Dangerous Post Ahead: Read With Caution

:rolleyes: Ok...not really...but if it ruffles some feathers, it is NOT my intent...I am just wondering in cyberspace...

I know there has been a lot of talk about what will it take to move EF/MF to the next level. And by that I think most people mean wider audiences...getting back to the heyday of the game, if you will. At least that's how I am thinking of it.

Personally, I am OK with the game/hobby the way it is...but in line with that first thought...

To me, the ONE thing that would make that happen (get wider audiences) would be a way to make bases, or the movement control mechanism, more predictable and easier to reliably adjust.

Now, I know there are a lot of players and base tweakers out there that may have just said "WHAT?!" and started typing their replies before they finished reading this entire sentence.

But from the standpoint of the every day person who might be interested in playing...wouldn't it be more fun if the bases/players, right out of the box, moved like you wanted them to?

I mentioned this because my 7 year old and his friend were messing around the other night with my board and the first thing they do once the board is turned on is redirect the players that stray from where they think they will go. (they were using un-tweaked bases).

It occured to at that moment, that the bases might be the single biggest obstacle.

People still think of the game as the "vibrating football where the guys go in circles".

We know it's more than that...and some will sit down and listen long enough to appreciate the finer points of the game...but for a large number of people in our world today, that's too much work.

They think..."Look...chess players go where I put them, rod hockey players are controllable and video game players go exactly like I want them to. These little guys have minds of their own!"

Now, I have only ever purchased Miggle/Tudor bases...and a few of the new vibrating football bases, so I don't know who all makes bases and how much more reliable they are. So maybe that is something I need to look into. :o

BUT...it made me think that an interesting goal might be to collectively develop (amongst those folks that know best) the NEXT LEVEL base or control mechanism. Something that works under the same principles...used on a vibrating field surface, but offers a means of control that we have not seen before.

OK...anybody got any thoughts on this? (he asks in fear for his life... )

I am sure there are base makers and tweakers out there that have been tinkering in this arena for years. Feel free to share what you feel you can. (If you have something in process and don't want to divulge the secrets, I understand).

[5-13 Studios]

i understand what you are saying. the closest items available, in my opinion, that are good straight out of the package for going straight and being (somewhat) consistent are the miggle proline strongs, and buzzball's bases, any color.

[Electric Coach]

This hobby is what makes us special. We are special because we can play this game like no one else in the country or the world. That is why this hobby is unlike any other hobby. We make this game do what it is supposed to do.

As far fetched as it sounds, I can see this hobby on a professional level. I imagine a setting where coaches meet and play a full game on national TV with live spectators. The same way real life NFL teams meet on Sunday to play.

Everyday people can’t be professional athletes. A lot of people can’t play in the NFL, for the speed of the game is too fast and the intensity level is too high.

I feel the same about this hobby. Everyday people can’t play electric football.

Maurice

The Electric Coach

[HOOP]

Maurice,

i dont see this game on TV for the very reason you said its not for everyone to play. there wont be a big enough audience who will care to watch two coaches go at it if they are not playing themselves. the game action is far too fast for a non-hobbyist to follow and the game is not flowing enough for people to tune in. the board is turned on and stopped right away after 3-5seconds, then you have a minute or two of interupptions to progress the play (passing, pivoting, etc..) and all this AFTER the long set up time. we love it, but that aint good TV for the regular (even general espn) audience.

Now the idea of the guys going straight out the box is the key. i have always thought so myself. especially in this age where you gotta compete against Madden. it does take too much time to learn to tweak, much less find that &*^% tweak tool. its only for the person who is truly interested. i have quite a few friends who played the game, some even still have it. and if they knew they could rock with the figs and have straight line success, they would play a game here and there, which would could lead to something bigger.

But i wonder if we are considering the uninteded consequences of promoting the hobby to a larger audience. what are they, i cant think of them right now. but i too, like the way it is now. HOWEVER, dont get me wrong, i am fully supportive in promoting if thats what the masses want. i will be a good soldier and help. but if nots for everyone, then its not. and if just for us, then it is. to play with words that were mentioned once - i LOVE Star Trek. watch in the morning before work when i can. but by no means am i a Treky. i just dont have the interest to take it to that level. and i am sure there are many out there who LOVE(D) Electric Football, but they are good not playing it anymore. We just gotta reach out to people and draw in who wants to allow themselves to be drawn in.

but back to the original idea - As i have been trying to talk with Mozeek about, tweaking these bases is time consuming, frustrating and hard to master. sorta like putting on the green when you thought you were nice by getting there.



