This has probably been asked but I will ask again :
What will happen if :
Setup in Sandbox mode, 24 teams, 2 leagues, 2 divisions, 6 teams per
Import players from 50's and 60's
Will my association be dead after one year or will players come up (real players) automatically??
Will I have to import again ??
How can I set this up to play say 50 years (little extreme but...) with real players ??
Thanks all !!
Sandbox mode - Fictional Teams, Real Players
Moderator: puresimmer
RE: Sandbox mode - Fictional Teams, Real Players
My understanding is that in Sandbox mode, you will need to import the players each year. The program will import many fictional players for you. The number of imported fictional players will depend on your chosen roster sizes. If you choose to go with 50-player rosters, PS will import many fictional players to make up for retirements, career-ending injuries, etc.
You should have no limitation on the number of seasons. Only in the Season Replay mode are you limited to just that one season.
The first time I used such a setup, I discovered a site called www.randomizer.org. I used this site, coupled with www.baseball-reference.com to decide who I brought into my association each year.
I'll give you the short version of what I would do in a setup similar to what you're going to do:
(1) Make a list of all the years you want to draw from. If it's 1950-1969, you will have 20 numbers. Write this list down: 1 = 1950, 2 = 1951, etc.
(2) List every actual MLB team that you want to draw players from (example: 1969 would have 24 teams). Number them from 1-24 (or whatever your total) and write the list down.
(3) Decide how many players from each roster you want to make "eligible". 30 from each team sounds about right. This would give you all the guys on the 25-man rosters, plus a few rookies sprinkled in. I suggest 18 position players and 12 pitchers. 19 and 11 would work well also.
(4) Use the randomizer site (or any other method you know) to select sets of 3 random numbers in a sequence. You will get strings such as this one: 4, 11, 23. You would then import a player from 1953, from whichever team you've numbered as Team #11. You would look at the baseball-reference roster for that team and import whoever is the 23rd player down the list. In this case, you would skip the 18 batters and select the 5th pitcher on the list. Import that player into your assn.
What I did was to make dozens of strings in advance, then go to baseball-reference and write the player names down next to the string. Once I had all the names, I would go back into the PS program and import them. On the Import Players screen, make sure you have chosen your correct preference for "Allow duplicate players". Back when I did mine, this wasn't even an option, so I never had to worry about it. Whenever I would try to import a players who had already been in the assn, the program would not let me. This was very handy after about 15-20 seasons, when I could no longer rely on my memory.
Some of your random strings may not be valid. For example, I was importing players from 1969-2004. Occasionally, I would get something like: 1973, Tampa Bay, player #17. Of course there was no 1973 Tampa Bay. I just scratched that string and moved to the next one. You'll encounter this issue with a few of your teams, if you're using players from into the 60's. You have the Colt 45's, Twins, Angels, and Mets coming in as expansion teams.
One thing you have to take into account is the MLB year of the player you're importing. If your string gives you, say, Ted Williams from 1960, you'll be importing an old player about ready to retire. After some early trial and error, I ended up using the string to point me to the player, then used the Lahman dB to import whatever year would reflect that player's first legitimate number of AB or IP. You could set your own parameters, of course, but a minimum of 100 AB or 40 IP worked well for me. If you simply imported the player in the year of their first appearance, you would see many of them import as scrubs and never amount to much.
On this board, I have suggested adding an "Import Random Player" function. This feature would employ filters for position, LHB, RHB, LHP, RHP, and teams/years. I've never read any feedback from anyone else on this, so I don't know the level of interest in such a thing. It would most certainly benefit you in this situation. I'm certainly no programmer, but something like this seems "do-able". Any thoughts?
Have fun and let me know how this works for you.
You should have no limitation on the number of seasons. Only in the Season Replay mode are you limited to just that one season.
The first time I used such a setup, I discovered a site called www.randomizer.org. I used this site, coupled with www.baseball-reference.com to decide who I brought into my association each year.
I'll give you the short version of what I would do in a setup similar to what you're going to do:
(1) Make a list of all the years you want to draw from. If it's 1950-1969, you will have 20 numbers. Write this list down: 1 = 1950, 2 = 1951, etc.
