The Birth of the Treefrogs (the first Desktop Dynasties dynasty)

[GoldenCrest Games]

Week 11

Yeah, we get worked by the Slates.

We really had no chance the whole game. Faulkner couldn't find any running room because the Slates DL was stout. My WRs aren't good enough to get open against the Slates CBs, and my QB missed what few opportunities he had. Not a lot of fun to realize my former CB Michel was a big part of shutting down my offense.

Our only TD came from a KR. Ugh....

On defense, we did ok, but eventually the WRs got behind my slow secondary. It's bound to happen.

The other big game was the Twisters-Swarm game!! What a game! The Twisters offense looked like it was back to normal, but it was up against the elite Swarm pass defense. Also, the Swarm power-pass offense was playing ball control as much as possible. In the end, the Swarm edged the Twisters, but it was a fun one.

[GoldenCrest Games]

Standings and Leaders

Are you kidding me? The Slates only had 2 wins??

That was an embarrassing loss.

Well, it looks like the Olives are for real. The shoot up to the top of the East as the Twisters drop 2 of the last 3. In the West, the Swarm take over the top spot! It's hard to believe the Swarm turnaround from the first half of last season. Remember, they were gone and dead. We were starting to think about "the process". Now look at them!

Faulkner is starting to falter in the MVP race, and here comes Huntley. Ugh, here we go again with the Nemesis..... They may take my MVP, but at least they won't make the playoffs.

Overall, I think stats are starting to look pretty good. We don't have crazy sack numbers, interceptions are coming around, rushing is making a comeback, and QBs are having realistic passing yardage. It's starting to look pretty good!

[jct32]

We got put in our place. Also if you ever need help designing plays I can help out. I have a little bit of experience and would love to help out.

[GoldenCrest Games]

Originally Posted by jct32

We got put in our place. Also if you ever need help designing plays I can help out. I have a little bit of experience and would love to help out.

That's a pretty good idea. I'll write up a list of the current rules and options, and let you have at it!

[jct32]

Originally Posted by GoldenCrest Games

That's a pretty good idea. I'll write up a list of the current rules and options, and let you have at it!

Sounds great to me!

[GoldenCrest Games]

Here's how play design works:

Each offensive play has 3 OL, 1 WR, and a QB. The other 3 players are chosen from the following:
1 extra OL
1 or 2 RB
1-3 WR

That gives you the offensive set.

The offensive formations are pretty open right now, but need to have a QB and the 3 OL in normal positions. I generally have all RB in the backfield and all WR near the line, but that's not hard-coded. The 4th OL is usually off to the right of the other linemen, but that's not really a rule. I also usually line up OL1 at LT because DL1 is opposite him. I've found that switching OL1 to the right usually ends up badly for the QB.

Available player assignments:
Pass block: pretty simple assignment. The player AI handles all the logic.
Run block: Blocker determines the best defender to block and executes. The decision is made based on a "inside-out" strategy. The blockers nearest the point of attack take the best defender (based on block angle and distance) and then the next closest blocker picks a defender, and so on until all run blockers have an assignment. Double-teams are determined by the AI. No additional assignment is necessary for run blocking.
Lead block: Basically a run block that has a route. The blocker will execute the route, and then will become a run blocker when he gets to the end.
Screen block: It's a little like a lead block. The difference is at the end of the route. A screen blocker will stop and wait for the pass to be thrown before turning into a run blocker. This allows you to set up blocking formations for your screen passes. That's the only difference, though.

Runner: The guy running the ball. He will follow his route until he gets to the point of attack. (the spot where the running assignment ends) Once he hits the point of attack, his AI takes over and he becomes an "open field runner". I've had success creating "read" runs by placing the point of attack 4 yards behind the LOS, and letting the runner find the hole. The downside of that kind of play is that he may not find a hole, and will lose a ton of yards. Kind of the Barry Sanders strategy. Read runs are cool if you have a high-skill RB and a great OL. For normal RBs and normal OL, it's usually better to get to the LOS as quickly as possible and find holes on the 2nd level.

