Alright Boyz, 'ere we go... WAAAAAAGGGGHHH!!! (The Blood Bowl Impressions Thread)

[Fidatelo]

Originally Posted by RendeR

Am I alone in always choosing to kick off in the first half? I love getting the ball first in the second so i always choose to kick first.

When I was doing my Orc campaign, this was always my strategy. Kick the ball, try to beat the other team down as they advance, in hopes that even if they score and I don't have time in that half, things will be easier in the second for me to score because they will be depleted.

In my Wood Elf competition I started off the same way, kicking to start, but quickly realised that was a mistake. I'm now on the receiving end of the beatdowns most games, and by the second half I'm often starting less than 11 players. So with my Elves I ask for the ball, try to get a quick score, and then hope to either hold off the other team until half or try to score another quick one before the half ends.

[Calis]

I almost always want the ball first, especially if I'm facing a quick team. I want to whittle down their players before they get a chance to score. I'd rather worry about say 7 Skaven than all 11.

Its nice to set the pace early also. I usually am not trying for a quick score but instead to punish the other team and make them force me to score by trying riskier moves. Puts a lot of pressure on them in the 2nd because they're down but they also don't want to score too quickly.

Against a human player(actual human not in-game) I might kick though because I like to see how they play, and it is nice forcing a turnover deep for an easy TD.

[thesloppy]

Originally Posted by Calis

I almost always want the ball first, especially if I'm facing a quick team. I want to whittle down their players before they get a chance to score. I'd rather worry about say 7 Skaven than all 11.

Yeah, as humans I always choose to receive first, knowing that it may be the only time I have the ball with 11 guys still on the pitch....if i had a better armor value as a team, I might use a different strategy.

[BYU 14]

I always choose to receive first as well. The ideal scenario is a 6 turn drive that ends in a score and some injuries/KO's to the opponents.

If I have the lead going into the second half I will play my runners back and try and take out their best skill players with my blitzers.

I think in 24 games I have only scored twice in a half two times and only scored three touchdowns once. I tend to win a lot of 2-1 and 1-0 games with a few 2-0 wins thrown in using this strategy.

[Calis]

I'm pretty close to the same scoring-wise except against Dwarves. Anyone else think the AI struggles the most with Dwarves? I have been mauling Dwarves lately, even racking up a 5-0 win in one instance, and 4-0 in another. I think the problem is they treat the Dwarves like a Human team almost, they always end up sending 2 Blitzers deep into my territory as receivers which is a terrible idea for Dwarves. It basically makes it a 2 man advantage for me off the bat, coupled with the fact the AI is a little hesitant to move the ball forward and it equals a killing.

I'm always excited when I get a Dwarf matchup because I know I'll be loading up on SPP's.

[thesloppy]

Originally Posted by Calis

I think the problem is they treat the Dwarves like a Human team almost, they always end up sending 2 Blitzers deep into my territory as receivers which is a terrible idea for Dwarves.

Yeah, I ignore those dudes completely. They'll have the ball deep in their own territory, and then send those guys long, and I'm thinking to myself "Come ON, you won't even be close enough to SNIFF those dudes in 4 turns."

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by thesloppy

Yeah, I ignore those dudes completely. They'll have the ball deep in their own territory, and then send those guys long, and I'm thinking to myself "Come ON, you won't even be close enough to SNIFF those dudes in 4 turns."

I was doing that and just got burnt by a long pass, dodge, and TD run (against my Orcs.) Oh yeah, I'm addicted to this game, playing it much too late tonight.

[Fidatelo]

I hate playing Dwarves, I think they highlight the AI flaws the most of any race. I get so frustrated to watch them plod down the field an inch at a time when they are losing by 1 with 2 turns left. I also hate watching them dodge players out of contact with one of my guys to go be part of their cage, because they inevitably fail a couple times a game and leave themselves in a poor position.

Dwarves also seem to have a tendency to kill my players, which is another good reason to hate them

[BYU 14]

I will jump on the AI treats Dwarves strangely bandwagon. I play them myself and always take a very patient, grind it out approach.

I find other Dwarf teams to be my easiest opponents because the AI does play them a little more wide open than they should be played and it definitely hurts them.

