Well, the Big Prawns snuck into the playoffs, and will be playing our big game tomorrow. We'll be throwing the kitchen sink at Cheyenne Mountain Air Force gameplanning wise, but it will probably not be enough.
Last season we recruited to fill out our team, and were aiming significantly lower than the top teams in the league. This season I hope to be more ambitious, and recruit higher level players. In a way, this is going to be as big of a challenge as last season, as I'm still trying to recruit players that seem far too good for my team.
Top priorites are improving our passing game. I'm already going to buffing the O-Line ina big way with the remainder of my O-Line from the Fog Devils, but we're going to need two new TEs and some beefier WRs, who are especially difficult to recruit in my experience.
Our Defence is already quite good, but I'd love to turn it into a complete weapon and really put the clamps on people. I have a lot of faith in DC bubbas' gameplanning, and with even better players, and hopefully a scout helping provide info to gameplan from, I think our D could terrorise our league next season.
I'll be clearing out all of my little guys, who performed admirably this season, preferably to the Oribi, the team I OC for who also snuck into the playoffs. Due to the Africa A games being played at midnight, I won't be OC next season, but thats not necessarily a bad thing considering how many players I may end up with on the team.
The Southern Wasters, who I also OC for, have this season been the #1 team in SE Asia AA3 Zeta Conference, a big improvement from our previous #5 seeds. Hopefully this is the season we can make it out of the first round of the playoffs in!
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Been a while
Its been quite a while since I've managed to post here. GLB has been keeping me very busy, as I've been learning the ins and outs of the AI tactics.
With the Big Prawns having a brutal early schedule, we've been using them to go very hard at opposition weaknesses, as any win we could have gotten against those teams would have been gold come the end of the season. Unfortunately, we didn't manage to get any wins, but it was very educational, and once we started doing it, we gave every opponent we played a tough game.
Our defence in particular has come on strong, though is just as much through recruiting as good planning. We've had a big bopper join us at ILB, and Dan Francis has really made a big difference to our Run D, which has toughened considerably. This has allowed us to vary our gameplanning more, as previously we pretty much had to concentrat on the run and hope to contain the pass. Now we have a shot at either.
We also recruited a high level QB for this season, which should allow us to be viable going with a heavy passing offense against good teams if that seems to be the right way to go. I'd still like to see us get one higher level WR, and develop a good deep threat from our current crop - Toby Fitzgerald looks to be the most likely candidate thus far.
I still have this dread that our schedule is going to kill us though. We have one of the best teams in the West as our crossover game, so we're going to need to be ahead of our opponents in the conference games, and we're currently playing catchup.
Looking at the other Canada A league I'm in (A5), I can honestly say we would cruise into the playoffs there, whereas here we're probably going to fight tooth and nail and just miss out - Canada A6 is one very tough league - while we were recruiting level 20's to build a solid team, the top sides were recruiting level 30's to improve, so we still have a lot of catching up to do.
With the Big Prawns having a brutal early schedule, we've been using them to go very hard at opposition weaknesses, as any win we could have gotten against those teams would have been gold come the end of the season. Unfortunately, we didn't manage to get any wins, but it was very educational, and once we started doing it, we gave every opponent we played a tough game.
Our defence in particular has come on strong, though is just as much through recruiting as good planning. We've had a big bopper join us at ILB, and Dan Francis has really made a big difference to our Run D, which has toughened considerably. This has allowed us to vary our gameplanning more, as previously we pretty much had to concentrat on the run and hope to contain the pass. Now we have a shot at either.
We also recruited a high level QB for this season, which should allow us to be viable going with a heavy passing offense against good teams if that seems to be the right way to go. I'd still like to see us get one higher level WR, and develop a good deep threat from our current crop - Toby Fitzgerald looks to be the most likely candidate thus far.
I still have this dread that our schedule is going to kill us though. We have one of the best teams in the West as our crossover game, so we're going to need to be ahead of our opponents in the conference games, and we're currently playing catchup.
Looking at the other Canada A league I'm in (A5), I can honestly say we would cruise into the playoffs there, whereas here we're probably going to fight tooth and nail and just miss out - Canada A6 is one very tough league - while we were recruiting level 20's to build a solid team, the top sides were recruiting level 30's to improve, so we still have a lot of catching up to do.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Established team vs new team, the big difference is time
OK, so if you've been following the blog, you know I was working towards an expansion team and received a semi-gutted squad. I thought I'd make a post about what the differences have been, to perhaps give people an idea what to expect if they do get an existing team.
The impression I had was that its so sudden. With the expansion team, I'd have know exactly when it was going to happen, and been able to make sure I was ready to go. I also had all my recruitment done well in advance.
with the existing team, I logged in and there it was! My shiny new team. There is so much information to assimilate so that you can work out what you need to do in such a short time. That chemistry grace period looks awfully short when you realise you're going to need to overturn most of your roster, and you only have $600K in the bank!
The good thing about taking on an existing team though is it has a financial history, you can see what the ticket prices are set for,, and how much that has earnt the team. You have a much more defined baseline from which to plan finances. The bad thing is the costs are more unpredictable, as you have a wider range of levels to recruit.
I know I've basically had to tell FAs when making my pitch - I'm sorry I can't afford any equipment bonuses right now, and if its a bidding war for your services I concede defeat! Not the most awe inspiring pitch ever, but I'd much rather do it that way. You know the people who decide to pursue it further are either genuinely interested, or completely oblivious! I've held pretty firm to this so far, and I think it will pay dividends.
Something else I'd suggest is don't lose heart in your recruiting. The nature of the beast is that its easier to recruit the less you need to do. Players are much more keen to join if they see you have a solid squad. If you have major recruiting needs, it will happen slowly at first, and gradually snowball as you gain momentum. Recruit a solid O-Line and all of a sudden HBs and QBs will be leaping over themselves to play for you.
Try and identify the positions that act as multipliers for other players and make them your key targets. The O-Line for those HBs and QBs for example. QBs for WRs. D-Line for LBs and DBs. Punter for the entire defence.
Its a very intense time period when you first get that team - try and make the most of it you can. In a way, I've been lucky, as with being locked out of the playoffs, it gives me a bit of time to contact a lot of people before I can actually make any moves.
The impression I had was that its so sudden. With the expansion team, I'd have know exactly when it was going to happen, and been able to make sure I was ready to go. I also had all my recruitment done well in advance.
with the existing team, I logged in and there it was! My shiny new team. There is so much information to assimilate so that you can work out what you need to do in such a short time. That chemistry grace period looks awfully short when you realise you're going to need to overturn most of your roster, and you only have $600K in the bank!
The good thing about taking on an existing team though is it has a financial history, you can see what the ticket prices are set for,, and how much that has earnt the team. You have a much more defined baseline from which to plan finances. The bad thing is the costs are more unpredictable, as you have a wider range of levels to recruit.
I know I've basically had to tell FAs when making my pitch - I'm sorry I can't afford any equipment bonuses right now, and if its a bidding war for your services I concede defeat! Not the most awe inspiring pitch ever, but I'd much rather do it that way. You know the people who decide to pursue it further are either genuinely interested, or completely oblivious! I've held pretty firm to this so far, and I think it will pay dividends.
Something else I'd suggest is don't lose heart in your recruiting. The nature of the beast is that its easier to recruit the less you need to do. Players are much more keen to join if they see you have a solid squad. If you have major recruiting needs, it will happen slowly at first, and gradually snowball as you gain momentum. Recruit a solid O-Line and all of a sudden HBs and QBs will be leaping over themselves to play for you.
Try and identify the positions that act as multipliers for other players and make them your key targets. The O-Line for those HBs and QBs for example. QBs for WRs. D-Line for LBs and DBs. Punter for the entire defence.
Its a very intense time period when you first get that team - try and make the most of it you can. In a way, I've been lucky, as with being locked out of the playoffs, it gives me a bit of time to contact a lot of people before I can actually make any moves.
Monday, September 8, 2008
I Feel Bad
I just had to explain to an agent that I'm releasing his player because his build is poor, which makes me feel like a complete prick.
Unfortunately, with the shape the team is in financially, I really need those higher levels players to be solid performers. This particular player was on the O-Line, and I have a lot of experience building piggies, so my low level backup player can probably get comparable results to the higher level player, so I can't justify keeping him.
I wish I had a much more solid team, as that would enable me to keep him as a backup, and help him fix up his build.
About all I can do is offer advice to help his build.
Anyone else out there in GLB owner land ever struggle with this, and what do you do to try and help?
Unfortunately, with the shape the team is in financially, I really need those higher levels players to be solid performers. This particular player was on the O-Line, and I have a lot of experience building piggies, so my low level backup player can probably get comparable results to the higher level player, so I can't justify keeping him.
I wish I had a much more solid team, as that would enable me to keep him as a backup, and help him fix up his build.
About all I can do is offer advice to help his build.
Anyone else out there in GLB owner land ever struggle with this, and what do you do to try and help?
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Chemistry news
OK, given the team is locked for the playoffs, it meant that my chemistry grace period is going to expire before I get a chance to make any moves.
I sent a PM to support though, and Rick Blaine has replied swiftly and things should work out just fine. Thanks Rick!
I sent a PM to support though, and Rick Blaine has replied swiftly and things should work out just fine. Thanks Rick!
Team Update
OK, it looks like we'll be losing our incumbent NT, Austin Hawk. It looks like we have a solid trade lined up though, so that should help us financially. Austins agent hawkdiddy23 has been responsive and helpful, which has made life a lot easier - I wish him the best of luck with his new team.
I also hopefully have a trade in the works for Gunther Levi, our level 23 FB. He's a solid build, but doesn't really fit what I want to do with the position, which makes him a valuable trade asset. I hope to bring in a new starting QB in return.
On the retention front, HB Tamper Proof, ROT Fatty Boy and K Lord Helmet have all decided to stay on, which is excellent news. I sent all three new contracts to change their end date to Day 40 of Season 5.
With austin leaving, I've also started to recruit NTs and DEs for next season. I have sent out a number of PMs, so hopefully there will be some movement on that front soon.
I also hopefully have a trade in the works for Gunther Levi, our level 23 FB. He's a solid build, but doesn't really fit what I want to do with the position, which makes him a valuable trade asset. I hope to bring in a new starting QB in return.
On the retention front, HB Tamper Proof, ROT Fatty Boy and K Lord Helmet have all decided to stay on, which is excellent news. I sent all three new contracts to change their end date to Day 40 of Season 5.
With austin leaving, I've also started to recruit NTs and DEs for next season. I have sent out a number of PMs, so hopefully there will be some movement on that front soon.