Receiver: Player runs a route with up to 4 nodes. A node is essentially a corner, or a defined point on the route. Nodes are where the player changes directions, pauses, or stops. The player doesn't do anything while he's running between nodes, other than try to avoid running into other players. When the ball is thrown, the route is thrown out the window and the receiver tries to adjust to the ball.

Passer: The QB on passing plays.


Within those, there are a few additional options:
For Passer
Dropback timer: How long the QB waits before starting to read receivers. I use this to let receivers get into the routes before looking to pass. I generally set this to 0.75s on regular pass plays.
Progressions: The number of reads the QB will do. (1 to 4) Right now I cycle through the reads from 1 to 4, and then restart at 1. High skilled QBs will read at a faster rate than low skilled QBs. That also allows them to go through the cycle multiple times in the same time a bad QB would get through once. Knowing that your QB will/won't get a second or third read cycle has made for interesting play design options. It's been fun designing plays for average QBs to get through all the reads once, but also adding in a little something extra for the great QBs that get a second/third cycle. It also means there are times you'll only want to have 2 reads, because you'll want most QBs to go through the cycle more than once. I've also have played around with 1-read plays. They work if you really want to lock onto a WR and wait for him to get open.

For Receiver:
Progression number (0-4): Which read the receiver is. If a receiver is set to progression number = 0, it means he's a decoy.

For all players with routes:
Node delay: You can put a delay into any route, at any node. If you put a delay in before the 1st node, the player pauses before making his first move. If you put a delay later in the route, the player will pause when he hits that node, and then start running again when the delay is up. You also need to specify the amount of time to delay. I use this to have WRs pause before going into routes (so another WR can clear the space) or to have RBs pause before starting a run (to allow blocking to develop).

[GoldenCrest Games]

I finally got the kick in the pants needed to take the next big step in the game's development.

I just got over the plague I've been dealing with for the last week, so it was a good time to knock out another week of games. I had a great game against the Rainbow Sharks that came down to a 4th and long that the Rainbow Sharks converted for the game winning TD!

I ran the rest of the games, and then accidentally hit the "load" button instead of the "save" button, ruining the whole week's progress. Now that's not a huge deal, because I just have to re-sim the week, except that slow-sim takes about 40 minutes to do a week.



I think it's time to finish the fast-sim.

I have almost all of the fast-sim logic drawn up, and I have some large blocks of time set aside during the week of the 23rd. I'd planned on using that time to hammer through another season, but I think fast-sim is much more important. I can't imagine any alpha tester wanting to wait through 40 minutes of sim time per week. Once fast-sim is implemented, it should be relatively easy to get the game in shape for testing.

Anyway, games are 3/4 done running now, so week 12 should be up soon!

[GoldenCrest Games]

Week 12 and 13

Week 12, we end up beating the Rainbow Sharks on the replay, but this time I let the AI run the game for me. That's not comforting that the AI is better at calling a game than I am.

Also, in other 'rubbing salt in it' news, the Swarm go and destroy the Slates 26-0. Once week after the Treefrogs get beat by them.

Twisters continue to show they are the favorite for the 2018 title by beating the T-Pain.

Week 13:
Twisters, Treefrogs, and Swarm all win again. I'm not sure why this bothers me so much, the the T-Pain also shut out the Slates. grrrr......

[GoldenCrest Games]

Standings and Leaders

With 1 game to go, the playoffs are pretty much set. There's a small chance the Eggshells catch the Rainbow Sharks for the 4th slot in the East, but it won't matter because either of them will get killed by the Twisters.

I can't believe it, but Faulkner is still hanging on in the MVP race! Come on, man!! You can do it!! Huntley is making a charge, but it might be too late.

I like how our QB Moody made it on the list, by riding the coat-tails of Faulkner's swing-pass receptions.

[SirBlurton]

Didn't expect to see the Swarm pick it up this much in year 2 - what's been their main source of offensive points? Don't see them on the leaderboard other than Armbruster - and he wasn't much of a WR if I recall?

[GoldenCrest Games]

Originally Posted by SirBlurton

Didn't expect to see the Swarm pick it up this much in year 2 - what's been their main source of offensive points? Don't see them on the leaderboard other than Armbruster - and he wasn't much of a WR if I recall?

