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Leoben · 11-20-2019, 06:06 PM

Ready for Grading

Hysteria spread across the SHL in the late hours of Tuesday, November 19th, 2019. Most off-seasons have their share of drama but it usually involves an unpopular member being ostracized by the hive mind or some boomer making borderline (at worst) sexist remarks. Nothing, however, prepared the league for the events of that fateful evening. The actions of a handful of players sent ripples across the continent that will be felt for seasons to come.

It was announced by head office that the 51st season would be delayed due to the discovery of a loophole or exploit in the system that could be used to for an advantage over opposing teams. If players ignored passing altogether and put more in scoring, they would become virtually unstoppable. One team acted on this exploit but nothing stays a secret for long. Eventually Head Office caught wind of it and decided to delay the season.

Blame was pointed at Hamilton but they just happened to be the first across the finish line. Hamilton has done a handful of things in the past to get an edge on the competition and even helped a Junior team to do the same, allegedly, but no one is a saint in this league. I bet money that at least a few other GMs or teams would have used this to their advantage had they thought of it first. Not all mind you, but definitely a few. Some would wager that this might have been swept under the rug if certain teams were involved. In contrast, some teams would probably be stripped of draft picks had they done it. But it should be known that no rule was actually broken. No rule exists to break. Hamilton just got there first and while frustration toward them is warranted, no one should be acting like they created original sin. Their response was laughable but probably deliberate. “Get good” isn’t the strongest response when utilizing an exploit to beat other teams.

So the league has fallen into its own version of a lockout, so to speak. Until this gets resolved, if it ever does, everything is in a state of limbo.

Solutions have been proposed and considered and it seems like the league will be moving to a new engine. However, all signals point to the same exploit and a new engine presents its own issues.

More emphasis might be placed on what line a player is on. That line might determine their success rather than their own skillset. That is problematic and it is easy to see favors being done in a league that is very much quid pro quo.

There is talk that the passing problem is still present in the new engine which makes the whole switch redundant. The only way to combat that would be to set a minimum on passing or make it so passing and scoring can only be so far apart. Apparently the player gets confused in the current system if passing and scoring are too close which leads to less productivity. But if they are too far apart, we get the mess we currently have. So if another limit is placed on player builds, it would further castrate the creativity of users and force players into even fewer cookie-cutter builds. Enforcers are already virtually useless, strength is laughed at, injuries are turned off, penalty shot is all but ignored at lower levels, and now passing will be manipulated. Basically, everyone is going to be a super-stud skater who has the best scoring, puck handling, and defense abilities in history. Sounds exciting.

Another concern is how will the decision be made to redistribute TPE? Of course Hamilton will probably get a free re-re-distribution if they are not allowed to keep their current build. But how will the rest of the player-base be treated since they built their players for one thing and now they are moving on to something else? Will there be a new update scale? Will there be a full reset? Will we even continue to use STHS in the future if it is this outdated? I have played with twenty year old wrestling simulators with fewer hiccups.

While it is a little dramatic to say the future is in doubt, it is very much uncertain. New records will have to have * next to them. New players will have to take all this information into account in what is already a fairly overwhelming experience for brand new players.

What do brand new players to the site think of all this? Having just been drafted to their respective teams, who knows when they will actually get to play? Hopefully some of them stick around or the next SHL draft will be a wash.

Being angry at Hamilton is easy, and for some people it’s easy without this exploit being known. But this could have been anyone. I think the outrage toward them is the fact that they were so blatant about it and didn’t even try to hide it. But I guess one has to ask why should they?

While people more important and more experienced than us will be left to sort all this nonsense out, the rest of us will just have to hang out in limbo. After fifty seasons, the game finally broke. Season 50 was supposed to be a big anniversary and a big spectacle but it came and went with a whimper. Much like the year 2000, it was the year that followed that changed everything. Just like Season 51 will be the one where everything changes. And no, I’m not saying Hallsy is the Bin Laden of the SHL.

In a few seasons this will be forgotten. All but a blip on the radar and the changes coming today will be the status quo of tomorrow. But docudramas are all the rage these days so let me cast a movie before bid my farewell.

Passgate - An SHL Story

Directed by Michael Mann

[Image: MV5BMjFhNTM3NDItMDllNC00YzAyLThmY2QtYmVi...17_AL_.jpg]

Shia LaBeouf as Eggy - The rugged commissioner who has to make the hard decisions

[Image: MV5BMTk0NTE2MDkzNF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwODUz...17_AL_.jpg]

Vincent D'Onofrio as Hallsy - The man who used the exploit to his advantage and forced his team to do the same.

