Management/Simulation game - Thoughts and issues

Islandstone · Joined: 05 Jul 2007

The last three weeks I have only had my laptop to play with. That one is not capable of 3D, så it's been a pure management game so far. And that I find attractive for a change, as career mode with 3D-play takes ages, and does not really work that much as a career game unless you have awfully much time to play Wink

So I have a few remarks about the game experience.

* Kudos to the sponsor goals system. Great to see how different achievements are valued by the sponsor, and it looks like good achievements can make up for missing out on the specific goals for the season. Still, when you sort by race – it should come either alphabetically or by date, not as present in an order which I can't make any sense of.

* As management game PCYM has its issues of realism. That is acceptable and understandable as simplification and playability would demand a fair share of shortcuts. However I can't really get my head around the equipment bit. It is not realistic (which pro teams shop around like that, and where you can only see the characteristics of the next model in the product line?). And it does not really add playability either - so that can't be the explanation?

* Too few secondary sponsors. (Comes with unofficial data files I guess. Lots of thanks to the people making addons - makes the game much more enjoyable)

* Staff wages should count into the salary budget.

* For "free riders" there should also be an option about how to use them if they'll not end up in a breakaway

* Sprinters should have the option to go in breakaway (for instance useful on hilly stages without changing status).

* When you change leader, the team mates of the former leader should automatically be set to the new leader. Avoids some minor annoyances of multiple clicking.

* Equipment variations could be labelled "flat" "hilly" or "mountain" and automatically be preset based on stage characteristics.

* At some point the news item indicator on the top of the screen went out of control. At the moment it shows that I have more than 20 unread items - while there is none shown in the news box.

* I would very much like to see the favourites list (for race or stage) available on the screen displaying info about the stage - as this would be more handy than having to go around to the magazine. (Also useful to determine if I should be part of chasing breakaways etc)

* I find that there too often happends strange gaps on the last stage in races on stages that should not be too difficult, which upsets the top GC-results, even if I place the whole team to my team leaders disposal.

* The Game need to handle Team Time Trials soon when presenting results and adding to career results etc.

* I have never experienced having two rider in any breakaway groups, which should happen sometimes…

* Admittably my sprinter is not top class – but still not getting in the top 50 once during Tour De France, in good shape, seems to be a bit off – as there at not nearly 50 riders bothering with sprints…

Also:
* Stage 6 in österreich rundfahrt is labelled a time trial, but shows a 180 km long stage. It simulates as a time trial - and ends ut with a winning time of about 3,5 hours... (Still no one lost more than 10 minutes.) (At least this happens second seasons, which is when I tried that race)

Don't know if Cyanide or anybody else takes interest in these kinds of posts. But here it was anyway.

Nice game it is too...

cameronchristiansen · Joined: 19 Apr 2007

some good point to that, ill add to them.
totally agree with the more secondary sponsors, and perhaps that should be interwoven with equipment, i.e. you have to go off and find a equipment sponsor, who gives you equipment, but the quality of the equipment may vary(i.e. cervelo might be better) and so you might have to negotiate with certain sponsors about how much they pay you or vice versa. Also id like them to get many more manufacturers of equipment involved, as if i play as csc i want to have cervelo.
on the breakaways, i rarely am able to get more than two riders in a breakaway without the group being brought back, at least not as many times as occur in real life, also in liege last season and paris roubaix and giro this year there were massive breakaway groups, which always get chased down within 10 km in 2007.
also id like it if they fixed up the staff a bit. in teams, they have a team leader, and then 4-5 managers who go to races and help riders with training and tactics.
it would be good if you could hire managers who had a stat in tactics, and a stat in training. then their training stat would affect the riders improvement. Also their when you simulate a race, you have to assign a team managers, and their tactic stat determines how well the tactics you outline to them are implemented.