koekefix

This is how it works:
(Info is from Anders)
 

A pre release of the upcoming v1.1.9 has been made to the UAT. The release contains the following new features:
 
Added stats
Player stats for blocked shots Game stats of puck possession. Game stats of zone coverage. Tuning of the game engine
Decreased the number of fightings. More to come... Game analysis
The game analysis contains detailed report on each player and team overview. Player performance rating is extended into four categories; Offense, Defence, Physical, Role. Read your assistant's most positive and negative remarks on each player. You'll find the game analysis in the assistant's report available after each game. (Game page -> Action menu -> Assistant's report).
 
Bug fixes and improvements
Small face lift of 'Play-by-Play' in Game view Adjustments to player development speed. Increased development for high potential young players. Decreased development for older players. Also adjusted player retirement age factors. More to come...

It does takes some of the fun out of it, doesn't it? The playoffs are always entertaining because it can go either way, but yeah there's usually no contest for the league lead most seasons

What a mess! 
A regular medieval witch-hunt: with pitchforks, torches, everyone pointing fingers, accusations flying, posturing, and grunting...
Just like a scene out of a Monty-Python film. 
 
Received this in-game message, which I assume was sent to every GM, on day 34, season 7, GW Biscuit, and yes: it's from the very same manager who, once this goal was accomplished, went on to rape the abandoned team.
 
 
PERSONAL MESSAGE FROM KIM VANDAELESEASON 7, DAY 34 COLLEGEVILLE RHINOS (SHL)Hi Soupy Salez,

Hope you are well. 

I'm sending you this mail because there are still some managers abusing the trade system in their advantage. I really can't handle the unfairness that comes with it and that's why I'm asking you to report the manager of Collegeville Rhinos (SHL) as a cheater. I think there are more managers like him but what he has been doing 2 seasons in a row is just unreal. I want to prevent this from further escalating and make it fair for other managers as well. If you look at his team it's amazing the way they have been improved, but if you look at the trade history it's clear to see how he got that far. He has been trading only with the CPU and is still abusing the system. This has to be stopped.

I talked with Anders about this and he does not have the time to investigate this further. He wants us managers to step up and take our responsibility to report him. If we have enough reports he will be blocked by the system. Please report him and let us do something about this unfairness.

Thanks,

Kim
**************End of copy/pasted message**********************
 
Don't mean to pick on ya Kim. Most other players are the same:
Reggie quit the Collegeville Rhinos, a few games ago. Anyone whom cares to have a look, will see that the rape of said team has already begun.  **********************************************REBELS ACQUIRE SCHMITZ FROM RHINOS The Richford Rebels have acquired Damien Schmitz and Bruce Redondo from the Collegeville Rhinos in exchange for Massil Christensen and rights to Matteo Legros-St-Pierre plus a GHL level 3rd round pick. **********************************************There is a dark secret, hidden in the closet of this game. And it is hypocrisy and protectionism. Well: I'm just teasing you boys.  Here's the good news: You're normal!!
 
Meta-gaming and gentlemen's agreements don't work.  Never have. Never will.   It seems to be against human nature. 
Otherwise: why would we need referees and officials in every level of sports play?   We wouldn't need lawyers and judges, nor that smug principal who berated you, back when you were a naughty kid in school. 
Heck: you even need a washed-up, red-nosed, fat booze-breathed excuse for a referee in your beer league, cause that arse for the red team keeps "accidentally" tripping other players, then saying a very disingenuous "sorry". 
 
We all seem to try our best to game the system. We seek to minimize our taxes, and negotiate the prices of the things we want to purchase. We keep secrets from our co-workers, so that we can use them to look sharp at a later date.  
From observation: it seems to be the way we are. 
 
Yes: I trade with AI teams, almost exclusively.   I have not yet seen a reason or argument not to.  I have had a team in every GW, since the beginning of the game. Usually playing in the lower-level leagues, where there is two or four POT ( player-owned-teams).  The only way I will stop doing it is if I get banned, kicked-out, or the hardwired game-rules change. 
 
These meta-gaming, gentleman's agreements were doomed to fail, and I never posted about them, because I was not in the GHL league where the discussion started, and I was dismayed at how the GM's who disagreed with it were portrayed. 
 
From an outside point of view: in a GW of 90 teams, those rules benefit and protect the elite 8-10 teams; create an impenetrable buffer-zone of 4-10 mediocre teams; and lead to a world of hurt and despair for the remaining 70-75 teams. 
How is that in any way fair gaming? 
What is this BS altruistic proclamation: to preserve competitive AI teams for imaginary future managers? Horse-feathers!!
 
If all new GM's were to start in the LIHL: how is a team laden with about 25 yellow-barred LIHL players, (individual player trade values), supposed to make it to the elite top-10 in the GW, with 25 green-barred GHL players?  
Drafts and free-agents (FA) you say? Moose-droppings!!  
 
