Beta testers blog

[nmleague]

David has given beta testers permission to post some comments about changes/improvements to the game for the next release, which is comeing close. I will start with some comments below, but perhaps Maruaders, Tbird, Tullis, or Old Coach Etc., will also post some insights here.

[nmleague]

In one of my last posts in the graphics thread, I mentiioned that I was limiting the size of my leagues due to the schedule generator. So I will start the blog by explaining that further.

With the previous release the schedule generator was screwed up, I created a 12 team league, 2 divisions of 6 teams, with a 14 game schedule, like the NFL in the 50's and 60's. The official schedule for the league at that time had each team play each other team in their division 2 times (10 games) and to play 4 games vs teams from the other division. Well when I had the game generate a schedule for this league, teams from one division were playing teams from the other division 2-3 times and not playing some of the teams from their own division at all.

The beta team pushed David to improve the schedule generation. The logic being that most high school and college conferences will play a single round robin with additional games vs non conference teams to fill out the schedule. Most professional leagues have the team within a division play a double round robin with additional games vs non division teams to again fill out the schedule. For this release David couldnt do a full blown schedule generator, but he has now installed a round robin schedule generator, with some limitations. As it is once the number of weeks of a season have bee choosen, the schedule generator will generate a round robin scheduel. If you had a league with 40 teams with a 16 games schedule, each team will play 16 different teams during the season, no teams twice. If you have 12 teams and a 14 week season, each team will play each team once (11 games) and then the round robin will repeat until 14 games are completed. So each team will play each team in the league one time and 3 teams twice.

The reason that I mentioned in my other thread that I would limit the number of teams in a conference, is becuase we cant control how the round robin in generated. So its possible that teams will play teams from other divisions two times, but teams from their own division only once. David is hoping to have a schedulel editor ready for this release, but even so it is possible to edit the schedule using Excel. But I think it is still going to be much easier to edit a schedule for a 12 or 16 team league vs the schedule for a 32 team league.

Currently my plan is to have 12 team leagues, 3 divisions of 4 teams, for a 14 week season. The schedule generator will generate a round robin, of which I will use the first 11 games as is, each team playing each other team in the league. I will then edit the schedule so that the remain 3 games of the schedule would have teams playing the other teams in their division a second time.

If the editing of the schedule works well I would still like to do a 48 teams college league, 4 conferences fo 13 teams. [:D].

[dreamtheatervt]

My college league will be more true to D-I. I'll probably do 8 or 10 teams per division, 3 divisions per conference.

Letters Conference: ACC, Big East (if the uniforms ever get finished), SEC
Numbers Conference: Big 10, Big 12, Pac 10.

If one of the non-BCS conferences had a number in it, I'd expand to 4 divisions per conference, but I can't have the MAC or MWC in the numbers conference, and using geography makes too much sense, and that's just not the NCAA way [:D]. The other geography problem is that there are more conferences in the east, so I'd have a Eastern conference in the West (just like Atlanta used to be in the NFC West).

I can't wait for R3, I'm jacked for football season.

[nmleague]

For awhile the beta was having trouble with punt returns, if the ball was punted toward the sideline, and if it hit the ground and rolled to within a few yards of the sideline, the punt return men were getting almost an automatic 10-15 yard return and in many cases they would go down the sidelines for a TD.  The problem was in the cover kick logic, the covereage men were going down field and targeting the man with the ball.  So when the ball hit the ground and bounced to the sideline the coverage men did not move with the ball to the sideline, they stopped and stood still until the ball was picked up.  Of course the return man by this time was 5-10 yards outside the widest return man.

David has improved the logic, now the cover men target the ball and then the man with the ball.  So now if the ball is kicked to the sideline the coverage men move to the sideline.  This has eliminated the cheap sideline returns.

[Tbird]

The biggest addition for me other than the new PDS was the exportable draft profiles and the player movement [8D]

[nmleague]

Yes the draft/team profiles are nice. Now users can set up the draft profile for a team and save it. That profile can then be imported and used by other teams. Its possible that a number of profiles will be available with the next release.

[nmleague]

Tbird brought up another nice improvement. David has improved the open field running logic. Before a runner going outside would go as far outside as the last movement point and then head straight up field. Now the man with the ball will actually realize were the defenders are and try to avoid them, plays starting off tackle will now often have the running back moving out to and down the side line. I think that plays actually get strung out to the sideline to often, many times the back could probably turn upfield and put their heads down to gain a few yards.

It should also be pointed out the the whole defensive flow to the ball is much smoother and realistic. It is now very difficult for a running back to break a long run.

[nmleague]

David made some major improvements that we didnt expect, and they have had a very positive impact on the game.  The most recent has a big impact, it is a change in the ball movement physics, which I will let someone else explain more, but the major result is that the frame problems seem to have been eliminated.  My system is a pentium 4 2.66 with an ATI 9700 card.  At times I would get the message that my frame rate was to low and the graphics setting were going to be changed becuase of that, also that instant replays were going to be stopped.  After the change mentioned above I no longer get the frame rate message and I get instant replays thoughout the whole game.  It also has an impact on other aspects such as the passing game and kicks.  Maybe someone else can give some more information.

