MyLEAGUE:
More expansive scouting reports. I want to make tactical team-building decisions based on the words that i'm reading. Tell me about the kind of role they'll have in an NBA playset, in detail. If i'm a run and gun team i want to know if the big i'm scouting is a more of a post up player or a catch and shoot 3&D guy. What tendencies do they have that are relevant to their position? What tendencies do they have that make them unique? How could an NBA team use the player?
Playable training camp. Let me choose whether i want to use training camp to improve team chemistry OR develop young players. Or a combo of both. Whether you're rebuilding or contending will dictate the choice here. Let their be an option to play drills and it will have a lasting affect on the players. Make the affects big bigger than in past 2K's. Training camp should happen in the preseason rather than the offseason so that there is a "fresh start" feeling. Let there be an option to practice plays via scrimmages in the training camp screen.
Media integration. Add media entities that react to events/results within the game and also influence the players' morale and/or reputation in certain ways, affect fan opinions as well as paint the narratives of the NBA landscape to the user in more concise ways than social media is currently. There should be media entities/profiles (Reporters, Journalists, Analysts, TV personalities) in the same where there is a staff profile. The medias should have different editable ratings. The medias purpose is to express the game's algorithms and storylines to the user. (social media is too saturated to do this well). Specific player personalities should interact with the media in different ways. The media should be a heavy focus of the menu interface.
Playable draft workouts. Allow us to connect with the prospects in actual gameplay. Make it so playable workouts provide more information in game too. Give us a solid amount of workouts. Maybe 10. Most NBA teams have like 30-40 after all. This should be what gives us data on prospects, rather than the current way. Seeing the data after playing with them feels much more natural rather than just pushing a button and then there's a bunch of information for names you don't have a connection with.
Player relationships/affinities. Add an extra tab in the player profile section called Relationships or Affinities, this is where you keep track of the affinity levels the player is accumulating with other players, staff, teams, and media members. E.g. When 2 players spend an entire season together then their affinity levels go up. If a coach wont give a player the playing time his OVR deserves then their affinity levels go down. If 2 players are competing for the same spot in the roster then their affinity levels go down. If a player has a "friendly" badge then he is easy to build an affinity level with. If reserved then harder. If a media member criticizes a player then his affinity level for that media level goes way down. A player might be with a team for 5+ years and develop a 100% affinity with the team and be more likely to work for them as a staff member after he retires. Player affinity levels with each other and the coach directly affect team chemistry a lot! It also would affect players with a high Loyalty rating, in terms of who they see as worth being loyal to. Certain personality traits should work well together (easier to accrue affinity), some should not. Some players might already have relationships from high school or college.
Expand player personalities. Add more theatre, depth and authenticity to the game with added player personality traits. The added player personality traits are directly tied to Affinities which is tied to team chemistry. This is the secret sauce of building a winning team.
Personality style/type suggestions:
-Professional (focused, values work and success, probably a basketball lifer, respects the game)
-Spirited (more emotional, probably likes to laugh, soulful and charismatic, values bigger picture of life's journey)
-Tough (likes to assert will, probably talks trash and stares people down, values domination, more of a fighter)
-Respectful (more of a chiller, values relationships, more of a lover)
^That would probably cover it if you want to keep it simple (And if a player has none of those traits then they could just be "Balanced"). So "Tough" types probably aren't develop affinity with "respectful" types easily, but they might get along with Professional types well enough. Professional types might not vibe with Spirited types, but might be okay with the other 2. Etc.
Playing time should affect progression more. It should be harder to develop and reach your potential if you're a 12th man. Adversely, players who are given big minutes (i.e. lets say more MPG than their OVR deserves) should be able to reach or exceed their potential. Don't overpower it, just make it more of a factor than it is now. It would add the element of "farming" players.
A player's desire for playing time needs to be a factor in the game. It's such a huge force in the NBA. It dictates how much a player is willing to sacrifice for the team, or whether they're more interested in proving/establishing themselves. And it should be a dynamic rating that changes over time. I.e. young players with star ambitions and veteran ring chasers.
Coach systems and styles should directly affect individual player tendencies. In the NBA coaches have a huge influence on a player's production.
FTA's in sim stats among league leaders are too low. The best players in the NBA get 8-10 FTA. The highest in ML is around 7 FTA.
Include coach badges in MyLeague
Add 2 more attributes to coaches. Player development + Relationships. Player development affects attribute development in young players in training. Relationships affects team chemistry.
Good team chemistry should be a little more elusive than it is now. Having a high team chemistry should be a bit more of a rare and valuable occurance. That said, when it is high it should really have a noticeable positive affect.
Add a magazine or media article that comes out every month or week that summarizes/expresses the league's events. In words, not numbers.
Hire more testers to curate feedback and catch bugs before you publish the game.
Add ML sliders that allow us influence simulated stats.
It'd be cool to get more insight into WHY a player's morale is up or down. Most of the time you have to guess. The player's 'thoughts' tab isn't very telling.
A ML slider that influences the likelihood of a team trading a player with low morale. Teams don't seem to take any action of disgruntled players. Would like to be able to alter that myself.
Generated draft players still need work. Focus on creating specific identities and archetypes. It's still a little random and nonsensical.
More stat overlays during the game that display storylines and stats from the season that show during the game. Team PPG ranks, team RPG, all that, also player averages, and news headlines.
