FOF 2004 Bugs? or not

[bdemz]

What I've noticed in 10+ seasons...

1) DE's taken in the top 10 picks are never busts and always in the top 5 in sacks every year.

2) The computer cannot handle its cap very well. Every year there are about 5-8 teams that lose their 3rd round draft pick.

3) My attendance doesn't move through the year. One year I had an attendance of 40,000 for every game. (I finished with a record of 13-3. Even the second last game of the year had me at 13-1 playing the Vikings who were 14-0). Should attendance reflect big games also?

4) Is there anyway I can run a league without a team from 1970-2003 then take over a team. (I want to have a history before I begin without GM records).

Also along question 3. If anyone is doing this how do they run through the league until then without making any decisions on FA etc....

Thanks

[DolphinFan1]

1: can't verify this as I haven't really looked at it.

2: I see this too. But they do try to keep the better players and are only losing one pick for going over the cap.

3: Don't understand this. My attendance varies from game to game.

4: NO. But you can sim a number of seasons and let the coaches and scouts handle everything. THe only thing they won't do is sign FA for you. I simmed 5 seasons and took over the duties and had a really crappy team though.

[Franklinnoble]

Originally posted by bdemz
What I've noticed in 10+ seasons...

1) DE's taken in the top 10 picks are never busts and always in the top 5 in sacks every year.



Never noticed this, but I never paid much attention.


2) The computer cannot handle its cap very well. Every year there are about 5-8 teams that lose their 3rd round draft pick.


This happened quite a bit in FOF4, too. Then again, it happens to me all the time. I tend to back-load contracts and always end up getting dinged before I have time to re-negotiate.


3) My attendance doesn't move through the year. One year I had an attendance of 40,000 for every game. (I finished with a record of 13-3. Even the second last game of the year had me at 13-1 playing the Vikings who were 14-0). Should attendance reflect big games also?


Also a leftover "feature" from FOF4. It annoyed me then, too. Basically, it seems like the ticket sales are only calculated once per season, just after training camp. No variation is made during the season. I agree... it would be nice to see hot teams sell out later on, or packed houses at intense rivalries or top matchups, and, conversely, empty stadiums for teams who collapse early and are cruising towards 3-13.


4) Is there anyway I can run a league without a team from 1970-2003 then take over a team. (I want to have a history before I begin without GM records).

Also along question 3. If anyone is doing this how do they run through the league until then without making any decisions on FA etc....

Thanks

Not possible, to my knowledge. TPF is supposed to have this feature, I think...

[corbes]

Originally posted by bdemz
What I've noticed in 10+ seasons...

1) DE's taken in the top 10 picks are never busts and always in the top 5 in sacks every year.



I dunno. Had a season early on where there were two outstanding DE's taken 1-2 in the draft. One turned out great, and the other was kind of a bum, and never started but about 20 games in his career.

Oddly enough, the bum was named Leslie Lindros. Coincidence? I think not...

[Maple Leafs]

Originally posted by bdemz
1) DE's taken in the top 10 picks are never busts and always in the top 5 in sacks every year.
This one must just be a fluke of chance for your league. In mine, the first ever #1 pick was a DE taken by the Bengals who was a spectacular bust. He only made it into a handful of games in his entire career.

[Honolulu Blue]

My comments:

1) I think what you've seen is most likely a fluke that's unique to your league.

2) The computer isn't great at managing the cap, true, but it's not bad. Contracts are more backloaded these days, and the first cap check comes VERY early - before there's a chance to renegotiate for the coming season. It's hard for a human player to think far enough ahead to be able to keep that pick.

Then again, the computer may figure it's better to lose the pick than to release the player(s) necessary to get under the cap.

One thing I haven't seen in this version that I did see some in FOF4 was the computer players losing 2nd and 1st round picks.

3) My attendance fluctuates a little, depending on the opponent. It doesn't fluctuate enough for my tastes, but it's a minor issue for me.

4) You can't run a league without a team, but you can start with a team and take over another one later on.

Briefly, here's how you do it:

a) Take over a team (preferably one with a good roster)
b) Have the scouts take over all options
c) Run as many seasons as you want (each season will take awhile to sim, and then you have to click a number of buttons; boring but doable)
d) At the end of the season before you want to start, click the "Choose Team" button. If your team has done anything at all, some weak teams are sure to want to hire you.
e) Choose the team that best suits your purposes.

I know it's not perfect, but it's the best option for now.

[bdemz]

Thanks to everyone for their responses.