For you pro basketball career sim guys, first development diary for Wolverines latest version of Draft Day Sports Basketball...
http://www.wolverinestudios.com/2016/02/01/dds-pro-basketball-2016-dev-diary-new-player-categories/
Not a huge basketball fan myself, plus still concerned with Wolverine's quality and support of their games...but nonetheless will keep an eye out in case it surprises.
I've read a few short impressions stating the release was a bit buggy. True?
The 2016 version hasn't been released yet....but in my opinion, every Wolverine release always has bugs on release and seems like a good portion does not get solved until the next version is released. They release a product, provide a couple small patches, and then disappear until time to promote their next version.
Ohhh.. I was thinking of this recently released one:
http://store.steampowered.com/app/347060
Pro Basketball Manager 2016
From the reviews, it sounded like it could be pretty good once some bugs got fixed.
Quote from: Nefaro on February 04, 2016, 02:03:59 PM
Ohhh.. I was thinking of this recently released one:
http://store.steampowered.com/app/347060
Pro Basketball Manager 2016
From the reviews, it sounded like it could be pretty good once some bugs got fixed.
Nope, that is something different:) On that one, not sure I have seen many positive things but never played myself
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on February 04, 2016, 06:17:08 PM
Quote from: Nefaro on February 04, 2016, 02:03:59 PM
Ohhh.. I was thinking of this recently released one:
http://store.steampowered.com/app/347060
Pro Basketball Manager 2016
From the reviews, it sounded like it could be pretty good once some bugs got fixed.
Nope, that is something different:) On that one, not sure I have seen many positive things but never played myself
This latest version, which just came out, has had some decent reviews for the game improvements. From what I've seen, most of the complaints were about occasional crashes or people wanting more extensive stat tracking. Figure I'll see if next year continues to improve as much. The previous years weren't terribly good AFAIK but they may be turning a corner now.
Latest development info....
http://www.wolverinestudios.com/2016/02/08/dds-pro-basketball-2016-dev-diary-2-a-look-at-whats-new/
Third and final diary posted....must mean release is close....ability to use historical teams as a starting point.
http://www.wolverinestudios.com/2016/02/15/dds-pro-basketball-2016-dev-diary-3-a-new-old-era-dawns/
Developer stated release will be this week after they finish up some testing....I'll try the demo and see if it grabs me and wait to hear the feedback on issues before deciding whether to buy....want to make sure they actually support this game for a reasonable amount of time before disappearing to create their next version again. The recently released football game has been pretty quiet, without any major improvements, seemingly following their usual pattern.
Developer confirmed release for tomorrow or Friday.....
Looks like tomorrow according to the developer.....we need some basketball fans to give it a spin and report back:)
released...info and demo here
http://www.wolverinestudios.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=222&t=21183
I have been playing with the demo and from a gameplay perspective.....not too bad. Although I am not a basketball guru so I don't know as much when things don't look right. Unfortunately, the demo only allows play through the all star game so can't really get a great feel on the entire season, but its a start. However with a typical Wolverine release, a number of issues being reported so time will tell how much they support it before moving on....they did release a patch already, so that is a good start but they have always done that within days of the release, more of the measure is what they do with it in a couple of weeks. Nothing worse in a career sim experiencing issues after you invested multiple years into your league.....
A bit of side news, they also announced a new version of their college basketball game coming...I have always been more of a fan of college basketball so will keep my eye on it.
I've played a couple of seasons and i'm a bit surprised but its been very stable (no crashes) and pretty enjoyable so far. However in the forum there are reports of some bugs being encountered by players. Update 1.2 has just come out so for the moment the developer is still fixing some of the bugs as they are reported. I played through Draft Day College Basketball 3 recently and though it was fun it was also crashing and throwing up bugs left, right and center. Ultimately it became too painful to play in the long term which is a shame as I loved Fast Break College Basketball and I hoped it could maybe top that now 5/6 year old game. If the new College game is as stable as this latest game and the interface is more intuitive then it could be worth a punt as well.
Also although i'm no great basketball expert the stats DDSB 2016 has generated seem to be pretty believable. For me in season one San Antonio beat Golden State and then Cleveland to win the league, Curry was MVP, and my Boston team made the play-offs. The game management side of things has stayed pretty much the same and I think its pretty engaging. It has the edge over the great Fast Break series in that respect.
Interestingly the developer says that this round of games probably won't go on Steam. Perhaps the direct, mainly negative user reviews of his previous games on Steam has had an impact.
I don't know...seems quite a bit of issues between reported as usual if the developer sticks with it for a few weeks, then maybe it gets stable, but past history seems to suggest otherwise,
The latest patch for DDS:PB2016 (1.3) is now out.
http://www.wolverinestudios.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=222&t=21207 (http://www.wolverinestudios.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=222&t=21207)
The game has been stable for me so far. It's been pretty refreshing after the bugfest that was/is DD College 3.
Speaking of which no news on the latest college release other than the vague possibilty that it will come out some time to coincide with March Madness.
Thought I read somewhere the college game due out by end of March, but not sure....however, really haven't heard what the improvements will be.
I am hoping the pro game does turn out good and is supported further by the developer....this is about the time where in the past things would go quiet and anything remaining would be left for the next version...if they still show progress in the near future and less issues reported, I'll likely jump in.
Looks like college game soon...still eager to see actual enhancements
http://www.wolverinestudios.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=227&t=21769
I'm just hoping that it's stable and playable. The random display issues and crashing of the last one made it a bit of a nightmare. This was a shame because the core game was pretty good.
