Depth Chart Play Time
 

I started a new game and am handling every aspect myself. In Exhibition game 3, I set the QB to a playing time of 3, hoping to give each QB a bit of time. Here is the box score (i'm including the other positions just for reference sake):


Do I just not understand what playing time means?

This brings me to a further question of what is Jim's intention for the Exhibition games? Seems like it is simply to play roulette with player injuries and not a device to give experience or view potential.

Jim, does the engine see Exhibition games differently than regular season games? Doesn't appear so, as it seems to want to keep the starters in, no matter what playing time I give it.

The playing time combo does not effect QB playing time. It never has. It does for all of the other positions I have seen.

As for preseason games, it's strange. I'll have a few games where the time is split for the QB's, but then I'll have some others where just 1 QB played.

set it to 1

Okay, when calling my own plays I can substitute offensive skill position players whenever I want by selecting "view" play.

But I can't substitute defensive players. Really, that's my only complaint so far. If I'm calling plays I want to be able to send in the entire 2nd team with a single button.

dola, here are my stats when I set it to 1:

Easy, preseason or regular season?

The strange thing is, sometimes I see quarterbacks play all preseason while others split time, as you would expect. I remember Jim trying to get the balance right in one of the patches for FOF4, I think, though I recall there being little improvement. Just from looking at box scores, it seemed to me that if two quarterbacks had high endurance they would share time in exhibition, but where one quarterback was highly rated and the backup was rated very low, the highly rated quarterback would get all the preseason snaps. But I never studied it enough to do anything but speculate.

Also, I read somewhere here recently that lowering your starters' playing time didn't mean they would share more playing time, they would just be pulled more quickly for fatigue or injury (but I don't recall seeing any support for this theory). In any event, this is one of the things people have complained about year after year, so I'd be intersted to see your questions answered by someone who knows for sure.

preseason

In the regular season, does playing time for a QB effect anything at all? For example, if I set it to '1', is the QB more likely to get yanked due to poor play?

2004 Preseason

Regular season Game 2, QB set to 1, and Johnson (8) is my punter:

not in regular season

But that's just a fake punt, yes?

So, the QB Play Time setting in the depth chart is only effective during Preseason. Makes sense, but it would be nice to be able to use that as a Macro for substituting a sucky QB suring the regular season.

IOW, if you set it to 8, there is an 80% chance the coach will sub the second string QB at some point during the game to replace the guy that is stinking up the joint. Or something along those lines.

Oh well, I guess I'll have to play-call the game to get that.

Actually:

I usually just put my starting QB as #3 on the depth chart, and my #3 as #1. I usually get a pretty good balance then. I have seen one occasion where my usual starter played the entire game even though he was listed #3.

By the way, on the subject of fake FGs, isn't it nice to see the holder doing the throwing now instead of the kicker?

This season, in the NFL, I don't remember who, but I saw a kicker, lined up for a field goal, take a direct snap and try a pooch punt. He could have tried a pass if he had wanted to. This to say that having the kicker try a pass isn't so farfetched...

FM

yes, that change is good.