Phalanx Damage Inc. :
If anybody thinks that playing rugby "in the spirit of the game" means never using a creative interpretation of the rules, a clever way of getting around the rules or even flat out breaking the rules, he has either never actually played a game of proper rugby in his life, or if he did, watched from the sidelines and always came off the field with squeaky clean kit and hair still neatly combed.
Hands up any rugby player who has ever been punched, threw a punch or saw a punch been thrown in the ruck or scrum when the ref wasn't looking. Head butts. Ears being pulled. Eyes being gouged. Or, as Adriaan Strauss so tragically experienced against Argentina, your balls being fondled.
Everybody knows hands aren't allowed over the ball once the ruck has formed, but every attempt is still made by the defending team to slow down the attacking ball in the ruck and they get away with it most times.
What I'm saying is, even if you can't differentiate between real life rugby and a computer game (which seems to be the case with a few), claiming that proper rugby players never bend rules or make use of any tactic they can to get the advantage and that this is "the spirit of the game" is naive.
Rather, as rugby players will know I'm sure, in the spirit of the game players will smash each other for 80 minutes plus injury time, using every tactic under the sun to win, and then laugh about it over a beer afterwards, once the stitches are done and sorted.
Since you claim to play the Rugby Manager game as close as you can to the real thing - "in the spirit of the game", as you say - then I've no doubt that you only play championship and tournament matches once per week. I'm sure you also book friendlies in advance and never surprise anyone with a match unawares. I'm sure that even if you do venture to play in guild challenges (which I'm sure you dont, since such silly things don't happen in real rugby), you only challenge teams that are in the same league / level as you are. I'm sure that if you use substitutes, you always sub mostly your forwards and generally in the 50 - 60 minute window - never earlier unless there's an injury. Oh and if you do happen to suffer injury, I'm sure you also wait out the full recovery period, since after all, no player in real life ever gets injured and told he's out for 6 weeks, only to receive some miracle healing pack and be back on the field the same day.
So look, this, for starters, is a computer game. Play the game however you want. We all have our pet peeves with the game and there are things we wish could be taken out or brought in. We all just have to accept that MB and the Sports Shop are part of the game and we have to decide how we are going to play the game with those things being part of the mix - just like forwards know they're going to get a few cheeky bumps in the rucks. You just have to put your big boy pants on and deal with it.
Nobody likes the match fixing thing either, but its something that people are clearly able to do without being penalised by the game, so players are going to exploit that. Again, no point arguing it's against the spirit of the game and all that. It's part of the "sport" on rugby manager, like it or not. It's up to you to decide if you're going to use your wits and make a way to win around that, or come and throw your rattles out of the cot on the forum. In the spirit of the game, of course.
I will not really come back to the gaming part. You have your view I have mine. I respect yours, respect mine.
On your Rugby comment: “Hands up any rugby player who has ever been punched, threw a punch or saw a punch been thrown in the ruck or scrum when the ref wasn't looking. Head butts. Ears being pulled. Eyes being gouged. Or, as Adriaan Strauss so tragically experienced against Argentina, your balls being fondled.”
I agree... it happens. And the players who punched somebody for nothing or were looking for a fight were always the DUMBEST person(s) in a team.. always.
So, if you want to identify yourself or Rugby to them, that would be your choice. But I wouldn t qualify any of your example as Rugby spirit.
So instead of asking to hands up if you have ever been punched, ask if somebody has ever punched another player for nothing.. Let’s see if we have the same number of hands raised... or if actually you only see 2-3 hands up per team in the second case (the 2-3 dumb players..).
How many “captains” in a team are the ones who look for a fight?
How many of those who punched and injured another player for nothing were actually applauded by his teammates? Really, are you sure?
You re mentioning the dirty examples of this sport that nobody really want in a team. Do you qualify your examples as “Rugby Spirit”? I am curious...
“Everybody knows hands aren't allowed over the ball once the ruck has formed”..
Isn t the referee giving a penalty to the opponent when he sees that? Are you going to say to the referee “No it s not cheating”? You tried to do something that is unfair... so when the referee gives a penalty to the opponent, Nobody will complain.. (but you did something “wrong”.. and if you get caught, youre penalised... which here is not the case.. everybody knows that match fixing is wrong.. but it s forbidden to think that it s cheating?)
“Since you claim to play the Rugby Manager game as close as you can to the real thing - "in the spirit of the game", as you say - then I've no doubt that you only play championship and tournament matches once per week. I'm sure you also book friendlies in advance and never surprise anyone with a match unawares.. etc.”.
??? Again.. I am trying to understand your point...really trying...
Have I ever said it s 100% Realistic? Can you explain me how playing “once a week” is related to “Rugby Spirit”? Is playing once a week a Rugby value for you??
Rugby spirit is Respect (of your teammates, opponents, referee), integrity, sportsmanship (the fairplay that makes you grab a beer with your opponent at the end of the game), discipline, teamwork... etc.. it s not playing a game once a week or book a friendly.. What are you talking about?
Nobody said we want a 100% realistic game. We said we want a game which respect the Rugby spirit..
On your last point... I quote “ nobody like match fixig (or MBs, as mentioned by BM..).. It's part of the "sport" on rugby manager, like it or not. It's up to you to decide if you're going to use your wits and make a way to win around that, or come and throw your rattles out of the cot on the forum. In the spirit of the game, of course.”
I said 100 times (you can go back in the conversation) that I respect both views (gamers who will use all means to win a game... and it s perfectly respectable as it s a game OR the Rugby aficionado who wants to stay closer to the Rugby rules/spirit..).
So, I can just agree with you that “it s up to you to decide” what you wanna do.
The only difference is several people in this forum (e.g. Black M.) do not respect the fact that you can have a different point of view than him. He feels happy to insult people. And if you ask him “Can you say that you respect people who have a different point of view than yours and can perceive match fixing as cheating”... He run away without answering or he will insult you.
And to be honest, I have some difficulties to understand the concept of “Nobody likes it but we still do it...”.. If I don’t like it, I just don’t do it... at the end of the day it s a game.. And I prefer to play the way I like, even if it gives an advantage to my opponent.. I ll survive if I loose a game.
If all of you were saying “we love match fixing and MBs” I would understand..
For me, Winning a championship by using sneaky methods that many players don t use does not have the same taste than winning in a fair way (by not using sneaky methods, even if the game allow them).
Again, everybody has its own way of playing. I respect both. I would also appreciate that people who use MBs etc. respect the people who think it s cheating (even if you don’t agree with that).
Nobody will convince the other side. But Respect should be given to both sides (instead of seeing some insults from some immature people.. or at least one person).