BuzzerBeater Forums

This isn't a terribly new idea, but I think it's a good one.

What would make the addition of a head coach exciting for me would be a wide range of specialties– more than the way current staff are delineated.

Imagine a selection of specialties like this:

Youth: Each player gets a boost based on their age
Chemistry: Each player gets a boost based on the number of competitive games they have played with the franchise
Inside Tactician: All players get a boost to offensive skills when playing inside tactics
Outside Tactician: All players get a boost to offensive skills when playing outside tactics
Neutral Tactician: All players get a boost to offensive skills when playing neutral tactics
Isolation Tactician: Isolated player gets a boost to offensive skills when playing isolation tactics
Zone Tactician: All players get a boost to defensive skills when playing a zone defense
Man-to-Man Tactician: All players get a boost to defensive skills when playing a man-to-man defense
Sneaky Tactician: Changes tactics if the opponent successfully guesses with GDP
Guards: All guards get a boost
Forwards: All forwards get a boost
Centers: All centers get a boost
Inspiration: All players get a boost if the team is behind at the half
Patriot: Every player from the home country gets a boost
Super Fan: Every player drafted by the team or on the original roster gets a big boost
Offensive Mastermind: All players get a boost to their offensive skills
Defensive Mastermind: All players get a boost to their defensive skills
Team Players: Each player gets a boost based on how close his salary is to the team's median salary
Cream Rises: Each player gets a boost based on his role
Rudy: Each player gets a boost based inversely on his role
Towers: Each player gets a bonus based on his height
Shorties: Each player gets a bonus based inversely on his height
Tweeners: Each player gets a bonus based on how close his height is to 6'6"
Etiquette: All players commit fewer fouls
Emmy: All players draw more fouls
Preening: All players get a boost for TV games
Grudge: All players get a boost for rivalry games
Dynasty: All players get a boost based on how long the coach has been employed
Bounce Back: All players get a boost if the team lost the previous game
Streak: All players get a boost if the team won the previous game
Motivator: All players get a boost when playing in a playoff game
Bellweather: All players get a boost based on the team's league ranking
Down-the-Stretch: Each player gets a boost based on how many competitive games he's played this season


What I think this could do is let managers further individualize the way they play the game and the goals they shoot for. For example, a "Super Fan" coach could give homegrown teams a better chance to be competitive. A "youth" coach could make teams training young players more competitive. An "Etiquette" coach could remove some of the hassle of training. A "Rudy" coach could turn the scrub who is suddenly promoted due to injury into a hero. An "Emmy" coach could make your opponent's star player foul out, letting you stage a comeback. An "Outside Tactician" could make motion a more viable offense. A "Guards" coach could let you focus your salary expenditures in the paint, or get the extra edge in RNG, without locking you into always running it.

Anyway... I have no illusion that this suggestion is likely to ever happen, given the amount of coding and testing a panoply of options like this would entail. But I think a change like this could add an engaging aspect to the strategy of BB. It would make managers weigh a lot of costs and benefits. And it would simulate the importance of the coach IRL.

What do you think?

Last edited by Rhyminsimon (USA NT assistant) at 2/6/2018 10:39:29 PM

I like this idea and the specialties you propose are worth exploring. One notable benefit of adding more specialties is that it makes staff easier to acquire over time. Currently, managers are funneled into only two specialties for each type of staff, so there are many pairs of eyes on that trainer with career extension we’re eyeing or that doctor with massage that we want. Too many pairs of eyes that it makes bidding on staff frustrating and the experience can definitely be improved. Compare that to the head coach – there’d be relatively less people bidding on that zone tactician or the bellweather specialty, since there are more choices for managers to spread out and bid on.

This has been expressed before, but I think we can do a better job with expanding specialties to our current staff, too. Would love some constructive feedback, but some crazy ideas I had:

Doctor
Concussion Protocol: players that received training the week before they get injured will receive “team training” every update until they recover. So if you’re working on inside shot with your trainee and he got injured for 3 weeks, he’ll keep getting trained as if you were training IS for team until he can play again.
Self-Care: players with at least “Strong” game shape will be less likely to be injured.
Get Back in There: double game shape improvements (NOT penalties) for players who recover from injury that week.

Trainer
Mentor: significant boost to experience gained per game.
Every Second Counts: players need only 36 minutes to achieve full training for the week.
Minutes are Earned: players can receive additional (greatly diminished) training past 48 minutes, up to 60 minutes.

PR Manager
Player Brand: increases to merchandise based on your players that make it to the allstar week. There could also be more opportunities to elect players to the allstar week. Rising stars challenge (5th through 8th seeds could have their youngest players go through an “obstacle course” that tests their DR, HA, PA, JS/IS etc. Dunk contest for players with highest IS. (Your country) vs. world exhibition games, and “U21” games.
Stadium Hype: increase to attendance the next home game after an arena expansion finishes.
Loyal Fanbase: reduced negative effects on attendance when your team starts losing.

Not that I am advocating for sneaky tactician....

but lets say the change is completely randomized... so it could still be a hit on some GDP, or could be an offensive change completely unfavorable to the team.

Yeah. This was a brainstorming list, not a finished product kind of thing. Some of the specialties are kind of harebrained and others would be easy to abuse. Any addition like this would need weeding out.

I agree that if this kind of thing were added to the game, the head coach type should be visible to all players. That would probably be a tactical necessity. It would also be a good simulation of real life where coaches have reputations for particular strengths.