Blackout Rugby - Beginners, look here...

Orizio

Very simply, Blackout Rugby is a free rugby manager simulator - lets let wikipedia do the talking...

Blackout Rugby is a free web-based rugby union management game created by New Zealanders Jeremy Bell and Matthew Scoble of Blackout Entertainment Ltd. Having launched in December 2006 the game currently has over seven thousand users worldwide.

On a hung-over Sunday in the middle of 2005, Matt, a member of Hattrick and Battrick began to wonder about creating a rugby version of those games. As Matt lacked the development skills needed to create such a game, he brought the idea to a friend, Jeremy Bell, who had the skills necessary to turn Matt’s idea into fruition. His first step was to get Jeremy to play Hattrick, which he did. At the time though, Jeremy was busy with other endeavours in his own business and university. It wasn’t until January 2006, when Jeremy was looking for new business opportunities, that he decided to take on the (unknowingly at the time) massive task that became Blackout Rugby. Over a few drinks at Matt's modest Hamilton, New Zealand house, the game was transformed from idea to reality and the initial plans were put on paper. Since that day Matt has had a leading role in shaping the game and the final decisions always came down to him. Almost two years later, Jeremy saw the light at the end of the tunnel, and together with Matt, released the game to the world.

Following the site launch in 2006, the game went beta on 7 October 2007 with a second beta stage then commencing on 27 November 2007.

Finally, after many delays and over two years of development, Blackout Rugby went gold on 14 December 2007, attracting considerable attention from the New Zealand national press [1][2].

A new user joining Blackout Rugby is given a new rugby club in their chosen country complete with:

* A first team squad of 30 players
* A youth team squad of 22 players
* A ground with a capacity of 5,000.

They also have an initial bank balance to spend on improving training facilities, hire higher level staff, invest in their Youth Academy or spend on the transfer market.

Blackout Rugby currently includes fifteen nations:

* Argentina with around 2,700 clubs
* Australia with around 2,700 clubs
* Canada with around 600 clubs
* England with around 10,900 clubs
* France with around 600 clubs
* Ireland with around 2,700 clubs
* Italy with around 2,700 clubs
* Japan with around 600 clubs
* New Zealand with around 2,700 clubs
* Pacific Islands with around 600 clubs (which include the countries Cook Islands, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Tonga)
* Romania with around 600 clubs
* Scotland with around 600 clubs
* South Africa with around 2,700 clubs
* United States with around 2,700 clubs
* Wales with around 2,700 clubs

Within each nation teams compete in a league pyramid over seasons of sixteen weeks, the first 14 of them being round robin games with each team versing the other teams twice once at home and another away, each with a knock-out cup taking place on the intervening Wednesdays. Users also have the options of arranging friendlies with any team in the BR world. Matches are played in real time with flowing match commentary and real-time statistics.

Blackout Rugby uses a unique combination training systems with team training, individual training and match training all being utilised by the user to advance their squad. Users also have to manage the financial side of their club, hiring and firing required stadium staff, expanding their ground and recruiting a financial advisor.

Read on...

Orizio

Once you have signed up, here are some useful links...

Blackout Rugby Documentation

Planet Rugby

Blackout Rugby Ireland

Blackout Rugby Australia

...and here is some random advice from a variety of sources...

Congrats on getting your team. This game can seem complicated at first look, but it's much easier than you think.

This guide is aimed at seeing out your first three seasons, with aims for improving certain elements which will make your team stronger in the long term.

One thing you have to look at straight away is the youth academy, generally I suggest it's not worth investing in immediately, but if you decide to, make sure you check out how many 19yr olds in your academy, less than 4, then it's probably not worth it this season. More than 4, well you will be running a tight ship financially but it can be done (I did it!). You will need to invest 50K each week, and most likely have to sell most of the guys you pull in the first season. It will take 8 weeks to see the benefits of this investment, you should pull those new players in the first season as soon as they arrive in your academy, they will probably be better than your current players. At the end of season, all your 19yr olds are replaced with a mixture of 16 and 17yr olds, and you can drop the investment level back so you can improve other areas of your team.

Either way, the following article still applies...


Season 1.


The first thing we need to look at is getting 4 trainees. These guys should be no older than 19yrs old. You may have some of these guys in your squad already, after reading what we are after, see if your current players fit the mould. As well don't forget to go to you academy and pull one of the 17yr old players and hope you hit the jackpot!

You can either go for 3 Backs and 1 forward, or 2 backs and 2 forwards. In your first season it's probably preferable to go with the 3 backs/1 forward training scheme.

All players require stamina. Make sure that your trainees do not have less than 5 (Moderate) stamina to begin with (same goes for any player you purchase)

Main things backs require are attack, speed, handling, agility and defense.

So to find these players do a search on the transfer market with these variables

Bid : Max 15K
Attack : Decent
Speed : Satisfactory
Handling : Average
Age : Max 19

This should show enough players who are able to be trained as backs. You do not really want to spend more than 15K on these players, as you have a whole XV to assemble.

As for the forward(s). Generally I suggest looking for a lock straight up, now this lock won't be your permanant lock, probably end up as a number 6 or 7, but currently you don't have the funds to buy the best ones. If your going for 2 forwards, I suggest looking for a prop as well (or a second lock, they can be your breakways down the track).

Bid : Max 15K
Strength : Decent
Technique : Average
Handling : Average
Height : Min 195
Age : Max 19

This should show up guys who in the short term can provide value in the number 4 role.

Once you have all your trainees, you will need to kick your L1 facilities off, as well as employee a L1 coach. Depending on what you decided to purchase as trainees, you will require to hire either 3 attach coaches and 1 defensive (if you went the 3 backs/1 forward), or 2 attack coaches and 2 defensive coaches (2 backs, 2 forwards).

Backs should get the following sessions

1xattack
1xhandling
1xspeed
1xagility
1xdefence

Forwards should get the following

1xattack
1xstrength
1xtechnique
1xhandling
1xdefence

This is for the first season only. If you not sure what players to get, or if you have suitable trainees already, head to the Mentoring section of this site and post your squad and a request for assistance.

