Just a few suggestions 🏉

Hi there....would just like to start off by saying that although this is still just an easy access game, already this is my favourite Rugby Challenge game so far. I’ve been putting quite a few hours into this game (having recently purchased it a couple of weeks back), and although it is, I believe, the best rugby game since Rugby 08 I do still believe there could be some improvements that would make it even better (Apologies if any of my suggestions have been mentioned before - I’m sure they have!).

Be A Pro mode:

• I think the option to get to play as the whole team (like in FIFA) would be a great addition and would allow you to give your pro the best chance of improving.

• I get that maybe not everyone will agree with me on this, but I don’t think you should start every game automatically, I mean realistically how many 17yr olds do you know that are playing every game for their clubs? Maybe still allow you to play a game as the team though?

• I don’t think your reputation with your current club should be decreasing if you are injured (if this is a bug then I just hope that it gets fixed), also...I don’t think your reputation should decrease just because your team lost in the last game. If you have a really good game and meet all your targets for that game, you should be rewarded for that (again, if this is just a bug, then I hope that it gets fixed instead).

Career Mode:

• Players to grow and reduce in stats based on age! There is currently no incentive to have a team full of youngsters as they don’t improve! (If you could manage a way of introducing a system that allows that it would be game changing for the Career mode)

• I think you should just have the option of starting at a club, rather than a club & nation. You should earn your way to get a national job....especially the top nations like England, SA or NZ.

• I think salaries of the top top players need to be more realistic, the £300k range for the top top players feels pretty outdated, especially given how much some players are on in England and French leagues. (Not major, just more for realism)

• I think maybe add in a system that brings in budgets and income/expenditures for your club....I feel that if you run your club well and invest in youth players (maybe through an academy system) then this will allow you to increase your club budgets, you’ll then be able to afford more top top players.

• More specifically for those players that tend to go for the English league route.....but maybe introduce the English Championship somehow? It doesn’t have to be licenced (as FanHub could help improve that)....I just feel that it could improve the feel of the English side of the game.

• There needs to be an improved fatigue system for this game in general....but I think this is more aimed at Career mode and Be A Pro mode, and with an improved and more realistic system in place, it will encourage people (and AI squads) to rotate their squads and use all of their team, rather than just the same 15/23 line-up every game.

Gameplay & Creation ideas:

• There needs to be more penalties in the game, the only penalties I get are from high tackles....I’m not sure how it works from a coding point of view, but there needs to be more penalties for hands in the ruck, offsides, scrum penalties etc. It would be nice to have more realistic score lines rather than just points through tries scored.

• You should be able to score a try from a rolling maul, it Would feel like a proper forwards earned try then!

• Maybe implement a way of including penalty tries? If my winger is through to the tryline and their fullback high tackles me (and he’s the last defender) and he would have scored a try if he had been able to step/fend him off...maybe that should be classed as a penalty try?

• Fullback positioning (even potentially the back three really) needs to be improved - too many times have I scored & conceded tries where my fullback/back three has gone AWOL....again I know nothing about coding, so I don’t know how you can do that, but that would really improve the gameplay.

• Logo creator, I feel that this would really help improve the feel of the kit creator! I’ve really enjoyed using the kit creator and have updated a large portion of the National teams on my save, and I feel that this would make those created kits feel more realistic. It would also allow people to create more realistic FanHub creations as well.

• I think the AI needs to be improved with goal kicking, too many times have I seen kicks (especially in Be A Pro mode where I’m not the kicker) in front of the post or equally as easy kicks been missed by a country mile! It would be nice to have a kicker who’s rated 80+ in his kicking skills actually make a kick in front of the posts!

• I think you should be able to choose who you can kick for a long range kick....e.g. England have Owen Farrell do the standard kicks and Elliott Daly with the long range ones (maybe have a kicking power stat added or something like that?)

• Reduce the amount of forwards passes in the game, it feels like there are still quite a lot, and it does affect the flow of the game somewhat.

• Maybe add the Japanese top league and MLR? (Again doesn’t have to be licenced as this could be rectified by FanHub etc.)

I know I may have mentioned a fair amount of suggestions....I just really care about this game and Rugby video games in general, so I want it to be the best game available and help broaden Rugby’s reputation. Keep up the fantastic work so far....and I look forward to the next patch! (Whenever that may be! 🏉)