EHM The Blue Line

Hi CeeBee

When you play your ECHL team do you have "roster issues" in regards to number of players?
My (limited) experience was I could only get 20 guys on an ECHL team. If you too found this, what happens if there are injuries or call-ups?
Is this where grey players come and go?

Thanks

nino33 wrote: In 2006-07 there are 27 AHL teams + 25 ECHL teams...so 52 teams.
In my notebook I have 42 teams from the 5 Leagues in 1974...so I've got a LOT of players, and many of these teams have 25 or more players and many teams have more than one NHL/WHA affiliation.....the ECHL teams in-game never seem to have more than 20 players,,,is this true?
One posibility may be to expand the 42 teams from 1974 to the 52 teams from 2006 by seperating the 1974 affiliations and creating two teams for in-game from the single IRL team in 1974.....and maybe some teams will have "grey players" (I'm just learning about these guys now)

The ECHL has a roster limit. I beleive it's 20. They also have restrictions on the number of veterans (players with high number of professional games played) allowed per game. As do the AHL.

Please, don't use teams from 2006. Use teams from 76,77 and so on

Manimal wrote:Please, don't use teams from 2006. Use teams from 76,77 and so on

No need to worry at all...what I'm really saying is "I haven't got to "teams" yet...it's on my list!"
Pretty much everything I've done is done thoroughly and completely (and has generally involved weeks/months of research and excel spreadsheets before I've even started to use the Editor!). IMO "teams stuff" (while tedious, like all editing) is pretty basic, and for me it can be to easy to get distracted and not stay focused on the list of things I IMO need to stay focused on (at this point).
So I've not worried about "teams" YET.....in my preperations I've seen threads that go on about such specifics and I keep thinking "you have HUNDREDS of hours of basic, tedious editing ahead of you before any of this is really relevant" + the db itself "has a personality" and all the best plans may not be possible - I too LOVE the background, and I too LOVE the teams and the logos and colours, and it will for sure happen too



To anyone who may be reading this and may have some experience with editing (staff)...

RE coaching Technical Attributes (Attacking, Directness, Free Roles, Linematching, PK PP, Tactics)...have you "set" the coaching attributes for Head Coaches so they'll coach in a certain style? If yes, does it seem to work?
Do any/all of the Characteristics like Discipline/Man Handling/Motivating/Youngsters play a factor? If yes, how much of a factor?
Do any of the "Staff Attributes" (like Loyalty) play a part in their coaching?

How about General Managers? Are there specific attributes that affect their in-game behaviour? Whether they freely trade their good players? Whether they resign players? How much they give out in salaries?
Do any of the "Staff Attributes" (like Loyalty) play a part?

And for the Chairman (or President)...does setting Business-Interference-Patience-Resources work the way it is supposed to?
Can you ensure "patience"? Can you ensure wealthy clubs are wealthy? Does it work?

I'm asking "does it work as intended" because I've read some posts claiming things don't always seem to work when adjusted.
These are important issues for the realism of a historical db if they work.....coaches of a certain style can be 'created" (Flyers, Jets, Canadiens, Bruins and others all had distinct styles) and upper management can be kept patient (so a long term coach like the Islanders Al Arbour can be the Islanders long term coach) and wealthy teams can be wealthy (will the Rangers continue to buy players...and not win!)

Any feedback/wisdom would be appreciated...

THANKS

nino33 wrote:

Manimal wrote:Please, don't use teams from 2006. Use teams from 76,77 and so on

No need to worry at all...what I'm really saying is "I haven't got to "teams" yet...it's on my list!
Pretty much everything I've done is done thoroughly and completely (and has generally involved weeks/months of research and excel spreadsheets before I've even started to use the editor!). IMO teams stuff (while tedious, like all editing) is pretty basic, and for me it can be to easy to get distracted and not stay focused on the list of things I IMO need to stay focused on (at this point).
So I've not worried about "teams" YET.....in my preperations I've seen threads that go on about such specifics and I keep thinking "you have HUNDREDS of hours of basic, tedious editing ahead of you before any of this is really relevant" + the db itself "has a personality" and all the best plans may not be possible - I too LOVE the background, and I too LOVE the teams and the logos and colours, and it will for sure happen too

I just misread you on that one, it seems.
For me, I do these fun things before i do the tedious ones with the editing. That is why I keep bugging you

nino33 wrote:To anyone who may be reading this and may have some experience with editing (staff)...