As for team training, these are the key skills of the game, in order of how I suggest you apply them (each higher level coach provides an extra team training sessions to a maximum of 4).

Stamina
Attack
Technique (Once you have a L2 Coach)
Defence (Once you have a L3 Coach)

You will notice that I do not suggest training stamina or kicking, stamina team trained, and via ingame training goes up fast enough if you make sure you recruit people with a decent level of it to start with, while kicking is probably better off bought, the expense of hiring coaches, and taking away sessions from your players to train kicking properly, doesn't make it worth it. As well as decent kicker probably won't be requried for quite some time, hopefully enough time that you will have enough cash by that stage to buy someone else's guy on the transfer market!

I don't suggest spending much cash at the moment. As early on it's better to see how your finances are progressing. Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither will your team. Though I do suggest recruiting someone to be your kicker, he should have at least a 9 for kicking, and some other skills to go with it, though don't overspend, plenty of cheap guys available under 15K with these skills!

Another thing to look at is trimming your squad down to 25 players to save money. Actually you need to trim to 20 players (So 5 decent reserves) and 5 players whose wages are as cheap as you can go. This will then provide you with extra income over the season, and hopefully accelerate the development of your squad.

__________________________________________________

Now to setup your default lineup for games.

First tip is for the first season, and all friendlies, play using With Next Week In Mind (thats the intensity level), this will provide your players with a bonus ingame training. Though you should still aiming for making the finals, so sometimes you will have to select play Normal, or even Like there's no tomorrow (LTNT) - but expect a huge energy hit from this, and no ingame training!!!!

Another thing, as you don't have players with high technique, you should select play by the book. This will stop you team trying to steal the ball, but at the same time, you will minimise penalties you give away. This is very important early on, as it will provide you an advantage of your opponents because you will recieve more than you concede, and hopefully gain a lot more field position than the other team.

As well for the lineout and scrum, read this guide, as it's a little more detailed than whats available in the documentation.

Another guide to picking your lineup and tactics can be read by clicking here

Or even better there is a tool which will help you place your place in there optimum positions - click here

Or if you prefer to do it yourself, there is also a guide to the positions available by clicking here

You will have to repeat the same thing for your youth team. I suggest making sure all the youngest guys are in the team, and the older ones are left out.

If your still struggling, try the Mentoring section of this site, most of us are more than willing to help you pick your lineup, assist with tactics, or any other areas you may have questions about.

Make sure you click on save as default before you leave.
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Now that you have that done.

You need to look ahead to the second season. As you move along the season, if your cash is high enough, I suggest you look at upgrading to a Level 2 facilities, this will provide you with 24 sessions. I suggest you give those extra sessions to double up key skills on players already in training. No point this season in getting another trainee in.

Another thing you have to consider is your stadium. I suggest going with 10xyour members base to make sure you sell out. You can try some of the stadium calculators by clicking here

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Season 2

Hopefully you have been able to upgrade to a L2 facilities.

This is the first season where you can arrange a training program.

We are going to look at getting 2 new trainees in. They will both get 6 sessions each.

Forward

1xattack
1xhandling
1xdefence
1xtechnique
1xstrength

The last sessions depends on how you are going to use them. Flankers another technique sessions, Number 8 1xspeed, Hooker give them another handling, props get an extra extra strength session, locks 1xjumping,

Back

1xattack
1xhandling
1xdefence
1xspeed
1xagility

The last sessions depends on position. Scrum half an extra attack or strength sessions. Fly half/12/13 an extra agility sessions, 11, 14 and extra speed sessions, 15 give them an extra defence session.

The rest of your sessions will be spread amongst your previous seasons trainees.

3 will get 4 sessions, and one will get 3 sessions, you can make that decision. The one who gets 3 sessions will also finish his training this season, so remember that!

Aims of this season is to upgrade to L2 everything (including coaches), and also aiming to have enough money to get a L3 facilities, and maybe even a L3 coach!
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Season 3

From now on in you only need to employee one new trainee each season as you will be following this as a training plan. (Provided you got to a L3 facilities, if not dump the season E sessions and make season F 2xsessions).

Season A

7xsessions

Season B

7xsessions

Season C

4xsessions

Season D

4xsessions

Season E

4xsessions

Season F

1xsessions (Rotated around the areas until you get pops in all the main ones, once done transfer sessions to season 1 trainee).

For Season A + B sessions look like this.

Forward

1xattack
1xhandling
1xdefence
1xtechnique
1xstrength

The last sessions depends on how you are going to use them. Flankers another technique session and a speed session, Number 8 1xspeed and an extra technique session, Hooker give them another handling and another technique, props get an extra extra strength session and an extra technique, locks 1xjumping and an extra strength session.

Back

1xattack
1xhandling
1xdefence
1xspeed
1xagility

The 2 last sessions depends on position. Scrum half an extra attack and a strength session. Fly half/12/13 an extra agility session and an extra attack session, 11, 14 and extra speed session and agility sessions, 15 give them an extra defence session and an extra speed session.

Though this season, your probably better off splitting the season 2 trainees with 5 and 6 sessions each rather than the 7.

For season C, D and E

Forward

1xattack or 1xhandling (up to you, you can mix it around if you like, or double up on one of the other sessions, or for locks continue jumping training).
1xdefence
1xtechnique
1xstrength

Back

1xattack
1xhandling
1xdefence
1xspeed

Orizio

......

Picking your starting 15
Ok some people will want to start with backs, I like to go 1-15 so thats how I'll do it here.

Props

Skills

* Strength
* Stamina
* Technique
* Discipline

Height should be about even between the two props.
Weight: The heaviest guy you can find!

Hooker

A vital position, key to set pieces. Often worth spending a bit of money on this position

* Handling
* Technique
* Strength
* Stamina
* Discipline

With a bit of weight he can be like a third prop
Height: Short preferably

2nd row

* Jumping
* Handling
* Height
* Strength

Weight can be handy
Height Vital


Wing Forward


Vital position especially 7 Worth an Investment

* Discipline (not as much with 7)
* Defence
* Strength
* Stamina
* handling (no7)
* Speed (no7)
* Attack (no7)

Weight and height not too important but you still don't want some 85kg wing in there


No 8

Pretty much every skill but kicking and jumping, often a teams best player
The battering Ram
Try and pick someone who could almost play any position.

