Also, another important note, there is 50/50 chance a Donation to improve a cyclist's stat won't have any effect if you are going over his set stat limit.
I see what you did here. It's original and refreshing. First come, first serve has always been food for discussion but is a classic.
Unfortunately, it's the first bump in the road for me with this. This is just purely personal, of course, as I believe it's a good idea and you're doing great with this - a real fresh and original approach to story-writing / gaming.
But I'm not a fan of this idea of development etc.
Ian Butler wrote:
I see what you did here. It's original and refreshing. First come, first serve has always been food for discussion but is a classic.
Unfortunately, it's the first bump in the road for me with this. This is just purely personal, of course, as I believe it's a good idea and you're doing great with this - a real fresh and original approach to story-writing / gaming.
But I'm not a fan of this idea of development etc.
Understandable, however to defend myself, I think this variation of doing development like this is a fast and effective way to involve the community.
Yes, it is first come, first serve but (a) this will happen every month January through October, (b) there are 10 options available with only three being stat increases and (c) the cyclists progress on their own like they normally do in PCM.
So, that's my reasoning behind it (if anybody cared to know).
Oh yeah this wasn't an attack or anything, you don't have to defend yourself. In fact, I think it's a great idea.
But for me it's just not a way I like to play a community game. But that's just totally on me. And the reason why I'm so "bothered" by it is because this has been a great and fresh experience so far, otherwise I wouldn't care at all
EDIT: But you say cyclists progress on their own, too? So this is just bonus? If so, I'm more keen to the idea.
Ian Butler wrote:
EDIT: But you say cyclists progress on their own, too? So this is just bonus? If so, I'm more keen to the idea.
Correct, this is only a bonus. In theory it's an extra 30 stat increases (3 per month times 10 months in season). But, like I brought up before, if you Donate to increase a stat and it goes over their hidden stat limit then there is a 50/50 chance if that stat will increase.
So, there is a chance the community could really screw this up badly, especially as the cyclist get older and get closer to their stat limits.
From being stranded on the island to becoming the talk of the town, it's been a whirlwind these last few weeks. Thank you for all the support, it truly means a lot. This doesn't happen without you guys.
But, we can't sit back on our accomplishments. There is still a lot of work ahead.
However, I do feel like I wouldn't be doing my job without an end of month review to recap everything and give my thoughts on what was happened over the last month, how the team is doing and what we can look forward to.
Building the Team
Island hoping was crazy, exciting and stressful. I visited 15 tropical countries and came to an agreement with 22 cyclists. To be accepted into the CT for next season we could only employ 18 cyclists, so four cyclists had to be released.
As you can imagine there were a few bridges burned, but we weathered the storm and now have 18 cyclists who I think can surprise quite a lot of people if we do get accepted to join the CT ranks in 2017.
Getting Settled
Then came the struggle of securing the equipment. Negotiations were tough for being a new team, but eventually we got all the gear at no costs to us.
Well, except for the jerseys. But, I think that purchase was well spent. The cyclists feel empowered by have professional jersey to pull on and go to war in.
Standing Ovation
Finally it was time to show off who we are. It was a festival type of atmosphere at the Grand Opening Event and the support was overwhelming.
Having a local legend like Usain Bolt in attendance goes to show we excelled in taking this idea to a concept to an interesting cycling project.
Spoiler
Item
Revenue
Expenses
Balance
Initial Investment
$10,000
$10,000
Founding Members Donations
$1,700
$11,700
Scouting
$850
$10,850
Cyclist Wages
$1,200
$9,650
Team HQ
$900
$8,750
Training Facility
$1,500
$7,250
Local Sponsors
$180
$7,430
Jersey
$3,000
$4,430
Local Radio
$300
$4,130
Team Doctor
$750
$3,380
Photographer
$150
$3,230
Jersey Savings
$1,200
$4,430
Team Hat Sales
$210
$4,640
Local Sponsors
$300
$4,940
Cycling License
$1,250
$3,690
Grand Opening Event
$750
$2,940
Team Writer
$300
$2,640
Jersey/T-Shirts Sales
$800
$3,440
New Members
$500
$3,940
After laying down the foundation, the best way to keep our success going is by carefully monitoring the training and development of our young squad.
Worryingly, I'm already starting to see a few red flags.
Oneil Samuels is already declining pretty rapidly and my initial scouting evaluation of Agwe Ash's resistance was way off.
However, there have been minimal improvements across the board.
J.J. Pike celebrates winning the Grand Opening Event. | Sarah Dominguez
Oneil Samuels | First Monthly Award
The willy veteran gets the award for his expertise. I don't know where this team would be at right now without his help. From showing the young guns around the island to talking strategy, he was been crucial in helping me out behind the scenes.
Waghlon for being our first founding member and helping us organize a route for our Grand Opening Event. Pick your prize, PM with your decision. Congrats!
Signed Autograph from a Cyclist
Raise the cyclist's reputation.
Skype Call from a Cyclist
Personal Q&A session with a cyclist.
Social Media Follow from the Team
Raises the team's popularity meter.
Lots of training, applying for CT wildcards, maybe more sponsors, the list goes on. It won't be as action packed as our first half month was, but a lot of important early decision are left to be made that will undeniable shape our future.
Edited by Mresuperstar on 31-05-2016 13:19
Nice Monthly Recap!!! I like that the rider I donated to help find is up there with a good hill stat!! Really keen to see him get out there and just shred the field!!
Coming to the Grand Opening Event wasn't enough, he wanted to meet the team one-on-one and had some news to share. So, Usain Bolt stopped by the training facility today and effectively halted our training session.
Bolt shook hands with everyone and told us he appreciated what we were doing for the community. He hadn't seen anything like this since he started to win races.
We let him mess around for a little bit and try-out the equipment. He wasn't half bad and I hate to say it, but probably better than some of the guys we have.
But, Bolt didn't just come to say hi and have some fun before heading out to the Olympics in Rio. He presented the team with a check of $5,000!
"Keep up the good work," Bolt said. "Make Jamaica proud and make your home nations proud. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity."
That wasn't all. He made some phone calls on our behalf and got us another sponsorship. He convinced his top sponsor to invest and supply equipment.
Puma Shoes | $500 per Month
Bio: Puma designs and manufactures athletic and casual footwear and clothing, headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria. Puma is the sponsor of the Jamaican track athlete Usain Bolt. (via Wikipedia)
I don't know what to say. This is incredible. I can't thank Bolt enough for his generosity. Hopefully we can continue to make him proud. Good luck in Rio!
Please show the team this video every time they're down. How far one can go with hard work and determination. They'll appreciate it even more now that they've met him
Following Usain Bolt's visit the team has been doing its best in training to push themselves, but it's hard to keep everyone motivated without any races on the schedule and we aren't paying anyone, well except for Oneil Samuels.
So, it's time for the community to make their monthly impact again here in June.
For reference, the current squad:
All cyclists are fair game, EXCEPT for J.J. Pike. He missed a few training sessions this week due to "lack of transportation." It's a BS excuse for his laziness, we know and it's something we are working on fixing.
For everyone else, the usual options. First come, first serve. Members only.
Results will be included in the end of month review, which is a little ways away but the community training and internal scouting happens randomly each month.
Oneil Samuels is already declining pretty rapidly and my initial scouting evaluation of 
Agwe Ash's resistance was way off.
Puma Shoes | $500 per Month
J.J. Pike. He missed a few training sessions this week due to "lack of transportation." It's a BS excuse for his laziness, we know and it's something we are working on fixing.