... upper management can be kept patient (so a long term coach like the Islanders Al Arbour can be the Islanders long term coach) and wealthy teams can be wealthy (will the Rangers continue to buy players...and not win!)...

I guess this can be done with the 'manager_conf' I read about in this thread:http://www.ehmtheblueline.com/forums/vi ... =13&t=2382

Thanks Manimal!

AND.....now I'm leaning heavily to wanting teams "changed" sooner rather than later - my previous experience moving teams around and changing things was dealing with the NHL (a painful experience that caused crashes due to the "TM" issue...it was NOT easy...it was painful), probably turned me against dealing with "teams" LOL.....with WHL/OHA/QMJHL and the AHL and the ECHL it shouldn't be so hard right?

I will for sure be taking a closer look at what you proposed for Major Junior in the 1974 db (I'll coment ASAP but I want to give the issue and your feedback the attention it deserves)...if you'd like to take a look at minor pro (AHL/ECHL) for the 1974 db I'd be interested.....I'd like affiliates to be as correct as possible in terms of any in-game geographocal Division name (as i tried to do when transplanting the NHL/WHA from 1974 into the 2006 NHL Divisional framework) + I'd like affiliates to be a reasonable distance from their parent clubs whenever possible (for example, the current/temporary Seattle Totems-Albany River Rats relationship doesn't make a lot of geographic/economic sense)

Regards

A first draft. I have not bother very much with geography. Most teams are with a team they actually have been affiliated with sometime according to http://www.Hockeydb.com. It is listed as affiliations across. Three shared in the AHL and five in the ECHL

[table][tr][th]NHL[/th][th]AHL[/th][th]ECHL[/th][/tr]
[tr][th]Calgary Cowboys[/th][th]Tulsa Oilers CHL[/th][th]Winston/Salem Polar Twins SHL[/th][/tr]
[tr][th]Edmonton Oilers[/th][th]Indianapolis Racers WHA[/th][th]Milwaukee Admirals IHL 77-78[/th][/tr]
[tr][th]Colorado Rockies[/th][th]Baltimore Clippers AHL[/th][th]Port Huron Flags IHL[/th][/tr]
[tr][th]Winnipeg Jets[/th][th]Charlotte Checkers SHL[/th][th]Saginaw Gears IHL[/th][/tr]
[tr][th]Seattle Totems[/th][th]Fort Worth Texans CHL[/th][th]Los Angeles Blades PHL 77-78[/th][/tr]
[tr][th]Chicago Blackhawks[/th][th]Dallas Black Hawks CHL[/th][th]Flint Generals IHL[/th][/tr]
[tr][th]Cleveland Crusaders[/th][th]Roanoke Valley Rebels SHL[/th][th]Tidewater Sharks SHL 75-76[/th][/tr]
[tr][th]St. Louis Blues[/th][th]Denver Spurs CHL[/th][th]Columbus Owls IHL[/th][/tr]
[tr][th]Minnesota North Stars[/th][th]New Haven Nighthawks AHL[/th][th]Lansing Lancers IHL[/th][/tr]
[tr][th]Detroit Red Wings[/th][th]Virginia Wings AHL[/th][th]Kalamazoo Wings IHL[/th][/tr]
[tr][th]Vancouver Canucks[/th][th]Johnstown Jets NAHL[/th][th]New Brunswick Hawks AHL 78-79[/th][/tr]
[tr][th]Los Angeles Kings[/th][th]Springfield Indians AHL[/th][th]Erie Blades NAHL 75-76[/th][/tr]
[tr][th]San Diego Mariners[/th][th]Binghamton Dusters NAHL[/th][th]San Fransisco Shamrocks PHL 77-78[/th][/tr]
[tr][th]California Seals[/th][th]Salt Lake Golden Eagles CHL[/th][th]Toledo Goaldiggers IHL[/th][/tr]
[tr][th]Phoenix Roadrunners[/th][th]Tulsa Oilers CHL[/th][th]Kansas City Blues CHL 76-77[/th][/tr][/table]

I'll post the Eastern Conference tomorrow.
Got to get some sleep

Manimal wrote:I guess this can be done with the 'manager_conf' I read about in this thread:http://www.ehmtheblueline.com/forums/vi ... =13&t=2382

That was helpful! Not only for some front office information and coaching information, but also some explanation regarding Referee Attributes I found to be very helpful.
And thanks so much for your efforts regarding Major Junior/Minor Pros teams...it might be a couple/few days before I'll get to really looking at it but at first glance looks great!