The Swarm have pretty balanced scoring this season

• As a team they are scoring 20.8ppg
• WR Armbruster counts for 8ppg on receiving TDs (10) and return TDs (5).
• RB Rowan counts for 4.3ppg on rushing TD (1) and receiving TD (7)
• There are some other guys that have moved in/out of the RB2 spot that have contributed, but the surprise is that K Halliday counts for 7.15ppg with 31 FGs!

Defense and power-passing. Deadly combo.

This is a good reminder that I need to finish that stats screen.

[GoldenCrest Games]

Quick development update:

Before simming the last week of the season, I really want to finish the league history screen. This is where I'm storing the season awards, so post-week 14 is the perfect time to use live data for testing.

I don't think it should take more than a day or so.

[GoldenCrest Games]

Missed a few days of programming because the plague came back with a vengeance.

However, we're back! I ended up grinding through the awards screen, processing, and data storage. That seems to work pretty well now. Now I'm powering through the fast-sim.

I don't know why I'm always surprised at this, but every time I write this engine it shocks me how much harder the blocking is than the rest of the engine. I've spent almost a whole day on pass blocking and I've still got a few hours to go! That being said, I'm really excited about how it works. I took a vastly different approach this time. It makes extra blockers and free rushers a lot more meaningful than the previous versions of the blocking engine, without just throwing an adjustment to some probability chart.

In the end, the fast-sim engine is going to be very similar in function to the real-time engine.
(at least for blocking and pass rushing, so far)

Not sure if I'm going to make my goal of having fast-sim done by Monday, but it should be close.

[GoldenCrest Games]

Fast-sim going well, and should be ready for next season. That means it's time to get back into this season!

Before we finished out the last week, I had to backdate the awards save file for last season. There's some missing data because I wasn't tracking some of the new stats for the first 2 seasons, but it wouldn't have changed who won the awards.

2017 Awards Recap

Treefrogs Awards:
Best OL - Eddy Lowell
Best K - Merlin Clair
Best ST - Hugh Poston

Twisters Awards:
Best QB - Kory Luna

Swarm Awards:
ST MVP - Reginald Armbruster
Best KR - Reginald Armbruster

After the next game, I'll hand out the 2018 awards!

[jct32]

Do you backdate the award to the team they won it with?

Because we didn't get that award with Luna. He got with your team, right?

[GoldenCrest Games]

Originally Posted by jct32

Do you backdate the award to the team they won it with?

Because we didn't get that award with Luna. He got with your team, right?

I traded him right after week 5, so he actually spent more time on the Twisters than the Treefrogs.

Right now the awards take the team the player is on at the end of the season. I chose that because the trade deadline is early enough that the end-season team is where they would have spent more than half the season.

[jct32]

Originally Posted by GoldenCrest Games

I traded him right after week 5, so he actually spent more time on the Twisters than the Treefrogs.

Right now the awards take the team the player is on at the end of the season. I chose that because the trade deadline is early enough that the end-season team is where they would have spent more than half the season.

Sounds like you have thought this out more than me. Keep up the great work!

[GoldenCrest Games]

Originally Posted by jct32

Sounds like you have thought this out more than me. Keep up the great work!

I almost started adding features like tracking each game a player played with each team, so you could see the breakdown. Then I was going to start storing each game's stats to see how they did with each team in the season..... [peers down rabbit hole]

I had to smack myself and remind myself not to overreach for the first version, or I'd never get this game done!

You know what they say. "You can't get to version 5, until you have version 1."

[GoldenCrest Games]

Final game of the regular season!

We did it! The regular season finally concluded!

The Treefrogs are still on coach-control, and they did a pretty good job with the Grays. I'm pretty sure the coach is calling a better defensive game than I am.

Twisters lost a tough one against the Oranges, but it didn't really matter. They already clinched the division.

How about that Swarm defense?? Another shutout!! That's unheard of in this league!

Round 1 of the playoffs are set, too. Swarm get a tough one against the Oranges. They scored 28 against the Twisters, so it will be interesting to see how the Swarm defense slows them down.

The Twisters get a shot at last season's Eastern Champion, the Rainbow Sharks. Come on, Twisters! Let's knock them out and be guaranteed of 2 new logos!!