HAPPY FOOTBALL WEDNESDAY

[HOOP]

actually, i had a suggestion but got caught up with the other things.

in getting ready for the BAM 4.0 league, i have noticed that the weighted down bases run much better and smoother than the unweighted bases. i dont know it this is the general case or i just stumbled on a bunch of good base luck. but maybe someone (one of us, all of us collectively) should manufactur a heavier base all together. i know, sounds crazy.







or genius?

[rjackson]

in getting ready for the BAM 4.0 league, i have noticed that the weighted down bases run much better and smoother than the unweighted bases.

This hit it right on the head. Coming from the LAEFL to the DFWEFL I had those same feelings. When I started playing at the 4.0 weight and getting my team together I noticed that the men run a whole lot smoother and faster. I immediately called RR and told him that I was amzed how smooth the men run at 4.0. Double R said RJ this is what I do man I am a educated engineer and I have found these findings in the weight to be true. With that said my next goal is to take my 4.0 team down to L.A. and let them see how they perform on a 4.0 weight.

[Electric Coach]

Set up time and pivots can be a block to continuous action if you let it be. When I see set up time, I see an equivalent amount of time a real team takes to huddle, the team coming out of the huddle to line up, and the snap count.

In my world, there are no pivots. No pivots reduce the amount of time lost. Moreover, front of base tackling is the only way to tackle. Any base touch tackles happen too often during play. As a result, a huge chunk of time is wasted because the play is stopped prematurely.

I am only speaking from an imaginative stand point. Truthfully speaking, we don’t have enough of our own money to put up to get the right people in place to help market this idea.

In my earlier post at Miggle, I stated point blank that electric football would never make TV. I was pessimistic and flat out wrong because the hobby has managed to get the attention of the news channels. The Beltsville, MD. and the LAEFL Leagues were successful in doing it.

Maurice

The Electric Coach

[MplsTom]

In 15 years, our kids will be getting together with their friends and playing Madden Tournaments while their kids are playing Virtual 3-D Football 501 shaking their heads at their grown up parents.

This is our hobby. It was part of our youth...part of our fabric. It doesn't hold the special place for most of the youth that it does for us. For a few kids of competitors it is a great game and a great way to spend time with dad but for the rest it is a "what is that thing?"

The vendors have served this niche rather well. However, the attempts to mainstream it would take a lot of money and a strategic marketing effort. It would take official licenses, tv advertising and exposure, etc...all of that to compete against a product that can be played instantly at many levels where guys jump, move multiple directions, have realistic faces, and they can hang and bang with their friends. They don't have to prepare teams with the exception of changing a few values or names on screen. It fits our microwave culture.

Our hobby is just that...our hobby. Change can come a few at a time and we can argue over standards, weights, figures, bases, etc. But it really is just us arguing amongst ourselves. 150 members is awesome but it does not a groundswell make.

[Electric Coach]

I don’t see an arms race. I see an electric football explosion. I see coaches mixing and matching different equipment to build teams on. This combination of weights, speed and strength will open the game the way that it should be. As a result of this, radical things will take place on the game table.

As this hobby moves on, you will find many coaches changing their philosophies and core beliefs. As with all things, when there is no change, there is no growth. When there is no growth, destruction is soon to follow.

The old philosophy is what got this hobby in to trouble in the first place.

Maurice

The Electric Coach

[Michigan Joe]

I agree with the sentiments that it would be great to have bases that can be consistent right out of the box. I also feel that the Pro Line strong rookies followed by the buzzball speed bases (a far second) are the best we have for "out of the box" performance.

I also convinced that weighted bases are far and away more consistent in their running patterns than the bases at their current weight. I've done some experimentations in in every case and on every kind of board, a base weighted up to over 2g has a tighter dipersion pattern than the base right out of the package. Try it for yourself. Take a base then run the base (with a balanced little miggle tackle figure) and measure how far off line it runs. Redo the experiment with 1 gram of putty under the base. Try this experiement with a proline rookie or buzzball base. More weight in the base creates a more balanced figure+base because of the increased moment of inertia and its able to withstand more variation in board vibration. I think that the base you guys are talking about (that can run great right out of the bag) would have a heavier shell with soft prong material like the pro line strong rookies.

Weighted bases (2.0g+)= easier to tweak and often don't require tweaking
Traditional bases (0.7-1.2g)= more intracate tweaking required

Those are my eperiences.
Joe