How to generate Schedules?

[redfox000]

I have purchased every iteration of FOF over the last 10 years. Just for fun and my own experience I am attempting to develop a custom program that will generate nfl schedules automatically based on 32 teams and records the user inputs. I am curious how you do the schedules in the FOF game and wondered if anyone could provide any advice or sample algorithms that are used. I know how the schedules should go (play in division, 2nd division in your conf, div in other conf, + 2 more games) but putting that down on paper and including byes as well seems to be much harder than it initially sounded.

Any advice anyone could provide would be much appreciated.

Thank you.

[Caligari]

Scheduling of this sort is usually a very hard problem. I don't know how FOF handles it, but I'd expect that it simplifies the problem through the use of templates or patterns of some sort.

I'd be interested to hear what FOF is doing. And for that matter how the NFL handles it.

[MIJB#19]

As far as I can see, FOF handles this by having roughly the same schedule every single season (successfully rotating the divisional matchups). It's very static in that regard:
week 1 - all in division
week 2 - all vs division other conference
week 3 - all vs same ranked team
week 4 - 4 byes, 14 games vs division in same conference
week 5 - 4 byes, 5 games in division, 9 games vs division in same conference
week 6 - 4 byes, 3 games in division, 11 games vs division in same conference
week 7 - 4 byes, 5 games in division, 9 games vs division in same conference
week 8 - 4 byes, 7 games in division, 7 games vs division in same conference
week 9 - 4 byes, 6 games in division, 8 games vs division in same conference
week 10 - 4 byes, 8 games in division, 6 games vs division in same conference
week 11 - 4 byes, 14 games in division
week 12 - all vs division other conference
week 13 - all vs same ranked team
week 14 - all vs division other conference
week 15 - all in division
week 16 - all vs division other conference
week 17 - all in division

I haven't checked weeks 4 through 11 in further detail, so the breakdown between 'in division' and 'vs division in same conference' might vary from season to season. The other weeks are set in stone and teams are basically plugged into the correct spot based on where they ranked last season and on the division vs division rotation. Not sure about FOF7, but in previous versions there were 12 different schedules, which were all very similar.

The NFL appears to have more variety, even alternating between 6 byes and 2 byes in the middle of the season.

Alternatives should be possible, I think it's best to make some sort of template and find a way to have teams and divisions correctly rotate within that template. It isn't an easy exercise, though, because you'll also want teams to alternate between home and road games against teams from other division. For example, if the NFC East plays the NFC North and you have Chicago @ Dallas this year, three years later you want Dallas @ Chicago. And in between, they might be forced to play based on their similar rankings the previous year.

[redfox000]

As far as I can see, FOF handles this by having roughly the same schedule every single season (successfully rotating the divisional matchups). It's very static in that regard:
week 1 - all in division
week 2 - all vs division other conference
week 3 - all vs same ranked team
week 4 - 4 byes, 14 games vs division in same conference
week 5 - 4 byes, 5 games in division, 9 games vs division in same conference
week 6 - 4 byes, 3 games in division, 11 games vs division in same conference
week 7 - 4 byes, 5 games in division, 9 games vs division in same conference
week 8 - 4 byes, 7 games in division, 7 games vs division in same conference
week 9 - 4 byes, 6 games in division, 8 games vs division in same conference
week 10 - 4 byes, 8 games in division, 6 games vs division in same conference
week 11 - 4 byes, 14 games in division
week 12 - all vs division other conference
week 13 - all vs same ranked team
week 14 - all vs division other conference
week 15 - all in division
week 16 - all vs division other conference
week 17 - all in division

I haven't checked weeks 4 through 11 in further detail, so the breakdown between 'in division' and 'vs division in same conference' might vary from season to season. The other weeks are set in stone and teams are basically plugged into the correct spot based on where they ranked last season and on the division vs division rotation. Not sure about FOF7, but in previous versions there were 12 different schedules, which were all very similar.

The NFL appears to have more variety, even alternating between 6 byes and 2 byes in the middle of the season.

Alternatives should be possible, I think it's best to make some sort of template and find a way to have teams and divisions correctly rotate within that template. It isn't an easy exercise, though, because you'll also want teams to alternate between home and road games against teams from other division. For example, if the NFC East plays the NFC North and you have Chicago @ Dallas this year, three years later you want Dallas @ Chicago. And in between, they might be forced to play based on their similar rankings the previous year.

I had noticed that too. I see that every couple years I (as the bears) play the packers at the middle and end of the season.

Thanks for your suggestions everyone.

[dzilla77]

That depends on your order of finish in the division the previous year.