LOL I was one of those who got up every 4hrs to win in div 2/3.....I miss my sleep so I don't do it any more. Don't change this, it's fine as is,

Mmmm, nope. I've been in D2 for about three or four seasons now, log on several times every day... and I'm still chasing my first gold medal.

Okay, yes, literally I am doing "fairly well" and have bronzes and silver to my name. But again, I'm super-active. Regardless of division, there is absolutely no way to be competitive in FMA without being very, very active and dedicated.

Cire I agree with pretty much all of what you said. That's why I'm against auto rehearse and pretty much all the other stuff. I just think 600 is a more logical cap as opposed to 400. I'm not doing badly (I think I do ok), and I doubt raising the cap 200 points would actually impact my scores. I just think it makes more sense.

I'd love autorehearse during drum corps season, but I think it goes against the game's premise. Now a 600 cap, I strongly approve of. Possibly only because I think I'd get a significant boost to my chancees from it, but I stand with my vote in favor of it.

I like the 600 cap. I only get on once a day, so it will ever so slightly impact my scores:)

If it's changed to 600, someone will just complain later that it should be 800. Then it will get to the point where there will be no cap at all.

How's this for a solution... leave things how it is now... but add a new group... at least for drum corps.. and make it similar to DCA.. where it will have a much higher cap and other "easier" ways to play.

I like that idea.

I agree with hostrauser. I've been in D2 and always wind up right outside the winners circle. but I've watched the people who are currently in the top in D2 jump up around 18 points in one season and I've only went up about 6. this game is really kicking my butt trying to figure out how to win

Imperial, if you are stuck in a certain score/placement.. try a different strategy to how you play

Yeah I am actually. I'm tired of Carolina crowning every season

My scores have varied a good 6-7 points the last 3 or 4 seasons. My marching band had a gold medal in D3, but now I am in division 2, and near the bottom 7 or 8 points lower than I got in season 10 with my win. I think your score is almost completely based on how much you get on. In season 10, I usually got on 2-3 times a day, but now I am only able to get on once, and only once in a blue moon twice. If I had cellular device with internet, I would score exponentially better. I can't wait for the day that happens :/

I'm interested to see how things change with the cap raised. If it doesn't do much then what will be the new solution. If it dies work then will we have people complain it still isn't enough? Is an open class a better approach? It's really hard to say.

This will make next season very exciting.

"If it doesn't do much then what will be the new solution"

Why does there need to be a new solution?

I don't think people realize that by making any changes to the scoring/point system to accommodate the "lower" groups.. you will only make the "higher" groups do even better.. so in the end you are only going to end up where you are right now.. and people wanting "new solutions"

I meant as in what will people be suggesting. If it doesn't do anything upping at 600, then people will continue to suggest more extreme ways to "fix" the system. I mean, I do pretty well generally, so I a don't have problem with the current system. But for people that haven't figured out how to do well -- or just don't spend enough time on it they will always feel like somethings wrong.

The sad thing is when someone really likes playing but they aren't at a computer enough to compete well. I'm sure that's the case sometimes. (I've had seasons where I've ended up in the 20's because I just couldn't make it to the computer). For those people, the 600 cap will be an immense help. Unfortunately for people that have an issue with not being able to get on for an extended length of time (a few days+) then I don't see any solution that will work for them. Honestly, you might as well just start running a campaign and do your best to get into semi-finals.

Sorry I used some phrasing that doesn't quite work like I wanted -- I was typing on my iPod and it was cooperating with me so I kinda gave up. (Hence why it says dies instead of does.) But I am really interested to see the results.

"I don't think people realize that by making any changes to the scoring/point system to accommodate the "lower" groups.. you will only make the "higher" groups do even better.."

That's bad logic, and false. Each an every ensemble, regardless of level, gets a maximum of 2400 energy points per day. Changing the cap from 400 to 600 doesn't give ANYONE "extra" energy, it just means the players who can only log on four times per day can now be as competitive as the players who can log on five or six times per day.

The effect will be that a few more "lower" groups will become "higher" groups. The higher groups won't change... except for maybe being able to relax a little bit and not have to work quite as frantically to remain a higher group.

My support for the cap change is purely based on the fact that I think I will win more with it.

Its only less than 20 mins until prelim results are up! My guard is looking to break 90 at this show!

My other groups... uh... lets go back to the guard.

The one problem I have with raising the cap is that it makes it take longer to go from the bottom to the top. With a bigger cap the competition becomes more about which groups have a better staff and it takes a long time to build that up. I think the big problem with this game is the fact that you have to play so much to be competitive and therefore it isn't so much about strategy. I think there should be another class, "DCA" or what have you, with a much different rehearsal format which makes the game more about strategy and less about playing constantly.

The game has, in a way, always been more about which groups have better staff and how quickly the player can achieve a competitive staff level. It's part of the game. That's obviously not the only important aspect of success in this game, but it does matter.

I wasn't particularly competitive until a few seasons ago. Spent the early season on a 60 energy money campaigns and then somewhere in the middle switched to 15, then during corps season back to 60, and now back to 15 except guard who have no campaigns running (and as you can tell by their rapid rise, the extra energy usually spent on campaigning helps a lot).