I think there are some simple fixes that might keep new blood around a bit longer, especially in the game planning/ownership part of the game.
1. There should be rookie leagues with true rookie owners. Part of this is on the developers to allow new owners to slot themselves as wanting to be in a new owner only rookie league and part up to veteran owners and coordinators to not have direct input in their teams by being OCs and DCs in these designated leagues. Or give people a chance to take on the OC/DC role of a D-league team to cut their teeth a little bit.
2. If new people in the game are going to dive right in but are hoping for the help of a mentor, playbooks should be transferrable and open to coaching staffs and ownership. As an owner, I should be able to see the playbooks anyways, but if I am mentoring a new grasshopper, it would be a lot easier to share a playbook and tactics rather than having to give it to them in another format so they can see it. It also shouldn't be on a third party to allow sharing options. Lastly, on this topic, while I can recreate pretty much any playbook with GLB2 scout, I shouldn't have to for my own team just because I bring someone else in to coordinate it.
3. While I don't like play calling, I can do it and if you knew which games I have called, you would know I can do a pretty good job. That being said, I completely understand why it is a burnout, especially on the defensive side. On offense, I don't have to change a playbook on the second time I face someone, just the tactics because the same plays will work, just changing when they are being used is all that is needed. On defense, you have to stay on top of everything and pretty much make a decision to sell out stopping one facet of the game and guessing when they are going to primarily use that single facet. Nothing difficult, just time consuming and tedious if you are going to do it right.
4. There are parts of the game that seriously still need to be tweaked. Rob. made mention of this and he is spot on. I don't mind losing games to poor game calling on our part, but I do mind losing to bad logic within the game we have no control over. Either change the logic or add a feature allowing coordinators to check off on intentional tendencies. Punting on the opponent 42 on 4th and inches, down by 4, and with 38 seconds left on the clock doesn't make any sense.
5. I am not confident this game will endure without some changes. I still keep buying more seasons to Stobie's scout tool because he has put a lot of time and energy into creating a great product. At least with that, I can turn the parts of the current game I like into being a few minutes rather than hours coordinating. I like this game and when there are games between those in the top tier of knowledge, it is generally a lot of fun. There are a handful of guys I know I have to bring my A game to or the game will get ugly. While there are some deficiencies in the game, there has been a direct correlation between time spent on game planning and winning to a certain point. Of course you can overthink stuff, but generally, if there is some time put into planning, the end result is usually a win. It is the small amount of games where the final outcome was far too random or based on way too illogical chain of events which can make the game frustrating. By random, I mean watching a game where receivers are triple covered all game making catch after catch. Even if a less than optimal play is called, the build of a dot should not be negated or enhanced.
I do think communication would alleviate most issues in either terms of something getting changed more timely or an explanation of why something needs to stay the same. I will be in a position at some point where a complete lack of communication does indicate a complete lack of appreciation for the occasional purchase of flex points to enhance the game experience.
