Steve

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Everything posted by Steve

  1. Perhaps this is the beginning sign of the zombie apocalypse about to hit the game world.... For the record, I do not believe this is due to the new update. As I mentioned, here are two examples of "old" players that I still have on my Shortlist just to follow their career away from my team. Tal Charles, now 40, Season 5 (aged 36) = 71 (down from high of 75), Season 9 = 57. A very steep drop appears to have started at age 37 and went straight down for two straight seasons. Denniz Ander, now 41, Season 5 (aged 37) = 73 (down from high of 76), Season 9 = 59. Exact steep drop as Charles above. But for the record, I have two players on my shortlist who are 38 and still in the low 80's in ratings, albeit down from all-time highs. Perhaps it is their last hurrah, as both have dropped 1 rating already this season (15 days in) and their progress bars are damn near flat.
  2. Couple big GHL games tonight testing some of the new guys! Gothic Knights 1st VS Vandals 6th -- Are GK for real this season? Are Vandals just off to a slow start? Trojans 5th VS Oilers 3rd -- Are the Oilers enjoying beginner's luck? Will the well seasoned Trojans send them back down to earth? Protons 2nd VS Rhinos 4th -- Is the Rhinos' star fading fast or was last night's lost to Stray Cats a learning moment?
  3. Wouldn't we all look like stooges if a CPU wins it all against "Biscuit's Best" this season.
  4. First off, this is a fantastic feature to the game, so stick tap to Anders for this. However, it is unclear to me what some of the details mean or how I am supposed to interpret/react to. For instance, if a player "totally underestimated opponent's offense/defense," how do I counter that going forward? Is that just a general "needs training" suggestion? Anyone else have questions about some of the report comments?
  5. I've tracked some of my old players from even as far back as Season 1. Their last 2-3 years in the league saw them drop from quality SHL level to maybe IHL at best. I think it depends on the player, just like some shoot up fast, some seem to drop like your mom's panties and others go out on a high.
  6. Those four teams are the ones I measure my team against. I won't feel like I make it in the GHL until I can compete consistently with them. Gothic Knights, who handled me pretty easily last night (10 Power Plays against!), have also quietly gotten better each season (came in same season as me). Hoping I can take the first points from Rhinos tonight!
  7. Steve

    Trader S8

    I think the issue was I did two trades two days in a row that were orange for my team. The irony is that I purposely padded the 2nd one with the SHL team to be clear I wasn't trying to hose them, but in doing so, set off the sensors. The good news is that Anders saw this right away and I got my account restored in a couple of hours.
  8. Steve

    Trader S8

    Hey guys, I got locked out on a suspicion. Can someone see if some trade went through or what caused it? Thanks.
  9. Steve

    Trader S8

    French Gulf Black Knights are now computer owned. Can/Should we make a gentleman's agreement not to trade with them until a new user takes over? The team isn't horrible (the right manager could save them still this season), but if they lose one or two key players, they are done for this season and several others.
  10. Steve

    Biscuit Abuse

    Reggie, as one of the managers that laid out the information, I feel you are lumping us all together unfairly. I am also one of the managers that doesn't have time to monitor trades very closely, especially ones outside my league. However, one of the managers asked me to take a look to see if we both came to the same conclusion. It took me two days later to find the time, but when I did, I noted some fair trades and trades that seemed to cross the consensus as unfair to the computer team. You are correct, there isn't a definition of abuse, but over a period of time, there were enough trades to show that a pattern had formed and several people came to the same conclusion. I wouldn't have bothered to post a note had you done one or two borderline trades over the course of a season or two. But that wasn't the case. Anders handles the actual banning, we just self police each other. It had nothing to do with the success your team is having or the fact it might end up in GHL next season. In fact, I think most of us would welcome another competitive manager since we have one computer team currently. In fact, the same managers you accuse of ganging up on you and being unfair have been nothing but supportive, friendly, and congenial with me since I moved up to GHL three seasons ago. Try not to make this personal. If we are wrong, then I am sure you will have continued success in one of the other worlds or starting again with a new team.
  11. Also, doesn't spirit help you decide who is good for an energy line?
  12. Steve

    Biscuit Abuse

    Per Reggie's comments, I think one solution to this would be to have a league that is designed differently, ie not and up and down, but more an NHL static level with equal leagues/divisions. Some prefer that, some this. If you want to jump in and be competitive in a season or two, then that style of league makes it possible, but not the current promotion/demotion style. Each have their pros and cons. Like Erzac said, moving from SHL to GHL really requires most of us to spend 3 or more seasons before we have a realistic chance at the Finals. My biggest challenge is not screwing up my plan and being impatient in the interim, haha. But more importantly, not doing these types of trades is also part of the sportsmanship of the league. Anyone from GHL could easily pick off the top 2-3 players in each computer SHL team for a 3rd round pick and/or a bench warmer. But we don't to not screw the real SHL players and we recognize the game is more fun this way, for us all. We're all competitive, but we don't want to ruin the integrity of the game just to win a handful more of games each season.
  13. Steve

    Injuries

    Same here. Lost four players in two games. Have a center as my 6th Dman. Good times!
  14. Steve