Lots of work done
Been going flat chat on the team basically since got it, a solid 8 hrs worth!
Our financial situation gives us very little flexibility early on, but the aid of my trusty number crunching, it looks like we should be OK next season, but its not going to be easy.
My current roster analysis is below:
QB - nick wang, Iron Bull - I definitely prefer to go with only one QB on the roster. As such, considering his contract is up halfway through season 5, I'll release Iron Bull once the season is over and I can do it. I'd prefer to bring across my own QB from another team, but I'm not sure that will be possible. If it is, I'll look to trade nick wang.
HB - Tamper Proff, Dash McGee - probably our most solid position. I'd like to retain both players, and would be looking to split time between them fairly evenly. I'd like to renegotiate Tampers contract to end on Day 40. If one of them decides they'd prefer to go somewhere (please not both!), I'll probably try and get a powerback as a change of pace, and probably more of a backup.
FB - Gunther Levi, Payne Coltrane - both these guys are setup as rushing FBs, and I prefer Blocking/Receiving FBs. I'll probably try and trade Gunther, as being higher level its harder for him to adjust his build, and he'll have a higher value on the trade market. He's a solid build, but with the teams current financial state I need the cash he'll hopefully bring in. Payne has his contract about to finish - I am open to resigning him if he doesn't mind the change in role. May only go with one FB yet.
WR - Tripp Long, Hr Shove n Stuff, Supply and Demand, adam dvorak - I like all these builds. Tripp is signed through most of next season, and if he's keen to stay on, I'd like to renegotiate an end at Day 40 contract. The rest all finish up early to mid next season, so I'd like to work something out with them fairly soon, one way or the other. Shove is currently down as inactive though, so if he stays that way for a few more days, I'll probably release him. Will recruit back up to 4 WRs as necessary. Have just recruited one of the WRs I had lined up for my expansion team - should be level 16 or 17.
TE - Nate Bouchard - seems like a solid build, and with that massive stamina might be able to play the whole game himself. Currently down as inactive though - if he's still inactive when the offseason comes round, I'll likely try and auction him off for cash. Depending on what happens with Nate, we might need 0 or 2 TEs for next season.
C - Mac Pancake, Mr Gibson - both solid builds. Both have early season 5 ending contracts. I will release Mr Gibson. Haven't decided on Mac as yet, will need to talk to steve23000. Have one of my players on as a stopgap backup atm.
LOT - Jolly Frederic's contract end day 6 next season, and I can't see his build currently. Can't really decide until I can see his build whether to keep him. Will need to recruit a replacement if not. Have one of my players in as a backup currently.
ROT - I'd like to switch Fatty Boy over to here. He has a good build, and is signed through to season 6 - I'm really hoping he'll stay on. Currently have one of my players as backup.
LG - Sports contract ends on Day 1 season 5, I'll probably release him. Have a backup in place.
RG - Cyber Kong - a nice build, but his contract is due to end. Hoping I can resign. Have a backup in place.
That wraps up the Offense.
Our defence is in a much sadder state than our offense - its going to take some work to get it to where it needs to be. Keep in mind my preference is for a 3-4 defence.
NT - Austin Hawk - looks pretty good - solid strength, though will still need to improve it a bit for the 3-4. Signed till near the end of next season, so I'd like to extend to day 40 if possible. I have a low level backup I can bring in.
DT - none in a 3-4
DE - Sack Ya Later, Barrett Mueller, Claudius Kisfaludy - none are really setup for the 3-4. Claudius and Garret are both currently inactive. All have their contracts ending in the first half of next season. Will likely release or trade them. Will need to recruit some 3-4 style DEs, and might even have to recruit DTs for the position.
OLB - Tiriq Malk, Ronan Wilson - I like both of these builds. Unfortunately, both have their contracts ending very soon. Tiriq has already stated he is going elsewhere. Hopefully Ronan is keen to stay on. If not, I have some recruiting to do. I have a pair of my players in as low level backups currently.
ILB - Stuffy McCrush, Josh Valentine - Stuffy's build looks good, and I hope he'll stay with the Prawns. I'd like to extend his deal to a day 40 finish. Josh's deal ends early next season, and I'll probably release him, so I'll need to find another starter. I have some low level backup in place. Josh is also currently inactive.
CB - Sam Castilla, Hop Skotch, Lockdown Picksix - all solid covergae corner builds. No real speedster matchup builds there. Even if we retain all three, we'll need another in the rotation. All have contracts ending soon, so hopefully we can retain some or all of them, or its going to be a lot of CB recruiting needed.
S - Jacob Kavanau, Flash De Sade - both have contracts ending early next season, and both will probably be released. Have low level backups in place.
So thats a wrap on the D.
Considering special teams currently consists of one Kicker, we might as well do that as well!
K - Lord Helmet - apart from the awesome Spaceballs reference, he's a solidly built Kicker who I'd like to retain. His contrac finishes early season 5 though, so I'd have to extend till day 40.
I've already started trying to recruit some LBs, and might hae a trade lined up for a new QB. Definitely going to be a busy offseason though!
Our financial situation gives us very little flexibility early on, but the aid of my trusty number crunching, it looks like we should be OK next season, but its not going to be easy.
My current roster analysis is below:
QB - nick wang, Iron Bull - I definitely prefer to go with only one QB on the roster. As such, considering his contract is up halfway through season 5, I'll release Iron Bull once the season is over and I can do it. I'd prefer to bring across my own QB from another team, but I'm not sure that will be possible. If it is, I'll look to trade nick wang.
HB - Tamper Proff, Dash McGee - probably our most solid position. I'd like to retain both players, and would be looking to split time between them fairly evenly. I'd like to renegotiate Tampers contract to end on Day 40. If one of them decides they'd prefer to go somewhere (please not both!), I'll probably try and get a powerback as a change of pace, and probably more of a backup.
FB - Gunther Levi, Payne Coltrane - both these guys are setup as rushing FBs, and I prefer Blocking/Receiving FBs. I'll probably try and trade Gunther, as being higher level its harder for him to adjust his build, and he'll have a higher value on the trade market. He's a solid build, but with the teams current financial state I need the cash he'll hopefully bring in. Payne has his contract about to finish - I am open to resigning him if he doesn't mind the change in role. May only go with one FB yet.
WR - Tripp Long, Hr Shove n Stuff, Supply and Demand, adam dvorak - I like all these builds. Tripp is signed through most of next season, and if he's keen to stay on, I'd like to renegotiate an end at Day 40 contract. The rest all finish up early to mid next season, so I'd like to work something out with them fairly soon, one way or the other. Shove is currently down as inactive though, so if he stays that way for a few more days, I'll probably release him. Will recruit back up to 4 WRs as necessary. Have just recruited one of the WRs I had lined up for my expansion team - should be level 16 or 17.
TE - Nate Bouchard - seems like a solid build, and with that massive stamina might be able to play the whole game himself. Currently down as inactive though - if he's still inactive when the offseason comes round, I'll likely try and auction him off for cash. Depending on what happens with Nate, we might need 0 or 2 TEs for next season.
C - Mac Pancake, Mr Gibson - both solid builds. Both have early season 5 ending contracts. I will release Mr Gibson. Haven't decided on Mac as yet, will need to talk to steve23000. Have one of my players on as a stopgap backup atm.
LOT - Jolly Frederic's contract end day 6 next season, and I can't see his build currently. Can't really decide until I can see his build whether to keep him. Will need to recruit a replacement if not. Have one of my players in as a backup currently.
ROT - I'd like to switch Fatty Boy over to here. He has a good build, and is signed through to season 6 - I'm really hoping he'll stay on. Currently have one of my players as backup.
LG - Sports contract ends on Day 1 season 5, I'll probably release him. Have a backup in place.
RG - Cyber Kong - a nice build, but his contract is due to end. Hoping I can resign. Have a backup in place.
That wraps up the Offense.
Our defence is in a much sadder state than our offense - its going to take some work to get it to where it needs to be. Keep in mind my preference is for a 3-4 defence.
NT - Austin Hawk - looks pretty good - solid strength, though will still need to improve it a bit for the 3-4. Signed till near the end of next season, so I'd like to extend to day 40 if possible. I have a low level backup I can bring in.
DT - none in a 3-4
DE - Sack Ya Later, Barrett Mueller, Claudius Kisfaludy - none are really setup for the 3-4. Claudius and Garret are both currently inactive. All have their contracts ending in the first half of next season. Will likely release or trade them. Will need to recruit some 3-4 style DEs, and might even have to recruit DTs for the position.
OLB - Tiriq Malk, Ronan Wilson - I like both of these builds. Unfortunately, both have their contracts ending very soon. Tiriq has already stated he is going elsewhere. Hopefully Ronan is keen to stay on. If not, I have some recruiting to do. I have a pair of my players in as low level backups currently.
ILB - Stuffy McCrush, Josh Valentine - Stuffy's build looks good, and I hope he'll stay with the Prawns. I'd like to extend his deal to a day 40 finish. Josh's deal ends early next season, and I'll probably release him, so I'll need to find another starter. I have some low level backup in place. Josh is also currently inactive.
CB - Sam Castilla, Hop Skotch, Lockdown Picksix - all solid covergae corner builds. No real speedster matchup builds there. Even if we retain all three, we'll need another in the rotation. All have contracts ending soon, so hopefully we can retain some or all of them, or its going to be a lot of CB recruiting needed.
S - Jacob Kavanau, Flash De Sade - both have contracts ending early next season, and both will probably be released. Have low level backups in place.
So thats a wrap on the D.
Considering special teams currently consists of one Kicker, we might as well do that as well!
K - Lord Helmet - apart from the awesome Spaceballs reference, he's a solidly built Kicker who I'd like to retain. His contrac finishes early season 5 though, so I'd have to extend till day 40.
I've already started trying to recruit some LBs, and might hae a trade lined up for a new QB. Definitely going to be a busy offseason though!
Saturday, September 6, 2008
OK, Looks like I got a team
Its not an expansion team though, so I'm wondering how I'll go.
I dare say I won't be able to accomodate all of the players I've made arrangements with, but it will take me a bit to sort out first, so stay tuned, I will let you know ASAP.
I dare say I won't be able to accomodate all of the players I've made arrangements with, but it will take me a bit to sort out first, so stay tuned, I will let you know ASAP.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Waiting Waiting Waiting
I hate waiting.
Not much else I can do at this point though but wait until I get my team. I'm moving in less than a fortnight, and I have this awful feeling that its about 907645% likely I'll end up having to do a bunch of stuff while my net access is limited.
