rainsilent

I echo the welcome back.
 
In regards to demotion, I said this somewhere that I actually currently see demotion as an advantage, especially if you don't have a strong team, because of all of the very meh 3-4 year contracts that a lot of GHL teams have. In fact, for a few days, I was seriously debating trying to deliberately do exactly that when I got this team. Had my second line not carried my team through the first month of the season at the top of the standings and I would have been fighting for a playoff spot like I thought I would have been I would have gone ahead and been a seller.
 
Ideally, you would quickly turn your team around so that you are back in the GHL by season 3 or 4. As a result, you could potentially gather a number of young players to build a team around. On top of it a number of players might be hitting FA too that would make good role players to fill in any gaps. All this while you likely pick low to mid in the draft for a year or two in the GHL while you build up your younger players.
 
Edit: The best time to take advantage of this though was this season. While it practically can still be done in the future you become more limited in what you can do in total as there are less bad contracts you can potentially use to your advantage when demoting.

Cheers. A much more even series than what the wins show. Could've easily been a sweep the other way.

Congratulations to Erzac on a good series. Every game was very close and decided on one goal.

Player roles and line set ups. Snipers and power forwards seem to be the biggest shot takers. Having the line they are on be offensively focused will encourage more offense. Beyond that, it comes down to how your team plays relative to your opponent.

As I think any team would want their best shooter taking every shot in the game however when has that happened in an NHL game? I've seen instances where Brooks Orpik takes a shot on goal even though Alex Ovechkin is on the ice. The reality is that if a player finds themselves in a good shooting position then they should take the shot because you don't know if you will even get a better shot chance in that same offensive zone time.

I did indeed.
 
A cocky person still isn't naturally confident. Case in point how many stories are there of someone saying that they can do something when they know they can't and later on admitted as such. I could be cocky as all saying that I can score a goal on Tuukka Rask for example however I have absolutely no confidence that I could actually score that goal. How many times do you hear a fan say that they could have made a better play than a player of a given sport? Like I could have hit that shot, made that pass, save, whatever. I feel fairly sure in saying that most of those fans can't back up what they are saying and know it. Cocky isn't the same thing as confidence.
 
On the inverse when you see someone that is confident in something are they being cocky too?

I echo the welcome back.
 
In regards to demotion, I said this somewhere that I actually currently see demotion as an advantage, especially if you don't have a strong team, because of all of the very meh 3-4 year contracts that a lot of GHL teams have. In fact, for a few days, I was seriously debating trying to deliberately do exactly that when I got this team. Had my second line not carried my team through the first month of the season at the top of the standings and I would have been fighting for a playoff spot like I thought I would have been I would have gone ahead and been a seller.
 
Ideally, you would quickly turn your team around so that you are back in the GHL by season 3 or 4. As a result, you could potentially gather a number of young players to build a team around. On top of it a number of players might be hitting FA too that would make good role players to fill in any gaps. All this while you likely pick low to mid in the draft for a year or two in the GHL while you build up your younger players.
 
Edit: The best time to take advantage of this though was this season. While it practically can still be done in the future you become more limited in what you can do in total as there are less bad contracts you can potentially use to your advantage when demoting.

I'm not done with the game, I've just been busy with life. Honestly I've been checking about once a week so Im not sure why I was booted. Myabe its because I havent checked my fast team in so long that I got booted from both worlds.
 
 
 
I should add, I'm a little bit peeved I didn't have time to make deadline deals  and also I'm glad my team wasn't immediately raided.

This probably isn't the best thread to post in as it is the exact opposite of trash talk, but it seems to be the only Cage discussion, so what the heck...
 
First, congrats to the Bangers, Plastic Attack, Patriots and Owls for promotion from SHL to GHL.  I am personally looking forward to battling with the Bangers and Plastic Attack again (BHL/SHL Biscuit days).
 
Second, good luck to the Flame, Savage Storm, Dragons, Defenders and Giant Strikers in your playoff quest for promotion.  I'd be lying if I said I wasn't pulling for the Flame as I enjoy competing with active managers.
 
Third, good luck to the Elite, Blue Thunder, Battlin Bears and Supersonics, who are all currently battling to stay in GHL.  That's gotta be nerve-wracking.  It's amazing the way the Elite were able to turn their season around.
 
