*The Casual Player Is Our Friend

[voxaroth]

Human nature makes us strive to want to be the best when competing.  It’s led to a lot of the “min-max” culture you’ll find in many games, and it is pervasive across most genres.  And it’s very common when faced with the inability or lack of desire to “min-max” that people lose interest or move on, or in our league, become inactive. 

But what most new users to the league don’t realize is that because of the way our sim operates heavily on RNG and the nature of our salary cap system, not only are there a lot of team roles that don’t need a lot of TPE to be successful, there are many team roles that most would prefer didn’t have a lot of TPE to keep salary costs low.

Now for those of you who are new to the ISFL, here’s a quick breakdown of what teams must pay their players as minimum salaries based on their TPE:

0-399 TPE:  $1m

400-599 TPE:  $2m

600-799 TPE:  $3m

800-999 TPE:  $4m

1000+ TPE:  $5m

With a 23 player roster and an $80m salary cap, that’s an average of ~$3.5m per player (or a mix of players between 600-999 TPE).  So already it’s apparent that a team can’t build a roster with all max-TPE earners.  Most teams make up for this by utilizing younger players who haven’t reached the higher TPE plateaus yet and sub-optimal IA (inactive) players who left before reaching their full potential. 

And if I can impart any message via this article, it’s this:  You don’t have to be the best TPE-earner to be vitally important to the success of an ISFL team.  True, you aren’t going to be the Quarterback, or star running back or wide receiver, or leader in defensive stats; but there are 10-12 players still needed on every team that are crucial to winning.  We would welcome you with open arms for being friendly with us in the locker room and just being a lower earner we can rely on; every bit as important as anyone else. 

So lets talk TPE. 

Point Tasks and earning money for TPE purchases aren’t everyone’s cup of tea.  And the great news is, they don’t have to be!  A solid career for many positions can be earned just doing the easy stuff:

Weekly Activity Check (+2 per week)

Weekly Cheap Training you can afford almost passively (+3 per week)

Weekly Game Predictions (~+6 TPE average per week)

Various other TPE Predictions and claims that take only moments to complete

All in all, it’s fairly easy to earn 100+ TPE per season without any writing whatsoever; the total investment is probably less than ten minutes per week (its so easy you can do it on bathroom breaks).  People gladly provide suggested predictions so you don’t even need to do any research.  And after a couple of seasons in the DSFL where you’ll make a huge impact, you’ll be ready to make a career long impact in the ISFL.

Or if someone so desired, they could push hard to earn enough TPE to become a key $1m or $2m salaried player on a team and opt to do nothing for the next 6-7 seasons, still being just as valued and welcomed in the locker room across their whole career. 

The point is, once again, there is a ton of interest in players who don’t fit the “max-earning” mold, and just because someone decides they no longer wish to start or continue to max earn, it doesn’t mean we don’t still want them around the LR or feel like they can’t make valuable contributions to our clubhouses. 

To wrap up, I made some examples of $1m and $2m salary players who would be immediate benefits to a lot of ISFL teams right now.  The stats aren’t set in stone, but reflect something similar to ideal. 

The Fullback -  Probably my most coveted support player as someone who regularly uses the simulator.  What makes them so great as a $1m-$2m player?  They’re an integral part of several of the more successful playbooks, seeing upwards of 60% of snaps in most cases.  They give the quarterback more time to throw the ball by blocking which usually translates into a higher completion percentage.  And they have a trait which helps the quarterback get the ball to higher TPE playmakers instead of to them.  They are the epitome of the selfless teammate, and a luxury that few teams can currently claim as an advantage.

$1m $2m

The Blocking Tight End -  For very similar reasons as the Fullback listed above, Blocking TE’s are very desirable players to have on your team:  They can be inexpensive, they have a trait that allows the quarterback to put the ball more into the hands of the higher TPE playmakers, and they provide crucial blocking in many of the top rated offensive schemes.  In a day and age when most teams need two TEs for their schemes, finding a true blocking TE is a gift. 

$1m   $2m

The Kicker - One of the best kept secrets of the league is that the difference between a 300 TPE kicker and a 1200 TPE kicker isn’t that great; what you gain in consistency usually doesn’t offset the extra $4m in cap space.  In fact, most teams would be happy simply to have one who was active in the locker room and didn’t need to be replaced anytime soon. 

$1m

OL Center/Guard - While it’s true this is the only position with available bots to be purchased, those bots are much more costly than the human-player equivalents.  And while a $1m OL might not be entirely useful because of the available bots, a $2m OL center or guard is very serviceable and reduces team budget considerably. 

$2m

DT Nose Tackle - Every team could use a big guy in the middle to curb the running game and deter pancakes from opposing OL.  And while the pass rushers do need high TPE to make use of their traits and talents, there’s absolutely something to be said for having a solid anchor in the line just holding it together. 

$1m   $2m

Middle Linebacker - In a league where pass rushing linebackers are all the rage, it’s easy to forget that most teams need 1-2 additional linebackers who aren’t pass rushing, but acting as run defense and over the middle pass coverage.  You know they’re doing their job when opposing yards per carry and slot receivers are down, and they don’t need a lot of TPE to be better than what most teams are currently using to fill those gaps. 

$1m $2m

Strong Safety - Again, one of the most underrated and needed positions in any successful defense is being filled poorly by most teams because there just aren’t enough of them to have.  A properly built inexpensive strong safety would instrumental for wins on a lot of teams. 

$1m $2m

[soevil]

very cool piece, thanks!

[Urq660]

This is a solid piece, good job!

[br0_0ker]

you've convinced me to make my bridge player a FB once LMH retires (and my new recreate waits for S50)

[Twenty6]

Good stuff, vox!  This deserves all the money so he doesn't become a filthy casual.

[Memento Mori]

I love this article.

I've had plenty of teammates for whom ISFL is their 2nd (or 3rd) league, and so they don't max earn and definitely don't do what's required to purchase T6 equipment. Additionally, when I was scouting I'd often ask prospects if they were familiar with any of the users on our team and often they'd say they were friends with x user or knew y user because they knew them from another sim league.

So one of the things I find sad is when I see someone retire and choose not to recreate because they don't fancy grinding. One thing I'd like to see the HO or the retention committee work on is incentivising users like that to stick around/recreate in a capacity like this, whether that's a monetary incentive (as lots of recreates are surprisingly poor, and then don't get the rookie tasks bonus) or something more creative.

[voxaroth]

I love this article.

I've had plenty of teammates for whom ISFL is their 2nd (or 3rd) league, and so they don't max earn and definitely don't do what's required to purchase T6 equipment. Additionally, when I was scouting I'd often ask prospects if they were familiar with any of the users on our team and often they'd say they were friends with x user or knew y user because they knew them from another sim league.

So one of the things I find sad is when I see someone retire and choose not to recreate because they don't fancy grinding. One thing I'd like to see the HO or the retention committee work on is incentivising users like that to stick around/recreate in a capacity like this, whether that's a monetary incentive (as lots of recreates are surprisingly poor, and then don't get the rookie tasks bonus) or something more creative.

Thanks!

I agree about making the league more casual friendly to people who may not love the effort or updating.  Plenty of people would stick around if they knew they were making a difference.

[slate]

you've convinced me to make my bridge player a FB once LMH retires (and my new recreate waits for S50)

Imagine not max earning at FB

[Swanty]

I love this, great work!