cycling4freaks.com

Hi all,

Ever since the tiktok post I have been asked multiple times for more posts. Whether it's to recruit more new players or to post manuals/tutorials for the existing players, there would definitely be some options. Personally, I would be most open to make a similar post as the first one to recruit more players, as I think that would be more effective on a platform like Tiktok than posting tutorials for existing (new) players to find.

My question now is, should I make a post at all? If so, what content should it contain? Timing wise I think it is best to do it before the end of the Giro, so we don't get 100 inscriptions per tdf edition and 21 days of noob tempo there.

Let me know!

PS: bonus points for content suggestions

Falcor CC wrote: ↑

Thu May 21, 2026 9:20 am

Timing wise I think it is best to do it before the end of the Giro, so we don't get 100 inscriptions per tdf edition and 21 days of noob tempo there.

PS: bonus points for content suggestions

Very nice idea, and I agree it's best used for attracting new players

Timing-wise I understand that you don't want to do it too close to TdF, but perhaps during Giro is also tricky, because then new players might be 'frustrated' they can't sign up for Giro anymore?

So instead, how about doing it after Giro, but clearly before TdF? For example, you could advertise Dauphine (now called Tour Auvergne - Rhone-Alpes though...) or Tour de Suisse as a preparation race for the TdF. That way you get a bit of the upcoming TdF-hype but the new players will be riding a couple of other races before being able to sign up for TdF.

I was also thinking about asking that question, but kept it back until now. Before we would do so, we need to verify that the game can handle the additional load. In the evening, the peak load is pretty high currently, see the chart below:


With a significantly higher number of players (currently around 150 people login every day), we'd need a bigger server first. Another option would be to distribute the races a bit more to have less in parallel.

Thank you both for the input.

Gipfelstuermer wrote: ↑

Thu May 21, 2026 9:43 am

Timing-wise I understand that you don't want to do it too close to TdF, but perhaps during Giro is also tricky, because then new players might be 'frustrated' they can't sign up for Giro anymore?

So instead, how about doing it after Giro, but clearly before TdF? For example, you could advertise Dauphine (now called Tour Auvergne - Rhone-Alpes though...) or Tour de Suisse as a preparation race for the TdF. That way you get a bit of the upcoming TdF-hype but the new players will be riding a couple of other races before being able to sign up for TdF.

Makes sense to me, so agree there. If anyone else sees a counter-argument, let it be known!

Alkworld wrote: ↑

Fri May 22, 2026 6:50 am

I was also thinking about asking that question, but kept it back until now. Before we would do so, we need to verify that the game can handle the additional load. In the evening, the peak load is pretty high currently, see the chart below:


With a significantly higher number of players (currently around 150 people login every day), we'd need a bigger server first. Another option would be to distribute the races a bit more to have less in parallel.

To avoid server issues, we'd have to find a solution there first. What would it cost to upgrade? If an upgrade is out of the question, let's look at alternatives. First thing that comes to my mind is no parallel races during peak times (between 20h-22h during this Giro, but could be different based on timing for other big races). Anything else that comes to mind?

We definitely have real lags at the evening when the 20h giro race is still in the sprint and the 22h starts. We get refresh times over 30 seconds and longer.

Berlin Marks wrote: ↑

Fri May 22, 2026 1:18 pm

We definitely have real lags at the evening when the 20h giro race is still in the sprint and the 22h starts. We get refresh times over 30 seconds and longer.

Yeah, it's a combination of factors

- Length of stages on the day (overlap between editions critical, hard to avoid unless we restrict mintact)
- Difficulty of stage (the more difficult, the more clicks by teams and also by spectators)
- Length of parallel race (if 20h race is 2h long and 21h race is 1h long, it can be a problem.)

As calendar planner, hard to completely avoid these overlaps in the evening, where now we have 1-3 races starting each hour. Not impossible to optimize things, but I would need better tools to do that, i.e. a tool that forecasts the server load in 10min-intervals or so, based on the calendar ^^ Then the fantasy races could get adjusted in terms of profile / mintact, but it's not straightforward.

Another way to improve things would be, in case of a field split, to have field 2 start with a lag after field 1, e.g. 10min/20km later. That could potentially reduce the spikes, too.

How is the technical situation? Would it be an easy "just add another processor", or is there something limiting parallelization? I do think you get enough money for a hardware update if you ask for it.

Poll results:
Attracting new players the clear winner. I would be ready to do it, if the server can handle it. I would either do it this week or right after tdf.

Maybe interesting to know: original tiktok post is nearing 80k views, which was by far my highest ever. When I first posted it I watched it like 200 times to boost it in the algorithm. I'm assuming a new post won't be as popular at all and might even flop completely, as I already expected the first one to do. But in a best case scenario: is the server ready to handle another rookie wave? If not, do we risk it anyway assuming this wave is significantly smalelr?

Content ideas to promote the game also still welcome!

Ps.: 50 rookies logged in since 07/06, to give you an indication about the middle term effect.

Having a post during TDF would push some for sure, doing now? Idk, this were the period I should leave the game for 4 months to work hard IRL so maybe yes maybe not

During tdf would definitely be a good time to attract some players, but the argument came that new managers would then be displeased because they can't ride it anymore if it already started. On top of that we should also consider existing players, there's no fun in having 60 teams sign up for a tdf edition and then half of them never showing up... Which would be the case if we did the post right before tdf starts.

Do a post around now, attract new players but they cant inscribe for TDF already if they stay till there they can still inscribe then

Now is a good time because TdF inscription is not yet open.

Server load has been improved between past wave and now as Buhmann made some requests more efficient. So relatively optimistic that we can handle another successful TikTok post

And if there is a way to boost the TikTok algorithm, why not

Just FYI: I'm afk from Jun 12 (Fri) until Jun 21 (Sun), so if anything breaks then, I won't be able to fix it.

The main aim should be attract new player not let them play the most important GT of the year so doing it now? And let a newbie play with a shit team against pros? Not good idea to keep them active we should make them have fun and having fun is easy when every big team is at GT. I understand that maybe someone wish to run the TDF but to be honest they can't and should not as new players too much stress, too much things to learn, everyone will just quit after 3 races

(unless we don't start planning the bot revolution)

There are still 50 Teams active from the first wave. Its a game which you need time to learn and build a team you want. so its nothing against the "Pros", When there is no split, they can learn and ask in the race.

If the stats the ape gave to us are right

Ok, after looking at our Giri...



9: 4, 2 out
14: 3, 2 out
18: 7, 5 out
20-1: 1
20-2: 12 3 out
22: 7: 2 out

Here we see what happend to player in field 1, and see what happend in field 2

People join the game to compete, if they can compete they stay, if they can't they left.. Field 2 h20 told us that!

When I started the game in 2009 there were fields 2 at almost everytime eccept in the morning so I could enjoy the game and test it by myself, than I went in Field 1 and I could understand the tips of the pro, you can't understand some things untill you don't fuck up your races 1 - 2 times

Allow me to say this, we want "numbers" or "players"? For numbers go for it now and than push again at TDF for players go for it during TDF and they will dream to be there for an entire year + they can ride Vuelta + classics of end season + november tour + december tour + fantasy tour so there is a lot to play from here to Jan as usualy