BuzzerBeater Forums

well, I don't think the substitution algorithm is perfect.

it is also a complicated function.

and the problem is figuring out how to right one piece of code that works well in almost every situation, with any skill difference between players.

Ultimately that most basic function of the substitution algorithm is to figure out how tired a player is, and whether you'd be better off with his backup in the game now (considering time left and all these other factors). Certainly an ideal coach would think that about the problem that way. Now you want to find an uniform framework where the coach can still consider that, but then also modify it based upon some input from the manager, and it has to fulfill both the manager's desire no matter what the skill difference between players, and still try to put the best team on the court.

I could write a checksubs algorithm that would be totally based upon distributing minutes, but that's not what a basketball coach really does, and it would make some funny choices, some stupid choices even.. leave a team on the court with no decent rebounders etc.. and you'd be yelling about the stupid combinations and timing the coach chose to make. Also if we wrote it around minutes, it would lead people to even more focus on optimizing training to a ridiculous degree and I think it would make the game a bit too narrow if we let the focus really sharpen on optimizing training MORE than it already is a focus.

okay.. I think that's an interesting idea, but let me point out that the algorithm must make more complicated decisions than just this.

For instance, what if two starters both go under 75% of their tiredness... should he take both of them out? or just one? what if both are under 50%? do you make all the choices completely independent of how effective a total team you are leaving out on the court is?

maybe we could give this sort of option as a choice, and it would have its downsides, but then people could choose it. I will think about it..also, often there are problems with these ideas that are not obvious until you sit down to code them, so i don't want to promise you anything.

While the substitution patterns are hard to get a grasp of, I can deal with it for regular/cup/NT games and the such. But I will never understand why we can't control a players minutes in a scrimmage. The scrimmage is only for training purposes really, and isn't a competitive match per se. I suppose some might use it to practice tactics and such, but I feel it is mostly for training.

Since no money comes from it, and only bad events could really happen (injury, too many minutes played), I wonder why you couldn't have a max minute or minimum minutes played options for scrims only. I don't see why the coach is 'going for the win' in this case. It's to get bench players some playing time to work on their game.. I think.

I totally agree, specially having a fix minutes number fixed for training.

An other idea coming from the NBA, is that i know that lots of players are having fixed minutes. Its a possible to have the option to give a player a certain amount of minutes?

I don't think you can make a change where you can pick a certain quarter to rest players since you don't know what the situation will be in the game. And it takes away the coaches ability to "win the game" (as Herm Edwards would say).

If you are talking about scrimmages, I think something could be done to help manage minutes a little more. Maybe check certain players to let the GE give them more minutes. But I would only suggest it for scrimmages.

My 2 cents....

I don't think it is a good idea to make it easy to get a specific number of or an optimal number of minutes. To me that takes away from the challenge. I do not want a game where I can say "player A gets 62 minutes this week because that is the optimal minutes per week for game shape." I think that is lame.

If you want a player to get a lot of minutes, there are ways of doing that. Set him as starter backup and third string and have the coach strictly follow depth chart. Unles he fouls out, he'll get 48 minutes.

this is not always true, the 48 min thing