Scrum Half

* Handling
* Kicking
* Attack
* Speed
* Agility

Handling vital
With a pit of speed and agility you will see him nip in for a try every now and again.
Defence helps if you have a drift defence

Out Half

* Handling
* Kicking
* Attack
* Speed
* Agility
* Defence

Hes your playmaker so a bit of leadership and experience can help

Centers

* Handling (EXTRA WITH 12)
* Attack
* Defence
* Speed
* Agility

You want your 12 to be a solid player with handling and defence and more weight
And imagine BOD with 13 someone with a bit of flare and magic

Wings

* Speed
* Attack
* Agility
* Handling
* defence

Speed and Agility so if he does get a bit of space he will use it

Full Back

* Defence
* Speed
* Kicking
* Handling
* Attack
* Agility

A key position, worth an investment. With a bit of flare he'll be scoring trys left, right and center


Subs

My opinion

16. Prop
17. Hooker
18. Second row
19. Back row
20. Scrum half/10
21. 10/center
22. Back three (wing + Full back)

Overall when picking your squad just think of real life and what you would base it on in real life

I hope this helps . . .

Hookers: Handling, Strength, Technique, Weight (110kg+)
Props: Technique, Strength, Weight (120kg+)

Generally, the front row should be as fat and as small as possible. Also it should be balanced - try and keep the hooker smaller then the props and all three within 5cm of each other.

Locks: Jumping, Handling, Height (200cm+), Agility, Strength, Technique.
Flankers/Number 8: Technique, Strength, Handling.

Obviously a lot of weight and height are useful for these positions for a good consistent set-piece. Technique is by far the most important attribute for the back-row.

Scrum/Fly-half: Handling, Kicking, Attack.
Centres: Attack, Handling, Speed.
Wings: Speed, Attack, Handling, Agility.
Full-back: Jumping/Handling, Attack, Kicking.

Beyond this, defense and stamina are essential 1-15, and you also have to take into account their discipline, form and energy.

A Guide To The Scrum

A good scrum depends on several factors. It is a collective effort, not an individual effort, and therefore the players involved in the scrum are subject to requirements that define a compact and powerful unit.

1. Weight. Forwards should be heavy, the heavier the better. A bonus may apply if you have a scrum sufficiently heavier than your opposition.
2. Strength and Technique. Good scrumming requires lots of strength and technique to be able to apply a good push. Some positions require a little more of either one, such as hooker who requires high technique for stealing the ball.
3. Balance. The front row forms the platform for the rest of the scrum to be able to apply pressure at contact. They need to be fairly similar in height, within a reasonable range, with the hooker being shorter/equal in size to the props, as well the expectation that your locks are taller than your props. Locks also need to have similar height for a good balance in the scrum. An excessive gap in size could penalise the scrum's efficiency. One last factor when considering height and the scrum, is that a small advantage will apply for front rows that are shorter than the opposition's.

Positions

Prop - Props are the cornerstone of a scrum. They have to provide a lot of strength in the scrum. Decent technique is also essential, as proping is not only about brute strength, but also about how to best position yourself to take the upper hand at the impact. Most important attributes in order : Strength, Technique
Hooker - Hookers are very important, they require a good technique to be able to hook the ball in the scrum. Strength is also required when the defending scrum decides to just push the opposition backwards. Most important attributes in order : Technique, Strength
Locks - Locks require good strength. Technique isn't as important for locks as for the front row. Most important attributes in order : Strength, Technique
Number 8- Similar to locks, number 8's should have good strength and even better technique for helping bind and guide the scrum, but there effectiveness is somewhat subdued due to their position at the back of the scrum. Most important attributes in order : Strength/Technique equal.
Flankers - Provide a minimal bonus at scrum time, though they should not be forgotten, as their presence could provide you the edge over the other scrum. They also require a lot of technique and some strength. Most important attributes in order :Technique, Strength

As in real life, the contributions from each position vary, with the tight 5 providing most of the input into how strong your scrum is, with the 6, 7 and 8 providing a minimal amount to the performance of the scrum

A Guide To The Lineout

Lineouts, how do they work?

1st Step - Throwing It In
* Solely effected by the Hookers Handling

2nd Step - The Jump
* Effected by Jumpers Height & Jumping and by Lifters Height & a little Strength
3rd Step - The Take
* Effected 100% by the Jumpers Handling

The primary jumpers in the lineout are the two locks, but some lineout throws can be targeted at other forwards. A prop, however, will only be the target of a throw if the hooker throws a short throw to the very front of the line.

All the forwards can be lifters. For a short throw the props will lift a lock, but for medium and long throws the lifters can be any combination of the locks and the back-row forwards, depending on which player is the intended receiver. There are two types of throw, however, where lifters are not used. The first is the short throw to the prop (No.1) at the very front of the lineout. The second is a throw over the back of the lineout, where the No.7 or No.8 will attempt to take the ball without the aid of a lifter.

One other thing to bear in mind with the lineout is that the advantage always lies with the team throwing in. The team throwing the ball has a code to define where the ball will be sent, giving them a definitive advantage in positioning and timing. The opposition can fail to compete well, or at all, or may lift at the wrong time or in the wrong location. Being able to steal a good share of your opponent's lineout ball is a sure sign that your lineout is functioning better than your opponent's.

Finally, when defending, one team may deliberately choose not to lift any jumper and therefore will not contest the throw, in order to organise themselves to defend better against a potential maul or free up the loose forwards (the flankers) to put more pressure on the attacking side if they attempt to move the ball is to the backs.

Some tips when organising your lineout:

* Put your best player with a combination of tall and jumping at the number 4 position, as most throws will be aimed at this person primarily.
* Don't forget handling skill, no point winning all the lineouts if they are going to drop the ball immediately after receiving it!
* You can usually hide a shorter player in the number 8 role, and he is least likely to be involved in lifting in the lineout, though obviously the hooker is another place to hide a short player, but only if he has very high technique and handling.

