Maybe Life is Happier When You Don't Try to Learn the Engine

[LefLop 45]

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As a GM and Head Coach in the SBA, trying to learn the sim engine, FBB3, and crack and bend it to your will is something that I'm kinda expected to do. At the very least, I should have good game knowledge, the ability to help and support my players and give them good build advice, and explain my understanding of the game ratings and what they do. In that sense, I'm always interested in learning more about the engine and how it works and swapping notes with other people. But when I actually take a step back and look at it, I think I enjoy not knowing about the sim engine better. Recently, in another sim league that I'm in, I had to update my player for the first time in a long time, on an engine that was completely unfamiliar with me, and that hasn't been very well solved in the community. The idea of having to update with little to no stuff to base on, just results in the sims and the tagged names of the the attributes and tendencies that you can invest in, made the process a little more enjoyable. Maybe it's just me being burned out from looking at the SBA sim engine repeatedly, but I'm starting to suspect that the less I know about the sim engine, the more likely I'm willing to spend time in the league and just try stuff.

 

Lets take my player here for example. In SBA, I'm trying to min max my results and help my team in any way possible. In VHL, I have no understanding of the engine, heck, I don't even know what engine we are running. With that said, I know that the stats seem fairly straightforward, and that my goals are fairly straightforward, so I'm just going to be a specialist and try to max out 2 or 3 stats. I want to shoutout one of my favorite users of all time, @rory, for inspiring me to go down this path. I have to say that being his coach in the SBDL was one of the most fun experiences I've ever had, and he's inspired me so much and helped rejuvenate me for a while. In that sense, I was lucky to know the engine and try to help him accomplish his goals, but at the same time, now looking at here, not knowing the engine, and just updating the core stats I want while being a team player and buying into the team stats as well from time to time, have brought me more joy. I will be an ostrich, with my head in the sand. 

[Beketov 9,005]

6 hours ago, LefLop said:

I don't even know what engine we are running.

STHS - specifically engine version 1.1

[RomanesEuntDomus 442]

I completely agree with this sentiment! Leagues like this one tend to be more fun when you don't know all the details about the inner workings (and the weaknesses) of the engine imho, when there is a certain sense of wonder any uncertainty. Many leagues sooner or later hit a point where test-simming becomes the new cool thing to give you an edge and GMs and other front office stuff go hard on it and in my experience that usually ends up making things less fun for everyone involved in the end.

[Beketov 9,005]

3 minutes ago, RomanesEuntDomus said:

Many leagues sooner or later hit a point where test-simming becomes the new cool thing to give you an edge and GMs and other front office stuff go hard on it

One of many reasons I don’t feel like we should be giving out our league file, and we don’t. Though test simming wouldn’t get you nearly as far in STHS in my experience. It has a good amount of RNG built in which some people despise but I kinda like. Sure it’s frustrating to lose when on paper you should have won but it’s super boring when everyone knows more or less the outcome of every game just by looking at the teams involved.

[RomanesEuntDomus 442]

3 minutes ago, Beketov said:

One of many reasons I don’t feel like we should be giving out our league file, and we don’t. Though test simming wouldn’t get you nearly as far in STHS in my experience. It has a good amount of RNG built in which some people despise but I kinda like. Sure it’s frustrating to lose when on paper you should have won but it’s super boring when everyone knows more or less the outcome of every game just by looking at the teams involved.

 

For sure. As usual I tend to compare these things to the SHL which I generally prefer as a league, but they have gone all-in on test simming a few years back even while still on STHS and overall I think it hurt the league more than it helped and it ultimately led to STHS not even being feasible as an engine anymore because people found too many exploits and because we ended up with "meta" builds that you had to make if you wanted to be good. It's good to see that the VHL hasn't gone down that route. And over the last few years I have come to completely agree with you in that RNG is a good thing for these leagues, not a bad thing, even if it might be frustrating at times if you randomly lose to a team in the playoffs that you should've easily beat.