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6/25/01
Email Dan
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» Game Design Dictionary |
Scoring systems translate the efforts of our heroes into the fuel
that runs the engine. With their sweat and blood, we win our league.
Any measurable statistic that occurs between the starting kick to
the final whistle can be converted to fuel. This can be carried
to any depth level (a points scale for average yards gained per
play rushing accumulated under the title Offensive Line). I will
touch on some of them in the exotic section.
So, lets run through the basic questions. You give points for touchdowns,
field goals and extra points. What, if any, do you give for performance?
Do the worker bees have any value in your domain? Some leagues only
score the touchdowns and kicks. This is an extreme example of a
game design that features the Individual Play. It rewards those
moments that get you out of the chair and talking smack to the TV.
Individual Play scoring is easy to follow in print and electronic
media with little chance of ambiguity or need of interpretation.
The other extreme only gives points on production, which looks more
at Total Effort for game points. This is driven by incremental systems
that give out points even down to the exact yard. This system rewards
and features the workhorse players who move the chains. Most leagues
mix the two. The decisions made here are another control point that
helps nurture or dissipate RB Rage.
Through this part I will show my bias in design. There are a thousand
ways to tinker with football stats. It is all just flavors of ice
cream to me. Some people love individual defensive players. I can't
stand them. Some things I like, you may think are worthless. While
stressing preferences, I do recommend that everyone play a season
or two with an individual defender configuration (or other strange
designs) to make up your own mind. Experimentation is the forte
of Redraft leagues. Things that don't work are discarded the next
season.
Personal flavor preferences aside, I hope we are looking deeper
into the overall composition and intent of the league. A balanced
design that attempts to mimic the interactions of a real NFL squad
takes more than just using the 1 QB 2 RB 3 WR lineup. In both setting
the Starting Roster and the Scoring System, you must ask yourself,
how do the positions relate and support the team purpose, to outscore
your opponent?
Touchdowns
The FF default is to give 6 points for touchdowns excluding passer
scores. This is acceptable in most cases. The decision on how much
the passer scores vary from 3 points (passes ½ value) to
equal touchdown points. As this scale shifts, the dominance of the
quarterback increases. A league that gives 6 points (passes equal
value) are dominated by the teams with Steve Young and Kurt Warner
type players. This is one sure way of combating RB Rage. Knock the
league out of balance in another direction. In redraft leagues,
try this version (passes equal value) and draft accordingly. I recommend
4 points per passing score to maintain a more balanced approach.
A 3-point scale minimizes quarterbacks in relation to other positions
(feeds RB Rage). If you install a negative points system, you can
actually wind up with a bunch of quarterbacks who score a negative
value for some games. If you must institute a negative points scheme,
I suggest you give the quarterback fully equal touchdown points.
Do you plan on using Defensive teams? If the defense scores a touchdown,
is it of equal value as the scores of your individual players? Some
times a scoring scheme feeds the dear Lady Luck too fat of a pitch
and you can be destroyed by these amalgamated positions. I strongly
suggest that any such position, when posed with individual starters
is a dangerous design flaw waiting to happen. When faced with an
Assembly that demands the Defensive (and even worse Special Teams)
amalgamate, I try to tone their scores down considerably. As a FF
Geek, we always banter that kickers and defenses should be picked
later in the draft. If you are giving high points for touchdowns
(equals individual touchdowns) and liberal points for production,
then hot defenses like Baltimore (2000 season stats) can almost
drive your team to the playoffs just as much as the hot running
back. Do you really want that?
Where do you stand on the Special Teams category? Do you allow Special
Teams scores to drain points away from individual players? Special
team players are a valuable and under-utilized resource in fantasy
football. Like the running back position, there is a hand full of
solid special team players that fill in as the 3rd wide out. With
their Special Teams touchdowns, those players increase in value,
repay owners who research the facts and helps enrich the thin talent
pool with another class of potentially "stud" performers.
At this time, I will say that I prefer to give individual players
full credit for all of their performance. Stealing those touchdowns
degrades those 3rd wide outs you need to populate flex rosters and
counter RB Rage. It is all related.
How much you choose to juice up or tone down these amalgamated positions
is something you should tinker with in redraft leagues until you
find the mix you like best. Introducing amalgamates into a dynasty
or a keeper setting is something I am coming more and more to oppose.
Production
Production points can come in trigger levels, like awarding 3 points
for 100+ yards of rushing. This is relatively easy to determine
in the print media and is used a lot with Newbie or first season
Local Groups as they mature their abilities and learn more about
fantasy football. It doesn't take too long for the obvious flaw
of this system to show up. Joe Jock's team lost this weekend by
1 point and his stud running back ended the day with 97 yards rushing.
