Claimed:My VHLM Experience Continues To Be The Worst

[Tagger 2,722]

Answer: The VHLM

 

I've never really shied away from making my true thoughts about the VHLM clear. In short, I don't like it. I've never liked D-League experiences in sim leagues and having spent more combined seasons in this league's D-League than any other league I've been in has only strengthened my dislike for them. It probably doesn't help that my personal VHLM experiences continue to be terrible. Here's my VHLM career thus far:

 

Encarnacion

 

S33

Created around the deadline, wasn't picked up by any VHLM team. Great start.

 

S34

Drafted by Saskatoon Wild in the second round. Team was terrible (Me and Conner Low were the lone actives), GM wasn't Locker Room/PM active (Jackim would be on the site and would submit PT's, but would never really communicate with us). The off-season saw the Eldred DDOS which led to commishes upping the VHLM TPE limit from 175 to 200 (this was when any more than 175 points earned saw you enter the VHL) as compensation, but I had no intention of spending another season down in the VHLM and luckily just about managed to get over 200 TPE prior to the start of the season. 

 

Reencarnacion

 

S42

This one wasn't so bad on an activity front as the LR was decently active thanks to Boom and we made it to the VHLM final. The problem though was that for whatever reason, it took forever for me to properly get inserted on the lines, as my first 18 games with the side (bear in mind along with that I joined around the deadline so barely played any games that season anyway) were featuring on the 4th line which was set to having 0% playing time. 

 

S43

This should have been good as I managed to make the TPE cap prior to the start of this season. However, I somehow only managed to put up 88 points while guys who hadn't been on the site in months like Travis Wilcox, Sam Teibert, Josh Merica and Valentin Tanayev managed to rack up way over 100 points. There were GM problems as well unfortunately, DT was fired early in the season (think it was for giving inactives lots of playing time while barely playing a then active Alexander Davidson and then getting mad with VHLM Commish when they told him to fix it) . In came Jericho, who I think made the mistake that a lot of us are guilty of making by accepting a job in the VHL while on vacation and believing they'll still have the time to perform it once that ends, which led to us not picking up anyone off waivers despite having multiple strong assets to potentially claim (Koponen, Hamilton, the Cleganes, Kyanon, Weistein, Molholt, etc.).

 

Threencarnacion

 

S50

Was claimed by Watchmen, who sucked, so was quickly traded to Yukon, who had been trying a bold first-gen only strategy prior to my arrival. Unfortunately, none of those first-gens were LR active and we didn't end up competing as our forwards were poor. 

 

S51

Drafted by the Storm, this has been a lot worse than my stint with the same team in Season 42. We have 5 posts in our LR this season and I'm the only active player on the team. In addition, I may not even get the full 20 Achievement Tracker points as getting four shutouts is pretty difficult when you face 32 shots per game. 

 

 

So yeah, not the best VHLM run in this league. I'd be lying if I said these experiences aren't affecting my chances of making a fourth player in the VHL, because I don't look forward to yet another season and a half grind to get to the VHL. I also hope this is just my own personal experience, because if this is a similar experience that guys are having for the first time, it's really no surprise that we've struggled recently to recruit as many first gens that go on to become VHL players. 

[Phil 5,120]

You and me buddy. 

[Phil 5,120]

I've never come close to winning an individual award or team award in the VHLM... and that doesn't help my animosity for it haha

[Smarch 3,180]

I thought about trading for you many times, but with me being the only active guy in the lr, I decided against it. 

[Devise 4,475]

23 minutes ago, Phil said:

You and me buddy. 

 

Hey, we have an okay active LR.

[FacePuncher 1,343]

If you come to Saskatoon with Fourencarnacion you'll enjoy it I promise.

 

a lot of the problem is that it's a vicious cycle. People have bad experiences, so they don't care and don't help make it a good one. No one helps out, and teams are left in disarray. Teams are left in disarray, people have bad experiences. This year has been kinda crappy with updates going AWOL and Higgins having a lot of personal issues, but other than that I think there's been more interest and activity than usual

[Molholt 2,185]

VHLM sucks and always will. 

[FacePuncher 1,343]

5 minutes ago, Molholt said:

VHLM sucks and always will. 

Then do something about it instead of whining all the fucking time

Edited October 30, 2016 by ADwyer87

[Tagger 2,722]

2 minutes ago, ADwyer87 said:

Then do something about it instead of whining all the fucking time

He did, it's called the two player rule

[FacePuncher 1,343]

1 minute ago, YEAH!stlemania said:

He did, it's called the two player rule

Unless I'm missing something, his original suggestion had nothing to do with the VHLM.

[Molholt 2,185]

6 minutes ago, ADwyer87 said:

Then do something about it instead of whining all the fucking time

 

Maybe read the fucking magazine. 

[FacePuncher 1,343]

Just now, Molholt said:

 

Maybe read the fucking magazine. 

I did read the fucking magazine. Saw your suggestion. Other than that all I see is shit like "BHLM sucks and always will" which is bullshit that does nothing to help the site

[Molholt 2,185]

Just now, ADwyer87 said:

I did read the fucking magazine. Saw your suggestion. Other than that all I see is shit like "BHLM sucks and always will" which is bullshit that does nothing to help the site

 

I've made countless suggestions for the VHLM in my time here.

 

Also you're about the most ironic person to be saying someone shouldn't be whining. 

[Smarch 3,180]

3 minutes ago, ADwyer87 said:

I did read the fucking magazine. Saw your suggestion. Other than that all I see is shit like "BHLM sucks and always will" which is bullshit that does nothing to help the site

You're 100% out of line attacking the one guy that's made suggestions both in public and in private about the league.  I understand your mad and sticking up for the league but you don't have a leg to stand on here

[Tagger 2,722]

4 minutes ago, ADwyer87 said:

Unless I'm missing something, his original suggestion had nothing to do with the VHLM.

