Ideas For Next Season?

Alex the Tall · Post by **Alex the Tall** » Fri Feb 16, 2007 9:17 pm

I have a couple of questions:

We didn't saw a TBL unfaking update yet when we will hit the season 2008 will TBL will make a unfake 2008 whit maybe new teams and stuffs (as the penguins might go away) and the trades that we will see in the off-season?

Post by **Shadd666** » Fri Feb 16, 2007 11:40 pm

Alex the Tall wrote:I have a couple of questions:

We didn't saw a TBL unfaking update yet when we will hit the season 2008 will TBL will make a unfake 2008 whit maybe new teams and stuffs (as the penguins might go away) and the trades that we will see in the off-season?

I doubt...

It's possible to make the trades, and have the rosters like they'll be at the start of the 07-08 season. I think, but i may be wrong, that it would also possible to rename/relocate a team. Not sure though, due to license issues. But for sure, it couldn't have a start date for the 07-08 season, as the start dates are hard-coded (licenses once again).

As we can't move forward the start date, there would be a problem with the draft, as youngsters couldn't be drafted according to the upcoming draft.

So all in all, i doubt about the viability of this specific project, even if it would be really cool.

bruins72 · Post by **bruins72** » Sat Feb 17, 2007 2:46 am

It would be a major pain in the rear but we could simulate a game to the offseason heading into the 07-08 season, then use the editor to do trades and whatever else. Then you release the updated rosters as a saved game. I remember them doing this in one of the earlier version of the game. Like I said though... it'll be a major pain.

Post by **Minstrel** » Sat Feb 17, 2007 2:53 am

The biggest issue with any time you include a save game is that they get to be giant files, easily 100 meg or so and that's always a huge issue when considering a project the would require a saved game.

It could be done with a config for the 2008 season but transacations are team-specific so if a player is made a free agent or moves from his 2007 team that player wouldn't move. So yeah there are issues.

Leafs_fever · Post by **Leafs_fever** » Sat Feb 17, 2007 9:24 pm

We could move birth dates back a year. We would have the wrong dates, but the right ages.

Post by **B. Stinson** » Sat Feb 17, 2007 10:35 pm

Leafs_fever wrote:We could move birth dates back a year. We would have the wrong dates, but the right ages.

And with incorrect birth dates, every facepack made to-date would be useless.

Post by **Minstrel** » Sat Feb 17, 2007 10:52 pm

Not to mention this is a matter of then changing EVERY DOB in the game, some 20,000+ of them as opposed to just dealing with the fact that you have 08 rosters in a season that starts in 2007.

Also, if the thread is discussing the end of the game and people's feelings on it, it is OFF TOPIC to then begin a discussion about potential database changes for next year. Please keep that in mind as there are a LOT of threads goign wildly off topic of late.

DaleHawerchuk · Post by **DaleHawerchuk** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 12:16 pm

Got an idea probably wont work. But anyway is it possible to include features like editing history, draft info and contracts to the Saved Game Editor. If so we could Sim the entire first season and then change the history and draft info on players. That way once we want to start a new game we start from the saved game and it´s edited DB

Post by **Calv** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 1:51 pm

That's a question you'll have to ask to the creator of the editor, mne2, at eastside-uk

Smetana · Post by **Smetana** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 7:04 pm

Well, here's what I've done. This might not be for everyone, but I don't like replaying a season that, for all intent and purposes, is over.

I've got a game going that started in the 2007 offseason.

I start with the unfaked database, every NA pro player properly re-rated, and transactions up to date through this year's trading deadline.

Now, the object is to get to the end of the season with the same rosters you started with. You cannot take human control of all 30 teams, but you can control 16 of them. I take control of the Pittsburgh Penguins (my team, always), the rest of the Eastern Conference, and one western team.

Now put these guys all on vacation till the day of the trading deadline. On that day, retire the teams you were "controlling" (except Pit), and take control of the Western Conference. You do this on this day specifically to practically eliminate trading, as anything the western teams had in the works at the deadline will be wiped out by the change in GM's. Now, while you've got the western teams under control, reverse the few trades that do happen (won't be more than a few) and any waiver movements that may have happened. Then retire all the GM's except your own team and go back on vacation till the day after the Finals (or start with the '07 playoffs, if that floats your boat).

You end up with what essentially is a fresh game, with 100% accurate rosters, at the 07-08 offseason.

Oh, yeah, before going on vacation after the trading deadline, make sure you put your scouts to work on the draft, so you'll have proper scouting reports when the '07 draft comes up, right after the "start" of your game.

