[jgalt212]

yep, once you have the data, constraints, and utility functions properly* in the system you can brute force your way to many good enough solutions very quickly.

I coach a basketball league that has 8 periods. No player can play 2 more periods that any other player. The number of possible line-ups per game while still hitting the playing time contraint is astronomical. Very easy to find a series line-ups that fits the constraint, but very hard to find an optimal or near-optimal series of line-ups. It gets even more fun when you have to adjust for late arrivals or unannounced no-shows.

* not always completely doable