BuzzerBeater Forums

Hi there.

I've been playing BB for a long time, and I love this game, but I feel that the staff system could be improved.
I think that the current system is basic and it does not simulate the reality...

So in the current system we have 3 variables: skill level (not variable), special skill (not variable)l and salary (updated weekly).

I propose an improved system with 4 variables: skill level (upgradable with money); special skills; salary (updated seasonally) experience (variable over time)

Skill Level - Staff skills evolution is zero... Although the salaries grow every week, skills level stays the same! In real life tactical, medical and marketing skills can be perfected over time with studies, so why not create a system that this could be possible? In the current syatem if I want a better skilled coach, I have to contract a new coach, so why can't I have the same coach and make him better? I propose that in an exchange for an amount of money the coach/medic/PR managers can upgrade their skills level. In the other side a very good coach if doesn't updates his knowledge he becomes obselete, turning into a mediocre coach.

Special skills - I think this should remain as it is in the current system.

Salary - The thing I really don't like in BB is the weekly updates of staff salaries... I understand that the goal is to have a dynamic staff market, but this is unrealistic and makes very hard to make a season budget, because is hard to calculate the evolution over the season. What about making seasonal salaries updates like the players?

Experience - In the real world coaches and other staff becomes more experienced with practice, so why only players gain experience? Experienced coaches train more effectively than non experience, doctors can heal players faster as they become more experienced and PR managers become better using with their PR skills.

So what you think of the current staff system, and what you think that could be done to improve the system?

Great ideas!

One thing I would change/add is fixed-term contract for staff member (7, 14, 21, 28 weeks) with weekly salary raise.
The longer the contract, the lower the salary raise should be, for example if you sign a member for 7 weeks his salaray will grow 2% every week. For a 14-week contract, it would only be 1,75%, 21-week contract 1,5%, etc
Also if you fire the staff member you should pay more for a longer active contract, f. e. 1-7 weeks to end contract = 1 week salary severance, 8-14 weeks to end contract = 2 week salary severance, etc.

Maybe I missed something but I don't know what/who is OP.
For the seasonal salary raise: I don't think it's good. It would make a huge "buying wave" in the first week(s) of every season. I'm pretty sure that lots of managers would fire their staff on the last week and buy new ones in the first week of next season which would make a dramatical raise on staff member prices in that period. We just saw the same when Utopia started. So that's why I prefer weekly changes and (to stimulate the long-term planning) the fixed-term contracts with the mentioned circumstances.
Having the possibility of raising the skills is a pretty good idea but I just don't think it could work. You either have to pay huge amount to raise level (if the skills are integers) or wait ages to happen (if there are decimals, but I don't think so). Anyway it would be nice to have that change as it would makes you keep your staff members for long term too (no point to fire a staff member who you spent on).
Same with the staff member experience, it would make you keep your good old buddies.

The only question is that BBs want to turn the game to a direction where long term planning is needed or they want the current system where you have to make decisions every single time you log in. From our (the managers) standpoint the first would be good. But from the developer's standpoint the current system is better because it makes us log in more often and spend more time in the game. So I think brvalente has some good ideas but they won't be implemented because of financial causes (and it's understandable).

Ok, thanks I'm not really into net sleng.

Well, for long term planning, I guess most of the managers changes way more often than once in every 2 seasons. The mentioned ideas (experience, evolving) would help to keep them a bit longer but of course, not forever.

I agree that the season updates of the salaries is the most difficult to implement due to the effects it may have on the staff market... but, and I not shure if this is true, but the players transactions has it's peak in the weeks prior to the playoffs and the weeks after a new season... I know the markets dynamics is different, but it could have a solution if the game creates more staff in that critic weeks after a new season, or players adapt and do the change a few weeks before or after salaries update.


The experience factor should be like a bonus factor to the skill level. The more experienced the greater the bonus. And this should be the real reason why the salarie raise occurs...

I defend skill level should be dynamic also... ie, like player skills start to decrease with age, staff skills should decrease over time... this would make BB to change staff or to invest making them go to "clinics" to maintain or increase their skill. Like in real life a coach, medic ot PR must be up to date with the new techniques that appear... Of course this must cost a good amount of money, but hiring a new superior coach costs a lot of money...





Last edited by brvalente at 4/22/2014 2:08:02 PM

First of all, I really think you brought up some good ideas. I'm just sceptic about implementing them.

The season updates of the salaries would have a huge effect, that's for sure. I don't know if you had checked the staff members prices when Utopia started but it was crazy. Imagine that with 10 times more managers. Nobody would buy staff members in the last weeks (before salary raise) but almost everybody would like to buy in the first weeks.

Experience would really be nice and I totally support that idea.

Skill level is a difficult question. If it is an integer you could only raise their level with one major change and it would (or at least should) cost you huge money, otherwise the game will be full of level 6-7 trainers with 15-30k salaries in a couple of weeks. If the staff member skill is a decimal number you could slowly raise it to the next level which is better but also have the dangers. Having more high skills trainers could destroy the whole economy module because everybody would start training players that they can't afford. I would look for some alternative ways like I mentioned some. Or maybe new "special" skills, like offensive/defensive/athletic trainers that would speed up training in some areas while slowing it down with others.

Also I think that all of your ideas at the same time are too much (having a cheaper trainer, not raising his salary, evolve him AND earning experience). I prefer the experience only and maybe the evolve but some other way.

Kind of like it. But this is just another way to keep the good teams good and bad teams bad. The bad teams (D4 and D5) will struggle to upgrade their staff, which would make it harder to train and or get fans to show up to their games, and will never be quite on the same level as the already top teams, in my mind.