Orizio

......

Picking your team can be a lot easier if you know what to look out for.

That said, not all positions in the game are created equal, some have more importance than others, so I will attend to those first.

NB: Key Skills are in order of importance for that player type. Forwards (numbered 1 to 8) should have at least 100kg of weight, if not more.

Number 2 - Hooker

THe hooker is one of the most important positions in the game, he throws in the lineout, and complements your front row when in a scrum. That said, if he can do these two things well, then really it's not to important to have any other skills.

Key Skills : Handling, Technique, Strength

Number 4 & 5: Locks

The locks are similar to the hooker, very important in set piece plays. They are the main guys the hooker throws to, as well as providing most of the drive in the scrum.

Key Skills : Height (at least 195cm +), Strength, Handling, Jumping

Number 9 : Scrum Half

The scrum half handles the ball at most breakdowns, thus provides the team with the platform to build attacking moves off. So a key here is that he has the skills to do so. As well the scrumhalf does a lot of pick and go's, which mean at times he acts like a 9th forward. Kicking is also important as the scrumhalf may try and kick the ball away when under pressure, no matter if he has the skills to go with it or not!

Key Skills: Attack, Handling, Kicking - less extent strength.


Other positions

Number 1 and 3 : Loosehead and Tighthead props.

Very important for the scrum, they provide the foundation so the locks can push. Great props will complement the locks in the scrum.

Key Skills : Weight, Strength, Technique


Number 6 and 7 : Breakaways

Not as important in the scrum, they provide pressure on the backline after a movement. They also attend a lot of the rucks with an opportunity to turn the ball over. Can be helpful to have height to help in the lineout.

Key Skills : Technique, Defence, strength

Number 8

This role tends to be an attacking forward, it is suppose to be a guy who can link in with the backline to attack, maybe I play the wrong guy there, as mine doesn't seem to want to be involved unless he grabs the ball of the back of the scrum to dive over for a try. Either way he still provides a similar role to the breakaways in other areas of the field.

Key Skills : Technique, Defence, strength

Number 10 : Flyhalf

Similar to the scrumhalf, he sees a lot of the ball. He provides a link to the rest of the backline, but also can be a guy who will try and bit himself. Vital that he has some kicking as well, as he is quite adapt at having a shot a field goal from time to time.

Key Skills : Attack, Handling, Agility

Number 12 and 13 : Centres

The centres really build off what the scrum and fly half have given them. They are attacking players who need to be able to break the line, and also link with there wingers. Very occasionally they also are required to kick, but it's not important to scout for it.

Key Skills : Attack, Agility, Speed

Number 11 and 14 : Wingers are there to finish off attacking moves. By the time the ball has got to them, hopefully he is racing down the touchline to put the ball over the line. Speed is critical for these players. As well good defence on wingers combined with there speed, see's them very involved when a line break is made against your team. Something to keep in mind.

Key Skills : Speed, Attack, Agility

Number 15: Fullback

A good fullback should play like a flyhalf on the field, injecting himself into the attack when possible. The reality in the match engine is that he doesn't try to do this. That said, he will field a lot of kicks in general play, and also be required to kick himself from time to time. As a fullback, he is also there to stop a play when the line has been broken against your team.

Key Skills : Defence, Handling, Kicking.

Help Guide

Stadium and Staff

Once you are filling out your stadium week in week out, then you should really look to upgrade. It is best to upgrade your stadium in 1000 seats per upgrade. Once you have expanded your stadium, you need to get more staff.


The different types of stadium staff cost different amounts of money:
1 Cleaning Staff = $210
1 Maintenance Worker = $770
1 Security Worker = $350
1 Hospitality Worker = $250
1 Entertainer = $960
Q3. Does everyone think that the info on tactics below is misleading in any way?

Tactics
by spotthedog

Defence:
The defensive type you start with is probably the one you’ll take throughout your teams run on Blackout Rugby. Give great thought to the type you choose at the start as changing the defence type makes it less effective which could result in your team giving away many points in crucial situations.

Man-to-Man:
“A defensive technique where each player is responsible for guarding one particular member of the opposition.”
Basically, if your team has good defensive stats, and you feel they can match up to any challenges thrown at them by the opposition, play this technique. It’s risky, because if one man misses his defensive assignment a line break is bound to happen which could result in a try, but get it right, and your team will shut the opposition down at the gain line time after time.

Drift:
“A defensive technique where the defensive line shifts as the ball moves out towards the other team's wing.”
Probably the most conservative call and most recommended to newbs who aren’t sure about their team’s potential. Basically the defence will stand off the tacklers more than rush or man-to-man and take a group responsibility for the tackling and stopping of runs. Don’t expect huge tackles at the gain line but you won’t be broken open as easily either. This can be exploited by fast and agile centres and wingers who could take the ball across the pitch quicker than your team can make the ground up, but for most newb leagues, this wouldn’t be a problem.

Rush:
Again, risky but rewarding if you have the personnel. “A defensive technique where the defensive line press up and into the attacking positions of the opposition.” This requires quick, strong players who have the ability to sport a play developing and shut it down. The risks involved are a missed tackle or interception could leave a gaping hole in your back line for the opposition to exploit. If you have the players, this is potentially very good, but exercise caution when selecting any type. Remember each has their advantages and pitfalls; it’s up to you to decide which best suits your team.

Attack:

Pick and Go:
This technique of attack is where the players will take the ball from the base of the ruck and attempt to drive straight downfield in order to gain a couple of metres. At times this can be devastatingly effective against weak opposition but strong technique heavy defenders can counter it. The attributes needed for this tactic are strength, handling, attack and technique. Another key attribute is good discipline to ensure no silly penalties are given away at the breakdown. This tactic mainly utilises the pack (No’s 1-Cool so if you are thinking of using it, make sure they have the attributes in the right place and the right discipline for the job.