(2) List every actual MLB team that you want to draw players from (example: 1969 would have 24 teams). Number them from 1-24 (or whatever your total) and write the list down.
(3) Decide how many players from each roster you want to make "eligible". 30 from each team sounds about right. This would give you all the guys on the 25-man rosters, plus a few rookies sprinkled in. I suggest 18 position players and 12 pitchers. 19 and 11 would work well also.
(4) Use the randomizer site (or any other method you know) to select sets of 3 random numbers in a sequence. You will get strings such as this one: 4, 11, 23. You would then import a player from 1953, from whichever team you've numbered as Team #11. You would look at the baseball-reference roster for that team and import whoever is the 23rd player down the list. In this case, you would skip the 18 batters and select the 5th pitcher on the list. Import that player into your assn.
What I did was to make dozens of strings in advance, then go to baseball-reference and write the player names down next to the string. Once I had all the names, I would go back into the PS program and import them. On the Import Players screen, make sure you have chosen your correct preference for "Allow duplicate players". Back when I did mine, this wasn't even an option, so I never had to worry about it. Whenever I would try to import a players who had already been in the assn, the program would not let me. This was very handy after about 15-20 seasons, when I could no longer rely on my memory.
Some of your random strings may not be valid. For example, I was importing players from 1969-2004. Occasionally, I would get something like: 1973, Tampa Bay, player #17. Of course there was no 1973 Tampa Bay. I just scratched that string and moved to the next one. You'll encounter this issue with a few of your teams, if you're using players from into the 60's. You have the Colt 45's, Twins, Angels, and Mets coming in as expansion teams.
One thing you have to take into account is the MLB year of the player you're importing. If your string gives you, say, Ted Williams from 1960, you'll be importing an old player about ready to retire. After some early trial and error, I ended up using the string to point me to the player, then used the Lahman dB to import whatever year would reflect that player's first legitimate number of AB or IP. You could set your own parameters, of course, but a minimum of 100 AB or 40 IP worked well for me. If you simply imported the player in the year of their first appearance, you would see many of them import as scrubs and never amount to much.
On this board, I have suggested adding an "Import Random Player" function. This feature would employ filters for position, LHB, RHB, LHP, RHP, and teams/years. I've never read any feedback from anyone else on this, so I don't know the level of interest in such a thing. It would most certainly benefit you in this situation. I'm certainly no programmer, but something like this seems "do-able". Any thoughts?
Have fun and let me know how this works for you.
"Better to sleep with old hen than pullet" - Redd Foxx
RE: Sandbox mode - Fictional Teams, Real Players
Cool ! [&o]
I will give this a shot,
Thank you !
I will give this a shot,
Thank you !
LP2
RE: Sandbox mode - Fictional Teams, Real Players
Let me ask 3 more question:
What if I imported every team and player from say, 1950-1970, would the AI every year draft real players that way from the pool ?? When asked if you want to generate new players saying NO might allow this ??
Would that overload the association by making it a huge one ?? What would that do to the almanac ??
To that point what would happen if every team was imported from 50 different seasons ??
Thanks again !
What if I imported every team and player from say, 1950-1970, would the AI every year draft real players that way from the pool ?? When asked if you want to generate new players saying NO might allow this ??
Would that overload the association by making it a huge one ?? What would that do to the almanac ??
To that point what would happen if every team was imported from 50 different seasons ??
Thanks again !
LP2
RE: Sandbox mode - Fictional Teams, Real Players
I don't know how the AI would handle the draft part of the off-season in your scenario. You can rest assured that AI-controlled teams would spend a good deal of their time (and money, if applicable) juggling rosters and signing free agents.
I'm not sure how this would work out, though. As an example, you would end up with a Hank Aaron from 1954-1970, a total of 17 "Hammers".
When I did my 50+ season assn, I didn't allow a draft, per se. I kept track of all the players who retired in the off-season, then imported that exact same number of players to keep the association numbers balanced. For example, if I had three starting pitchers retire in the off-season, I would import 3 starters from my already-available list.
There are many variables you can try. You might go with 35 players for each team (700 players), then randomly import a set number of "extra" players. These extras will form a free agent pool, from which any team can sign from during the season if someone gets a serious injury or performs poorly enough to be released. Trust me, the AI-controlled teams will be making roster moves many times during the season to find that right combo.
