What We Would Like In ICC2011

[Hataf]

As soon as there are a number of playable associate nations, and those nations can be promoted to test nation status, I will be buying that game.

I think the promotions should be able to occur either with the team you are playing or an ai country also. I would really like to be able to play a career as, say, NZ, and 10 years into my career suddenly Canada gets test nationship, and there become tours home and away.

I know this is complex, but to me it really will add to the long term playability and functionality of the game. I think, to give it that functionality, at least 12 associate teams are needed (who can all also qualify for the world cups, in the 12 team ICC cup).

If you had more associate teams, you could even have a two tier associate structure, with some starting with one day status and others having to earn that. For one day teams, they might get one home and away ODI tour a year against test nations. If there were 20+, it would allow for 8 teams to get promoted to tests over the course of a career and still have 12 teams competing to qualify for the world cup. The ICC tournament could see promotion/relegation in time for the next ICC tournament (every 2 years for 20/20, ODI) with one or two of the lower (not top 12) teams being randomly generated as being promoted.

I would like to see this option for the following nations (starting condition in brackets):

Playable teams

Zimbabwe (one day and test) - no qualifying necessary

Ireland (one day)
Scotland (one day)
Kenya (one day)
Canada (one day)
Afghanistan (one day)
Netherlands (one day)

Namibia (initial 12)
U.A.E. (initial 12)
U.S.A. (initial 12)
Bermuda (initial 12)
Uganda (initial 12)
Denmark (initial 12)

Non-playable teams (I'd prefer them to be playable, but I can understand drawing a line somewhere)

Oman (seeking promotion)
Italy (seeking promotion)
Nepal (seeking promotion)
Cayman Islands (seeking promotion)
Argentina (seeking promotion)
Papua New Guinea (seeking promotion)
Hong Kong (seeking promotion)
Tanzania (seeking promotion)

Thats 20, and probably sufficient to keep a real potential for variation in the game. If JUST THIS ONE change was made to the existing game, then I would overlook and forgive any other issues just because I have been waiting for this piece of functionality forever.

Adding any other teams would be a bonus: e.g. Bahrain, Singapore, Botswana, Malaysia, Guernsey, Jersey, Fiji and Norway. In my view, 12 is minimal but I would buy it instantly. 20 would be way better functionally, and would make for an awesome game. More than 20 would make it my favourite game ever!

@Chris Child - this kind of change could be quite an effort from a coding perspective. If there was a genuine interest in adding this functionality, I'd be willing to do any research you needed (I imagine name databases for generating new player names is a big one), or help in any other useful way, in my free time if it helped to get this functionality into the game.

This ONE CHANGE REALLY needs to be done. Period.

[Machinax]

I'd suggest limiting it to only the Division One Associate teams.

[Machinax]

Speaking of Associate teams in the Divisions (and this has nothing to do with the topic), I just noticed that Alessandro Bonora, the captain of Italy (who just made 124* against Oman), was actually born IN Italy, and is not an emigrant from a cricket-playing country (as is the rest of his team, I think). Very cool.

I was so chuffed upon finding out that I had to share

EDIT: found another Italian-born player! Amazing!

[ab5ides1]

Speaking of Associate teams in the Divisions (and this has nothing to do with the topic), I just noticed that Alessandro Bonora, the captain of Italy (who just made 124* against Oman), was actually born IN Italy, and is not an emigrant from a cricket-playing country (as is the rest of his team, I think). Very cool.

I was so chuffed upon finding out that I had to share

EDIT: found another Italian-born player! Amazing!

Isn't his brother playing too? And I just want to be able to play as Ireland and work my way up. I bought cricket coach for that very reason, but it's so unrealistic and unchallenging. ICC is definitely the best game of it's kind, but with associates it would be even better.

[ab5ides1]

And for anyone who's interested, here's a link to a documentary about how the associates qualified for the world cup:

http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/video_audio/498153.html

It's quite interesting, but a lot of it's designed to make the ICC look good.

[Phylos Fett]

Out of curiousity, do you think ICC2011 will have the new Australian Domestic Limited Overs series and the new Big Bash (T20) series that starts in 2011/2012?

[Machinax]

Do you mean the split innings format?

[Phylos Fett]

Do you mean the split innings format?