Driving:
A more attack minded form of the pick and go. The basic principle is the same, ball comes from the ruck to a player who lowers his head and charges but this technique involves backs as well and is usually passed out of the ruck. As a result, it can result in more lost ground but can have a bigger gain if the player breaks a tackle as he is still on his feet and can run downfield to exploit the gap. The key attributes are the same, and I’d add a little speed into the mix to make sure they can fully exploit the chances created. You’ll need as many heavy guys as possible to create the maximum effect. “This play usually produces a slow but safe advance and sometimes is aimed to absorb defenders in the subsequent rucks to contest the ball, opening gaps in the defensive lines for the backs.” Make sure you also have quick backs to expose the gaps created.

Creative:
Possibly the most devastating when used, sometimes devastatingly good, sometimes bad. Overuse this tactic and the penalties against you will soon add up, use it correctly and you’ll find many a line break occurring. This tactic involves usually the SH passing from the ruck or set play to a centre or Fly Half who will then perform a series of delicate passes and interplay with his back line partners in order too create gaps and confuse defenders. If successful, one player will have space to run into and will hopefully be back up by his fellow players. This tactic is mainly Scrum half and Centre orientated so make sure that if you use it, these players have high handling, speed, attack and agility points. This can occasionally involve members of the pack too, so keep in mind that overusing will invariably result in your props or flankers trying a little delicate passing which could result in a knock on or interception giving possession and possibly points away.

Expansive:
“An attacking technique whereby the attacking team produces open play by providing the ball to the backs who will vary the angle and points of attack of their runs so as to receive the ball in a position that will enable them to run through the gaps in the opposing defence.” As stated in the documentation, this play involves all of the backs but from experience, it’s generally agreed that it mainly utilises the wingers and Fly Half. To make sure you get the best out of this tactic, make sure your wingers have good handling, speed, agility and attack and that your FH is a good kicker as well as having the stats mentioned above.
Q5. Agree / Disagree with any of the below?

Kicking:

Kicking Level:
Still hotly debated among even the most seasoned players, Kicking has become one of the biggest bugbears for managers in Blackout Rugby. As far as it’s known, kicking consistently with a not so good kicker, will result in little to no improvement in field position, and possession lost. Obviously, some kicking is needed because defending on the opponent 22 is far better than attacking from your own 5, but bear in mind that kicking too often will result in lost possession and chances and potentially gifting chances to the opponent

Up and Unders:
One of the best tactics for a team with high jumping and good kicking throughout the team to use. If your 9, 10, 12 and 15 all kick well, and your team has good jumping (7 or above ideally), then up and unders can be a great way of relieving pressure yet maintaining possession. You won’t always keep the ball, as the kicking team is actively disadvantaged, but remember ground is still being made which is preferable to being tackled behind the gain line. If you spot the opposition Full Back is short then obviously kick more up and unders but take into account the fact that it’s not always the full back contesting them.

Kicking To Touch:
To kick to touch effectively, make sure you have the skilled lineout as described earlier in the guide. If you think your locks can steal a lot of ball, then kicking to touch will be more advantageous than up and unders as it’s also a little safer. But if you consistently lose line outs, expect your team to be under constant pressure if you do it all the time, as there’s even the chance the FH won’t make touch with the kick.

Orizio

.....

Long long post coming up...get your reading glasses on people!

Right then, there’s been lots of talk about the YA, and the ability (or lack thereof) of predicting the csr/worth of any given youth pulled. I firmly believe you can predict (and will go on to prove it below)…but before we start, there’s 3 very important and painfully obvious points:

1.You must have the player in the right position in your YA. Extraordinarily difficult I know, but it makes the difference between pulling a 20,000csr player and pulling a 12,000csr player given he same time in the YA. Simply put, if you have a potential flanker he’ll train up quicker at a flanking position than he would if you tried him at fullback.

2. All games and subsequent Reporter’s Summary’s have to have been done at WNWIM. You’re stupid if you’re not doing this already, but it’s worth mentioning.

3. You must be investing $50,000 per week into the academy



Next are the rules by which you pull.

1. Leave any youth in the academy team for 6-8 weeks min (More is always better and remember, at WNWIM and in the correct position)

2. Check any given players 3 best Reporter’s Summary’s in that time

3. Pick the best player who conforms to the grading as worked out below.

4. Very very few players get better than Impressive (To Potential). This is the practical upper limit (You can get better, as we’ll see below, but they will have had to be have been scouted high, and left in the academy for a season +)



Now I’m going to go through a handful of pulls from my youth academy to show the pattern at work and how to predict:

-Joseph Cadwaladr (Centre/wing)

Reputable (Below potential)

Admirable (Below potential)

Impressive (To potential)

Obviously an impressive player

Finally got promoted @ 22068csr

-Todd Kennedy (Lock)

Reputable (Below potential)

Reputable (Below potential)

Decent (Below potential)

Which made Kennedy a probable ‘Admirable’ player

Finally got promoted @ 17332csr

-Aidan Edwards (Centre)

Admirable (Below potential)

Impressive (To potential)

Reputable (Below potential)

Again, another Impressive player

Finally got promoted @ 19106csr

-Rhys Bufton (Flanker/No.Cool

Impressive (To potential)

Reputable (Below potential)

Admirable (Below potential)

Another Impressive player. Yes, my academy is the ****! Cool

Finally got promoted @ 21036csr

-Noah Gethin (Flanker)

Impressive (Below potential)

Admirable (Below potential)

Impressive (To potential)

My one and only ever “Impressive (Below Potential)” on his last week before being pulled meant he came out at a Princely rating.

Finally got promoted @ 25083csr

-Liam Rodders (Flanker)

Admirable (Below potential)

Impressive (To potential)

Admirable (Below potential)

Yet another Imrpessive player

Finally got promoted @ 17511csr

- Sebastian Lavelle (No.Cool

Satisfactory (Below potential)

Decent (Below potential)

This final one is important with regards to the first point made. He was 117kg, 191cm, and looked every bit the backrower. He had some ropey Summary’s, and given that I didn’t have another player who I wanted to pull, I thought I’d pull him to make way for someone else. However, when he got pulled he had great back stats (attack, speed, handling) along side some decent flanker stats. He know plays fullback for me and is a great all-rounder.