[Tasan]

Originally Posted by Fidatelo

I hate playing Dwarves, I think they highlight the AI flaws the most of any race. I get so frustrated to watch them plod down the field an inch at a time when they are losing by 1 with 2 turns left. I also hate watching them dodge players out of contact with one of my guys to go be part of their cage, because they inevitably fail a couple times a game and leave themselves in a poor position.

Dwarves also seem to have a tendency to kill my players, which is another good reason to hate them

Ugh, tell me about it. I just suffered my first deaths to the hands of Dwarves. They killed a level 3 lineman and, more sadly, my level 4 Ogre. That one is gonna hurt vs the Chaos coming up next, because I don't have the cash to replace him.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by BYU 14

I will jump on the AI treats Dwarves strangely bandwagon. I play them myself and always take a very patient, grind it out approach.

I find other Dwarf teams to be my easiest opponents because the AI does play them a little more wide open than they should be played and it definitely hurts them.

I agree with this. I have played the dwarves probably 4 or 5 times and they have only ever scored 1 TD against me. That was a total fluke. They had one of those "blitzes" on the opening kickoff, my thrower couldn't pick up the ball, so everything went pear shaped and they scored right off the bat.

Every other game has been a shutout.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Can anyone tell me exactly how contracts work in the blitz campaign mode?

I understand that there are 5 periods (tournaments) in a season and it appears that all of my guys have signed for 4 seasons. (I think. If that's the case, I have each guy for 20 periods at least? Is that right?)

How do contract negotiations happen? Do I have to wait until the end of the 4th season and then re-negotiate with all of my players or can I do it after one season? In re-negotiating do I have to pay them their full value right up front? Thus requiring me to hoarde as much cash as possible before the end of a season?

I currently have $241,000 in the bank and haven't spent it on anything over the last few games. I have 15 players, so I don't need any more than that. I could buy more re-rolls or get some equipment, but I'm afraid I will need all of that cash to re-sign my guys.

Any thoughts on how all of this works?

Does anyone buy the experienced free agents that are available at the beginning of each period?

[SirFozzie]

Notes:

Hope no-one bought a key from g2play or online key store (a couple of stores that buy games in bulk from Asia for practically pennies on the dollar, and then turn around and sell the key for $14-20 (you have to find a source for the download yourself)., Cyanide has stated that they are going to be bulk-blacklisting these activation keys (understandable.. not only do these places charge half of what they charge, they also shift the costs of downloading the game back on to the developer/publisher).

In better news, someone has come up with an AI Mod that apparently will make the game's AI play better

Blood Bowl Digital • View topic - Help me test my AI mod...

[aran]

I just started a "competition" in the "classic championship" style, which basically the European Soccer/Football league tables with relegation for the worst team and promotion for the best in each division. I think I may just do this instead of doing the campaign; there's a bit more team variety and I can get a sense of team histories from where they start and end up.

I'm playing Chaos now, after playing Orcs for five or so games in my campaign. I like how the players are interchangable so I don't feel like I have to get the ball to certain players to maximize my chances of wining. I've had different players score each of the five touchdowns the team has scored in the three games I've played so far.

I haven't had that much trouble picking up the ball and handing it off *crosses fingers*. My strategy is to cage and push on offense using handoffs to relay down the last 12 squares of the field up the sideline.

On defense I play somewhat conservative because I don't want all these skilless playesr to get knocked down going for blocks. It's a tough game of positioning but it has worked, only allowing 1 TD in the three games.

I have three level 2 beastmen at this point. I haven't rolled any doubles, so I just gave them block to keep them on their feet more. I'm hesitant to give one of them sure hands, because I know he'll end up carrying the ball too much.

[Calis]

Originally Posted by aran

I just started a "competition" in the "classic championship" style, which basically the European Soccer/Football league tables with relegation for the worst team and promotion for the best in each division. I think I may just do this instead of doing the campaign; there's a bit more team variety and I can get a sense of team histories from where they start and end up.

I'm playing Chaos now, after playing Orcs for five or so games in my campaign. I like how the players are interchangable so I don't feel like I have to get the ball to certain players to maximize my chances of wining. I've had different players score each of the five touchdowns the team has scored in the three games I've played so far.

