Competitive balance discussion

[scott1964]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

Think of Game of Thrones for inspiration!

Between the two of us we scored 7 runs in the 10th of game 5. Lost thanks to my positional player and my ace closer giving up 2 home runs.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by scott1964

Between the two of us we scored 7 runs in the 10th of game 5. Lost thanks to my positional player and my ace closer giving up 2 home runs.

It's time to release the dragon! With a better result than this, of course:

[scott1964]

Lost to the Kentucky Crowns 4 games to 2

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by scott1964

Lost to the Kentucky Crowns 4 games to 2

Oh well. The good news is, you probably will not be seeing them anymore.

[ArcAngel]

so I tried the beta, and discovered that...the roster management aspect is EXACTLY like that in Madden Mobile. Card collecting for players, complete with buy-able packs and an auction house.

What makes PT different, though, is the fact that there is, for all intents and purposes, a "flight" (golf term) system for teams.

That aspect of PT I like, BUT...I feel those that have "deep pockets" will have the better teams and rise up to the "elite" divisions in nothing flat.

Where is the fun in that? It isn't, IMHO.

I feel that it's better to build your team based on your...intuition...instincts, and in general, "gut" feeling, instead of throwing your hard earned bucks at it (which could be used more resourcefully elsewhere).

Now I am not saying that I think PT will be a failure. Like anything new, it will take time to "iron the bugs out", and once that happens the experience will be fluid for all.

I bought packs with PP from the initial 1k outlay, to those earned through gameplay, and while I did not expect to get great cards, it was nice to see one or two along the way (just like when I was a kid).

But I looked at it deeper than that. Sure, that 89 card may look nice on the outside, but what I really looked at were the ratings. THAT is the "bread and butter" of OOTP, I feel.

[Kushiel]

Originally Posted by ArcAngel

That aspect of PT I like, BUT...I feel those that have "deep pockets" will have the better teams and rise up to the "elite" divisions in nothing flat.

Where is the fun in that? It isn't, IMHO.

I feel that it's better to build your team based on your...intuition...instincts, and in general, "gut" feeling, instead of throwing your hard earned bucks at it (which could be used more resourcefully elsewhere)

Why is your way better? So, some people will have instant gratification and you may or may not as you choose. Today is an instant gratification time in our history. You can still build your team exactly as you state," based on your...intuition...instincts, and in general, "gut" feeling." Why do you think that will not be fun for them? Maybe they will in fact be having much more fun than you will be having but that is not their fault. I will not be able to approach the money some have spent and will be spending; but I have and will spend some dollars over time. I am not offended if you or anybody else spend 10,000 dollars the first day. That does not effect what I am doing with my team. I am here to have fun and I am a having a blast. I hope everybody else is having a good time too. It does not matter how they choose to play, I play my way.

All of us will find a level that fits our expertise whether we spend a million or not. Remember the "Evil Empire" in New York City routinely spend much more than most teams. Last I checked they have not been winning the World Series every year. As a matter of fact they have won twice this century, I believe.

Let OOTP make all the profit they can so we can have free experiences like this.

[Maddox]

I have to agree with ArcAngel that I don't understand the fun of just buying the best team right out of the gate. If you have your "Perfect Team" by week three or four then what are your goals?

The only thing to play for at that point is Wins. Perfect Points mean little once your team has no room for improvement.

Now, that being said, to each their own. If it is that important to people to have the best team as quickly as possible then more power to them. They get what they want and the developers get the money they spent on points.

[Maddox]

Based on what I saw in Beta there were quite a few teams, who through one method or another were completely stacked by week 2. I am sure many of those paid for a lot of Perfect Points (nothing wrong with that).


With almost a full week of Entry league play prior to the first season, and purchased points carrying over, there should be plenty of time for those players to stack their lineup again.


So, I expect the first few seasons could be brutal for the more casual amongst us until all of those teams are promoted. For new players who don't fully understand promotion/relegation yet this could actually drive them away, assuming that they will never be able to compete.


I know to be patient but not everyone will know this.

[zrog2000]

You really cannot predict that because of the unlimited pack bug. There will be a smaller percentage of what look like big buyers because that bug is gone.

[Maddox]

Originally Posted by zrog2000

You really cannot predict that because of the unlimited pack bug. There will be a smaller percentage of what look like big buyers because that bug is gone.

We'll see. I would hate to think that so many exploited that bug that it was the primary reason so many teams were stacked. As a long term gamer I guess I should not really be surprised though that others will exploit any bug or loophole possible to gain an advantage.

[waylander]

I'd say after messing around as F2P and then dropping some coin on packs, it really depends on how you derive fun.

It was a a lot of fun initially building a team, getting an upgrade to a position just about every day. Opening a pack was fun, because you were getting players that you needed.

