IMPORTANT: Changes in calculation of ability and selection rules for Season 12

Over the last season or two I feel selectors have attempted to become more and more unrealistic with their selections in order to discover loopholes and cheat the system. My response to this has been to police rigid selection rules more and more staunchly, however this was done to a point of unrealism beyond that of the original drift. As a result, I have decided to change course - instead of forcing selectors to pick teams based on specific criteria when we all know of more direct routes to victory, I've endeavoured to make that specific criteria (performance) the best indicator of future success at First Class level. The following changes to the calculation of longer-form simming averages will be made next season.

1. Slight alteration of activity calculation (to be referred to on the forum as training, or practice)

You may have noticed that the activity ranks are no longer public. They will be staying private as to make it a lot harder for selectors to predictively select based on them. They will also be calculated differently next season; slightly less short-termist from week to week, and based on a wider variety of forum activity.

2. Random offsets at signup (to be referred to on the forum as talent)

All new signups, starting with Dan, will be given random numbers each for batting and for bowling. Those familiar with the workings of Seasonal Rugby or one day cricket here will know of the process. These numbers will contribute, in a smaller way than all the other factors, to one's overall ability, creating a situation where some players are just a little more talented than others. Forum contribution and past performance will definitely be of more worth but this will exist to ensure the realistic existence of anomalies to keep players interesting.

As far as long-standing players go, numbers will be calculated for these slots at the end of the season, however they will not be random. I will attempt to measure how "lucky" you've been throughout your career so far, and convert that into a number that would've guided that luck, as if you'd had this number all along. It should neither improve or decline you; merely maintain the status quo to an extent.

For players in between - those who joined recently but have already played - part of this factor will be calculated randomly and part of it will be calculated by your games so far.

3. Change in weightings

A lot of you think you know the weighting of each factor - past performance (development), activity (practice) and season-weight post rank (experience) - and how much each one contributes to your overall ability. Some of you in fact do know the weighting of each factor. As of next season, you won't. I will be changing them around slightly - not because I'm unsatisfied as such, but just to ensure people don't know them and therefore can't make calculated guesses.

4. Career progression

This change is probably the most significant and certainly the one I've put the most time into. I'm going to have to be careful not to give too much away or we'll have the same situation we had with activity and such repeating itself, but essentially, your progression as a cricketer through different levels of experience will be measured much more accurately and correctly. Instead of the past performance metric treating a debutant and a 200 game veteran the same, it will be relative to experience and expected progress. On the flip side, experience itself will count as a factor alone in games of higher importance. Management of emerging players will become very important.

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Selection Shit

Given these changes, I am now able to slightly relax the rule on always having to select your best side based on performance. In First XI matches, you still must select what you believe to be your best side for each game*, however you are free to use the following criteria to do so:

- Performance
- Potential
- Experience
- Player Development*

So for example, if a new batsman signs up and makes 5,000 posts within three weeks but averages 20 in the ALC and you're convinced he's a good BS option because of his outstanding potential and commitment to training, then go ahead and pick him. I've deliberately devised the system in such a way to make it highly unlikely to be a good idea, mind you, but you're free to pick him anyway on that criteria if you so wish.

Another example, and one I think may actually be used more often, is the player development angle. Under the old rules you were technically not allowed to hold back better players for the good of their long-term development, however you may now (from Season 12) do this if you so wish. It's perfectly realistic to time a player's entry into First Class cricket correctly even if he's slightly better than those ahead of earlier, so I've legitimised this tactic. It has gone on for years on CricSim essentially under the table, but it now a legal tactic that may be argued in the open.

In all second XI fixtures, you may (but are not obligated to) punish complete inactivity.

I should point out examples of selection that are still wholly illegal:

- Abusing your power to select on personal grounds and hold people at ransom
- Using selection as a bargaining tool for player contracts in any way
- Resting players from games to prevent injury
- Stacking Second XI teams when a win for them is more important
- Using "meaningless" games as trials for players and ideas
- Rewarding activity for the sake of reward in first XI fixtures
- Taking the piss in general

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If you have any other questions or concerns about how any of this could be exploited or circumnavigated, feel free to post/ask.

Happy CricSimming, kents. Heaps of typos likely btw; may or may not fix later.

 

It already recognises it tbh.

 

I used Heef as my RNG.