Do you use scouting?

[robc]

I know this has probably been done before, but I just spent a half an hour looking for it and couldn't find it.

I'm just curious. Do you turn scouting on?

[snnort]

Yes. In solo play. I steer clear from it in online league play.

[RchW]

I don't like it in either mode.

[AirmenSmith]

I have never played a season without it. I just wish it was more indepth.

[koohead]

Yes I do...I recall someone referring to it as the fog of war once and it's one of the reasons I use it...adds a bit of a challenge. Also I like finding players from foreign nations. Honestly I enjoyed the old scouting model where I had to send individual scouts to specific countries or leagues, but understand that wasn't for everyone (most).

[edm]

I never use it. less because of the ratings and more because I'm too lazy to hire fire them every year its the same reason I dont use managers and coaches.

[Antonin]

Originally Posted by koohead

Yes I do...I recall someone referring to it as the fog of war once and it's one of the reasons I use it...adds a bit of a challenge. Also I like finding players from foreign nations. Honestly I enjoyed the old scouting model where I had to send individual scouts to specific countries or leagues, but understand that wasn't for everyone (most).

Everything he said.

[ukhotstove]

Yes and no, I usually use it for draft picks when I don't use feeder leagues or the league I'm in doesn't, but for the most part I'm a stats man and rather go of stats than scouts or ratings.

[RandyTiger]

Originally Posted by koohead

yes i do...i recall someone referring to it as the fog of war once and it's one of the reasons i use it...adds a bit of a challenge. Also i like finding players from foreign nations. Honestly i enjoyed the old scouting model where i had to send individual scouts to specific countries or leagues, but understand that wasn't for everyone (most).

+1.

[Sweed]

I use it and like it. Here is a post of mine from this thread Why is it that no one likes coaches/scouts STILL?

Sweed
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I use scouts, managers, and coaches in my solo league and have since version 4 when I first found OOTP. I like the fog of war and have always enjoyed scouts\coaches as it adds flavor and challenge to the game IMHO.

FWIW I don't test the hell out of a game to try to see how everything works under the hood. Learning how it all works under the hood is what stops me from playing games like OOTP and Front Office Football in multi-player leagues. Too many guys play the "game" instead of playing baseball or football (especially true of FOF).

Instead I look at coaches and scouts as human beings and take their opinions as just that, opinions of human players (not a bag of computer ratings). Human beings are not dead accurate IRL and neither are my scouts in OOTP and I'm ok with that. It's about the illusion of real life that makes OOTP, FOF, or WWSM fun to play. Scouts and coaches add to the illusion.
So, in the end I look at my scouts opinions and my players performance and make decisions based on that. That is what makes it fun for me.

I avoid threads that want to tell me things like "I can always tell what players will develop and which ones won't because scouting is broke". Frankly I don't want to know. I'm happy looking at feeder league stats, ratings provided by scouts and OSA, and the text blurbs my scouts offer.

As for the guys that do test the hell out of the engine and post the "I can always tell what players will develop and which ones won't because scouting is broke" type threads, I'm glad they are around. Their insights make the game better. With them in place I can continue to enjoy the illusion of a sports world instead of knowing things I don't want to know that will take away from that illusion.

So, scouting and coaches are working well in my OOTP world and have since ver4. I am more concerned with rules (waivers, arbitration, service time, disabled list, etc) issues and finances in OOTP. They are upfront and easy to see when not working and ruin a league faster than any problems that may or may not exist with scouts\coaches. My 2 cents, YMMV.

It's a thread you may want to check out.

[robc]

Originally Posted by Sweed

I use it and like it. Here is a post of mine from this thread Why is it that no one likes coaches/scouts STILL?



It's a thread you may want to check out.

I did read that thread in my search of a poll. It had some good stuff in it. I like the idea of scouts and have used them before, but there seemed to be a lot of people who didn't like them. I want to decide on some of the options before OOTP XI comes out so I can hit the ground running.


Also, thanks to everyone here for voting and sharing your opinions. I hope more votes keep rolling in!

[Stinson]

I use scouting for the exact reasons Sweed mentioned.

Personally, I just never saw the appeal in knowing what you're getting in a game. Whether it's by using an editor, reading 'player discovery threads', or even by letting attributes be visible in the game. All of it takes an adventurous open-ended game like OOTP, and turn it into a math equation... this guy plus this guy = I win.

[robc]

Thanks guys for participating. Results seemed to have stopped coming in, so it looks like 'use scouting' is a slight winner. Definitely a pretty close split between those who favor scouting and those who don't.

[Curtis]

Originally Posted by koohead

Yes I do...I recall someone referring to it as the fog of war once and it's one of the reasons I use it...adds a bit of a challenge. Also I like finding players from foreign nations. Honestly I enjoyed the old scouting model where I had to send individual scouts to specific countries or leagues, but understand that wasn't for everyone (most).

Originally Posted by Antonin

Everything he said.

Originally Posted by RandyTiger

+1.

+ more