I'm busy editing, currently populating NHL teams with Staff.
For version 1.0 I'm looking to have edited the Attributes of the Chairman/President, GM and the Head Coach so they're as "representative" and as historically realistic as possible - it'll be interesting to see how this works out.

Also dealing with contracts - at this point Staff contract length is based on 2 + a die roll so I get a range of 3-9 years.
I'll likely be doing something similar with most of the players (players with a CA 140-200 will likely get individual attention) - I really like starting with longer contracts, as it is historically accurate that players moved way less than they do know AND I really like the idea of being able to "play" right from the beginning (and without a flood of staff/player change News Items) - like a Challenge in a sense, in that there will be some "limitations" because there won't be dozens of Free Agents (I don't think anyone will be "cleaning house" with their Staff or Minor Pros as a result.....there won't be anyone better to sign!); get to know the team you've taken over, develop what you have and build through the draft (and maybe a shrewd trade or two). Contract $ amounts will likely be what the computer/game automatically assigns at game start-up (as in my testing and using "0" as the amount the computer assigns exactly the same amount for each player every time, so there seems to be some in-game reasoning behind it and it looked reasonable/representative)
Because the game seems to have been built to have a HUGE amount of player movement right from day one it'll be interesting to see what happens...will the game "fight back" or will the changes "work" (not having hundreds of high CA players worldwide who need to be signed/resigned right away and again after season one/two should help.....and there will be computer trades, waivers, and great drafts that result in new players on new teams (I'm working on limiting the effects of waivers for sure and maybe even trading if I can, but even so there will almost certainly be more movement/change in-game than there was IRL so I'm comfortable with my intervention efforts).


Woo Hoo this is gonna be cool!

The biggest problem I have with the ECHL is when it's a shared farm team. The 20 player limit plus the injury bug really screw things up. Not sure if the injury thing is very well known because I don't think many play the ECHL. Anyway, if a player is injured and you place him on IR the roster will say you have 19 guys. If you try to send a player down from the AHL it will say the roster is full. The only way I've found around it is to sign a tryout player and that does work ok if you are managing the whole system. However, in the case of a shared team (e.g. my Florida Panthers game and Cincinnati is also a Thrashers feed they will sneak a player down before you can get a tryout to agree and when they send a player down it will be someone that makes no sense... A 30 year old player or worse and also at a position you don't need like a 3rd goalie or a 5th centerman who can't play anywhere else. It also bungs you up in training camp as you cant give the young ECHL prospects an invite to major league training camp because the other team will send down a bunch of useless players and you will have no room to send anybody down later. So as a solution, is it possible to increase the roster size to 22? It seems to me that would be the only way to fix it if it is at all possible and it wouldn't really help the shared team problem much anyway. I do have a few more ECHL roster tricks which I probably got from this board or maybe figured out on my own but thats probably for a different thread.

CeeBee wrote:The biggest problem I have with the ECHL is when it's a shared farm team. The 20 player limit plus the injury bug really screw things up. Not sure if the injury thing is very well known because I don't think many play the ECHL. Anyway, if a player is injured and you place him on IR the roster will say you have 19 guys. If you try to send a player down from the AHL it will say the roster is full. The only way I've found around it is to sign a tryout player and that does work ok if you are managing the whole system. However, in the case of a shared team (e.g. my Florida Panthers game and Cincinnati is also a Thrashers feed they will sneak a player down before you can get a tryout to agree and when they send a player down it will be someone that makes no sense... A 30 year old player or worse and also at a position you don't need like a 3rd goalie or a 5th centerman who can't play anywhere else. It also bungs you up in training camp as you cant give the young ECHL prospects an invite to major league training camp because the other team will send down a bunch of useless players and you will have no room to send anybody down later. So as a solution, is it possible to increase the roster size to 22? It seems to me that would be the only way to fix it if it is at all possible and it wouldn't really help the shared team problem much anyway. I do have a few more ECHL roster tricks which I probably got from this board or maybe figured out on my own but thats probably for a different thread.

