agree

at the very least there are a couple dead days that could be eliminated to get rid of some of the downtime

A little off topic, but I also have an issue with the new coach signups happening after the second phase of recruiting. That means you are asking a new coach to take on a team with no control over any players on that team, and a team that was sim recruited for at least 1 season. Makes coaches less likely to join more words because it's an extra season before you can impact the team.

If decreasing "downtime" is really a priority, you could start job applications the morning after the NC game. You can keep the renewal deadline where it is, as long as acceptances don't happen until the next day. Then cut a day of job change, too. Could just be a two day process, start acceptances on the 5AM EST cycle, and run 5 cycles of acceptances, and done. Start recruiting the next morning, and consider this also the new coach signup period, which shouldn't need its own stand-alone day after recruiting. All this cuts 3 days out of the process.

The potential drawbacks include: making it more dangerous to miss the renewal deadline, if acceptances start immediately, and people have had a chance to apply for your job; making it more likely a team that loses a coach is stuck with sim, as the tightened schedule reduces the cycles for another coach to step in after a coaching change; a tighter schedule amplifies the consequences for missing days for whatever reason, which can be off-putting to the people who "have a life".

I'm on the fence, not sold that it's a priority, or even a very good idea to try to reduce down time. It will definitely have consequences that should be thought out.

Posted by MikeT23 on 8/31/2017 12:21:00 PM (view original):
From another thread(subtle jabs at spud removed):

A new user with one team, just finishing a terrible 1st season with players he didn't recruit, also knows he did nothing for 17ish days out of 44/45(because he has to renew before RS2). Now he gets to decide "Do I want to continue?" So he starts "doing the math":
1. I was 5-22
2. None of those players were mine(lack of "attachment")
3. I did nothing for almost 40% of the season

That's a HORRIBLE experience for a guy we'd like to play a 2nd season.

The downtime that figures into his calculus is 11 days (the first day of sign-ups before the season, which he's probably forgotten about anyway, the 3 days of conference tourney he didn't play, the 6 days of NT/PIT he didn't qualify for, and job renewal day). And nothing can be done about 9 of those 11 days. Starting the 12th day (when job changes open up), he can be doing something. But he's already made a decision on whether or not to continue by that point.

That doesn't include any wait time prior to signing up and actually getting to play. There's too much time doing nothing and "nothing can be done" is unacceptable. SOMETHING can always be done.

Although, admittedly, SOMETHING might require a big overhaul to recruiting.

1. New sign-up
2. Recruiting Session One
3. Season
4. Tourneys
5. Recruit Session Two
6(1). Job change/new sign-up rolled into one

Amendment

4. Tourneys(exhibitions for those not in tourney)

Mike's the guy who gives Applebee's a two star Yelp review because it doesn't sell vacuum cleaners and his time is valuable, dangit.

There will always be downtime in this game. I happen to like that there's an actual off-season.

Who goes to Applebee's these days? And who the hell gives Yelp reviews?

Everything isn't always about you. But we've been thru this.

Posted by kcsundevil on 8/31/2017 1:42:00 PM (view original):
Mike's the guy who gives Applebee's a two star Yelp review because it doesn't sell vacuum cleaners and his time is valuable, dangit.

There will always be downtime in this game. I happen to like that there's an actual off-season.

I agree with both of you here (I'm kinda neutral on this issue, if your really bothered get another team but there is a lot of downtime) but kcsundevil is evolving into one of my favorite posters.