I haven't had that much trouble picking up the ball and handing it off *crosses fingers*. My strategy is to cage and push on offense using handoffs to relay down the last 12 squares of the field up the sideline.

On defense I play somewhat conservative because I don't want all these skilless playesr to get knocked down going for blocks. It's a tough game of positioning but it has worked, only allowing 1 TD in the three games.

I have three level 2 beastmen at this point. I haven't rolled any doubles, so I just gave them block to keep them on their feet more. I'm hesitant to give one of them sure hands, because I know he'll end up carrying the ball too much.

I've been playing a helluva lot Chaos, and I love them. It's nice having the opportunity to specialize how you want, and having 11 guys that Blitz at 4 strength sure is nice as well.

I so far have begun by giving the majority of my Beastman Block and a couple Guard as well which is an almost must have as well. You would not be in bad shape if you gave them all Block/Guard with their first two levels.

I personally do give one Sure Hands, but I've been going Extra Arms first(Gives +1 to all pick-up, hand-off, and not sure what else rolls. It might even do catch/interception.) It's a huge bonus, and if you get a guy with Extra Arm/Sure Hands, you have someone who you know is going to pick up the ball when you need it. It doesn't matter if you have someone carrying the ball too much, only who scores. You can have him pick it up and bash it down to the goalline and hand it off.

You will have issues at some point picking it up, it's a 50/50 shot I believe in general for them to grab, and less with tackle zones. I hate to waste a turn without moving the ball.

Cool thing with Chaos is, do whatever the hell you want. (As long as you hurt people, that's a requirement...I usually set two of my Beastmen up as maulers and give them Block/Mighty Blow/Piling On...Piling On REALLY racks up the casualties.

I'm going to try a competition. I've been doing the campaign only, and I thought Competition was just a one-off tourney. That sounds like more fun to me, and I could go for the variety.

[Bobble]

BTW, there's a way to increase the 4:00 time limit for turns (stolen from the official forums):

Use SQLite Manager Add-on for Mozilla Firefox link found here:
Tools

Follow the example here:
Modifying Attributes for the Stock Teams and Players

Locate and backup yourCampaignName.db found here:
\My Documents\BloodBowl\Saves\Campaigns

Modify yourCampaignName.db found here:
\My Documents\BloodBowl\Saves\Campaigns

Table Rule_Listing modify:
MatchDuration_iTT
from 240 to whatever value in seconds (tried in at 600)

It worked for me...

[marcmoustache2]

How long does a single player game take to play please? Sounds like I might be able to get quite a bit of enjoyment out of the single player game, even if I can;t find time to play or be in the right time zone to play MP.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by marcmoustache2

How long does a single player game take to play please? Sounds like I might be able to get quite a bit of enjoyment out of the single player game, even if I can;t find time to play or be in the right time zone to play MP.

I'd say about an hour or so?

[Calis]

Varies depending how fast you play but I'd say around 45 minutes or so on average.

Edit: probably is closer to an hour like HB says. I tend to play pretty quick, and pay for it at times.

[Eaglesfan27]

All of my games have been 50-60 minutes with the rare exception that goes a few minutes over an hour.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by Bobble

BTW, there's a way to increase the 4:00 time limit for turns (stolen from the official forums):

Use SQLite Manager Add-on for Mozilla Firefox link found here:
Tools

Follow the example here:
Modifying Attributes for the Stock Teams and Players

Locate and backup yourCampaignName.db found here:
\My Documents\BloodBowl\Saves\Campaigns

Modify yourCampaignName.db found here:
\My Documents\BloodBowl\Saves\Campaigns

Table Rule_Listing modify:
MatchDuration_iTT
from 240 to whatever value in seconds (tried in at 600)

It worked for me...

While I think for someone who has never played before the 4:00 timer could be an issue, but I really haven't found it to be. I have only had one turn end on me because of the timer and that's because I was fussing around too long.

I have a much bigger issue with the timer during kick-offs. For some reason, the computer always has at least one of my blizters off the field and usually one of my throwers. I find it hard to tell guys apart, so I'm often exchanging the wrong guys and stuff. It's a bit of a pain in the ass, especially with little time.

