I'm having some trouble getting a grasp on riders morale.
I've been running a team through the Giro and everyone started with pretty decent morale. As the race went on though three of my riders have been dropping and they are now totally depressed.
I'm not 100% sure why though. One is a protected who is set as a "free" rider, one is a young rider set as a "teammate" and one is a sprinter. The sprinter isn't a top guy (more of a leadout man normally) but the Giro was one of his favored races and I didn't have another sprinter I wanted to use up races on. I've won two stages and had a couple of other top 3 finishes and have always chosen "team" when talking to the media, but these three just fell off the earth.
What have I done wrong?
The only thing I can think of is that these three have finished behind the pelaton a large portion of the time... but I've had other riders who've done the same who haven't had huge morale hits. My sprinter has been very average in the early sprint finishes, and due to declining morale has done worse and worse as the race has worn on.
Any thoughts on why this happened? Any ideas on how to get their morale back up? I doubt I can win races with them as their morale is now.
I don't have any answers but I can relate. I am going through the same thing currently in the Giro. I have a guy who is 2nd in the GC but one teammate and one free guy's morale are dropping. Not sure what I did to make them unhappy, except that I am riding them like dogs every stage.
It's a really, really complicated system, and I don't think anyone knows exactly how it's built and what it affects. For the same reason I decided "not to play with it" during PCM06. Whenever my riders started being depressed I simply changed it with an editor. I didn't make my riders extremely happy (with the editor) - but just made them content, so they could ride as they are supposed to in races.
If you don't know how to edit the morale of the riders with an editor, I'm sure Addy291 is more than willing to write a guide for you
CrueTrue wrote:
If you don't know how to edit the morale of the riders with an editor, I'm sure Addy291 is more than willing to write a guide for you
i am
i will write one for PCM06 and PCM07, as someone just asked me (literally 5mins ago) about changing moral in 06, so i can just use Jape's Savegame editor for that
and i shall write one using Hannes Convertor 2.0 for the 07 game
on this note, does anyone know if Jape is planning on making a 2007 savegame editor, they were very usefull?
Why is it there are so many "experts" here, but no one can answer this, is it really because you from day 1 choose the best solution and use a editor ? ...
I have a few ideas about the morale system, because i wasnt have any probs with my csc team after 2. season, first season was a problem, but i tried diffrent part to see what, and what there wasnt making the morale better.
1. Win Races
2. Use Riders as much you can in those races there are there favourit races, and i really mean all there favorite races, even it isnt a race, you would participate in normal if you use a Pro Tour Team.
3. Media Talk, here its good to talk to Team after a win in a race, f.example, if you have won a jersey of anykind, it affect more than i thought it would.
4. If a rider are getting dropped, as topic starter mention, try to do something else, you attack with one of the riders there are dropping constantly, if he die fast, and get caught straight away because the peleton wont let you go permantly, then sent the next rider on, even its a stage, you maybe could use your jersey hunter, f.eks example mountain or something, but i have a idea about, the AI are regestrate that you at least try to get the rider a chance to do something for the team, even its just a 200 km breakaway there are getting caught 6 km from goal.
5. if the rider have become unhappy, after lets say 6-7 stages in a GT, you probaly set his role wrong, in that i mean, he is a Luxury Team Mate in Contract, but put him as free, or you use him wrong in races. You use him more as a Team Mate to protect others, that a Luxury teammate, that is a rider almost like a protected rider should be proctected, og should be free, and its most common to use him as free, it means he should only help to pull peleton, if its needed, or use to protect others if the "normal" teammates are dead .. or else they shouldnt be use for other purpose than example to go on jersey hunt, or just get those points there are so another team dont get them first.
6. - The Depressed morale is appear what i have notice if you push a rider to much , that means you use him to much, and he there for have to little break from races, sometimes, a week or 2 would be good to totally stop using him, and also put his training manual to 30-50 % the set it up to 80 again, after 10-12 days and 4-5 days before his next race you are wanti him in.
7. - If a rider get depressed, og very unhappy lets say in april / may, because he have been riding classics, and warm up races to classics, you need to put him on rest, and the best way is to put him on 10 days Leisure, and if its a rider there have to be max fit in july in the tour de france, i would be a good idea to put him on 2 x 10 days in may, and then use some races like tour de swiss to get him back in good shape, i usually use Skoda-Luxembourg race for riders with really no fitness, because its usually only ct teams and could give you a mountain shirt, and win the mountain jersey, it would help him to hold his morale up in very good or Over the moon after his leisure. and there for he have good chances to get max fit in tour de france, if that is his goal. I use Tour De Swiss and Euskital stage tours for climber specilalist, and Time Trial Specielist, maybe its also there for Cancelleras "Captain Program" Was Tour de swiss, the first 2 seasons, because he wanted to have no races or only 2-3 races in may, and only tour de swiss in june, so it is maybe thats why you never see a captain unhappy, if you follow his programme 100 Procents as he ask.
As a last thing i have also somethings i do just after last race in october, that is because of those many small races, in september october, some riders are getting over 100 race days, and there for they automatic would get depressed because there havent been much break, since start of season, but i do this after the season ends.