Not much else I can do at this point though but wait until I get my team. I'm moving in less than a fortnight, and I have this awful feeling that its about 907645% likely I'll end up having to do a bunch of stuff while my net access is limited.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Replacement at ILB
OK, so fortunately we were able to secure a replacement fairly quickly.
Agent pitfan had impressed me previously with his pitch for his player, but unfortunately we were all full up at ILB. With that slot opening up, I am pleased to announce that we've signed:
Lawrence "The Beast" Timmons
Beast is a bit lower level than our other LBs, but I felt his build and plan for the future of his build made him an easy pick, rather than trying to get a higher level LB.
Agent pitfan had impressed me previously with his pitch for his player, but unfortunately we were all full up at ILB. With that slot opening up, I am pleased to announce that we've signed:
Lawrence "The Beast" Timmons
Beast is a bit lower level than our other LBs, but I felt his build and plan for the future of his build made him an easy pick, rather than trying to get a higher level LB.
Training Camp and rotations
Thanks for MFL85 for bringing this up.
The way I hope to use the rotation on this team is for everyone to get a good amount of snaps. Starters will hopefully get around the 50 snaps they need for max xp, and the backups will hopefully get 30+ as well. Against complete cupcake teams (there's usually a few), we'll probably reverse the depth chart a bit to get the backups some more xp, otherwise the gap between starters and backups will widen, and it will start to be a problem come playoff time.
One other thing I hope to do is use the preseason scrimmages to resolve some of the starting roles, similar to the NFL. I will likely set the competing players to a 99/0 energy setting so that they go alternate plays for all three games, and will use their performance in those games to establish the initial starter. This will only be for those positions where its pretty close as to who will be the better option.
The way I hope to use the rotation on this team is for everyone to get a good amount of snaps. Starters will hopefully get around the 50 snaps they need for max xp, and the backups will hopefully get 30+ as well. Against complete cupcake teams (there's usually a few), we'll probably reverse the depth chart a bit to get the backups some more xp, otherwise the gap between starters and backups will widen, and it will start to be a problem come playoff time.
One other thing I hope to do is use the preseason scrimmages to resolve some of the starting roles, similar to the NFL. I will likely set the competing players to a 99/0 energy setting so that they go alternate plays for all three games, and will use their performance in those games to establish the initial starter. This will only be for those positions where its pretty close as to who will be the better option.
Disappointing...
It appears X Doc, lured by signing bonuses to a WE Pro team as a level 14 player, has decided he doesn't want to be a Big Prawn. So we will have to get back on the recruiting trail for an ILB.
Since X Doc didn't actually let me know about this, I guess I'll have to go through all my recruits who've given commitments to check, so watch this space.
Have gone through all the other recruits, and no-one else has gone back on their word, which is good news.
Since X Doc didn't actually let me know about this, I guess I'll have to go through all my recruits who've given commitments to check, so watch this space.
Have gone through all the other recruits, and no-one else has gone back on their word, which is good news.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
How do you keep your team active and lively?
One of the things I hope to do is have a very active, friendly team.
I think one of the good ways to do this is to have a good mix of veterans and newbies. I have specifically chosen some newer players, whose builds might not be quite as efficient, in the hopes they'll be able to benefit from help by the veterans.
I also hope to have people happy to provide input into the teams strategies and development.
One of the ways I intend to foster this is to startup sticky scouting topics for every game upfront, so that people can post visible builds from other teams, analyse games etc right frm the start. It takes no level of experience at all to post a visible build to the forum, so the newbies would be able to contribute.
I also hope to have a topic specifically for newbies to get build advice from the veterans.
I hope to have a topic that goes through the way I'd like to see players to take their builds for certain positions. This will be by no means mandatory - its still up to the agents to build their players how they want to, but that will represent how I'll pick the team. This will quite likely change over time as I learn more about the game myself.
Something not related to this topic as such that I eventually hope to do is have alternate, cheaper sets of equipment for each player. For example, a blocking TE might have his normal gear all set to Strength. You buy him a $61K alternate set, all put into say agility, or catching, and you can turn him into somewhat of a receiving TE in a game if you think it will give you an advantage. This of course would have to wait until the team was in pretty good shape financially!
I think one of the good ways to do this is to have a good mix of veterans and newbies. I have specifically chosen some newer players, whose builds might not be quite as efficient, in the hopes they'll be able to benefit from help by the veterans.
I also hope to have people happy to provide input into the teams strategies and development.
One of the ways I intend to foster this is to startup sticky scouting topics for every game upfront, so that people can post visible builds from other teams, analyse games etc right frm the start. It takes no level of experience at all to post a visible build to the forum, so the newbies would be able to contribute.
I also hope to have a topic specifically for newbies to get build advice from the veterans.
I hope to have a topic that goes through the way I'd like to see players to take their builds for certain positions. This will be by no means mandatory - its still up to the agents to build their players how they want to, but that will represent how I'll pick the team. This will quite likely change over time as I learn more about the game myself.
Something not related to this topic as such that I eventually hope to do is have alternate, cheaper sets of equipment for each player. For example, a blocking TE might have his normal gear all set to Strength. You buy him a $61K alternate set, all put into say agility, or catching, and you can turn him into somewhat of a receiving TE in a game if you think it will give you an advantage. This of course would have to wait until the team was in pretty good shape financially!
Big Prawn D
OK, here's the team on the defensive side of the ball.
NT - Starter - Bentrel Chunkle, Backup Bentose Chunkle - Bentrel should be higher level once the boosts are used. Bentose is under contract through Day 6, so that could be a problem.
DT - hoping to run a 3-4, so no DTs here.
LDE - Starter Bentel Chunkend, Backup Mad GIR - Bentel looks like being higher level even with boosts, but this could change if Mads build seems to work better.
RDE - Starter Benter Chunkend, Backup Crazy GIR - same as the LDEs here. These guys have yet to start specialising for the RDE spot.
OLB - Starters Hammerhead Slayer, Glen Ordway, Backups LeChunk Bentene, LeChunk Bention - Hammerhead and Glen will be higher level, so as long their builds are up to it, they'll likely start. They will be our primary source of pass rushing.
ILB - Starters James Clark, X Doc, Backups LeChunk Benter, LeChunk Bentar - similar to the OLBs, these guys will look to plug any gaps in the line for the run, but will also blitz on occasion, though less than the OLBs.
CB - Starters Defenestrator Dave, Manny Medina, Backups Bentel Chunkback, Benter Chunkback, Sparey Chunkback - Benter might be started on occasion to match up better with a speedster, and Sparey is the last option on the bench, mostly there to fill out the group.
SS - Starter Bentong Chunkty, Backup Yasser Arracat - Bentong looks like being higher level, and should get the start.
FS - Starter Stoopid Monkey King, Backup Bentee Chunkty - Monkey should be quite a bit higher level once boosts are taken into account, so he is definitely in the box seat for the starting role.
Thats the D taken care of!
NT - Starter - Bentrel Chunkle, Backup Bentose Chunkle - Bentrel should be higher level once the boosts are used. Bentose is under contract through Day 6, so that could be a problem.
DT - hoping to run a 3-4, so no DTs here.
LDE - Starter Bentel Chunkend, Backup Mad GIR - Bentel looks like being higher level even with boosts, but this could change if Mads build seems to work better.
RDE - Starter Benter Chunkend, Backup Crazy GIR - same as the LDEs here. These guys have yet to start specialising for the RDE spot.
OLB - Starters Hammerhead Slayer, Glen Ordway, Backups LeChunk Bentene, LeChunk Bention - Hammerhead and Glen will be higher level, so as long their builds are up to it, they'll likely start. They will be our primary source of pass rushing.
ILB - Starters James Clark, X Doc, Backups LeChunk Benter, LeChunk Bentar - similar to the OLBs, these guys will look to plug any gaps in the line for the run, but will also blitz on occasion, though less than the OLBs.
CB - Starters Defenestrator Dave, Manny Medina, Backups Bentel Chunkback, Benter Chunkback, Sparey Chunkback - Benter might be started on occasion to match up better with a speedster, and Sparey is the last option on the bench, mostly there to fill out the group.
SS - Starter Bentong Chunkty, Backup Yasser Arracat - Bentong looks like being higher level, and should get the start.
FS - Starter Stoopid Monkey King, Backup Bentee Chunkty - Monkey should be quite a bit higher level once boosts are taken into account, so he is definitely in the box seat for the starting role.
Thats the D taken care of!
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Ballina Big Prawns
OK, so with all the recruiting done, its probably time to look at where I think the team would stand if we were playing at this point.
QB - Frankie O'Doyle - I'm intending to run with only one QB unless injurires are introduced in the offseason.
RB - Starter Benvroom Starchunk, Backup Tycho Mephistoblah - note that this could change by seasons end one Tycho boosts. I do expect them to share carries a fair bit either way however.
FB - Starter Bentfull Chunkback, Backup PIPBoy2000 - again, this one could change by seasons end. I will probably do some research on the FB forums and get some feedback on the builds beforehand. At this point, with custom and higher level, Bentfull wins.
WR - Starting Speed receiver Toby Fitzgerald, Backup Bentus Chunkrel, Starting Posession Receiver Bentos Chunkrel, backup Jo Merion - this looks unlikely to change due to boosting.
TE - Starter Bentight Chunkend, Backup PIPBoy 3000 - again, might change depending on builds once boosting is done.
C - Starter Bentag Chunkwall, Backup Cecil Worthington - could change once boosting complete
LG - Starter Bentel Chunkard, Backup Headsplitter Harry - this one seems less likely to change due to Bentel's better Strength and Blocking.
RG - Starter Benter Chunkard, Backup Rusty Chain - unlikely to change.
LOT - Starter Bentusmax Chunkwall, Backup Jaye Piccini - unlikely to change
ROT - Starter Bentohix Chunkwall, Backup Sven Shuttler - this one could change on boosts.
OK, thats all for the Offense.
QB - Frankie O'Doyle - I'm intending to run with only one QB unless injurires are introduced in the offseason.
RB - Starter Benvroom Starchunk, Backup Tycho Mephistoblah - note that this could change by seasons end one Tycho boosts. I do expect them to share carries a fair bit either way however.
FB - Starter Bentfull Chunkback, Backup PIPBoy2000 - again, this one could change by seasons end. I will probably do some research on the FB forums and get some feedback on the builds beforehand. At this point, with custom and higher level, Bentfull wins.
WR - Starting Speed receiver Toby Fitzgerald, Backup Bentus Chunkrel, Starting Posession Receiver Bentos Chunkrel, backup Jo Merion - this looks unlikely to change due to boosting.