No thoughts/suggestions as to how contracts work, eh?

[Eaglesfan27]

Oops, wrong thread. Anyway, I meant to post in this thread that I have no idea about contracts and would love to hear from someone who knows more about them. I also share the issue of kickoffs not giving enough time to set up, although I can usually tell my guys by the graphics now.

[Calis]

I don't know if this is common knowledge or not, but I'll post it for the sake of anyone who doesn't know, you can use the 'G' key to toggle on tackle zones for opposing players, and more importantly you can use 'N' to toggle through several different details, that'll pop up the amount of SPP players have, their names, and I can't remember what else.

Might be something everyone knows, but I went about a week playing before I noticed it.

[Eaglesfan27]

I didn't know that. Thanks for sharing.

[Axxon]

Originally Posted by Calis

I don't know if this is common knowledge or not, but I'll post it for the sake of anyone who doesn't know, you can use the 'G' key to toggle on tackle zones for opposing players, and more importantly you can use 'N' to toggle through several different details, that'll pop up the amount of SPP players have, their names, and I can't remember what else.

Might be something everyone knows, but I went about a week playing before I noticed it.

I found this out the hard way in our match. With all the other junk messing up I was really pissed to see these unfamiliar overlays and having no idea how I got them there or how to make them go away but at the same time thinking, oh, this would be extremely helpful.

[Calis]

Heh, yeah I especially like seeing how many SPP a player has because it drove me crazy to not be sure who was close to leveling at the end of the game so I could try and make sure they got enough points.

It's a bit of a mess though, especially in a mass of players, you have to zoom in quite a bit but at least it is there.

[RendeR]

Maybe I missed it, but I've had 2 players retire on me. I'm assuming this is the case as they both were almost out of age time. I went into a new match and they simply weren't on my roster any longer and I can't find them anywhere but the hall of Fame records. Any ideas on where I can review the retired players?

The worst one was my best player a Catcher I named TJ Houshmanzadeh. He was max level and danced through blockers like they were stripper poles.

I will miss mighty TJ. He holds 4 of the 7 all time records in my single player campaign. Going to be interesting trying to beat them.

[Axxon]

Originally Posted by Calis

Heh, yeah I especially like seeing how many SPP a player has because it drove me crazy to not be sure who was close to leveling at the end of the game so I could try and make sure they got enough points.

It's a bit of a mess though, especially in a mass of players, you have to zoom in quite a bit but at least it is there.

Yeah, and for a novice like me some of it is extremely helpful.

[CleBrownsfan]

I just CAN NOT get into this game. Don't know what it is but it's just not my cup up tea. I'd be willing to sell my key (not sure if this is legit but...) for $30 (or I'd be willing to trade for game(s) as well)

[thesloppy]

Originally Posted by RendeR

Maybe I missed it, but I've had 2 players retire on me. I'm assuming this is the case as they both were almost out of age time. I went into a new match and they simply weren't on my roster any longer and I can't find them anywhere but the hall of Fame records. Any ideas on where I can review the retired players?

This has happened to me a bunch, and I hate it. You get no warning, before or after, and then they just disappear in the middle of a season, and if you're not paying attention you might not even notice they're gone until you're in the middle of a game. I have had some of those dudes then show up later in the 'free agent' list, and that makes no sense. If he's retired why is he now available to sign, and if it was just an expired contract, then why would it expire in the middle of the season? Frustrating.

[RendeR]

I'm hoping that perhaps TJ will show up as a "star Player" that I can hire for a game at at ime now and then =)

[thesloppy]

Originally Posted by aran

I just started a "competition" in the "classic championship" style, which basically the European Soccer/Football league tables with relegation for the worst team and promotion for the best in each division. I think I may just do this instead of doing the campaign; there's a bit more team variety and I can get a sense of team histories from where they start and end up.

