FOF 9 Q & A thread

[jetpunk2000]

Am I blind? I can't find any way to coach the games. Only option I see is run til...

[Bobble]

Originally Posted by jetpunk2000

Am I blind? I can't find any way to coach the games. Only option I see is run til...

Under League/Scores there's a checkbox for "Show/Control Your Team's Game". Then when you "Run Today's Actions" on a game day, it'll take you to the game. Not really intuitive, I agree.

[Ben E Lou]

Has anyone checked when the last time you can extend contracts? Both saved careers I have aren't in-season, but I'm thinking you might not have to do it before Week 1 now. Can anyoone verify?

[Dutch]

Originally Posted by Gallifrey

If injured to the level of IR on his player card under Action: drop down menu should be the option I think.

I do not have any injured players to confirm.

This function is not working for me. I see Jim has annotated it for review in his notes, so that's good.

If you are trying to put a seriously injured player on IR, a workaround at this time is to set "AI Makes Minor Roster Decisions" and "AI Handles Depth Chart" sim a day, and I suppose you can turn those back off, but I'm just going to leave them on until I that works.

[Dutch]

Minor aesthetic issue. On the league overview page, all the individual leaders logo appears to be their home state and not their actual team. For Team Statistic leaders, they use a snippet of their larger logos and not the small (or shrunk) logos.

[beatle]

On the trade screen I was trying to make a draft trade and I can only put 1 draft choice up on the screen. If I put another draft pick up there, the previous draft pick goes back to the bin as they say. If you put the other teams pick there it makes your pick, go away as well. It makes it hard to make a trade. It appears the best you can do is hit receive offer for one pick and see what the computer offers you. Personally, I like the previous versions where you could add or delete as needed. Hopefully, this can be fixed or changed in the future for more flexibility.

[beatle]

One more question. In the help files there was good information on weight for each players offence and defense type, however there was no height information which would have given you a complete picture of what to look for in a player. Does anyone know the height specs the corresponding weights?

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by Ben E Lou

Has anyone checked when the last time you can extend contracts? Both saved careers I have aren't in-season, but I'm thinking you might not have to do it before Week 1 now. Can anyoone verify?

I just simmed forward to test. You can now extend players all the way up to the bowl. Woot!

[garion333]

Originally Posted by beatle

On the trade screen I was trying to make a draft trade and I can only put 1 draft choice up on the screen. If I put another draft pick up there, the previous draft pick goes back to the bin as they say. If you put the other teams pick there it makes your pick, go away as well. It makes it hard to make a trade. It appears the best you can do is hit receive offer for one pick and see what the computer offers you. Personally, I like the previous versions where you could add or delete as needed. Hopefully, this can be fixed or changed in the future for more flexibility.

Correct, the new design is to only allow you to offer a player or pick and have the AI finish the offer.

I absolutely love this new method, mostly because it allowed me to acquire 28 picks in the next draft. Unfortunately, I hate the new version of drafting so I've dug myself into an awfully deep hole.

[dischokie]

Playing a game with the Browns and the first season they lost $168,530,000 in jersey sales which resulted in a loss of 181,500,000.

Anyone else see anything like this?

[NawlinsFan]

Originally Posted by dischokie

Playing a game with the Browns and the first season they lost $168,530,000 in jersey sales which resulted in a loss of 181,500,000.

Anyone else see anything like this?

It's the Browns, they had to pay someone to take the jerseys away!




--- sorry, couldn't pass it up.

[NFFA]

Hello, a noob here. Looking to purchase FOF9, but have a couple of question. #1: Can you run the game like a commissioner and not as a single team. #2: Can you start this league in a prior year (ie: 80's,90's, etc)?

[dave1927p]

How do I pull up the box scores? Used to be able to do it in the same screen when simulating so i could see the score. Now I have to click to other areas like the schedule. And when in the box score you used to be able to see it all in one area…now it’s a drop down list taking more clicks. These items really feel like a step backwards

[Carman Bulldog]

Originally Posted by NawlinsFan

It's the Browns, they had to pay someone to take the jerseys away!




--- sorry, couldn't pass it up.

Maybe they had to do their own DeShaun jersey buyback?

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by Cole

I don't think it's necessarily a %...

From the manual ...

But....the actual interface won't allow you to go over 100. Filing this one as a bug (or at minimum a discrepancy between the manual and the actual functionality of the game.)

[NawlinsFan]

I successfully laid the foundation for a new universe representing the USFL/XFL merger as a test bed. Everything seems to be in place but there is one issue and I didn't see it on Jims list and may report it.

I had previously noted issues with the base games stadium configurations. With this one I set everything up and when I go in-game the team, date opened and location are all good. After that it looks like the game altered the information pulling it from somewhere else.

