I turn off scouting/coaching...what am I missing?

[misterflak]

After the first couple go-arounds, I found the coaching/scouting systems to be more about minutiae and maintenance rather than things that could transform your franchise. This is a very shallow viewpoint since I hardly tried the system. How might my experience be enhanced by turning them on?

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by misterflak

After the first couple go-arounds, I found the coaching/scouting systems to be more about minutiae and maintenance rather than things that could transform your franchise. This is a very shallow viewpoint since I hardly tried the system. How might my experience be enhanced by turning them on?

No, not so shallow a viewpoint; I'd call it an astute observation, at least in terms of coaching. It's just a scramble for top-rated coaches which usually is rather easy to do over time and thus dominate the game. You really don't get to "know" them and really just need to make sure that you don't miss it when they quit or retire. Meanwhile, coaching has an unbalancing effect on player performance and results, in my opinion. I play with coaching off, which neutralizes their effect.

Now, as far as scouting goes, that's a bit too useful and realistic to turn off and "go neutral." There are certain aspects of scouting that I enjoy, like scouting reports. Yet, it's the same scramble for blue and green-colored ratings as with coaches.

So here's what I do with scouting: I create (or edit) a scout and name it "Scouting Bureau" or something like that. I edit its ratings to have everything as "Decent" and I give it a $1 salary for 10 years with an extension for another 10 years. My scouting budget is always the league average. All this gives me, uh, decent scouting and at the same time a bit of a handicap so that I don't dominate the game too easily.

[Carlton]

Nothing really
if you play as the GM/MGR of a current team


I do it so I can learn the organizational history of a team.

Plus, a guy like Billy Meyer of the 40's Pirates might win 3 WS in 5 tries and supplant Durocher and Stengel as a managerial icon. John McGraw might be a bust, even though he is the highest rated manager I ever have while player managers might not happen if the player is not on their respective team. Yet McGraw with the Giants gives that team an edge, and it helps Christy Matthewson and other players that become a part of the team

and for scouting I implement that around 1930, and I make Paul Krinchell of the Yankees an amazing SD while an ex player who became a scout IRL with average ratings will go to the Browns or Braves. That helps the Yankees, therefore they might have a shot at a 10 yr dynasty.

[DelinoDeShields]

I like having coaches on because they accrue histories like players -- bouncing from team to team, winning, losing, hired and fired and re-hired. They add to the history of the league.

Scouts are useless though.