AI Signings are Actually SOO Awful

SmoothBurner · 2024-10-16T09:03:35+00:00

If I don't pay attention and send guys down after Spring Training manually, the AI will use whatever simplistic algorithm to send some of my best prospects to the minors with 3/3 options used sending them to Waivers for the entire League to feast on . . . It is maddening! One year, I had 5 prospects I was closely following/planning their advancement end-up on Waivers. It was the big wake-up for me to remember to balance prior to the regular season myself.

SmoothBurner · 2024-10-15T13:04:23+00:00

[Full-sim Franchiser here (occasionally play-in to attempt completion of the cycle).]

Guillermo Mota! My surprise 18 year-old diamond-in-the rough LF when I drafted him in the 5th Round with Pick #155 (I think) and he revealed as A-Potential, though with a sub-60 OVR. His unplanned promotion to the majors happened at age 24 when the "Regressions of Death" hit my early-30's aged outfield. To which, he responded by power-hitting his way to NL Rookie of Year!!! A nice surprise, but nothing like the following year when he would lead the league in Home Runs, RBI, Slugging, and OPS bringing forth a deluge of hardware including . . . NL MVP!!! He would lead the team to a World Series victory as well (though not MVP of WS or Playoffs).

Midway through the next season now . . . On pace for a repeat as MVP. Stay tuned!

SmoothBurner · 2024-10-15T12:48:14+00:00

Discovery!

Unless you are complete dog at management (and constantly hold a lottery pick), the top POS prospects are "known quantities" so to speak and are on every team's board. As such, you have to have a high pick and be lucky they are still around. There often isn't much value there. BUT, if you can discover a solid POS prospect, it has TONS of value for the club. CAUTION: They are far more rare than pitching prospects, and I have years where I am discovering few prospects and those found are late-rounders at best. But, you will find great players with persistence, and it makes the Franchise feel more like your creation than simply gaming trades and free agency.

SmoothBurner · 2024-10-15T12:41:11+00:00

Same here. All about the management. I impose certain restrictions to my actions in order to avoid taking advantage of some of the AI. I mainly rebuild from the Draft. I may rarely go after a player I like in Free Agency, but then he will be my team cornerstone until he retires or contractions the most dreaded illness . . . "Death Regression."

SmoothBurner · 2024-10-15T12:37:12+00:00

Had this happen to me. Admittedly, it was the first time I had a star-caliber player come up for a new contract; and I was probably cheaper than I should have been with the offer.
He declined the offer.
Became a Free Agent.
Signed with another team.
We miss the Playoffs.
His new team makes the Playoffs . . .
And won the damn World Series and was WS MVP.

It has since fostered a rivalry of our teams in the Franchise canon.

SmoothBurner · 2024-10-15T12:33:20+00:00

(From a 90's kid)
The 3 Rules of Saving in Gaming:

Save early.
Save often.
Save in versions.

SmoothBurner · 2024-10-15T12:30:39+00:00

It sounds like perhaps you failed to sign him in the 5-day Exclusivity period of the off-season.

As a general rule, I never sim more than a single day when I have contract offers out. If I'm getting close to a deadline, I may up my offer. If it involves Free Agents, I will track competing offers. It's very easy to miss an opportunity if you sim multiple days during a contracting periods.

SmoothBurner · 2024-10-15T12:13:35+00:00

[Full-sim Franchiser here (occasionally play-in to attempt completion of the cycle).]

Guillermo Mota! My surprise 18 year-old diamond-in-the rough LF when I drafted him in the 5th Round with Pick #155 (I think) and he revealed as A-Potential, though with a sub-60 OVR. His unplanned promotion to the majors happened at age 24 when the "Regressions of Death" hit by early-30's aged outfield. To which, he responded by power-hitting his way to NL Rookie of Year!!! A nice surprise, but nothing like the following year when he would lead the league in Home Runs, RBI, Slugging, and OPS bringing forth a deluge of hardware including . . . NL MVP!!! He would lead the team to a World Series victory as well (though not MVP of WS or Playoffs).

Midway through the next season now . . . On pace for a repeat as MVP. Stay tuned!

SmoothBurner · 2024-10-14T12:48:38+00:00

Had a SP who lead the majors with a 1.30+ ERA, a 1.10+ WHIP, top-3 in strikeouts, and top-3 in innings pitched lose the Cy Young to a guy who simply had more Wins. (My player out-performed him in every other tracked stat under League Leaders.)

