Paul T

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

Question for the community.  I've wondered this for a while.
 
Let's say you take over a team on the last day of the season and are in a must win game (for whatever reason).  You notice that all your players are a perfect fit for a Dump and Chase offense - however - the team has been set to Crash the Net with a full green familiarity bar.  Changing to Dump and Chase would go full red.
 
Do you:
A ) Keep your Off tactic set to Crash the Net (Pro: your team is familiar, Con: your players don't fit).
B ) Change your Off tactic to Dump and Chase (Pro: your players fit perfectly, Con: your team is unfamiliar).
 
Which would have the bigger positive/negative impact?  Obviously B is better long term, but for 1 game only.  Not sure if there is a correct answer here, just interested in what other managers would do and why.

I'm not sure about international leagues, but the NHL has only averaged a single fight every 5 games for the past two seasons.  I enjoy the fights more than the average fan and would hate it if the league ever banned it, but there's so much more to the sport.  Fighting is only a small fraction of the entertainment.  Wouldn't boxing or MMA be a better option for those who are just tuning in to see a fight?

I'm not sure about international leagues, but the NHL has only averaged a single fight every 5 games for the past two seasons.  I enjoy the fights more than the average fan and would hate it if the league ever banned it, but there's so much more to the sport.  Fighting is only a small fraction of the entertainment.  Wouldn't boxing or MMA be a better option for those who are just tuning in to see a fight?

15-7-0-1 and 23ish games since i moved Sykora for Charlie Chene, Lumpy, and Blade
 

 
Edit :Spelling

Simply a territorial dispute - Leopards can't handle Stray Cats wandering into their zone.

Erzac - how do you continue to bait my team into penalties.  I remember our GHL/SHL playoff series from Biscuit where I took 50 more PIMs in a 3-game series.  Now in Cage over 4 games the PIMs are 44-20.  Something about the Stray Cats send the Leopards into a rage.

Congrats to whoever gets to play the Leopards in round 1.  You'll get a 2 day rest before you advance to Round 2.  Bunch of overrated divas.

Physicality is a pretty big part of this game.  You can even select offensive and defensive tactics that are based on physicality.  And there is fighting.  If you want more, I would recommend players with a high Physical attribute.  Tough and Agitator players should help, too.  And you can select players to be Enforcers.
 
My team averages a fighting major once every two games, which seems about right.

So, the battle for playoffs heats up the east... I must say that this Cage GHL is much more thrilling and competetive then Buzzer.

Took out Turkey Creek's 3rd string goalie in our key matchup! Don't be bringing your scrubs in against me, haha. Actually, thank god he got hurt since he had a shutout going 30 mins in!!

/\
Very true.  I suppose it would be cool to see a handful (or two) of players in every league developing faster than they currently are.  But with veteran players now decreasing earlier, I just don't see how you could balance the two.  Vets get the performance bonus, but younger players would become much more valuable than older players from a trade perspective.  Right now it looks like the best 21-22 year olds are improving at a rate of 1-2 overall per season, while the lesser developers are lucky to gain a single overall in 2-3 seasons.

I'm ok with the current, slower development schedule.  Also, having the draft for Season will also give teams a chance to juice their development by ideally getting 1 or 2 players that can slide into their starting lines either the current season or 1-2 seasons down the road, very similar to NHL now.  I like how some, not all, older players are tanking.  I find it realistic, if annoying to have one of those guys.  But not everyone plays to 35 as a top 6 player, nor should we expect them to.  
 
I definitely don't want to see FAs pop up during the season.  As for trading, it's tough to find the perfect balance.  I see both points above.  I do like the idea of allowing trades and holding them until the end of the season.  It's a bit unrealistic, but does allow some "backroom" deals that go on between real GMs to be played out.  In fact, maybe not even have the game announce them until after the playoffs are over?!?!  Like a big trade/FA day in NHL!  Tune in to just see where everyone moved!  

