How do you play your Association?

[kokaine]

I enjoy playing Association, but I struggle with the longevity of it. Essentially, I'll choose a team at random. Then immediately I check out the roster and see who I want to get rid of, CAP Hogs, Bums, Guys who I don't play with, etc.
Once that's done, I have a good core of 5 guys, who are decent enough for me to play with and maybe one decent enough 6th man. Then off season comes, and I have cap to play with, so I'm able to sign a star, more or less.
Then it just seems like by that time I've got a stacked team, and it's boring to me.

I'm wondering how do you play your association, and are there any teams who are extremely difficult to begin an association with, who could possibly prevent me from doing this?

[HighCmpPct]

Re: How do you play your Association?

Yeah I know what you mean. In my experience the more you change your team, and the faster you do it the less immersive it becomes.

What I've started doing is playing until at least the trade deadline without any moves, then if we're in contention maybe try and make the championship trade. If we're out of it I'll usually go ahead and sim to the end playing a few here or there. Then make some moves in the off-season and do it again next year.

Bottom line the more moves you make the less fun your probably gonna have, because lets face it we play the game to get the NBA feel and when you start making all those moves it just takes away that feel.

[Megs]

Re: How do you play your Association?

2 words; Fantasy Draft. even if the CPU sucks at picking players. they just base on OVR mostly. -_-

[briamonto]

Re: How do you play your Association?

Then make some moves in the off-season and do it again next year.

[HighCmpPct]

Re: How do you play your Association?

2 words; Fantasy Draft. even if the CPU sucks at picking players. they just base on OVR mostly. -_-

If I was going to do a fantasy draft I would throw some of the legends in there just to mix it up a little bit, and to force you to stay on your toes in every game on D.

[Satomiblood]

Re: How do you play your Association?

Honestly, I think the Magic are difficult to build with. But that might just be me.

[Raider131]

Re: How do you play your Association?

One star, bunch of role players. Never sign any star out of free agency. My rosters are always butchered by the time I get to the draft since I like rebuilds, I build up teams that are good in the first year contending by the 2nd year. Never resign guys over 30 unless they're just solid big men off the bench, never resign guys after rookie contracts unless they are just rotation players usually,sign a cheap guy to a 4 year contract build him up then let him go usually unless I really like him.

[AntiBandwagoner]

Re: How do you play your Association?

I enjoy playing Association, but I struggle with the longevity of it...

I have never really played more than 5-6 games in any association without changing teams or quitting.

[KillerHog471]

Re: How do you play your Association?

I have never really played more than 5-6 games in any association without changing teams or quitting.

I have an over active imagination so I always experience what I like to call the "grass is always greener on the other side" phenomenon. The longest I've ever gone in any association like mode is on NCAA 07 where I played with Arkansas for 13 Seasons. Been trying to recapture that magic in every sports game since and that contributes to me switching around thinking this idea might be it. I need a new hobby...

[MavsManiac4Life]

Re: How do you play your Association?

30-team control, lower injuries for less rotation changes, use real and fictional draft classes. It'll make for a long off-season (currently in the OKC VS MIA Finals), but I think it will be worth it.

[HighCmpPct]

Re: How do you play your Association?

I have an over active imagination so I always experience what I like to call the "grass is always greener on the other side" phenomenon. The longest I've ever gone in any association like mode is on NCAA 07 where I played with Arkansas for 13 Seasons. Been trying to recapture that magic in every sports game since and that contributes to me switching around thinking this idea might be it. I need a new hobby...

A big problem I used to have with this is what I like to call "Star Crossed".

Another words you start playing your association,dynasty, or whatever sports game it is then you play a team and during the course of playing them you fall in love with the idea of playing with their star player. When you of course realize how unrealistic it would be for you to trade for him to be on the team you have now, you wind up just quitting and starting over with that team.

[kunner]

Re: How do you play your Association?

I play as my Bucks, try my best to resign my best players, Ellis, Jennings, etc.

Play all 82 games

Don't go for the big name trade, try for the 2nd tier players

Try to develop through the draft(my inner Ted Thompson Packers way there)

Try to be competitive, if im dominating the league, fix the sliders so the Bucks are toward the back of the playoff pack, in the 6-10 range.

[R.2]

Re: How do you play your Association?

I usually have the same problem starting association after association and not making it past 5 or 6 games. I recently bought a capture card and starting using a slider set from this website and the game is actually challenging now...I plan on uploading highlights from key games (worthy opponents) to youtube. I began as the Miami Heat, and I actually lost my season opener against the Celtics, 104-99...you can check out my channel if you would like, i'm currently editing my Celtics-Heat highlights.

https://www.youtube.com/Y0RB0RCFL

[Mauer4MVP]

Re: How do you play your Association?

Was so exited to play my association with my team, the Wolves.

And then the injury bug hit the team and just ruined the season.

I will wait until around the trade deadline to start my franchise That way, I will know if they are definitely out of the playoff race or not. I also think a trade is coming so I want to wait for that.

[djl81790]

Re: How do you play your Association?

I did a fantasy draft this year. Typically when I play dynasty modes I play as my hometown team and the emotion attachment helps me stay interested, but this year I wanted to change it up.

Rosters were already screwed around with since it was a fantasy draft so I went ahead and made 3 trades during the season to try to improve the team, I actually think it backfired though.

To deal with the longevity I only play 1 out of every 3 games. I play one, sim one, and simcast the other and just keep going in that rotation. I'm currently trying to figure out if I should stay in that rotation now though, as I'm in the playoffs and currently trailing 2 games to 1 (the 1 win is the game I played). I like simming like that though because if I happen to be playing especially well or poorly by playing the games myself simming brings me back down to Earth. Say I couldn't lose playing the games myself... Instead of going 82-0 I'd have some realism by having 2/3 of the games being decided by the CPU.

Fortunately, I've just been very competitive in games I've played but haven't dominated. I have played better than I've simmed though.