    Biscuit Abuse

    I just reviewed the transactions in SHL where 8 of the 16 teams are CPU, so understandably, trading is going to be hard to do without trading with these teams. TWO of the top four teams in SHL have a total of 14 trades with CPU teams this season. Of those, I'd say roughly half are tilted in the players' teams favor. I think part of the problem is that the CPU AI over values the draft picks. One could say this is true in real life too, some GMs wanting youth and picks over a current roster, but when you look at the trend over a large sample of trades, the CPU (which I assume is more or less the same for each team) values the picks over current players. Even if players (in every level) exploit this apparent weakness to stack their team (but sadly leave a team almost wrecked for any new player joining, which I feel is worse), once they move up a level, they are going to have to start all over again and assuming the next level up has more player managers, probably unlikely to be replicated, especially at the GHL level in Biscuit. So even though this is somewhat self policing, I think tweaking the AI in the CPU teams to make it damn near impossible to trade with them without giving up a lot is possibly the quickest or most long term solution.
  15. One way I track old players is once I release them or trade them away, I then go into their profile and "Add to Shortlist". Then I get a notification each time they are traded, resigned, retire, etc. It's kind of a fun news ticker that allows me to see how they progress and I have gone back and resigned one or two players after they progressed in lower leagues.
  16. You can try, but often these players will ONLY be happy if they move to a higher league team. If you are about to be promoted, wait it out. If not, good candidate for trading up a league.
  17. So here is the million dollar question; what is likely to improve a prospect in his last year of rights; dominating in an unplayable league or getting some (3rd/4th line) playing time at the team level? Anyone that has experience in the faster leagues know? There are a lot of variables there, but would hate to stunt some growth by either acting too soon or slowly.
  18. Maybe I am overthinking it, but want to double check our rights to our Season 5 draftees. By my count, they have now played 2 seasons (5 and 6). We only have rights to them for 3 (5,6,7?), but if we don't sign them in Season 7 before a non-playable league signs them, then at the end of season 7, they go to FA, is that correct? Or will we have one more chance before our rights expire to sign them? Or am I just bad at math today and they will actually be assigned to us for seasons 6, 7, AND 8?
  19. Is there a reason we can't see the game history for each player for more than 5 games? I often find myself wanting to to see 10 or 20 games back to see streaks my players have been on so I can adjust my roster, tactics, etc based on what seems to have worked in the past. I know I can go into each individual game but usually I am only looking on that info for one or two players. Five also is a very small sample size, especially if it a player that is in and out of the lineup.
  20. Steve

    Trades S6

    Hey guys, anyone looking for a gritty and potential firecracker 1st or 2nd Line Center for the playoff push?!?! 87 overall and 29 yo Bradasch is available (http://www.gameplanhockey.com/player?gpid=4038) I'm open to suggestions, picks, etc. What I am really looking for would be a decent backup G, maybe a 3rd line F, and/or a 4th line C in return. Happy window shopping! Steve
  21. Yeah, but my teams are usually the opposite, tanking early and rebounding around game 40 to make a strong push, it is how I got in SHL with a 6th place finish in BHL. There is a momentum factor that I haven't figured out how to affect and also what appears to be hidden chemistry with lines and certain players that on the surface seem interchangeable. One thing I have learned, especially with injuries, if it is working, try to change as little as possible. Although, that is sometimes how I find magical linemates that I would normally keep 1 or 2 lines apart due to their differing levels. I recall Anders saying that in the newer version, I think there is a hidden "playoff factor" now that may impact some teams when we enter that stage. My guess is that there is possibly something similar for regular season.
  22. If he is lazy, the fact you are training him "hard" might be the problem and he is pissed off at coach. I've noticed that some players respond to training differently based on a couple factors.
  23. Hoping to build a line like NES Ice Hockey; two skinny guys, one fatty, and a medium!
  24. I think what you are asking is "Can I use my next Season Salary Cap to sign players in the current season before they become Free Agents?" If so, then no. It's a tricky angle for promotion teams. What I did was let players linger at less than happy during my final weeks before the potential promotion knowing I would hopefully have a bit of extra pocket money to give them when the Season clock changed, but that only works for multi-year contracts. For those with expiring contracts, sometimes the best strategy (although it is quite risky) is to let them go and go back to them as Free Agents when you have the cash. I've tried this and have sometimes been able to get them at a proportionally better salary and other times, they were drawn away by other teams. Another option is to start cutting/trading those players you know you won't need in the next tier to free up lower level cash and resign them with the extra proceeds before the end of the season. Just don't wait too long; I had one guy take more than 5 days to decide and by then, the clock reset and he became a FA before he made a decision. Also, this strategy requires a multi-season plan to have your contracts lined up correctly and your players aren't always that cooperative, haha!
  25. Steve

    Biscuit Abuse

    I hadn't realized my results impacted one SHL's team so much! Plus, I have been on holiday, but obviously logging into my team to avoid demotion, so sorry for lack of board comments. Also, to be fair, I think Rainsilent tried to do a trade with me as well for a draft pick that I turned down, so I think he was hedging his bets on all the bottom teams that he could get 1 or 2 at the very least. Smart, but yeah, with 1-2 of the teams being AI, maybe a bit gray. I propose a couple solutions. 1. Should we just shut down trades with CPU teams and teams on holiday? Wouldn't that solve the problem? It isn't ideal and makes leagues like SHL in Biscuit very tight to trade with, but it'd solve this problem that we have all been discussing for almost a year now. 2. For trades between us all, why not have a moderator from a different league and/or world be the moderator for a league. Still can't prevent someone's buddy from giving approval for a strange trade, but it'd take out any incentive for a player in the same league or world to screw a fellow competitor. We have a very similar system in the fantasy hockey league me and some buds have been in for over 10 years and we haven't had any complaints.