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P.S Q4 :-)

Written by RickReaper

Manager F's question 4
so top up that cuppa and enjoy

Q4. What would you change about the game?

Funny question this. Given I have logged in almost every day for over 6 years that would suggest there probably isn’t a lot wrong with HT. Still, there is usually some scope for improvement in most things. As the question invites a personal perspective, I gave it a full answer for anyone that is interested in some of the finer points of the game in NI.

Masters - get rid of the totally unjustified and inequitable home advantage. When you are faced with some of the biggest teams in the world it is ridiculous that they get an additional, often insurmountable, advantage just from getting a lucky home draw. All games should be played at a neutral ground, or else at the home teams ground with no home advantage. (The home games issue opens up some mathematical issues for consideration too. If you think you will be in the Masters for several consecutive seasons with a cracking team some maths are required to work out whether you should build a 100+k seater stadium as Masters matches generally sell out and regular cup runs in that comp are very lucrative).
You should also get a flag for Masters matches as well as friendlies.

National Teams - I dislike NT games as the big countries are unbeatable over a long competition. The Italys and Spains of this world produce more wonder youth players on a weekly basis that we manage over several seasons. You cannot compete with that. They have the luxury of deciding to pick someone because he has the perfect specialty as well as having perfect skills. I have a lot of respect for people like Mongo/Drumkee that undertake the Sisyphean NI qualifying task each campaign against overwhelming odds.To combat this, I think HT should explore the possibilities of an optional competition for those countries who fail to qualify and spend 16 weeks playing meaningless friendlies Or alternatively want to play something that is competitive for smaller countries.

Small countries club cup - If you ever look at the teams that get to the later stages of the Masters they are largely comprised of bigger countries, despite the fact that there are so many smaller countries in the Masters. One of the reasons this happens is those teams are playing in domestic cups for up to 16 weeks a season. From well before the halfway stage of those 16 weeks the top teams in big countries are playing in big stadia and generally getting very deep into those cups. That is a phenomenal additional income they generate that we in smaller countries do not. I think a world club cup should be optionally introduced for smaller countries to participate in from say week 4 or 5 on - you could even do it on a continental basis. This would be much more interesting than playing meaningless friendlies and would certainly stimulate interest midweek It would also have the ancillary benefit of evening up the unearned income that bigger countries benefit from. At the moment playing competitive world club football is limited to the miniscule number of teams that qualify for the Masters - why not open it up? Sure, big countries will point to the bonus money earned from small country players but in fairness how often does that happen to you as an individual in NI?

Flags - achievement points should be given for collecting flags. It is one of the biggest commitments in the game to get a full list requiring years of work to complete. Mourne Rockies will soon complete his away list and I'm fast closing in on a home list. Neither have been done before in NI.

Cup - Random cup draws are often positively supported on our forum. I disagree completely with making all cup draws random. It would wreck the economical side of the game which is very finely balanced.However, this applies much more to bigger countries where the vast majority of the HT income is generated. You could do it in a small country like ours however, but a word of caution, it will not alter the cup winner (teams like Gavin's and Gotmilk's will still win but it will decrease the chances of said teams meeting in the final every season) and will inevitably result in some big teams taking a massive income and TS hit as they get a bad draw away from home early on. I would leave it as it is as the lesser of two evils but it would work in our country if the will was there to introduce it. Maybe a vote on the forum could be undertaken as a first step? I don't really see what difference it makes to the HTs one way or the other in a small country like this. It should be a very simple programming change.

Loyalty bonus - It is a great idea but seems overly strong at the moment. A good team that knows how to build and work it to full advantage in the long term is very dangerous and I fully intend to if they don't change things soon. It also gives teams with zimmermen (apologies to Gotmilk - great word you came up with!) a disincentive to rebuild as they get a massive boost from the bonus. In my opinion the best teams in II.1 all occupy the lower places. The teams at the top of this league have relatively short termist zimmer strategies. Shame that some of the better teams are going to be relegated for playing the game positively and strategically. Long term though all the lower ranked teams in this league will come through. The places in this league will flip on its head sometime soon.

Leagues - I think the standard fixture list needs reviewed. When you begin the season in first place, the first game is often the most important you face against the team that came second the season before (often your main challenger) - and everything is in your favour. You have home advantage; your opponent cannot get a TS advantage as it is so early in the season; win and you have already opened up a gap over your biggest competitor who you do not have to play again until the very last match - by which time the league could already be over. To get to the top in HT you have to know how to take full advantage of these little quirks. A random fixture list would negate this advantage immediately and even things up.The current fixture list also has major implications for the cup in a 4 division tiered country like NI. The turn in the league comes in weeks 7 and 8 where you play the same team. This falls immediately in advance of the cup final. This is of prime importance for a top team in planning whether to assault the league or cup, or both. In the top flight you often find bots or quasi-bots as teams seek to rebuild or give up altogether. Get one of those on the turn and you have an almost insurmountable advantage in the cup with the associated Team Spirit boost. You can't do it very often but I have more than once forced a weaker team into the correct league place (for me) in week 14 to give me easier cup matches in the subsequent season's week 7 and 8. It is the little things that give the edge. This is easily remedied but until it is teams like mine will continue to exploit every weakness there is to get an advantage.