I had all open air stadiums with capacities ranging from 45k-49k, all grass and all with the same condition setting to level set the league. All of these were changed.

I would appreciate any feedback from anyone else creating a universe to see if they are encountering any issues.

[NawlinsFan]

Another observed issue with league creation. I set the league exhibition games to 0 yet in game they defaulted back to 4. I need to go through each of the games csv's to ensure theres no redundancy. I did find two instances of CAP and salary settings in two different files.

[Caligari]

So, as far as I can tell there is no way, at the moment, to change any team primary/secondary colors once a league is created?

[thaynes888]

Thus far the game has been unplayable for me. I'm unable to advance to the first exhibition game. When I go to sim the next day, a new screen briefly flashes then goes away. Anyone else having this issue?

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by thaynes888

Thus far the game has been unplayable for me. I'm unable to advance to the first exhibition game. When I to sim the next day, a new screen briefly flashes then goes away. Anyone else having this issue?

Huh. That's odd. I've quick-simmed well over a hundred seasons now, and also have played (with the AI handling nothing) several full seasons. Maybe the playbook isn't full? Maybe look around the screen for an error message? (I've noticed that some of the messages are no longer popups, but simply an on-screen note saying you can't move forward until you do X.)

[thaynes888]

Originally Posted by Ben E Lou

Huh. That's odd. I've quick-simmed well over a hundred seasons now, and also have played (with the AI handling nothing) several full seasons. Maybe the playbook isn't full? Maybe look around the screen for an error message? (I've noticed that some of the messages are no longer popups, but simply an on-screen note saying you can't move forward until you do X.)

Thanks Ben... that was the problem. In this particular universe I had created a playbook with 190 plays. Apparently you MUST have 200. There was no on-screen or pop-up error message that alerted me to that.

[Bobble]

Originally Posted by Caligari

So, as far as I can tell there is no way, at the moment, to change any team primary/secondary colors once a league is created?

You can go to the team's Change Logo screen and there's a button to change primary and secondary color. Feels like it's meant for you to bring in a default .bmp of generic colors (like a block "A", for example) and use that to colorize the .bmp (so your "A" is now blue), but it doesn't seem to change the team color on the highlighted tab.

Plus, I would like a lot more screens and tables to use the team colors. There are so many screens that are just a wall of text and coloring the team name would help differentiate players and offer a bit more immersion.

[markprior22]

Originally Posted by thaynes888

Thus far the game has been unplayable for me. I'm unable to advance to the first exhibition game. When I go to sim the next day, a new screen briefly flashes then goes away. Anyone else having this issue?

Make sure your depth charts are complete/valid before playing game.

[markprior22]

Is there a way to adjust # of carries between running backs? Say I want one guy to get around 80% of the carries with backup getting 20%.

[johnnyshaka]

Originally Posted by dischokie

Playing a game with the Browns and the first season they lost $168,530,000 in jersey sales which resulted in a loss of 181,500,000.

Anyone else see anything like this?

I've seen this as well...it's on the list of bugs to fix.

[Caligari]

Originally Posted by Bobble

You can go to the team's Change Logo screen and there's a button to change primary and secondary color. Feels like it's meant for you to bring in a default .bmp of generic colors (like a block "A", for example) and use that to colorize the .bmp (so your "A" is now blue), but it doesn't seem to change the team color on the highlighted tab.

I don't think it changes anything, long term. I can change those things, save the logo, but next time I come there (and in the few places I think the colors are being used) everything is reset to what I assume is in the save file.

Ah well, its only a trial league, so I can work out what I need to do for my first real run!

[NawlinsFan]

Ok, beyond frustrated - again. I have completed 3 test universes, the latest a 1970. I built the team info file paying attention to everything. Even detailed a number of teams with pending stadium development within the next 5 years. yet when I go in-game and pull the stadium data it is all over the place and hardly looks like the info file. Deleting the saved file and regenerating another has the same effect but not the exact same result.

This has become beyond annoying as I continue to try to do this. I cannot identify the disconnect, damn!

I know there are other priorities that Jim is concerned with but this is even an an issue with the base files and something really needs to be looked at to try and determine what the cause may be. If I am doing something wrong and missing something, tell me.

[gfrench]

I am trying to resign my players and keep getting "Offer Error" Unable to locate player....Anyone else got this or know what it means?

[Marmel]

I was able to edit the csv files to rename the NFL teams, but if I want to create a customer league of 16 teams, how can I pick the cities and name the teams? Can this even be done?

[Dutch]

Originally Posted by gfrench

I am trying to resign my players and keep getting "Offer Error" Unable to locate player....Anyone else got this or know what it means?

