Posted by shoe3 on 12/21/2016 10:52:00 AM (view original):
The tips hughesjr and chapel shared a few weeks ago might really help people, especially regarding how to utilize the assistant effectively. I don't spend any more or less time (still roughly 30 minutes before recruiting starts) but I do get more guys to level 4, which is nice.

My updated process:

1 - FSS (roughly a minute)
2 - Private camp with 200 D1 recruits (for D1 and D2, I'd add D2 recruits in there at D3, probably) (takes a minute, but of course it runs on its own time)
3 - Asst coach scouts already discovered players, 25 at a time. I start with a 300 mile radius and work out from there, as resources allow (I hold 10-15k in reserve). Usually gets me everyone D1 within 1000 miles to level 4. (Couple minutes and a few clicks)
4 - Find some targets, using filters (both attribute filters and preference filters). I look for a primary, a secondary, and two backups for each slot I intend to fill. Takes as much time as I care to spend, usually around 20 minutes.
5 - after recruiting starts, if it all falls apart, I have a reserve of 10-15k to go back and look at those level 1 guys outside of my asst search radius.

This is roughly the process I followed last night. I did not Asst scout 25 at a time though. D3 $$$ doesn't allow that sort of thing.

Posted by metsmax on 12/21/2016 10:57:00 AM (view original):
shoe - you dont do public camps? whats the thinking on those?

Not anymore. I did in beta, and to start with my big 6 teams (as pk) but I just ended up with a whole bunch of extra level 1 and 2 players I couldn't or wouldn't recruit. Maybe as they advance toward an A prestige, I'll recruit more nationally, but right now I focus on my radius.

I have been doing most of my scouting in two sessions. It is not that I necessarily prefer longer sessions, but that I am usually so into it that I keep going until an hour or two have gone by. Recruiting has always been my favorite part of the game but especially since 3.0. I love it.

I focus on my radius also and don't even bother doing public camp. Too expansive.

Posted by metsmax on 12/21/2016 10:57:00 AM (view original):
shoe - you dont do public camps? whats the thinking on those?

I do public camps and keep data on it and the only data I keep on recruiting. It takes some time to go through all 150 recruits to find the average of where I need to go into a recruit for that certain recruiting cycle. I think its more valuable and realiable to see what kind of recruits you can go after within your school.

Posted by MikeT23 on 12/21/2016 8:21:00 AM (view original):
My goal is to win. What's your goal?

I never said it didn't take more time. I said I don't find it time-consuming. I also said I come from HBD so my tolerance of clicks is probably a little higher. I have no doubt I'll spend roughly an hour when all is said and done. But it will be 5 minutes here, 3 minutes there, etc, etc on my way to 1/14 and, if needed, the 2nd session.

In the time it took me to type these two posts, I could have found a couple of other players to target.

If your goal is to win why is your freshman class made up entirely of JV high school bench warmers? Not a single viable player at any level.

Maybe I suck at HD?

But I'll get better. As one who "hates" the game, will you stop playing?

Posted by MikeT23 on 12/22/2016 6:51:00 AM (view original):
Maybe I suck at HD?

No wonder you defend 3.0 so much--the changes were made specifically for guys like you!

Mike : when I started I sucked. There is a learning curve. I sucked at scouting and recruiting in 3.0 too. Learning curve also. Keep at it. New owners have to understand that building a team will sometimes be frustrating until they can develop a proper strategy and a better understanding of what's needed .

Posted by snafu4u on 12/22/2016 7:31:00 AM (view original):

Posted by MikeT23 on 12/22/2016 6:51:00 AM (view original):
Maybe I suck at HD?

No wonder you defend 3.0 so much--the changes were made specifically for guys like you!

I don't know enough about 3.0 to defend it. I do know why I quit in 2006. That version sucked.

That's what normal people do. They think something sucks, they quit it.

Do you consider yourself "normal" or are you "special" as the politically correct say?

Posted by zorzii on 12/22/2016 7:46:00 AM (view original):
Mike : when I started I sucked. There is a learning curve. I sucked at scouting and recruiting in 3.0 too. Learning curve also. Keep at it. New owners have to understand that building a team will sometimes be frustrating until they can develop a proper strategy and a better understanding of what's needed .

I bought a 5 pack. I'm doing much better with scouting with my alias team. I also didn't use all my scouting with my Smith team in half an hour in my 2nd season. I'll see if I'm better at recruiting soon enough. I'll play out my 5 pack even if I continue to suck. But, if I grow to hate the game, the credits will go unused. And, suck or not, I'll buy more teams if I continue to enjoy it.

That said, I'm in a conference with 9 other guys from one of my HBD worlds. We're all equally inept so we're enjoying the process.

a fun conference is a key aspect - at least for me - of fun in this game in the long term

I'm worried that 3.0 reduces incentives to be in a well populated conference - $$ gone - and disincentives remain. BUT the fun is a good reason to seek out populated conferences

While I'd like to win, and it's a goal, it's not the most important aspect of the game. Fun, however you describe it, is. I'm the commish of two worlds in HBD. I created them because the worlds I was in were not competitive. I'd rather get beaten by good competition than destroy bad competition. To me, that's more fun.

Of course, I recognize that some play Madden on rookie so they can win 88-3. Meh, whatever.