The roster limit is hard-coded, I'm afraid

CeeBee wrote:The biggest problem I have with the ECHL is when it's a shared farm team. The 20 player limit plus the injury bug really screw things up. Not sure if the injury thing is very well known because I don't think many play the ECHL. Anyway, if a player is injured and you place him on IR the roster will say you have 19 guys. If you try to send a player down from the AHL it will say the roster is full. The only way I've found around it is to sign a tryout player and that does work ok if you are managing the whole system.

I don't know if it's an actual bug or if it's just the way the ECHL was handling rosters at the time. The ECHL has had some wonkiness with IR's in the past, and IRL they also have like 2 or 3 different IR's that aren't in-game IIRC. It doesn't help that in the ECHL (again in IRL)you can place guys on IR even if they're not injured, you can't do that in the game. I like to play in the ECHL (even though it way too easy to dominate IMHO).

But the ECHL limit is realistic, and shared AA or ECHL teams is a real problem IRL. It's why the AA needs to sort itself out so there's 30 teams, each with their own lone NHL and AHL affiliates. The AAA level went through this same thing 20 or so years ago and it's only been just int he past few they've figured it out finally.

I usually like to have a team with AHL, ECHL, CHL, and maybe even other affiliates though, because I have so many guys in my system and I want them all playing somewhere. The more affiliates the better. I like even my naff prospects with no future playing somewhere, anywhere...

Then it might be better instead of having shared secondary farm affiliations, to have some in the Central Hockey League. You could raise the reputation level to be the same as the ECHL, so they'll be on level field

Manimal wrote:Then it might be better instead of having shared secondary farm affiliations, to have some in the Central Hockey League. You could raise the reputation level to be the same as the ECHL, so they'll be on level field

I heartily agree

I set it up and divided the ECHL/CHL teams somewhat by geography. The ECHL has a Pacific division so some western teams should be there
I also have teams for the UHL, as some of the UHL teams in the game has been moved up

[table][tr][th]NHL[/th][th]AHL[/th][th]ECHL[/th][th]CHL[/th][/tr]
[tr][th]Calgary Cowboys[/th][th]Tulsa Oilers CHL[/th][th]-[/th][th]Wichita Wind CHL 79-80[/th][/tr]
[tr][th]Edmonton Oilers[/th][th]Indianapolis Racers WHA[/th][th]-[/th][th]Milwaukee Admirals IHL 77-78[/th][/tr]
[tr][th]Colorado Rockies[/th][th]Baltimore Clippers AHL[/th][th]-[/th][th]Port Huron Flags IHL[/th][/tr]
[tr][th]Winnipeg Jets[/th][th]Charlotte Checkers SHL[/th][th]Sherbrooke Jets AHL 82-83[/th][th]-[/th][/tr]
[tr][th]Seattle Totems[/th][th]Fort Worth Texans CHL[/th][th]Los Angeles Blades PHL 77-78[/th]-[/tr]
[tr][th]Chicago Blackhawks[/th][th]Dallas Black Hawks CHL[/th][th]-[/th][th]Flint Generals IHL[/th][/tr]
[tr][th]Cleveland Crusaders[/th][th]Roanoke Valley Rebels SHL[/th][th]Tidewater Sharks SHL 75-76[/th][th]-[/th][/tr]
[tr][th]St. Louis Blues[/th][th]Denver Spurs CHL[/th][th]-[/th][th]Columbus Owls IHL[/th][/tr]
[tr][th]Minnesota North Stars[/th][th]New Haven Nighthawks AHL[/th][th]-[/th][th]Lansing Lancers IHL[/th][/tr]
[tr][th]Detroit Red Wings[/th][th]Virginia Wings AHL[/th][th]Adirondack Red Wings AHL 79-80[/th][th]Kalamazoo Wings IHL[/th][/tr]
[tr][th]Vancouver Canucks[/th][th]Johnstown Jets NAHL[/th][th]New Brunswick Hawks AHL 78-79[/th][th]-[/th][/tr]
[tr][th]Los Angeles Kings[/th][th]Springfield Indians AHL[/th][th]-[/th][th]Erie Blades NAHL 75-76[/th][/tr]
[tr][th]San Diego Mariners[/th][th]Binghamton Dusters NAHL[/th][th]San Fransisco Shamrocks PHL 77-78[/th][th]-[/th][/tr]
[tr][th]California Seals[/th][th]Salt Lake Golden Eagles CHL[/th][th]-[/th][th]Toledo Goaldiggers IHL[/th][/tr]
[tr][th]Phoenix Roadrunners[/th][th]Tulsa Oilers CHL[/th][th]-[/th][th]Kansas City Blues CHL 76-77[/th][/tr]