This was identified as an issue for the first day of free agency (which is supposed to be reserved for resigning your own players). You'll have to advance a day and skip that benefit (until the patch comes out which will address that).

[Dutch]

Originally Posted by NawlinsFan

Ok, beyond frustrated - again. I have completed 3 test universes, the latest a 1970. I built the team info file paying attention to everything. Even detailed a number of teams with pending stadium development within the next 5 years. yet when I go in-game and pull the stadium data it is all over the place and hardly looks like the info file. Deleting the saved file and regenerating another has the same effect but not the exact same result.

This has become beyond annoying as I continue to try to do this. I cannot identify the disconnect, damn!

I know there are other priorities that Jim is concerned with but this is even an an issue with the base files and something really needs to be looked at to try and determine what the cause may be. If I am doing something wrong and missing something, tell me.

I can imagine the frustration. I don't know if he'll get to this right away, but if it's any consolation, I'm willing to bet he'll investigate it.

[NawlinsFan]

Are we not allowed to submit for stadium upgrades at the end of the season as we were in FOF8? I am currrently at that stage and only see an option to build a new stadium.


Next up, another observation. Not sure how easy this would be to do but it is a must if the game will allow and support historical mods.

Submitting a stadium plan. Is there an easy method of having the cost align itself to the leagues current year. An explanation that will provide some insight. It's 1970, we just finished our first season and as we move forward attempt to submit a stadium modification plan but the only option is a new build. The cheapest comes in at over $1.4B. Yes, thats a "B". No way it should cost that much in 1970 dollars. The Superdome, completed in 1975, only cost $134M.

Submitting ticket prices. Same as above. The prices as set on universe creation are a bit outlandish. Example, one team in 1970 had their upper deck seats going for $166 with the rest crawling up the scale to a ridiculous $390k for a luxury box. Hell, same team showed a family of 4 would pay over $2100 to attend a game. Again, not representative of the leagues current year, 1970 going into 1971.

[Cole]

Originally Posted by Marmel

I was able to edit the csv files to rename the NFL teams, but if I want to create a customer league of 16 teams, how can I pick the cities and name the teams? Can this even be done?

Yes. Same way you edited the csv files to change the NFL names … you just need to find the league structure you want to use in the default teams csv and change the cities/nicknames to what you want, then create a universe and use default data with that structure.

[Cole]

Originally Posted by Caligari

I don't think it changes anything, long term. I can change those things, save the logo, but next time I come there (and in the few places I think the colors are being used) everything is reset to what I assume is in the save file.

Ah well, its only a trial league, so I can work out what I need to do for my first real run!

I was actually curious about that. Are the team colours used in differing places in the game, and if so where ?

I had always just assumed those colors were only there to dictate how the default logos would be colored.

[Bobble]

Originally Posted by Cole

I was actually curious about that. Are the team colours used in differing places in the game, and if so where ?

I had always just assumed those colors were only there to dictate how the default logos would be colored.

The only other place I've seen the colors, unfortunately, is to color in which tab you're on.

[dave1927p]

where do you actually play in a game? I've only seen where I can simulate the game. Been looking for the button and can't for the life of me find it.

[Bobble]

Originally Posted by dave1927p

where do you actually play in a game? I've only seen where I can simulate the game. Been looking for the button and can't for the life of me find it.

I'll quote my previous reply.

Originally Posted by Bobble

Under League/Scores there's a checkbox for "Show/Control Your Team's Game". Then when you "Run Today's Actions" on a game day, it'll take you to the game. Not really intuitive, I agree.

[rkmsuf]

td catches on Offense season summary screen

[Cole]

Does it throw anyone else off that "good" ratings in FOF are shades of red? That runs pretty counterintuitive to other games (namely OOTP), but in general in ratings/games red = bad, but here someone rated 90 and up is all red?

[bblom23]

Has anyone found a way to edit the names of the prospects in the draft?

[Cole]

Originally Posted by Cole

Does it throw anyone else off that "good" ratings in FOF are shades of red? That runs pretty counterintuitive to other games (namely OOTP), but in general in ratings/games red = bad, but here someone rated 90 and up is all red?

Maybe it doesn't bother anyone else, but to piggyback my own comment....

The colors aren't even consistent within the game. For example QB/WR chemistry ... green is good/positive chemistry, red is bad/negative chemistry.

Which is the way it logically makes sense to be.

Yet for player ratings it's the flipped... red is "great/excellent" or "positive" ratings ... Green is for mid-range values ...

Then combine ratings seem to be on a different color scale as well .. the best-rated guys seem to be somewhere in a yellow to orange scale color ...but then there's also green, blue and white on the way down ...

Maybe I'm missing something and I stand to have this better explained to me.

But to my mind for a game where quickly seeing things at a glance is important, being able to quickly correlate "good" and "bad" ratings with their appropriate colors in all aspects of the game seems important.

