Lots of work on the passing game lately. I fixed an issue where the QB was leading the WR out of bounds far too often. (usually at the back of the end zone) That got really annoying for passing teams that get in the red zone.
I also reintroduced blitz pickup AI! Blitzing LBs were getting way too overpowered, so I pulled the RB blitz pickup AI out of the dustbin and spruced it up. Frankly, it's a pretty devastating weapon right now. A decent RB will completely obliterate a blitzing LB. I'll probably have to tone that down a bit, but I need to think about how to go about it. For now, it's a good counter to the uber-sack LB.
Now, if you blitz 2 LBs like the Treefrogs do....
I also fixed up the completion percentage calculation to match fast-sim. It's weighted more fairly between the WR skill and the QB skill now. Previously, it was nearly all WR skill so a great WR would cover up average QB play. (the Horowitz effect) Great WRs will still compensate for average QBs, but not nearly as much. Now, the system also allows for an elite QB to elevate average WRs.
My list is getting pretty short now! There are just a few things to wrap up before kicking off the next development league.
- Make kick return formations adjust to bad kickers. (right now they always line up deep, no matter how weak the kicker's leg is)
- Do some playbook updates to clean up formations and play style in preparation for hot-routing.
- Fix the defensive plays so safeties actually matter
I think that's about it! It's way easier to update the roster management AI with a live league, so those updates will be held off until we're rolling. Also, the graphical updates are going to be completed and integrated as we go. A lot of the graphics are being done by a local designer I just found, so they will get put in as the work comes in.