Moral of the story being that no matter how well you try and pick a players position, it will bite you on the arse now and again (Hopefully in a good way like it did for me here)

Finally got promoted @ 18849csr

And before anyone calls bull****, check these players out, all bar one is still in my squad and all were pulled in the past couple of months.

So, in summary…I predicted all of the above to within 3000csr at the time (With the last one being an obvious exception), and with every new pull, the predictions are being refined. Remember, “Something (Below potential)” can mean anything, so “Something (To potential)” is always better to go on.

From the above I have come to the conclusion that:

Reputable rating in YA = 12,500csr to somewhere undefined below
Admirable Rating in YA = 12,500csr to 17,500csr
Impressive Rating in YA = 17,500csr to 25,000csr
Princely Rating in YA = 25,000csr to somewhere undefined above

(These are not set in stone, and are subject to change if any new data arises)

Finally, I’m going to put my proverbial cock on that proverbial block, and predict the type of csr future players I have lined up to pull will come out with.

Marcus Rosser (Lock) - Will have an Admirable csr
Trent Asotasi (Halfback) – Will have an Impressive csr
Tecwen Heaton (Prop) – Will have an Admirable to Impressive csr

Orizio

Stadium Calculator

Finance Tracking

Squad Sorting

This thread should be kept for advice to newbies and veterans alike, while any other good links or articles should be added.

Finally, can some mod sticky this?

Gelio

Just in case anyone has any questions about what each of the players skills mean, this is from the documentation.

What are my players' skills?
Your training staff keep a rating of each player's ten core rugby skills, ranging from Non-Existent to Godly. Players are typically better at some skills than others, and by carefully analyzing a player's best skill set, you should be able to determine where in a lineup they would make the best contribution to a match.


Stamina
Players with a high stamina rating are more likely to perform at full capacity during a match, taking longer to tire than a player with low stamina. Furthermore, as stamina is linked to energy levels, players with a high stamina rating are more likely to recover their fitness after a match and after the exertions of training day.

Attack
A player with a high attack rating is going to be good at going forward with the ball. He's going to be one of your primary try scorers, and may be the spearhead of the team when challenging the opposition's defence.

Technique
The technique rating measures a player's ability to win and retain possession at the breakdown. Players with a high technique rating are more likely to cause a turnover when challenging for possession and less likely to give it up. In addition, technique also covers how technically proficient a player is at set pieces, such as lineouts and scrums. Players with high technique are able to provide better lifting in the lineouts as well as applying more power in the scrum.

Jumping
Players with a high jumping rating are more likely to claim high balls. They are going to be key targets at lineouts, and adept at taking the ball from up and unders.

Agility
A player with a high agility rating has a talent for keeping on his feet while carrying the ball, avoiding opposition tacklers, and finding gaps in the defence. This is a good skill for backs looking to sidestep and outmaneuver opposing players.

Handling
Players with a high handling rating are adept at carrying, passing, and receiving the ball. They make fewer mistakes while in possession, protecting the ball while moving forward, and are proficient at offloading to their teammates. This is also key skill for hookers looking to send a ball in to the forwards during a lineout.

Defence
The defence rating measure's a player's ability to tackle and diffuse the opposition's attacks. A player with a high defence rating will protect territory and create key defensive plays.

Strength
A player with a high strength rating will be your typical big, strong forward who knows how to put his power to good use. A high rating is a must for your forward pack who need to assert themselves in mauls and during the scrum. It is also an important skill for backs looking to stay up in contact and brush off tacklers.

Speed
Taking in account both acceleration and pace, players with a high speed rating will be capable of racing past the opposition and gain territory quickly, or chase down a runner trying to make a breakaway.

Kicking
The kicking attribute incorporates all aspects of kicking: restarts, place kicks, and kicks in play. A player with a high kicking attribute is adept at clearing the ball, hitting touch, finding undefended areas up field, attacking with an up and under or a drop goal, and sending the ball between the posts at distance and tight angles.

And these might help also. (from Documentation)

What is CSR?
CSR stands for Complete Skill Rating. It is an objective, combined rating of a player based on their form, experience, and skills. As form levels can change daily, their CSR may be different from day to day.

What is form and energy?
The form of a player, ranging from Non-Existent to Impressive, is an estimation of how well a player is currently playing. All players can go through good phases and bad phases over the course of a season. This value can change from day to day, so it's important to keep an eye on a player's form.

Energy is an indication of the overall fitness of a player, ranging from Dead to Perfect. The current energy level provides an estimation of how tired or rested a player is due to his efforts for the club, including match performances and training. Energy levels typically decrease after matches and training day activities, and increase overnight as players rest and recover.

What are my players' personality attributes?
A player's aggression attribute, ranging from Timid to Psychotic, is an indication of the intensity they bring to their game play. Highly aggressive players are more likely to take risks and seize opportunities, but they are also more likely to cause penalties and infringements than less aggressive players.

The discipline attribute, ranging from Rebellious to Flawless, is a measure of how technically composed a player is during a match. Players with a high discipline rating are less likely to bend the rules and will make fewer technical mistakes than players with a low discipline rating, while players with a low discipline rating are more likely to create them in an attempt to get away with winning the ball or breaking up the opposition's attack illegally.

Leadership is an important attribute for your captain on the pitch. Ranging from Non-Existent to Impressive, it gives an indication of his generalship and ability to make key decisions during a match.

What is experience?
The experience attribute gives an indication of how adept players are at playing rugby, with the greenest of players making more in-game mistakes than their more experienced peers. Players fresh from the academy are likely to have a very low experience rating, as low as Non-Existent, while players who have been playing the game for a long time will have a very high rating, as high as Impressive. A high experience rating is especially important for the captain.

Players gain experience by continuously participating in matches. Playoff and Qualifier games represent the best opportunities for a player to earn experience, League and Cup matches provide moderate experience, and Friendlies provide the least. Players on the bench receive less experience than those on the field.

jprender

Just a quick tip to use before you decide to upgrade to level 2 training facilities.


