Would ATG work as a mystery card game?

[Salty]

After having started a couple of mystery 90s teams- I kind of feel like it might work better with ATG- where you have more possilbities and a greater amount of variation...

Is it just me? :?:
Thoughts :?:

[GR8YEAR68]

It might, but I wouldn't play. Leave ATG alone, HAL screws things up badly enough. I want the game where I draft a player, I know what to expect from him. NO MYSTERY, about injury, wheather he hits LH better, ect. I draft someone for 10+ mil, I DON'T want to guess. Never have played the mystery card gm, and won't for just that reason.

[alvarndc]

I completely agree.

In my mind, the mystery card thing is a FAILED concept.

I hope they keep it as far away from ATG as possible.

[Naturaldoc]

Mystery card in ATG? That would save me alot of money as I would never play again.

[majicmg]

Ditto.

It's mystery enough for me just trying to figure out how to field a roster that will keep me out of the cellar.

[honestiago1]

I've played both, and the mystery card game by far forces you to do more as a manager. You have to pay a lot more attention to performance than you do in ATG. In ATG, you can bet a player with a great card who gets off to a slow start is going to turn it around. No reason to dump someone you paid 10M for -- he's going to perform better than a lower-priced option most of the time. A

Mystery card rewards the occasional gamble. I still remember getting a sub 1M Steve McCatty's best card in my very first season as an BTT80s manager. He picked up a few wins in relief, so I started him. He was at 7-0 before fading somewhat. I was able to dump a higher-priced flop to add other players. Team didn't do too much, but McCatty was something to brag about.

There are arguments to be made that you should "get what you pay for" when you build a team. But the mystery card is far from a "failed concept." I think the idea frankly scares a lot of folks, who've systemitized their selection process, and don't want to mess with what they have going. So the current system of offering some mystery games along with the normal ATG is probably the best compromise. I will say, though, that those who run down the mystery game without trying it perhaps play it at least once before proclaiming its viability as invalid. if you haven't done it, you really don't know what you're talking about.

[The Last Druid]

Just delete this whole thread. Real BAD idea.

[nevdully's]

Mystery card game? It's just another example of a potentially good idea, poorly thought out and executed.


Anyone who has played a non mystery game knows that "the game" and the other 11 owners along with a huge amount of stadium choices, that bring their own comic book effect on the game results and statistics, provides plenty of mystery, as results, not just wins and losses but righty/lefty splits etc. are often greatly skewed from season to season....


If the decision makers on card and year selection for all the btt70s 80s 90s games knew this, and more importantly understood their customers, they would know it's not necessary to, for example, include Dale Murphy's .228 season in his 5 seasons of possibilties in btt80s...I'll explain why...

Two of the most consistent hitters that come to mind from the 70's were E. Murray and Steve Garvey....If you understand how the game is played you'd know that while Murray's stats for his 5 seasons were similar the fact that you've got E, 2R, 4L seasons among them is mystery enough....

You don't have to intentionally go out of your way to give your paying customer a 20% percent chance that his $8m 1bman that was as consistent as any can be throughout the decade might get the "booby prized" Steve Garvey...you know the one and only bad year he had from the entire decade... .227.....that's just "bad for business decision making." Because once again the 11 other owners, different stadiums, and similar numbers that vary from 2R to 4L provide enough of a challenge in getting joy from your 25 dollars

The most glaringly bit of "bad for business decision making," belongs to the btt70s game where you have a 20% chance of just peeing your money away...One of the greatest and most beloved 2b in history Joe Morgan..you remember him....He'll cost you over 11m...and you could easily get his .233 year, not at all representative of his career...a shallow player pool so you try and be patient to see if lil Joe comes around...but no, your half way into the season, you're 12 games out, and there's not much to choose from in best case scenarios...you just wasted your 25$....you might not play again because of a bad business decision from the selection commitee....once again I'll reiterate there is no need to booby trap the top players, the game has enough traps as is....

BTW sure I understand "it could happen"(off years from star players) hell it did right? but so do season ending injuries....and while realistic (and I've heard a few ask for them) it's not good business...Guy puts down his 25 bucks and loses a couple of key guys to season ending injuries...real? Sure....real dumb for business though...Now the game does not have season ending injuries (thankfully) but getting the .236 11m Morgan is the equivalent...

More "bad for business decision making" but from the opposite end of the spectrum....Here in btt90s you've got people wetting their pants over finally getting Brady Anderson...They'd buy 5-packs in hopes of getting that magical 50 hr season.....Except... it's not included :( bad business....

I could site many other examples but the people that get it, got it, and that people that don't, won't.

Simply put while some owners might be the best at their game whether it's the non-mystery ATG or one of the mystery games they are better only in relation the the other owners..."the Game" and it's inherint mysteries trumps us all..

So please don't think that we "need" the .227 Garvey or the .236 Morgan to challenge our hard earned 25$...And please don't think that magical years like Brady Anderson hitting 50 HRs aren't needed to provide some joy to a very challenging game...and perhaps give us our own magical season..

Know how your game is played...how tough it is...Know what your customers would want...They're not looking for every player to have their 5 best years...but the stars of the decade that cost so much should bring some level of expectation...let the challenge be 4L or 2R and the other 11 owners etc...Don't booby trap the top players...don't give us a box of Craker Jacks with no surprise (no 50Hr possibility from Brady)...And understand we could have Brady's 50 HR season and 5 solid but different years from a Garvey and Morgan along with that crazy sick left hand side of the Rick Auerbach card for only .75..and still struggle to break .500....It's a tough game...be on our side.

[DonFESQ]

Agree with the two previous posts. I've always thought the mystery card concept was an extremely poor idea. Bringing it into the 90s doesn't make it any more palatable to me. I can say without a doubt I would never spend a credit on it.

[nevdully's]

4 or maybe even only 3 seasons to guess from would be better for enjoyment of the mystery games? (imo) The 5 can be listed, but one or two grayed out right from the start...changing each new season of course.

Or perhaps one grayed out each of the 1st 2 quarters of the season, leaving you with 3 possibilities going into the second half.