Quote:
Originally Posted by relrel1809
Those are great ideas nate! As far as letting the AI have some control to dumb down the organization, do you let them do your whole draft? And make trades for your team? Like a "Co-GM"? And do you let the cpu set up the organization a few times a year too? Wow this has really got me energized to start a fictional league!!
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I tend to do this:
I allow myself to make a couple of draft picks in the first three rounds. I do NOT make the first pick. The AI does that. Once I've picked my two guys, I let the AI do the rest of the draft.
I then let the AI do the entire team setup. I play out the first few games with the AIs setup, then tweak as I become more familiar with the strengths/weaknesses of the players.
I turn over the Roster Moves & Transactions to the AI. This is intended to simulate the authority that a team's front office has over career management for individual players. And yes, I frequently get irritated when I see a guy in the minors who I think should be on the 25 man roster, but that frustration plays into my overall narrative that I'm not 100% in control of the organization.
I let the AI initiate and make trades. This comes along with turning over Roster Moves & Transactions to the AI. More frustration here, but also some joy when the AI somehow manages to make a decent trade.
The AI is also allowed to release players or pick up free agents.
I might allow myself a couple of opportunities per year to do a trade myself, or pick up a free agent. That seems reasonable and probably corresponds to the amount of input a manager might have (overall). When I do this, though, I don't game the AI. I just look for solid players who fill a real need. I'm not trying to create an All Star team by exploiting the AI.
In games I let the AI handle substitutions. Yep, that's right. This (in my mind) simulates the input that the bench or pitching coaches might have in recommending when (for example) a pitcher should be pulled or a pinch hitter selected. If I feel I absolutely must make a lineup change myself, I'll turn off the AI's control of the substitutions, make the change, then turn the AI's control back on.
I myself set all the lineups, depth charts, and pitching rotation/relievers.
The result of all this collaboration with the AI is what feels like working with a bunch of strong personalities who don't always agree with you and make your life difficult, frustrating, but also sometimes very rewarding. For example, I've seen the AI make pinch hit substitutions in games where I just couldn't have imagined myself doing the same thing, but the result was a key hit that turned the game around. Or a pitching change that resulted in a crucial 1-2-3 inning. On balance, it just feels more like real life than running every single aspect of a team.