Treefrogs take on the T-Pain. If I remember the matchup from earlier this season, it was a pretty tough game for us. Please let's not make another early exit..........

[GoldenCrest Games]

Final standings and leaders

Huntley made a late charge, but Faulkner held him off to take the MVP!!! WOOHOO!!!!

It's also a little satisfying to see Urquhart take the return title. It's been a while!

I'm happy to see sacks are back to a reasonable number. Last season's sack leader was a little silly. 57 sacks??


Season Awards
Treefrogs:
MVP - Tyree Faulkner
Best WR - Tyree Faulkner (77 receptions!)

Twisters:
Off MVP - Kory Luna
Best QB - Kory Luna

Swarm:
Def MVP - Johnnie Mcclellan
Best LB - Johnnie Mcclellan
Best ST - Johnnie Mcclellan

Next up:

1. Playoffs
2. Retirements
3. Draft (I think we're going to try doing the draft prior to FA this time. Seems like it's going to work better for roster management)
4. Free Agency
5. Training Camp

[GoldenCrest Games]

Just finished writing the retirements section. I'm excited to see how it works this season. Last season, it was pretty boring to just take the worst 45 free agents and kick them out of the league.

This should add a little more drama.

The rules for retirements are:

• Every player has a chance of retiring
• Anyone that is a meaningful player on a roster, and isn't ancient, has an extremely small chance of retiring
• Players that end the season in the FA pool have a significantly higher chance of retiring than the same type of player on a roster
• If a player retires while under contract, the salary is wiped clean from your books!
• If a player is ancient, but has a long term contract, he's a lot less interested in retiring. (be careful with your long term contracts!)

The same number of players retire every year. (45) That's the amount of room I reserve for the incoming rookie class. This should keep the overall player pool fairly stable. Each year, I anticipate there are going to be a handful of retirements from the previous year's rookies who never got picked up. My guess is that around 10-15 of the retirements will be rookies who never played a snap. A few of the retirements will be those 3 year guys who finished out the rookie contracts but have shown that they are not going to improve. The rest should be coming off the old-guy part of the pool.

Now on to the playoffs!

[GoldenCrest Games]

After the first quarter....

Swarm and Twisters have taken the lead, while the lovable Treefrogs fall behind the T-Pain.

We're explosive enough to make this up.... I hope.

[GoldenCrest Games]

At the half

Swarm are pulling away.

Twisters have a tight one on their hands! The Rainbow Sharks just scored again to tie it up. The Twisters have been in the lead most of the game, though. I think it's just a matter of time before they blow it open.

Treefrogs are having a really hard time dealing with the T-Pain speed. Nobody can get open!

[GoldenCrest Games]

3rd quarter....

and the dream is slipping away for the Treefrogs.

My AI coach isn't calling enough run plays! #armchairQB

Twisters and Swarm blow their games open. Neither should be in doubt in the 4th.

[GoldenCrest Games]

Just like that, the Treefrogs season is over.

The Twisters and Swarm move on, although the Twisters did their best to let the Rainbow Sharks back into the game.

This guarantees 2 new logos at the end of the season!!

In round 2, the Twisters take on the Olives, who destroyed the Cyans!
The Swarm take on the T-Pain in what looks like another blowout. Although, last time they played, the Swarm lost 14-10 so.......

[GoldenCrest Games]

By the way, the Swarm had 7 shutouts this season!

[GoldenCrest Games]

Wow, a couple to close ones in the Division Championship round!

We kind of expected the Swarm to hold the T-Pain to a low number, but the Twisters holding the Olives to 7 points? Nice to see the defense stepping up!

I actually watched a lot of the Twisters-Olives game. It was fun to watch the spread passing attack, since I spend most of my games running the ball. I'm noticing that a few of the Twisters favorite passing plays have WRs that sometimes run into each other. This seems to be more about collision avoidance AI than play design. Something to add to the list for the next season.

Nice to see that we're getting logos for 2 sponsored teams this season! I'll get the designer started right away!

[jct32]

TWISTERS!!!!

[SirBlurton]

Hahaha - GO SWARM!

[GoldenCrest Games]

Here it is!!!

