Good morning all,
I have watched youtube videos, scrolled through a variety of forums, but wish to get some up-to-date answers regarding the following queries before I potentially purchase the game. I am desperate for an NFL variant of Football Manager but everything I have tried, including Front Office Football 8, has left me distinctly unimpressed. I am very grateful to anyone for taking the time to answer these queries;
1) I have seen numerous people reference the issues regarding the relative ease of signing high quality free agents for low salaries, rendering the game too easy. Using the salary modifier in the options, or another method, is it relatively easy to fix this before you start a new game? If so, what settings would you recommend to accurately reflect real life, as well a providing a suitable challenge for the user?
2) How straightforward is it to use real world mods regarding players, teams etc? Which one would you recommend, and is there a link to this with (very dumbed down!) instructions for how to install them?
3) One of my issues with FOF8, apart from the abysmal UI, were the limitations when playing a game with your team; you couldn't change QB's mid-way through a match for different plays for example. This lack of basic tactics removed any sense of immersiveness.
a) What is the match engine like in DDSP21? Can you rotate the QB's or RB's as the match progresses? Can you select a different QB for a trick play or a scrambling play? Can you double up on defence on that superstar wide-receiver the opposition has?
b) I've seen issues with the clock management be referenced, especially with regards to the AI in 2-minute warnings. Has this been patched? Are there plans to patch it?
4) Depending on the answer to question 3... would you recommend playing the game solely in GM mode? ie: not taking control of the on-the-field play calling? Is the game substantial enough to play this way?
I would much rather do both - GM and Head Coach, as without calling the plays it seems like half a game to me and a missed opportunity.
5) With the right settings, is the game capable of providing a challenging and realistic career mode for several in-game years? How would you set the game settings up to best achieve this?
6) Is there a user manual provided with the game, or something online with a basic run-through of what everything means and where it can be located?
Thank you to anyone for taking the time to share your knowledge and experience with me. I have tried several other games and it baffles me that such a popular sport is so lacking in this department. DDSF looks the best of the bunch and I am hoping it will be worth a purchase.