I put all riders on 6 x 10 days of leasure, until January, then all riders are over the moon probaly, but no fitness, or else they are at least happy, then in January , i book from 1. Janury, when its possible to book from 28 december , i book 10 days pre-season, and they get from training 2 and so on .. when its time for Tour Down under, the riders you want to participate here are more than fit, and you would iin most cases be much better shape than the other teams Sprinters mainly. And this would give victories, and this would hold the morale up from start, and this give you a headstart, in the races to come in februar and may, because do you have over the moon morale, you could push a little extra out of a rider, even he only are on 70 in fitness.
This is just what i have made of observation , how the morale system works - I have a few other things, but i would take a type break, and see what the respons is to this, if you understand it, my english isnt that good.Edited by Svend Rugaard on 28-09-2007 19:06
You understand what i had wrote, i have a few more things i have notice with morale i will write in when i am sure people at least understand what i am saying, so it isnt to complicated to read, especially because my english isnt that good.
Svend Rugaard wrote:
Why is it there are so many "experts" here, but no one can answer this, is it really because you from day 1 choose the best solution and use a editor ? ...
to be honest i find that slightly offensive, i personally haven't ever used an editor to change moral, i have just fixed it in-game by winning, performing well etc.
i only know how to change it because it was requested for me to do, and i found it straight forward to explain
i know you weren't talking directly at me and probably didn't mean it to be offensive at all (well i hope not) but that is what i thought
and yes your overview was very good and your English is fine
apart from the fact that even though, in my Barloworld career Cardenas complained 3 stages in a row at being a "free" his moral actually went up to "over the moon"
Svend Rugaard wrote:
Why is it there are so many "experts" here, but no one can answer this, is it really because you from day 1 choose the best solution and use a editor ? ...
to be honest i find that slightly offensive, i personally haven't ever used an editor to change moral, i have just fixed it in-game by winning, performing well etc.
i only know how to change it because it was requested for me to do, and i found it straight forward to explain
i know you weren't talking directly at me and probably didn't mean it to be offensive at all (well i hope not) but that is what i thought
and yes your overview was very good and your English is fine
apart from the fact that even though, in my Barloworld career Cardenas complained 3 stages in a row at being a "free" his moral actually went up to "over the moon"
so the Cya-system is screwed up
I wasnt to be offensive on purpose, but funny you say it, i play barloworld now, and if you notice these message, only come if you simulate .. not if you play 3D .. But what role did you give him as a free rider, did you ask him to take risk, Break away, normal and did you u use, any "TeamMates" for him to protect him or role in the escapes , via the option ? .. Because he say this 2times for me in the only race i have simulated, it was in the Mallorca Challange, but i ask him to take risks also even he was a free rider, that was given him a top 5 placing, and he got the mountain points, and because he have done something positve like to have a chance to get the mountain jersey , i think this is a factor there give him over the moon, but even a rider complaint, is sometimes also given a opposite effect, on a rider, i was example notice, botero after he complaint about status change because of simulate race, that when i drove with him the day after in the Amstel Gold Race that i got wild card to .. he was suddenly unstoppeable, and still got 2 bottles left in the last 30 kms, and full blue, and the peleton had roll in a break away on 11 minutes, when it was highest, so just before the last hilly section where i start the attack and he flew over and rebellin, schleck bettini and boogard. couldnt follow him , even i only was take relay 80 procent, botero still manage to get more time, but because of heavy winds (57 the last 16 kms, i lose the green faster , and was caught the last 2 kms, only because i hadnt time my attack good enough.
And his form before was only 67 Procent, because he was only driving to get in shape for the Giro i also have a wildcard to.
Addy291 wrote:
yes i did simulate, i set him as free rider, for 1 stage breakaway, for the next, take risks and the other take risks.
he complained even though he came 5th
a bit weird, but normally i don't simulate, i was just really bored with that race
The only thing he complain about is his status, and because he got in top 10 did it less important for his moral ..and if i was a rider , and usually was captain, but now was degraded to free rider, and now could do almost what i wanted and less tactic base riding, but more spontan riding, and therefor get a 5 place, that still isnt victory, but "classement" placing, that many riders see as a objective goal IRL in tour races, that must also be the right solution to this "problem" ..
That's exactly what I was looking for. I'm guessing my main problem was #5 and maybe #6 on your list.
None of these were guys I was counting on past the Giro for much. I'll try a nice long leisure camp and slowly train them back up to see if I can get some use from them at the end of the season. Most of them are at 60 race days anyway, so if they can be solid teammates in the later races that would work okay.
The only other thing is my sprinter isn't under a sprinter contract... is setting a luxury teammate or protected rider to the sprinter position a negative affect? I'd assumed (expecially if his stats warranted it) it would be positive.
I was in my CSC game sometimes, use Cancellera as the sprinter and Matti Breschel , even its not there specilisation and even they not are sprinter as it is .. but it was the best riders for those races .. and no effect was on tthere morale.
Yeah but anyway even if its crap .. thre is still way to get it cleared, i just believe because of nobody have put any effort to test it in maximum deep, there isnt any other answers ... and still , i think maybe riders have a kind of personality in any way, but dont know where it should be then.
