Hello Hoop Fans!
A couple months ago I gave a first look at some new additions coming to Update Version 1.10 which will include a new college franchise mode, now officially known as Campus Mode! This update will be releasing next month on Tuesday, October 20th, so the wait won't be much longer. Today, I'd like to share some new details on how Campus Mode is going to work when it finally releases.
Campus Mode will appear as a new mode alongside Career, Franchise, and Commissioner modes when starting a new season save file. Just like the other modes, you will be able to load in your starting college and pro leagues along with tweaks to any league settings.
Campus Mode puts you in direct control of a college school of your choosing. So instead of managing a professional team like in Franchise Mode, you will be recruiting players and managing the team budget in college. The biggest difference between college and pro league is that you may lose your players to the draft after any season, so recruiting the best prospects becomes key to building a powerhouse program and staying competitive.
The Koality Showcase marks the beginning of every season in Campus Mode. If you're unfamiliar with Career Mode, this showcase highlights the very best players coming out of high school. You will have the option to spectate or simulate the game's results if you want to get straight to recruiting.
The recruiting phase will span several days. Your team begins the season with a limited roster budget and certain number of coins depending on the school's prestige and success of previous seasons. Incoming prospects will appear as 3, 4, or 5 stars which conceals their true rating and potential. You may use scouting to reveal partial information for any player.
When you target a player and are ready to make an offer, you will have to offer the player a scholarship fund. This fund will eat up some of your team's limited roster budget, but you can use coins to offer some NIL money on the side to further entice the player. You can also choose to make an in-person visit to one player each recruiting day to increase their interest at the cost of a few more coins. Up to five players can be recruited per day so make your choices count!
After submitting your offers you'll be able to see how your team stacks up against other offers a player has received. The team with the player's highest interest does not mean that they are guaranteed to choose that team, only that they have the highest odds. Players will factor in amount of money offered, coach rating and play style, school prestige, and location. In general, players will prefer to play closer to home or for their home state, so recruiting in your team's region will give you the best chances at landing recruits.
Once the season begins, your job becomes managing player minutes and winning as much as possible to keep players happy and from entering the transfer portal. Players that declare for the draft and become successful in the pro league will add to your school's prestige and history making it easier for you to recruit the best players year after year.
You'll also be able to track every alumni that has made it to the pro league so that you can continue to follow their careers. Maybe some day their jerseys will even hang up in your rafters?
That's all I have to share for today but I can't wait for you all to try out the new Campus Mode starting next month! The release of Update Version 1.10 means we are getting closer to leaving Hoop Land Early Access and entering Full Release and I will be using this next update to polish and iron out any bugs to make sure it is as complete as possible. Your patience and feedback has been extremely valuable and I can't thank you all enough for investing in Hoop Land's future and development.