TE - Starter Bentight Chunkend, Backup PIPBoy 3000 - again, might change depending on builds once boosting is done.
C - Starter Bentag Chunkwall, Backup Cecil Worthington - could change once boosting complete
LG - Starter Bentel Chunkard, Backup Headsplitter Harry - this one seems less likely to change due to Bentel's better Strength and Blocking.
RG - Starter Benter Chunkard, Backup Rusty Chain - unlikely to change.
LOT - Starter Bentusmax Chunkwall, Backup Jaye Piccini - unlikely to change
ROT - Starter Bentohix Chunkwall, Backup Sven Shuttler - this one could change on boosts.
OK, thats all for the Offense.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Defence Complete!
Agent StoopidMonkey has completed our Defence by signing on with Stoopid Monkey King.
StoopidMonkeyKing
StoopidMonkeyKing
Monday, August 25, 2008
Linebacking Corps complete!
Agent MFL85 has finalised our Linebackers, signing on with Hammerhead Slayer, who should be a menace to QBs from the OLB position.
Hammerhead Slayer
Hammerhead Slayer
Final Linebacker falls into place
Agent MFL has assisted in recruiting Hammerhead Slayer. He should be ab excellent recruit for our OLB
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Almost Done!
I'm nearly done with my recruiting. Just waiting for a LB and FS prospect to round out the D, then I guess I should start looking for a kicker.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Embrace your Inner Linebacker
Excellent news folks, as we move pretty close to having the whole team recruited.
The lastest signing comes from agent Branvaans stable, with James Clark joining the Big Prawns!
James Clark
Rounding out the ILBs is X Doc, who came our way via agent drsh98.
X Doc
The lastest signing comes from agent Branvaans stable, with James Clark joining the Big Prawns!
James Clark
Rounding out the ILBs is X Doc, who came our way via agent drsh98.
X Doc
w00t! Ballina Big Prawns have a logo
Big thanks to White Falcon, a mate of mine from my Team Fortress 2 who has mad design skills and made up this custom logo for me.
A smaller version for use as a player logo:
OK, I've sorted out how to create an animated GIF to show the logo and another image (you could easily do 3 different ones also).If you want a jersey, you can make one here:
Jersey Creator
Official Ballina Big Prawns colours are Prawn Orange (also known as pink), with Black Lettering and a white outline on the lettering. Once the team is fully up and running, we will work out everyone's actual numbers, adhering to the system on this site:
Jersey Numbering
Save the images to your hard disk. They need to saved as a GIF file that is 75x75 in size and file size less than 15KB for a 2 framer, and less than 10KB for a three framer.
Then go to:
Create Animated GIF
Upload the images, set the speed of changing and it will create your players animated GIF.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Announcements
OK, The Ballina Big Prawns have their first non-Chunky owned LB confirmed. Agent TDA has worked some magic on his client Glen Ordway, and he figures to make an impact at OLB.
Glen Ordway
I've also got my first GM on board. Seano is old friend of mine who I recently introduced to the game. Though he's still pretty green, he is learning at a rate of knots, and I think the smallish role of O-Line coach will assist his learning curve and create a valuable asset for our team.
Glen Ordway
I've also got my first GM on board. Seano is old friend of mine who I recently introduced to the game. Though he's still pretty green, he is learning at a rate of knots, and I think the smallish role of O-Line coach will assist his learning curve and create a valuable asset for our team.
Bit of build information for newer players
Going through this recruitment process has brought home to me how many newer players there are out there. I know most of this stuff is present on the forums and in the guides section, but I figured it can't hurt to have it here as well. I think the lack of official info for this game hurts a lot of the newer players, so hopefully some will see this and get some tips. I strongly recommend any new player though to really invest some time in looking through the forums, particularly the Guides section and the position specific forum relative to your player.
This advice was written for a LB, but most of the concepts are quite general and still apply.
If I can give you some build tips, its generally best not to purchase any special abilities until you're at least in the late teens level wise. This is because a lot of those abilities require certain levels in other attributes in order to work. For example, Snarl might need a Confidence of 30 in order to work (note thats probably completely wrong - there's no confirmed information on how it works). Others simply act as boosters for your existing stats. This means its generally better to increase your stats a fair bit before going into Special Abilities.
The other important point for building is the attribute soft cap. Basically, once you get an attribute to 48, it starts to cost you 2 skill points to gain one attribute point, so to go from 48 to 49 would cost 2 skill points. The reason this is important, is because every time you go up a level, certain attributes get increased a bit automatically.
For a Linebacker, Strength, Agility, Stamina, Vision, Confidence and Tackling all increase by 0.33 per level increase, and Speed, Jumping, Blocking and Catching all increase by 0.25.
What this means, is that the sooner you can get an important attribute to the soft cap, the more value you get out of those free increases. So if you had Strength at 50 and gained a level, the 0.33 you gained would actually be worth 0.66! This sort of gain really starts to add up over time, and there are also further softcaps before the cost rises to 3,4,5 pts per increase as well, so it becomes even more valuable.
This means that one of the most efficient ways to build a player for the long term is to pick which attributes are most important to your player. Generally, for a Linebacker I believe Strength and Agility are the most important, as they are useful in everything a Linebacker is asked to do, whether it be pass rushing or stuffing the run. Other attributes like Tackling, while still important, have more limited use. With those attributes picked, you basically spend all your skill points on soft capping those attributes one at a time, and use your training to increase the other attirbutes you need. You will a bit less effective this way in the short term, as the more well rounded type of player such as ??? currently will be able to use his stats more fully and have more tricks. But once the other player gains his support attributes later on, he'll be well ahead on the important attributes and have the advantage.
Tying in with all this, its best to try and consolidate all of your equipment points into one or two stats at most. Particularly if you put them onto those softcapped important stats, you again get the benefit of cheap points over the soft cap.
This advice was written for a LB, but most of the concepts are quite general and still apply.
If I can give you some build tips, its generally best not to purchase any special abilities until you're at least in the late teens level wise. This is because a lot of those abilities require certain levels in other attributes in order to work. For example, Snarl might need a Confidence of 30 in order to work (note thats probably completely wrong - there's no confirmed information on how it works). Others simply act as boosters for your existing stats. This means its generally better to increase your stats a fair bit before going into Special Abilities.
The other important point for building is the attribute soft cap. Basically, once you get an attribute to 48, it starts to cost you 2 skill points to gain one attribute point, so to go from 48 to 49 would cost 2 skill points. The reason this is important, is because every time you go up a level, certain attributes get increased a bit automatically.
For a Linebacker, Strength, Agility, Stamina, Vision, Confidence and Tackling all increase by 0.33 per level increase, and Speed, Jumping, Blocking and Catching all increase by 0.25.
What this means, is that the sooner you can get an important attribute to the soft cap, the more value you get out of those free increases. So if you had Strength at 50 and gained a level, the 0.33 you gained would actually be worth 0.66! This sort of gain really starts to add up over time, and there are also further softcaps before the cost rises to 3,4,5 pts per increase as well, so it becomes even more valuable.
This means that one of the most efficient ways to build a player for the long term is to pick which attributes are most important to your player. Generally, for a Linebacker I believe Strength and Agility are the most important, as they are useful in everything a Linebacker is asked to do, whether it be pass rushing or stuffing the run. Other attributes like Tackling, while still important, have more limited use. With those attributes picked, you basically spend all your skill points on soft capping those attributes one at a time, and use your training to increase the other attirbutes you need. You will a bit less effective this way in the short term, as the more well rounded type of player such as ??? currently will be able to use his stats more fully and have more tricks. But once the other player gains his support attributes later on, he'll be well ahead on the important attributes and have the advantage.
Tying in with all this, its best to try and consolidate all of your equipment points into one or two stats at most. Particularly if you put them onto those softcapped important stats, you again get the benefit of cheap points over the soft cap.
Huzzah!
Exccllent news, the CB I had my eyes on, Manny Medina, has agreed to join the Big Prawn! Thanks to his agent esomedina for the quick and forthright negotiation!
Manny Medina
Our secondary is looking strong!
Manny Medina
Our secondary is looking strong!
Damn, I'm buggered
Just put in a mammoth recruiting session, going through hundreds of LBs to find some that I think would make good Big Prawns.
Found one LB and a CB I am particularly keen on - lets hope they read the blog and find what I'm doing a good idea!
FS market seems a bit dead right now though, not a lot of quality out there.
Found one LB and a CB I am particularly keen on - lets hope they read the blog and find what I'm doing a good idea!
FS market seems a bit dead right now though, not a lot of quality out there.
So Whats Left?
At this point, I have a number of spots still to fill.
The primary one is Linebacker - I still need 4 Linebackers. To be honest, I'm a little surprised that this has been my hardest position to fill, given the prominent role I expect LBs to have on my team. Could it be the versatile build I am after is scaring people off? Not sure, but I'll keep going.
Apart from the linebackers, I really only need a second Free Safety and a fourth Cornerback and I have nough to go into the season with.
The primary one is Linebacker - I still need 4 Linebackers. To be honest, I'm a little surprised that this has been my hardest position to fill, given the prominent role I expect LBs to have on my team. Could it be the versatile build I am after is scaring people off? Not sure, but I'll keep going.
Apart from the linebackers, I really only need a second Free Safety and a fourth Cornerback and I have nough to go into the season with.
Lots of Signings
OK, the as yet non-existent Ballina Big Prawns now have their offense almost set!
The new signings:
QB Frankie O'Doyle - his agent hardhatpete has told me he'll bring us the luck of the Irish!
Frankie O'Doyle
Agent OldBugman has completed negotiations to bring across WR Toby Fitzgerald, as long as his Visa clears he should be our #1 threat at WR!
Toby Fitzgerald
Rounding out the WR corps is Jo Merion, represented by agent faulcon.
Jo Merion
Though we now have 4 WRs I'd be happy to go into the season with, one more would not go astray! That is the sole remaining position on the Big Prawns available currently.
The O-Line is complete with the addition of OT Sven Shuttler from agent Spieroz.
Sven Shuttler
Agent bubbas has filled our remaining gaps on the offense with TE PIPBoy 3000 and FB PIPBoy2000.
PIPBoy 3000
PIPBoy 2000
He's also completed our D-Line with the GIR brothers at DE.
Crazy GIR
Mad GIR
Last but not least, we have a new SS joining us from agent Drokmar, welcome to Yasser Aracat!
Yasser Aracat
These players should all make fine Big Prawns!