[tr][th]Washington Capitals[/th][th]Hershey Bears AHL[/th][th]-[/th][th]Dayton Gems IHL[/th][/tr]
[tr][th]Montreal Canadiens[/th][th]Nova Scotia Voyageurs AHL[/th][th]Beauce Jaros NAHL 75-76[/th][th]-[/th][/tr]
[tr][th]Toronto Maple Leafs[/th][th]Springfield Indians AHL[/th][th]-[/th][th]Saginaw Gears IHL[/th][/tr]
[tr][th]Ottawa Senators[/th][th]Greensboro Generals SHL[/th][th]St. Catharines Saints AHL 82-83[/th][th]-[/th][/tr]
[tr][th]Quebec Nordiques[/th][th]Maine Nordiques AHL[/th][th]Fredericton Express AHL 81-82[/th][th]-[/th][/tr]
[tr][th]Boston Bruins[/th][th]Providence Reds AHL[/th][th]-[/th][th]Danville Fighting Saints AAHL 86-87[/th][/tr]
[tr][th]New York Islanders[/th][th]Long Island Cougars NAHL[/th][th]-[/th][th]Muskegon Mohawks IHL[/th][/tr]
[tr][th]New York Rangers[/th][th]Syracuse Eagles AHL[/th][th]Winston-Salem Polar Twins SHL[/th][th]-[/th][/tr]
[tr][th]Buffalo Sabres[/th][th]Rochester Americans AHL[/th][th]Buffalo Norsemen NAHL 75-76[/th][th]-[/th][/tr]
[tr][th]New England Whalers[/th][th]Cape Codders NAHL[/th][th]Cincinnati Stingers CHL 79-80[/th][th]-[/th][/tr]
[tr][th]Houston Aeros[/th][th]Oklahoma City Blazer CHL[/th][th]Tucson Mavericks CHL 75-76[/th][th]-[/th][/tr]
[tr][th]Atlanta Flames[/th][th]Omaha Knights CHL[/th][th]-[/th][th]Des Moines Capitols IHL[/th][/tr]
[tr][th]Philadelphia Flyers[/th][th]Richmond Robins AHL[/th][th]Philadelphia Firebirds NAHL[/th][th]-[/th][/tr]
[tr][th]Birmingham Bulls[/th][th]Mohawk Valley Comets NAHL[/th][th]Hampton Gulls SHL[/th][th]-[/th][/tr]
[tr][th]Pittsburgh Penguins[/th][th]Johnstown Jets NAHL[/th][th]-[/th][th]Fort Wayne Komets IHL[/th][/tr]
[tr][th][/th][th][/th][th]Houston Apollos CHL 79-80[/th][th]-[/th][/tr]
[tr][th][/th][th][/th][th]Nashville South Stars CHL 81-82[/th][th]-[/th][/tr]
[tr][th][/th][th][/th][th]Schenectady Chiefs ACHL 81-82[/th][th]-[/th][/tr]
[tr][th][/th][th][/th][th]Fitchburg Trappers ACHL 81-82[/th][th]-[/th][/tr]
[tr][th][/th][th][/th][th]Moncton Alpines AHL 82-83[/th][th]-[/th][/tr]
[tr][th][/th][th][/th][th]Carolina Thunderbirds ACHL 82-83[/th][th]-[/th][/tr]
[tr][th][/th][th][/th][th]Virginia Raiders ACHL 82-83[/th][th]-[/th][/tr]
[tr][th][/th][th][/th][th]Montana Magic CHL 83-84[/th][th]-[/th][/tr]
[tr][th][/th][th][/th][th]Pineridge Bucks ACHL 83-84[/th][th]-[/th][/tr]
[tr][th][/th][th][/th][th]New York Slapshots ACHL 85-86[/th][th]-[/th][/tr]
[tr][th][/th][th][/th][th]-[/th][th]Peoria Prancers IHL 82-83[/th][/tr][/table]

Wow...looks good! One quick thought - the Johnstown Jets need to be the affiliate of Philadelphia or Boston or some other brawling team IMO (in 1974-75 the Jets actually had a playoff run with Jeff, Jack and Steve Carlson leading the way - the League/Team and these brothers were the inspiration for the hockey movie Slapshot with the infamous Hanson Brothers!).