You intrigued me, so I created a competition from within the 'customize' menu. I chose a 'blitz championship' style, which is like the premier league, as you said, except when you're creating your own blitz-style competition you can also choose which of the blitz rules you want to keep, and I got rid of pretty much all of the options (extra inducements, aging, contracts, negotiations, sponsors) except for 'skilled players' (because I'm not sure what that means), and 'star players' and 'kick off events' (because I like that stuff). Then you can modify the number of divisions and teams, so I bumped mine all the way up to the max 56 teams, split between 4 divisions, which equals to a 13 game season.....should be interesting, but I like the concept more than the campaign, which was kind of wonky. And I like the idea of keeping my players until they die or I cut 'em (at least I hope that's how it works), I was getting tired of having them disappear for reasons I didn't entirely grasp.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by thesloppy

You intrigued me, so I created a competition from within the 'customize' menu. I chose a 'blitz championship' style, which is like the premier league, as you said, except when you're creating your own blitz-style competition you can also choose which of the blitz rules you want to keep, and I got rid of pretty much all of the options (extra inducements, aging, contracts, negotiations, sponsors) except for 'skilled players' (because I'm not sure what that means), and 'star players' and 'kick off events' (because I like that stuff). Then you can modify the number of divisions and teams, so I bumped mine all the way up to the max 56 teams, split between 4 divisions, which equals to a 13 game season.....should be interesting, but I like the concept more than the campaign, which was kind of wonky. And I like the idea of keeping my players until they die or I cut 'em (at least I hope that's how it works), I was getting tired of having them disappear for reasons I didn't entirely grasp.

This actually sounds like the way to go.

[Bobble]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

While I think for someone who has never played before the 4:00 timer could be an issue, but I really haven't found it to be. I have only had one turn end on me because of the timer and that's because I was fussing around too long.

For a veteran, it's probably not a problem. I'm still learning and I like to take my time to sort out where to put what guy so the tackle zones work in my favor. Not to mention that I'm usually "watching" a baseball game or something while I play -- or as in the case last night, watching my neighbor get hauled away by the cops. Ah, the mean streets of Livonia...

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

I have a much bigger issue with the timer during kick-offs. For some reason, the computer always has at least one of my blizters off the field and usually one of my throwers. I find it hard to tell guys apart, so I'm often exchanging the wrong guys and stuff. It's a bit of a pain in the ass, especially with little time.

I couldn't find anything in the .db file that refers to the kick-off timer. I would have liked to change that as well.

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

No thoughts/suggestions as to how contracts work, eh?

No idea, I'm afraid.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by thesloppy

And I like the idea of keeping my players until they die or I cut 'em (at least I hope that's how it works), I was getting tired of having them disappear for reasons I didn't entirely grasp.

How do you cut players?

[Fidatelo]

Originally Posted by thesloppy

You intrigued me, so I created a competition from within the 'customize' menu. I chose a 'blitz championship' style, which is like the premier league, as you said, except when you're creating your own blitz-style competition you can also choose which of the blitz rules you want to keep, and I got rid of pretty much all of the options (extra inducements, aging, contracts, negotiations, sponsors) except for 'skilled players' (because I'm not sure what that means), and 'star players' and 'kick off events' (because I like that stuff). Then you can modify the number of divisions and teams, so I bumped mine all the way up to the max 56 teams, split between 4 divisions, which equals to a 13 game season.....should be interesting, but I like the concept more than the campaign, which was kind of wonky. And I like the idea of keeping my players until they die or I cut 'em (at least I hope that's how it works), I was getting tired of having them disappear for reasons I didn't entirely grasp.

I just finished my second season of a competition and I agree, I like it much more than the campaign. Feels more like a sport. Unfortunately I didn't understand how to customize the rules before I started, so I've got some annoying things like contracts and aging that I'm really not enjoying. I might start over before I get too much further, now that I know what I'm doing and what rules I like/don't like.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Bobble

-- or as in the case last night, watching my neighbor get hauled away by the cops. Ah, the mean streets of Livonia...

This needs its own thread.

[RendeR]

I see the problem with the roster limit and the aging system.

My original team was 11 men, I added a couple over time so that I had at least 2 replacements at any given time.

Now as my 5th event in teh campaign is heading toward the playoffs and I sit in 4th place in division 1 of 2, I have 5 yes folks FIVE players on my roster and 20k to spend.