I'll start with these two, because I love both suggestions.  IMO, the more in depth, the better.  About a year ago, I made a suggestion that teams should not be limited to a single offensive or defensive tactic.  Instead, it would be cool if we were allowed to play different tactics per line.  For example, Line 1 could use Possession, Line 2 is Dump and Chase, Line 3 could Crash the Net and so on.  Or if we wanted to limit it in any way, allow teams to become familiar with 2 offensive and defensive tactics, each, instead of all of them.  That way we could build a more versatile team, which would drive interest.
 
 
 
This one I don't agree with.  I think player progression is right where it should be.  One of the main reasons for the game refresh was to get ratings back in check.  If players increased like they used to, every GHL team would again be full of 90+ players and it would take a lot of the strategy out of it.  IMO, it's good to see some top line players in GHL that have an attribute flaw here and there.  Also, I've seen some younger players who are improving quite nicely.  But overall, I think current development is optimal for the game long term.
 
*Edit: either that, or we increase the rate of improvement, which would add some excitement, but start the ratings much lower.  Top 6 guys in GHL draft right now are 85-88.  We could start them at 75-78.
 
 
 
My original suggestion was for a trade deadline around day 66, which happens now, and for it to be locked through end of season.  Anders went a different direction and opened it up again during playoffs for a few reasons (1) to keep eliminated managers interested (2) to allow the team that got relegated via playoff a chance to make moves before next season.  Both of these are understandable.  To your point, it definitely is not the most fair approach, but the goal should be to make the playoffs and try to win it all.  If eliminated teams are making moves during that time, then it is what it is.
 
I think there is a simple solution here.  Teams who are still in the playoffs can make verbal offers.  If I'm in 11th or 12th place and have to battle for relegation, I would already be talking to all the playoff team managers and coming up with a plan in case of relegation.  But I guess I'm also optimistic that relegating managers would accept the "best" offer for their players to keep things fair and not the very first offer thrown their way.
 
This is also the reason why I think players should ask for a bit of money during negotiations, so it's harder to score a guy like Elie Breton and also have a lot of depth.  I feel that if you have a few 94+ players on your roster, they should come with a high cap hit and there should be holes in your roster elsewhere.
 
This topic is definitely worth a lengthy discussion.  Interested to keep it going and see what others have to say.

Hi!
 
Really good suggestions! We are reading this carefully and will try to make the game more live of course. We have plans to extend the experience for more recognition when winning and player trophies and such. Even an "all star game" are things we look at.
 
About play by play there is a bit more into it and we are looking how to implement such a thing. We have heard rumours that if it's not good it could ruin the game so we want to make it as good as possible from the start. Can't promise anything right now. A lot of focus right now is to fix minor bugs and help new managers joining the game because we get more and more coming everyday.
 
Hope that satisfied a bit?! 
 
We are listening to all your suggestions and we together will make this the best manager game!
 
PS. About the interview thing, if anyone want to be our official ingame reporter with interviews with managers and stuff. Feel free to take the role as "Game Plan Hockey Managers Reporter" Could make a new section here on the forum if anyone up for it?! DS.

So I was wondering if, in the future, it would be possible for us to manage our affiliate teams too.  It kind of sucks when a free agent or bad player is getting better playing minutes over a prospect that I want to grow.  I also think it would make the developing system a little better as if you want to work on a player's defense, you can play them in a more defensive role as opposed the the computer tossing them wherever.  I know training is partially available to do this, but being able to make a player more well-rounded in the aspects we want would be cool by setting up and managing affiliate team lines.
 
Also, I saw in a different forum, the idea of adding national teams.  To expand on that, having a world cup would be really cool and it would also add something else for us to follow when our team gets eliminated from the playoffs, as there is only so much you could do with scouting and contracts at the end of the season.
 
Just a couple of suggestions.  Hope to see these added, but otherwise, I've been liking 2.0 so far

I'll start with these two, because I love both suggestions.  IMO, the more in depth, the better.  About a year ago, I made a suggestion that teams should not be limited to a single offensive or defensive tactic.  Instead, it would be cool if we were allowed to play different tactics per line.  For example, Line 1 could use Possession, Line 2 is Dump and Chase, Line 3 could Crash the Net and so on.  Or if we wanted to limit it in any way, allow teams to become familiar with 2 offensive and defensive tactics, each, instead of all of them.  That way we could build a more versatile team, which would drive interest.
 
