I think groups like this have a very negative impact on the game. I seriously wish we could get some control over issues like this to help better FMA.

Can someone rehash again why CAMA's 'boosting' groups are a problem? Why are they even considered that? For a while, as with gcurrier, I thought his alternate accounts were just meant to relive the experience and challenge as a D3/D2 group. I went back through this thread, and I do understand the problems with 30+ alternate accounts simply forcing other, legitimate groups out of shows that they might want to join.

Yet I have a feeling this also affects statistics as well as well as the race for the Finals. Can anybody else explain?

Eventually everyone will be competing for a finals appearance against these groups who do not rehearse. They are where they are due solely to influence farming. They raise the bar for starting scores every season and the time will come when they will be unpassable. So yah, the potential for completely ruining the game is there. The only positive I see is they accept anyone into their events, so it looks like a good deal for new groups. But beware the two headed snake.

The bad part is that they don't ever rehearse. There were two or three who, like gcurrier, had multiple accounts and rehearsed and worked with the rest of us in the first 5 or so seasons, and then they stopped and began the influence farming. Some of These groups have nearly 200,000 influence and others clog up the top spots in D3, preventing new groups from reaching their potential. As Mr. Helsel says, they do accept newer groups into their events, but if you notice, each of the CA groups hosts an event and each other CA group joins it, to farm money as well which boosts their staff.

The only way to mitigate that is that eventually once their scores are high enough they get moved up in divisions so it doesn't mean it'll be impossible for the younger groups to get to the top, just they usually have to get around to that same level to have a chance. It's just their D1 scores are slowly getting higher because there's nowhere to go up from there

Eventually their starting DI scores will be in the 90s and climbing. When this occurs, game over.

I don't see that happening for a while, but you're right, eventually that's a reality we will have to face

I think that theur show level will keep that from happening. I mean, can the show level increase with just influence gain? So if they're on level 10 show level, then they aren't getting far with that, and that would mean that it will take another 20 or so seasons until they reach a level of influence that bumps them down. And by that time, they might hit the glitch and they'll be destroying D2, making D1 the only viable division.

Wait this is still a problem? Dang, I thought the guy doing it had left by now (the FF groups). Or is this someone else?

Someone else. FF is still here, he holds the top 4 spots in D1 right now because of his strategy. He actually rehearses 4 of his groups and keeps his active groups to usually less than 10. The Colonial Assocation has an unknown user or group of like-minded users that are using a similar strategy for 20+ groups, but without rehearsing.

I've found out while compiling stats for ENCORE's stat reports that CAMA's Marching Band derivative, CAMarA, has also jacked up the marching band statistics page, especially in D3.

No wonder we have so few legitimate players returning every season. Its a damn shame since I've tried promoting the game through popular social media sites that have the marching band photos and meme content accounts.

What's good I guess is that D2, for Marching Band and Drum Corps, has largely escaped CAMA/CAMarA's scourge.

Their divisions seem to fluctuate from season to season.

Too many CAMA corps in D3... I don't even have a chance to get to the top 12 with them. I'm going to get really mad when all 12 finalists are CAMA and they only rehearse once per week... It's kinda weird seeing a bunch of the same league corps get a 70 a week into the season... Especially since it's D3

In the history books, we should recognize the non-CA groups only to give the real D3 groups the recognition they deserve

Completed a small project about CAMA groups in division 3 drum corps this morning, emphasizing the effects of the presence. Between season 41 and season 50, 50 CAMA groups made drum corps Division 3 finals. In that same time, 127 groups separated the first legitimate group from the last legitimate group.
Just last season, the 12th legitimate group placed 34TH. The 4th legitimate group placed 24TH (!!!!). It has gotten worse over the last 3 seasons due to the number of new FMA players shrinking.
The average amount of points separating the 12th group and the legitimate 12th group on any given year is 4.800. That difference was as small as 1.560 points (season 44) and as big as 9.070 points (season 48).

I agree that non-CAMA groups should be recognized as the rightful winners (I also think if Marching Knights place, they should not be included as I never imagined by bring them back to prepare for a full return next season that they would be in DIVISION III! )

I further think we need to revisit FF or MAOMA again in Division 1. Clearly NOT following his agreement to only competitively field (or practice) one corps per season.

Honestly, even if he *says* he's gonna only compete with 1 group, that can't be trusted as long as he even fields more than one group, regardless of whether or not the lower groups are competitive

I personally ignore CAMA and FF completely when I look at the leaderboards. I don't acknowledge them even the slightest bit. Actually, I acknowledge that they're a nuisance. So there's that!

I miss season 29's D3 ;-; the competitive thrill was there but now its almost non existent

So then technically Black Beat NZ and Pandemonium NZ medalled in DI in season 49?