My team rating has fallen from a high of 2550 down to 1250.

I've had 4 guys DIE in the last 3 games and the rest ran out of aging time and retired.

I don't think this campaign is gonna last much longer. Its hard to even get a draw when you're out numbered from the get go.


Gonna try y'alls idea of customizing the setup.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Obviosuly, as a big fan of sports text sims, I love the concept of aging/retiring and contract negotiations and all of the management part of the game. Unfortunately, it's just really poorly implemented here.

While, I haven't played enough games to have everyone retire or need to re-negotiate contracts, it seems like the following problems are likely to occur.

1. While everyone ages differently because players lose age points for getting injured and ko'd and for playing, there really isn't that great a disparity among players. Just checking my own roster, all of my guys are roughly within 10 age points of one another. So, in essence, like what happened with Render, all of a sudden my guys will start disappearing from my roster over a short period of time, leaving me scrambling to re-fit the roster, which necessitates sitting on a large reserve of cash in case that happens. Since I don't know of anyway to "cut" or "sell" players, you can't seem to plan ahead, but getting rid of guys early to avoid a mass exodus.

The fact that you need to click on "player details" to see age and that guys just disappear really doesn't help.

2. The same thing seems to be in the future for contracts. Since all of your players start out with 4 year deals, at the end of the 4th season (assuming they haven't retired) you would be forced to re-negotiate with your entire team at once.

Ageing and contracts work well if it's on a rolling basis. A couple of guys retire here and there, you can replace them, a contract or two need to be re-negotiated after each season, etc.

[Honolulu_Blue]

It's beginning to look like they really should have had people Beta test the single player game and not just multiplayer.

[Honolulu_Blue]

For the record, despite my complaints, I still love the game and will play it. I think the way to go is the route aran and thesloppy have suggested. It's too bad the management portion of the game isn't quite up to snuff, but the rest of it's really a ton of fun and still worth the while.

[aran]

Another problem I see with contracts is that you don't get more money than standard BB rules dictate (aside from the cup victory reward). The BB rules aren't built for having to renew contracts, only for having to hire new players to replace dead once no more than a couple at a time. You could potentially only make 400,000 gold in a season even if you are undefeated (40,000 gold reward per game, 10 game season). Half of that will probably be spent on apothecaries and rerolls for your players as well as perhaps hiring a replacement for a dead or injured player. When contracts are up, you probably won't have more than 200,000 gold in your coffers. That's nowhere near enough to resign a full team. BB rules aren't balanced for this kind of expenditure.

Although I may be entirely wrong about how contracts work. I got tired of playing only human, skaven, and dwarves all the time in campaign (and always giving up 200k+ in inducements), so I switched to playing competitions.

[Passacaglia]

Originally Posted by Bobble

Ah, the mean streets of Livonia...

Seriously. I don't even like driving my car through that place.

[thesloppy]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

How do you cut players?

Click on he red X next to their names on the teams summary page.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by thesloppy

Click on he red X next to their names on the teams summary page.

Can you do this at any time between games?

[thesloppy]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

Can you do this at any time between games?

Ummm, I think so, but I'm not sure.....you try it out and tell me!

[Bobble]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

This needs its own thread.

It'll be fairly lame, but I'll launch one...

Originally Posted by Passacaglia

Seriously. I don't even like driving my car through that place.

Hey, you roll through here all frontin' and these kids will whip out their iphones and txt message your azz. Believe dat!

[MacroGuru]

Just lost my first match, I have had a couple of draws but I usually win...

I created some Orcs for a Blitz Campaign and I am into my second season and lost 1-0 to a Human team....I couldn't get a correct roll if I wanted to...3 attack dice...all red skulls....grr...

Anyways...Its fun that they countered my tactics I used to win primarily for the first season and now I will need to change it up a bit.

[aran]

Have you been using the AI mod? I'll be playing my first game with that mod soon. Should be fun.

[Fidatelo]

As daffy as the AI is, I still lose on a frequent enough basis because I'm pretty daffy myself. In my 10 games as a wood elf team I went 3-2 in season 1 and 4-1 in season 2, so 7-3 overall. I'm afraid that if the AI played smarter I wouldn't win any games