I watched the whole game, and it was TENSE! For the most part, the Twisters did a good job on defense. The Swarm RB speed ended up being too much and they broke a couple long ones after missed tackles.

Frankly, the Swarm defense was SICK. The Twisters managed to get guys open quite often, but Swarm CBs always closed down immediately to make the knockdown or tackle. There were times I was sure the Twisters had a long TD, only to have a Swarm defender fly in and shut it down. Earlier in the season I thought Armbruster was way overpaid and we needed to do something about the cap-crippling salary, but now I think his $57 is a bargain!

Here's the scoring log:
(8): Swarm - K Halliday hits a 47 yard field goal.
(23): Swarm - QB Allen passes to RB1 Rowan for a 53 yard TD!
(53): Swarm - QB Allen passes to RB1 Rowan for a 69 yard TD!
(59): Twisters - QB Luna passes to WR1 Horowitz for a 43 yard TD!

Next up: Retirements!

[SirBlurton]

Woo-hoo! Go Swarm go!
Defense wins championships!

Congrats to the Twisters on a great season!

[jct32]

Congrats Swarm!! Same time next season?

[SirBlurton]

Hah - sounds like a plan!

[GoldenCrest Games]

I've got an updated programming pattern now!

I've taken every Friday off of work, from now until the end of September. Fridays are going to be used for the big-block programming items (like fast sim), while the daily morning hour is going to be used for small items and league progress.

Big-Block Items Left:

• Fast Sim
• In-game graphics and animation
• Graphical game flow (in game and between games)
• Sound and music
• Prep for release

The goal is to get the game across the finish line to Early Access in August. It still feels like we're on track!

[GoldenCrest Games]

The first logo is back!

[SirBlurton]

Hahaha - that's absolutely awesome!
When am I going to be able to play this thing!
Shut up and take my money!

[GoldenCrest Games]

Originally Posted by SirBlurton

Hahaha - that's absolutely awesome!
When am I going to be able to play this thing!
Shut up and take my money!

It's coming! For real!

[jct32]

That logo is insanely awesome.

[GoldenCrest Games]

Retirements News:

The retirements have been processed, and seems to be pretty realistic. Just for debugging and monitoring, the player value (out of 300) and the salary value are listed. I use those to judge the overall quality of a player, and should help to see if we have too many great players retiring.

No retirements from the Twisters. The Swarm have 3 retirements, so it's going to be fun to see if it hurts team chemistry at all, or if it just gives them room to reload. I'm a little happy to see Klink go from the Treefrogs. He was a waste of a draft pick. Also, not surprising that Russo retired.

• Nemesis: QB/CB/ST Carmine Meier retires at the age of 36 and a value of 96.5($1)
  
• Oranges: RB/LB/ST Arthur Layne retires at the age of 33 and a value of 96.8($1)
  
• Reds: OL/DL/ST Salvador Browder retires at the age of 36 and a value of 88.4($1)
  
• Silvers: WR/DL/ST Gaston Karns retires at the age of 31 and a value of 71.5($0)
  
• Alpacas: OL/LB/K Quintin Tyndall retires at the age of 32 and a value of 98.6($1)
  
• Eggshells: OL/CB/KR Adrian Saylor retires at the age of 32 and a value of 100.1($1)
  
• Pinks: OL/DL/KR Edgardo Riley retires at the age of 35 and a value of 117.9($2)
  
• Pinks: QB/LB/K Theron Raney retires at the age of 34 and a value of 116.3($2)
  
• Maroons: QB/S/KR Emmanuel Melendez retires at the age of 35 and a value of 121.2($2)
  
• Browns: OL/S/ST Ismael France retires at the age of 36 and a value of 127.4($3)
  
• Rainbow Sharks: WR/DL/KR Jackson Romine retires at the age of 33 and a value of 128.7($3)
  
• FA: QB/LB/K Rodrigo Montanez retires at the age of 35 and a value of 154.1($6)
  
• Pinks: OL/LB/K Genaro Valverde retires at the age of 33 and a value of 163.0($7)
  
• Silvers: WR/CB/ST Kevin Rowan retires at the age of 29 and a value of 99.7($1)
  
