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The one thing that disappointed me about BB is this: When I first signed up, I envisioned scrimmages as great chances to prove yourself against good teams around the world. Little did I know it was nothing more than a device used to get players within the minutes requirements.

A few simple ideas about how to possibly fix it:

1) Have scrimmage minutes be independent from game shape updates - but NOT training updates. This is self-explanatory; you'd be free to use your best players in competitive scrimmage games without worrying about ugly game shapes.

1a) Count scrimmage minutes, but rewire the GS formula to make it a bit more forgiving. Consider that NBA teams play 3-4 games every week, and don't sit players to rest them. NBA starters play around 120 minutes per week, easily. Why can our beloved BB players only play two games and 70 minutes a week without falling apart over a season's time?

1b) Have stamina and game shape become related. Although I would personally oppose this one, because there's a nice distinction between stamina and GS as it is.

2) Have scrimmage results affect the fan survey. It makes sense that scrimmages are free, but if fans cared about the results, games would actually be competitive. This should be the only possible financial element to scrimmages, however.

3) Teams with Supporter only earn a flag if they win the game, or
3a) Supporters have a W/L scrim record in team history, or
3b) Scrimmage results affect world rank. All are self-explanatory, I think, and are initiatives to make owners care about scrimmage results. Of course, this is dependent on owners being able to care about scrimmages.

I hope BB developers can build on these ideas (or, preferably, better ideas) but I'm sure I'm not the only one who'd prefer to never have to buy another 1k "scrim player" (to be cut after the game) again.

Last edited by RiseandFire at 11/17/2010 10:16:56 PM

So you could have 6-7 players with no penalty? No thanks. People choose a scrimmage opponent depending on the minutes need anyway. Usually to blow out an opponent or get blown out yourself. With your suggestion, everyone would search for an opponent they would certainly beat. Tieing a game that users can set up themselves to a fan survey is a bad idea.
Fow low level teams, "I have a decent fan survey this week, I can not arrange a scrimmage this week to mess that up".

That's a good point. If you tie quality of opponent into it (or don't penalize losses heavily) it could work. Anyways, the idea is to make scrimmages into competitive games - which in turn could establish friendly worldwide rivalries and more community integration.

Thats what PL is for.

If you really wanted to play someone with your best lineups, get into a PL with them.

T
3b) Scrimmage results affect world rank.

Isn't that the case yet?

Another problem that comes up: if you grant scrimmages those benefits (1, 1a), you have to do the same with cup games.

Something I want to see: at least some kind of financial reward for playing a scrimmage - I have to pay the salaries. At the moment I am contemplating playing a 7 or 8-man roster and buying and dumping three $1000-bums every week to save money and still have the best team in the league...

Yes and no. The OP is in the same PL as me. We're a group of people that know each other from a different (lamer) game. Came over to this game together, and have succeeded in all of us being pretty competitive.

Our PL has extra meaning/trash talking to our games due to knowing each other from elsewhere. It's actually the main spur which has gotten several of us to promote through BB leagues rather quickly.

While joining a different PL could mean he gets to play other international teams and see how he stacks up with say a III league in Italy, it would most likely be a lot less fun for him, since it would feel more impersonal.

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I think one thing that could rectify the desire to play very good competition in other countries. Is to have a lower tier B3 tourney. Like a Buzzerbeater's Best, except for the team is D.II leagues

As for myself, I really like having scrims be a stress reducer when it comes to training minutes, and getting backup players the needed minutes to maintain game shape. Any changes made would probably be nice, but I'd still like a scrim on Thursday to fall back upon.

Last edited by AZ at 11/18/2010 4:55:09 PM

That's an interesting idea, yeah. The scrim suggestion gives you the choice of who to play, though, and as far as GS goes, the proposal would remove GS as a topic of consideration - the idea would be to improve the existing system, so to speak, instead of making more alterations within it.

Another problem that comes up: if you grant scrimmages those benefits (1, 1a), you have to do the same with cup games.

True, but I don't see this as problematic - I actually see it as naturally sensible.

Thats what PL is for.

If you really wanted to play someone with your best lineups, get into a PL with them.

From the "meaningful competition with worldwide teams is a Supporter privilege" standpoint, sure, but then you can still argue "why not have meaningful scrimmages be a Supporter option?" I don't even want to go down that road - I just bring it up because as AZ pointed out, teams in top leagues get to play B3 games while the rest of us don't.

Maybe if we had sanctioned tournaments you could opt into, organized by users...

Last edited by RiseandFire at 11/18/2010 9:37:32 PM