Hey all, am tired of policing the league rules, so with the new interface and game version kicking up soon, maybe in time for next season, am going to remove the full play selection and use rule. The good news is that JDB is working on getting that feature for league admins to use, making it a whole lot easier to play a game thats more of a simulation to RL, which is the goal. In the meantime, Im done with overseeing compliance, its extra time and effort that I dont need or want anymore. What will happen is that certain overused plays will be taken off the board, both offense and defense. Any off or def play used 10X or more a game by dominant winning teams will be considered for removal..... :))) so that will make a least some difference and will encourage more diversity.

I've no idea what JDB has planned for "banning" the use of some plays in leagues, but I do know that this type of "change" does not address the underlying issue of why some plays are so successful over others to begin with. Fair enough if this is just a workaround until JDB can totally rebuild the woefully outdated game engine.

Am I correct in thinking that the banned plays a team might incur would be for just that team? Or for the whole league?

Odd timing for this announcement in the middle of the playoffs?
So effective immediately? In fairness I wouldn’t want to put a non-diverse PB in, but don’t want to get caught by playing by the standards in place all season and an opponent has a non diverse PB.
I assume player position rules still in place?

Question: Will this 10x rule be mandatory or do you do a review then?

Reason for this question is that my team had a 12x play in game #7 out of 27/30 activated plays.

Any changes will be next season, but that does not prevent someone breaking the rules or using significantly less diversity, as one or more of the current active PO teams do.

My understanding is that the play elimination control is for all teams in the league. I dont see it being the answer to full play selection and max use, but its better than nothing. Its not about what plays consistently work the best, and having plays that dont perform well, some only want the game to have totally successful plays all the time, lol. For me, its about getting more strategy involved, more like RL football. My 3 leagues were the only ones to attempt play diversity and max use, the Elite is the last one left. The reason that I have decided to let the rules go is that we dont get full compliance, and Im just tired of trying to get that. Some said it couldnt be done, but we were able to get much more than was thought possible. However, and its a Big However, the same guys who consistently win and dominate in regular leagues also do so here, so its not really making that much of a difference, not worth the time, effort, and consternation to continue with.

What will make a play eligible for blocking? Play counts by more than one or two teams, consistenly used more than 10X a game. That sort of thing, and its mostly a defensive problem, as there are a few defensive plays that consistently produce a very low average against. My hope is that this will not be as much a problem for the game in the near future, but Ive had that hope now for over 3 years, lol. JDB tells me that with the old game interface completely removed and working exclusively with the new interface, it will be easier for him to improve the game based on the suggestions and requests that have been numerous. Will see. :)

Next question: Do you intend to implement roster restriction as there is a matrix available for admins?

We will continue with the current roster rules but will use the admin roster control when we switch to the new interface.

GDB, as it stands, the position matrix is still being worked on, but it looks very promising so far. Also, there is admin tool in the new UI to "block" plays - but this is throughout the whole league, and cannot be nailed down to a single team (yet).

So, in essence, if a team is running a play 10x times a game - be it a coached team or AI - you (Admin) are left with the choice to block that play for the WHOLE league instead of a team that is abusing one play. With respect, I think that is a big mistake.

What also needs to be considered is the fact that the game engine has yet to be touched on by JDB, therefore, we all know the "good" plays, and if you start blocking those, it's ultimately gonna lead to very low-scoring games - and as a direct consequence, a boring league.

Kab