• FA: QB/CB/K Arlen Park retires at the age of 35 and a value of 146.7($5)
  
• FA: QB/S/ST Coleman Dodge retires at the age of 33 and a value of 142.6($4)
  
• FA: QB/DL/KR Isiah Shepard retires at the age of 32 and a value of 143.2($4)
  
• FA: QB/LB/ST Lane Greeley retires at the age of 29 and a value of 139.6($4)
  
• FA: QB/DL/ST Benito Olivas retires at the age of 29 and a value of 139.9($4)
  
• FA: QB/S/K Jed Buckley retires at the age of 29 and a value of 143.1($4)
  
• Blues: WR/LB/K Andy Irons retires at the age of 23 and a value of 101.6($1)
  
• Treefrogs: WR/DL/KR Wm Klink retires at the age of 20 and a value of 131.2($3)
  
• Olives: OL/LB/K Roderick Magee retires at the age of 20 and a value of 114.9($2)
  
• Pinks: RB/LB/KR Stephan Ard retires at the age of 35 and a value of 193.2($14)
  
• Grays: OL/DL/ST Jefferson Mcelroy retires at the age of 34 and a value of 182.9($11)
  
• Browns: RB/CB/ST Elvin Matos retires at the age of 32 and a value of 198.8($16)
  
• Reds: QB/LB/KR Lyman Mcafee retires at the age of 34 and a value of 227.8($27)
  
• Swarm: OL/S/K Dana Carillo retires at the age of 32 and a value of 149.5($5)
  
• Maroons: WR/LB/KR Leonardo Crabtree retires at the age of 35 and a value of 223.9($25)
  
• Avocados: WR/CB/KR Basil Hooper retires at the age of 34 and a value of 147.6($5)
  
• Blues: WR/CB/KR Angel Kile retires at the age of 34 and a value of 222.0($24)
  
• Swarm: OL/DL/ST Mohamed Machado retires at the age of 20 and a value of 147.6($5)
  
• Blues: WR/S/K Willian Adkins retires at the age of 27 and a value of 143.7($4)
  
• Treefrogs: OL/DL/ST Alexander Russo retires at the age of 36 and a value of 176.9($10)
  
• Oranges: OL/DL/K Todd Chavis retires at the age of 32 and a value of 185.9($12)
  
• Olives: OL/DL/ST Jarod Hochstetler retires at the age of 33 and a value of 147.7($5)
  
• Eggshells: OL/S/KR Ashley Arana retires at the age of 34 and a value of 195.5($15)
  
• Silvers: OL/LB/ST Renaldo Bono retires at the age of 20 and a value of 136.5($3)
  
• Rainbow Sharks: WR/CB/ST Tommie Santamaria retires at the age of 20 and a value of 138.3($4)
  
• Alpacas: RB/LB/ST Young Millan retires at the age of 33 and a value of 172.7($9)
  
• Swarm: QB/S/K Scotty Allen retires at the age of 33 and a value of 157.2($6)
  
• Silvers: RB/CB/K Ryan Hardiman retires at the age of 32 and a value of 235.9($31)
  
• FA: QB/DL/ST Jame Faison retires at the age of 28 and a value of 161.7($7)
  
• Rainbow Sharks: OL/DL/ST Rodrigo Settle retires at the age of 36 and a value of 182.7($11)
  
• Alpacas: WR/CB/ST Carl Lawless retires at the age of 34 and a value of 165.6($8)

[GoldenCrest Games]

It took so long to get through retirements because of the league history screen. As it turns out, updating the history correctly was a lot harder than I thought it'd be.

I'll have to remember that for the next version. My data isn't organized the greatest, and it's making things harder than they should be.

[SirBlurton]

What's the reason for younger players to retire? Are they buried on the depth chart? I just noticed quite a few 20 to 23 year olds?

[jct32]

Wow, best record in Eastern Division history.

[GoldenCrest Games]

Originally Posted by SirBlurton

What's the reason for younger players to retire? Are they buried on the depth chart? I just noticed quite a few 20 to 23 year olds?

