That Qualification Week Idea

[sterlingice]

This was the suggestion I was toying around with in chat and posted it in Kraftworks

I'm assuming this has been brought up before, but I figure that I'd float it here and get some GM input and also see what everyone thinks in a controlled environment. I know if something like this gets thrown out in the main forums, it will just get a lot of public support piling on and no attention from admin. But I want more than just populist sentiment- I'm curious about a debate for the idea.

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I just won a game that will probably put me in 4th place and if things hold, I'll finish ahead of the team I beat today, but who is a better team. However, I wasn't sure I wanted to win it. My reward will be $30K. He will get a qualification game and probably $80K-$100K from the crowd there and an extra week training? Not only that, but like my team, he'd beat all but the best Div V teams.

So why shouldn't I have tried to finish 5th instead? The rewards are better and the risk is very low. Where's the motivation to finish 4th? Shouldn't my reward be greater than the guy who finishes 5th or 6th, for that matter (who gets the same as someone who finishes 5th)?

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I know, in the end, the simple answer is: "your reward is knowing you will stay in your series next year". But that's a public relations-esque answer and doesn't answer the actual issue. There is a serious idealogical problem if this 5th place team with 4th place talent is throwing games because the reward is greater.

I'm not chastising the team I beat, either. For one, I don't know if this is what is on his mind. However, he could have PIC'd the two games leading up to this and can PIC the next two so I was very suprised he didn't MotS. This leads me to believe that either he is sandbagging games (perfectly within the rules) or playing conservative so that if he does have a qualification game, he'll crush his opponent with POE spirit on top of a pretty good Div IV team already. But my point still remains- if he is laying up because the rewards are better for 5th and 6th than 4th or 3rd, then the system is flawed.

Much more important to me than the loss of $80K (which isn't chicken feed, but it's not huge money, either) is the loss of a week of training. In the end, that's hundreds of thousands of bucks lost and lost as a punishment for playing *better* than the team below me. Not only that, but in the offseason, with 2 straight weeks of only one game per week, a lot of form can be destroyed going into next year.

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Now, I don't want to be one to bring up a problem without a solution so I propose this: a friendly-esque game for everyone not involved in a qualification game. It would be implemented the exact same as the cup games (i.e. anyone not with a qualification game is open to find a "rival team" to play).

Typically, between season, a lot of FOFC teams will pick a supported team or other friend and play starters since you need to keep their form up. And aren't there things like the USA-Canada cup and stuff during that week, too? This would be the same thing, but with a big Sunday game, better crowd, and still leaving time for a Wednesday friendly to keep the form of all of your players up.

First, this solves the problem of a week of training lost. Second, it helps with the offseason form drops because suddenly, there is only one week where a large chunk of your team doesn't play. Lastly, it gives a monetary reward to those teams in 2-4 which makes up for the low money currently awarded.

The following are just sketchy details for implementing it, tho I'd leave the specifics for someone who knew better. Maybe have crowds like a cup game or fixture and have it so that money is split 50-50. Also, have maybe half league game experience so it's more than a friendly but less than a fixture. Or possibly 1.5 times fixture experience and a larger crowd to emphasize the new rivalry game. That opens up a problem in that it would penalize those ... (looks like it got cut off)

This was the response I got from one of the GMs:

its a gamble plain and simple. If you think you can win a qualifier, go for it. If you would rather not take the risk, don't.

And as far as I know, the idea is still 'cooking' behind the scenes that was mentioned by Steve

It's kindof an unsatisfying answer so I'm looking for ideas for a rebuttal. However, it has to be well thought out and reasonable. Any thoughts?

(EDIT: BTW, the idea mentioned in the GM quote was that this was already suggested and has been put before the dev team)

SI

[saintjo]

I do see your points and agree with you in a sense.

The lack of a game does hinder training and income. However it only hinders training if you train something that requires a player to actually play a match. From what I understand, most people train stanima, form, or set pieces during this time to get around this.

And as far as income, yes there could be a loss of that. The league bonuses do not equal income from a team with a large amount of sponsors, but it might be more than a team with only a few sponsors. So this seems situational depending on how long you have been playing hattrick and probably your division to a degree.

Now I do not think its a bad idea, I just think it is not necessary or a priority.
One, it seems to help in the simulation and general feeling that this is an offseason game.
Two, I would consider it bragging rights that I do not have to play a qualification match and could give my team a break.
Three, I would rather the developers spend the time working on another feature. The new features like enhanced searching, tactics, striped match kits, things like that are much more enjoyable enhancements to myself.
Four, its been presented to the developers and they seem to not see it as a priority right now. I am sure they know best on what enhancements get the most bang for the buck. At least they seem to have considered it.
Five, like I stated above, loss of training does not seem like a strong argument for it since certain skills can still be trained by all players regardless of if they played a match that week.
Six, if a team is that worried about training or income, then they can still manipulate their points into placing 5-6 and playing a qualifying match. There is nothing against it, it is just a risk.

Again, I am not against your idea. I just do not see it as a necessity or a priority.

[Mr. Wednesday]

The loss of directed training is a real concern, and it can be quantified based on typical player sale prices and training time. The amount of virtual income from an extra week of training for a player is pretty substantial (in the hundreds of thousands of dollars).

[Raven Hawk]

What you don't realize (or maybe you do) is that this helps the teams that promoted into the division that year. If you are new in a series and can roll out some points while the other teams are focusing on the Cup, you can get yourself into the 3rd-4th safety basket and not have to worry about relegation.

There is, in fact, always a risk. We have all heard about the WTF games that have happened. You may end up having a middie get red carded in the 2nd minute of the game and lose. It is a calculated risk, but a risk nonetheless.

If you want to flirt with relegation and the possibility of losing 10% of your supporters and 10% of your sponsor income, that is your decision.

I have adopted this tactic this year. And, although, it may seem like extra $, it is not. What really happens is that your supporters start not showing up to your games and you can't sell out your stadium. Those people in the top 4 have a better chance of selling out their stadium. Also you face team confidence issues and can actually lose supporters each week instead of gaining the supporters . . . even with 8 spokespersons . . . After one season of adopting this tactic . . . I will rule that monetarily, it does not pay. It seems like it would because you have the extra game, but you lose more than one full stadiums worth of money during the season from the loss of ticket sales. Not to mention if you're PICing out the season to get POE, there is a likely chance that you will have a very small draw for that qualifier because you've lost so many leading up to it.

Where the real advantage lies is in the extra week of training. Most people with 'heavy' training programs will train players primaries through the offseason instead of hitting stamina, set pieces, passing, or general. If a 17 year old misses 1 week of training, he is behind the curve, especially if you are trying to train U-20 players.

I don't have an issue with the money aspect, but it would be nice to be able to play an extra friendly that week to be able to keep the training.

[-Panther]

personally, I vote to have qualifiers moved to wednesday making it so everyone only gets 1 game that week.

Like Raven Hawk mentioned, I think the extra money is negated by the fact that you most likely got your ass handed to you throughout the season.

The only advantage to me is the extra game.

I'll tell you this, I will laugh my ass off at everyone who sandbags to get the qualifier and gets any injuries (multiple and +7 = much more laughing) and I'll laugh even harder at everyone who takes the 'chicken shit' way of going for the qualifier and gets their ass handed to them whether by a WTF or by drawing the one team they hoped they wouldn't.

but then again, I'm rather sinister :D

[sterlingice]

I suppose I could always hope that Iowa gets brained in their qualifier. Then again, if they lose a qualifier at home, it doesn't help me any because then a stronger team is walking into their spot.

SI