Also, whenever you have human control of any team, be sure to set the GM preferences to not accept any deals, or sign any players, or apply to higher teams.

PRO: It's like starting a fresh game of EHM 2008

CON: Obviously the 06-07 stats and standings won't be true-to-life. But with an accurate database, the results are close enough to make it easy to suspend disbelief.

I'm playing with Pittsburgh. We're ready for the draft, with the 11th pick, and we've just begun looking at making some qualifying offers to free agents. Buffalo has taken the Cup, beating San Jose in the finals. The conference finalists were Buffalo, New Jersey, San Jose, and Anaheim. Crosby led the league with 137 points, Heatley with 50 goals, Brodeur with the Vezina, blah, blah. You get my point.

holydogg · Post by **holydogg** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 7:24 pm

It may seems a bit utopical and hypothetic, but maybe riz or graeme can do some kind of patch "reseting the clock" one year later ?? Just askin'

Smetana · Post by **Smetana** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 7:35 pm

Already tried that. Offered my first-born. No dice. They played the "liscensing issues" card.

Post by **Calv** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 7:42 pm

If they did that SI would be forced to pay a lot of money in licencing, either that or every league in teh game would take them to court

bruins72 · Post by **bruins72** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 7:43 pm

This has been asked over in the SI forums. Riz says that the date is hard-coded into the game and it can't change. I posted over there a week or two after it was announced that they halted development and asked if there could be some sort of patch to allow us to select a later start date (change the year) and never got an answer. Heck, I even said I've pay the full price of the game again next season for the same program with updated rosters and a new start date. The game plays fine as it is. I just want to make it fresh each season and keep up to date with the NHL.

EDIT:

I don't understand how the start date affects licensing though. We're playing with these same teams under the license if we played our current game 100 years. How is changing the start date any different?

Post by **Calv** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 7:47 pm

I think it has something to do with they have the licence to start in 2007, and it has to start in that year. I'm not 100% sure on it though

Post by **Minstrel** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 9:15 pm

Players covered by liscensing are allowed to be in or have to be faked for the game based upon whose liscensing they would be covered under at the beginning of the 2007 season. You have to have played 10 games in order to be in the game and covered by the NHLPA for example under their liscensing requirements. So a game starting in 2008 would have to follow those rules for 2008 not 2007 carried over. And that's just one of the games many liscenses.

It doesn't matter that we can play the game for 100 years, it still always starts with the proper liscensing and information in place for the 2007 season.

The only 'updated' release SI could do would be to release a 100% faked non-liscensed version. No logos, no real players, no real team names.

Post by **inSTAALed** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 9:21 pm

Minstrel wrote: The only 'updated' release SI could do would be to release a 100% faked non-liscensed version. No logos, no real players, no real team names.

Talk about an unfaking project.

bruins72 · Post by **bruins72** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 10:07 pm

Hmmm... a totally faked db with everything set up to start in the future? I bet that could be re-unfaked. It would be worth it!

In all seriousness, if SI could handle the licensing and release fully updated databases every year without investing the money on developing the game any further... wouldn't it be worth paying another $35 - $40 for that? If this would allow them to make a profit, I'd be fully behind it. The game is good in it's current form (once the newest patch comes out). I know I love EHM enough to pay full game price for just that.

Post by **Calv** » Thu Mar 15, 2007 10:23 pm

bruins72 wrote:Hmmm... a totally faked db with everything set up to start in the future? I bet that could be re-unfaked. It would be worth it!

In all seriousness, if SI could handle the licensing and release fully updated databases every year without investing the money on developing the game any further... wouldn't it be worth paying another $35 - $40 for that? If this would allow them to make a profit, I'd be fully behind it. The game is good in it's current form (once the newest patch comes out). I know I love EHM enough to pay full game price for just that.

I'm not sure how many people would be willing to shell out $35-$40 every year for what is essentially the same game.

bruins72 · Post by **bruins72** » Fri Mar 16, 2007 3:07 am

Hmmm... I guess not enough people, especially with the way so many folks on the SI board whine about the game. I guess I'm a little spoiled by the EHM love here at TBL. It's hard to imagine people not seeing the value in keeping the game fresh every year.

Franck · Post by **Franck** » Fri Mar 16, 2007 3:21 am

Minstrel wrote:The biggest issue with any time you include a save game is that they get to be giant files, easily 100 meg or so and that's always a huge issue when considering a project the would require a saved game.

Unless EHM saves games in a different format than FM does, save games get about 75% smaller if you pack them as a .rar file.