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Geronimo! To be or not to be in it

Skrevet av Iorda9

Was the Apache League a good idea? Some seem to think so, some seem to be quite pessimistic about it. What are my impressions now that we are almost halfway through the first season? These are the thoughts of a committed participant in the new Apache League.

The start
It was with great excitement that I received the news that a new limited league would be crated in Hattrick, the Apache League. That's because after two years playing Hattrick (I am a seasoned player, though, and played it several years in a somewhat distant past) I was at a stage where it’s all about letting your strategic plan develop and wait for the possibility of actually competing seriously to move up into more competitive divisions and aim at bigger targets. Nothing interesting to fight for, no achievements to look for, except for pushing your squad’s development. It’s a bit like paddling slowly through a swamp expecting to reach free waters to rush through. With the added nuisance of mosquitos and heat too!

The challenge
Hence, the Apache League was truly a treat to me. A chance to play the game from scratch and at equal terms with all other players. A different type of challenge, as it’s all about rushing through the divisions, with little room for failure. An opportunity to arrive at the league’s cup as good a candidate as any other player! Exactly what I was looking for to complement my current activity in Hattrick, and with no long-term commitment as it would happen with a newly created country league.

Supporter status
I also praise the chance of getting access to a new team through a promotional initiative, as opposed to be forced into Diamond supporter status. I am aware it doesn’t impact in the same way players from every country, but for many of us 15,83 EUR per month is money. That said, I hope there will another promotional initiative that will allow current participants, other than Diamond supporters, to maintain their teams and take it to the very end in the Apache League.

The first week
So, what about the first week in Apache League? From a personal standpoint it met most my expectations. I got engaged trying to devise a strategy for my team that would allow me to both compete to reach the top division and cup, and to collect achievements I wouldn’t otherwise aim for. For instance, “Shut-out season”, “The football laboratory”, and “Hometown heroes” are achievements very hard to get when your team is playing in a competitive division. Others, like the various tastes of “… Squad” basically imply that you completely replace your squad players to get each of the achievements. Should I get out of goals in the Apache League, maybe I’ll turn into these as a consolation prize.

In contrast, I was surprised by the number of forum posts and discussions calling havoc on the Apache League. I read many negative remarks about the number of teams, how most series were depleted of human teams and how not interesting the concept was. Mostly, I read people claiming the Apache League not being fun to play through. Fun may mean wildly different things for different people! It would certainly be better if more human teams would populate the Apache League. Only about 13% (360 out of 2728) of the teams are human-managed. It will certainly be different as teams move closer to the top with the good surviving ones engaging into fierce competition! On the other hand, it is interesting to note that several players, me included, opted to move to all-bot series. For those, a series where promotion is guaranteed and where a strategic development plan can be implemented without any major disturbance is certainly a big argument. Other players prefer a human filled series, where they can experience a lot more interaction and an immediate performance challenge. Whatever you are aiming at, it may make sense to go for an all-bot series or far an all-human series. It's really a matter of strategy and it's up to you to draw fun out of it.

The strategy challenge
I had a look at the different series and teams, and strategy-wise it’s all there already! You have people filling-up their teams with old players for an immediate boost in stats performance, teams buying 17-year-olds aiming at big investment returns, people actively doing trading, people starting academies, even though this is only a 6-seasons run. Will there be people building tactic-oriented teams, like counterattack or long-shots?

Looking at the top teams in terms of Power Ratings, Ratings and Stars, it is very clear that the dominant strategy among those teams was to buy older players for an immediate performance boost. These are also the teams that are still playing the different Apache League cups. Hence, for the time being, this seems to be the most successful strategy in terms of immediate results return. Will it endure over time?

Noteworthy, trading is also a strong bet for some, not all, teams in the top rankings in the league. Money has always been a huge factor of success in Hattrick. Will it define the Apache League as well?

I am certainly looking forward for the outcome of all these different strategies. Will do my best to come out on top! Unfortunately, on a negative note, you could also spot a few cheaters promptly reported by many of us… Some are still in the top-ranking positions of the league, but without a human manager 😉

In a nutshell
Will the League be a success? I really do not see how you can define an absolute measure of success. For those who stick to the end and have fun at pursuing whatever they are after, it will certainly be a success. For those who drop off, it will likely not be a success. For those who did not join, I have no idea... Nevertheless, I congratulate Hattrick for the initiative, I hope it will be a valuable experience, and I hope it will help design an even more engaging future Hattrick.

Have fun and let history unfold!

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