Warrior General Games

Originally posted by ahnonamis
In Portland we call selling your only toilet a guaranteed way to make new friends at Mt Tabor.

Maybe over in Beaverton.

Never heard anything about the mountain over in Woodstock area.

so Corndog - does this seem overpowered for two top teams (for their tier) who focused their defenses exclusively on stopping those goal line plays?


I would say "yes" Yorick did shut me down (honestly)

365 yards
6.2 yards per carry
only 14 points but lost a fumble deep in their end
Did break an 88 yd TD


I wish I'd chosen a different Defense - I picked a random one since time was close - and ended up running some kind of flats
Yorick:
397 yards
6.5 yards per carry
17 points

(so - he game planned to shut it down -- I chose a random defense from my head coach -- and we both did roughly the same)



(also: QB roll out weak doesn't have as smooth of pathing as the strong does - so though I've seen it work before - it is much choppier..)

17-14 is a pretty low scoring game.

That YPC, though.

If you want to make me a GM on your rookie team - I'll spam some rookie teams with it in scrimms so you can see - since I'm mostly talking here about how it does/can ruin rookie

Well, you don't need to prove it's broke, mostly just need to know why it's so stronk.

Surely it isn't an unstoppable play design or it would be ran all the time in the NFL.

Originally posted by Corndog
Well, you don't need to prove it's broke, mostly just need to know why it's so stronk.

Surely it isn't an unstoppable play design or it would be ran all the time in the NFL.

There are two separate issues going on.

1) Offenses like mine can build to do just one thing. I have a whopping 2 WR's on my team, neither of whom are going to catch a pass this season. My one WR that I was forced to get because I couldn't get any more TE's is build pure run blocker. The other is our return specialist. So instead of WR's, I have 2 FB's and 3 TE's and they are built to lead block. My o-line is built to run/lead block. Heck, even my HB's who have good carrying skills also trained up their lead blocking.

Defenses, on the other hand, don't dare build that exact because if you built a defense that committed to Break Run Block, speed, and such, the first time you ran into a pass happy bunch, they'd eat you alive. So instead you build some run stopping and pass defense and pass rush and all that.

The net result is that my very specialist offense is way better at doing what I do than any defense is going to be at stopping it. Yorick makes no secret what they're going to do. They don't shy from letting people scrim them to their heart's content. I'm going to run, and you can't stop me.

2) The second issue is one you can actually fix. In the NFL, LB's and DB's dont' charge straight at the ball carrier if it means running through a scrum at the line of scrimmage. Instead they shufle down the line mirroring the ball carrier until they get open space, and then they attack. In GLB2, though, it's charge straight at the ball carrier and in the process, most of them get caught up in the wash.

You can see that perfectly in the very firstest play Yorick's offense ran this season:
http://glb2.warriorgeneral.com/game/replay/60100/154009

The ROLB, MLB, and SS are all going to start unblocked. However, by tick 35, I already know it's a TD because nobody is left on the defense that hasn't joined the kittenpile in the middle of the field. It ends up taking 9 blockers to eat up all 11 guys on defense to start the play. Then when a defender does break free, the HB just turns on him, because again, all my guys have run/lead blocking awareness.

In the NFL, the ROLB, MLB, and SS would all have stayed behind the line as they crossed the field. This would have then left one of them to slide between the lead blockers and make the play.

Oh, also in the NFL, most QB's have nowhere near enough speed to pull off a play like this, and the ones that do get killed when a quick MLB beats the blockers.

Well Xav what is going to happen is you're going to meet a team that is built to stop the run and they will make all your investment useless for that game.

Originally posted by Kada
QUOTE=Corndog]D-League forums link to the FAQ forum, which is probably a lot more helpful than a forum with only half a dozen other users who are equally clueless and even less interested in discussion.

As for tutorials, I'm not a people person (as I'm sure you've gathered itt), and I'm really bad at explaining things. Besides, the issue isn't that new users see it and leave, it's that there's just not THAT many new users. GLB2 has actually had a pretty good retention rate so far.

I am completely new to GLB2 and I will be honest I have no idea what I'm doing. I have had some PMs back in forth some with other agents but I am getting different points of view on how to do this how to do that. A Help type button would really help. Or even a group of people willing to train newcomers. Honestly I'm not telling my friends about the game cause I can't really explain what I am doing to get them interested.

Maybe it's just me, but from a newcomer I thought I would put in my 2 cents.

I've been on GLB1 since Season8 but I really have never learned everything that is available... and that could be on me, but when you have conflicting training it's hard to learn. Does that make sense?

This.

This is why I'm trying to get you on the tutorial front. Both for new players and owners. It doesn't have to be complex, you just have to get them pointed in the right way more correctly.

As for the forums, they work great for you. Not necessarily others. I pointed out earlier, when you look at adult educational models not all people learn the same way. 3-4 Moving slides that explain player creation, team management , and basics of GLB would do you wonders.

Is the retention rate high or "good" for players who didn't come from GLB1? I think your most ardent user group right now are those who were dissatisfied with GLB1, you fixed some things we hated and now were playing, but are you planning to add new players?
One of the reasons your retention rate if high is that the sim itself is good, its an exciting game and for the most part, warts and all, simulates a true football experience.

As for adding to the user-base in general, you can make some simple changes to encourage recruitment and new user interface:
Keep Referral SuperStar Points in a separate category form player tiers. The allure of potentially having a 4th SuperStar might be enough incentive for some people to hit the recruiting trail. Accrue points in that 4th bar based on number of referrals , I would also consider awarding "double points" for those that purchase flex.