How unfair, is the claim, that at least 2 points are not awarded
for almost making the century mark. Joe Jock has a point that resounds
through the Assembly and the next season, you usually see some form
of incremental system adopted.
Which brings us to the next level in Performance scoring, to give
points in smaller steps, like 1 point for every 10 or 20 yards gained.
This system may or may not have saved Joe Jock's game because his
opponent would also rack up some points. If all things being equal,
Joe Jock's running back is given 9 points (1 per 10 yards) and his
opponents runner gained 121 yards (thereby getting the "3"
in our previous example), Joe still loses by 5 points this time.
The truth of this is rarely seen when an owner is on the cusp of
a "3" and they lose a tight game.
The "ultimate" version is Decimal Scoring with .1 points
given for every yard. One big selling point on Decimal Scoring is
that it virtually insures no tie scores. Every time your heroes
touch the ball impacts your final score. In this design you want
workhorses to populate the roster. It gives a very sharp push in
the design toward Total Effort.
Distance Bonus
Some systems add points for scores of longer range. This can be
applied (or not) to any individual positions. Think of this as our
first exotic flavor. Be creative and think of the whole design.
But anyone who adds distance bonuses to defensive team scores needs
to turn in his license. Ahahahah.
What a Distance Bonus does is add points for the more exciting plays.
It is usually a stepped scale that helps elevate receivers and quarterbacks
within a design. It can also transform kickers into big time scoring
machines if that is what you choose. A moderate suggestion at this
level is to add 1 point for every 15 yards of the scoring play like
this:
| D I S T A N C E B
O N U S |
| DISTANCE |
PASSES |
RUNS/REC |
KICKS |
| 1 to 14 yards |
4 |
6 |
3 |
| 15 to 29 yards |
5 |
7 |
3 |
| 30 to 44 yards |
6 |
8 |
4 |
| 45 to 59 yards |
7 |
9 |
5 |
| 60 to 74 yards |
8 |
10 |
6 |
| 75 plus yards |
9 |
11 |
7 |
|
Again, see how this balances out the "goal line specialist"
and focuses on what I like to call the Strike Receiver. With or
without production points, this scheme makes big plays count for
more points. If you give those special team players their proper
due, ones like Terrance Wilkins and Desmond Howard, they become
valuable roster filler to play against teams with weak kick defenses.
Other Scoring Considerations
Don't necessarily lock yourself into the 6 points for touchdowns
concept. If you plan of giving production points, then the relationship
of points for touchdowns and the points for 100 yards production
are the measuring sticks I use to judge the balance. If you allow
a production points scale where the points given for 100 yards exceeds
the points given to touchdowns, then you are a strong follower of
Total Effort. If you are giving 6 for touchdowns and 3 for 100+
yardage, you are stressing Individual Plays.
Why not set the baseline touchdown score at 10 to match production?
In this situation, quarterbacks would score between 5 to 10 points
per. To match my previous recommendation (6/4) would result in 10
points for all rush, receive and return touchdowns and then give
6.6 (decimal scoring?) or 7 points for passers. Let's just settle
with a 10/7 scale.
In many instances, design categories are mutually exclusive. That
is not true here. You can add elements to the scoring and balance
the touchdowns and production to make very interesting concepts.
Example 1: Give Decimal production points (10 points = 100
yards) with a basic 6/4 touchdown and add distance bonus. You have
effectively demoted the "goal line specialist" into a
role player and are focusing on the workhorses and strike player
who score from anywhere on the field. A certain cure for RB Rage.
Example 2: Give scale points (1 pt per 10 yards rush/receive
and 1 pt per 25 yards pass/return) with 10 points base for all scores
and add negative points for interceptions and fumbles. Here the
scorer is important. You are adding more balance by incorporating
return yards (elevating 3rd wide outs) and equal points passers
with penalties for turnovers.
So as we look at our future roster and scoring system, our heroes
march before us singing:
All we are - we owe to her.
All we are - we owe to her.
(Also sung by the Changing of the Guard at the Castle of the Wicked
Witch of the West)
And as this section draws to a close, the female I draw for your
attention is Lady Luck. A sweet charming fickle and at times vicious
mistress, be very conscious of Lady Luck within your design. Luck
should be allowed and complimented by design features that reward
the research and effort of your Assembly. There are so many ways
to tweak these variables it would become exhaustive to explore here.
Join me on the boards and we can discuss your thoughts on your specific
design.
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