Recommend ICC 2011?

[Jared]

Hey guys. I'm definitely late to the party but I've discovered the ICC games early this year... more or less. I bought ICC 09 a year and a half ago but hadn't given it much time. Tried it again, started a season as Yorkshire and had some fun and decided it was a good game to kill some time.

I didn't really get into it, though, until I was at the flat where I live during the week for work and looking for something to play on my laptop. Didn't have the disc with me, so hoped there was a freeware version. Now hooked on 2005, building up a real powerhouse team having a blast.

As an Aussie I like the idea of playing as NSW and winning the Shield so 2011 has got my attention (as well as the cloud-saving system so I can play on both comps) BUT... the thing is I kinda like the balance in 05 better than 09.

I gave up in 09 when for the second time in a row I had a FC game where my batsmen, all in top form, collapsed dramatically in what were admittedly good bowling conditions but then, immediately afterwards, the oppositions batsmen start absolutely carving my bowlers up for 7+ an over! This was very frustrating and it seems like 05 is more evenly balanced...

...but at the same time I was playing on the Easy mode. I don't know how it's calibrated but I know in some games quirks of difficulty levelling can produce results like that.

Anyway, interested on thoughts on ICC 11 and how it's all balanced. Last year I'd have already bought it by now to at least support the developers since I bought 09 at a marked down price, but my money's tighter at the moment so I was going to hold back if there aren't recommendations.

(Oh, and since the developer himself I've noticed uses these forums... if you don't already have it could there be a way to set a season to automatically skip the T20 games? I find them kinda annoying...)

 

[6ry4nj]

Hey guys. I'm definitely late to the party but I've discovered the ICC games early this year... more or less. I bought ICC 09 a year and a half ago but hadn't given it much time. Tried it again, started a season as Yorkshire and had some fun and decided it was a good game to kill some time.

...etc...

1. I would be very surprised if 05 was better balanced than 2011. It might go backwards one year, but the trend is towards improvement.

2. Some people won't take you seriously if you play on Easy, but I'm not like that.

3. If you mainly want Aus domestic and can do without the cloud, ICC10 is a slightly cheaper compromise.

4. One of the reasons that my latest version is 09 is because the next year had the expanded Eng domestic T20 season. There is no way (I'm fairly sure) to skip it wholesale. You have to pick a team each time and then skip them individually (in which case you will usually, of course, lose badly). If you really don't care about them, don't bother to pick a team (uses team from last match of any format). I think in ICC11 you can re-pick your former (T20) team with one click.

Check out some of the tactics threads on here. With a little know-how, work and confidence, you can improve on 7 an over in FC.

 

[Jared]

Hmm, I might try T20 again... it just seems like the short and erratic nature of the game's format doesn't suit the simulator as well as one dayers and FC matches where it feels like you can really have an impact on the result. Of course, I should probably try and be more defensive. It could just be that I play with an aggressive approach when my Yorkshire team doesn't have the best bowlers...

The reason the 7 an over thing bugged me so much was because I thought I had a good handle on the game by then - I was coming third in National League and had won the Challenger's Trophy and I think third in County Championship as well. Then I was just getting unbelievably caned! Very humbling...

I might buy `10, though, see how it goes. It's pretty cheap...

 

[card]

Personally I like 11 more than 10, seems a bit smoother, no lbw give away noise, small things that make it just a bit nicer to play.

Balance seems really good, and the annoying things like (what was that South African's name in 10?) players being hugely over-rated when they hadn't ever made it to higher honours seems to be a thing of the past. 11 is definitely better balanced than 10.