Hire your Level 1 Trainers.
construct level 1 training facility.
Set your training program.


Before Tuesday at 0000 (monday night) close your training facility.
Open it up again before training session starts on Tuesday at 0930.

By doing this, your training sessions continue as planned but you dont have to pay the maintenance fees for your training facility. This results in a saving of over 6k per week.

Pity I didnt do this when I started !!

arj_7

the stadium calculator doesnt work

The requested URL /adslaarm//Stadium-1.xls was not found on this server.

Apache/2.0.63 (Unix) Server at users.tpg.com.au Port 80
can anyone help?

eoferrall

arj_7 wrote: »

the stadium calculator doesnt work

The requested URL /adslaarm//Stadium-1.xls was not found on this server.

Apache/2.0.63 (Unix) Server at users.tpg.com.au Port 80
can anyone help?

Think borganiser has stadium calculator, and helps manage team etc.

http://borganizerhq.altervista.org/index.html

arj_7

ive tried that
it doesnt work my comps messed up can someone tell me for 500 members
Standing:1000
Uncovered seats:1950
Covered seats:1500
Member's seats:500
Corporate seats:50
Total capacity:5000
and how shalli change it in future if more members ?:)

eoferrall

arj_7 wrote: »

ive tried that
it doesnt work my comps messed up can someone tell me for 500 members
Standing:1000
Uncovered seats:1950
Covered seats:1500
Member's seats:500
Corporate seats:50
Total capacity:5000
and how shalli change it in future if more members ?:)

this should work for you.

Also remember the impact of members contentment. none of the templates take this into account. if you have been promoted aim for below as you wont be filling it as contentment wont be blissful etc!

Orizio

This is a superior one.

http://balshawcup.freeforums.org/download/file.php?id=100

eoferrall

Orizio wrote: »

This is a superior one.

http://balshawcup.freeforums.org/download/file.php?id=100

Might be, but you'd have to be a member of the board to see it...

Orizio

Well naturally. We don't hand this kind of stuff out to any old pleb.

Orizio

......

crisco10

Orizio wrote: »

......

How do people find the staffing levels on this? They seem very high too me. Just expanded my stadium, can't afford to have a contentment hit due to staffing levels!

arj_7

thanks, soz to bother u again but the excel 2007 spreadsheet for squad selectro isn't working i followed the instructions and nothing came up
and please can u tell me about the other stuff like youuth squad selector

arj_7

u know in youth academy what does the blue ribbonm mean?

and please cld u try and reply to my earlier question

mar-z

arj_7 wrote: »

u know in youth academy what does the blue ribbonm mean?

and please cld u try and reply to my earlier question

A blue ribbon means that your youth manager has revelaed that skill in training.

As for the other question, I not sure what the squad selection excel sheet is so unfortunately can't help

arj_7

ive tried the blackout rugby manager, why do people say no to use the team selector?

Zagato

What advantage do I get from improving my training facility other than the extra sessions?
I have a level 4 facility, have no real intention of upgrading at the moment, but would I be paying 500k plus an extra 10k per week just for one extra training session?

mar-z

Zagato wrote: »

What advantage do I get from improving my training facility other than the extra sessions?
I have a level 4 facility, have no real intention of upgrading at the moment, but would I be paying 500k plus an extra 10k per week just for one extra training session?

If you also improve your trainers you will get an improvement in your indidual training as well. Although in the clubrooms (or possible on here/the irish offsite) there has been a bit of a debate about how much an improvement and is it worth it. I'm on level 4 myself so can't say from experience.

If you only have level 4 trainers the only advantage is the extra training slot.

arj_7 wrote: »

ive tried the blackout rugby manager, why do people say no to use the team selector?

Just realised noone had answered this. Most of the team selectors just have arbitrary values for weighting for each position (or the default values for what the person setting them up thinks is the correct weightings of each skill for a position). It's not ideal to rely on and if you disagree with the team it suggests I would go with what you think is best.

Gelio

About time this thread got cleaned up. A lot of the info is useless now. I wonder if lord Orizio will be returning anytime soon

macslash

jprender wrote: »

Just a quick tip to use before you decide to upgrade to level 2 training facilities.


Before Tuesday at 0000 (monday night) close your training facility.
Open it up again before training session starts on Tuesday at 0930.

By doing this, your training sessions continue as planned but you dont have to pay the maintenance fees for your training facility. This results in a saving of over 6k per week.

Pity I didnt do this when I started !!

How do you do this?!!

eoferrall

macslash wrote: »

How do you do this?!!

go into the facilities and close the lvl 1 training now, then tomorrow morning at 9 or earlier after expenses have run and before the training process starts reopen. thus saving 6k.

It only works on lvl one as once you go higher you have demolish costs etc which defeats the purpose!

PS: not sure if this 'bug' is still in the game as it is a long time since I was on lvl 1 training. so maybe a newer player can confirm?

seanand

macslash wrote: »

How do you do this?!!

you can only do this if you have lvl one facilities. go into my club, office then click facilities then sell before tuesday morning 12:00 or monday night 12:00(not sure how to phrase).

then buy again before training 9pm.

im not sure but did they bring in something last season to counteract this? so keep on eye on your finances to see if it saves you anything

mar-z

seanand wrote: »

im not sure but did they bring in something last season to counteract this? so keep on eye on your finances to see if it saves you anything

There is now a $5000 fee to set up lvl 1 facilities. So it is only worth closing and reopening if weekly maintenance is more than that. Can't remember that cost of the top of my head though.

macslash

Thanks lads..I'll give it a go and let ye know!

Gelio

http://brcentrum.99k.org/tactics2.html
worth a read . .

VinLieger

Hey just started this yesterday, wondering if the guide posted in the first post still applies? Should i be for players at 15k no matter their salary cost? curious how this works out as most of the players im seeing listed with those stats have a weekly salary of 6k+ which for 4 players will wipe out my budget pretty quickly wont it?

flemishgael

VinLieger wrote: »

Hey just started this yesterday, wondering if the guide posted in the first post still applies? Should i be for players at 15k no matter their salary cost? curious how this works out as most of the players im seeing listed with those stats have a weekly salary of 6k+ which for 4 players will wipe out my budget pretty quickly wont it?

