New (?) Thoughts on TCY-->FOF2K4 Draft Imports

[Ben E Lou]

I posted this in another thread early this morning that may have been a "dead" thread. I want some feedback on these thoughts, so I thought I'd start a new one. Sorry if you've already read this.

I've never done an extensive study, but I've imported a number of TCY drafts, and from what I can tell, the TCY import feature ranks players primarily by their "Future Potential" rating, not by "Current Value" rating or college performance. In other words, a guy rated 50/99 as a Senior because he only got to start one season is going to be imported as a stud, but your 3-year-starter Heisman Trophy winner who is rated 79/81 is going to be an average QB. This has always been acceptable to me, because in real life, college stats don't translate into pro performance. Talent, however, usually does.

If you accept the premise that this is how players are valued when imported, it makes sense that one would see many more backups than normal being valued above the guy they backup up. This is because in versions prior to 1.2a, AI teams would start a 40/40 guy over a 35/90 guy every time, causing many 35/90-type guys around the nation to never fully develop, never get to start, and never put up stats commensurate with their ability. However, upon importing, the 35/90 guys (who are theoretically MORE talented than their 79/81 Heisman-winning counterparts) become studs, and the 79/81 guys become average players.

One player in particular comes to mind from my old Kentucky TCY career to illustrate what I'm talking about, MLB Orlando Morton. Morton was the #568 player in the country when I recruited him, nothing to write home about, but he was very intelligent and got a lot of playing time, therefore he fully developed into all red bars by his Senior season. Morton was a 2-time All-SEC MLB, and was a 2nd-Team All American one year. However, upon importing Morton into the draft, he is rated a pitiful 5/18. An outrage for an All-American, you say? Well, not really. You see, Morton was only rated 58/58, but performed very well in my system despite the fact that he didn't have superstar talent. However, OLB Warren Fletcher, who never started a game in four years, comes into the draft rated 21/48--a guy who could end up being useful. Nonsense, you say? Well, not if NFL potential is talent-based. You see, I had very good OLB's during Fletcher's tenure at Kentucky, so Fletcher never started a game, and his 40/76 rating represents a pretty good player.

(Incidentally, I just did an import of a season into FOF5 from this old career, and I am more convinced than ever that I'm right about potential ratings being the key. My top five NFL potential-rated prospects from my Kentucky team in the draft were also the top 5 future estimate guys in the senior class in TCY, despite the fact that two of those five never started.)

Now, this next part is PURELY speculation. I haven't played enough TCY 1.2a to verify or test this at all. I suspect that we'll see this less and less when importing careers that were started with TCY 1.2a, because now the AI teams are starting the 35/90 Sophomores over even the 65/65 Seniors. I'm curious if anyone has imported a mature TCY 1.2a universe into FOF5. I'm betting that the problem wasn't in the import algorithm, but in the playing time algorithm.

[A-Husker-4-Life]

Great, I'll check it out.

[FloridaFringe]

Ok SkyDog, so is the draft import a viable feature or should it be tweaked some more before someone like myself forks out cash for both TCY and FOF 2004 with the intention of starting a serious career?

Everyday it seems that someone says that it's all ready to roll and then someone else comes up with a possible problem. I buy into Quicksand’s logic of not having a perfectly realistic transfer for one great reason or another. However, I don't want to invest the time and money to find out that I would have been better served waiting until another patch is released.

Thanks again for helping me get through my reservations so far to this point.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally posted by FloridaFringe
Ok SkyDog, so is the draft import a viable feature or should it be tweaked some more before someone like myself forks out cash for both TCY and FOF 2004 with the intention of starting a serious career?I think that it will now work a lot better. It has been a viable feature for me for quite some time though.

[MizzouRah]

FF,

As soon as I get de-tached from my TCY career, I plan on getting into FOF 2004 as well as TBCB (but that's another story), anyhow I have about 4 drafts to export from my TCY career that I plan to study a tad. (NOT on the same level as Skydog)

I would really like to see some explaination from Jim when he's back from vacation on the TCY -> FOF transformation. I'm sure he has some logic behind it. :)


Todd

[FloridaFringe]

I knew that you were a proponent of the draft import SkyDog but with your latest observations I wasn't sure if you were having any second thoughts. Thanks again.

I would love to hear how things turn out for you with those draft classes MizzouRah. Any insight in how they work, fall short or even whether or not they improve the overall FOF 2004 experience would be greatly appreciated.

[QuikSand]

I'm also amidst a TCY career, and have a decent stack of draft files ready for FOF 2004 when I get to it. I'll try to help out with the further sleuthing that is surely needed here.

[FloridaFringe]

I am also curious if racking up a bunch of draft files would result in a different playing experience as opposed to taking it one season at a time.

[MizzouRah]

Originally posted by FloridaFringe
I am also curious if racking up a bunch of draft files would result in a different playing experience as opposed to taking it one season at a time.

Probably, I just don't want to get confused at what game I'm playing. :)

I'm playing 5 years each, that way I get a good feel for the league.


Todd

[Ben E Lou]

Originally posted by MizzouRah
Probably, I just don't want to get confused at what game I'm playing. :)

I'm playing 5 years each, that way I get a good feel for the league.


Todd That sounds like a reasonable way to do it. I may try that myself. I'm itchin' to pick TCY back up with 1.2a, but between FOF2004 and the TPF beta, I haven't had time. Maybe I'll alternate FOF2004 and TCY for 5 years at a time or so.

[MizzouRah]

Originally posted by SkyDog
That sounds like a reasonable way to do it. I may try that myself. I'm itchin' to pick TCY back up with 1.2a, but between FOF2004 and the TPF beta, I haven't had time. Maybe I'll alternate FOF2004 and TCY for 5 years at a time or so.

Now that FBCB is in my life, I've slowed a tad. :)

It's the only way I can get into TCY and FOF, respectively. Although it's going to be hard to put TCY down... ;)


Todd

[Front Office Midget]

The import algorithim has been fine for me. I've known since initially importing to FOF4 that it worked by potential. However, right now I don't use this feature because of the 0 holding rating that would seem to make special teams unbearable.

[MizzouRah]

Just finished my first FOF 2k4 draft from an imported 2003 TCY draft file.

Imo, it is MUCH better this year .vs FOF4. I can actually draft by going back to TCY and looking up player stats, ratings, etc...

It does seem like potential is the major factor, although some great TCY players are looking good in FOF as well.

We'll see how they progress throughout the year.



Todd

[MizzouRah]

dola,

Upon further review and looking at the green page vs TCY, all the players ratings in TCY for any player on the green page are good (good stats or not).

Most of the players are good in TCY, but some don't have any stats, just good ratings in TCY.

I'm wondering that upon going through the 4 FOF draft, will the addition of 3 more years of stats help in judging TCY players --> FOF?


Again, thus far (and it's early)... I think Jim did an outstanding job of the conversion from TCY to FOF2k4.



Todd

[Ben E Lou]

Bump.

There's been some discussion lately regarding this. I never got around to doing much more checking on my theory. Did anyone else?

[nilodor]

I don't have any acctual numbers but I know in my last draft import all but three of the all senior team were first 4 round draft picks and most of the first rounders were starters for a year or two. Some had no stats because they had been injured or the draft import had moved them to a different position. This is taken 16 years into imports using the latest TCY patch.