Just how realistic are we talking......

[S252101]

I will preface this post with a few things:
1. I am completely new to CBB2022. I have never played an installment of this series before.
2. I have been playing the early access for a few weeks now.
3. I absolutely love simulations - anything that can blur the lines between game and real-life is extremely appealing to me.
4. This game is already incredible and hopefully will only get better.

First off, the detail is impressive. There is data everywhere and stuff to click on all over the screen. All the stuff you can control is incredible. I love all the actual towns/cities and high schools that are present in the game!
So, after having spent a fair amount of time playing the game, I have a few questions I'm hoping to get a little clarification on. I have been playing the game in challenge mode and started at Prairie View (TX) college (Prestige - 6). I made my coach have pretty low skills and wanted to "grind it out" from the bottom. Here goes....

1. When setting up the game it asked about how I wanted the player ratings to be shown. There were three options I think. One was a 1-10 scale and the other two were 1-100 scales. I read through the explanation of these but couldn't make heads or tails of which one to choose and how it would affect the game. I chose one of the 1-100 scales but can't remember which....

2. Player progression. One of the things I was most excited about was to see how my underclassmen improved from one year to the next. I had a couple freshman that were 1 stars with the potential to be 4 stars. When I made it through the year and checked on these guys all of them actually got worse! Their ratings dropped in nearly every category and didn't ever recover the next season according to the player bio screen. Is this because my coaches are new and not very talented? I have my best coach for player development (2 stars) running practice. Kids were losing athleticism, FT ability, and everything else.

3. At the school I'm at, it was difficult to recruit anything higher than a 1 star player (recruiting difficulty set to normal). I think I was able to get one 2 star player that first year. I love this, it seems realistic. My question is, would I ever be able to bring Prairie View University up to a high level of prestige and compete for a national title or is their a ceiling for a school like this? I'm fine either way, and honestly it is probably more realistic to have a ceiling for a school like this, but I didn't want to grind it out for 20 years just to see that you can only get them to a presige of 20 and recruit 2 star players with the occassional better recruit.

4. Recruiting was my number one draw to try the game and I really like it for the most part. Does everything you do have an effect on your chances of getting a kid? What things are most impactful? Do I need to keep calling guys, watching live games, and watching film if I have done everything else with them? Again, I want to be doing things that are impactful and not wasting time on things that aren't. I'm not trying to cheat the system, just wondering how the algorithm works.

5. Another recruiting question. Are there guys out there that would come to Prairie View that are really too good to play there? For instance, could I get lucky and find a 4 star kid who just happens to want to play here and be a dominant force? I know they should be few and far between, but would be cool if it were possible. I used to play Madden and do the draft quite a bit. It was always so fun to search and search for a diamond in the draft and get a player with hidden development. Any chance to pull that off for a guy that shows no interest early at my school?

6. Some of the ratings seem arbitrary when they should be related. For instance, I have a kid with a 98 rating for outside shooting but is a 24 as a free throw shooter. Seems like some attributes should be tied to others and if one is high or low so should the others.

7. I plan to download the full released version soon and apologize if some of these things have been already addressed.

8. Any general clarification on how game algorithms work for player development, recruitment, progression of school and staff, etc. would be appreciated.

Thank you for any insights from developers or seasoned players. It sure is a great game already!

[PointGuard]