The new signings:
QB Frankie O'Doyle - his agent hardhatpete has told me he'll bring us the luck of the Irish!
Frankie O'Doyle
Agent OldBugman has completed negotiations to bring across WR Toby Fitzgerald, as long as his Visa clears he should be our #1 threat at WR!
Toby Fitzgerald
Rounding out the WR corps is Jo Merion, represented by agent faulcon.
Jo Merion
Though we now have 4 WRs I'd be happy to go into the season with, one more would not go astray! That is the sole remaining position on the Big Prawns available currently.
The O-Line is complete with the addition of OT Sven Shuttler from agent Spieroz.
Sven Shuttler
Agent bubbas has filled our remaining gaps on the offense with TE PIPBoy 3000 and FB PIPBoy2000.
PIPBoy 3000
PIPBoy 2000
He's also completed our D-Line with the GIR brothers at DE.
Crazy GIR
Mad GIR
Last but not least, we have a new SS joining us from agent Drokmar, welcome to Yasser Aracat!
Yasser Aracat
These players should all make fine Big Prawns!
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Another Recruitment update
OK, time to make another update.
Offense is looking very nearly set now.
None of these signings are fully confirmed yet, but all are in the process and largely waiting on timing of agents to be online to give me confirmation.
I currently have two excellent candidates for the QB spot, though the first one will be more likely at this point.
I look to have another couple of WRs signing on, so that slot may also be full.
FB and TE may also be full.
Last but not least, DE may be full also now.
I will make the announcement posts when these players confirm, but am about to head to work where I likely won't have computer access for most of the day.
Offense is looking very nearly set now.
None of these signings are fully confirmed yet, but all are in the process and largely waiting on timing of agents to be online to give me confirmation.
I currently have two excellent candidates for the QB spot, though the first one will be more likely at this point.
I look to have another couple of WRs signing on, so that slot may also be full.
FB and TE may also be full.
Last but not least, DE may be full also now.
I will make the announcement posts when these players confirm, but am about to head to work where I likely won't have computer access for most of the day.
note - Chunky is in Australia and going to bed now
Being in Australia, it means that I'm about to go to bed just as a lot of you are getting started. If I don't get to your PM in the next 8 hours or so, don't despair, I'm asleep!
Level Caps - 13 please please please
Really hoping the level cap on whatever league I end up in is at least 13, or I'm going to be in trouble with my recruiting!
Recruitment Update
OK, I'm starting to get a fair few PMs now enquiring about the team, which is awesome, keep em coming.
Unfortunately, most of them are for HBs, which I already have my full allotment of - sorry folks.
I'm also full up on G's and C's, and only one slot left on the OTs.
Spots still available:
Offense
1 QB (will be the only QB if injuries aren't brought in next season)
1 FB (either backup or starter depending on player)
1 TE (either backup or starter depending on player)
2 WRs (either backup or starter depending on player)
1 OT (either backup or starter depending on player)
Defense
2 DEs (either backup or starter depending on player)
4 LBs (prefer to get level 12+ at the end of the season to be starters, but will consider lower levels with nice builds - probably level 10 at the lowest)
1 CB (either backup or starter depending on player)
1 SS (either backup or starter depending on player)
1 FS (either backup or starter depending on player)
Special Teams
1 K (Starter)
As you can see, I'm fairly flexible on the actual role for most of the positions, as my own players look to be good enough to start if needed, but with room for starters to step in front of them.
Unfortunately, most of them are for HBs, which I already have my full allotment of - sorry folks.
I'm also full up on G's and C's, and only one slot left on the OTs.
Spots still available:
Offense
1 QB (will be the only QB if injuries aren't brought in next season)
1 FB (either backup or starter depending on player)
1 TE (either backup or starter depending on player)
2 WRs (either backup or starter depending on player)
1 OT (either backup or starter depending on player)
Defense
2 DEs (either backup or starter depending on player)
4 LBs (prefer to get level 12+ at the end of the season to be starters, but will consider lower levels with nice builds - probably level 10 at the lowest)
1 CB (either backup or starter depending on player)
1 SS (either backup or starter depending on player)
1 FS (either backup or starter depending on player)
Special Teams
1 K (Starter)
As you can see, I'm fairly flexible on the actual role for most of the positions, as my own players look to be good enough to start if needed, but with room for starters to step in front of them.
More signings
Ballina Big Prawns would like to thank agent Miyuso for helping us land his clients Cecil Worthington and Jaye Piccini to our offensive line.
Cecil Worthington
Jaye Piccini
Cecil Worthington
Jaye Piccini
Another Signing
OK, the Ballina Big Prawns have filled out their ranks at Guard now, having recruited Rusty Chain from agent Annachie to man the right side.
Rusty Chain
Rusty Chain
Spreadsheets not working
Damn, it appears the google spreadsheets I linked to don't work.
If anyone is interested in seeing them, feel free to drop me a PM with your email on GLB and I'll send the excel files through.
If anyone is interested in seeing them, feel free to drop me a PM with your email on GLB and I'll send the excel files through.
Money, money, money
OK, so I thought that now I've gone through a lot of the ideas and philosophies behind what I want for my time, its probably time to talk about one of the things most prospective recruits would be interested in - money.
I've done a fair amount of research and work trying to work out what realistic figures are for my team in order to get a solid idea on what sort of recruitment is appropriate. The results can be seen in the spreadsheets here:
Finance Spreadsheets
As you can see, the Big Prawns look to be OK for money, but thats assuming my estimates for income are OK, which is by no means a given.
My general philosophy to start with is therefore to be fairly conservative with money.
Equipment bonuses in particular are not likely to be given out early on in the season of in the offseason, as I'd like to wait for the season ticket and first few ticket sales for the games to come in before I make such commitments.
This is not to say I won't be giving out bonuses for equipment! Its in my best interest to do so after all - it helps keep agents happy, and it provides an advantage to my team on the pitch!
One thing I do promise, and is one of the benefits of having a lot of players owned by myself, is that I can definitely make sure players owned by agents are taken care of equipment wise before those players belonging to me. So even if we do have a shortfall and can't give everyone equipment, chances are it will be my players and no yours who end up lacking.
My plan is to take out a loan and build an endzone ASAP with my team. Its my understanding that any other money comes in too late to build any further pieces.
Ideally I'd be able to build more than one piece in the offseason after our first season, so that will likely be an aim financially for the season. Obviously those juicy home playoff games and playff bonuses will provide a significant incentive this way.
If you'd read this post, and are an owner with some knowledge of team finances - please feel free to leave a comment and let me know how realistic my estimating is! Information like that could prove vital.
One thing I'm unsure about for example is when tickets get sold. I'm led to believe its x number of days before any home game, but I'm not sure how many x is, and currently I have them being sold in the first 8 days, a game a day.
I've done a fair amount of research and work trying to work out what realistic figures are for my team in order to get a solid idea on what sort of recruitment is appropriate. The results can be seen in the spreadsheets here:
Finance Spreadsheets
As you can see, the Big Prawns look to be OK for money, but thats assuming my estimates for income are OK, which is by no means a given.
My general philosophy to start with is therefore to be fairly conservative with money.
Equipment bonuses in particular are not likely to be given out early on in the season of in the offseason, as I'd like to wait for the season ticket and first few ticket sales for the games to come in before I make such commitments.
This is not to say I won't be giving out bonuses for equipment! Its in my best interest to do so after all - it helps keep agents happy, and it provides an advantage to my team on the pitch!
One thing I do promise, and is one of the benefits of having a lot of players owned by myself, is that I can definitely make sure players owned by agents are taken care of equipment wise before those players belonging to me. So even if we do have a shortfall and can't give everyone equipment, chances are it will be my players and no yours who end up lacking.
My plan is to take out a loan and build an endzone ASAP with my team. Its my understanding that any other money comes in too late to build any further pieces.
Ideally I'd be able to build more than one piece in the offseason after our first season, so that will likely be an aim financially for the season. Obviously those juicy home playoff games and playff bonuses will provide a significant incentive this way.
If you'd read this post, and are an owner with some knowledge of team finances - please feel free to leave a comment and let me know how realistic my estimating is! Information like that could prove vital.
One thing I'm unsure about for example is when tickets get sold. I'm led to believe its x number of days before any home game, but I'm not sure how many x is, and currently I have them being sold in the first 8 days, a game a day.
We have some recruits!
OK, now that we've largely detailed the way we want to play, its time to announce some good news.
We've confirmed our first non-Chunky owned recruits!
Agent Mortimess, who I know from St Johns Fog Devils, has agreed to join the Big Prawns with:
Defenestrator Dave - projects to be a starting CB for the Big Prawns
Defenestrator Dave
Headsplitter Harry - a likely backup at LG
Headsplitter Harry
Tycho Mephistophelia (who from here on in is Tycho Mephistoblah) - in the mix for starting HB
Tycho Mephistoblah
So thanks to Mortimess for signing on to the Big Prawns, hopefully we'll see more players joining in the near future.
We've confirmed our first non-Chunky owned recruits!
Agent Mortimess, who I know from St Johns Fog Devils, has agreed to join the Big Prawns with:
Defenestrator Dave - projects to be a starting CB for the Big Prawns
Defenestrator Dave
Headsplitter Harry - a likely backup at LG
Headsplitter Harry
Tycho Mephistophelia (who from here on in is Tycho Mephistoblah) - in the mix for starting HB
Tycho Mephistoblah
So thanks to Mortimess for signing on to the Big Prawns, hopefully we'll see more players joining in the near future.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Play Style Summary
So to sum up all those massive walls of text, the key features I want in my team are:
Offense:
- Balanced
- Power Rushing
- Medium-Long passing
- adaptable
Defence
- D-Line occupies the O-Line
- LBs versatile playmakers cause pressure
- Secondary reads the play up front and capatilises/contains.
Offense:
- Balanced
- Power Rushing
- Medium-Long passing
- adaptable
Defence
- D-Line occupies the O-Line
- LBs versatile playmakers cause pressure
- Secondary reads the play up front and capatilises/contains.
Secondary Considerations
I reckon the Secondary needed better PR to get them a more important sunding name...
The secondary works into our defensive plan by hopefully be able to take advantage of mistakes forced by the pressure caused by our LBs. So the basic idea behind the defense is D-Line occupies, LBs pressurise, and Secondary capitalise.
My secondary will generally have high Vision and mobility so that they read the play up front and can be in the right place at the right time.
I hope for the CBs to get a lot of PDs and INTs, and force incompletions. By going aggressive, we risk getting beaten over the top, but my philosophy is that the occasional big but inconsistent big play is much more preferable to consistently having the opposition move the chains for long, time hogging drives. This gives us a better chance to force more 3 and outs IMO.
