Cricket Captain 2023 Database Feedback

[DaveK93]

They have had updated CPL squads in previous editions in August I think. This year they don't care.

You do realise that developers have lives outside of creating the game?

They're not just here to pander to your constant spam, show a little respect.

[FollowedOn]

You do realise that developers have lives outside of creating the game?

They're not just here to pander to your constant spam, show a little respect.

That's a ridiculous statement, Sureshot hasn't made a post in nearly a month, not a single update to address larger database concerns/game balances (Bazball is way over exaggerated and needs tuning). Of course the OP posts excessively and could refine his approach, but besides him the entire forum is dead. You don't have to blindly defend the game/developers at every point, you are allowed to post valid criticism when necessary

[DaveK93]

That's a ridiculous statement, Sureshot hasn't made a post in nearly a month, not a single update to address larger database concerns/game balances (Bazball is way over exaggerated and needs tuning). Of course the OP posts excessively and could refine his approach, but besides him the entire forum is dead. You don't have to blindly defend the game/developers at every point, you are allowed to post valid criticism when necessary

I must have missed the part where they were beholden to monitor the forums at all times, my apologies.

I've raised plenty of criticisms, just through a different path - joy of having tested the game, so blindly defending is a wild statement; just because you can't see it, doesn't mean it hasn't happened.

But there's a difference between a dead forum, and Hilal spamming, when he's already been banned once for excessive spam.

The dev's will respond when they are ready, not before. Same as any other game.

[Lynx54321]

I'm with FollowedOn here, as you say it's up to the devs how they choose to engage with fans but their level of engagement has been non-existant this year and that isn't how you encourage, foster or develop a fan base.

I sent the below to Nige over a month ago (no reply received):

"I'm a big fan of the series and it's been interesting to watch on and see the reaction to this year's edition.

If we have a look at Steam review scores of recent editions for instance (% of positive reviews):

18 - 59% - Mixed (62 reviews)
19 - 61% - Mixee (76 reviews)
20 - 66% - Mixed (75 reviews)
21 - 61% - Mixed (65 reviews)
22 - 54% - Mixed (33 reviews)
23 - 31% - Mostly negative (19 reviews)

Couple things are clearly visible, firstly after a peak in 2020 scores have been dropping off with a real crash this year. Secondly so have review numbers.

Of course this is just one source of reviews so the above doesn't prove anything and should be treated as indicative only. But to me it's indicative of an increasingly unhappy player base and just as importantly an increasingly unengaged one. The latter point is backed up by a pretty dead forum with the total number of threads and posts each season following a similar trend to Steam review numbers.

Only you and the devs will know how the games been getting on in terms of sales and perhaps player numbers and they may be very healthy but I think the trends above are concerning and to be blunt engagement from the devs has seemed low this year even in terms of database updates. I don't think it's a coincidence that 2020 when scores peaked was the last time Chris was active in the forum engaging with fans around release time - there is a lot to be said for that.
Small team, part time and busy with other things going on, plus a focus on new platforms, I get it but I think engaging with fans and working with them a bit more would go a long, long way towards turning those review scores back around next year and beyond. Does that trend worry you currently? Even in the Testers channel you've got a group of potential super users where engagement has dropped to just three or four regular posters and the purpose seems to have reduced to a bug filter at release time rather than as a feedback mechanism to develop and improve the game iteratively and together.

I work in customer experience analytics and in this industry we increasingly talk about the human element of communication and engagement being vital for businesses and I think you have a great opportunity there. Just my thoughts."

I think in this day and age fans expect more in terms of engagement and the dead forum is indicative of Childish Things opting out, that shambles in the thread about the server being doen with posts being deleted was poor also. Hopefully the take the opportunity to try a different approach soon.

[FollowedOn]

Agreed, I think the “small developer” is an ultimately lazy fallback. I understand people get busy and have jobs etc but it comes across as a lack of respect for your paying customers to not even post in your own forum for over a month. There’s countless games that are created by small part time developers that are infinitely more ambitious and more active.

