BuzzerBeater Forums

As a former user that came back recently, I think one of the biggest problems with BB is the first few days.

Let's say I'm a completely new manager. I see this rather interesting game and my interests are peaked. I decide to sign up and wait, I can't play right away! I have to wait for my team to be approved. So I wait a while (I don't remember how long, but I think it was within the same hour) and I get my team. I start to familiarize myself with the game and make adjustments and then it becomes apparent that I can't buy any players off the market for the first three days. The problem is, the very first thing any coach should do is begin assembling his team and collecting talent. Waiting three days is ridiculous and I imagine a ton of managers just call it quits right there and then.

Now, obviously there are reasons why the above happens:

1. To prevent any type of fraud from occurring where a new team is owned by a current user and that user sells a player on his main team to the new team for a value way beyond his market price.

2. Maybe it allows the new user to explore a little bit and understand the game before jumping straight into the market.

I think the above two reasons are valid, but there has to be a better solution than the one currently in place. We can't afford new users to be in a restricted state when they are in the peak of their interest in the game!

Does anybody have any feedback about whether this problem is as significant as I make it out to be or a possible solution to this problem?

Furthermore, I think the game's learning curve can be much more friendly to new users. BB tries to oversimplify the game by creating a "short menu" and simplified tactics in the Set-Your-Lineup page. I think these are inefficient means of allowing the player to truly understand what's going on.

Ideally, all new users would read the game manual in its entirety. This is a bit much to ask new players though. Instead, I think a series of concise videos with voice, perhaps created by users, is a good way of introducing the main aspects of the game. I think there should be one 2-minute video with a brief overview of the whole game and then specific videos for each aspect. For example, let's say I'm a new manager, the very first few times that I click on "Roster", there should be a video on top (perhaps give some kind of award for playing the video too) that explains what I'm seeing and what different skills mean. When I click on Weekly Stats, the video will explain the importance of gameshape, and how you can track training minutes using this page.

As a former user currently in DV, you have no idea how many users I see who just plain don't know what they're doing and don't improve. I can't help but sympathize with them when almost all of them go inactive because their teams suck and I wouldn't want to be in a game where I was losing and didn't know how to get better.

Now, many of you have suggested a mentoring program. I think this is a great step but the problem is getting enough people to reach out to new users and having new users want that type of relationship. I think it's much easier to just have the game manual gradually unfold in front of them as they explore new features.

Last call.

This thread is not "Mr Glass against the world", we know that could last for days and I doubt the thread creator would enjoy that. It's funny, but it's also a first class burial for threads.

Anything not directly related with what was discussed before Mr Glass came on board will be deleted, starting now.

No, I don't. Thanks, EGM-Perpete. I believe strongly in peeps voicing their opinions but, as you pointed out, this was off topic.

@burninator

I think a series of concise videos with voice, perhaps created by users, is a good way of introducing the main aspects of the game. I think there should be one 2-minute video with a brief overview of the whole game and then specific videos for each aspect. For example, let's say I'm a new manager, the very first few times that I click on "Roster", there should be a video on top (perhaps give some kind of award for playing the video too) that explains what I'm seeing and what different skills mean. When I click on Weekly Stats, the video will explain the importance of gameshape, and how you can track training minutes using this page.

+1 Great idea. Given males (no offense to those few ladies playing the game) are more visual, this would likely show new users what to do and what to expect. Nice.

I believe that as long as you notify GMs beforehand (quick BB-mail should do) everything should be fine. Also, I wouldnt do transfer between your teams, and especially not the ones in which a price doesnt reflect the market. I think if those two conditions are met you shouldn't have any problems and I think GM will confirm that

yes i totally agree with you there mr damian.
in fact to be totally safe, a not transfer for whatsoever reason between our teams should happen, its sort of policing our own ranks, if the BB allows it
can BB-perpete or BB-marin , or any other BB reply to this scenario? if they approve i at least 3 officemates can join by next week

thank you EGM Perpete, that clarifies everything. i will talk to them on monday after i get back to the office

will definitely follow your advice strictly on the one human one team ( 2 if utopia).
to which GM do we send the note , can we send it to you and BB marin?

by the way, you mentioned something of inactivity in case of a vacation, how may days are allowed for a manager to be inactive before they become a bot? just want to know, in case any unforeseen things happen.
the philippines is disaster prone and things like typhoon yolanda can happen, where electricity and the internet can be destroyed and can take months to go back up.

just want to have that information

Last edited by abu at 7/31/2014 10:04:15 AM

Merci, egm perpete, i would surely send you the memo once my colleagues join.
Au Revoir

I don't think Buzzerbeater is dying a slow death, but its current state definitely makes me worried. I have played this game for five seasons now and I have seen the amount of managers slowly descend. Former games I played and worked for experienced the same situation and that had to do with one of two things: either the game didn't develop fast enough and users got bored with the options or the game wasn't exposed to new managers enough so the absolut amount of people who stopped playing the game was bigger than the absolut amount of managers entering the game. I personally think the second thing is happening here and that can be fixed, but that certainly needs some time, effort and money.

Buzzerbeater is Buzzerbeater
First of all. Buzzerbeater is unique. Let's accept that. It's the best (and only big) slow play manager game out there. It hasn't attracted loads of fast living youngsters and never will.

Mobile Managing
Buzzerbeater is a desktop computer game. Most people like this aspect of the game and I personally think that it has somethinh charming. Still I think it should be better accessible for mobile devices. Right, an App... Most reactions of GMs and BBs on the idea of creating an app are the costs of developping and the difficulty of devellopping an app. But let's face reality, how difficult is creating a simple app to view the core elements of BB (viewing matches, adjusting lineups, forum, messages and buying players wil do the job). To finance this app BB could use crowdsourcing or finance it by itself and earn the investment back with advertising or revenues of selling the app. The app could also sens notifications when games start etc. so current players get more involved with their team...

Social Media
Social Media is the easiest way of reaching new potential managers. Over 80% of the people between 20 and 50y old use social media... do the math yourself! How active is Buzzerbeater itself on the social media, how active are we players on social media to promote BB? Apart from Facebook there is almost no activity... Why not launch a big campaign and reward the managers for promoting with free supporter weeks or something like that.

Game changing?
Isn't there anything that should be changed in the game? Big changes like Utopia are always big risks, but I think that the creation of Utopia in combination with the fact that the game excist for 28 seasons has lead to a growing problem... trucloads of money! The high prices of players are quite demotivating for new players, so maybe some new features for spending money should be introduced. (Think of training facility or other buildings?)

Enough words from here :)

Game changing?
Isn't there anything that should be changed in the game? Big changes like Utopia are always big risks, but I think that the creation of Utopia in combination with the fact that the game excist for 28 seasons has lead to a growing problem... trucloads of money! The high prices of players are quite demotivating for new players, so maybe some new features for spending money should be introduced. (Think of training facility or other buildings?)

Enough words from here :)

+1 Stefan

I joined the Crossover basketball game last year and, because of many aspects, stopped playing it quickly; it just has nothing compared to BB. However, one big thing that bugged me was that I didn't have enough money to buy players which were, on average, very expensive. So, new peeps joining who experience the absurd prices on the market recently may well be put off this game and some way of addressing that might be beneficial. Although I'm not sure if such changes would be positive or if they would tarnish a great game. I mean, BB requires managers to think and plan in order to be successful. As much as high priced players is a likely problem for new peeps, anything we do to address this might reduce the 'challenge' BB offers.

I like your point though and I think it's valid...as were your other points although they have been discussed at length elsewhere.