Also the v1.4 update is now out for the Pro version.
http://www.wolverinestudios.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=222&t=21207 (http://www.wolverinestudios.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=222&t=21207)
Some more info about the college game:
http://www.wolverinestudios.com/2016/03/09/draft-day-sports-college-basketball-2016/ (http://www.wolverinestudios.com/2016/03/09/draft-day-sports-college-basketball-2016/)
On the surface, doesn't seem like anything major, but if it is functional and more stable then past releases, still might be worth it...
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on March 09, 2016, 06:51:13 PM
On the surface, doesn't seem like anything major, but if it is functional and more stable then past releases, still might be worth it...
I'm sure I'll pick it up. When the DDS:CB3 was working it was a really fun game. The graphics glitching just became too much.
Quote from: KyzBP on March 09, 2016, 07:00:40 PM
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on March 09, 2016, 06:51:13 PM
On the surface, doesn't seem like anything major, but if it is functional and more stable then past releases, still might be worth it...
When the DDS:CB3 was working it was a really fun game.
That's the key, really needs to come out very stable to restore faith in the company...I always seemed to suffer an issue later in a career, which was frustrating due to all the lost time....but maybe they are turning a corner, they claim to have included all the hard core players in the testing process.....hopefully they were thorough:)
My finger's are crossed.
The college game is now released. You can download the main file and play it as a demo:
http://www.wolverinestudios.com/2016/03/11/experience-tournament-glory-in-dds-college-basketball-2016/ (http://www.wolverinestudios.com/2016/03/11/experience-tournament-glory-in-dds-college-basketball-2016/)
I'll give the demo a chance....
Played a few minutes of the demo and like it so far. I stopped because without the Real World Mod it's hard to get any immersion, at least for me. I'll wait for the mod and then fire it up again. Call me crazy but I think this one may finally be the winner we've been hoping for.
I have only played with the demo so far and no crashes...but unfortunately, the type of issues seen in the past usually came at the end of the season or in future seasons and the demo stops during the tournament. So can't really judge it yet, however I am leaning towards purchasing it and hoping things go well....I am also waiting for the real world mod, which I believe is supposed to be released today.
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on March 12, 2016, 09:54:12 AM
I have only played with the demo so far and no crashes...but unfortunately, the type of issues seen in the past usually came at the end of the season or in future seasons and the demo stops during the tournament. So can't really judge it yet, however I am leaning towards purchasing it and hoping things go well....I am also waiting for the real world mod, which I believe is supposed to be released today.
I agree with the issues of the past. I'll play through the demo once the mod releases. By then a patch, if needed will be released and I'll feel better about purchasing.
After Michigan's upset over Indiana yesterday I'm chomping at the bit to play.
Who do you usually play as, Grim? I usually start as Northern Arizona, a small, C average school in a place I love visiting. I make my dream job Michigan of course.
I like that you can play as just about any school that can make the "Big Dance". It makes trying to take a small school into the Tourney a lot of fun.
Quote from: KyzBP on March 12, 2016, 10:23:32 AM
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on March 12, 2016, 09:54:12 AM
I have only played with the demo so far and no crashes...but unfortunately, the type of issues seen in the past usually came at the end of the season or in future seasons and the demo stops during the tournament. So can't really judge it yet, however I am leaning towards purchasing it and hoping things go well....I am also waiting for the real world mod, which I believe is supposed to be released today.
I agree with the issues of the past. I'll play through the demo once the mod releases. By then a patch, if needed will be released and I'll feel better about purchasing.
After Michigan's upset over Indiana yesterday I'm chomping at the bit to play.
Who do you usually play as, Grim? I usually start as Northern Arizona, a small, C average school in a place I love visiting. I make my dream job Michigan of course.
I like that you can play as just about any school that can make the "Big Dance". It makes trying to take a small school into the Tourney a lot of fun.
In the past I usually played as one of the big boys (i.e. Kentucky, Pitt, Duke, etc.), but if I do purchase will likely go with a smaller school to see if I can climb the ladder.
The part I hate about the demo is the fact it does not allow you to play a full season to see all aspects...the skeptic in me thinks that is purposeful because of end of season and career issues:)
Personally I like Fast Break College Basketball better (always seemed more stable and good features), but the developer seems to also disappear for long periods of time without any updates....although when he does update, he does it as part of the current version, versus making you buy a new version like Wolverine.
I'm going to have to look up Fast Break. It sounds familiar but I don't think I've played it.
I've whistled through a few seasons to see if there were any problems transitioning between seasons. No problems so far so it seems like the pre release play testing has been beneficial. No crashes or display issues either . Aside from the tidied up and improved UI it isn't a great leap on from the last version. But this isn't too bad as the game is now much more playable :). Overall i'm pretty impressed and I do like the recruiting and the in game management features in particular.
I've held back playing it too deeply so far as i'm waiting for the names, coaches, courts, and logo mods. These are due to be released over the weekend hopefully.
The Fast Break games are great little games
http://www.greydogsoftware.com/home.php (http://www.greydogsoftware.com/home.php)
I've played tons of seasons of the college game in particular. They don't have many frills but they are very deep, well designed, addictive and quick to play. They are also have pretty low specs so I can play them on my Asus T100 during commutes to work. I'd love to see the developers bring out newer versions though as the pro version is 3 years old now, and the college one is 6 years old.
They also do a very good College Football game called Bowl Bound as well though this is getting on for being 10 years old now.
Not to nit-pick, but the support at Wolverine always surprises me after releases.....not that there is anything dire being reported as major issues, but the day of and the day after their major release, you think they would be very active in their forums....but so far, MIA.
Gary does tend to post more at another forum. Here is a link to the relevant thread:
http://www.operationsports.com/fofc/showthread.php?t=91342 (http://www.operationsports.com/fofc/showthread.php?t=91342)
Personally, I much prefer Fast Break over DDS but I haven't looked at the new version.
Mod released
http://www.wolverinestudios.com/board/viewtopic.php?f=228&t=21808