It probably wasn't focused around the VHLM, but at the end of the day it's resulted in bringing in twenty new players to the VHLM that wouldn't have been there otherwise. Might not have been his intention per se, but his idea was used to introduce something that has definitely helped the VHLM. 

[hedgehog337 3,483]

1 hour ago, Smarch said:

I thought about trading for you many times, but with me being the only active guy in the lr, I decided against it. 

 

That wouldn't make sense anyway. IMO you had a chance to compete, but I don't blame you for starting a rebuild more quicker. 

[Smarch 3,180]

1 minute ago, hedgehog337 said:

 

That wouldn't make sense anyway. IMO you had a chance to compete, but I don't blame you for starting a rebuild more quicker. 

I was a vhlm gm a while back and got flack for trading for actives in a non compete year to give them a better vhlm experience, so I learned the hard way people don't like that

[hedgehog337 3,483]

31 minutes ago, Molholt said:

VHLM sucks and always will. 

 

Well, not all members were/are thinking like that. 

 

@YEAH!stlemania I really thought you're gonna be traded to Bern, but apparently DT's plan for a goalie screwed you a lot. 

[Devise 4,475]

At the end of the day @ADwyer87 suggestions has been made, retraction is super likely right now as you know and we leave it at that for now. Listen I get what your saying and where your coming from, but you have to remember how long some of us have been here. I joined the BoG in like the 30's after I only joined the league in S24, the sheer amount of VHLM revival/changes/new teams/retraction/overhauls/new rules/new ideas that I've seen since I've been in the league is overwhelming. I probably can't even recall every single thing we've done to the league.

 

Now the reason I'm saying this is because there is a fact that all of us know deep down that despite low scale tinkering, small scale tinkering, we have always had a hard time dealing with. That fact is, it is very hard to get people to care about a league (in this case the VHLM) when they don't spend more than a full season there. Look at Yeahs stories in this post. He is a returning non first gen and even he has had disappointing experiences in the VHLM. Retraction should help competitiveness, but at the end of the day when 60% of the active faces in the league move onto the VHL for the remainder of their careers the next season, when the VHL is the one with the HoF, the records, the storylines that hit more etc, it's impossible for some to not be disengaged with the league.

 

And don't sit here and say we aren't trying or we have no interest. You called me out earlier this season too when I always post in my LR, I make articles about the league while I"m in it, I post in game threads, I try to help what little rivalries we do have going. But it's not a matter of nobody suggesting things, or a lack of trying. Trust me. 

[hedgehog337 3,483]

You know what's more interesting? I'm actually putting myself in hypocrite position - never cared about VHLM until I got the VHLM GM job, that's wassup. 

[Higgins 3,618]

On the other hand, I've legit had a great time in the VHLM for all my players. I remember them all. I love it.

 

Higgins - on the Ice Dogs, literally the only active on the team for a season but my GM was active and kept me active as a first gen. Following season Founder Cup champ.

 

Tukio - Playing for Kolari with some real cool players, Advantage was the GM, won a Founder Cup.

 

Faraday - Won back to back Founder Cups (I intentionally forfeited TPE to stay in the VHLM an extra season after being VHL drafted).

 

Velvet - Ripped the league to shreds with individual stats won MVP and shit.

[stevo 794]

My main point of critique is most likely that if I want to spend more than a full season down in the VHLM, I have to forfeit one of my 8 VHL seasons. And quite frankly: Why in the flying fuck would I want to do that? Why?

[Devise 4,475]

8 minutes ago, stevo said:

My main point of critique is most likely that if I want to spend more than a full season down in the VHLM, I have to forfeit one of my 8 VHL seasons. And quite frankly: Why in the flying fuck would I want to do that? Why?

 

I love the idea in principle so much, but it just falls apart in execution. We already are only surviving in the VHL because we are getting an influx of two players coming in next season. We have one of the worst seasons in record going here for parity. If we make it too encouraging for players to stay in the VHLM for multiple seasons then what happens when VHL teams need players that otherwise are spending time in the VHLM? 

 

Maybe some middle ground, where people are entitled to spend one extra season in the VHLM at no cost to their career, but then you start getting complicated in terms of tracking. Because what season do we qualify you? If your a S51 draftee, who spends an extra seasons in the VHLM your VHL career isn't starting until S52. But your page will still say 51, and then depreciation is supposed to hit at a certain season. All of this mucks the entire system up. I'm not saying we couldn't find a way to organize it for it to make sense, but is it worth it just so people can freely spend one more season in the VHLM? Also does it lead to an influx of players maxing out at the attribute cap of 175 TPE in the VHLM playing and dominating forcing even more harsh new experiences for those who aren't on the benefit of a good team? 

 

That is the thing, it's very easy to say "there is something wrong with this." And while I myself certainly appreciate that critique, trying to translate that into some sort of solid idea that can be executed well isn't always that easy. Hence why we've seen so many changes in the VHLM. 

 

All that said, I'm open to looking at a way to enable people to spend two seasons in the VHLM for free that doesn't make things overly complex. But I don't think allowing unlimited seasons is in the best interest of our league. 

[Da Trifecta 1,901]

Holy hell I forgot about that firing lol

[Kendrick 4,741]

@stevo does bring up a good point though @Mr. Power. In the SBA (as @Molholt is aware) there is a cap in which a player has to declare for the SBA draft (199 TPE). If we implemented a system here where as long as you stay down below that cap you can stay in the VHLM and not have it count against your VHL Career length (max being 3 years) so VHLM records don't just get smoked; then I'd say we explore that avenue.