Today I’m happy to show some of the big changes coming to Sunday Rivals in the v.17.0 Coaching Update! Check out this video for a complete overview of the new features, or read on below!
This update introduces the all-new 'strategy' section to your custom teams, allowing you to edit 8 sliders to create coaching gameplans that best fit the roster for each team:
Want to make a team that pounds the ball on the ground eating up every second of clock possible? How about a hyper-aggressive defense that blitzes on every down? Those type of strategies and everything in between are possible now, with the hope that games against the AI will present different challenges and will feel more unique to their specific roster. Make sure to update your custom leagues' team strategies to get the full impact of this update!
This update starts the process of bringing more depth to Season mode, beginning with your team's GM welcoming your freshly hired head coach and directing him to put together his staff during preseason. Going forward, you'll be seeing your staff integrated into different parts of the mode, starting with your head coach giving a summary of your upcoming opponent and your coaching staff providing advanced scouting reports in the Pregame section.
In the future, I'm hoping to get actual, physical coaches roaming the field. In the meantime, while you may not be able to see your coach yet, you're definitely going to be hearing from him and the entire staff, thanks to the brand new 'coaching' tab on the playbook screen. The head coach and staff will provide live reactions, milestone tracking, strategic advice, advanced scouting, and in game stat tracking to keep you tuned into all aspects of the game.
Along with the new features, this update also introduces a handful of gameplay adjustments, quality of life improvements, and bug fixes. You'll definitely want to check the patch notes below for the full breakdown, there's a lot packed into this update!
Team Strategy
- AI will call run or pass based on field position and strategy
- AI will call short or long passes based on field position and strategy
- AI will attack runners on expected running plays based on strategy
- AI will pressure the quarterback on expected passes based on strategy
- AI will adjust their playcalling to counter player trends based on strategy
- AI will go for it on 4th down based on strategy
- AI will go for 2 point conversions based on strategy
- AI will use up extra clock while calling a play based on strategy
- Season Mode
- In-progress seasons will be reset after update
- Added the ability to hire named staff during preseason
- Added coaching breakdown and OVR comparison to pregame screen
- Added scouting section to pregame screen
- Added comparison marker to higher value in pregame screen
- Sim games use strategy settings
- Implemented chance for kick return touchdowns in sim games
- Increased likelihood of tackle for loss in sim games
- Increased interceptions for higher skilled QB's in sim games
- Minor stat range balancing in sim games
- Staff and management names show up throughout the UI
Gameplay
- Rebalanced when defenders go for deflections versus interceptions
- Removed tip penalty for defenders deflecting passes when they try for interceptions
- Effect on catching high balls correctly uses agility rating now
- Increased the effect of a player's height when trying to deflect a pass
- Increased chance of higher skilled defenders making direct interceptions
- Increased chance of receivers dropping passes
- Increased pass inaccuracy and quality degradation when moving or getting hit
- Decreased overall speed of ball on passes and punts
- Decreased catching radius
- Decreased chance of tipped-ball catches
- Deflections are attributed to the first defender making contact now
- Offense should no longer steal catches from kick returner
- Time to touchback shortened by 50%
- Game clock will not run during touchback sequence
- Decreased speed boost after winning blocks on kick returns
- Defenders on kick returns should more aggressively pursue returner
- Decreased catch radius for kick returners
- Kick returners no longer get stuck in catch pose when ball lands out of bounds
- Kick returners should always run forwards now
UI
- Added coaching, scouting, and leaders tabs to playbook screen
- Changed kick defense to a single option on the playbook screen
- Running clock animation and color change on the playbook screen
- Updated background graphics of playbook screen
- User tackles, deflections, and interceptions are highlighted in the HUD
- Increased available stat options to display for selected player in the HUD
Teams
- Custom teams are auto-patched after update, use default strategy values
- Updated strategy settings for default league
- Updated head coach names for default league
- Updated GM name and budgets for default league
Bugs
- Fixed a critical bug where after switching leagues, incorrect teams and data would show when starting a new season and potentially hang the game
- Fixed a bug where the AI could snap the ball during play preview and selected defender OVR ratings would get stuck on screen after the snap