The whole cricket captain community is past frustration and has largely moved past Cricket Captain, you can’t help but feel the absolute minimum is done every year to put out a new iteration, get the returning sales, do a bit of bug fixing/stability with release and then wait until next year, with the odd database improvement once or twice a year.

The fact that there’s still no editor of sorts in 2023 is appalling, and increasingly frustrating given the lack of updates. Over a year ago I posted that Verrerynne should also keep over Rickleton, CC22 did not fix this and I reposted the same issue before CC23, Sureshot said I must wait for the full release because keeping ratings have changed but Rickleton is still preferred as keeper and there’s been no further update to fix this. It’s ridiculous that you have to wait over a year for the right keeper in the SA test side. Even now Markram is an OD opener, Bavuma is an OD 3, World Cup shows this is wrong but how long will you have to wait for it to be fixed? You can’t even train Markram as an OD middle order as he’s already “reached his limit.” The ugly truth is we all know that an editor would kill CC, can’t see people paying full price every year for little changes like Bazball or different rating systems. The “don’t want people to cheat online” is a lazy excuse, there’s already a check preventing easy difficulty saves from playing online, add the same check for a customised database (I also don’t think anyone actually plays online).

There’s a million things like this that add to the frustration, South Africa/New Zealand don’t produce spinners (2032 in New Zealand and 1 generated spinner has 50 FC wickets), grounds don’t reflect real life, sides go to world cups without a single spinner selected, young players averaging 70+ in FC don’t get picked up domestically. But what’s the point in raising issues when there’s a) no sign of life on the forum and b) a pattern of disinterest in fixing issues/making improvements by the developers?

[Wilted]

The whole cricket captain community is past frustration and has largely moved past Cricket Captain, you can’t help but feel the absolute minimum is done every year to put out a new iteration, get the returning sales, do a bit of bug fixing/stability with release and then wait until next year, with the odd database improvement once or twice a year.

I think this is the unfortunate truth but not out of laziness. CC sales and reviews are declining due to a lack of new features and updates. Even things like sound effects have been reused for over a decade. CC is caught in a cycle of "game has no new features because it doesn't get enough revenue from sales because the game has no new features because the game doesn't get enough revenue from sales..." The devs have said before that they don't receive much from sales after publishing costs, servers, mobile ports, etc. so it seems the annual CC games are more passion projects from a couple of guys rather than a small indie dev team trying to make a career out of games. An editor would be the biggest help for this in my opinion so they can get a bit of support from the community for things like database/fixture updates at the very least. Cricket management fans are stuck waiting for a major CC update and for Cricket Coach 3 to be released.

The lack of communication and updates from devs has been noticeable this year, which is disappointing but the forum has been dead aside from spam in this thread and the odd server down thread. A dead cricket forum in the middle of a World Cup isn't a good sign. They are pretty good at responding to DMs though so I guess that's an option for suggestions/questions.

[Yorkie]

Now the ‘Golden Era’ of English cricket seems to be coming to an end, with players refusing to sign new long term ECB contracts, the lure of IPL riches instead, Josball now prevalent instead of Bazball, Joe Root stating 50 Over cricket is dead, can 2024 version be tweaked back to its original engine circa 22. It was sublime. That would be amazing!
Just an advanced thought…

[Yorkie]

Doubt they’ll be another sudden database update and with the amount of corrections you’re still churning out daily the latest actual update doesn’t look as if it was that correct or beneficial?
I’m sure the Devs won’t see it that way..
So take a break and save some time and energy is my advice.

[Yorkie]

David Willey England has announced he’s retiring from International cricket. He’s the only member of the disappointing World Cup Odi squad not to have been offered a new contract.

This is one for CC24 as he's been playing for England up until the World Cup.

[LFC_YNWA1973]

Nick Welch needs to be added to the Zimbabwe cricket squad as he made his T20 international against Namibia last month

I've made this change, it won't effect Leics overseas as they currently only have 2 full overseas.