I'm making progress with populating the NHL with staff (painful though, as many can't be overwritten and you get the "is not a valid integer error message and weird things happen.....like I actually had a staff partially edited and then suddenly I get the error message and can't edit the staff member anymore, but I was just able to edit the staff member!.....grrrr).

Regards

P.S. The Peoria Prancers.....really? Prancers? What an awful name for a hockey team!

RE Staffing for each NHL team

Calgary, Detroit, Vancouver, Ottawa, Minnesota, New England and the NY Rangers all have a single person as both GM and Head Coach.

IF a team has a “name” Assistant Coach (or more than one) they are included within brackets…..I went though and added many past/future Head Coaches of the era as Assistant Coaches, selecting the most appropriate/applicable team [IRL I think only Mike Nykoluk of the Flyers was an actual Assistanct Coach in 1974].


The format is Team - GM + Head Coach (Assistant Coach)

Calgary Cowboys - Joe Crozier + Joe Crozier (Phil Watson)
Edmonton Oilers - Bill Hunter + Brian Shaw (Clare Drake)
Colorado Rockies - Sid Abel + Bep Guidolin (Eddie Bush)
Winnipeg Jets - Bill Robinson + Bobby Kromm
Seattle Totems - Jacques Demers + Marcel Pronovost (Dave Chambers)

Chicago Blackhawks - Tommy Ivan + Billy Reay (Rudy Pilous)
Cleveland Crusaders - Jack Vivian + John Hanna
St. Louis Blues - Fred Angotti + Lou Angotti
Minnesota North Stars - Jack Gordon + Jack Gordon
Detroit Red Wings - Alex Delvecchio + Alex Delvecchio

Vancouver Canucks - Phil Maloney + Phil Maloney
Los Angeles Kings - Jake Milford + Bob Pulford
San Diego Mariners - Ron Ingram + Camille Henry
California Seals - Bill McCreary + Fred Glover (Jack Evans, Marshall Johnston, Vic Stasiuk)
Phoenix Roadrunners - Glen Sonmor + Harry Neale

Washington Capitals -Milt Schmidt + Jim Anderson
Montreal Canadiens - Sam Pollock + Scotty Bowman (Al MacNeil, Jean Perron, Claude Ruel)
Toronto Maple Leafs - Jim Gregory + Red Kelly
Ottawa Senators - John Wilson + John Wilson
Quebec Nordiques – Maurice Filion + Jean-Guy Gendron

Boston Bruins - Harry Sinden + Don Cherry (Tom Johnson)
NY Islanders - Bill Torey + Al Arbour
NY Rangers - Emile Francis + Emile Francis
Buffalo Sabres - Punch Imlach + Floyd Smith
New England Whalers - Jack Kelley + Jack Kelley

Houston Aeros - James S. Smith + Bill Dineen
Atlanta Flames - Cliff Fletcher + Bernie Geoffrion (Fred Creighton, Bob Johnson)
Philadelphia Flyers - Keith Allen + Fred Shero (Bob McCammon, Mike Nykoluk)
Birmingham Bulls - Buck Houle + Billy Harris (Bobby Baun, John Brophy, Pat Kelly, Gilles Leger)
Pittsburgh Penguins - Jack Button + Marc Boileau


So I’ve ensured each team has a Head Coach and four Assistants Coaches, and at least one of the Assistants is a “Goalie Coach” (I picked 5 coaches per team based on maximum number of assignable coaches in practice)….to “fill in” for staff I don’t yet have “historical” names for I’ve literally created staff named “Assistant Coach” and “Goalie Coach” for now so I can do some testing…what will happen to those modern staff I can’t seem to edit/overwrite? Will modern staff “hidden” in far off low leagues find their way back into the news? Will the game create additional staff? What is the optimum number of coaches/scouts when the game “runs itself”?
If I ensure the NHL jobs are filled at game start-up and all contracts are more than a year, will any modern staff “hanging around” disappear with no opportunity to be hired?

SCOUTING is similar in that I have a list of the names of the actual Scouts from 1974 but it is not 12-15 per team! More like about 4-8 per team…..so for now I’m using staff named “Scout” and I’ll do some testing…..does the game automatically populate itself to a certain level regarding scouts?