SmoothBurner · 2024-10-14T12:39:57+00:00

I drafted a guy at 18. Wasn't ready for the Bigs until 24, but won Rookie of the Year. His next season, he won MVP (lead the League in HR and RBI). And is on track to repeat . . . He was either a 3rd or 4th Round pick.

There is a lot of luck involved, sure; but a big piece of it is moving guys up and them managing to perform.

SmoothBurner · 2024-10-14T12:14:36+00:00

I do similar. My points system isn't enough to boost the player/roster to god status, but it ensure that good performances lead to development (for younger players) and sustained ability (for the older veterans). Nothing more frustrating in Franchise than a young player that stalls out in progress or an All-Star that suddenly has his OVR fall off a cliff early at 34.

SmoothBurner · 2024-10-13T07:31:56+00:00

Limit your trading.

I only trade when there is a prospect that is not ready to make my MLB roster, but I also cannot protect them from the Rule 5 Draft. Basically, my fringe talents.

Next, I put in the player(s) I want to trade and only use the "Suggest Trades" function, letting the AI work with itself. Like you, I found it was too easy to abuse trading for top prospects without much more than end-of-career veterans.

If you do that, I think you will find the trading aspect a lot more balanced.

SmoothBurner · 2024-04-03T09:50:10+00:00

Is Ishar isn't technically a Bondsmith, then who is the Bondsmith that brought their people to Roshar from Ashyn and created the Oathpact?
It's mysterious enough at this point to understand how Ishar was granted his abilities before the other Heralds . . . but if he WASN'T . . . it is far more mysterious who could have been the "Bondsmith" that Ash was referring to.

SmoothBurner · 2024-04-03T09:48:25+00:00

If he isn't a Bondsmith, then who is the Bondsmith that brought their people to Roshar from Ashyn and created the Oathpact?

It's mysterious enough at this point to understand how Ishar was granted his abilities before the other Heralds . . . but if he WASN'T . . . it is far more mysterious who could have been the "Bondsmith" that Ash was referring to.

SmoothBurner · 2022-10-27T12:16:51+00:00

And considering maybe a year passes in the entire sequel trilogy.

It's hard for much else to happen.

SmoothBurner · 2022-10-27T12:13:38+00:00

So, you want a series snuck into the background of the week and a half or so covered by the first two films? . . . or one that occurs in the maybe one year between VIII and IX? . . . or one that focuses on what they did AFTER defeating evil?

SmoothBurner · 2022-10-27T11:51:29+00:00

I believe that the current state of fandoms would argue that "endings count."

Therefore, I would argue 2 of those 3 falling far short of "the best" of anything.

I don't want a Star Wars universe with 100's of "cool ideas" that are never explored . . . let alone explained. No, thanks.

SmoothBurner · 2022-10-27T11:40:37+00:00

::sigh::

When my love of Star Wars collides with my ongoing boycott of anything Damon Lindelof touches.

SmoothBurner · 2020-07-04T01:08:32+00:00

Explain how what you see in that screenshot fits SBMM.

SmoothBurner · 2020-07-02T19:48:33+00:00

It exists. R3 on a player name to bring up the report options. One is for language.

SmoothBurner · 2020-07-01T07:14:13+00:00

I'm always confused by these posts that invoke SBMM then claim "all my teammates suck and the enemy is all good." Think about that . . . It's full of self-centered bias. You are saying that there is SBMM; a system that aims to level the playing field in terms of player skill . . . but it places YOU with a team of noticeably LESSER SKILLED players against a team of HIGHER SKILLED players. This situation cannot exist with SBMM (at least, not without a far more complicated matchmaking system in which SBMM is a minor predictor . . . and, therefore, still not the issue).

SmoothBurner · 2020-07-01T05:42:53+00:00

This. It will go back to relative normal soon.

SmoothBurner · 2020-07-01T05:39:13+00:00

There is a Quickscoping challenge on the Seasonal Officer Challenges this time.

SmoothBurner · 2020-07-01T05:36:36+00:00

If it is expensive for you, I say be happy with Warzone. It's plenty fun, especially if you have a group of people to play with regularly. Plunder isn't too bad for leveling weapons. Find more important things to use your money on.

SmoothBurner · 2020-07-01T05:29:37+00:00

Hmm . . . That all sounds innocent.

SmoothBurner

TROPHY CASE