 
 
This one I don't agree with.  I think player progression is right where it should be.  One of the main reasons for the game refresh was to get ratings back in check.  If players increased like they used to, every GHL team would again be full of 90+ players and it would take a lot of the strategy out of it.  IMO, it's good to see some top line players in GHL that have an attribute flaw here and there.  Also, I've seen some younger players who are improving quite nicely.  But overall, I think current development is optimal for the game long term.
 
*Edit: either that, or we increase the rate of improvement, which would add some excitement, but start the ratings much lower.  Top 6 guys in GHL draft right now are 85-88.  We could start them at 75-78.
 
 
 
My original suggestion was for a trade deadline around day 66, which happens now, and for it to be locked through end of season.  Anders went a different direction and opened it up again during playoffs for a few reasons (1) to keep eliminated managers interested (2) to allow the team that got relegated via playoff a chance to make moves before next season.  Both of these are understandable.  To your point, it definitely is not the most fair approach, but the goal should be to make the playoffs and try to win it all.  If eliminated teams are making moves during that time, then it is what it is.
 
I think there is a simple solution here.  Teams who are still in the playoffs can make verbal offers.  If I'm in 11th or 12th place and have to battle for relegation, I would already be talking to all the playoff team managers and coming up with a plan in case of relegation.  But I guess I'm also optimistic that relegating managers would accept the "best" offer for their players to keep things fair and not the very first offer thrown their way.
 
This is also the reason why I think players should ask for a bit of money during negotiations, so it's harder to score a guy like Elie Breton and also have a lot of depth.  I feel that if you have a few 94+ players on your roster, they should come with a high cap hit and there should be holes in your roster elsewhere.
 
This topic is definitely worth a lengthy discussion.  Interested to keep it going and see what others have to say.

I'll start with these two, because I love both suggestions.  IMO, the more in depth, the better.  About a year ago, I made a suggestion that teams should not be limited to a single offensive or defensive tactic.  Instead, it would be cool if we were allowed to play different tactics per line.  For example, Line 1 could use Possession, Line 2 is Dump and Chase, Line 3 could Crash the Net and so on.  Or if we wanted to limit it in any way, allow teams to become familiar with 2 offensive and defensive tactics, each, instead of all of them.  That way we could build a more versatile team, which would drive interest.
 
 
 
This one I don't agree with.  I think player progression is right where it should be.  One of the main reasons for the game refresh was to get ratings back in check.  If players increased like they used to, every GHL team would again be full of 90+ players and it would take a lot of the strategy out of it.  IMO, it's good to see some top line players in GHL that have an attribute flaw here and there.  Also, I've seen some younger players who are improving quite nicely.  But overall, I think current development is optimal for the game long term.
 
*Edit: either that, or we increase the rate of improvement, which would add some excitement, but start the ratings much lower.  Top 6 guys in GHL draft right now are 85-88.  We could start them at 75-78.
 
 
 
My original suggestion was for a trade deadline around day 66, which happens now, and for it to be locked through end of season.  Anders went a different direction and opened it up again during playoffs for a few reasons (1) to keep eliminated managers interested (2) to allow the team that got relegated via playoff a chance to make moves before next season.  Both of these are understandable.  To your point, it definitely is not the most fair approach, but the goal should be to make the playoffs and try to win it all.  If eliminated teams are making moves during that time, then it is what it is.
 
I think there is a simple solution here.  Teams who are still in the playoffs can make verbal offers.  If I'm in 11th or 12th place and have to battle for relegation, I would already be talking to all the playoff team managers and coming up with a plan in case of relegation.  But I guess I'm also optimistic that relegating managers would accept the "best" offer for their players to keep things fair and not the very first offer thrown their way.
 