That's only possible if the table is equal for all, and so why not?    So let's do it!  
Who's willing?  Flat fair rules, same for all.  No meta-gaming. 
How about every GM in the game gets a vote on the rules concerning trading with AI-CPU-teams?  
How's about's Anders hard-wire programs it into the game? 
Then we all play within the hard-wired rules, and nobody has anything to complain about! 
 
Except: any and every game-player has no choice but to play within the hard-wired rules, in any game, but some would seek to change those rules. 
So; the rules get changed, or they stay the same. 
But for the sake of understanding humans, please stop bending the rules, and then trying to convince others, that although you are advantaged by such change, that it's for the best for the game, and all involved. 
Please: just stop.   Not everyone's buying it.
 
If it is indeed what everyone wants: then let's get a majority decision, and ask Anders to hard-program it into the game.
Of course: Anders can decide on his own, if he want's to do it.  We realize it is tricky and difficult, but we all, without exception, have faith in this wondrous gift of game, you have given us, Anders.  Thanks.
 
I did not mean to pick on anyone, just to show the undeniable true nature of us all.  
None of us is sitting on a higher moral/ethical ground. 
 
This post is not sanctioned by my mod status, but spoken as a sovereign soul. 

I usually try to stay away from the trade drama around here because the managers that have abused the system either think they didn't do anything wrong, don't care or are not willing to fix their mistakes. I feel like nothing will change unless more drastic measures are implemented by the game in prevention of abuse of CPU trades.
 
That being said, I find the sense of community in our game world a little lacking. I may be wrong, but it seems we all chat here with each other when there is a conflict over a trade others disagree with, but we never actually chat about our teams, our league, players, potential trades,direction of the game, etc.
 
 
Just my two cents, back to lurking now

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.  

Also, doesn't spirit help you decide who is good for an energy line?

No. I never claimed that you were stupid. I said that your claimed reasoning for it being ok for you to cheat the system is based around a perceived in game issue that doesn't exist. That is a poorly thought out and exceptionally weak argument.
 
Frankly what anyone in Biscuits GHL needs to have more than a slight chance to win the cup is have a certain team let go all of the players they got in the same way you built your team. By exploiting the computer teams through trades. They have dominated for the past 3.5 seasons because of it and will for about 4 more unless they decide to change that by their own decision. You would have no impact on me winning or not.
 
Oh and there is no "getting even" with someone who a fair number of people go to for advice and help because of how good they actually are at managing their team when the only way you can win is by relying on exploiting the game. You would be better off leaving quietly now rather than making yourself look even more like a stuck up child before you go.

Computer trading in of itself isn't cheating no but I have pointed out too many times in this forum that exploiting flaws in a game to your advantage is cheating. That means that exploiting computer teams via trades is cheating. That is exactly what you are doing in your trades.
 
 
Your point is massively flawed, poorly thought out and exceptionally weak as a result.
 
A new manager doesn't need to make trades with computer teams unless there are too few human managers to try to trade with. Unless you are in the GHL (which a new manager will never be able to be in) or on the brink of reaching the GHL you should not be concerned about the GHL, top teams or top players. They are completely out of your reach in every way. You should only be concerned about your league and what you can do in it. Also the edge will never get bigger unless you stop learning the game and resort to things like what you are doing to "catch up" to a perceived gap that isn't there to begin with.
 
Regarding new teams getting to the GHL it is completely within the realm of possibility to have a very competitive team your first year there. I am the perfect example of that. To my knowledge I am the most recent team, and one of the very few, so far that has made the playoffs their first year after promotion in the GHL for this game world and it wasn't by fluke. No it wasn't easy. It was rather difficult. It should be. You are a SHL team promoting to the GHL. Be realistic with your expectations. Honestly I still think that I would have been better off team wise staying in the SHL for one more season but I made my very unexpected promotion to the GHL work. Every offseason there are a number of quality GHL players to grab for the at least 2 teams that rank up into the GHL. Yes the top talent is maybe a total of 3 to 5 players but you only need 2 maybe 3 such players. My first year I grabbed 3 such players out of about 6 or 7. Two forwards and a defender. I then grabbed a few role players to fill out my team and my team played well enough to get into the playoffs. On the way I traded 2 of those top players for a top goalie and 2 lesser skilled forwards. Yes the trades were with computer teams but notice that I traded 2 top talent players for one top talent player and two lesser talented players in return. I didn't try to finagle top talent away from computer teams via giving a number of lesser players in return.
 
Trading with computer teams is not a problem. Exploiting the computer in trades to get an unfair advantage is a problem. No exploiting the computer in trades is not an answer to a bigger problem. There is no bigger problem. The only problem there may be is your own inability to learn and improve yourself as a manager and exploiting the computer in trades is not the solution to that problem. Never, in any multiplayer game, is using in game exploits of any kind to your advantage an "answer" to a "problem" perceived, proven and known or otherwise.