That's in the Domestic One Days. In the T20s they are now going to have 8 city based teams, rather than 6 state sides.

[Sureshot]

Really? I didn't know that. Seems to be a lot of work to do on Aus domestic for 2011, thankfully the English season is unchanged.

With regards to Aus, with those changes, can I just confirm that things that need polishing from 2010 (for Aus domestic) would be:

Movement of players between sides.
Player abilities.
Final of the Aus League should be 5-days.

Do you know when these city sides are announced? (ah, just found an article, should be soon, which is good.)

Some pretty big overhauls, I don't like that OD format (not to mention how awkward it will be to introduce).

How have these changes gone down in Aus?

[Phylos Fett]

With regards to Aus, with those changes, can I just confirm that things that need polishing from 2010 (for Aus domestic) would be:

Movement of players between sides.
Player abilities.
Final of the Aus League should be 5-days.

Yep - they're pretty much it except for the OD format mentioned below.

Do you know when these city sides are announced? (ah, just found an article, should be soon, which is good.)

1 Brisbane, 2 Sydney, 2 Melbourne, 1 Hobart, 1 Adelaide, 1 Perth side.

Some pretty big overhauls, I don't like that OD format (not to mention how awkward it will be to introduce).

How have these changes gone down in Aus?

The general feeling I am hearing is a resounding "whatever" - the powers that be change the format, and don't really care what the players or public want. The OD format seems to be as popular as the old format - ie, you never really hear much about it.

The new Big Bash format will be more interesting to follow, as it seems that players could end up anywhere and won't be tied/linked to their former/current OD and First Class sides. So, Joe Bloggs who plays for Tasmania in the OD and First Class, might also play for Brisbane in the T20.

[shayanreloaded]

more suggestions

There should be a player and team creator and the ability to distribute points among them.A highlights feature would be nice too and third-umpire as well. I don't know what's wrong with T20 matches but they aren't fun. Lastly, please try to send copies of your games to gaming websites for reviewing to make the game more popular. I came to know about CC2006 through a review.
And the commentator declares the umpires decision before the umpire does.

[El_Zigi]

A couple off the top of my head. Probably nothing new here.

Sort out the international scheduling. 5 ODIs with a days break b/w each one is bad but 3 tests (or more) with 2 days break b/w each one is just ridiculous.

If possible, get rid of the batsmen retiring hurt and subsequently being injured for weeks after being hit altogether. This is just silly and unrealistic, especially when it's some part-time medium pacer that does the damage. Happens too often. Shouldn't happen at all. Certainly players should get injured in the game as they do in reality, but not in this way.

[Chasjs]

If possible, get rid of the batsmen retiring hurt and subsequently being injured for weeks after being hit altogether. This is just silly and unrealistic, especially when it's some part-time medium pacer that does the damage. Happens too often. Shouldn't happen at all. Certainly players should get injured in the game as they do in reality, but not in this way.

And for bowlers maybe more spontaneous injuries, not just after a pace bowler has bowled 10 overs straight. Possibly a sliding scale:

100% stamina - Remote chance of injury
75% stamina - Tiny chance of injury
50% stamina - Small chance of injury
25% stamina - Reasonable chance of injury
0% stamina - Large chance of injury

Maybe the odd fielding injury aswell.

Edit: Training injuries aswell maybe???

Edit 2: Calling up replacements for bad injuries???

[Chasjs]

I think I've mentioned it before and a couple of people have aswell but I think that the addition of A teams to international sides would increase the depth of the game.

I don't mean actually playing the games, the games would be simmed. You would just pick the squads, pick the captain, assign the training and then pick the playing side.

Like in real life this addition would make it easier to keep track of different players and compare their performances to give you a better indication of who should progress to the full international side. It would also give the added benefit of allowing you to assign training to younger players to help them develop into players capable of playing for the full international side.

Also an option to make the compute manage this side so it wouldn't get in the way of more 'casual' players.

[El_Zigi]

Edit: Training injuries aswell maybe???

Edit 2: Calling up replacements for bad injuries???

I think there already is training injuries isn't there. I only recently purchased this version but certainly in '08 there would be a sudden injury to one of your players outside of a match.

And yes you should defo be able to replace injured players.