This is also the reason why I think players should ask for a bit of money during negotiations, so it's harder to score a guy like Elie Breton and also have a lot of depth.  I feel that if you have a few 94+ players on your roster, they should come with a high cap hit and there should be holes in your roster elsewhere.
 
This topic is definitely worth a lengthy discussion.  Interested to keep it going and see what others have to say.

Hey,
 
I am still somewhat a n00b, but here is what I collected so far after the new game started (season and some little in Buzzer and almoust a season in Cage)... as I said, take it with a grain of salt, maybe someone more experienced will have some more things to add.
 
In no particular order...
 
 
- Development of players: They seem to progress too slow. Especially the young ones... I would expect them to grow a bit more. Can't say I have older players regress quick, as I don't have too many.
 
- Underestimation and overall performance of players: Now, regarding this I already notified Anders, but current Buzzer GHL season is really weird. Top team on Eastern division is performing way above their players skill (even the goalkeepers). There is also team in Western that is 5th or 6th, that has even worse players (both teams are promoted from SHL). Also, players on Buzzer with most points are 80 to 82 rated, with some serious flaws in their skills (like shooting for example, but still topping the charts). Now sure what is going on there, looks like a bug to me.
 
- Signing free agents during season: I was one of those who asked for that to be removed, however I do think that whole idea would be better if there would be a player or two that showed on free agents. I would keep them in lowish average rating tho. No superstars popping up. Just a journeyman, now and then. That way, people could patch a whole or two, without unbalancing the whole league, or devalueing players too much/if any.
 
- Trading when playoffs start for non playoff teams: Now, here is the tricky one. I almoust wanted to get knocked out of playoffs last season (eventually I did, but due to being outplayed by better team) so I can start trading as soon as possible and having advantage over those who are still there and want the same players I do. Not sure how to approach this one, but current system is somewhat abusable. For example, the best player in Cage GHL (Elie-Breton) is in possibilty of getting relegated trough possible playoffs and manager could trade him to some teams for picks or prospects before he losses him due to 1w contract. Teams that are out of playoffs can move in for him if he relegates, since they will have small chance of signing him for free later due to team reputation, while many other teams are still locked in playoffs. Its just a stupid example, but its abuseable. Maybe to allow all teams to trade when playoffs start, but those trades would start being effective last day of the season when everything is played and before relegated people lose players to contracts.
 
 
 
now to suggestions... (I am sure someone already suggested some of those, but still...)
 
- Chemistry between the lines: We need more micromanagment, please. To give more control in putting our lines/teams togeather. Maybe even of personality effect of how certain people blend with each other.
 
- More tactical options: Possiblity to set playstyle individially, like for example, telling players individually to go tough or gentle. That way we could have certain lines doing that, or even just players. Not just entire team. This is just an example, but I would get things complex here, I dunno, FM style The more we feel in control of our team, the more we will dive into the game.
 
 
Thats just it, from top of my head. Sry for spelling mistakes

Day 66.  It's displayed on the League Schedule page.
Then it opens up again on Day 87 (during the playoffs) for all teams who are eliminated.  From what I understood in a post from Anders, playoff teams will be allowed to trade again once they get eliminated from the playoffs. 

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

Well I don't like it one bit.  Haha.
 
Yeah, I've had some odd results as well.  Most of my recent wins have been against playoff teams while most of my losses have been against non-playoff teams.  I remember thinking during my 20 game winning streak (23 if you count preseason) that my team wasn't THAT good.  Now I'm here thinking my team can't be this bad.  But after watching Columbus destroy Tampa in round 1, that type of thing is just realistic.

Well I don't like it one bit.  Haha.
 
Yeah, I've had some odd results as well.  Most of my recent wins have been against playoff teams while most of my losses have been against non-playoff teams.  I remember thinking during my 20 game winning streak (23 if you count preseason) that my team wasn't THAT good.  Now I'm here thinking my team can't be this bad.  But after watching Columbus destroy Tampa in round 1, that type of thing is just realistic.

I had some funny ones in the old world.
 

 

I had some funny ones in the old world.