List out the your biggest issues remaining in the update. I'd like to keep this brief and readable, so please keep discussion in other threads. Thanks.

Inability to properly recruit for early entries in the second recruiting period. Not only do the schools have to plow APs to unlock recruiting actions before recruits sign at almost any moment, the benefits of having the EE isn't even realized until the following season due to where the NBA draft takes place.

1. I'm still nervous about lack of caps on recruiting. It could end up messy if we destroy the sims and D3 teams look more like mid majors.

2. Still don't like the level 1 recruiting and would like to start off with level 2 data when you discover a recruit.

EEs - even though it only affects a small amount of coaches.
IMO - Moving EE selection to before the 1st recruiting cycle seem like the solution with the least amount of unintended consequences

1. EE's appear to be the biggest issue, though I personally don't feel we need to take too drastic measures to address it. Specifically, I don't see the need for a special batch of recruits just to help the schools who lost players early. I coached D3 in beta and there were a lot of quality D1 players that were simply missed by D1 coaches. Sorry to sound critical of those coaches (maybe it was lack of participation n beta too) but some more in depth scouting can uncover guys that can be developed into good players in year 3 or 4. If those coaches have scouted well enough to discover those diamonds in the rough, they should be able to overcome EE's. Essentially, I'm saying address EE's but I don't think it's as dire as many say it is- I feel that some of this is due to coaches not scouting deeper and leaving themselves enough backup options.

2. Sims need to put up better fights vs humans, especially when D3 schools battle D1 sims. I saw your other post- looks like you're addressing this.

Those are my biggest and maybe only concerns as well.

1. The Level 1 thing is not as important to me as it was before, but I think it would be a nice addition.

2. I like the idea of having EEs declare really early, at the start of recruiting, and having coaches get credit at that time.

3. I also think that it would be nice to have 4 variations of FSS scouting, so that those existing users who can't get used to the new scouting system, or don't want to can find the recruits "the old way".

4. Try to be sure that D3 teams have a harder time signing highly ranked D1 players. With Nebraska Wesleyan, I was able to sign players ranked #76 and #127. Your post about making sims switch recruits faster might take care of that.

Two things (EEs and FSS) will take away two of the big objections that have been voiced in the regular forums and make it much less of a change for existing users, so as to keep them playing.

The artificial red light that you impose on schools trying to recruit a player projected to be a level above will need to be removed
(1) if the worlds have enough human managers and
(2) if sims become more effective recruiters.

It wasn't too destructive in the relatively empty beta world, but it will crush D2/D3 coaches with no purpose if the worlds are better populated. You don't want to do that to new coaches.

Thanks!

1. Keep improving sorting of results. Since sorting by >50 ATH turns up some nonsense sorting results when level 1 is included, I suggest allowing the "scouting level" drop-down field to include "Level 2 & higher" & "Level 3 & higher".
2. One idea for working on EE's would be to have the recruits that are likely to go send the coach an email at the beginning of cycle #1, and allow the coach to spend AP for those likely EEs. The actually budget allocation could await cycle #2. If the potential EE chose to stay, then the coach would be docked the spent AP in cycle #2.
3. [Edited to satisfy Spud and for concision] HD will need to re-impose restrictions on D3 coaches ability to recruit D1 caliber recruits, but the moderate hold is not sufficient.

One idea that I haven't been able to implement is for overlooked recruits to initiate contact with schools, similar to how transfers are doing it.

Posted by seble on 8/11/2016 1:52:00 PM (view original):
One idea that I haven't been able to implement is for overlooked recruits to initiate contact with schools, similar to how transfers are doing it.

If we have made some recruiting efforts into some of the leftover recruits and they go JUCO, let the recruiting efforts remain for the following season when they return to the recruiting pool. That might not be too hard to implement.

1. You're at a huge disadvantage if you move jobs and have any scholarships to fill in the second recruiting period. I poured significant APs (of which I had 100) into a select few recruits and all four, as well as backup targets, signed before I could start making promises/visits. I think that making scholarship offers process immediately would help in this area as it would reduce the number of cycles it takes to advance on a recruit. Having a few cycles in the second session before signings start would be helpful as well. Perhaps also more total cycles. Making APs less impactful would also help.

2. Sim recruiting logic needs to improve. This is an especially glaring issue at D1. They all fight each other for the same crappy recruits and ignore tons of talented players that veteran D2 and D3 coaches will pick up and eventually have D1-caliber rosters. Look at Rails' Texas, Tyler team for example. Having them switch faster to other recruits rather than getting into fruitless, wasteful battles will help a lot and keep D2/D3 on more of an even playing field rather than dependent on if you're lucky enough to pick up an egregiously overlooked recruit. I say this despite having almost always recruited exclusively pulldowns at D3. If D3 coaches can continue grabbing high-level recruits, the game will become completely dependent on the talent you can bring in, with diminished importance of team-building/fit and gameplanning.

I think that all recruiting options should be immediately unlocked in the second period without the use of AP. That may give schools with ees a fighting chance since many of the recruits are signing 1-2 cycles into the second period.

Another solution could be delaying any signings in the second period to at least 24 hours after the second period has started,

I'm happy with a lot of the changes since we started the beta. I'd say two things stick out to me, one bigger than the other:

1. Something to help EE coaches. I think having a non-signing cycle before 2nd session signings would help. I also wouldn't mind a small AP bonus for EEs.

2. I like the concept of "wants rebuild," but I (and a lot of other coaches) really don't like the execution. I think it could be fixed easily enough by changing the success preference options to only "wants success" or "no preference" and changing the coaching preference options to "wants loyal coach" (more common), "wants new coach," and "no preference." I think that a new coach preference captures the real life "wants rebuild" notion without rewarding failure. It's also a nice bonus to new players, so that helps too

Posted by tarvolon on 8/11/2016 3:50:00 PM (view original):
I'm happy with a lot of the changes since we started the beta. I'd say two things stick out to me, one bigger than the other:

1. Something to help EE coaches. I think having a non-signing cycle before 2nd session signings would help. I also wouldn't mind a small AP bonus for EEs.

2. I like the concept of "wants rebuild," but I (and a lot of other coaches) really don't like the execution. I think it could be fixed easily enough by changing the success preference options to only "wants success" or "no preference" and changing the coaching preference options to "wants loyal coach" (more common), "wants new coach," and "no preference." I think that a new coach preference captures the real life "wants rebuild" notion without rewarding failure. It's also a nice bonus to new players, so that helps too

+1

Also, I would like to see a way of converting Scouting money to recruiting money. Make it painful, but possible. Recruiting budgets at D3 are too small and scouting is too large. Only my opinion.

1. Please do something about Puerto Rico. Add it to FSS...anything to remove those recruits out of a black hole.

2. Scholarship offers should not need to be unlocked. It should be available immediately.

3. The ratio between scouting budget/costs and recruiting budget/costs is out of whack.

4. Four levels of scouting is one too many.

5. Early entries.