1 Year Since the Big Move

One year has passed since the big move to smokey. Hundreds of managers from more than 20 servers move to the one and only Smokey. Since then the level of competition of the game has been growing a lot, and at the moment you can see Conferences where there are 16 teams setting up every day.Still a lot of people disappointed and managers leaving season after season. Many are still waiting for SL08, promised 2 years ago, but that version never came.In my opinion, I like this version a lot, and I don't believe that we really need a new one. It would be much more important changes in the managers table, and the match engine. Give more chances of winning to teams that spend less credits in players to make them interested in playing the game. I can see many leaving because they are disappointed, and they don´t know why they loose. If the match engine doesn´t give them a chance, why are they playing?

A few days ago, Davo created a thread on the foruns about how was the state of the things after one year has passed. Its interesting to know how some managers feel, and i´m going to pass some opinions to this post.

1 - Davo@Smokey
It's now the 1st anniversary of many people's arrival to smokey. How do you feel about the switch now?
Some of us thought it would be good, some thought it would be bad, some didn't know.
I personally am really disappointed with the lack of action on SL08, the hopeless match engine, the transfer market debacle and the time it took to fill squads, and many many other aspects of the game. I reckon I bought about
Most of the managers that I played against on other servers either did not join, or have since left.
I personally have bought 59 player, with a combined cost of 153,900 credits in this 12 month period - rather than the 20 players at 10,000 - 50,000 that I would have bought on other servers. With training and cup entries, this makes it about a 200 quid a year game for me to play if I continue at the current cost of credits.
Quite frankly it is not even worth 10% of that to me. 200 quid almost buys a PS3 these days, the internet is full of online games, and this one is very very dated.
Anyway, I've still got quite a few credits, so I'll be here in another 12 months, but the clock is ticking.

2 - nzyowie@smokey
I think that unless the much-promised and touted new version of the game is released real soon, the big move to Smokey will prove to be the beginning of the end for Sunday League.
We were all wrenched from servers where we were quite comfortably ensonced and where we had carved out our own little niches in the SL world. And for what? Supposedly, to have us all in one place for the launch of the new version. Which never happened. And frankly, with each day that passes, it's looking less and less likely as though it's ever going to happen. In the meantime, we could have spent all of 2009 on our old servers. Hindsight has shown that they were shut down far too soon.
Many managers have already quit in disgust, and the exodus will surely continue as people get sick and tired of waiting for the new version that never comes, and fed up with the assorted problems in the current version.
I myself have just about run out of credits (only 9,800 left now), patience and desire to play the game. About the only thing that's keeping me here now is that I've got some pretty decent rookies who might just train up to be a pretty formidable side. But once they've done their dash and my credits are well and truly down the drain (barring my winning a major), that'll be it for me, I think. I've played the game for four years, won a lot of majors and had a fair amount of fun, but it's not that much fun for me any more. I gave up the other CAT Games because the match engines sucked, the management sucked worse (especially in Cricket Manager) and I reached a point where they were no longer enjoyable, but where logging in and setting up had turned into dreary chores. Now I'm reaching the same point with Sunday League, even though I have felt in the past that it was a step above the other sims run by CAT Games. At least this game has given me a reasonable return on my investment though, which the others never did.
So in conclusion, I think the move was carried out far too soon, was not very well managed (but that's CG for you) and is fundamentally one great big almighty FAIL.

3 - alek2@smokey
although it's nice having all the teams on the server, making it really competitive, I can't afford to buy another team at the current rate and I'm questioning whether it's worth it. Considering it's a browser based game they are charging a huge amount of money, I wouldn't mind if CG managed the whole thing really well and sorted out the problems quickly and efficiently but that doesn't seem to be the case, at all.

4 - decabox@smokey
I Completely endorse and empaphise with all that express their concerns.
CAT Games should start to show more care for their paying customers and keep us atleast informed on develpments on a weekly basis. I think we all deserve that.
And if there isn't going to be a new version, the version we have all been waiting for for a few years now, or if it is proving to be too much of a challenge in incorporating all the requested changes, then abandon it and have minor upgrades and changes to the existing version. At lease that would keep us all happy.
Deca!

5 - unz7@smokey
And even the prizes are worse than what they used to be!!!! Surely putting everyone into one big server would mean better prizes as they dont have as many prizes to give out now????
If the new version or update is not around the corner at least give the guys on here something decent to play for to keep them going for now?? Like someone stated aboev it isnt a cheap game to run a good side on here and the best you can hope in return is a T Shirt and a few imaginary cups in your history!!!! I remember there used to be some cracking prizes before

6 - munkeespuzz@smokey
To be honest, i think the move to Smokey was inevitable with the lack of numbers populating most servers at the time. I had teams on most servers, and some only had a handful of users who were active at the time of the merge to Smokey. I've been kind of part-time with SL since the switch, but have seen the match engine performing so randomly that it seems CG are just running this game on autopilot until everyone leaves. It's a big shame, this community was a real highlight on the internet in it's day. I'll miss SL when they do finally close the doors.

7 - moneymaker90@smokey
I don't think they can afford it. The main reason why everybody was moved to Smokey was that the cost of maintenance in multiple servers was too expensive, which is not a good indicator of CG's financial health.
Nowadays I'm just happy that they still give more credits for winning the bigger competitions (even though i don't win them )

8 - manuck@smokey
the move to smokey, as has been mentioned, was mainly cause CG couldn't maintain all those servers due to costs and with the recession etc it was largely a business move.
but there's less banter and stuff on this server, even though there should be a lot more, the 'community spirit' isn't as good either tbh, even though again it should possibly be better. it's that 'three's a crowd' and 'too many chefs...' thing going on. you can't get to know everyone, but on the smaller servers you could be a bit more friendly and get some banter going.
don't really want some random guy off another server joining in the conversation - that's why imo a lot of conversations just stopped.
also cost of quality players has gone up, back in the day it used to start at 300creds for a player, there were loads of managers around, and it was worth spending 4-6000 or whatever on players.
then we all got used to paying 1500-2000 for top players, hardly anyone used to stick 10000 on during the SL05 version.
i wouldn't be surprised if most people left if the new version wasn't bought out by the end of the year. i've heard it should definitely come out this year.
i'd like for the new version to be out this year as well. i've got enough creds to last me probably 2/3 years i reckon lol, and i'd probably still play if the new version didn't come out. but only until creds ran out, can't see the point after that, better to look for other games.
i reckon the new version will come out soon, i know it's unlikely to find another game on the net that will be as simple and fun as this concept, they tend to be more complicated the newer sims. but if SL isn't worth it or it disappears then there's more time to get into another game.
i hope they bring out the new one this year, and i think they will.

As you can see, many worries between the managers. This thread can be followed here if you are logged on Sunday League.

The blog is back on business. I still can´t do much effort posting things, but at least i will try to follow the most important things in the server.
This time i will have the help of Dave, aka Crazyfingers and manager of the team Madbastid United. Every help will be apreciated, so if you are interested send a pm via the game. My user is rockline.

See you all soon