Last, and definitely not least.  Huge kudos to both Fango and Antti (Claws & Kamikazee).  Currently in relegation, but sticking with it.  Too often the only managers that get recognized are the top of the standings, but there's a huge something to be said when things aren't going your way and you stay with the team and keep battling.  I see too many managers who just bail if their team starts losing.  Think more people need to really enjoy the game for what it is.  It's a manager game with a huge element of luck/randomness/chance, whatever you want to call it.  It is just as fun, if not more, when you actually have to put more effort into it or get creative.  The only unsuccessful managers are the ones who leave.  Their loss.  Regardless if your team is doing well or not, you still get to enjoy what the game has to offer.  It's cool to win, but I personally have much more respect for the managers who still have fun even when they don't.

Best overall defensemen. It wouldn't be too bad an idea to offer another reward for most points by a Dman.
 
As for defensive you can sort by blocks and takeaways. Not a lot of forwards would likely show up though. Thus the time consuming task of searching through each team would have to be done. Thus if you want I'd be willing to do that.

I'm not sure +/- should be a factor at all in the calculations. Also for defensive forward I'm not sure points should be a factor either. Either way great work.

With the end of the season here, I decided to create an awards list for best players in GHL Cage, using NHL template as example - to make it more of a lived-in world, and simply because I think the players deserve some individual recognition for all the work they have done for us this season.
Calculations are shown where relevant. Runner-ups for each category are also included. Enjoy!
 
 
 
ART ROSS TROPHY (Most League Points)
 
IAN FREROT (Wolverines) - 91 points    (https://gameplanhockey.com/player?gpid=10043-A)
 
Elouan Scott (Red Tide)
Jeremie Cline (Stray Cats)
 
 
 
ALEX OVECHKIN TROPHY - (Top Goalscorer)

ELOUAN SCOTT (Red Tide) - 46 goals                  (https://gameplanhockey.com/player?gpid=3196-A)
 
Ian Frerot (Wolverines)
Jeremy Lawhorn (Wolverines)
 
 
 
SILVER PLATTER TROPHY (Best Playmaker) 
 
PATRICK GORNELL (Red Tide) - 56 assists           (https://gameplanhockey.com/player?gpid=1776-A)
 
Jeremie Cline (Stray Cats)
Marek Koch (Prairie Stars)/Ian Frerot (Wolverines)
 
 
 
VEZINA TROPHY (Best Goaltender)
 
KWESI CUTTER (Prairie Stars)                (https://gameplanhockey.com/goalie?gpid=324-A)
 
Gregoire Wright (Stray Cats)
Renaud Pettigrew (Hawks)
 
 
 
NORRIS TROPHY (Best Defenceman)
 
TENHO SUOMI (Ricochet)                       (https://gameplanhockey.com/player?gpid=4037-A)
 
Marek Koch (Prairie Stars)
Clemens Andresen (Union)
Calculated with the following formula among D: [PTS + Plus/Minus + BKS - GVA + TKA], PER also taken into consideration  
 
SELKE TROPHY (Best Defensive Forward)
 
WESLEY SOUDERS (Leopards)                   (https://gameplanhockey.com/player?gpid=8314-A)
 
Elouan Scott (Red Tide)
Jeremie Cline (Stray Cats), 
Calculated with the following formula among F: [PTS + Plus/Minus + BKS - GVA + TKA]  
 
LADY BYNG TROPHY (Most Gentlemanly Player)
 
IAN FREROT (Wolverines)               (https://gameplanhockey.com/player?gpid=10043-A)
 
Jeremie Cline (Stray Cats)
Ondrej Valabik (Hawks)
Calculated with the following formula [PTS - PIM]  
 
HART TROPHY (League MVP)
 
KWESI CUTTER (Prairie Stars) - 80 PER        (https://gameplanhockey.com/goalie?gpid=324-A)
 
Elouan Scott (Red Tide)
Clemens Andresen (Union)
 
 
 
 
*Notes: Calculations may not be entirely accurate due to limited visibility and inability to sort by position in GPHM stats format - if anyone sees mistakes, let me know and I will fix.

Player roles and line set ups. Snipers and power forwards seem to be the biggest shot takers. Having the line they are on be offensively focused will encourage more offense. Beyond that, it comes down to how your team plays relative to your opponent.

As I think any team would want their best shooter taking every shot in the game however when has that happened in an NHL game? I've seen instances where Brooks Orpik takes a shot on goal even though Alex Ovechkin is on the ice. The reality is that if a player finds themselves in a good shooting position then they should take the shot because you don't know if you will even get a better shot chance in that same offensive zone time.

Take shots away is a rather poor way of looking at it. Explaining why would be getting real deep into probability mathematics that doesn't go into answering your question so I won't give you a full explanation. Suffice to say the answer is no with a short explanation that the shot a given player takes no one else was going to take.
 
