Suggestions for making the game harder?

[gollum65]

Feel free to move this thread if I started it in the wrong forum.

I'd like some suggestions on how to make the game harder? I started with the Yankees, and ~40 games in, with Jeter, A-Rod, Petite, and Joba on the DL since early in the season, you'd think I'd be struggling to win games? But instead the team is 28-10. And yes, I did make a couple of trades to try and fill holes, mostly for bullpen help, but I've still got 3 AAA or bench players starting every night.

So, are there any settings/options I should tweak to make the game more realistic?

[Markus Heinsohn]

Well, maybe you just had plain luck! 1/4th of a season is not a big sample-size... also, maybe you played a lot of weak teams lately.

[phenom]

Originally Posted by gollum65

Feel free to move this thread if I started it in the wrong forum.

I'd like some suggestions on how to make the game harder? I started with the Yankees, and ~40 games in, with Jeter, A-Rod, Petite, and Joba on the DL since early in the season, you'd think I'd be struggling to win games? But instead the team is 28-10. And yes, I did make a couple of trades to try and fill holes, mostly for bullpen help, but I've still got 3 AAA or bench players starting every night.

So, are there any settings/options I should tweak to make the game more realistic?

Play with your eyes closed.

[jarmenia]

Turn scouts on and use fictional players.

[Kuttner]

You might want to try searching in some of the past forums for a few ideas. Here is one that relates to 2007 but I think would have a lot of relevant info.

I also wouldn't judge the difficulty after a few games. I don't play historical, but in my fictional leagues I find the AI teams catch up in a season or two.

[phenom]

Turn off all ratings.

[rahuln]

Originally Posted by gollum65

Feel free to move this thread if I started it in the wrong forum.

I'd like some suggestions on how to make the game harder? I started with the Yankees, and ~40 games in, with Jeter, A-Rod, Petite, and Joba on the DL since early in the season, you'd think I'd be struggling to win games? But instead the team is 28-10. And yes, I did make a couple of trades to try and fill holes, mostly for bullpen help, but I've still got 3 AAA or bench players starting every night.

So, are there any settings/options I should tweak to make the game more realistic?

See, the thing is its not just about this season. Sure you're doing well right now, but you did trade minor leaguers (presumably) for major league help. That might come back and bite you later down the road

[Comedian2004]

Set the trade difficulty to HARD or even harder and pick a team that is not filled with superstars.

Take up this challenge. Take the 2003 Tampa Devil Rays and lead them to the playoffs and beyond.

[chriskelly]

Gollum: Realize that the game assigns numerical ratings to players talents based on current / past performance and perceived talent for the future. This is pretty closely related to how salaries get handed out in real life. You're using a team that has far and away the highest salary in baseball. In the short run, I think you'll see less fluctuation in the game than in real life for things like team chemistry. Over 40 games, I'd expect the yankees to be really good.

Like someone else said, this game is a long term, 10 yr game. You're looking to develop talent, make good trades, etc. So, give it time. My suggestions are:

1. if you want to use real rosters, start w/ a team that is bad, or loaded w/ bad salaries, or in rebuilding mode, like a Wash, SF or Pitt. I prefer NL play when I play games out, because pitchers hitting adds value.
2. If you want to play w/ the yankees, set a salary rule for yourself. Such as, by end of 2009, your total salaries has to be down to 10th highest.
3. Turn trades from avg to hard. Don't make the AI throw in players to complete trades. Don't trade cash.
4. Turn scouts on, and fire your scout and get an average scout.
5. Limit the amt of trades you can make to like 2 per season. or, only make trades that the "shop around" offers you, or that the AI initiates. Or, combine these.
6. Limit your free agent / waiver pickups to 3 a yr

if you want to start w/ the top payroll in baseball, and arguably the most talented team on paper, and you don't want to change the squad, then set your sites high....target 110 wins instead of 100 that a real life team may target.

[kc29royals29]

Originally Posted by gollum65

Feel free to move this thread if I started it in the wrong forum.

