Battrick

Battrick is a free Internet browser-based cricket management game inspired by the football management game Hattrick. According to the game's creator, Allan Fairlie-Clarke (Battrick username BT-allanfc), the idea for the game came about during a conversation on an Internet forum. The game has now grown to be the largest online cricket management game on the Internet. As of early November, 2007, Battrick has over 9,600 registered users.

In Battrick, users take over a cricket team in the lower levels of their chosen country's league system and aim - through training, tactics and transfers - to improve their team and achieve success in one or more of the several competitions in the games. These include one-day cricket (50-overs), twenty-20 cricket (called BT20 within the game), and first-class cricket.

There are currently eight countries in the game (the "big eight" real-life Test nations), each with their own league & cup competitions, and with National and Under-19 sides. The countries are: England, Australia, India, New Zealand, South Africa, West Indies, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

The game is free to play. A membership package, which offers no strategic advantage, can be purchased.

Game Characteristics

Battrick is a browser-based game, and is a type of game called a PBBG, or persistent browser-based game. This means that it is played over the Internet, using only a standard web browser, and that it is persistent, or without a beginning or end. Progress in the game is obtained through management of one's team over the course of many seasons.

The game is coded in ASP and JavaScript. Game administration have stated their intention to soon add XML capability to the game site.

Gameplay

Battrick players are fictitious and exist only in the game. They have skill levels for Stamina, Batting, Bowling, Concentration, Consistency, Fielding and Wicket Keeping. Each of these is measured with 20 skill levels ranging from "Worthless" to "Elite". "Useless" precedes "Worthless" but isn't used to measure player skills.

The game updates daily, so that some effects of changes to tactics or training occur every 24 hours. Matches are played in real-time with ball-by-ball match commentary provided. The game follows a structured timetable over eighteen real-life weeks, with matches played at times appropriate to each individual country.

At any time, gamers may re-set their team line-up for forthcoming matches, perhaps selecting a
strong batting line-up one week and a balanced batting-bowling team the next. One also sets their bowling order, and assigns individual players to enter matches with a defensive, normal, or aggressive attitude.

Batsmen, bowlers, fielders, wicketkeepers or all-rounders can be bought and sold
on a virtual transfer market.

Gamers can communicate in a forum called "Sledging".

New teams start with an arena of 6500 seats and standing room. This can be expanded at a
price as the game goes on.

Each team starts with a virtual budget of £200,000. This money can be used in a variety of ways to help the team progress, such as hiring staff, signing players, or increasing the capacity of the ground.

Competitions

There are currently four competitions - in three formats - played by club sides in Battrick. They are:
* OD League matches
* OD Cup matches. Teams knocked out of the cup are able to organise OD friendlies.
* Twenty20 tournament (branded as "BT20") A new feature for Season 8 was to enable teams who were knocked out to play a friendly match against other teams who have been knocked out.
* First Class League Matches

In addition to this the eight nations each field National and Under-19 teams for ODI cricket, culminating in their respective World Cup tournaments.

Season

A Battrick season lasts for eighteen weeks, with 14 for the OD League, FC league and Cup competitions. After the 7th week, there is a one week break from the leagues, during which the Twenty20 competition takes place.

The off-season is a 3 week quiet time, which gives managers a chance to recover from the previous season and prepare their teams for the next. The international World Cup tournaments are also held during the off-season, alternating between senior and Under-19 teams from one season to the next.

League System

The Battrick league system involves eight team divisions organised in a pyramid-esque structure. The eight teams play each other both home and away meaning each side plays 14 games in a league season. Four points are awarded for a win, two for a tie and none for a loss. Where teams are level on points they are separated by the system.

The pyramid structure means that while there is one top division in each nation, with four second divisions (Labelled II.1, II.2 etc) and sixteen third divisions and so on, the number of divisions multiplying by four with each additional level. As of October, 2007 each country has four divisions except for New Zealand and India which have five and Australia and England who each have six.

To have the chance of promotion to the level above (obviously not applicable with the top division where the OD League Championship is awarded to the top side) a team must first win their division by finishing top of the group. Their league record is then compared to the other division winners at that level; if they are in the top half they are promoted automatically, but the teams in the bottom half of the list must win a one-off play off match away against a team in the level above.

In the divisions of the level above, the 7th and 8th placed teams are automatically relegated, replaced by the sides who achieved automatic promotion. The 5th & 6th placed teams will then provide the opposition in the play-offs with the remaining lower level division winners.

Cup and Friendlies
The Battrick Cup is a straight knock-out cup competition which involves all of the country's teams. The draw is organised randomly, with some teams receiving a bye in the first round. Prior to season 9 the cup was a seeded competition, with the lowest ranked teams failing to receive a cup berth.

Once a team is knocked out of the cup they are then able to challenge any available team from any country in the world to a friendly game, the only way you can currently play sides from outside your chosen nation. These friendly games are purely played to help keep players in form and for enjoyment as opposed to being for any competition, although some friendly cups are unofficially organised by users.

First Class

First Class matches were successfully introduced on Tuesday 25 September 2007, 7 seasons after the planned release date. With the same league structure as the OD games, First Class matches are played from Tuesday to Thursday, with 14 (7 home, 7 away) in a season.

Miscellaneous

Battrick is currently in its tenth season.

National teams were created during the second season of the game. Senior and Under-19 teams coaches were voted for via elections on the Battrick message boards, allowing them to form the national squads and compete against the other Test nations.

The first ever International OD matches took place in Battrick on the 23rd of November 2005.

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See Also

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