The two CBs I have built so far have been:
Bentel Chunkback
Benter Chunkback
so I have a Speedster CB and a Vision based Coverage CB. Thus far, I'm liking the performance of the Vision based CB a lot more - he simply gets into position to make more plays. I do think its essential to have a speedster or two to match up with the opposition WRs though, and in D-Leagues thats not really going to be a big factor, so the Speedster is probably underperforming while the Vision guy is overperforming at this stage.
CBs will likely play aggressively, actively going for interceptions.
For my FS and SS, I want them to be my consistent last line of defence in the passing and rushing D respectively. I want my SS to identify the rush early and go in and snuff it out, while I want my FS able to read the passing game and be in position to tackle the receiver.
My current SS build still has a fair way to go:
Bentong Chunkty
That level of Tackling should hopefully make him fairly safe in that aspect for a while, so now its his Vision and mobility that are being improved to make sure he can be in the right place at the right time to use it.
Bentee Chunkty
has now got plenty of speed, but will need the agility to use it, then the Vision to head in the right direction.
The secondary works into our defensive plan by hopefully be able to take advantage of mistakes forced by the pressure caused by our LBs. So the basic idea behind the defense is D-Line occupies, LBs pressurise, and Secondary capitalise.
My secondary will generally have high Vision and mobility so that they read the play up front and can be in the right place at the right time.
I hope for the CBs to get a lot of PDs and INTs, and force incompletions. By going aggressive, we risk getting beaten over the top, but my philosophy is that the occasional big but inconsistent big play is much more preferable to consistently having the opposition move the chains for long, time hogging drives. This gives us a better chance to force more 3 and outs IMO.
The two CBs I have built so far have been:
Bentel Chunkback
Benter Chunkback
so I have a Speedster CB and a Vision based Coverage CB. Thus far, I'm liking the performance of the Vision based CB a lot more - he simply gets into position to make more plays. I do think its essential to have a speedster or two to match up with the opposition WRs though, and in D-Leagues thats not really going to be a big factor, so the Speedster is probably underperforming while the Vision guy is overperforming at this stage.
CBs will likely play aggressively, actively going for interceptions.
For my FS and SS, I want them to be my consistent last line of defence in the passing and rushing D respectively. I want my SS to identify the rush early and go in and snuff it out, while I want my FS able to read the passing game and be in position to tackle the receiver.
My current SS build still has a fair way to go:
Bentong Chunkty
That level of Tackling should hopefully make him fairly safe in that aspect for a while, so now its his Vision and mobility that are being improved to make sure he can be in the right place at the right time to use it.
Bentee Chunkty
has now got plenty of speed, but will need the agility to use it, then the Vision to head in the right direction.
Back the Line
OK, next level from the D-Line is the linebackers.
It seems to me that linebackers are on of the most difficult and impactful positions in the game. They really need a blend of strength and mobility to work well. One of the reasons I like the 3-4 defence is that I get more of these playmakers on the field.
So the goal with the linebackers is basically to have them fly around the pitch and make plays. If the D-Line can occupy the opposition O-Line the way I hope, the LBs will be the teams primary source of pass rushing, and we'll also be relying on them to stop the run.
While we will specialise them somewhat into run stopping ILBs and pass rushing OLBs, I definitely want them all strong and mobile so that they can do both. This way I'll be able to mix up our blitz packages a helluva lot.
I currently have 4 LBs built that illustrate the way I'm thinking, as I realise early on they're not going to be as well rounded as I'd like.
LeChunk Bentene
LeChunk Bention
My first two LBs are the pass rushers, and should start out with capped speed and agility next season, at which point they'll start to build up their tackling skills with Strength and Tackling. They'll see most of their time on the outside of the line, but can switch around to exploit mismatches.
LeChunk Bentar
LeChunk Benter
The second pair are run stuffers, and are currently using their equipment to supplement their Tackling and Strength in order to get them into position.
With me being so reliant on the LBs to make plays, this one of the key positions I'll probably try to field higher level players in to create advantages, so some or all of these guys will hopefully end up as backups.
It seems to me that linebackers are on of the most difficult and impactful positions in the game. They really need a blend of strength and mobility to work well. One of the reasons I like the 3-4 defence is that I get more of these playmakers on the field.
So the goal with the linebackers is basically to have them fly around the pitch and make plays. If the D-Line can occupy the opposition O-Line the way I hope, the LBs will be the teams primary source of pass rushing, and we'll also be relying on them to stop the run.
While we will specialise them somewhat into run stopping ILBs and pass rushing OLBs, I definitely want them all strong and mobile so that they can do both. This way I'll be able to mix up our blitz packages a helluva lot.
I currently have 4 LBs built that illustrate the way I'm thinking, as I realise early on they're not going to be as well rounded as I'd like.
LeChunk Bentene
LeChunk Bention
My first two LBs are the pass rushers, and should start out with capped speed and agility next season, at which point they'll start to build up their tackling skills with Strength and Tackling. They'll see most of their time on the outside of the line, but can switch around to exploit mismatches.
LeChunk Bentar
LeChunk Benter
The second pair are run stuffers, and are currently using their equipment to supplement their Tackling and Strength in order to get them into position.
With me being so reliant on the LBs to make plays, this one of the key positions I'll probably try to field higher level players in to create advantages, so some or all of these guys will hopefully end up as backups.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
D for Damn, you made the little circle bleed with that hit!
That headline is a shoutout to the Play of the Season thus far in Canada A#5:
The dot is bleeding!
OK, so with the Offense wrapped up, its time to talk D.
Unlike Offense, which I think can be compartmentalised a fair bit between the run and the pass, the D really has to work as a cohesive unit. The D AI is also much more complex and versatile, and I think I'll probably try and get an experienced hand as DC to help me out with it.
As mentioned previously, I hope to use a 3-4 as the basis for my defence, and I really hope to try and attack with my defence, focussing more on turnovers than containment.
So far I'm thinking a monster D-Line, with hard charging LBs blitzing a lot in varied packages, supported by aggressive CBs and SS with a mopup FS sounds like a good idea. Of course, the DC I end up with may convince me otherwise, but thats what I'm starting out with in my mind!
Just like on Offense, it all starts with the line. For a 3-4, I am of the opinion the D-Line should be built in a very similar manner to an O-Line, replacing Blocking with Tackling and focusing on occupying the double teams, and making any tackles that come their way, rather than trying to generate a huge amount of pass rush on their own, though I'm certainly not opposed to them sacking the opposition QB!
Thus, my builds for the D-Line are as follows:
Bentose Chunkle
This is the first NT I made, and I actually ended up making a second due to joining a Human team with this chap, the Canberra Crotch Crickets. This being the first contract I'd signed since the new ending on Day 40 contracts came in, I wasn't familiar enough to avoid signing one that went over, and I think the owner is quite new as well. I was completely up front at the start about wanting to go to my own team in the offseason if I got a team, so hopefully I'll be able to organise a release if that happens - I haven't and don't intend to take any money for equipment due to my temporary commitment to the team. If not, I always have a backup plan.
Its been quite interesting playing on the Crickets actually, as unlike my other teams, this one seems predominantly made up of newbies, which is refreshing in a lot of ways, and I enjoy trying to help them out when I think I have some wisdom to impart (don't blink or you'll miss it). Bentose has been doing surprisingly well despite being heavily outlevelled in many games, with his high Strength proving effective even against big double teams thus far.
My backup plan at NT is Bentrel Chunkle:
Bentrel Chunkle
who looks like he'll actually end up higher level than Bentose anyways, as even though I created him later, I didn't boost him out of the gate like I did the rest to ensure consistent playing time and therefore a consistent amount of development across my players.
Both builds are getting Strength right up, then heading for Tackling. Agility will be the next one, which will likely come into play next season.
The Chunkend brothers at DE:
Benter Chunkend
Bentel Chunkend
are building along similar lines, and as yet I haven't really made any attempt to differentiate them to the right or left. I'll probably move from Tackling to Agility earlier on the right to make him a bit more pass rush oriented.
The dot is bleeding!
OK, so with the Offense wrapped up, its time to talk D.
Unlike Offense, which I think can be compartmentalised a fair bit between the run and the pass, the D really has to work as a cohesive unit. The D AI is also much more complex and versatile, and I think I'll probably try and get an experienced hand as DC to help me out with it.
As mentioned previously, I hope to use a 3-4 as the basis for my defence, and I really hope to try and attack with my defence, focussing more on turnovers than containment.
So far I'm thinking a monster D-Line, with hard charging LBs blitzing a lot in varied packages, supported by aggressive CBs and SS with a mopup FS sounds like a good idea. Of course, the DC I end up with may convince me otherwise, but thats what I'm starting out with in my mind!
Just like on Offense, it all starts with the line. For a 3-4, I am of the opinion the D-Line should be built in a very similar manner to an O-Line, replacing Blocking with Tackling and focusing on occupying the double teams, and making any tackles that come their way, rather than trying to generate a huge amount of pass rush on their own, though I'm certainly not opposed to them sacking the opposition QB!
Thus, my builds for the D-Line are as follows:
Bentose Chunkle
This is the first NT I made, and I actually ended up making a second due to joining a Human team with this chap, the Canberra Crotch Crickets. This being the first contract I'd signed since the new ending on Day 40 contracts came in, I wasn't familiar enough to avoid signing one that went over, and I think the owner is quite new as well. I was completely up front at the start about wanting to go to my own team in the offseason if I got a team, so hopefully I'll be able to organise a release if that happens - I haven't and don't intend to take any money for equipment due to my temporary commitment to the team. If not, I always have a backup plan.
Its been quite interesting playing on the Crickets actually, as unlike my other teams, this one seems predominantly made up of newbies, which is refreshing in a lot of ways, and I enjoy trying to help them out when I think I have some wisdom to impart (don't blink or you'll miss it). Bentose has been doing surprisingly well despite being heavily outlevelled in many games, with his high Strength proving effective even against big double teams thus far.
My backup plan at NT is Bentrel Chunkle:
Bentrel Chunkle
who looks like he'll actually end up higher level than Bentose anyways, as even though I created him later, I didn't boost him out of the gate like I did the rest to ensure consistent playing time and therefore a consistent amount of development across my players.
Both builds are getting Strength right up, then heading for Tackling. Agility will be the next one, which will likely come into play next season.