Basically, unless you have a way of finding out if your team is doing this:

Don't worry about who specifically is taking however many shots.

Take shots away is a rather poor way of looking at it. Explaining why would be getting real deep into probability mathematics that doesn't go into answering your question so I won't give you a full explanation. Suffice to say the answer is no with a short explanation that the shot a given player takes no one else was going to take.
 
Basically, unless you have a way of finding out if your team is doing this:

Don't worry about who specifically is taking however many shots.

Big Games is over rated in my opinion. A nervous or anxious player with a cocky ego can be just as clutch as a heroic or determined player. I don't go for any one thing over another as much as I try to find a balance and then keep it. If my team has high team work and winner instinct and I lose someone I try to make sure that what I get to replace them isn't too different than what I lost in terms of ego and clutch traits to avoid too drastic a swing.
 
The only time I key on any one trait is when looking at player development so I can try to guess how much actual potential the player has left in them. If they are growing a lot with lazy they likely are world class talents. If they are growing moderately with ambitious they likely aren't better than a B prospect.

It is indeed uncertain. That said for just one game I would scout the other team too and see what they have been using and use that to also factor into the decision. If they happen to be using current tactics that are better against one over the other that would also carry some weight into it.

It is indeed uncertain. That said for just one game I would scout the other team too and see what they have been using and use that to also factor into the decision. If they happen to be using current tactics that are better against one over the other that would also carry some weight into it.

Here's some alternate jersey ideas I came up with.
 

Wasn't really sure whether I should start a new thread or not, so here goes.
 
Anyone played around with the editor to create an away jersey for your team as well. While we don't have the option to wear an away jersey "officially" in game— at least not yet, I'm thinking about following the idea of my home town team and play all playoff games wearing away jersey by simply changing the design for the said period just for shits and giggles.
 

Chemistry between players is a bit of a thing actually. Some players will just work with others better. It's not that big a thing because too much of this is easily a bad thing. This is as I understand things currently and I could be wrong.
 
In terms of more tactical options line wise for individual players that would be interesting. As for different lines while it might not be exactly as you mean an energy line will throw their bodies around more.
 
As for player development Paul I think Peek is more talking about the fact that many younger players, once they hit about 20-21 their development suddenly stops to a crawl. It is a consistent thing across most players in 2 game worlds that I have noticed. It might be because the players are reaching their skill cap that we cannot see however if that is the case a 21yo 81 overall player should not be listed as showing great potential with excellent trade value for the GHL for example. Also in terms of preventing what we had before remember that each player has a growth cap for each skill. Not every player can get to 90+ in everything anymore.

Oh hey, look! I updated section 4 with a little tidbit after years of neglect. Specifically about lineup creation.

Player Advanced
 
To start this section off I will give the biggest mistake I see regularly from many managers regarding players. Overall fixation. Overall means nothing. Yes, it means nothing. Seriously it means nothing. No really. It means nothing. Ok, it means something. But only what you can expect a player to ask for when it comes to contracts. Beyond that it means about as much to you as the favorite color of that person you don't know driving a boat somewhere in an ocean nowhere near you that you will never meet. The player's individual skills are what is important. Let me give you an example. 2 players. Player one (P1) has an overall of 80. Player two (P2) an overall of 79. The mistake I see many managers make is going for higher overall players in FA when they don't need to and playing higher overall players higher in their lineup over more skilled players. There are at least two mismanagement issues happening here that I will get into much more deeper later. Let's look at the skills of the players I gave as examples.
 
        P1 | P2
Spd  85 | 75
Pas  75 | 85
Pct   85 | 85
Sht   75 | 85
Def   75 | 75
Phy  85 | 75
Spi   75 | 75
End  85 | 75
Fof   85 | 85
 
P1 is nothing more than a 4th line SHL or GHL checker or a poor choice for a BHL offensive forward whereas P2 is a player, depending upon the talent of the league, that can potentially play a 2nd or 3rd line offensive role in the GHL.
 
 
Player roles. How to identify them and using that to determine how to put your team together.
 