There are some more improvements on the way regarding computer team trading AI. This will include computer teams less likely to agree on trades with unrealistic number of players involved. Computer teams will be less likely to get involved in too many trades each season. They will value incoming trade picks less but will still demand great value for their own. I'm also thinking of introducing a lock down period for free agents before being able to trade them. This is not decided but maybe would prevent quite a lot of abuse.
 
Can't say when this will be ready since I'm in the middle of another update at the moment. But I will really try to speed things up or perhaps pause the other update and squeeze this one in before.
 
Thanks for all your comments and commitment of making this game better!

*Begin wall of text*
 
-- I started with one of those awful teams that as been managed by the computer for a while.  By the way, I don't think a new manager will ever get a competitive team right away because it either has been managed by the computer (so not competitive) -- I made a lot of trades with computer and signed some free agents.  I wasn't always fair with the way I used free agents to make trades.  My apoligies if I ruined anyone experience --
 
Part of the reason why computer teams are not competitive off the bat might just be that they're robbed of their picks, and/or young talent. A big problem is the ability to trade freshly signed free agents for "free" assets, especially picks. Maybe one doesn't ruin anyone's experience right away, but making such trades just condemn new players into pilfered teams that will take ages to build up. You might just have started with such a team.
 
 
-- everyone has the exact same opportunity to trade with computer teams.--
 
Technically, yes, but every (computer) team has a limited number of assets. Once they're gone, they're gone. Also, just being able to do something doesn't quite equal that it should be done. It can't be a race of "who is the fastest to sign FA's and turn them into computer picks".
 
 
-- What's keeping new players from joining this game is the huge edge teams from GHL have on any other teams in this world because they get the best prospects (first two rounds so best 30 prospects every season) and the best free agents seasons after seasons --
--Right now, my best player is 86 overall, and a 85 goalie, I have a few 81-83 and mostly 80 overall players.  If I'm lucky, I might sign 1 or 2 players over 85 overall, a few 83-85 as free agents.  How will I compete with the top 4 GHL teams--
 
Comparing lower league teams to GHL teams is not a really good practice. Yes, they sign the best FA's. Yes, they get the best prospects. And so will you, if you make it to GHL and stay there. It's now my 3rd season in GHL, and I'm tied for 6th in the standings. The first two seasons I finished 12th. I never expected to compete for the first couple of seasons in GHL, my only goal was to not relegate and gradually build up the team. Maybe I'll even make the playoffs this season. I might even have a shot at the cup in a season or two. Even right now I probably couldn't win a playoff series against a top-4 team. But at some point I will. And the whole process has been, and continues to be, exciting.
 
Point being, I don't think you're expected to stand up to the best GHL as you come out of SHL. Hell, when I got to the GHL I barely knew a player's overall might be displayed in green (I think I had one, 81). It takes time, and it should, to become competitive when you move up a league level. For me, that's what a sports management game is all about - seeing your long term decisions, trades, signings combine into a hopefully winning package over time.
 
 
 
I might've ventured a bit off topic - computer trading in itself is not a problem. Computer trading, when used to accomplish trades that wouldn't be feasible between human managers, is a problem. That, and the FA flipping for computer picks.
 
*End wall of text*

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.  

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.  

New game yesterday and another injury to one of my defenders. It was his first game back from an injury and again he got injured. Never happened to my team.

I had that happen also - the day after I posted this I had my Top line center go down and got my top line defender back but lost him again in the same day due to a concussion. Weird. We're all healed up now and crossing our fingers for promotion!

+1, you always see some managers try that. They probably think they are playing against CPU teams 

Anders please add the following option when rejecting a trade:
 
 
"Smarten up and don't waste people's time with rip off offers."
 
Cheers,
 
Jamie     
 
 

Bear in mind, GPHM is still in a beta phase.  I have not seen any marketing of the game (correct me if I'm wrong), and I imagine marketing won't happen until after the beta is ironed out to a full release.
 
I got lucky and stumbled upon GPHM through a Google search for "online manager hockey game."
 
Right now, people are finding out about GPHM through searches (like me) and word of mouth.  So, if you to fill up Howitzer with humans, tell your family, friends, colleagues, whoever!

Unfortunately there is only one true way to eliminate this sort of behavior from the game and that is to simply not allow trading with computers. Will it be harder? Yes, but isn't that the point? To make the game realistic? If these kind of trades aren't realistic in the real world, why should they be on GPH? The idea is to grow the game and have all of the teams be owned by humans. New GMs aren't going to stick around if they aquire a team that has been picked clean and filled with ridiculous contracts that were handed out by other GMs. Who would want to stay and play a game with poeple who would do that? I understand that this comment will receive some heat, but let's be honest... If you really want computer trading to be left in the game, we all know the real reason why.

