Smoltz and Hometown has agreed to a merger over a week ago. everything was set up to complete it, and we still have not heard a word from them of any progress.

Note from WIS: We will process this HBD merger tomorrow morning (Friday, Feb 19)

The situation is awful. It is the single largest problem, imho, facing the game. It's surprising WIS doesn't address it. There are good solutions being offered by customers of the game. The only real response I've heard from WIS is allowing merges and talk of advertising. Something substantive should to be proposed soon by WIS.

I think there is one thing that you guys might be over looking here. As brand new player, but a player with a perspective that long time players may no longer view as an issue is that all I see in most of these worlds is openings for crappy teams and the leagues have long time juggernauts winning year after year. As a newbie walking into this can be daunting. Then I think to myself do I want to play again? If I say yes, then I have to ask myself how long before I get to enjoy the game? Because losing is no fun. And if in the league you join there tends to be only the same few owners winning then I ask why should I continue?

Maybe there should be an expansion draft each time a league needs new players to fill ownership of teams. That way it balances the leagues out a little better and be more competitive. With each team protecting a certain number of players and/or prospects with the new teams picking players from them and the teams that didn't return.

But another point is also that I have had not so good experience with some longer time players. Some seem to think that if they send you a trade offer that is good for them and not good for you then you should accept it anyway because they don't think you know anything and you should just rollover and give in. And when you question them as to why should accept an offer that isn't in my best interest they have a cow over it. Stuff like that will make me think twice about returning and I am sure it goes on in every league.

And also the handcuffing of newbies with the budgets restrictions is ridiculous. How are we ever to compete if we can set our scouting to 20? Why should the worst team in the league have to guess at the best player in the draft?

These are all possible issues that could be causing the lack of new teams being filled. I personally think the disparity in top teams and bottoms in the leagues is a great issue.

Just a thought. Also do like the different league sizes. Then later on the league can contract or expand depending on its needs.

There are/were 350ish openings when you signed up. Every team available wasn't bad. Granted that you may not have known anything but, with some research, you could have found a world where the same teams don't win every season and a team that isn't horrible. Being in a bad world with a bad team is somewhat on you.

That's not exactly what I was talking about. I'm just saying that the perception of a new person could be those things. I for one wanted to build my team and could have had a much better team in one of the two leagues I have joined but chose the long term way of playing.

This seemed like a personal experience: "But another point is also that I have had not so good experience with some longer time players."

I assumed the rest was also from a personal standpoint.

Posted by MikeT23 on 2/16/2016 2:18:00 PM (view original):
Creating more worlds, which is what escalation/relegation would require although it would probably be called levels, is horrible.

If a world of 20 can't be filled, it should probably go away.

Wrong. For every team promoted, there would be one demoted. Zero impact on the number of worlds that would need to be filled.

I am not suggesting there could not be private worlds that vote to maintain world continuity. So your worlds wouldn't be forced to drop or accept teams.

I have no doubt there are a lot of casual gamer baseball fans who would be happy to play HBD with other people who put as much into HBD as they do. People who invest more time would be in worlds with others who do the same. People who want to check in every few days, don't care about extra rules, etc., could do that.

This model has been proven in other games. Clash of Clans has a model that can be emulated. Madden Football Ultimate Team automatically promotes / demotes based on how well you play.

Name another game where, if you pay and signup today, you might have to wait days to weeks before you can start to play?

Waiting for worlds to fill is a dead concept. WIS/HBD can stick with that and slowly fade away, or adapt to the times.

Fair enough. Let's assume you're talking about taking 3 tough to fill worlds and using escalation/relegation.

Fill in the details from there.

I usually only play 2 teams - rarely 3 - but not because I don't have the time to play more, but rather because of the hit to the wallet. What if WIS offered a monthly subscription for HBD? They're not making as much money with it taking so long for leagues to roll over and I don't know about anyone else, but I'd play more if they offered something like a monthly subscription.

Just spit-balling here but maybe up to 5 active teams for $20-$25/month or up to 10 teams for $40-$50 per month.

Leagues would roll faster if more people had teams to use and WIS would get more money and on a monthly subscription basis. Everyone's happy.

So you're suggesting going from $7-$8 a month to $4-$5 a month? Does a dime a day really make a difference to anyone?

I have long thought that the crappy team and juggernaut problem is a factor creating openings. To argue that it is somehow a newbies fault for joining a league like that is kind of nonsense. Now is it the existing league owners fault for allowing it to happen and continue? Yes.

The game also lends itself toward dynasties and away from parity unless all of the owners are of similar skill and diligence. Being able to control a stud for 11 seasons before they have even a chance at FA is a huge driver of this.

If no one takes the team that wins 50-55 games for seasons on end while other owners are constantly racking up 110 win seasons, the problem solves itself. It's not hard to look at the history of a world/team.

No it doesn't solve itself at all. First that contributes the the 400 opening number quite a bit when 13 openings are one league. Then you have leagues that don't fill for 6 months and when they do it is all new players who joined in the "Suggested World" then see what is happening and just peace out after one season without a second thought.

If you are brand new and don't know anything much about the game and the site is "suggesting" a league that has eight 100 win teams that seems like a contributor to the problem. Problem is with how HBD is set up it is very difficult to fix in many leagues without something drastic, or without a group of owners willing to fix the mess.

Yes, it does. Eventually the owners who built the powerhouses and allowed(contributed to) downtrodden franchises will move on. I can't imagine someone sitting idle in a world thru eternity.

Everyone is "brand new" at some point. If you don't take time to educate yourself just the tiniest bit, you need to shoulder some blame for taking on crap. I'm not a fan of the "suggested" world but that doesn't absolve new users for contributing to their own troubles.