To be good at doing this yourself requires that you do a little bit of homework. Specifically scouting. More specifically scouting your league. To identify what roles a player can fill you need to know what the general "best" of your league is. You basically want to find out what the best 20 of x look like in your league. For instance I know that I have two of the best 9 playmakers (passing and puckhandling skills combined) in my game world (I used to have 3 of them but I believe in giving something to get something from the AI aka I like to make fair trades with the AI) in Mikulas Rakita and Waide Rose, yet they are 84 and 83 overall respectively. They are the two lowest overall of the top 9 but there is no reason they should not be in any other teams top 6 forward group. There are only 7 other players that are as good playmakers in the entire game world. How about a more extreme example. There is a 79 overall player in my game world that is one of the top 19 playmakers of the entire game world. The next closest of the rest of the 19 on overall is 83. That player should be playing a top 6 forward role in the GHL because again there are only 18 other players in the entire game world as good as they are as a playmaker. Yes, the player is pretty much crap outside of his offensive skills but he is the perfect example of a role player. He is an amazing offensive GHL talent relative to the current league and should be playing in a top 6 role. That is how you identify the roles a player can potentially play but how do you determine where to play them in your lineup?
 
Creating a lineup sounds easy to do however it is a lot easier to mess it up than it is to get it right. This is where I see a lot of managers getting it wrong. The first thing I do when making a line is to decide on whom I am building that line around. Choose a player for each line and then find 2 complimentary players to play alongside them. I prefer to build around my centers. It makes things rather straightforward. No matter the 4 players you choose the next step is building the lineup around those players via finding players that complement the players you are building each line around. The key to doing that well is identifying the strengths of your players. If the player you chose for your first line is a sniper you want to get a playmaker to play with him and the third be good, but not great, at both just in case either one of the other two players have a bad game to prevent the line from being shut down. Likewise, if the player for the 2nd line is more of a playmaker you want to be finding a shooter and another who can do a bit of both. What about if the player is a two way forward? Well, the key thing to remember is that, at the end of the game, the goal is to score more points than your opponent. This means that you want your more defensive lines to be able to contribute offensively as well every once in a while. Thus when building those lines take a look at their offensive skills and build them with that still in mind but with less emphasis.
 
So this is my IHL team's roster.


 
Something you will notice is a lot of centers. It wasn't intentional. That said let me go over how I built the lines and why I did what I did. First I chose who I would build the lines around. As I said I prefer to build my lines around my centers. The 6 best centers I have are, in no particular order, Chenard, Keef, Gagnier, Spiva, Sibelius, and Sibley. Of those 6 I went with Gagnier, Chenard, Sibelius, and Spiva.
 
I built my first line around Gagnier. He is my best offensive center and you want your first line to be your best offensive line. That said Gagnier is a do everything offensive player which means I want to pair him with a playmaker and a scorer. The idea behind that is if any one player on that line has a bad game the other two can comfortably take up the slack without much difficulty as, no matter what, there is still a playmaker and shooter. My best playmaker and my best scorer are Fausher and Mckennon respectively so I put them with Gagnier. For an offensive line you want to focus on offensive talent no matter what tactics you are using nor the rest of the skill set of the player in question. Even if everything else skill wise is bad if the player has some of the best offensive skills on your team play him in your top 6.
 
I built my second line around Chenard. At this point, things got tricky for me because you want your 2nd line to be your 2nd best offensive line however that couldn't have been done if I gave Keef his own line as he is my 2nd best playmaker and I don't really have a suitable 3rd playmaker for a top 6 playmaker role. Thus instead of giving Keef his own line I put him on the wing here and gave the line a shooter in Markkula for the best offensive balance I could manage.
 
The 3rd line is where you ideally want to start really striking a balance between offense and defense. While this line isn't ideal in that manner I know it should be an ok line as it was my best line in the LIHL the season prior. The center is Sibelius and the two wingers are Hoy and Lymburner. Again if you look you see a playmaker, scorer and a third that can do a bit of both on that line. As I said prior this helps assure offensive balance on the line making it harder to shut down.
 
The 4th line can easily be a do anything line that you can scrape together for specialist purposes. I've created checking and energy lines with my 4th line and found success with such set ups both times by finding the right players. However, this line is just what is left with what I have. It is centered by Spiva with Stpeter and Wahlstrom as the wingers. While it isn't ideal and is kind of ho-hum with nothing really interesting going on I didn't really have an option at this point.

Lazy, CPU team and not training hard caused it.
 
That said I've noticed a few things in regards to this. Lower overall players it seems to be less of a thing but a notable one none the less from what I have tracked. There seems to be a massive burst of player growth up to about 19-20 and then the player just hits a proverbial brick wall most of the time. I've seen a few instances that break this rule thus far in both of the worlds I am in however it isn't exactly common.
 
The thing I am curious about is if this is a thing for the current iteration of players or if it will be persistent through time with all players? If it is just a problem with the current players only then the issue might be a hard to find bug. If it is with all players then it is a clear issue with development.
 
That said I also wonder if the problem is found will players jump to where they should have been if it is a development bug or will things just be fixed from that point on?