appreciate all the info

I would want to work up to D1 in some capacity and I'd like to compete for recruits and what not, so I'm not too worried about the strength of elite programs because it is probably similar to GD.  My biggest concern/unknown is the game engine.  Do you feel like there are multiple winning strategies or does the engine lend itself to one established way to win?  Do you feel like the engine is an accurate representation of your gameplanning and the talent on your teams?

Posted by tcochran on 3/18/2011 2:47:00 PM (view original):
appreciate all the info

I would want to work up to D1 in some capacity and I'd like to compete for recruits and what not, so I'm not too worried about the strength of elite programs because it is probably similar to GD.  My biggest concern/unknown is the game engine.  Do you feel like there are multiple winning strategies or does the engine lend itself to one established way to win?  Do you feel like the engine is an accurate representation of your gameplanning and the talent on your teams?

Having played GD before and after the update, I can say with confidence that HD engine is better in terms of generating acceptable results. Talent matters, gameplan matters. Thing is, in HD, you will not see the deterministic results of the old GD engine or the erratic results of the new GD engine. 

As for winning strategy, I feel like theres only one. You have to have a balanced team that can grab boards, have a good pg, and balanced inside outside game.

I'd say there's more ways to win now than in the past, but I could be wrong. I would say whatever strategy you go with, don't ignore the fundamentals (athleticism, speed, defense, rebounding). I played GD for a season, didn't like it, then tried it again when I got a free season, and I liked it, but it just wasn't as fun as HD. But the main thing with GD, if I remember correctly, is you pretty much had to run the ball like crazy and load the box, so basically you would have to run the Notre Dame Box and 5-2. Which no one runs anymore. That's what turned me off to the game. In HD, there's no "right" offense or defense, as long as you recruit to those sets, you'll be fine.

Posted by girt25 on 3/18/2011 7:26:00 AM (view original):

Posted by ethan66 on 3/17/2011 11:50:00 PM (view original):
I've only been totally immersed in HD since about last October or so, and I've found it to be incredibly addictive.  I informed my wife that we WOULD be home from a family gathering Saturday before recruiting begins for one of my teams or else!  (I never elaborated on what "else" meant).  And I'm now worried that if we take a vacation next fall like we've talked, I might miss something important.

Add the cost of a good laptop to my vacation expenses, I guess.

Seriously, I think it takes a while to get the hang of this simulation's fine points.  I started out on the wrong foot and I'm still trying to make up for my early mistakes.  The good news is that you always get another season to recruit better players and win more games.

ethan, you can always get someone to help out for you in recruiting if you're not going to be around.

Shhhh.   My wife thinks we have to schedule our trips around my HD jones.  :)

Appreciate the offer - will think about that if an emergency arises.  Of course, it will also expose me as a total fraud in recruiting, but I'll take the lumps :)

I actually really like recruiting at low-D1.  Yea, I'm not getting 5 star players, but it takes a lot more strategy and planning to be successful.  If I can build up a strong program at low-D1, I know I'm a good coach.  

Posted by tcochran on 3/18/2011 2:17:00 PM (view original):
Is there a listing of baseline prestige?  Sounds like elites in GD.

Also, do top players in D1 go pro after a year or two?

Players can go pro in 1 year at DI, IIRC.

Somewhere you can find the baseline numbers- it was pinned on the old forum but I'm not sure where it is now.

As for "balance" in the engine- in general, there is no "winning" or "losing" offense or defense in HD, like you would see in GD.  Seble & co work hard to keep all of the offenses and defenses balanced vs. each other.  Sometimes one will be more up and down, then get brought back to earth (example is the press/fastbreak was GREAT 6-9 months ago, and some will argue it's below the others slightly now).  IQ matters significantly in HD though, so if you do change your offense or defense, you're in for a rough year/two until your players get IQ's in the B-/B range.

There are small flaws here or there, but as far as I know, most 'loopholes' or overpowering ways to do things are either closed, or fixed quickly.  A less talented team can win some games, but will not be challenging for a national championship.  Upsets will happen- but over a 28 game season, if a great team played all weak teams, I'd expect the great team to win 26-28- but you can have those two.

Good stuff, asher.  Thanks.

I'm one of the biggest haters/seble haters on this site...

with that said, this is basically the only game I play regularly and it's EASILY the best cbb game going today.