicktothehead99]

Hi there

I have DD CFB and its a fun game but I have found after 3 -4 seasons it is relatively easy to have all 90+ rated players committing to your school and it kind of killed it for me. From what I noticed using the 2018 Demo there is a recruiting AI change to normal, hard, etc ... in the long run over multiple seasons does this really hold true making it harder to land those big recruits?

I am a heavy player of another College BB game and one thing I really enjoy about it is finding the diamonds in the rough.

for example that 1* player who has good HS stats and his physical attributes are good and you take the flyer on him and he turns into a 10ppg reliable guy.

In DD CB -
1. Do HS stats offer a projection of what the player "might become"? (I know not all will work out but - are there enough diamonds in the rough to really zone in on HS stats in recruiting and not make it like the football where I just sort by overall rating and click)
2. Does Height matter? I enjoy looking for the big 6-11 center who can be a force from sheer strength
3. Do physical attributes really play into a player developing? (will a good jumping SG be better than a low jumping SG etc)
4. Do the defense sets really make a difference in the game or are they "eye candy" - meaning - if you choose a particular defense (say 2-3 zone) because you have average players but all with real good height will that out perform if you chose a man defense but you had slower players etc ...
Is there a real noticeable difference in the way your team would play?
5.I have the 2018 demo and been playing around with it ... the interface has several un-intuitive clicks and screens that actually get annoying that cover other screens and require multiple clicks to get around ... This has been address with 2019 correct?
6. Overall as your sim dynasty grows into years do the statistics stay relatively balanced and "in-line" with reality for the most part?


Thank you for any replies ... I see the activity here and the game seems to be actively developed and supported and it seems like an interesting game.

[Wayne23]

Didn't know there was another CB game. Well, I DID play another one off and on for a while but I didn't find it as deep and as rich as this one.

Okay, I pay no attention to height and weight. Others may.

As to high school stats they are a very rough indicator. The best indicator is your scouting report (IF and only IF you have a good Reputation rating- that's the important one, and a decent to good Scout rating, and to a lesser extent the same for your Scouting coach. I pay a lot of attention to the Magazine and WSSN rankings.

Yes, your defensive set matters. As does how you set your defensive philosophies. I use 6 or 7. Below that is too low to be helpful. Above that often means too many fouls. Now, if I'm playing a game out and it's close in the final few minutes I will bump up the number to 8, 9, even 10, and gamble on the fouls.

Finally, I often start with a low rated to VERY low rated school, stay with the same dynasty for years, and either try to build that school up or move to better schools as my coaching ratings get better. I've had dynasties last 30 years or more. Been playing since the spring of 2007, and the game is deep and rich enough to stay interesting.

[Gary Gorski]

First off, welcome! The game is certainly actively developed - we put out a new version each year and as you can see we always offer upgrade pricing. I also take suggestions for the future versions so alot of what comes in as new features are things requested right here in the forums! Anyways here's some answers to your questions

In DD CB -
1. Do HS stats offer a projection of what the player "might become"? (I know not all will work out but - are there enough diamonds in the rough to really zone in on HS stats in recruiting and not make it like the football where I just sort by overall rating and click)
2. Does Height matter? I enjoy looking for the big 6-11 center who can be a force from sheer strength
3. Do physical attributes really play into a player developing? (will a good jumping SG be better than a low jumping SG etc)
4. Do the defense sets really make a difference in the game or are they "eye candy" - meaning - if you choose a particular defense (say 2-3 zone) because you have average players but all with real good height will that out perform if you chose a man defense but you had slower players etc ...
Is there a real noticeable difference in the way your team would play?
5.I have the 2018 demo and been playing around with it ... the interface has several un-intuitive clicks and screens that actually get annoying that cover other screens and require multiple clicks to get around ... This has been address with 2019 correct?
6. Overall as your sim dynasty grows into years do the statistics stay relatively balanced and "in-line" with reality for the most part?

1. HS stats are of some use but what is really useful is the scouting nuggets you gain from adding the player to your call list and watching film etc... You'll get notes along the year about a player and sometimes the notes might be saying one thing about the guy and it might be different than what the "experts" say in the reports. I've had times where my scouts were telling me a player looked really good at a camp but he wasn't very highly rated overall. Sometimes the guy turns out to just have had a lucky camp and wasn't that good but sometimes he turns out to be much better than expected.

2. Height does matter as does weight. Taller/heavier players will be a force in the low post against smaller/lighter players but they'll do a lousy job if they get stuck on the perimeter against a smaller player who could be much faster.

3. Jumping isn't a rating I use but what plays into development mostly (other than his potential) are the ability of the coaching staff in their player development ratings, their playing time and what is worked on during practice sessions.

4. The defensive sets absolutely all have a different impact. First their impact is based on how well your players are used to them (you have to set practice time to increase their proficiency) so you can't just decide hey we've never used a 1-3-1 before - go out there and do it! They'll do it but they won't be very effective at it. Same thing for the presses - if you don't practice them the chance they turn into a layup drill goes way up.

