BuzzerBeater Forums

Even if players were to buy WRT for a day it would still require a bit of investment to get this information so it is not so bad. You could require that all staff is hired for a minimum of 3-5 weeks to help avoid this.

If this were used I think a system like this would work

Level 6 trainer is accurate within 1 ranking
Level 5 trainer is accurate within 2 rankings
Level 4 trainer is accurate within 3 rankings etc.


This unfortunately gives high division teams an even bigger advantage and I think it would take new teams even longer to compete at higher levels. Imagine your MVP player really being and allstar because you can only afford a level 3 player. It could some players to quit playing.


I have what I think is the best idea below but I know it will never happen.

I personally think that each individual stat should have a potential level attached to it (hidden) and the overall potential (unhidden) is some combination of those other potentials. It drives me nuts that every single player with amazing potential can be pretty much anything you want him to be. As good as Shaq was, no amount of training would ever have made him a 3 point threat.

I think that your example with shaq is kind of taken care of in the game with height playing into how a player develops. Its almost a waste of time getting a 7 footer to be a point guard like player. Now if height had any affect on the game engine then having 7 foot SG could be crazy but as it stands with how slow their guard skills go up making a 7ft SG is kind of a waste of time.

I've been reading all your answers and complementary ideas. I am so glad to see that some of you guys liked it. And there are some essential points IMO in what all of you have said.
1. Keep the implementation as simple as possible
2. Keep an "equal chance" for all managers
3. Implement an "evolution" of the potential
(i have bolded the main ideas below)

Point 1.
In few words : Ball system as in the draft. Simple and efficient. (simplier=easier to implement=better to suggest). This is the minimal addition to the current game. If this whole topic would ever be seriously considered by BBs, this point seems be the essential aspect.
How long should the ball system be kept? 1-2-3 seasons? Until 21yo is reached? That's the remaining question on this first point.
And for sure it will have an impact on the transfer market ... will it kill the TM ? I really don't know (i'm still not a pro in transfers ^^)

Point 2.
Homegrown "beasts" that reach a massive salary in low divisions are naturally (or rather financially) to be transfered if the team doesn't promote. I think that managers who want to take the risk of keeping their homegrown beasts while they don't promote are making a strategical mistake. And i agree with Wolph that it doesn't make sense to keep a 45k HOFer in a div.V team. But this game is about making mistakes and taking good decisions as a manager.
Growing a great player is a "pleasure" that should not be (IMO) restricted by the division levels. Keep him or sell him ? ... that's another (interesting) issue. And here is perhaps where I disagree with you Wolph but thats OK ;°).

Point 3.
The evolution of potential is the most difficult point in this topic. I almost think it is worth another topic ... still i'll keep writing down here x°).
First, we have the potential appearence (let's say we go for 21) when the ball system reveals the potential.

Potential fall.
The potential can be never reached --> injuries + bad training are covering this aspect as Coach Regan said.
I would add that the potential should be updated (downgraded) in those cases. I would say in 2 steps :
* At 27 (it is just an example could be 26 or 28 or ...) : When the training goes slower. GE can calculate the maximum level of the highest skill --> maximal salary --> maximal potential. For instance : a 27yo 17k Hall of Famer SG. Maybe he can reach 27k at 33yo (if still receiving training minutes). 27k salary that's an Allstar salary cap. When he gets 27, his HoF potential should be updated/downgraded to Allstar.
*At 33/34 (same thing) : When the training almost stops. First skill drops due to age. The salary has reached its maximal value --> here we have a salary cap --> the potential should be downgraded to this max salary value. (30k --> allstar, 25k --> star, etc etc.)
This updates could also be calculated every season and those calculations would go when the salaries are updated ...

Potential raise
I pretty much like the Experience idea that Coach Regan suggested.
I would develop it that way : Experience could have a "disabling" effect on the salary cap --> it would let the player go to a higher potential level. I like Wolph's example with the empty gym and it goes in the same way as I understand it : the experience goes higher only with regular games played and not scrimmages. That means that if a player gets more involved in regular games, his chances to get a higher potential grow up. (division level issue here ...)
Still, as i don't know how fast the Experience skill grows, i am unable to give any examples on the "disabling" effect on the salary cap... still here are some rush ideas :
X experience level --> let the player go up 1 potential level
X experience growth in a season --> + Y% on the salary cap (that is the disabling effect)
Should it be an every season update ? At 27 and 33 (as for the potential fall) ?

I think that's enoug

in reality, ur right, Kobe never gets be Kobe unless he is in the NBA, MJ never gets to be MJ unless he is int he NBA etc etc.

So in real life, this is positively true.

so i like ur idea where the is a 'floating potential' that may be influenced by the level which they play at.

But perhaps it should punish lower league trainers. I dont tihnk a potential should 'drop' as such, thats unfair.

instead maybe - all players, regardless of the division they are in can reach say, 80% of their potential. Then, the higher division they are in, the closer to 100% of their potential that can be reached.

it could be another factor which allows teams to push a player to be better. so yer. good one :)

yer i like your thinking - tied to the division level would be unfair for larger nations/micronations would have an advantage. (actually that may beneficial?)

- But anyways tying it into the Experience of the players teammates, yer i could see that working. in general, higher divisions would have more experienced players, but only in general.

Basically, what you're saying is: make the potential sublevels less recognizable. It's currently 1-11, so cut it down to 1-5.

I'm not sure I like it, if I'm going to train a player for 7 seasons, I don't want to figure out that his ultimate reach was 100k salary, that would be too frustrating after seasons and seasons of training..

Training is already at an all time low value. The players that take you an entire year in real time to train can be bought for $100,000 any hour from the TL. Great players that take one and a half years of real time for maybe double that. Only if you are willing to lose for seasons and spend two or more real time years creating a fully rounded player is he actually worth something.

Training is the most fun part of this game but to be honest it already isn't worth it. To make an entire real time year of effort worthless.... is that really a good idea to encourage managers?

Your examples come true everyday already. The $2,000 salary 19 year old 6'11" SG with Hall of Fame potential would be worthless to most managers. But if someone spends the time and effort they can make him into Karl Malone.

Likewise every season those $5,000 salary 18 year old HoF players who are sold for millions end up with bad trainers who turn them into mediocre players worth 1/4 of what they were worth at 18 several seasons later when they should be in their prime. Sometimes it can just be because they are constanlty getting injured. Penny Hardaway.