So in Wooden I lost out on a top 100 recruit to a lower prestiged Sim school with 60/40 odds, why or how I lost to them is not why I am posting this (although I am really irked by it, a paying customer losing to a lower prestiged Sim school is ridiculous).

My issue is, EVERY single recruit that I have tried putting APs to after that has signed immediately on the next cycle. I have tried four recruits, and every single one of the recruits I have put APs to, signed the very next cycle.

I mean, Im talking recruits that didnt sign for 4 cycles, didnt have any one listed as high or very high, then I put APs on them and BOOM, they sign immediately the next cycle.

Am I just unlucky? Am I the only one having this happen to?

Recruits start signing rapidly on the final day. It makes sense, but the AP restrictions are poorly designed. Essentially, you can be left holding a pile of cash that you simply cannot spend as you have to waste a cycle trying to unlock actions while recruits are signing. D1 recruits can start signing D3 on the final day. "Late" recruits become increasingly, but randomly, more likely to sign over the final few cycles.

The answer that you will receive is that you needed to plan by applying AP to some backup options over the past few days. That's a very difficult choice when it will have big impact on your chances in the battle for your primary target. However, you are not the only one. This happens frequently.

The other alternative is to hold out scouting budget until the bitter end to be able to find a few transfers or JuCos that are not considering. That will give you a chance. However, you should be able to offer scholarships to everyone without unlocking actions now.

Posted by rogelio on 4/18/2017 2:00:00 PM (view original):
Recruits start signing rapidly on the final day. It makes sense, but the AP restrictions are poorly designed. Essentially, you can be left holding a pile of cash that you simply cannot spend as you have to waste a cycle trying to unlock actions while recruits are signing. D1 recruits can start signing D3 on the final day. "Late" recruits become increasingly, but randomly, more likely to sign over the final few cycles.

The answer that you will receive is that you needed to plan by applying AP to some backup options over the past few days. That's a very difficult choice when it will have big impact on your chances in the battle for your primary target. However, you are not the only one. This happens frequently.

The other alternative is to hold out scouting budget until the bitter end to be able to find a few transfers or JuCos that are not considering. That will give you a chance. However, you should be able to offer scholarships to everyone without unlocking actions now.

The game does not force you to cultivate backup options. Nor does it force you to only expend APs on your primary targets. You can choose either strategy, or some combination in between. The choices you make have consequences. Those consequences may be negative, and (as in the case of the OP) can leave you in a situation where you run out of time trying to triage a class of plan Ds when your primary targets go elsewhere, and you don't have backups on hand. Those consequences are a result of the choices, not indicative of a design flaw. Neglecting to cultivate backups is a gamble, and there need to be consequences to gambling.

Scholarships are already open on the final day, to players projected at your level. If you're reaching up, you have to unlock. Opening scholarships for D1 players to lower division teams would have lots of unintended consequences, and none of them would be popular.

Posted by pkoopman on 4/18/2017 2:25:00 PM (view original):

Posted by rogelio on 4/18/2017 2:00:00 PM (view original):
Recruits start signing rapidly on the final day. It makes sense, but the AP restrictions are poorly designed. Essentially, you can be left holding a pile of cash that you simply cannot spend as you have to waste a cycle trying to unlock actions while recruits are signing. D1 recruits can start signing D3 on the final day. "Late" recruits become increasingly, but randomly, more likely to sign over the final few cycles.

The answer that you will receive is that you needed to plan by applying AP to some backup options over the past few days. That's a very difficult choice when it will have big impact on your chances in the battle for your primary target. However, you are not the only one. This happens frequently.

The other alternative is to hold out scouting budget until the bitter end to be able to find a few transfers or JuCos that are not considering. That will give you a chance. However, you should be able to offer scholarships to everyone without unlocking actions now.

The game does not force you to cultivate backup options. Nor does it force you to only expend APs on your primary targets. You can choose either strategy, or some combination in between. The choices you make have consequences. Those consequences may be negative, and (as in the case of the OP) can leave you in a situation where you run out of time trying to triage a class of plan Ds when your primary targets go elsewhere, and you don't have backups on hand. Those consequences are a result of the choices, not indicative of a design flaw. Neglecting to cultivate backups is a gamble, and there need to be consequences to gambling.

