https://imgur.com/gallery/BWho4
So most of the people on here can agree that the game is unfavourable for new coaches coming to the game. This is due to the mixture of not having ample recruiting time and also not being able to gain a firm grasp on how to recruit as a result. It leads to a lot of turnover, which is to be expected.
At any rate; I hadn't recruited from a D3 perspective during only phase two, exactly as a new user would. So here are my takeaways. I posted the link which will show the players I signed. The 6th player should be good to sign, but who knows.
1. Less players to scout doesn't equal using less money: I was in a position where I just avoided looking for players who considering anyone. It seemed like a big waste applying AP to anyone who could be moderate on other D3 owners since they would have unlocked a scholarship or could be close. So the pickings were slim. In D3 I did zero scouting. D2 I did Iowa and Illinois. (Team is in Iowa) there wasn't anything good left.
D1 I went international, Canada, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Missouri, Minnesota, South Dakota, New England and Kansas. So a lot of states and places, but not a lot of players left, which made it easier to spend the money. When all was said and done I only found so many players who were worth contacting.
2. I contacted 2 players other than the six I should end up signing and both of those players signed with human coaches. Both were International recruits who I fully scouted, so not getting them just ends up being a drain on funds; however teams are less likely to go after a low level International since a D3 budget isn't adequate for spreading yourself over the foreign player pool. Especially if you're a user starting from phase one. That said, International players can end up really good, so more new users should probably take a chance on scouting them and just look for the warning signs to not scout too much; such as a D in ATH and DEF when it shows black, or a poor WE with no upsides in core stats.
3. Once the first two cycles have passed; you're basically in it for the long haul on the players you're trying to get. There isn't enough time to pick and choose players. So in phase two there isn't an option to spread things out. First off you've got to unlock a player, then you've got to hope nobody else goes after that player (happened twice to me) then you've got to just sit and wait for the cycle that the player signs. If an owner comes out of nowhere, there is no time to have a backup plan if you're a phase two incoming owner.
4. If you have more than six openings you're definitely not filling all your openings: I had seven spots and there are absolutely no Juco players that you can land. You can obviously get in to an unwinnable battle with someone with a huge head start, but if you search for any that have nobody on the considering list, it is near impossible. So again, another crutch for someone who is taking over a team. Any more than six is just a bad idea. I would probably suggest to anyone just entering the game to stick to a team that has 1-2 openings and then 5-6 juniors so that the team can truly become your own sooner rather than later.
5. Signing a big group of decent at best players doesn't obligate you to keep them long term. I think a big issue with new players is that they sign their initial class and then think that they are stuck with them for 4 seasons. This couldn't be further from the truth. Having a full recruiting session you can maximize your reach in order to effectively address key areas of weakness. This six as an example will be great in LP if I was to keep them all four years, but I am completely willing to cut all six next recruiting session if there are decent Juco players, transfers or just another batch of six that are better.
6. You can however get a good class. I don't think these six guys are half bad, but the learning curve for someone entering the game at a disadvantage may be too much to overcome or maintain a further interest. It isn't winning necessarily that an incoming user needs, but more so a sense of actually being able to build something on their first purchase.
7/4/2017 9:29 PM (edited)