Admittedly, to import your initial 700 or 700+ players one-by-one would be time consuming. I found it to be a fun part of building the association, though. I had mapped out a basic roster structure for all of my teams (I started with 10 teams), then randomly imported players until all of the positions were filled. You would need to know going in how many at each position you want to place on each team. For fairness, I used the same structure for each team.
Understand, my setup was a Multiplayer, with all teams under human control. This took away the ability to manage, so there was a trade-off there. With the Sandbox Mode, you would need to switch human control from team to team as you make every roster move. This isn't too cumbersome, as the AI doesn't care which team you are controlling and you can switch as many times as you want. It would probably be best to completely fill up one team, switch human control to another team, then fill up that team's roster. Eighteen more "fillings" and you're done.[;)]
As far as the Almanac, if you allow multiple year imports of the same player, you will end up with multiple listings in your Almanac. Regardless of what you do in this area, I recommend using the "Append Player Name with Import Year" option. I found it useful to know instantly which year of the player I had imported by just looking at the "Players" screen or the team roster. You might have a Ted Williams '53 and a Carl Yastrzemski '62 on the same team, so you might as well know as much as you can about your imported player just from seeing the name on the screen. This will also be more appealing if you decide to allow multiples of the same player in the assn.
Let me know how this works out. Time for me to get the 1980 A's Replay going.
I'm not sure how this would work out, though. As an example, you would end up with a Hank Aaron from 1954-1970, a total of 17 "Hammers".
When I did my 50+ season assn, I didn't allow a draft, per se. I kept track of all the players who retired in the off-season, then imported that exact same number of players to keep the association numbers balanced. For example, if I had three starting pitchers retire in the off-season, I would import 3 starters from my already-available list.
There are many variables you can try. You might go with 35 players for each team (700 players), then randomly import a set number of "extra" players. These extras will form a free agent pool, from which any team can sign from during the season if someone gets a serious injury or performs poorly enough to be released. Trust me, the AI-controlled teams will be making roster moves many times during the season to find that right combo.
Admittedly, to import your initial 700 or 700+ players one-by-one would be time consuming. I found it to be a fun part of building the association, though. I had mapped out a basic roster structure for all of my teams (I started with 10 teams), then randomly imported players until all of the positions were filled. You would need to know going in how many at each position you want to place on each team. For fairness, I used the same structure for each team.
Understand, my setup was a Multiplayer, with all teams under human control. This took away the ability to manage, so there was a trade-off there. With the Sandbox Mode, you would need to switch human control from team to team as you make every roster move. This isn't too cumbersome, as the AI doesn't care which team you are controlling and you can switch as many times as you want. It would probably be best to completely fill up one team, switch human control to another team, then fill up that team's roster. Eighteen more "fillings" and you're done.[;)]
As far as the Almanac, if you allow multiple year imports of the same player, you will end up with multiple listings in your Almanac. Regardless of what you do in this area, I recommend using the "Append Player Name with Import Year" option. I found it useful to know instantly which year of the player I had imported by just looking at the "Players" screen or the team roster. You might have a Ted Williams '53 and a Carl Yastrzemski '62 on the same team, so you might as well know as much as you can about your imported player just from seeing the name on the screen. This will also be more appealing if you decide to allow multiples of the same player in the assn.
Let me know how this works out. Time for me to get the 1980 A's Replay going.
"Better to sleep with old hen than pullet" - Redd Foxx
RE: Sandbox mode - Fictional Teams, Real Players
Thank you !
I will start tonite, it may be a long nite !! I hate to stop in the middle. Ill keep you informed !
Thanks again !
I will start tonite, it may be a long nite !! I hate to stop in the middle. Ill keep you informed !
Thanks again !
LP2
RE: Sandbox mode - Fictional Teams, Real Players
Mr. motnahp,
I am going to Hold this for a bit. I am getting the 1903 itch again.
I really like this game, it gives me fits !! [:D]
I have printed your instructions and I will keep them handy !
Thank you !
I am going to Hold this for a bit. I am getting the 1903 itch again.