But this was a big improvement[:D]

[Dark Horse]

How does passing look? Do QBs now look at all receivers? In the current version, if you run the same passing play ten times, it will be thrown to the same player every time.

[nmleague]

The passing game has been changed. You no longer assign one player as the primary receiver, instead when you give the QB the logic "pass" and "read", you can now set a read progression for the QB. So in the PDS you click on the R you want him to check first and then click on the plus sign, then you click on the player you want him to check 2nd, and then click on the plus sign, and so on. From what I have seen the QB will go through the progression and will throw to different receivers, I have seen the QB throw to a player that I know is the 3rd player in the progression.

There are still some minor adjustments being made so that the completion rate is comparable to what you would see in real life. Currently the rate is a little low, before the last build rates were probably about 65-75%, now closer to 50-55%. I should mention that you will see interceptions. In a recent CPU vs CPU played game one team had 3 interceptions and the other 2. I have seen a DB step in front of a R running an out rooute, intercept and take it in for a TD, very nice.

[simmer]

Can you tell me if there is a closer sdeline view camera angle...I play coach mode and this is a must. The present sideline view is way too far. I hope this gets released very soon,it sounds like it was improved to where it is competitive. Thanks for the updates.

[nmleague]

The sideline view has been moved in, maybe it could be a little closer but it is better than before. The other views havent really been changed and the F6 is to far away and the f8 depends on field position since it is locked at about the 15 yard line, so if your close it is a great view but if you are on the other end of the field forget it.

[Dark Horse]

Thanks for the info NML, looking forward to the new release. With the improved passing and overall improvements to PDS i'll soon be "ready for some football!"
 
And KUTGW on the screen shots. You've done designed some very good fictional teams.

[grrncore]

Any Hints on a release date? September?October?November?December?

[Tbird]

ORIGINAL: grrncore

Any Hints on a release date? September?October?November?December?

tm.asp?m=1166485&mpage=2#

[Tbird]

I like the F6 view the way it is I don't think it's too far
I played fbpro in an overhead view about that same distance and it allowed me to see everything.  If it gets moved any closer you won't be able to see the receivers downfield.

[nmleague]

It might have been mention before, but if not, it is now possible to start a CPU vs CPU game, leave and not come back until the game is complete.  No more having to click the continue button on the stats screen.

[Marauders]

Can you tell me if there is a closer sideline view camera angle...I play coach mode and this is a must. The present sideline view is way too far. I hope this gets released very soon,it sounds like it was improved to where it is competitive. Thanks for the updates.

The views are pretty much the same.  As I recall, the sideline view is a bit closer, but I can hardly remember what it was like before.  There has been quite a bit of discussion about it.  Myself and Old Coach have pushed for adding zoom to all camera angles, but that may be something for Release 4, as there are some other changes likely instore for that release, and time is short on this one.

There will be zoom in the PDS 2.0, and that really helps, but I am not sure how easy it would be to program that in for the views during the game.

David has improved the open field running logic. Before a runner going outside would go as far outside as the last movement point and then head straight up field. Now the man with the ball will actually realize were the defenders are and try to avoid them, plays starting off tackle will now often have the running back moving out to and down the side line.

This also gives each back a run vision profile based on skill attributes.  Some testing is being done in this area.

How does passing look? Do QBs now look at all receivers? In the current version, if you run the same passing play ten times, it will be thrown to the same player every time.

I had noticed that as well. The PDS has been changed to give the quarterback a read progressions list of receivers. This is much more realistic, but it will require coaches to make clean plays. Sloppy timing will give poor results, as it is in the real world.

[Dark Horse]

Run vision sounds great. That's something that i always thought was missing from football games/sims. There should be a noticable difference in backs as far as knowing when to cut. i hope it works out.
 
And the QB Read Progression looks great! KUTGW guys!

[nmleague]

As the release 3 draws nearer I thought I would report on one of the changes in the last few builds.  The beta team has pushed David to make punt/fair catch etc. more realistic.  Trying to make a punting/return/fair catch system that with Canadian and US rules has been a very difficutl task, especially for someone fimiliar with Canadian rules which are much different than the US rules.  There is no fair catch in Canadian football, nor touch backs, and if the punt is live so either team can get the ball once punted.  I think that is correct, someone correct me if it not, but you can see the problems when trying to come up with a system that works for both US and Canadian football.
 
Anyway here is the current system, its not going to please everyone, but it works well in the game.  On a punt that would from the 15 yard line out the PR will either fair catch the punt or return it.  On punts that would land inside the 15 yard line the PR will let the ball go, it can either bounce into the endzone for a touchback or will be downed by a player from the punting team.
 
I should also mention that during the course of release 3 developement the punt coverage has been improved.  Previously the cover team had logic that had them focusing on the PR, if the punt went to the sidelines, of if the ball hit the ground and bounced, the cover men wouldnt follow the ball but instead stood and waited for the PR to pick up the ball.  If he did this near the sideline he had a clear shoot down the sidelines until the cover team reacted to him with the ball.  Currently the cover team has logic that has them focus on the ball until it is caught of picked up, at which time they go to the ball carrier.  Thus if the punt is to the sidelines, or hits and bouces,the cover team move to the ball, and if the PR now picks it up near the sidelines he will have coverage men near him.