Scholarships are already open on the final day, to players projected at your level. If you're reaching up, you have to unlock. Opening scholarships for D1 players to lower division teams would have lots of unintended consequences, and none of them would be popular.

"D1" recruits open up to signing at D3 on the final day. To be sure, the effort (AP, etc.) already had to be applied to unlock actions for the D3 coach, but the result is a totally unbalanced D3 competitive field and a scarcity of backup options for D1 coaches that lose battles late. Allowing "D1" recruits to sign at D3 is an arbitrary choice that the game developers made for 3.0. It is, IMHO, an extremely poorly considered choice.

To say that choices have consequences...yada yada...justifies any system. This is "Spud-like" reasoning...the conclusion of your logic is that we live in the best of all possible worlds, even when you are being kicked repeatedly in the groin.

The result here being that George Washington ends up on a level playing field, probably a disadvantage, with Washington and Lee, for instance, on the final day. IRL, Washington and Lee cannot bind recruits to a LOI (only DI & DII can) or offer athletic scholarships. The simple fix is to prevent D3 schools from signing "D1" recruits altogether. Easy.

That's also one of the worst solutions.

People make decisions and, when it doesn't work out, just give them a golden parachute.

"the conclusion of your logic is that we live in the best of all possible worlds, even when you are being kicked repeatedly in the groin."

No, my logic is, when you get kicked in the groin, and it hurts, start protecting your groin.

This is the funny thing about this forum. Every "solution" is good for 1/3 of the userbase. Those at D1. The game is played by more than D1 users.

I've always said D3 should not sign D1 players. It makes for a bad game. I am back in D3 and still feel it is a waiting game.

Heres the thing, I had other back up plans in place...I was on Moderate for 2 of them. So when I lost out on the one I wanted I put more APs on my back up plans and they signed immediately on the next cycle

I prefer "seek and hide". You seek out the best D1/D2 you can find that you think won't interest D1/D2 teams and you "hide" until they can sign. Forcing n00bs to battle established veterans for other D3 players is a terrible, terrible idea.

D2 and D1 recruiting is different, from each other even, so you get 3 games in one.

My point of this thread was why exactly the cycle after I put APs on guys do they sign? I mean, every single recruit I either put APs back on, or put newly APs on, signed immediately the cycle after. Unlucky?

This isnt a whining thread...just curious

Posted by crabman26 on 4/18/2017 3:14:00 PM (view original):
Heres the thing, I had other back up plans in place...I was on Moderate for 2 of them. So when I lost out on the one I wanted I put more APs on my back up plans and they signed immediately on the next cycle

You know why. Other schools were dumping loads of resources into those guys while you were chasing others.

Posted by MikeT23 on 4/18/2017 3:16:00 PM (view original):

Posted by crabman26 on 4/18/2017 3:14:00 PM (view original):
Heres the thing, I had other back up plans in place...I was on Moderate for 2 of them. So when I lost out on the one I wanted I put more APs on my back up plans and they signed immediately on the next cycle

You know why. Other schools were dumping loads of resources into those guys while you were chasing others.

So it was just coincidence that after a few cycles I decide to go to my back up options and they sign the next cycle? I feel if I hadnt put any more APs on them they still would be floating out there deciding...maybe Im just being paranoid.

I mean, after 4 cycles there were guys with noone at High or Very High, I put APs on them and they sign next cycle..

Eh, whatever, guess its just me and not anyone else so Ill shut it...

Posted by crabman26 on 4/18/2017 3:16:00 PM (view original):
My point of this thread was why exactly the cycle after I put APs on guys do they sign? I mean, every single recruit I either put APs back on, or put newly APs on, signed immediately the cycle after. Unlucky?

This isnt a whining thread...just curious

Yes, the timing is just a coincidence/bad luck.

Just FYI, I finally found a recruit that didnt sign after I put APs on....he is WAY down the D1 totem pole, but nonetheless, I should be able to sign him