Up or down voting could work, but i'm pretty sure people wouldn't use it properly. I think it's worth a shot. What i think is important to do before that is to restrict trading players who have just made a contract with your team, it's too easy to sign free agents and trade them instantly. This restriction would also be easier to put into effect than the vote system. How about one season or half a season no trade restriction for newly signed players?

Hi Jiri,
 
I had a look at your team and made a quick analysis.
 
You have 12 players that will leave the club by the end of the season if you don't offer them a new contract. In my opinion there are 2 players that you can offer a new contract: Ronny Casady and MAYBE Valle Ander. They both can help you in the first season of BHL. Ander is a bit old but he has some nice traits that can lift the morale of your team. If his salary demands are not too high you can sign him up for 1 extra year. After that he will be too old and his skills will only be decreasing.
 
As for those other 10 players, I would let them go. They are too old or not good enough or they want to leave your club. The upside in that is that it gives you extra cash to use for new players coming available in free agency. In BHL you will have $4 725 000 to spend on salaries, which is a big upgrade from IHL. Please note that some of your players have a PC, which means they will get an upgrade in salary next season.
 
My advice for you is to use the free agency and your draft picks to upgrade your team for next season. At free agency you will have a lot of opportunties. Spend your salary wisely and try to get some trades working. Don't forget if you're in BHL you can only trade with SHL, BHL and IHL teams.
 
Good luck!

First there is no in game meter that truly gives an idea on what is and isn't a fair trade. No the two ownership groups being ok with the trade is not a trade balance meter. Second ripping the AI off via a trade is an exploit. Using in game exploits to your advantage is against the rules. Hence why it is an issue and hence why there are people complaining about it.

As a new manager you can join BHL/IHL/LIHL. He just joined in BHL (Thetford Mines Pegasus).
He will sometimes be on the same ip-range as me but not on the same ip ofcourse.

This is a general user guide. For now it will be split up into 4 sections but I am saving room for one more just in case. Please know that this is never complete and is always an ongoing project with the work in progress label as nobody except for Anders knows everything about this game and even the best of us are constantly learning about this game. This will be bare to start with but I plan on having most of it filled to some degree within about a week or two depending upon the time available to me.
 
The 4 sections will be as follows. Team Basics, Player Basics, Team Advanced and Player Advanced. The 5th I am saving for something unforeseen or not thought of in advanced and may eventually just be used as a frequently asked questions list. If I end up needing more than 5. Umm... Oops. I'll make it work.
 
 
 
Team Basics
 
This section is all about the very basics on how to run a team. The topics covered here will be roster, cap, line and tactic basics. The very first thing to do is learn your team. Since player basics is the second part we will be getting more in depth with the player part there and we will skip to the roster in general.
 
Roster basics: The most obvious thing is that you need 18 skaters and 2 goalies at minimum. In an ideal situation you would also want 2 or 3 forwards and 1 or 2 defensemen as scratches in case of injury. Injuries happen. It is inevitable. It is best to be prepared for when it does happen so you aren't scrambling when it does. Beyond this part, in which many have probably rolled their eyes at, the only other things to really address here is team spirit and team reputation. Team spirit has 3 things underneath it. Confidence shows exactly how confidant your team is in its play. It will be more likely to grow with positive overall team results. Teamwork shows how well your team plays together. Winner instinct is basically a teams "it" factor. Does the team have "it" in them to consistently pull out wins in meaningful games.
 
Cap basics: A GHL team has a cap of 60 million to play with. SHL 15 million, BHL 4.5 million, IHL, 1.5 million and LIHL 750k. Every player has a contract that lasts a certain number of seasons. Contracts can have clauses as well. a Promotion clause means that the if the player remains on the team and the team promotes to a higher league the salary of the player will go up in proportion with the new salary. A one way clause means that the player will not go down to a lower league no matter what.
 
Line basics: Each forward line needs 3 skaters. Each defensive line 2 skaters. For the C position any skater can play it so you want to be playing the players with the best face off rating regardless of position. Also you want your best shooter not playing at C to be on the side opposite their handedness. This is called playing the off-wing. It allows this player to get better quality shots on net.
 
Tactic basics: Team tactics work in a rock, paper, scissors fashion. Each offensive and defensive system has strengths and weaknesses. However these tactics have a say in how your players develop, how your team performs and the team has to get familiar with the team tactic. When it comes to team tactics it is best to choose one based upon how you want you team to play in the long run. This is because when you change team tactics there is a "learning" period that the team has to go through and it will perform worse in the process. The players will adapt to the system. Line tactics (aka line settings) however do not work in a rock, paper, scissors fashion. Rather there basically are instructions to the players on how to play within the team system. Also they can be changed game to game without worry of change in the quality of team play.

Woop Woop, very nice! Thanks!!