Keep in mind that ALL of the staff were Free Agents…..making all NHL staff Free Agents was not one of my better ideas (done many months ago now), but it has forced me to `deal with things`, and given me the opportunity to remove all the traces of modern staff that can be removed.

Once some testing has been done and some answers obtained then I’ll know what can and can not be done and proceed accordingly…

Regards

At first I was testing the "waiver issue" (with way to much player movement) and the European/Russian issue (with a huge influx of players into NA that never occured IRL, and completely changes the game)....and I think I've made significant progress!
I had been working on a 1976 db initially , and so while dealing witth the above issues I was slowly moving all of the 1975/1976 players back into Major Junior (removing any NHL draft/rights data).....and now I'll be putting it back!
In testing I've now noticed a flood of offers NHL teams are making to 18-19-20 year old players in Major Junior and college! And players are signing!

I'm not wanting it like that at all, as I put all the effort in to make the db historical/realistic and this ruins things forr me before training camp opens!
So NHL teams will now have a lot more depth! and maybe some prospects to sign!

Can anyone tell me the EXACT youngest DOB at start-up a player can have and still be in Major Junior? Can it be 15 in some circumstances?
And under what circumstances can a 18-19 year old play in minor pro (AHL/ECHL)?

THANKS

OK...upon further testing it doesn't seem to be based on "Rights" as giving the players CHL Rights didn't stop the early signings.
And it doesn't seem to be solely DOB either - I could sign someone 17 years 3 months old on August 30th...I couldn't sign someone who was two months younger...but I could sign someone who was four months younger!

I then compared the News Report from my 1974 game with a News Report of a Free Agent signing using the default db...
1974 db -The transfer of Kamloops' Barry Beck to the Canadiens is set to be complete. Canadiens Confirm the move.
Defauult db - The Oilers contract offer to Peter Worrell has been finalized. Oilers confirmed the move.
In both cases all I did was click "approach to sign" and offer a contract.....in one case it is called a "transfer" and in another a "contract offer"???

I couldn't sign players age 13-16. I was told by the game I couldn't sign some 17 year olds, others I was able to sign...and 18-19-20 year olds I seemed to have no probem signing!

Thoughts?

If a player is born in 1990 (16 at game start-up) the game will not let me sign them and says they will be available in the 2008 draft.
Makes sense, and it works out to the 1978 draft class IRL is the 2008 draft class in-game.

But at game start-up I can sign 17 year olds like they're free agents! I don't know why...but I can!
So the 1977 draft class IRL that should be the 2007 draft class in-game...looks like they'll be "already drafted" at start-up (unless someone can provide further insight?)

If need be I'm OK with it because I try to "roll with the punches" and just keep plugging away at the tasks that need doing.....what I wonder is who will be available in the in-game draft for 2007? I haven't looked into the answer yet but I will

I have some answers for you but I am on a trip and don't have the time. Maybe tomorrow night(CET) or monday night. Several of your problems can be dealt with

Darn.....as I have the opportunity now and don't want to lose 30-40 hours of editing time.
I saved a copy and put it aside last night, and I've been working ever since on a 1974 db that has the 1975/1976 drafts having occured at game start-up. I think the 1975/1976 drafts will be done today.....

I've been working on this db for over a year now, and since the start of July I've been doing 12-15 hours per day every day (seriously).....I really want version 1.0 to be done ASAP, as I'm getting tired of editing again and need to keep working for fear of a few days off will mean the project gets "put on the shelf again".

So no worries...version 1.0 will have the 1975/1976 drafts having occured (which is how I had it initially so I'm OK with it)

Regards

Manimal - I definetly want to hear what you have to say (I may change things in a future version, or use the knowledge in a future project)...but seriously, no worries...I like the 1975/1976 drafts being included at start-up.....




RE INCLUDING THE 1975/1976 DRAFTS AT GAME START-UP

When I first started posting I received feedback (that I asked for!) from a few people that they thought it would be best if all players draft eligible nowadays would be draft eligible at game start-up in the 1974 db - as a result there were a lot of 18-19 year old undrafted historical players at game start-up (because IRL in 1974 the draft rules were very different and players were often not drafted at 18-19).

