First off I want to thank you Charles for your detailed response. BB is the best game out there because of you willingness to get involved and work with the community. Kudos to you!!
As I have mentioned my main issue is with the fact that there is little or no incentive to try and finish high up in the standings. Obviously the playoff spots have a decent plus side, although many would argue that finishing 6th may be a better option if you are only going to lose in the first playoff game anyways. To me this is a major issue. I like to see tight races where everyone is fighting tooth and nail for positioning. Competition breeds intrest and that is something that should be capitalized on.
How to make it better is the tough part. There are plenty of great suggestions in this and other threads. I would like to see the merchandise, fan survey effects be far greater. Is it possible to add 'fans expectations'? It could be on a game by game basis or based on teams season standings. The fans expectations would dramatically influence merchandise and ticket sales, so teams that lose games that they should clearly win would be losing revenue initially.
Another possible solution is just give the fifth place team another scrimmage. In a game where training is what improves your team and generates the majority of your income, losing one or two weeks of skill training is massive. It also drives a bigger wedge between the playoff teams and the fifth place team. I know everyone says that you can 'team train'. But stamina and free throws do not help the fifth place team become a forth or better team the following season. Players with higher skill are more effective and worth more on the market, stamina and free throws have little value in that reguard.
I do agree that relegation is extremely costly, teams are taking a serious chance in 'tanking'. I think the BB community is grateful that you have developed a game that DOES allow teams to make errors and a game that DOES allow quality managers to make up ground. But by taking the fifth place teams income AND training away, you are creating more seperation between the average teams and the elite. It does however close the gap between the fifth place team and the teams that finish 6th-8th, which can create a cycle that is less than ideal.
I have clearly written far to much, so if you have read this all...THANKS!!!
-beanerz
Last edited by Mod-beanerz at 3/12/2010 11:18:27 AM