Not Your Average Geeks
Games
Hattrick – Staffing Advice
Jul 8th
So…you have clicked on staff, but have no idea who to hire or how many to hire. Hopefully, I can provide some quick guidance that will set you on the right path. Once you have a good understanding, you should feel more comfortable tweaking the setup to better suit your team. As always, make sure to read any updates from the hattrick development team, as changes to the system can influence the quality of the guidance that follows.
If you are training goal keeping, you will want 9 goalie coaches and 1 assistant coach. If you are training anything else, you will want the exact opposite; 9 assistant coaches and 1 goalie coach. If you are reading this article, do not hire an accountant. They are worthless unless deep in debt or incredibly wealthy. (I believe they are being removed in an upcoming patch.) I would recommend having 1 spokesperson and 1 physiotherapist. Only have doctors if you have injured players. I would recommend having at least 1 or 2 doctors when a player gets inured.
For all staff, there exist diminishing returns. This means that each additional staffer provides less and less results. This is why the only staff position that we want to max out is the one related to training. Every percentage bonus counts when it comes to training.
That’s all for staff. I would recommend reading any hattrick updates by the developers because there are changes on the horizon.
-Sim
Hattrick – Training Types and Intensity
Jul 7th
Having a successful training program can make or break the Hattrick experience. In the next few paragraphs I’ll highlight the three main types of training and give you a suggested formation to play to your new strengths. Once you have a good understanding and have figured out what works best for you, by all means, fly little birdie – fly.
Remember, a player must play in a match for the week to gain training and depending on the training type only certain players will receive training. Make sure to utilize your friendlies to maximize your training program.
The first and most popular training type is Playmaking. This is because a dominant midfield will more often than not dictate the outcome of a match. The typical formation for playmaking training is 3-5-2. This is a very balanced formation and allows you train up to 10 players a week. Focusing on playmaking will give you the best shot at dominating the midfield. The downside to playmaking training, is that so many people do it! Purchasing trainees can be very expensive and since there is a gluttony of trained players, the selling price is often not as high as one would expect. The other potential downside is that if you are focusing on training as a source of income, you will typically never have high level playmakers and thus never really be able to compete at the highest levels.
The second most popular training type is scoring. In hattrick, offense wins games (typically). While your midfield may not be as strong, your attack ratings can make sure you capitalize on the chances you do get. The most common formation for scoring trainers, is 3-4-3. It uses the same principles as the 3-5-2, but maximizes the number of trainees gaining training for scoring. Buying trainees is a little easier than buying midfielders and you can demand a premium for well trained athletes. You will need to spend some hard earned cash to buy yourself a decent midfield if you want a chance to compete.
The third most popular training type is Defense. While it may not be as exciting as the offense based training strategies, it can be very rewarding. A defense trainer will typically play a 5-4-1. In addition, if they are playing a midfield trainer they have the option to play a counter attack strategy which can absolutely decimate the opposition. If they are playing a scoring trainer and they have powerful defenders, they can play a pressing strategy and positively shrink the opposition’s scoring chances. Similar to scoring trainers, defense trainers have no issue selling well trained players at a very decent price.
Again, make sure to use your friendlies to train as many players in a week as possible. Experiment to figure out what works for your team. Make smart moves on the transfer list and have fun! Best of luck!
-Sim
Hattrick – Overview
Jul 6th
Hattrick provides the experience of owning and running a team of professional futbol (soccer to us Yanks) players without the requirement of a lifetime of dedication and the ire of disappointed fans. The game provides an outlet for your needs to dabble in strategy. Every decision within the game is made with regard to an overall strategy.
When you first sign up, you are handed a team that is in shambles and in desperate need of human guidance. (Teams are created to fill out all empty positions within the divisional structure. These teams are run by “bots” unless owned by a human team. You will rarely see a “bot” team in any division except the lowest. As such, when you join, you are handed one of these bot teams.) The game developers have created an excellent tutorial that rewards you with in game money for completing tasks that highlight key components of the game. I would absolutely recommend completing these tasks. With your new funds you can perform a number of actions: hire a new coach, sign new players, expand your stadium, hire staff members, start a youth team or recruit youth players.
Your team will exist within a series that in turn exists within a division. The series is a group of 8 teams, including your own team. You will play each team twice over the course of the season. The series leader will either be “auto-promoted” to the next higher division or play in a “play-off” match to fight for the chance to move up. The loser will go through a similar process, except they will be fighting to not be relegated to the next lowest division.
As the owner, you instruct the team to train in a certain skill set. Overtime, if you maintain an effective training program, your players will develop into very competent athletes. Your players will become more valuable and perform at a higher caliber during matches. Most teams construct their game time strategy and off season plans around their training goals.
Once you have your team together and your training strategy figured out, the world of hattrick is yours to conquer. It’s up to you to guide your team to success or failure. It’s a great community and wonderful outlet for the strategy Nerd in all of us.
Plus, it’s free!
I hope to see you in the Hattrick universe. If you are there, look up the “Penguin Mafia” and I’ll be happy to give you advice.
-Sim
Start your weekend off right will a little Super Contra Bros. Or maybe some Megamario.
Jun 25th
Jay Pavlina from Exploding Rabbit has released an updated version of his Super Mario Bros. Crossover game, which adds a few new characters. I now have a prayer in hell of beating SMB, as long as I can use the scattergun from Contra.
Character select screen
Play the game at http://supermariobroscrossover.com/
Dungeons and Dragons comes out of the basement.
Jun 22nd
When you hear the words Dungeons & Dragons, your mind probably goes straight to something like this:
That’s what I thought of for the first 24 years of my life, so I can hardly fault you for it, but more recently I’ve learned the truth.
About a year ago Richard started nagging a bunch of us to try D&D with him. He’d bought the new 4th Edition books and was itching to start a game. He’d also just bought a house, so he had the perfect place to host it. Eventually five of us agreed to give it a try and the adventuring party was born (I actually missed the first session, but was there for #2 and onwards). One of the things that really helped build our enthusiasm was listening to the podcasts of the creators of the Penny Arcade and PvP webcomics playing D&D. If you haven’t played before, they give an excellent idea of how the game works and are absolutely hilarious.
These days, seven of us meet at Rich’s house once a week, order pizza, consume beer and Elizabeth’s baked goods, and continue the adventure. Richard started as the Dungeon Master, for taking the party from level one to four or so, where Justin took the reins and brought us to level seven. Currently I am DMing the official “Pyramid of Shadows (Dungeons & Dragons, Adventure H3)
We use Lego minifigs instead of pewter miniatures to represent our characters and enemies. This allows for plenty of customization. Below is a group photo of the party as it stood when Justin was DMing. Today we have swapped several characters out, but this should give you an idea of how it works. We also use a Chessex Megamat for RPGs and Miniature Figure Games (34 in x 48 in)
From left to right, the part is as follows.
Not pictured is Fortuno Velut Luna (elven ranger), played by Justin, who was DMing at the time. He is now back in action.
There will definitely be more to come on the subject of D&D, so make sure to check back for updates!