Player strategy settings and "override team strategy"

[beorn]

I have been finding that my player strategy settings do not have the effect that I would expect in my online leagues, so I did a small scale test looking particularly looking at stealing bases.

I took a test league file and ran the same season three times, with a group of about 20 players:
* first time through, each player set at the default middle setting for stealing bases
* second time through, each player set at the most frequent setting for stealing bases
* third time through, set at the most frequent setting, AND set to override team strategy (which was at the mid-level)

Typical results:

Player #1: 7 speed, 16 base stealing (out of 20)
7 attempts
10 attempts
11 attempts

Player #2: 12 speed, 20 base stealing
36
24
24

Player #3: 12 speed, 18 base stealing
21
33
34

Player #4: 16 speed, 17 base stealing
19
23
17

Player #5: 14 speed, 16 base stealing
16
20
18

(All of the players had approximately the same number of at bats all three times through.)

These were typical of the 20 players. A small scale test, but it fit with what I am seeing with my teams.

I'm surprised that the pushing the slider all the way up to the highest base stealing setting does not increase base stealing attempts more. In particular, it seems the game will not let you steal much with some players.

I am even more surprised that overriding team strategy does not push the number of attempts up more.

Is this feature working as intended?

[Painmantle]

Players stealing bases is relevant to who is Pitching, their hold rating, if men are on base etc... Some players (especially ones with median to low ratings) simply can't get a jump often enough to have the effect we'd expect from the sliders. And the number of possible combinations to get a viable test is like playing Power Ball.

I do commend you for your efforts... But this is just way too small of a sample and in a non-controlled environment for the most part, to get a lot of info from. Just way too many variables involved.

I usually just set my team sliders how I want my team to basically steal in general and use Over ride with very frequent with my best players and I do seem to get more attempts out of the guys with very high base stealing and Speed numbers.

[beorn]

Originally Posted by Painmantle

But this is just way too small of a sample and in a non-controlled environment for the most part, to get a lot of info from. Just way too many variables involved.

Maybe. But remember that it is over a whole season. Most of the players played 150+ games, so the pitchers tend to even out.

Originally Posted by Painmantle

I usually just set my team sliders how I want my team to basically steal in general and use Over ride with very frequent with my best players and I do seem to get more attempts out of the guys with very high base stealing and Speed numbers.

This implies my concern. Does the game only implement your strategy if it pretty much agrees?

[Painmantle]

Originally Posted by beorn

Maybe. But remember that it is over a whole season. Most of the players played 150+ games, so the pitchers tend to even out.


This implies my concern. Does the game only implement your strategy if it pretty much agrees?

I have found that my players with very good base stealing and speed seem to attempt more often when player strat sliders are moved to the max and the team strats are over ridden... Players who can't steal won't do it no matter what you do with the sliders

The sliders are nothing more than a "tendency" for the in-game AI to do it more often than it normally would under those circumstances, in even the most extreme circumstances I wouldn't expect any more than 10-12 more steal attempts over the course of the season and that isn't enough with a guy who is really good at stealing to say whether it just happened because of circumstance or because of the sliders.

Your just never gonna get a guys who would normally steal 10-15 bases to steal 30+ with the sliders. Like I said if your lucky you may get 5-10 more attempts or so per season per player who is good at it and even the best base stealer would probably get thrown out 2-4 of those times. The rise in statistics isn't goin to be so dramatic that you would notice it most of the time. Your just adjusting the coaches propensity to call a steal more than he normally would already in that situation.

If an average team increased it total stolen base attempts 10% that would be less than 20 more steals attempts for an entire season and at best 15 more stolen bases. You wouldn't even notice that in the stats.

[SteveP]

Originally Posted by Painmantle

The sliders are nothing more than a "tendency" for the in-game AI to do it more often than it normally would under those circumstances

Exactly right. Moreover, the player strategy overrides are intended to be used on an exceptional basis, with the objective of having one player behave significantly different from the rest of the team. For example, if you have a team composed of guys who get thrown out just looking at second base, you would set the team strategy for stealing at a low level. But if you have one guy who is a talented thief, you'd give him a high personal setting and override the team strategy for him. That way he's unaffected by the team strategy setting, and should do a lot more stealing relative to the rest of the team not relative to the league as a whole. In all likelihood he's going to do about as much stealing as he would on a team that had a general strategy of stealing when possible.