[S.A.& Kent]

Please, please reinstate to the ATG`s Nirmal Hettiarachchi & Ray Wynter, both were on the rebel tours in South Africa, and Change Chris Wilkins, S.A. cricketer, from Wicket Keeper to Opener / All rounder.
Thank you in anticipation.

[Sureshot]

We're close to another database update. The issue with real world West indies Emerging/Campuses & Colleges players disappearing has been resolved for this update.

[Lynx54321]

Disappointed the Zimbabwe feedback earlier in the thread wasn't looked at.

Good to see Nick Welch now available but his brother Matt (who looks as good a player already) is still missing.

[Lynx54321]

Zimbabwe Feedback:
Neither Antum nor Awad Naqvi are Zim qualified despite some shenanigans last season and claims they were or could be.

Liam Roche should be removed as he has relocated to NZ.

Matt Welch should be added back in (Opener, agg-agg, probably p/t keeper as I think injury means he won't keep now) as he missed last season through injury but is still around and a good young prospect doing very well this season.

Nerf Marshal Takodza.

Boost Joylord Gumbie considerably and nerf Chamu Chibhabha so that the AI picks the former not the latter for internationals. Gumbie now reasonably established as a top performer domestically and has a couple ODI 50s too.

Kamunhukanwe is having a great season and now a regular in international swuads so could get a nudge.

Jonathan Campbell could get a batting increase as dominant domestically and will soon play internationally.

Tony Munyonga a slight batting increase and agg in white ball, having a superb season.

For some reason there are several players including Zaheer Muhammad, Kumbirayi Phiri, Arnold Shara contracted to Johannesburg CC.

Made up players like Justin Dube at Uttar Pradesh and Donald Pienarr, Lewis Chigumbura and Walter Wessels at Matabaland.

I don't know if the former three were Lions players and could be moved to Matabaland to avoid the fake players being generated.

Spencer Magodo def or avg in white ball, hasn't played much t20 but quite attacking in list A so feel he should be higher than very def.

Trevor Gwandu should be RFM and improved a bit given his international caps.

Add Brandon James, RFM bowling all rounder can be added.

Add Tinotendo Maposo a RFM bowler and one of the most promising bowlers in Zimbabwe doing well domestically.

Richard Ngarava improved

Sureshot

Can you look at the above please.

[Ferg]

The recent data base update appears to have gone backwards and there’s things that were fixed on previous updates that are bad again. This is all my changes from Aus.

Australia
T Head needs a ratings boost after a breakout year.
P Cummins needs a minor boost in tests. Ratings seem to be based off a slight down year last year.
N Lyon is underrated. Still an elite performer but always fades out of the team quickly in game.
Hazlewood and Marsh both aren’t getting selected enough in all three formats, Marsh should be batting higher in white ball games.
Chris Lynn and Labuschagne shouldn’t be getting selected for T20s.
Although not regulars, Matt Short, Aaron Hardie, Tanveer Sangha, Spencer Johnson and Nathan Ellis should be getting selected more in white ball games.
Tim David should be a regular in T20s
Khawaja shouldn’t be selected in white ball games.
Behrendorff picked too much in ODIS
J Inglis is now first choice white ball keeper over Carey
Todd Murphy should not be selected for t20s, barely plays in bbl
G Maxwell is underrated with both bat and ball


Queensland
H Burdon bowls LS (was fixed in previous update but has gone back to RM)

South Australia
J Fraser-McGurk needs a boost
S Johnson needs a boost
N McSweeney needs a boost

Tasmania
B Webster needs small boost

Victoria
W Sutherland needs small boost
A Chandrasinghe, H Dixon and C Kellaway are highly touted batters but never develop in game. Would be great if their development was fixed and they became top players instead of the game generated players becoming good players instead.

Western Australia
T Wyllie and C Connolly are two more talented youngsters who never develop in game.
H McKenzie bowls SLW not LFM

BBL
I Wasim plays for Stars not Heat
S Heazlett plays for Hurricanes not Heat
N Chaudhary missing from Hurricanes
A Hosein has signed for Renegades
Local replacement players haven’t been added (e.g. Buckingham for Heat)
There’s probably other roster updates I’ve missed also