I really like this game, it gives me fits !! [:D]
I have printed your instructions and I will keep them handy !
Thank you !
LP2
RE: Sandbox mode - Fictional Teams, Real Players
I've got a 12-team Random Players Association I've been holding for a few months. I filled up 12 rosters with players from 1901-2006. I was about to start that one when I got the managing bug, first with the 2006 Braves and then with the 1975, 1979, and 1980 A's.
Putting together one of these "my" way takes a lot of time, but I've come to enjoy that process almost as much as the game itself.
I'm about to start my 1980 A's. I had to determine each team's 25-man roster at the start of the season (thank you retrosheet.org), then move a few players around to get them on the proper teams. The Lahman dB tends to put guys where they ended the season, so I had to "un-trade" a few guys to get everything in proper order. Of course, I also had to get the stadium names and photos done and import the proper logos. The last two steps are the must fun and also the most time-consuming. I go through each AL team, all 35 guys, and check the pictures. While I'm doing this, I also check the phonetic spelling of their names.
The ability to edit the phonetic spelling and hear the name is my favorite of all the features Shaun has added in the last year. It's just so cool to figure these things out and hear the product of your "educated guesses" through the PC speakers. Either that, or I am just a huge nerd (my wife would definitely vote "nerd").
I also enjoy searching google and other sites for missing player photos. Just yesterday, the 1980 White Sox were missing three player photos. I found two of them on the same rookie card! A little cropping and I had them both in PS. I never did find the third one. He'll get a generic photo if he ever gets promoted.
I can't remember every having a hobby that is so enjoyable. I have just as much (or more) fun with the program in the off-season as I do during the real MLB season.
The program recently cost me some money, indirectly. My love for the A's dates back to 1969-1970. Managing the 1975 & 1979 A's in PS has re-kindled my interest in the team. Oakland visits Atlanta in May and I have two tickets for one of the weekend games. I've been a big Braves fan since about 1973, so I will sit and enjoy the atmosphere and hope for a high-scoring, extra-inning game. I paid $64 per ticket for some good seats above the A's dugout. I was unable to make the trip to ATL when the A's visited three years ago. This will be my first chance to see them since 1970.
Putting together one of these "my" way takes a lot of time, but I've come to enjoy that process almost as much as the game itself.
I'm about to start my 1980 A's. I had to determine each team's 25-man roster at the start of the season (thank you retrosheet.org), then move a few players around to get them on the proper teams. The Lahman dB tends to put guys where they ended the season, so I had to "un-trade" a few guys to get everything in proper order. Of course, I also had to get the stadium names and photos done and import the proper logos. The last two steps are the must fun and also the most time-consuming. I go through each AL team, all 35 guys, and check the pictures. While I'm doing this, I also check the phonetic spelling of their names.
The ability to edit the phonetic spelling and hear the name is my favorite of all the features Shaun has added in the last year. It's just so cool to figure these things out and hear the product of your "educated guesses" through the PC speakers. Either that, or I am just a huge nerd (my wife would definitely vote "nerd").
I also enjoy searching google and other sites for missing player photos. Just yesterday, the 1980 White Sox were missing three player photos. I found two of them on the same rookie card! A little cropping and I had them both in PS. I never did find the third one. He'll get a generic photo if he ever gets promoted.
I can't remember every having a hobby that is so enjoyable. I have just as much (or more) fun with the program in the off-season as I do during the real MLB season.
The program recently cost me some money, indirectly. My love for the A's dates back to 1969-1970. Managing the 1975 & 1979 A's in PS has re-kindled my interest in the team. Oakland visits Atlanta in May and I have two tickets for one of the weekend games. I've been a big Braves fan since about 1973, so I will sit and enjoy the atmosphere and hope for a high-scoring, extra-inning game. I paid $64 per ticket for some good seats above the A's dugout. I was unable to make the trip to ATL when the A's visited three years ago. This will be my first chance to see them since 1970.
"Better to sleep with old hen than pullet" - Redd Foxx
RE: Sandbox mode - Fictional Teams, Real Players
I have been thinking about the same thing !! of course I have been bouncing all kinds of senerials around !! See my new thread !!??
More Questions!!??!!
More Questions!!??!!
LP2