Midas' Altered DB: A Lidas-inspired creation

[Midas]

Slooowww but surprisingly happening. I'm doing goalies at the moment. Still no ETA

[Midas]

Agh. The editor is just too darn slow with fantasy rosters. I'm going to have to tone down my original expectations- which is of course, too darn bad. Perhaps if a fantasy tool gets developed what I make will be well-suited for this, but I figure using vanilla rosters with modifications is the best way to go for me to actually get this done, since I'm pretty tired of updating that I have nothing new to update.

So I've decided to retool and rejig what I've been doing. I've been doing some testing and things have gone well so far. Essentially here's what I have (*NOTE: It's still fantasy, not based on real rosters per se):

* Fantasy NHL design remains in place. Backstory is that the Hockey Gods intervene during the NHL Lockout and banish its and the NHLPA's leadership. A new regime is set in place promoting the Good of the sport (as opposed to corporate interests) . The league's conferences are mixed with an East Coast/Atlantic, Mid-west/Great Plains and Rockies/West Coast division in each. They pay homage to good managers and builders of the league's past.

- The O'Brien Conference (West) consists of the Dutton Division: HFD (Whalers), NYI, PHI, QUE (Nordiques), WSH, the Neilson Division: BUF, CLB, HAM (Hamilton Tigers), MIL (Milwaukee) and PIT, and the Turner Division: CGY, COL, EDM, KCS (Kansas City Scouts) and WPG (old Jets logo, but I'll include the new one in the pack..)
- The Prince of Wales Conference consists of the Calder Division: BOS, MTL, OTT, NJD, NYR, the Lindsay Division: CHI, DET, MIN, STL, TOR and the Patrick Division: LAK, POR (Portland Pioneers, based on the Timbers logo), SJS, SEA (Seattle Thunderbirds), and VAN.
- Unfortunately the editor won't let me edit starting budgets for each of the teams. I'll include a notepad file with the appropriate numbers I found worked and fit in with the db's intentions (based on financing in the '06-'07 season), but it'll be up to the user to set them unless I figure out how.

* Will come included with several updated logo-packs that I think look pretty good (TMs erased, borders on all designs). Might make it separate for download as well.

* Rosters will be built up as if you were playing from the '05-'06 season (including draftable players). Apart from this year, I think this is one of the most interesting in NHL history given (1) the year off, (2) new era in hockey and (3) the fact I was 15 when it happened and more into hockey than ever, so the players from that era are fresh in my mind .

* Free agents in the summer of '05-'06 and '06-'07 however will remain such, giving a brief free agency splurge around the game's starting date. If you set the rosters back to mid-August using the Russian start date, I've tested it and almost every player of note will end up signed. I found this fun, but if someone's truly offended it wouldn't be that hard to make them up-to-date for the start of the '05-'06 season. By '08'-'09 in game rosters will be unrecognizable anyway, so .

* I plan on using this as a test to tone-down player ratings- specifically PA, which I think is set way too high in the game. This will turn a lot of people off from the db, but as I've stated quite a few times... I'm more interested in playing this for myself, then sharing it, as opposed to tailoring it so we're all happy. Thankfully with the editor it'll be easy to make changes to things you find offensive .

* The AHL is being transformed into the KHL. Unless I'm censured by the folks here at EHM, with the recent announcement of SI pulling EHM from being sold I think it's time to start toying with the .exe. I know how to hex edit roster rules and I can replace the AHL's veteran rules and such with the Czech leagues (or someone else more tolerable of foreigners and veterans) to make it playable. I plan on releasing vanilla rosters with CA/PA updates. The AHL's division set-up is perfect for the KHL, and I've replaced some of the glut of Moscow teams with more teams from Belarus, Ukraine and Kazakhstan.

* The real AHL is being replaced by a 30-team non-playable league called the "CanAm Hockey League". I found this to be challenging when I tested it in another db and after having played online (where you cannot do this..), since I normally take control of my farm and micro-manage my prospects. Reduces the impact you have on developing prospects so more of it comes down to good drafting and importantly luck (which really gets filtered out when you set their ice time and training regimens...) And as implied, the CanAm league will be a true NHL farm- with teams in the U.S. placed in nearby towns to their affiliates (Albany Rangers > New York Rangers, etc.) while in Canada they'll be placed in nearby cities but not necessarily the same province (Edmonton's is in Saskatoon, Montreal's is in New Brunswick, Toronto back in Newfie etc.)

* All player injuries, past injuries and such are magically healed by the omnipotent Hockey Gods in the name of badassry and good competition. Mostly done out of interest to see how the game might treat players forced to retire early due to injury (Bure at 34, Primeau at 34...) as well to add a bit more diversity to a well-known stock of players. Bryan Berard, Mattias Weinhandl, Peter Forsberg, etc. will no longer be hampered in-game by the problems that so ailed them in real life.

* As before, I will include some extensive foreign leagues in the game. I plan on an initial "starter release" with all player ratings done, rosters set, budgets fixed and everything else vanilla. My second release will be the more fantasyish one. I'll edit foreign leagues and replace/swap out leagues for countries not known for producing players right now (places like Great Britain, Croatia, Japan, etc.) For some nations (GBR, France and Germany come to mind) I'll use pre-existing non-important low CA players and buff them up to be NHL calibre and use them to spruce up the player base. That won't be till later though.

I'm already half-way done. I've finished all the teams, I just need to do the AHL arenas and vanilla KHL affiliates. After that I'll set about doing the rest of the CA/PA's (done about..half?) and hopefully in a few weeks I'll have something real to release. Not that I think it'll be a problem since I don't know if anyone will find this appealing but me, but should anyone want to play this but have a burning desire to see normal NHL teams or some other configuration, after release they can let me know and I'd be happy to move things around for you.

[gambia_boy]

Are you still working with this?