It doesn't seem that long ago that I wrote about the experience of being in the World League for the first time ( http://goallineblitz.com/game/forum_thread.pl?thread_id=3701066 ), but two more seasons have passed since then, and it's interesting to me how some things changed a great deal while others remained largely the same. Back then I was proud to have "survived" the gauntlet that is a World League schedule. Having fully expected to be unceremoniously dumped back into CPL with the impression of a World League boot in my ass, it felt like a victory just to stick around. That feeling has faded for the most part, replaced with a sense of frustration and then resignation about always being "good" but never "good enough."
The enthusiasm that I felt in that first season also predictably declined. Back then I made the time to do extensive scouting in preparation for the ridiculous challenge that the World League presents. Those who have never been here (and even some who were only around for a season back in its earliest days) don't seem to grasp just how daunting a prospect it is to face such opponents every two days, but when you face the best rosters in the game, many of whom play entirely differently from one another, then it really takes a sustained effort in order to achieve what you want. Well, anyone short of Valhalla and CB anyway.
Unfortunately I didn't put forth that sort of effort in our third season at this level. As much as I appreciate and enjoy the standard of difficulty that the World League presents, I couldn't stop fatigue from affecting my commitment to the game. When you already have to deal with a job, family, and myriad other interests, it's that much harder to make yourself put forth the amount of investment it takes to succeed. Whatever I tried to tell myself about what Providence could accomplish if I could just keep investing the energy I used to, a voice in the back of my head kept questioning whether it mattered. Lolregular season, indeed. So the truth is that I only created entirely new gameplans for Lincoln, NBA Jam (because I didn't want to hear about it if we lost), and the Blaze.
That last one was undeniably the most crushing. I've had my complaints about the way that Chocolate is allowed to operate, but the reality is that the admins know and don't stop it, so clearly it's within the rules of the game. It's not that I envy them, really, because I wouldn't value wins bought through networking the way I do those from personally building dots and game-planning, but knowing that such a juggernaut exists does take some of the motivation out of trying. Yet I did so anyway. I actually made time to do some scouting and create new defensive plays, but the outcome was as predictable as an episode of Oz. Their superior dots give them an advantage, but I'm also forced to acknowledge the reality that I personally was not good enough to make up any of the difference.
In some ways, I suppose that will the be the epitaph for the Radicals. We ended up being a team with a lot of potential that managed to make the World League playoffs three straight seasons, and yet never really made a mark. It isn't just that we had the misfortune to compete in the era of Valhalla, but that Pariah and I sometimes made mistakes that prevented us from living up to expectations. I failed. I had plenty of successes too, but when you have other people paying to play this game with you, you can't help but feel like you let them down. I know that I feel like we did something meaningful just by making the playoffs three times, but I also feel like we could have won more games if I had done a better job.
Acknowledging my failures in giving an honest effort against every opponent, as well as the frustration of playing in a league with a team you don't think you can never beat, it would seem like I didn't value being in the World League any longer, but that's actually not true. Despite everything else, the reality is that I still enjoyed it immensely, and that I'll miss it after I leave it at the end of the season. Season 15 was the best incarnation of the World League yet, for aside from two monstrous teams at the top and three struggling at the bottom, you never really knew who would come out victorious. Not only did game-planning matter, but match-ups did as well. A team might crush one opponent, who might crush another squad, who neveretheless managed to beat the first team. That challenge isn't unique to the World League level, but it's certainly more common and concentrated here than anywhere else.
So I'm going to miss it. The World League has unquestionably been my most rewarding experience in GLB. It was better than winning a Pro conference title, or gold at lower levels. Putting my mind and my creations against the best this game has to offer has been a deeply rewarding challenge that will make the rest of the game seem less interesting in comparison. My own dots are far, far away from returning due to the ridiculous expense associated with playing making it impossible for me to create a new generation until my first was nearing retirement, but even with the next wave in the Providence line being substantially closer, it won't be the same. Having dots who reached this point and actually made an impact has made a lot of that time and money worthwhile. Moreover, I know that there is no guarantee of returning. Look at Monmouth, who we narrowly edged out for the final playoff spot in that first season, and who undoubtedly thought that they would be right back. When only two teams ascend in any particular season, it's far from guaranteed that you'll get back, no matter how good you think you'll be.
That's why I hope that the teams who participate in the World League truly appreciate being here. (It would also be nice if the admins would actually give some sort of recognition for being here: http://goallineblitz.com/game/forum_thread.pl?thread_id=3779110 ) Reaching this level is an accomplishment in and of itself, and ultimately half of us fail in the effort to stick around. There are teams who knew they were out-matched, yet put in the work to try and win whatever games they could, often getting better as the season went along. That kind of spirit is what the World League is really about, at least to me. As much as I am in awe of what w_alloy has been able to accomplish with Valhalla, it's the efforts of the undermatched who most impressed upon me what the World League really means. With all the recent grousing about the World League's existence, I hope that some of those complainers some day understand what that is like; the effort that those owners, coordinators, and players put into what even they believe to be a lost cause.
