In the past, new GE changes were always announced and tested in scrimmages and PL. Are you saying that changes to the GE have been incrementally made w/o the knowledge of us players?
Big changes have always been announced, and that remains true. Small tweaks haven't.
Neutralizing the dominance of inside based strategies is one of your main priorities for quite some time now as we all know it. What is your plan for dealing with it? Are you planning to fix it just by making some adjustments on game engine or else do you consider introducing some changes on salary formula (let's say charging some skills less or more than what they are now) as you've already done with jump range and shot blocking skills? It seems that you already implement some small changes(on game engine) on a regular basis and stand back to observe their effects. Yet, it looks like it will take more time for you to establish the balance you're looking for(few posts ago you said that the outcomes of changes are less significant than what you expected.).
So, could we expect a new salary formula readjustment in the near future?
We are doing everything in little steps, salaries, GE changes, etc..., as we don't want to overcompensate. Overcompensation is what brought this situation on in the first place. That's why we have employed the GDP, in an attempt to make managers diversify their tactics usage. We believe this has been a successful strategy so far, but it's a long term process and it takes a long time to see the effects. I didn't say the changes are less than expected, they are just less than what he expected. We will continue pursuing this rather conservative approach.
A salary adjustment is possible at the start of next season. If, which skills and how much is still not known, but I can assure you, it won't be by much.
What are your top priorities for the near future?
The same applies as here
(267318.42), so this is not a full list nor is it a fixed one. Also, you'll noticed some things have remained from last season:
- another fan survey update (the "I am familiar with the star players" bit)
- deal with inside based strategy dominance
- BB app - prepare a special developers API for it (so we can use outside developers without giving them direct access to the db)
- boost social media presence (Facebook contest? etc...)
- implement global team switch button
- handle adblocker?
- deal with tanking
- make past bids more visible (longer?)
- revise some of the offensive and defensive tactic effects (make them better)
- think about in-game sponsorships
...
Are there any plans to create more balanced defensive options? Currently you have a 3/2 zone to combat outside offenses as well as the "extreme option" of a 1-3-1. To combat inside offenses you only have a 2-3 zone which many managers don't even use because for whatever reason, it just isn't effective. Most top level managers simply use a M2M against teams they know will run an inside offense.
I realize the GDP was put in place partially to make LI a little more vulnerable, but outside teams can have that used against them just as effectively as inside teams can. I also realize that it may just be up to managers to figure out how to use the 2-3 zone, however:
1. It seems rough that the only inside defense isn't really effective and
2. It would be nice if there was a inside equivalent to the 1-3-1 to be used as an "extreme option" for inside defense.
Yes and no. We are planning on tweaking some of the tactics, but I cannot promise that new ones will be added. The idea sounds interesting, but I'd rather make what we already have work than add new ones. The best thing about the GDP is exactly that - it makes you diversify. So it isn't something that will bring to overcompensation.
1. that may be true
2. see what I wrote above