Create a mentor program. When you have a new owner whose account has been on GLB2 for less than 60 days, offer them the chance to sign up with a voluntary mentor. They could have the same access as a GM. However in a formalized structure. At the end of their first season the mentee would receive a survey to fill out , they could verify that the mentor helped them with recruitment , settings etc.. A satisfactory score could be awarded SuperStar points on the same 4th bar.

Sort new teams in rookie ball by experience level. Sort first by length of time in ownership (teams dropping down), then by length of time their GLB2 account has been active. That would keep the reset teams together along with veteran agents. Newer owners who are still refining tactics would have a better shot against other amateur owners.

Allow direct ownership of farm teams by veteran league owners A few seasons away but would seem to make a great deal of sense. Those teams will be well resourced. Right now we are all honestly doing it, planning it , or at least should be but using a cut-out or friend to purchase the team for us. Those teams could be properly categorized into the leagues with the most experienced teams (granted I still prefer my college method but its a bigger coding headache).

Still keeping experienced owners out of direct initial competition with new owners is a wise idea along with giving people an incentive to do referrals and help new players with tutorials and mentorship.

Xavori highlighted my point on pursuit a bit more. There is no containment involved which is why everything ends up at the sidelines.

Sorting teams in rookie by experience level isn't going to be helpful. Everyone gets one team so your always gonna get new owners but a lot of those new owners are being supplied by knowledgable agents with dots and coordinating.

Originally posted by Xavori
There are two separate issues going on.

1) Offenses like mine can build to do just one thing. I have a whopping 2 WR's on my team, neither of whom are going to catch a pass this season. My one WR that I was forced to get because I couldn't get any more TE's is build pure run blocker. The other is our return specialist. So instead of WR's, I have 2 FB's and 3 TE's and they are built to lead block. My o-line is built to run/lead block. Heck, even my HB's who have good carrying skills also trained up their lead blocking.

Defenses, on the other hand, don't dare build that exact because if you built a defense that committed to Break Run Block, speed, and such, the first time you ran into a pass happy bunch, they'd eat you alive. So instead you build some run stopping and pass defense and pass rush and all that.

The net result is that my very specialist offense is way better at doing what I do than any defense is going to be at stopping it. Yorick makes no secret what they're going to do. They don't shy from letting people scrim them to their heart's content. I'm going to run, and you can't stop me.


To this point: The real problem here is that EVERY rookie team with even just decent builds can run that play as well as you did last season...I kind of get that if a team builds for 1 specific thing - they should be the BEST at it. But there has to also be a defensive counter of some kind. There isn't a GREAT counter against you...or against a random team...so a newbie owner wouldn't have a chance against anyone running it.


Originally posted by Xavori

2) The second issue is one you can actually fix. In the NFL, LB's and DB's dont' charge straight at the ball carrier if it means running through a scrum at the line of scrimmage. Instead they shufle down the line mirroring the ball carrier until they get open space, and then they attack. In GLB2, though, it's charge straight at the ball carrier and in the process, most of them get caught up in the wash.

You can see that perfectly in the very firstest play Yorick's offense ran this season:
http://glb2.warriorgeneral.com/game/replay/60100/154009

The ROLB, MLB, and SS are all going to start unblocked. However, by tick 35, I already know it's a TD because nobody is left on the defense that hasn't joined the kittenpile in the middle of the field. It ends up taking 9 blockers to eat up all 11 guys on defense to start the play. Then when a defender does break free, the HB just turns on him, because again, all my guys have run/lead blocking awareness.

In the NFL, the ROLB, MLB, and SS would all have stayed behind the line as they crossed the field. This would have then left one of them to slide between the lead blockers and make the play.

Oh, also in the NFL, most QB's have nowhere near enough speed to pull off a play like this, and the ones that do get killed when a quick MLB beats the blockers.

I believe you are 100% correct here. My fear is if a fix here will wreck all outside running plays...or just tweak the goal line running plays to a reasonable strength.

Originally posted by bhall43
Sorting teams in rookie by experience level isn't going to be helpful. Everyone gets one team so your always gonna get new owners but a lot of those new owners are being supplied by knowledgable agents with dots and coordinating.

Some are , some are not. There are more than a dozen teams in rookie ball run by totally new guys that are lost in the sauce. Including one in Corndog's own division.

A totally new guy who likes the idea of having a team should be in rookie ball versus three guys who know almost every trick in the book? Also were not going to give him any tools to point him in the right direction? When he gets tired of losing 55-3 every week how long before he hangs it up?

Well if xavori feels that Yorick will be rendered useless if there are reliable counters to the strong side of gl formation that is pretty lol thinking.

Honestly, there probably should be a long waiting period before even being allowed to buy a team.

A brand new user buying a team straight away is just asking for trouble, no matter what kind of tutorial is put forth.

Originally posted by william78
Some are , some are not. There are more than a dozen teams in rookie ball run by totally new guys that are lost in the sauce. Including one in Corndog's own division.

A totally new guy who likes the idea of having a team should be in rookie ball versus three guys who know almost every trick in the book? Also were not going to give him any tools to point him in the right direction? When he gets tired of losing 55-3 every week how long before he hangs it up?

My point is that you think the admins should be opening up every team and deciding who belongs where? Even if I own a team in rookie does that mean I am doing anything for it? Not in the slightest.

As far as your second point did I argue against the need for tools or tips for new users? Absolutely not.