TCY Recruiting Questions

[mhass]

I played TCY several years ago and let it sit for quite a while before buying another copy last month and starting to play again. I've searched for these questions here and couldn't find them (if they're discussed, please direct me). I was hoping to get some advice:

1. Do high schoolers "see" the college rosters and go where they are more likely to get playing time? I realize they don't like to be recruited WITH others at their position, but I can't tell if the current roster affects their decision.

2. Is my school's Academic rating based only on what the guys on my team do or is the "student body" somehow involved? Basically, am I in sole control of that rating?

3. Similarly, can I ever develop one of the majors my school doesn't offer?

4. What extent do the factors beyond the two most important have? Are the decisions solely based on those two?

5. I have been letting a recruit sit once I get the message that no further contact will improve my chances. Is that the best strategy?

Thanks for any help.

[kingfc22]

I've had this game for 2 weeks now and these questions are very similar to the ones that I have. Would be awesome to see what others have to say in response.

[Buzzbee]

Originally Posted by mhass

I played TCY several years ago and let it sit for quite a while before buying another copy last month and starting to play again. I've searched for these questions here and couldn't find them (if they're discussed, please direct me). I was hoping to get some advice:

1. Do high schoolers "see" the college rosters and go where they are more likely to get playing time? I realize they don't like to be recruited WITH others at their position, but I can't tell if the current roster affects their decision.

I don't think the current roster plays into it much, if at all.

2. Is my school's Academic rating based only on what the guys on my team do or is the "student body" somehow involved? Basically, am I in sole control of that rating?

Check the help file because I believe I remember reading that it is any student that has ever taken a class at your school, not just your team members. Although I believe it is heavily weighted with players.

3. Similarly, can I ever develop one of the majors my school doesn't offer?

Yes, as your schools overall academic standing increases, those majors that you don't offer will become part of the curriculum.

4. What extent do the factors beyond the two most important have? Are the decisions solely based on those two?

I believe that the recruit takes all the factors into consideration, but the first one gets the most wieght, the second one less but still significant, and the rest aren't nearly as significant. I don't know this for sure. It is based on gut feeling and experience.

5. I have been letting a recruit sit once I get the message that no further contact will improve my chances. Is that the best strategy?

Thanks for any help.

Yes, once you get the 'no further contact message' it is generally accepted that it is ok to use your resources elsewhere.

Hope this helps! Good luck, and enjoy!

[fantastic flying froggies]

I would like to respectfully disagree with the fine gentleman Buzzbee on question #3.
At the beginning of the game, the game randomly chooses 2 majors that are not offered at your school, and you are stuck with them throughout the game...

[brimick79]

Well you're both wrong on #3.
Depending on your default academic prestige the game will pick a number of majors your school does not offer. If you start a school like Standford the number may be 0 or 2. Starting at say Troy, the number will be more like 7.

On #5, it depends on the team prestige of your team. With a more prestigous team (90+) you don't have to worry. But anything below that I'd worry to varying degrees. But yes with a lower prestige team, (say 75 or lower) the message means little especially the first time you get it. And the higher ranked the player you're recruiting, the more you need to contact them again.

[Leonidas]

I've had the game since it came out and here's what my two cents and years of experience can say.

Originally Posted by mhass

1. Do high schoolers "see" the college rosters and go where they are more likely to get playing time? I realize they don't like to be recruited WITH others at their position, but I can't tell if the current roster affects their decision.

To some extent yes. Sometimes you will get a message that the recruit sees you have a freshman on the roster at the position he plays and is concerned about playing time. Recruits also are put off when you offer a scholarship to another player at the same position.

Originally Posted by mhass

2. Is my school's Academic rating based only on what the guys on my team do or is the "student body" somehow involved? Basically, am I in sole control of that rating?

There seems to be a cap that differs for each school on how high your ratings can go. You can completely blow everyone away with GPA, but if you are not at Duke or Stanford there will be a limit to how high your school will be rated. I think this is Jim's way of limiting the influence the football team's grades can have on the ratings.

Originally Posted by mhass

3. Similarly, can I ever develop one of the majors my school doesn't offer?

I have never seen this happen.

Originally Posted by mhass

4. What extent do the factors beyond the two most important have? Are the decisions solely based on those two?

I recall Jim once saying that somehow he has built in the ability for player's to lie about their priorities. Player X may say academics and distance are most important to him, but really he prefers prestige. So what he says are his preferences are not absolute.

Originally Posted by mhass

5. I have been letting a recruit sit once I get the message that no further contact will improve my chances. Is that the best strategy?

Depends who you talk to. Some guys say not to waste your time on a guy once you get to this point. Some guys swear it helps to maintain the contact. I know a lot of guys have house rules that they limit themselves to only so much contact because IRL the NCAA has rules about how much contact. To the best of my knowledge the truth about this has not been revealed. My strictly anecdotal experience is that extra contacts do give you an advantage.

[mhass]

Okay, so taking over at Ignoramus U. is a huge handicap for getting top talent compared to, say, Indiana or Baylor because "all" you have to do to increase Prestige is win. That being said, how do you ever take a "stupid" school and make it "smart"?

[WSUCougar]

Originally Posted by mhass

Okay, so taking over at Ignoramus U. is a huge handicap for getting top talent compared to, say, Indiana or Baylor because "all" you have to do to increase Prestige is win. That being said, how do you ever take a "stupid" school and make it "smart"?

Actually, the quickest ticket to success in TCY (although this has supposedly been scaled back with the recent patch) is via academics. Target players who are decent talents yet have high GPA and/or test scores. Avoid dumb players. Pick a few prominent majors to focus on and go to town with them...your academic rating will shoot up the ladder quickly. You may not be able to out-duel the top academic schools, but soo nenough you will be a dominant academic power.

[TazFTW]

3. Similarly, can I ever develop one of the majors my school doesn't offer?

Never seen this happen and I had a school with at least a 3.72 GPA for 10 years. No new majors developed.

Actually, the quickest ticket to success in TCY (although this has supposedly been scaled back with the recent patch) is via academics. Target players who are decent talents yet have high GPA and/or test scores. Avoid dumb players. Pick a few prominent majors to focus on and go to town with them...your academic rating will shoot up the ladder quickly. You may not be able to out-duel the top academic schools, but soo nenough you will be a dominant academic power.

Simular to what I would do with Hawaii, which I feel is handicaped by being far away, average prestige, below average academics (every game I've started at Hawaii had them ranked around the 80s for each major), and few top in state recruits even with the Sol 8 added to Hawaii.

I would boost study hall time to get my entire team (yes, even the dumb players) at 3.0 GPA or above. After a few seasons, I would be able to go after the (academic) recruits and build prestige from winning in the weak WAC. To where I would become a powerhouse and then get shafted by the BCS (ranked 3rd in the final BCS poll and didn't get a BCS bowl )