5. I don't know what you considered un-intuitive from the 2018 demo but the interface has been improved in the new version. When the game is launched on the 5th there will be a demo as well so you can see if you like the new one better.

6. Yes stats remain in line over time. Might be some change up or down based on the particular class of players generated but by and large it will be in a reasonable and expected range.

[kicktothehead99]

Well Mr Gorski - you have yourself a new customer
Thank you for responding so quickly.
Buying the pre-order now.

[Wayne23]

You won't be sorry. And this is an active forum. If you have questions there are a few of us who check in regularly and are happy to try to help.

[kicktothehead99]

Thank you Wayne

I have already dove into a low prestige career to see if I can get my a$$ handed to me haha.

On week 4 of recruiting already.
The new layout of the UI is fabulous.

[Gary Gorski]

Glad to hear it - you will definitely find the CB community here super helpful. We have amazing mod makers like NCAAHoops and Val (who have picked up from the prior amazing mod makers) and great people like PointGuard, Wayne, CoachC and Slybelle around too to offer help and although I don't always get to spend as much time on the forum as I want you can always reach us through the support form, Facebook, Twitter...you will get support no matter what. I can promise that!

[Magic Bird]

I am a heavy player of another College BB game and one thing I really enjoy about it is finding the diamonds in the rough.

for example that 1* player who has good HS stats and his physical attributes are good and you take the flyer on him and he turns into a 10ppg reliable guy.

In DD CB -
1. Do HS stats offer a projection of what the player "might become"? (I know not all will work out but - are there enough diamonds in the rough to really zone in on HS stats in recruiting and not make it like the football where I just sort by overall rating and click)

DDS:CB generates some "diamonds in the rough" in every recruiting class, but I have not yet noticed any attribute that consistently indicates which recruits will prove to be significantly better than their ranking. High School stats are not an indicator; however, if you watch recruits live or through film, you will notice that your scouting staff will assign letter grades in multiple categories to those recruits. One of these letter grades is for an "Overall" rating. Top 50 recruits are typically A rated players, top 50-150 recruits often carry B grades overall, and prospects outside the top 150 usually are graded as C overall with a fair amount of B and D rated players in the mix and occasionally some F graded players as well. What is especially rare is sometimes finding an A rated player or two outside the top 500. I've seen recruits with A overall grades ranked in the 700s and even as low as the 900s. Unfortunately I have never successfully recruited low ranked A graded prospects so I can't tell you if they truly do turn out to be excellent players. If they do, these players would be the 1 star diamonds in the rough you are looking for. I've noticed computer controlled teams sometimes find low ranked recruits who greatly outperform their ranking. 1 star diamonds in the rough are out there, but they are difficult to find.

Regarding High School recruit stats, High School numbers do give some indication of how well a player will perform in a certain area. Recruits averaging 9-10 or more rebounds per game often will be pretty good rebounders, and those who average 8-10 assists per game usually will have high passing ratings.

2. Does Height matter? I enjoy looking for the big 6-11 center who can be a force from sheer strength

Some centers who are tall and heavy will be able to bully smaller players in the paint for easy buckets. In one association I'm playing right now, a team in my conference has a 7'2 290 lb bruiser who leads the conference in scoring (he averages nearly 20 points per game) because no other team has anyone who is close to that height or as bulky as him. When he played against my team, he pushed around my smaller guys at the rim and scored at least 27 points both times our teams met. His scoring and shooting ratings aren't better than many of the other post players in the conference; he scores so well simply because he is bigger than everyone else.

3. Do physical attributes really play into a player developing? (will a good jumping SG be better than a low jumping SG etc)

Other than height and weight, the game does use an "Athleticism" rating. This has a small effect on how well players perform, and it also affects stamina. In real life, players who are faster, stronger, and can jump higher than other players are not always better than those other players. Given two players of perfectly equal skill, the more athletic of the two will have an advantage, but such identicalness of talent is unrealistic. These principles apply to DDS:CB as well; players with high athleticism ratings, height, and weight are not generally any better than players with low athleticism ratings, height, and weight.

I'm curious; what is the name of the other college basketball game you were playing?

[kicktothehead99]

Thank you for the detailed response Magic Bird (great name) - some good info there.
FBCB - much older game but still very solid - (check your pm) however Wolverines games are easier on the eyes and have some nice features missing in the other.

When it comes to sim games - I like to be immersed in the world created (as I am sure most people who play do) - Wolverines games seem to have the fun factor of immersion from what I can tell so far.

[Magic Bird]

Wolverines games are easier on the eyes and have some nice features missing in the other.

When it comes to sim games - I like to be immersed in the world created (as I am sure most people who play do) - Wolverines games seem to have the fun factor of immersion from what I can tell so far.

I agree! The DDS basketball games are the best basketball sim games I've played, even better than the FBB basketball sim games and Basketball GM.