College Football 27

To the EA Sports College Football Development Team,

As a Senior Project Manager, my job is to identify high-value opportunities, anticipate risks, and provide a clear vision for project success. I am also a dedicated College Football player who spends 100% of my time in Road to Glory (RTG). This document is not a simple "wishlist." It is a strategic analysis of high-ROI (Return on Investment) features designed to increase player engagement, long-term retention, and competitive differentiation for CFB 27 and beyond.

My feedback is structured in two parts:

1. RTG: The "Player-First" Career: A detailed proposal for transforming RTG into the undisputed best-in-class sports career mode.
2. Core Opportunities (Dynasty/Presentation): Key community-vetted features that create a more robust and "sticky" ecosystem.

Part 1: The "Player-First" Career (A Strategic Vision for RTG)

RTG is currently good, but it has the potential to be a revolutionary, "forever" mode. This requires a focus on Player Agency, Universe Persistence, and Dynamic Reaction.

1.1. Feature: The "RTG Legacy" System (High-ROI Replayability)

• Problem: RTG has a "hard stop" conclusion. When a player is drafted, the entire save file, including its history and the player's emotional investment, is effectively deleted. This leads to mode-churn.
• Solution: Implement a "Legacy" option. Upon the conclusion of one player's career (draft/retirement), give the user the option to "Create a New Prospect" within the same save file.
• Implementation Details:
• This new player enters the college football "universe" as it has evolved (e.g., coaches have moved, prestige has shifted, their original player is now an "NCAA Legend").
• Offer the option to skip the high school intro to balance the experience (e.g., no "intro bonus skill points" if skipped on the first RTG). 
• Strategic Rationale: This is a low-cost, high-impact feature. It dramatically increases the "stickiness" of a single save file, enhances long-term player investment, and creates a powerful, emergent narrative engine that costs no development time to script.

1.2. Strategic Imperative: Preserve Player Agency (The Key Competitive Differentiator)

• Problem: Competing sports titles (Madden, 2K) are widely criticized in the community for their linear, restrictive, unskippable "story modes" and rigid player "builds." This is a significant market pain point.
• Solution: Protect and expand the sandbox nature of RTG. The ability for players to fully customize sliders and skill levels is the mode's single greatest strength.
• Strategic Rationale: This is your key competitive differentiator. By not forcing a rigid, "on-rails" story, you are directly addressing the #1 complaint of the modern sports gamer. This philosophy will attract and retain players burned out by competing titles. The "story" should be what happens on the field, not a pre-baked cutscene.

1.3. Feature: "Player-Driven Recruiting" (A Dynamic Reward Loop)

• Problem: The RTG player is currently a passive observer of their team's future. There is a disconnect between player performance and team building.
• Solution: Implement a system that enables the RTG player to become an active recruiting participant.
• Implementation Details:
• Dynamic Goals: When a key recruit (especially one in a related position, such as WR/OL) is on a campus visit, provide the player with a dynamic, position-specific goal. (e.g., "Impress 5-Star WR [Name]: Throw for 300+ yards & 3 TDs.").
• Player Interaction: Add a simple weekly menu option to "Host Recruit on Visit" or "Make Pitch," providing a slight boost/risk based on your player's archetypes or stats.
• Strategic Rationale: This creates a powerful, immediate reward loop. It directly connects on-field performance to a tangible, long-term roster-building outcome, making every "big game" feel even more consequential and increasing player agency.

1.4. Feature: AI-Driven "Narrative Commentary" (Synergistic Immersion)

• Problem: Commentary is often generic and unaware of the player's specific, emergent journey.
• Solution: Leverage AI to create a dynamic commentary system that acts as the "narrative glue" for all other systems.
• Strategic Rationale: This feature multiplies the value of all other features. The commentary should actively remember and reference:
• Legacy Players: "And that's a new record for the freshman, breaking the one set by his 'legacy' predecessor, [Player 1's Name], just a few seasons ago!"
• Recruiting Success: "What a connection! And folks, [My Player] was a huge reason this star freshman signed here, and you're seeing that chemistry pay off."
• Past Milestones: "He's back in the Heisman race, a trophy he just narrowly missed out on last season."

Part 2: Core Strategic Opportunities (Community-Vetted Pillars)

While I am an RTG player, a strong ecosystem enhances the entire game. These are the most-requested community features, re-framed in terms of their strategic value.

2.1. Dynasty: The "True Program-Builder" Experience

• Goal: Create a "forever mode" that rivals the depth of titles like Football Manager or Out of the Park Baseball.
• Key Features:
1. Complete Staff Management: Hiring/firing a whole staff (OC, DC, Position Coaches) with unique skill trees and a realistic "coaching carousel."Accurate Scouting: A system based on "fog of war" scouting to find "3-star gems," not just a point-buy system.
2. Facility/Program Upgrades: A long-term budget sink for upgrading stadiums, training rooms, and academic centers to build a program over decades.
• Rationale: This caters to the "simulation" player base, a highly engaged and loyal demographic that values depth and long-term planning above all else.

2.2. Presentation: A "Living, Breathing College Universe"

• Goal: Make the user's game feel like one part of a larger, reactive world.
• Key Feature: A dynamic studio halftime and weekly wrap-up show (like the old NCAA games) that shows highlights and scores from other games around your Dynasty.
• Rationale: This is arguably the single most-requested presentation feature. Its absence is a major immersion-breaker. Its inclusion would be a massive marketing win and a clear signal of commitment to atmosphere and realism.

2.3. Gameplay AI: "Smarter, Situational Football"

• Goal: Ensure long-term challenge, realism, and AI believability.
• Key Feature: Enhance opponent CPU logic in critical situations.
• Rationale: Poor AI is the fastest way to lose dedicated players, as it makes the game "solvable" and predictable. The focus should be on:
• 4th Down & Go-to-Go Logic: More aggression and context-awareness.
• 2-Minute Drill: An apparent, aggressive change in play-calling and clock management.
• Slider Impact: Ensure penalties (especially Holding, DPI) are effective via sliders to create realistic game-flow variance.

Conclusion

Thank you for considering this strategic analysis. These are not just isolated "wishes" but a cohesive vision. By investing in Agency (RTG), Persistence (Legacy), and a Reactive World (Commentary & Presentation), you can solidify College Football as the undisputed leader in sports gaming for years to come.