The Chunkend brothers at DE:
Benter Chunkend
Bentel Chunkend
are building along similar lines, and as yet I haven't really made any attempt to differentiate them to the right or left. I'll probably move from Tackling to Agility earlier on the right to make him a bit more pass rush oriented.
Pass me a beer dude
OK, with the Running game taken care of, its time to look at the passing game, and the offense as a whole. My preference is for a well balanced offense, capable on the ground and in the air, so that we can gameplan based on wherever the opposition are weaker.
I am actually tempted to break my offense down with 2 co-ordinators, one for the passing game, with the QB, WRs, TE and LOT and LG, and one for the Run, with the HB, FB, TE and RG and ROT. Have them independently scout the opposition and make suggestions, then bring those together to create the actual game plan each week.
Would this have the effect of fostering a friendly competition between them, or create a bad atmosphere in the team? Not sure, but it might be worth a try. I'll guess I'll think about it once I get more of an idea who'll be on my staff.
Anyways, my current QB build, Bentius StarChunk:
Bentius StarChunk
Is currently struggling a bit. With QBs being everybodies favourite player to create, the D-Leagues are flooded with them, making it hard to get consistent playing time, even with my usual tricks. This means he is falling behind the rest of the group, and I'm not sure I'll want to use a lower level player in such a critical position, so its looking likely I'll have to recruit from the 7 trillion hopefuls out there :)
Obviously it will be a pocket passer. Throwing then Vision.
I'm not actually too fussy about what sort of passing game we employ. I actually believe a short passing game can work if you have the players for it. Of course, given we are low level, and I think an important player for the short passing game is the HB and FB, we aren't going to have the players to utilise it effectively. So the passing game will be primarily a medium/long passing game to start with.
Which bring me to the WRs. I've tried to make one a posession reciver and one a speedster, which has been an interesting experiment since I haven't mucked about with them before. I'm beginning to wish I'd made more WRs, since they would have to be one of the most demanding positions in terms of useful attributes out there, with only Tackling, Kicking and Punting being unimportant.
My Speedster WR, Bentus Chunkrel:
Bentus Chunkrel
at one stage looked like falling behind similar to my QB, but has since come on strong. I expect by next season he'll be a threat for either a TD or a drop or fumble on every play! I will be moving onto other attributes for a while after speed is soft capped though, so he won't be a super afterburner type of player.
My posession receiver, Bentos Chunkrel:
http://goallineblitz.com/game/player.pl?player_id=796156
Is currently the more consistent performer of the pair, though his D-League team does seem to like working him into the ground.
The goal for the passing game initially is for it to be as reliable as possible. This basically means getting open and catching the ball. YAC are a luxury I can live without as long as the other two components are working. It may not win many Play of the Season awards, but it will hopefully win games.
I am actually tempted to break my offense down with 2 co-ordinators, one for the passing game, with the QB, WRs, TE and LOT and LG, and one for the Run, with the HB, FB, TE and RG and ROT. Have them independently scout the opposition and make suggestions, then bring those together to create the actual game plan each week.
Would this have the effect of fostering a friendly competition between them, or create a bad atmosphere in the team? Not sure, but it might be worth a try. I'll guess I'll think about it once I get more of an idea who'll be on my staff.
Anyways, my current QB build, Bentius StarChunk:
Bentius StarChunk
Is currently struggling a bit. With QBs being everybodies favourite player to create, the D-Leagues are flooded with them, making it hard to get consistent playing time, even with my usual tricks. This means he is falling behind the rest of the group, and I'm not sure I'll want to use a lower level player in such a critical position, so its looking likely I'll have to recruit from the 7 trillion hopefuls out there :)
Obviously it will be a pocket passer. Throwing then Vision.
I'm not actually too fussy about what sort of passing game we employ. I actually believe a short passing game can work if you have the players for it. Of course, given we are low level, and I think an important player for the short passing game is the HB and FB, we aren't going to have the players to utilise it effectively. So the passing game will be primarily a medium/long passing game to start with.
Which bring me to the WRs. I've tried to make one a posession reciver and one a speedster, which has been an interesting experiment since I haven't mucked about with them before. I'm beginning to wish I'd made more WRs, since they would have to be one of the most demanding positions in terms of useful attributes out there, with only Tackling, Kicking and Punting being unimportant.
My Speedster WR, Bentus Chunkrel:
Bentus Chunkrel
at one stage looked like falling behind similar to my QB, but has since come on strong. I expect by next season he'll be a threat for either a TD or a drop or fumble on every play! I will be moving onto other attributes for a while after speed is soft capped though, so he won't be a super afterburner type of player.
My posession receiver, Bentos Chunkrel:
http://goallineblitz.com/game/player.pl?player_id=796156
Is currently the more consistent performer of the pair, though his D-League team does seem to like working him into the ground.
The goal for the passing game initially is for it to be as reliable as possible. This basically means getting open and catching the ball. YAC are a luxury I can live without as long as the other two components are working. It may not win many Play of the Season awards, but it will hopefully win games.
Run for your lives men!
OK, with the O-Line sorted, its time to take a look at the players who'll get the most use out of it - the running game. I'm going to include the TE in this post as well.
My idea with the running game has always been primarily power based. I know I know, I can hear some of you rolling your eyes, but I've preferred power since before it became flavour of the month. My preference for builds is to go with what feels right if it were a real player, not to chase temporary metagame trends that will likely get changed soon anyway. My theory, and it seems to have been borne out thus far, is that Bort will tend to make changes to bring things back if they get too far removed from reality.
So with the idea of playing a power running game in mind, the HB build is fairly obvious:
Benvroom StarChunk http://goallineblitz.com/game/player.pl?player_id=795526
Get the strength up, then start the bugger being able to move over the fallen tackle attempts of his enemies. If Benvroom ends up being the backup, the start will definitely be another Powerback, but I'm not opposed to having a different style back as the reserve if Benvroom is the starter.
On the Fullback front we have Bentfull Chunkback:
Bentfull Chunkback
His first aim will be to become a lead blocker for the HB. Once he does that reasonably well, he'll try and branch out into rushing and receiving territory.
My theory with FBs and TE blocking is that the timing of the block and being able to get to the right spot at the right time is more important than making a super effective block. As long as they can hold the defender for that second or two the HB needs to get past them they've done their job far better than some hulking behemoth pancaking players way back out of the play. This mobility has the added effect of being suitable for the other facets of the game, so while both the FB and TE will start out as blockers, both will eventually transition to balanced builds.
The TE will place even less importance on Blocking than the FB, primarily because I think the Blocking SA tree for TEs is rubbish. Run Blocking is of minimal benefit, Pass Blocking is totally useless considering he'll be a receiver, Hands isn't something I want him in a position to need, leaving Get Low too far up the tree to really be useful, and Pancake as an unecessary points sink.
Oh yeah, the build for Bentight Chunkend (are you beginning to see a dreadfully dull pattern in my naming?):
Bentight Chunkend
My idea with the running game has always been primarily power based. I know I know, I can hear some of you rolling your eyes, but I've preferred power since before it became flavour of the month. My preference for builds is to go with what feels right if it were a real player, not to chase temporary metagame trends that will likely get changed soon anyway. My theory, and it seems to have been borne out thus far, is that Bort will tend to make changes to bring things back if they get too far removed from reality.
So with the idea of playing a power running game in mind, the HB build is fairly obvious:
Benvroom StarChunk http://goallineblitz.com/game/player.pl?player_id=795526
Get the strength up, then start the bugger being able to move over the fallen tackle attempts of his enemies. If Benvroom ends up being the backup, the start will definitely be another Powerback, but I'm not opposed to having a different style back as the reserve if Benvroom is the starter.
On the Fullback front we have Bentfull Chunkback:
Bentfull Chunkback
His first aim will be to become a lead blocker for the HB. Once he does that reasonably well, he'll try and branch out into rushing and receiving territory.
My theory with FBs and TE blocking is that the timing of the block and being able to get to the right spot at the right time is more important than making a super effective block. As long as they can hold the defender for that second or two the HB needs to get past them they've done their job far better than some hulking behemoth pancaking players way back out of the play. This mobility has the added effect of being suitable for the other facets of the game, so while both the FB and TE will start out as blockers, both will eventually transition to balanced builds.
The TE will place even less importance on Blocking than the FB, primarily because I think the Blocking SA tree for TEs is rubbish. Run Blocking is of minimal benefit, Pass Blocking is totally useless considering he'll be a receiver, Hands isn't something I want him in a position to need, leaving Get Low too far up the tree to really be useful, and Pancake as an unecessary points sink.
Oh yeah, the build for Bentight Chunkend (are you beginning to see a dreadfully dull pattern in my naming?):
Bentight Chunkend
Piggy in the middle
OK, so I've had a few people interested in joining the team from some of the other teams I'm involved in, and I plan on starting to get commitments from some of those players.
In the meantime, I'm going to go through the players I've made thus far, explain the way I'm building them, and how that translates to what I want from that position in my team.
I'll start with my favourites, the piggies on the O-Line.
C Bentag Chunkwall
RG Benter Chunkard
LG Bentel Chunkard
ROT Bentohix Chunkwall
LOT Bentusmax Chunkwall
OK, so lets face it, piggies aren't the hardest players to build. Strength and Blocking with enough stamina, then start adding in Agility, Vision and Confidence, plus Speed to suit, and whatever SAs float your boat later on. There are still a lot of badly built O-Liners out there though.
I think the lines are the most important part of building a new team though - a good O (or D) Line can really maximise the talents of the players behind it, even if they are a few levels short of ideal.
My players aren't going to be anything special - they haven't soft built or tried any other fandangled technique to eke out a 3 pt advantage in strength at level 23. But they each ahve their role and complement each other as a unit.
These guys will be OK to use as starters I expect, and if they end up as backups I suspect we will have a truly fearsome frontline! Any other piggies I recruit I'll be trying to have in a specific role to match these guys, and two at each spot should ensure good performance and decent playing time all round.
In the meantime, I'm going to go through the players I've made thus far, explain the way I'm building them, and how that translates to what I want from that position in my team.
I'll start with my favourites, the piggies on the O-Line.
C Bentag Chunkwall
RG Benter Chunkard
LG Bentel Chunkard
ROT Bentohix Chunkwall
LOT Bentusmax Chunkwall
OK, so lets face it, piggies aren't the hardest players to build. Strength and Blocking with enough stamina, then start adding in Agility, Vision and Confidence, plus Speed to suit, and whatever SAs float your boat later on. There are still a lot of badly built O-Liners out there though.
I think the lines are the most important part of building a new team though - a good O (or D) Line can really maximise the talents of the players behind it, even if they are a few levels short of ideal.