Usually, it's because the player is really bad (below 145/$4). After that, it's because he's been sitting in the FA pool or his contract is about up (and probably won't be renewed)

There's a small chance that younger players retire 'out of the blue', though. I calculate a percent chance for each player in the league to retire, and then start rolling from the highest percent chance players down to the lowest until I get 45 retirements.

That being said, I also cut off the retirement percentage at the top and bottom. If a player has a 90% chance of retiring, I auto-set it to 100%. If a player has lower than 15% chance, I auto-set it to 0%. (I don't really like the idea of really low probability retirements coming true.)

The 3 biggest factors in pushing a player towards retiring:
#1 Being crappy (below 145/$4)
#2 Being old (above 33)
#3 Being a FA

The biggest factors against retirement:
#1 Having a long contract
#2 Being young (below 30)
#3 Being good (above 175/$9)


The list is presented in order of retirement %, so the first group of guys were all 100% retirements. I bet the 100% group cut off right before the Blues' Andy Irons. The rest are most likely the non-100%, but near 90% retirements. I had to run this about a dozen times to get the history to handle retirements right, and it almost never changed. (maybe the last 2-3 guys changed once in a while) That tells me that this whole list comes from the really high retirement percentage end of the pool.

[GoldenCrest Games]

Draft order has been released!

I'm not super excited to be picking #17. That's what happens when you're a regular season star, but a postseason dud.

The pick trading is coming along nicely. Along with the trading features, the player selection AI has been greatly improved. Teams do a lot better job balancing overall talent, coach preference, and immediate fit. There are still those rare big-time reaches, but at least they make sense now.

example: A team picking #4 took the 20th player player on the board. I got worried, but then checked into it and realized the rookie would be a 3-way starter immediately. Makes sense.

[GoldenCrest Games]

On another note, I got the first draft of the Twisters logo back today! It's back for some refinements, and then it should be ready to go!

[jct32]

Originally Posted by GoldenCrest Games

On another note, I got the first draft of the Twisters logo back today! It's back for some refinements, and then it should be ready to go!

Great to hear!

[GoldenCrest Games]

Originally Posted by GoldenCrest Games

I think we're going to experiment a bit with the sponsored teams. Let's set the Swarm, Twisters, and T-Pain coaches to completely ignore any positions that don't fit their play style.

I don't know if it's going to make a difference, but it's a good way to see exactly how coach preference is driving player value. I have a sneaky suspicion that coaches are valuing a balanced roster slightly more than running their system.

If I'm right, the sponsored coaches should start looking for specific types of players, and will give up talent they don't need in order to get them. This should lead to better on-field play, and the good guys should start to separate themselves from the rest of the league through the trading period and the offseason.

I just saw this from way back in season 1 - week 3.

I hope you noticed that the top 4 teams from last season were the 4 sponsored teams that got coach preference upgrades. Yeah it's early, but it sure seems like it's making a difference.

To broaden out the experiment a bit, I'm going to upgrade the Maroons and Blues to see if it makes a difference. This time, I'm going to make some drastic style alterations to see if it shows up on the field. I'll make the Maroons become obsessed with special teams. (K, KR, ST) The Blues are going to become a pure power ball-control team. (RB, OL, DL) If the experiment works, we should see a major season stat effect that comes with the new play styles. We'll also probably see more trades than normal from both teams, as they start to reshape their rosters.

[GoldenCrest Games]

The draft pool has been released, and here are the players invited to the green room.

Gary Robbins is obviously the gem of the draft. I can't see any way the Maroons pass on him. The Blues could be the first wildcard, though. I don't see anyone near the top of the draft that would be a great fit for the Blues new power-hungry style of play. They could be the first team to trade out of a pick.

Hopefully they get someone good! There must be a team out there that needs a speedy cover CB....

[GoldenCrest Games]

Oooohh!!! I just realized the Maroons have a pretty legit QB already (Bowe -> 84), and solid starting CBs.

That means the #1 pick is in play for a trade-up!

[GoldenCrest Games]

Ha! Pick trading during the draft is done!

I just have to add in the decision making for releasing players to make room on the roster for the draft pick(s), and we're ready to kick off the draft!

Note: During development and testing of pick trading, there have been a couple trades that are showing up regularly, and they are pretty big! Stay tuned....