1. When setting up the game it asked about how I wanted the player ratings to be shown. There were three options I think. One was a 1-10 scale and the other two were 1-100 scales. I read through the explanation of these but couldn't make heads or tails of which one to choose and how it would affect the game. I chose one of the 1-100 scales but can't remember which....
1-100 adjusted: players skill levels will be based on comparison to all the college players; 1-10: is the same except less detailed; 1-100 real: ratings based on their actual skill level based on DDSPB (pro) scale so there will be fewer high ratings.
2. Player progression. One of the things I was most excited about was to see how my underclassmen improved from one year to the next. I had a couple freshman that were 1 stars with the potential to be 4 stars. When I made it through the year and checked on these guys all of them actually got worse! Their ratings dropped in nearly every category and didn't ever recover the next season according to the player bio screen. Is this because my coaches are new and not very talented? I have my best coach for player development (2 stars) running practice. Kids were losing athleticism, FT ability, and everything else.
Lots of things can affect this I believe: coach rating error, player just doesn't develop much or at all, rating may improve some during the year...some players will play above or below their ratings.
3. At the school I'm at, it was difficult to recruit anything higher than a 1 star player (recruiting difficulty set to normal). I think I was able to get one 2 star player that first year. I love this, it seems realistic. My question is, would I ever be able to bring Prairie View University up to a high level of prestige and compete for a national title or is their a ceiling for a school like this? I'm fine either way, and honestly it is probably more realistic to have a ceiling for a school like this, but I didn't want to grind it out for 20 years just to see that you can only get them to a presige of 20 and recruit 2 star players with the occassional better recruit.
You can definitely improve the school's record and prestige level, but prestige tends to advance a little at a time. There's no 'ceiling" but for a prestige 6 school its going to take a lot of years to get really high prestige levels. And it's possible to get above a 2-star player at a low prestige school. As to competing for a nat'l championship, just take a look at real-life Gonzaga They were a so-so team thru out the 70's and 80's, then tended to win 20+ games in the 90's getting to the NCAA tourney twice, Mark Few got there in 1999..it's 23 years later and while the team has does great, never to the Final 4 but twice (both times lost in the championship game)..can they do it this year? Seems like they have a good chance, but winning 6 straight games is still damned tough.
4. Recruiting was my number one draw to try the game and I really like it for the most part. Does everything you do have an effect on your chances of getting a kid? What things are most impactful? Do I need to keep calling guys, watching live games, and watching film if I have done everything else with them? Again, I want to be doing things that are impactful and not wasting time on things that aren't. I'm not trying to cheat the system, just wondering how the algorithm works.
Main thing is to be aggressive and persistent, get to know the recruits' interests so that your coach can be effective in the all-important HOME VISITS in Sept and early October.
5. Another recruiting question. Are there guys out there that would come to Prairie View that are really too good to play there? For instance, could I get lucky and find a 4 star kid who just happens to want to play here and be a dominant force? I know they should be few and far between, but would be cool if it were possible. I used to play Madden and do the draft quite a bit. It was always so fun to search and search for a diamond in the draft and get a player with hidden development. Any chance to pull that off for a guy that shows no interest early at my school?
Sure, a few might...particularly if they want to really be close to home or maybe if their parents went to Prairie View. One of my long-distant associations was at Eastern Washington and I got a top 20 Center who was fantastic for me for 4 years...not sure now how that came about. But I still remember that guy and want to get a similar player. But most highly rated recruits aren't going to want to paly at a low-prestige school in a low rated conference that has a tough time getting to the NCAA Tourney.
6. Some of the ratings seem arbitrary when they should be related. For instance, I have a kid with a 98 rating for outside shooting but is a 24 as a free throw shooter. Seems like some attributes should be tied to others and if one is high or low so should the others.
Don't really have an answer to this one. Maybe Gary will see this and can provide some insight.
7. I plan to download the full released version soon and apologize if some of these things have been already addressed.
Cool...welcome to the DDSCB forum...look forward to seeing your continued posts here.
8. Any general clarification on how game algorithms work for player development, recruitment, progression of school and staff, etc. would be appreciated.
Continue to just gain experience and learn from that plus ask specific questions here.

These are just my thoughts/opinions....other people may have different viewpoints on all your questions so if they do, hopefully they will contribute their thoughts.

[Wayne23]

Welcome! PointGuard gave you some good advice.
#2: The lower the coach ratings the less accurate the player's ratings are likely to be so factor that in.
#5: Once in a great while you can get a guy who seems way too good for your school. Maybe the school he wanted didn't offer, maybe he wants to be close to home. If you play at a school with A or A+ ratings in Academics you might land a really scholarly guy who is also a very good athlete.
When I started here I didn't stick with an association for long. I learned from it and started over with the new learning. After awhile I figured I knew enough to try a long term association, but the game is DEEP. This month makes 15 years that I've been playing the game. I started with the first version; very shortly after I got here Gary released the 2nd. I still have that 1st version on an old computer.

[PointGuard]

deleted

[PointGuard]

Good points from the old grizzled veteran named Wayne.

Yeah, re academics....or on the opposite end of the scale, if you're at a school with very low academic standards, you might be able to pick up a stud who wants to go to powerhouse programs but comes out with a very low SAT score...and has to settle on your school.

By the way...did you know that Wayne was presented with England's "Waterloo Medal' for his ladeling of water to the English army during the Battle of Waterloo?

Rudyard Kipling would later model Gunga Din (of course changing the battle and location) after Wayne.

I like to add some of these little know facts to the forums every once in a while.

[Wayne23]

You're just getting back at me for my Chicago ST comments. And besides, it's only a rumor that Abe Lincoln was a student in my fifth grade class.

[jlemmen43]

1. When setting up the game it asked about how I wanted the player ratings to be shown. There were three options I think. One was a 1-10 scale and the other two were 1-100 scales. I read through the explanation of these but couldn't make heads or tails of which one to choose and how it would affect the game. I chose one of the 1-100 scales but can't remember which....

6. Some of the ratings seem arbitrary when they should be related. For instance, I have a kid with a 98 rating for outside shooting but is a 24 as a free throw shooter. Seems like some attributes should be tied to others and if one is high or low so should the others.

#1 - I recommend if you're only playing college or you're playing mostly for the challenges of the simulation, go with the 1-100 Adjusted or 1-10. If you play pro as well and are interested in seeing which players are potential pro material, then do the Real 1-100.

#6 - I would definitely like to see a bit more realism with the way ratings coincide also. The situation you explained should be rare. But do account for your coach distorting the ratings.

[S252101]

Thank you to all that replied to my questions. It sounds like nearly everything matters that you do which is exciting. I'm ready to grind it out and see how far I can get a cupcake to go!

[CJacksonCowart]

Welcome to the community! And let us know how your first playthrough goes!