[Image: MV5BYTFiMWNlNmItMDRiYy00NzA4LWE5YjItZmVi...17_AL_.jpg]

[Image: MV5BYTFiMWNlNmItMDRiYy00NzA4LWE5YjItZmVi...17_AL_.jpg]

Jack Black as Waters - Hallsy's second in command. The mouthpiece to Hallsy's muscle.

[Image: MV5BMjI3NzgxNjYzOF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNTIx...17_AL_.jpg]

Frances McDOrmand as Evok - The whistleblower, first person to publicly out Hallsy

[Image: MV5BMTc2NTM3MzE5NF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMjg4...17_AL_.jpg]

Sam Rockwell as WannabeFinn - Mainly a narrator who spouts wisdom and one-liners but is really just glad people aren't shitting on Buffalo for a few minutes

[Image: MV5BMTUzNDkwMzE4M15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwMzcy...17_AL_.jpg]

[Image: MV5BMTUzNDkwMzE4M15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwMzcy...17_AL_.jpg]

Howie Long as SecondSucks22 - One of Hallsy's field agents.

[Image: MV5BMTQ2NjM5NjE5NF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTYwNTk3...17_AL_.jpg]

Gary Busey as Samee - Initially suspected of exploit

[Image: MV5BMjE0MDkzMDQwOF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwOTE1...17_AL_.jpg]

Benedict Cumberbath as Simon T - The designer of the simulation

[Image: MV5BMjAxNjc0MjIyM15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNTM2...17_AL_.jpg]

Jet Li as Unknown - Whoever keeps attacking the site

***bluesfan55*** · 11-20-2019, 06:12 PM

to clarify, anchorage tested it out to see how bad it would ruin the sim, and it fucking ruined the hell out of it lmao

ty to @High Stick King @EvilAllBran and @Ragnar for the sigs

KlusteR · 11-20-2019, 06:14 PM

Not the post we needed, but the post we deserve.

Give this man a bonus.

***DrunkenTeddy*** · 11-20-2019, 06:23 PM

Well written, Hamilton didn't hide anything because no one felt like we were doing anything wrong. We just went after a strategic advantage that was too good and has now been deemed an "exploit".

|

***Gwdjohnson*** · 11-20-2019, 06:24 PM

Great post, you always make awesome media.

nour · 11-20-2019, 06:24 PM

no one cast to play me? yet another example of iraqis being underrepresented in media and forced into roles that are stereotypical and offensive in nature, thanks a lot Marc

**First GM in SMJHL history to win 3 Four Star Cups back-to-back-to-back**

Waters · 11-20-2019, 06:26 PM

Do I get to whack cumberbatch on the head

SecondSucks22 · 11-20-2019, 06:27 PM

YOU might not be saying Hallsy is Bin Laden, but i sure as hell am!

Waters · 11-20-2019, 06:30 PM

11-20-2019, 06:24 PMnour Wrote: no one cast to play me? yet another example of iraqis being underrepresented in media and forced into roles that are stereotypical and offensive in nature, thanks a lot Marc

Yeah I’m sick of getting played by guys like Jack Black when really I look a lot more like a thinner Jon Favreau

Tomasnz · 11-20-2019, 06:39 PM

This is amazing. Well done.

mxman991 · 11-20-2019, 07:44 PM

11-20-2019, 06:12 PMShow us the stats!bluesfan55 Wrote: to clarify, anchorage tested it out to see how bad it would ruin the sim, and it fucking ruined the hell out of it lmao

TnlAstatine · 11-20-2019, 08:03 PM

wtf who plays me

SecondSucks22 · 11-20-2019, 08:32 PM

11-20-2019, 08:03 PMTnlAstatine Wrote: wtf who plays me

A VERY poorly trained monkey

***WannabeFinn*** · 11-20-2019, 09:12 PM

11-20-2019, 06:24 PMnour Wrote: no one cast to play me? yet another example of iraqis being underrepresented in media and forced into roles that are stereotypical and offensive in nature, thanks a lot Marc

not to mention the white washing of Samee, as played by Gary Busey

***notorioustig*** · 11-20-2019, 09:13 PM

11-20-2019, 06:06 PMMarc Bradford Wrote: even helped a Junior team to the same, allegedly,

@"ThatDamnMcJesus" you fucking snake, who was it?

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