I decided to go with the flow and changed what I had, and as a result I began to
#1 really look forward to a spectacular first draft in-game
#2 plan how I could control GMs/Draft Picks in "my own game at home" to try and avoid radical change after only one year in my game

I have decided to include the 1975/1976 drafts at game start-up in version 1.0 of the 1974 db

I know EHM will "shuffle things up significantly" based on the game engine and I totally accept that (I can't change it!)...but I've edited the CA/PA of players worldwide to try to minimize/eliminate modern player intrusion + I've given NHLers contracts that end after three years at the earliest + I've tried to have the players and staff be as accurate as possible.....all to TRY to recreate the 1970s era in EHM as much as possible, and I don't want almost immediate, massive/radical change (a "career" is reasonably 20+ years of gameplay and IMO only the first 3-5 years will show much affect from my efforts to minimize movement.....in the 1974 db after 20 years of play in-game Gretky will be 33 and Lemieux 29, so you should get 20+ years with known/historical players).


For those that don't know the players/era and have no real interest, then really it's just a "fantasy roster" for them and if people want to use it that way that's fine but that's not why I'm putting in the effort.....for those that want to use it as an opportunity to fill their team unrealistically with superstars and post incredible stats they can do so with any database (with or without the help of an Editor), and they are of course free to do so with the 1974 db...
BUT for those that either actually remember (am I the only old guy?) or have a keen interest in the players/era I think it is actually much better to minimize player movement at the start (IMO it will be more immersive if Bobby Hull is on Winnipeg, Bobby Orr on Boston, Denis Potvin and Brian Trottier on the Islanders, etc).

When the 1974 db is "released" (and I want an August release) I will of course be playing it, but I will actually be doing a bit of extra editing to personalize it to my own tastes + I will have add myself as an "absentee GM" for a few teams when playing.....all to make the game more enjoyable (and historically accurate) while still a game that lives in my imagination
I'll be playing a Flyer career and a Canuck career for sure and I want the core players of the Canadiens/Bruins/Islanders/etc to be on their teams when I play them in the first few years of in-game play (thus the editing decisions, like including the 1975/1976 drafts).....and for me I'd like the Oilers to have Gretzky/Fuhr/etc when I beat them in year 2016 in-game! I think with some minimal effort as an "absentee GM" I can likely get pleasing results.


I'm quite excited! Back to work...

Maybe I missed it, but are you hard-locking everyone's PA? Since it's clear how they turned out in real life? IE, instead of messing with the random range PA's, are you manually setting 170 or 185 or whatnot?

Honestly, most after they get a hold of your DB are just going to edit it to their liking anyways, but to me the biggest thing is getting our hands on all their historical players and having as many of them in place as possible.

Currently some PAs are "hard locked" and some are not (based on a number of different reasons)...one of the last things I will be doing before release is reviewing CA/PA and Attributes, so what it is now is not for sure what it will be in a few weeks.....

I think that most players who would fall in the 140-200 CA range will have a "fixed" PA (especially if they were a "hot prospect" and high draft choice IRL.....perhaps later round "surprises" will maintain some variability with a non fixed PA.....there for sure will be some variable PA players - especially because there are high draft choice players IRL from the era who never actually played an NHL game IRL, and I see these kind of players deserving of a variable PA that gives the possibilty of a decent NHL career)

Regards

Just lost all the work I've done today (about 8 hours worth). Edited in the 1976 draft and shoulda saved a seperate copy but didn't.
Wanted to do something different so I edited the WHL teams....shoulda tested sooner but didn't (I thought it would be fine), hours later I tested and CRASH....so I worked my way back step by step and same result everytime, so that even when everything was back the same way still CRASH...
Same thing every time - error message v3.0.4 can_whl.cpp 86 and then shutdown

To be honest I'm just fuming right now I don't think I'll be editing teams (I hate editing teams)

So back to my last back-up....

I tryed and tryed with the back-up too but could never get more than one team edited without issues again...different things/weird things, and I can't figure out what I did wrong (seems to have something to do with the Moose Jaw Warriers...maybe)
Finally I just gave up and went to a save from 24 hours before - so far working painfully slow and testing every step of the way but I've got three teams changed in the WHL and everything is still OK! I'm not sure what it is with me and team editing but I sure struggle with it...


EDIT - One hour later and all seems much better (found what I think may have been the problems)...back to the most current save even! error message no longer and 6 WHL teams edited thus far...