There has been a lot of discussion here since the release of potential in November, so I'd like to address our position on that release and the ensuing fallout.

First of all, potential was added to the game to increase realism and to add strategy to recruiting and player development. The scouting service came at the same time to add an additional layer of strategy to the process. We have always felt that these features make the game better and they are here to stay in some form or another. With that said, like most major feature additions they aren't perfect.

The initial release included a player development curve that was too aggressive, causing players to stop improving after a couple of seasons. Once that became evident, tweaks were made to slow down that rate. During this time, the WIS and HD founder unexpectedly us, which threw a wrench into the situation.

Once I took over lead on HD, I could see that feedback was still negative on potential and began a process of researching the rate of development and making some changes to it. That process took time, but I think has worked out fairly well with the release on 3/11.

Unfortunately a lot of you were already frustrated with the whole idea of potential. On that front I would just ask that you be patient and give the release a chance to fully take effect before making up your mind.

Looking forward, we are definitely planning to dig into the recruit creation process to evaluate distribution of players including potential to see if improvements can be made there. There could also be further tweaks made to rate of development as we get more data to analyze after the 3/11 release.

Whenever we add features to our games, we do our best to fully test them, but admittedly it's difficult given our limited resources and the complexity of our games. When it's something like player development, it may take time to realize that issues exist. This is not given as an excuse, just an explanation. We strive to do a good job responding to user feedback and addressing issues in a timely manner.

The response to this issue was not as timely as it should have been. For that we apologize and offer a $5 credit for all current HD users. I hope everyone can take a step back and reassess potential and player development with fresh eyes and make up your own mind about it.

Well said, seble. I'm certainly willing to forgive and forget, especially with the renewed effort of consistent open communication between WIS and us players. Good luck with the ongoing improvements.

Thanks for the note. You're right in that it needs some improvement, but I think we're all good with you making mistakes (esp when you admit them :). Thanks for being honest & thanks for the credit! This game is still unbelievable!

Nice post Seble. Communication, interaction, and honesty with coaches is the key. My other recommendation is an honest-to-goodness test world with real coaches so WIS can properly evaluate changes before they are implemented into retail.

Coaches on the other hand need to take a chill pill and not panic or overreact when the game changes and their cheese gets moved. Problems usually get solved. Endure a few inevitable frustrations, adjust, adapt. Was the implementation of potential shaky? Yes. Did it ruin the game? No.

$5 credit ain't bad either ; )

Thanks Seble!

It is much appreciated that you made this great post. I know there were a lot of veteran and hall of fame coaches that were obviously distraut and were considering leaving HD.

I think with this much needed post and the very generous credit you have given, people will reconsider and let you do your job. There is not another game like this on the internet and I personally enjoy every step of it.

There will always be issues with any game that is this in-depth so I think it is important that every coach has patience with whatever improvements and adjustments need to be made.

You are right there isn't another game like this on the internet that I have found, and I have looked because I like the game so much.. Very good post, hopefully now I will stop reading about complaints in almost every thread (or at least it will be far and few). I look forward to staying and watching as the game grows and improves. Thank you, seble.

Does anyone else not see a $5 credit when they go and sign up? Is it only for coaches who are actively playing right now? If so, that won't help entice anyone who has .

Great post Seble and I'm right there with you Narcotico. Plawless $5 credit was not meant to be an enticement.

Sure it is, it's an enticement to forgive and keep playing. I was an active coach with this account during those first seasons. Why don't I get a credit?

Seble - Admittedly, I'm not expecting a response here, but I know it's nearly impossible to fight through the web of CS interaction to get to you. At the same time, this isn't really an attempt to bait you into conversation, but maybe a prayer that you can explain something to me that I seem to be missing.

You state that "First of all, potential was added to the game to increase realism and to add strategy to recruiting and player development."

As I, and my veteran coaches see it, you've removed ALL strategy from player development and put the entire emphasis on recruiting. If I have the scouting service, I know exactly how much I can expect every scouted recruit to improve, in every catagory. I can't strategically make that SG convert to a SF by improving his 'low potential' rebounding. And I know this to be fact, because as a last chance attempt in Rupp (yet, another world that I'm dropping), I pulled my entire team practice plan and attempted to put as many as 40min of practice into some areas that were maxed out. Not only do I know exactly what MY players are going to do, I know what my opponent's players are going to improve.

So the question is, how do you believe that there is strategy involved in player development?

Also, I plan on making another thread that relates to this issue.

Mlat. .how do you have access to your opponent's players potentials?

FSS.

4green2, I think he means he can fairly estimate opponents' potential by looking at early gains. Correct me if I'm wrong, mlatsko.