I think it would be great to see red = "bad", then up from yellows, greens and blues as things get "good".

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by Cole

Maybe it doesn't bother anyone else

I suspect that there's sort of a "muscle memory" sort of thing at work here. It probably has to do with the fact that the ratings color scheme has worked that way for, I think, over 20 years (probably FOF4) I remember when combines were first given colors...probably in FOF2K4, maybe FOF2K7. People squawked about red being "good" then...but having done it that way for 15-20 years, you don't hear complaints about it any more because a lot of folks are just used to it.
To give another example of this sort of "gaming muscle memory," I've angered a number of players/agents in FOF9 because the "Yes" and "No" buttons switched sides when confirming an offer to a free agent. I just reflexively click on the button to the left to confirm, because that's what I've done forever...even though it's clearly marked as "No."

[Cole]

Originally Posted by Ben E Lou

I suspect that there's sort of a "muscle memory" sort of thing at work here. It probably has to do with the fact that the ratings color scheme has worked that way for, I think, over 20 years (probably FOF4) I remember when combines were first given colors...probably in FOF2K4, maybe FOF2K7. People squawked about red being "good" then...but having done it that way for 15-20 years, you don't hear complaints about it any more because a lot of folks are just used to it.
To give another example of this sort of "gaming muscle memory," I've angered a number of players/agents in FOF9 because the "Yes" and "No" buttons switched sides when confirming an offer to a free agent. I just reflexively click on the button to the left to confirm, because that's what I've done forever...even though it's clearly marked as "No."

Good perspective from someone who has been around the game a lot longer than I, thanks.

I genuinely questioned if it was a bug at first, since the color schemes in the game not matching each other, and red = good are two things that both don't seem super logical. But I suppose I'll adapt.

It would be a nice compromise if this was somehow editable or customizable, but I presume not.

[NawlinsFan]

Originally Posted by Ben E Lou

I suspect that there's sort of a "muscle memory" sort of thing at work here. It probably has to do with the fact that the ratings color scheme has worked that way for, I think, over 20 years (probably FOF4) I remember when combines were first given colors...probably in FOF2K4, maybe FOF2K7. People squawked about red being "good" then...but having done it that way for 15-20 years, you don't hear complaints about it any more because a lot of folks are just used to it.
To give another example of this sort of "gaming muscle memory," I've angered a number of players/agents in FOF9 because the "Yes" and "No" buttons switched sides when confirming an offer to a free agent. I just reflexively click on the button to the left to confirm, because that's what I've done forever...even though it's clearly marked as "No."

I must admit the red/green issue has always and continues to annoy me. In the past I modded that file in FOF8 to make me happy. Still in the end I realize that I just have to get over it.

[Cole]

Originally Posted by NawlinsFan

I must admit the red/green issue has always and continues to annoy me. In the past I modded that file in FOF8 to make me happy. Still in the end I realize that I just have to get over it.

Does similar file exist in FOF9 that I could adjust ?

[NawlinsFan]

Originally Posted by Cole

Does similar file exist in FOF9 that I could adjust ?

No it's not in the artwork folder.

[bblom23]

Is there a screen in FOF9 that shows the roster limit for each position? It was very helpful for me in FOF8, but I can't seem to find it in the new game, and I don't know the roster limit for each position without a guide.

[garion333]

Originally Posted by Cole

Good perspective from someone who has been around the game a lot longer than I, thanks.

I genuinely questioned if it was a bug at first, since the color schemes in the game not matching each other, and red = good are two things that both don't seem super logical. But I suppose I'll adapt.

It would be a nice compromise if this was somehow editable or customizable, but I presume not.

I wrote Jim an email touching on some of the color inconsistencies. Not combine scores, mind you, I figured he did it the way he did it in purpose (and red was always good there, for whatever reason).

One is on the active/inactive screen where inactive players names are green but the button to turn them inactive is a red X and green O for active.

[garion333]

Originally Posted by bblom23

Is there a screen in FOF9 that shows the roster limit for each position? It was very helpful for me in FOF8, but I can't seem to find it in the new game, and I don't know the roster limit for each position without a guide.

Depth Charts - Active

[Cole]

Originally Posted by garion333

I wrote Jim an email touching on some of the color inconsistencies. Not combine scores, mind you, I figured he did it the way he did it in purpose (and red was always good there, for whatever reason).

One is on the active/inactive screen where inactive players names are green but the button to turn them inactive is a red X and green O for active.

I'm just glad to hear I'm not alone! And if 'it's always been that way' is the only compelling reason why they don't match and red = good in some places, maybe there could be a change (or at least ability to mod it again) in the future. Perhaps I'll also send an email on this item.