Hi and welcome,
It is still pretty accurate. To be competitive most of your team, if not all, should be at 15k CSR and higher. Salary matters though. You will find that very old farts with a High CSR are cheaper and demand lower salaries, but they will also lose CSR so they are a short term solution.
Look for young players mostly as these will improve.
Sponsors, members and match revenue all generate money and you arrived just before the new season starts so you will have 2, 3 rounds in the cup for sure.
At the same time don't go for too good a player as the salary will ill you.
A lot of people have no facilities, no staff and a team around 12k in average when they start and just collect a lot of money before they splash all out after two seasons and shoot up the rankings.
If you want to be competitive have a team around 20k in average and fairly young.
It is more important though that they are in the right positions.
If the players are in their right positions they will do well.
Monday friendlies improve your team (IGT) but also cost energy so keep a low intensity in those games (WNIM), but play against teams similar to yours.
That way they get the maximum in IGT.

seanand

Theres a lot of different ways to play this game the 3 main ones are
Full senior training facilities and youth academy. this is my preferred one as i like raising players in club and training them and have got to div2 this way. with starting out fresh my suggestion would be buy no one but cut your squad down to 23(this applies to all strategies really) and hire a youth coach, scout and manager and advertise for lvl2 then build lvl1 facilites and advertise for lvl2 ya facility. as soon aslvl2 comes in advertise for lvl3. id use 20stars per scout and any guy near 20 id let run out as they get scouted by your average stars earned which wont be ten for awhile with you. then when lvl3 ya is in id start advertising for senior facilities and work you way up to lvl4. i delay the senior facilites as whats the point of having it if you dont have nay good players
if you dont want to wait for ya players then id buy three trainees of low csr 10-25k but get untrainables i.e 120kg plus or 202cm+ as there expensive to buy(sometimes youll have someone already in yiur team, i started and had 137kg 17yr old in my ya came out at 12kcsrbut is now 27 and 170k csr.

another popular stategy is forget about ya as you can get a lot of young players on the tm for cheap and just build up your senior facilites till there lvl4 and then you should have a bit saved up to make a decent team(again cut squad down to 23players and bring in three good untrainables trainees) id also get the ya scout to save up stars because if you want a ya in future its handy to have them saved up

and the last main statagy is to not hire any senior or ya staff or facilites ave up money for awhile and go for high csr old guys. this will make you shoot up the rankings and tables faster but you have to rely on the tm to keep rebuying your team as old guys could be dropping csr(id still hire a ya scout here so you could go down this route in future if you wanted)

any questions feel free to ask theres probably terms in that that doesnt make sense to new people

errlloyd

Is there anyway to learn more about youth players, would I pick up much by reading a whole match report.

I've a 16 year old I scouted at the end of last season. 20 stars, he's played one game but his defense is Admirable. That's all I know, I'd love to know more.

Zagato

errlloyd wrote: »

Is there anyway to learn more about youth players, would I pick up much by reading a whole match report.

I've a 16 year old I scouted at the end of last season. 20 stars, he's played one game but his defense is Admirable. That's all I know, I'd love to know more.

The higher level youth manager you get the more skill reveals you get per week. Only worth it for your enjoyment as it is not a sensible way to spend money

cclampett

VinLieger wrote: »

Hey just started this yesterday, wondering if the guide posted in the first post still applies? Should i be for players at 15k no matter their salary cost? curious how this works out as most of the players im seeing listed with those stats have a weekly salary of 6k+ which for 4 players will wipe out my budget pretty quickly wont it?

hi, delayed reply but I haven't checked in here in a long time.

many players you look at on the market will be earning their current clubs minimum salary - that is the average salary of a clubs highest 15 earners divided by 2... I think
the salary will be recalculated after they transfer.

you need to first work out how much you can afford to spend in total on player salaries, and check your finances to see how much is paid out to club chairman etc as well, you need to be coming out with a tidy profit over a season (after taking finances from the 7 home league games and a few cup games into account) so that you can afford things like stadium expansion/training facilities/ savings for future transfers, however you want to develop the club

then try to gauge the average level of player you can afford, now that you know about minimum salaries - in csr its probably around 30k
a rough way to calculate base salaries is the total number of skills plus experience squared, and add a few percent on top.
(if a player is half way between skills when salary is calculated, the unseen decimals are calculated too, very heavy and very tall players seem to always be a bit more expensive, so maybe it's in the real calculation too)

finally, you need to consider the teams in your league, spending a bit more might be worth it to win your league, while theres no point having a lot of expensive players if you can win the league with much cheaper ones

blackpotato

I've looked in documentation and found nothing so I'm wondering...
Say for example after a match, I have really good stars in the reporters summary but my stars for ruck are terrible. What's the single skill that needs to be trained for a long time to fix that?

seanand

easy answer tech, tho speed helps. also if you have good discipline team you could play more agressive in the tactics

errlloyd

I'm pretty deleighted. Got promoted to Div 3, lowest CSR in my group by a fair bit. I've still managed to beat the other two slightly weaker teams, both away. So I think I may be able to stay up. The only problem is that I am losing money fairly quickly.

I'll survive this season, but I'll need a big cash injection next season or else I will need to sell some players. Does staying up attract more sponsors? I think I need around 30k income per week for safety.

eoferrall

errlloyd wrote: »

I'm pretty deleighted. Got promoted to Div 3, lowest CSR in my group by a fair bit. I've still managed to beat the other two slightly weaker teams, both away. So I think I may be able to stay up. The only problem is that I am losing money fairly quickly.

I'll survive this season, but I'll need a big cash injection next season or else I will need to sell some players. Does staying up attract more sponsors? I think I need around 30k income per week for safety.

you get new sponsors in DIV III so that will be more income and your supporter base will continue to grow. make sure you are managing your stadium correctly. are you selling out all the time?