My players aren't going to be anything special - they haven't soft built or tried any other fandangled technique to eke out a 3 pt advantage in strength at level 23. But they each ahve their role and complement each other as a unit.
These guys will be OK to use as starters I expect, and if they end up as backups I suspect we will have a truly fearsome frontline! Any other piggies I recruit I'll be trying to have in a specific role to match these guys, and two at each spot should ensure good performance and decent playing time all round.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Recruiting, agents, and nepotism
Yes, that is the name I hope to use for the team. The town I live in has a rather lagre prawn as its most well known landmark, so I should be able to use that as the jersey pic.
Anyways, on to the team building.
I've been quite lucky with the two teams I've been onvolved in thus far. The first was a group of friends, and the second is a group of active people with varied levels of experience.
It seems to me that the biggest key to a fun (and successful) team to be on is an active group who get along well.
All of this lead me to believe that I think in the initial recruiting, the prime consideration should be the quality of the agents, even over the quality of the builds - builds can always be improved later if the agent has a good attitude and is willing to learn and adapt.
Thinking about the recruiting in more detail, I ended up making a spreadsheet to work out what sort of playing roster I thought I'd need to be competitive, assuming some sort of capped league. It was during this process that I decided I really wanted to go for a 3-4 defence. I think if built from the ground up as a 3-4, it could work quite well, and a well run 3-4 would provide a different look for a lot of OCs to work out!
It did have the added effect though of vastly reducing the recruiting pool, as players, particularly on the D-Line, need to be built very differently.
These thoughts coincided with me having a decent amount of extra cash about, and I decided it would be helpful to lighten the recruiting load to make a whole bunch of players myself. I started out thinking I'd build an O-Line, D-Line, and LB Corps, but I found the process so educational in terms of working out how the various positions worked that I eventually wennt bonkers and made enough for some of every single position!
Having so many players to possibly step into the team makes a big difference in how I can approach it. With so many players on board to start with (at prices that suit me just fine), it really enables me to take my time with recruiting and get what I want. It also gives me some control over the purse string from the get go, as its a lot easier to deny equipment bonuses to your own players than other peoples!
However, there is a big downside involved. Nepotism being the big ugly monster under the bed. By using so many of my own players, I risk the perception that they will get preferential treatment over players from other agents, and to be honest, I can't fully deny thats possible, as its hard to tell how emotionally attached to a player I'm likely to get in that situation. When it comes to crunch time and one of my precious builds is underperforming compared to a low level build of brilliance, am I going to be able to swallow my pride and swap them on the depth chart?
It also reduces the number of agents involved to contribute to the active team forum I hope to foster, so there will be a fine line to tread in order to make things work.
Anyways, on to the team building.
I've been quite lucky with the two teams I've been onvolved in thus far. The first was a group of friends, and the second is a group of active people with varied levels of experience.
It seems to me that the biggest key to a fun (and successful) team to be on is an active group who get along well.
All of this lead me to believe that I think in the initial recruiting, the prime consideration should be the quality of the agents, even over the quality of the builds - builds can always be improved later if the agent has a good attitude and is willing to learn and adapt.
Thinking about the recruiting in more detail, I ended up making a spreadsheet to work out what sort of playing roster I thought I'd need to be competitive, assuming some sort of capped league. It was during this process that I decided I really wanted to go for a 3-4 defence. I think if built from the ground up as a 3-4, it could work quite well, and a well run 3-4 would provide a different look for a lot of OCs to work out!
It did have the added effect though of vastly reducing the recruiting pool, as players, particularly on the D-Line, need to be built very differently.
These thoughts coincided with me having a decent amount of extra cash about, and I decided it would be helpful to lighten the recruiting load to make a whole bunch of players myself. I started out thinking I'd build an O-Line, D-Line, and LB Corps, but I found the process so educational in terms of working out how the various positions worked that I eventually wennt bonkers and made enough for some of every single position!
Having so many players to possibly step into the team makes a big difference in how I can approach it. With so many players on board to start with (at prices that suit me just fine), it really enables me to take my time with recruiting and get what I want. It also gives me some control over the purse string from the get go, as its a lot easier to deny equipment bonuses to your own players than other peoples!
However, there is a big downside involved. Nepotism being the big ugly monster under the bed. By using so many of my own players, I risk the perception that they will get preferential treatment over players from other agents, and to be honest, I can't fully deny thats possible, as its hard to tell how emotionally attached to a player I'm likely to get in that situation. When it comes to crunch time and one of my precious builds is underperforming compared to a low level build of brilliance, am I going to be able to swallow my pride and swap them on the depth chart?
It also reduces the number of agents involved to contribute to the active team forum I hope to foster, so there will be a fine line to tread in order to make things work.
Intro - life so far in GLB
OK, so how does an Australian end up playing GLB?
I play a boardgame that is very loosely based on the NFL called Blood Bowl. I'm in an Australian based online league for this game (SWL - Southern Wastes League), with quite a few other people. A lot of us tend to dabble in other games we find, including previous attempts at Hattrick (Soccer) and Battrick (cricket), which some of the other still play, but never quite hit the right spot for me. I think part of the reason was I never really felt any sort of attachment to the players in those games, and the interaction was fairly limited.
Thus, when one of the guys suggested GLB, describing it as being like Hattrick and Battrick but you can create your own players, it piqued my interest and I decided to give it a go.
Now I have played in the odd Fantasy NFL league and followed NFL a little bit, but I wasn't tremendously up on the game.
For my first player, I decided to go with a C, as it is probably the most analagous position to the one I played in our football (Rugby League). Since I had the points, I decided to boost him 3 times coming out of the gate as well. Being a naturally competitive sort of chap, I made sure to do at least a little bit of homework, reading in the tpat guide that Strength and Blocking were the way to go. I also noticed right away that Line General looked like a very useful ability.
Not long after creating my C, a gift from the heavens of 100 FP arrived, and I decided to make a G to go along with my C. Both players had the usual rookie mistakes of investing in SAs too early, but apart from that they were fairly solid builds. At this point, I essentially bummed around in the D-Leagues, as my friend who'd introduced me to the game was trying to get a team. There was never any question I'd be joining that team with my friends from SWL.
At this point, I was also itching to have another crack at some O-Line players, avoiding the mistakes I'd made the first time around. It was fairly close to the end of the season, and I realised I could do a quick double boost and be in a position to make a useful addition to a new expansion team, so I decided to create a whole O-Line (as well as the obligatory vanity QB).
My friend got his team, and my original players promptly joined up, where they remain to this day. The Southern Wasters have done fairly well in our one and a half seasons of existence, and I am now the O-Line coach for that team, which is going fairly well.
http://goallineblitz.com/game/team.pl?team_id=3129
In the meantime, I fielded lots and lots of offers for my new O-Line players, but no-one seemed to cotton on to the fact I had an entire O-Line built ready to go as a unit. Eventually, a nice chap with handle rmiller PMed me, asking about the whole lot, which I was stoked with, as I really wanted to use them as a unit, and had built them with L and R specialisations from the getgo in mind. rmiller was the OC for the new St Johns Fog Devils, and after our preliminary discussions put me through to barbelith, his owner, and soon enough all my lads (including the QB) were Fog Devils.
This new team struggled in our first season, as we were heavily outrecruited as our management was more after quality of agents than quantity in levels and numbers. In our second season, we have come on very strongly now, with our offense in particular doing well, and we are punching well above our weight in terms of levels. The O-Line are going extremely well, which is very satisfying.
http://goallineblitz.com/game/team.pl?team_id=3577
It was seeing this process unfold that made me decide that I really wanted to own a team and have a crack at building from the ground up, which is what the rest of this blog will be about.
I play a boardgame that is very loosely based on the NFL called Blood Bowl. I'm in an Australian based online league for this game (SWL - Southern Wastes League), with quite a few other people. A lot of us tend to dabble in other games we find, including previous attempts at Hattrick (Soccer) and Battrick (cricket), which some of the other still play, but never quite hit the right spot for me. I think part of the reason was I never really felt any sort of attachment to the players in those games, and the interaction was fairly limited.
Thus, when one of the guys suggested GLB, describing it as being like Hattrick and Battrick but you can create your own players, it piqued my interest and I decided to give it a go.
Now I have played in the odd Fantasy NFL league and followed NFL a little bit, but I wasn't tremendously up on the game.
For my first player, I decided to go with a C, as it is probably the most analagous position to the one I played in our football (Rugby League). Since I had the points, I decided to boost him 3 times coming out of the gate as well. Being a naturally competitive sort of chap, I made sure to do at least a little bit of homework, reading in the tpat guide that Strength and Blocking were the way to go. I also noticed right away that Line General looked like a very useful ability.
Not long after creating my C, a gift from the heavens of 100 FP arrived, and I decided to make a G to go along with my C. Both players had the usual rookie mistakes of investing in SAs too early, but apart from that they were fairly solid builds. At this point, I essentially bummed around in the D-Leagues, as my friend who'd introduced me to the game was trying to get a team. There was never any question I'd be joining that team with my friends from SWL.
At this point, I was also itching to have another crack at some O-Line players, avoiding the mistakes I'd made the first time around. It was fairly close to the end of the season, and I realised I could do a quick double boost and be in a position to make a useful addition to a new expansion team, so I decided to create a whole O-Line (as well as the obligatory vanity QB).
My friend got his team, and my original players promptly joined up, where they remain to this day. The Southern Wasters have done fairly well in our one and a half seasons of existence, and I am now the O-Line coach for that team, which is going fairly well.
http://goallineblitz.com/game/team.pl?team_id=3129
In the meantime, I fielded lots and lots of offers for my new O-Line players, but no-one seemed to cotton on to the fact I had an entire O-Line built ready to go as a unit. Eventually, a nice chap with handle rmiller PMed me, asking about the whole lot, which I was stoked with, as I really wanted to use them as a unit, and had built them with L and R specialisations from the getgo in mind. rmiller was the OC for the new St Johns Fog Devils, and after our preliminary discussions put me through to barbelith, his owner, and soon enough all my lads (including the QB) were Fog Devils.
This new team struggled in our first season, as we were heavily outrecruited as our management was more after quality of agents than quantity in levels and numbers. In our second season, we have come on very strongly now, with our offense in particular doing well, and we are punching well above our weight in terms of levels. The O-Line are going extremely well, which is very satisfying.
http://goallineblitz.com/game/team.pl?team_id=3577
It was seeing this process unfold that made me decide that I really wanted to own a team and have a crack at building from the ground up, which is what the rest of this blog will be about.
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