FOF: Trading help

[Ragin Cajun]

Hey guys,

recently joined a couple of FOF leagues again and working on getting into the game again. The biggest hangup is "hidden" stuff that it seems only "some people" know like static bars and what is hidden at certain positions and that isn't really propogated out there for the masses to be on the same page as the "inner circle" (for lack of a better term). This gives a definite competitive edge to those in the know and gives the rest of us (like me) no shot of winning consistently or fielding a good team.

However, what I'm searching for at the present time is some help on trading (in solo play). I fired up a solo league to get more into the nuts and bolts of the game that I do deal with in MP, but to try to get more exposure to it. What I'm really having issues with is the AI trading. Through about eight seasons now, I have been unable to make one single trade.

When I propose a trade, shop a player, and then offer up to the teams showing 99 or 100 interest, they inevitably tell me (a) Not willing to take on the salary, (b) Not enough value or more recently (c) Not willing to trade a player that would leave a lot of dead cap room (whatever that means...lol).

When the cpu proposes a trade (rarely), they ask for one of my "in their prime" players that are All Pro status and offer a 5th or 6th round pick for them.

I don't see any settings to adjust for trading AI but are there anything that will affect more legit trades in the game? Not looking for rule breaking stuff to rip off the AI, but I'm not seeing any fair trades and can't trade anyone when I start the talks.

[sqvirrel]

It is difficult, maybe impossible, to trade a non star player after about his 3rd season. It is pretty easy to trade a guy with some potential in his 2nd year. You won't get a great return, but it will be pretty reasonable.

Also, consider your opponents' trade proposals as starters. Look at their roster, there will occasionally be a player that you like who they will be willing to trade (not a lot of dead cap, not a fan favorite).

Finally I have a lot of success trading a player and a pick for a higher pick.


and then there are the AI cheating deals

[MIJB#19]

(c) Not willing to trade a player that would leave a lot of dead cap room (whatever that means...lol).It means that player has a big signing bonus assigned to the next seasons and the player would cost the team more cap space next season when he's not on team.

Consider a player with a contract like:
sal - bon
1M - 4M
3M - 4M
4M - 4M
5M - 4M

trading that player wil save 1M this season, but the 3M salary next season will be replaced with the 4M bonus figures in the 3rd and 4th years, which would mean it costs that team 5M more (4M+4M-3M) of cap space when trading that player.

[aston217]

Ragin! Hey man (I'm Nebraska in the NCFA).

Trading in solo is going to be tough. The AI is more or less going to screw you in trades, and almost everyone is untradeable at all. The ones you can trade, you'll get jobbed.

The flip side is, the AI is so thoroughly incompetent in SP that it would be extremely cruel if you could pull off a balanced trade. The human owner doesn't need any more human advantages -- such as evaluating trades -- to stomp on the AI teams.

As far as the 'hidden' stuff goes, I think the FOF community in large is very good about trying to help out the newbies and to get everyone up to speed. The game has some puzzles about it, but in MP, it's really about how you manage your team over the long haul. Most of us believe people should be on a level playing field, knowledge-wise, and will be happy to answer any questions you might have.

In fact, you should hop on over to the OSFL, where there's one announced opening after the end of the current season ;)