After buying a bunch of PP... I can say it's a lot less fun opening 10 packs in a row and not getting a single player you can use. Bronze cards are worthless and even silvers priced low were not selling.

If you derive fun from winning games - buy PP. If you have fun building a roster up, I'd go slow and easy.

[Dirwulf]

Maybe I should check the bug forum more closely. I didn't even know such a bug existed.

[max venerabel]

Interesting discussion here. So far, I'm finding the game enjoyable as it is, but seeing the potential to get frustrated by the constantly changing competitive landscape. I bought a few packs out of the gate, just because I found the starter packs so much fun, and then added a bit more funds to pick up some players from the Auction House, and seemingly that (as well as my general managerial prowess, of course), has been enough to vault me to the top of my entry league. Its a close race, and the teams near me in the standings are similarly valued, so at the moment it feels like an actual competition, rather than a spending spree.

Its a new experience for me, and so far its been a lot of fun to scout the auction house and scheme ways to improve your team within the PP budget you have. I'm not buying any more PP, and seems a lot more fun to play that way.

However, two things have bothered me a little:

1) I'm constantly looking at my opponents to see if they are upgrading. I'm always checking to see if they have added significant talent, and finding I definitely feel pressure to keep pace with the small amounts of PP that I've saved and accrued from achievements. Right now, I'm winning and like my roster, but if my opponents suddenly get a lot better than me, not sure how that's going to feel.

2) I kinda miss the feeling of a persistent team, but less than I thought. Its just so much fun to scout and shape the team via the auction house, and add players I like from a historical perspective. Definitely different than a regular OOTP league, where you get attached to the players you have. But, so far so good on that angle. At some point, though, I'm probably not going to want to jump to the next level (i.e. I have no interest adding Mike Trout and Mookie Betts), and I guess I'll have to see if that means I'm a .500 club and I retain interest.

Either way, will be interesting to do this all over again now that I understand the game from the Beta.

[waylander]

Also, the packs were much sweeter in the beginning of beta. We are spoiled a bit...

[Clavette]

Perfects also sold for 50k for a few days.

But yea I imagine there is going to be a whale or two in each entry and rookie league. It will take a couple weeks to sort out as it did in beta

[One Post Wonder]

Well, how are things presently in the Rookie/A leagues?

By now, promotion should have cleaned out the rookie leagues in particular, since teams are getting promoted at a huge rate. If the rookie leagues are still shark ponds after all that, then maybe the OP has some truth to it.

But it really doesn't matter. The whale in my division came in 3rd. An attentive player is always going to beat someone who just gets a bunch of pp and picks up the biggest OVRs.

BTW, how are promotions going to work when the real game first opens up? Will it be like beta where 16 teams are being promoted? I don't want to be moved up before I'm ready.

[Maddox]

Originally Posted by One Post Wonder

Well, how are things presently in the Rookie/A leagues?

By now, promotion should have cleaned out the rookie leagues in particular, since teams are getting promoted at a huge rate. If the rookie leagues are still shark ponds after all that, then maybe the OP has some truth to it.

But it really doesn't matter. The whale in my division came in 3rd. An attentive player is always going to beat someone who just gets a bunch of pp and picks up the biggest OVRs.

BTW, how are promotions going to work when the real game first opens up? Will it be like beta where 16 teams are being promoted? I don't want to be moved up before I'm ready.

I never said that promotion/relegation would not even things out, only that with everyone starting in Rookie league again next week that it could be really rough for some until it does. The whale in my "A" league last season was 100 games over 500 and won their division by over 30 games.


I know it will just take patience. I am not sure every player realizes that though.

[One Post Wonder]

Originally Posted by ArcAngel

I feel that it's better to build your team based on your...intuition...instincts, and in general, "gut" feeling, instead of throwing your hard earned bucks at it (which could be used more resourcefully elsewhere).

But this isn't that kind of game. Where do you need to apply intuition in PT? Scouting is 100%. Players don't get injured or age.

It's not like in the solo game, where you've got a guy playing well in AAA and when you first bring him up, you have no idea what he's going to give you. Or wondering what to do with a player who is 29 but coming off a bad year. You know everything that a player is capable of, and if he isn't performing it is likely because the RNG just isn't favoring him that year.

[Dogberry99]

I'm guessing not many people here play games from the non-competitive "Idle" genre, but some of the discussions here remind me of issues facing players and devs alike there. Some people, especially those who spend money, far outpace the rate of new content. Of those people, some stay active, some are only active during special events or immediately following the release of new content, and some quit entirely. I suspect Perfect Team may fall into some of those same cycles, what with the power creep all our teams will see as we gain points in various ways.

This is why I think the tournaments will be a critical component to the ultimate success or failure of this mini-game.

[max venerabel]

Is there any information on how Tournaments will work?