Would You Play In A "Challenge" League

[Clay Dreslough]

We have conceived of a league schedule called "Challenge" that would simulate 5 games every 5 minutes for one four hour period per week. For example, friends might all meet online every Monday night from 6 to 10. I'm working it out so that each session would sim exactly one season.

Unlike current BMO options, this might feel more like a real-time strategy game, with a set period where every GM is online and actively paying attention.

Because of server load, I think we'd have to limit this type of league to one evening per week.

But before trying this out, we need to assess demand. So my question is, would you be inclined to use one of your league slots to play in such a league?

Clay

[John]

Count me in!

[BBM]

I am very interested to in doing that.

[Slugger222]

I love the idea, but think the format needs some tweaking:

A: I have access to only phone modem. It's pretty quick, but a little slower than the cable modem or DSL. I think that 10 games every 10 minutes would reduce server demand, and allow more time for trades.

B: Pause at the trading deadline for maybe a half hour so that teams can get set for the big push, you can go pee, get refreshments, kiss the kids good night, what ever......

C: By one season, I assume that you mean April 1 to April 1. That means that the FA draft would take place at the end of the night, and you would have a full week to make trades before the next season gets started. Very cool.

As a over the hill family man, I don't know that I'll be able to participate. My wife already complains that I spend too much time on the computer as it is.;) Tieing up the phone line for 4 hours a week is probably not something I'll personally be able to do. It would very much depend on the time the game took place.

But I think that the format is viable.

Finally, at this stage of developement, personally, if I were the President of Mogul, I'd delay it a bit. There are some real problems with the AI, and some of the sim routines are screwed up (The 20 Day - Daily format needs serious tweaking! Check out the SPL league).

I'd fix those first, and aim for the "Challenge" to come sometime near spring training, when everyone's baseball fever is getting to it maximum, and you have a 2001 database......

[Clay Dreslough]

I'm in the SPL league, so I've seen the 20-day sim problem first-hand. I think I screwed something up when I changed the sim speed after the trading deadline, and I'm working on fixing this right now.

Clay

[exep]

I live in England and am 5 hours ahead of EST and 7 hours ahead of PST. MAL begins for me at 5:00 pm and really cuts into my evening (my wife objects) and if I want sleep I miss the last half of each day's game.

I would really like to be in the challange league but I would have to stay up all night one day a week. Too bad there aren't more British baseball fans. Any chance of starting leauges at different hours? (someone must have reasons to be up at strange times).

[John]

When will these "challenge" leagues start? How many would there be? What's the scoop on this leagues?? (P.S If there was challenge leagues I would join them...You would be able to trade with anybody and get an instant response!!!

[kingola]

Clay:

I like the basic idea of this league more than the other options now available. Leaving in the Pacific time zone poses some problems unless each league is set up geographically.

A four hour stretch is a bit much though, perhaps each month could be played off one night per week. I don't understand the
desire to complete a whole season in a weekly session. A year from now this league would have completed 52 years. Will we have teams from Mars etc?!

Considering that there are 162 regular season games you could play that off in 6 weeks. 6 x 27 = 162. Then one week for the
playoffs and a one week layoff and then one week for the draft. In nine weeks you have completed one season, so you would complete 6 plus seasons in a year.

Then your weekly sessions could be cut down to 2 hours, more reasonable for more people and twice as many leagues available.

You should also put in an option for the league to be suspended for a week or two at a time for vacations (some people get them)! It could be voted on by the league GM's as to the best times for that. Majority rules??? This would be beneficial to your Sports Mogul group as well.

Anyway, that's enough space taken up by me on this subject. Hopefully this stimulates some greater thought and ideas by the more knowledgeable GM's out there.

Good Luck with this project, it basically sounds great, count me in.

kingola,

Beta 11; 72; 75

[Schaefling]

Having experienced the draft in the Full Draft league I am much less enthusiastic about a Challenge league than I was before. Sitting through three and four hours of draftimg makes me think that it just would not be that much fun sitting in front of my computer for four hours watching a season go by.

Personally I don't see wanting to spend four hours tweaking my team while a season plays out. There just isn't that much to be done during a typical season to warrant watching over your team for four straight hours.

That's why I think the game works so well the way it's done right now. Even with super-fast leagues you can pop in for a few minutes every couple of hours and tweak your teams or make a trade, etc.

[exep]

Experiences with the Full Draft League suggest specific drafting software would be useful. GMs would be able to choose their choices from a list of players containing the relevant information and arranged by position and then alphabetically. When a choice was made, the name would go away, or be ticked, so that it could not be chosen again.

Otherwise, all players could be randomized and passed out with GMs being able to release (for free) to free agency any players they didn't want to keep.

[Clay Dreslough]

Although about 40% of you would really like to try a Challenge League, I just wanted to let you know that we'll be focusing our efforts elsewhere in the near-term, by improving the game and adding features such as year-by-year stats.

Happy New Year!

Clay

[GMKnights2002]

I agree with most people. 5 games every 5 minutes IS a bit quick. At best, 5 games every 15 minutes should be instituted.

When you make trades, counter trades are usually offered. You have to allow time to make the trade and one it's done, to plug in that player into your line-up/rotation.

One month per night is a GREAT idea. You can still use the 4-hour block, simulating a total of 1 week per hour. That would probably be about two games every 15 minutes. That's a better scenario. Allows for MUCH more involvement.

In any case, that's my input and I am sticking to it.

Dan Colangelo
GM, Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Active GM League

[sunzfan]

I like the idea quite a bit---but i'd like to see those year-by-year stats even more!

[SFSteveG]

This would be the ****. Is this still a consideration? Now I don't know if I'd be able to participate but it would be awesome.

[nysteinbrenner]

My guess is that if it didn't get implemented in four years, it won't be.

[Clay Dreslough]

My guess is that if it didn't get implemented in four years, it won't be.

OK. If we don't implement it in the NEXT four years, Steiny gets a free month.

:)

[nysteinbrenner]

OK. If we don't implement it in the NEXT four years, Steiny gets a free month.

:)

If I'm still around in 2009 Clay, I'm going to take you up on this... :D