I'd like some suggestions on how to make the game harder? I started with the Yankees, and ~40 games in, with Jeter, A-Rod, Petite, and Joba on the DL since early in the season, you'd think I'd be struggling to win games? But instead the team is 28-10. And yes, I did make a couple of trades to try and fill holes, mostly for bullpen help, but I've still got 3 AAA or bench players starting every night.

So, are there any settings/options I should tweak to make the game more realistic?

I'm having a smiliar problem. I'm playing with the Kansas City Royals and managing every game. Through 20 games I have the best record in baseball at 17-3. The only move I've made other than calling up players from AAA or AA is claiming Marco Scutaro off waivers (he's gone 0-17 for me so he's probably not the difference maker). My pitching has been dominant with a 2.28 ERA and my hitting has been extremely good with a .298 team batting average. Are other players finding managing games so easy or is this likely just an anomaly?

[sansterre]

Completely an anomaly. My team (the Fresno Assassinators) went 18-7 in May, 10-17 in June, and 16-10 in July. Look at it like relief pitchers. Let's say that you have a guy with sub-par skills (9s in a 1-20 rating league) but over the course of the season he turns in a 2.50 ERA. Which do you trust? The ratings, because anything can happen in 80 innings. I've had 5 ERA relievers turn in 2.50 ERA seasons, and 3.00 ERA relievers turn in 5.50 ERA seasons. With small sample sizes, anything can happen. I have a guy who projects to hit 270/430/520, and for the month of May he hit 193/300/420. Then in June, he went 320/450/600.

The moral of the story is that in small sample sizes, anything can happen. If you're 17-3, that certainly suggests you're doing some things right. But there's no way that's your real team's performance level; not even the yankees have a realistic shot at a 85% winning percentage.

In terms of difficulty, I always hurt myself with money. My league was generated in a fantasy draft (fictional players/teams - non serpentine to force some talent pooling) that I didn't control. Once it was all over, I took over the team with the lowest owner budget, which was $55 million at the time. I had some decent years, now it's about $65 million with the highest in the league being $145 million. Point blank, every extra $10 million dollars your team has to play with is worth another 2-3 wins, depending on luck and skill. If you did a good job managing a 50 million dollar team (near break even W-L wise) then getting an additional 80 million should put you in the playoffs if not constant contention every year. The yankees aren't as easy to manage as one might think because of how messed up their long-term salaries are structured, but don't choose them and expect a real tussle to get into the playoffs.

[Giants44]

to me the single easiest way to make the game harder is to not use the "shop player" or "make this work now" feature in trades.

If you make all trades more like they are done IRL by making an offer, waiting for a response and counter offer, all of which takes a week or so to do I believe you will find the game to be much harder.

most (including me) don't have the patience for that.

also it has been my experience that regular season success is fairly easy to come by, but postseason success is another story entirely. I have had my fair share of 110+ win teams flame out in the playoffs

[gollum65]

Originally Posted by Giants44

to me the single easiest way to make the game harder is to not use the "shop player" or "make this work now" feature in trades.

If you make all trades more like they are done IRL by making an offer, waiting for a response and counter offer, all of which takes a week or so to do I believe you will find the game to be much harder.

most (including me) don't have the patience for that.

also it has been my experience that regular season success is fairly easy to come by, but postseason success is another story entirely. I have had my fair share of 110+ win teams flame out in the playoffs

Thanks for the responses guys. Some of your input is appreciated.

I don't use the make this work now or shop player functions. I usually have a list of players I want, and I do make offers for them and see what I get back.

One of the trades I made in this franchise (which I have since deleted) was Ian Kennedy, and about 3 or 4 other high ranked prospects to the Phillies for Cole Hammels. Once I got Hammels, he never lost. Didn't seem very realistic to me.

Anyway, the real reason for this thread was to see if you guys could suggest general things to make the game harder, such as ways to adjust how well players hit in general, etc...

[Buccaneer44]

Try not playing with the Yankees - try the Orioles or Royals or Cincinnati

[chriskelly]

if you simply adjust trades to hard, you'll see a huge difference.

[The Wolf]

Turn all ratings off in game setup so you that have no choice but to judge by stats only, and while you're there set trades to "very hard" and "prefer rookies."

The game will suddenly be plenty hard enough.