So that's it for Providence. We have this one final playoff run as our last hurrah, and then it's off to the glue factory. Better than some, worse than others, but still appreciative of the challenge that the World League presented. It was a blast being here, and I certainly hope that I'll have the chance to experience it again.
The enthusiasm that I felt in that first season also predictably declined. Back then I made the time to do extensive scouting in preparation for the ridiculous challenge that the World League presents. Those who have never been here (and even some who were only around for a season back in its earliest days) don't seem to grasp just how daunting a prospect it is to face such opponents every two days, but when you face the best rosters in the game, many of whom play entirely differently from one another, then it really takes a sustained effort in order to achieve what you want. Well, anyone short of Valhalla and CB anyway.
Unfortunately I didn't put forth that sort of effort in our third season at this level. As much as I appreciate and enjoy the standard of difficulty that the World League presents, I couldn't stop fatigue from affecting my commitment to the game. When you already have to deal with a job, family, and myriad other interests, it's that much harder to make yourself put forth the amount of investment it takes to succeed. Whatever I tried to tell myself about what Providence could accomplish if I could just keep investing the energy I used to, a voice in the back of my head kept questioning whether it mattered. Lolregular season, indeed. So the truth is that I only created entirely new gameplans for Lincoln, NBA Jam (because I didn't want to hear about it if we lost), and the Blaze.
That last one was undeniably the most crushing. I've had my complaints about the way that Chocolate is allowed to operate, but the reality is that the admins know and don't stop it, so clearly it's within the rules of the game. It's not that I envy them, really, because I wouldn't value wins bought through networking the way I do those from personally building dots and game-planning, but knowing that such a juggernaut exists does take some of the motivation out of trying. Yet I did so anyway. I actually made time to do some scouting and create new defensive plays, but the outcome was as predictable as an episode of Oz. Their superior dots give them an advantage, but I'm also forced to acknowledge the reality that I personally was not good enough to make up any of the difference.
In some ways, I suppose that will the be the epitaph for the Radicals. We ended up being a team with a lot of potential that managed to make the World League playoffs three straight seasons, and yet never really made a mark. It isn't just that we had the misfortune to compete in the era of Valhalla, but that Pariah and I sometimes made mistakes that prevented us from living up to expectations. I failed. I had plenty of successes too, but when you have other people paying to play this game with you, you can't help but feel like you let them down. I know that I feel like we did something meaningful just by making the playoffs three times, but I also feel like we could have won more games if I had done a better job.
Acknowledging my failures in giving an honest effort against every opponent, as well as the frustration of playing in a league with a team you don't think you can never beat, it would seem like I didn't value being in the World League any longer, but that's actually not true. Despite everything else, the reality is that I still enjoyed it immensely, and that I'll miss it after I leave it at the end of the season. Season 15 was the best incarnation of the World League yet, for aside from two monstrous teams at the top and three struggling at the bottom, you never really knew who would come out victorious. Not only did game-planning matter, but match-ups did as well. A team might crush one opponent, who might crush another squad, who neveretheless managed to beat the first team. That challenge isn't unique to the World League level, but it's certainly more common and concentrated here than anywhere else.
So I'm going to miss it. The World League has unquestionably been my most rewarding experience in GLB. It was better than winning a Pro conference title, or gold at lower levels. Putting my mind and my creations against the best this game has to offer has been a deeply rewarding challenge that will make the rest of the game seem less interesting in comparison. My own dots are far, far away from returning due to the ridiculous expense associated with playing making it impossible for me to create a new generation until my first was nearing retirement, but even with the next wave in the Providence line being substantially closer, it won't be the same. Having dots who reached this point and actually made an impact has made a lot of that time and money worthwhile. Moreover, I know that there is no guarantee of returning. Look at Monmouth, who we narrowly edged out for the final playoff spot in that first season, and who undoubtedly thought that they would be right back. When only two teams ascend in any particular season, it's far from guaranteed that you'll get back, no matter how good you think you'll be.
That's why I hope that the teams who participate in the World League truly appreciate being here. (It would also be nice if the admins would actually give some sort of recognition for being here: http://goallineblitz.com/game/forum_thread.pl?thread_id=3779110 ) Reaching this level is an accomplishment in and of itself, and ultimately half of us fail in the effort to stick around. There are teams who knew they were out-matched, yet put in the work to try and win whatever games they could, often getting better as the season went along. That kind of spirit is what the World League is really about, at least to me. As much as I am in awe of what w_alloy has been able to accomplish with Valhalla, it's the efforts of the undermatched who most impressed upon me what the World League really means. With all the recent grousing about the World League's existence, I hope that some of those complainers some day understand what that is like; the effort that those owners, coordinators, and players put into what even they believe to be a lost cause.
So that's it for Providence. We have this one final playoff run as our last hurrah, and then it's off to the glue factory. Better than some, worse than others, but still appreciative of the challenge that the World League presented. It was a blast being here, and I certainly hope that I'll have the chance to experience it again.
Edited by jdbolick on May 8, 2010 12:44:14
Edited by jdbolick on May 8, 2010 12:41:48
