Developer Chat

Just a quick 30 minute Q&A regarding the latest engine release.

Will defensive settings for both teams be reported at the beginning of each half? With the current play-by-play we would have no way of telling if our opponent has made a halftime shift. (the Benders - Hall of Famer - 11:10 AM)

Yes, at the beginning of the game you will see both the offense, tempo, defense and position of each team. At the beginning of the second half, you will only see that information if one or both of the teams have made a change.

What is the criteria for how the system determines whether to implement the "halftime adjustment" option? Is it based on your opponent's offensive distro or first half performance? For example, will it drop you -2 and pack it in if your opponent is hitting a high % from the post, even if they are ALSO creaming you from the perimeter? (sordie - Hall of Famer - 11:12 AM)

It looks at what percentage of your opponent's scoring from the first half came from the perimeter versus "in the paint".

I saw the notice - what is the difference between an algorithm change and a game logic change? does it mean that player performance and play results are unchanged, but who is on the floor is changed??? (mamxet - Hall of Famer - 11:13 AM)

An example of an algorithim change would be changing the impact of defensive positioning or changing the impact of athleticism on defense. An example of a game logic change would be how subsitutions are handled. This release only included game logic changes, nothing to do with how any statistic (FGA, FG%, FTA, TO, STL, BLK, etc.) is derived.

Not really a question about the new engine, but...are there any plans to mock the newly implemented NBA draft so we can see how highly our guys got picked? It may be fun. (netgymrat - Hall of Famer - 11:14 AM)

Yes, this is already in the game. Naismith will see the results of the NBA draft posted on collegiateinsider.com.

Any chance that future updates will include the ability to make manual adjustments like SIM Football and run 1/2 the game in the AM and 1/2 in the PM? Manual adjustments could include setting the second half starting lineup, resetting double teams, O/D sets and offensive dist based on how the game is going. (Rails - Hall of Famer - 11:24 AM)

No, we have no plans to split the game into halves at this time.

I posted these on the forum, so dont bother if y'all answer there 1. once the adjustment is made, does it stick for the rest of the game - so taking the example they give, if the adjustment opens up the lane and they kill us inside does it flip back? I bet not - I bet its "sticky" 2. is it three point attempts that trigger it or perimeter action/inside the lane action in general? 3. can it ever lead to a setting greater than +5 or less than -5 (I bet not) (mamxet - Hall of Famer - 11:26 AM)

1. Yes, it kicks in at the start of the 2nd half and goes until your late game settings kick in. 2. It looks at where the scoring is coming from (so no, not just attempts). 3. No, no team can ever play greater than a +5 or less than a -5.

and another for your consideration 4. if a halftime adjustment is made, what happens when you then hit a late game adjustment (does that override the halftime adjustment as if it never happened or is the late-game adjustment itself adjusted ....what I mean is, continue the example in the FAQ...then it comes to 3 minutes left, I am up by 6 and my settings say to shift to a +2....does that override the 0 from the halftime adjustment and we play a +2 or do we still apply the adjustment and play a +4?? (mamxet - Hall of Famer - 11:27 AM)

Your late game adjustments work the same as they did before - they are absolute values and are not based on what your prior defensive positioning was before that point in the game.

Any plans to make offensive adjustments? For example, if I set my distributions heavy towards my big men. and the other team uncharacteristically goes -3 to -5, it would be good to be able to adjust the offensive distributions at the half as well. (dmurphy104 - Hall of Famer - 11:32 AM)

The offense has been enjoying flexibility already by being able to take more outside/inside shots based what the defense is giving them. The defense has been fairly static and this change helps balance that out. Just as the offense has some flexibility in shot selection, this change allows the defense to have *some* flexibility when it comes to positioning. Your example illustrates why you don't want to be one dimensional on offense. The premise of the game planning settings is that this is how you are preparing in practice for the upcoming game. By completely focusing on pounding it inside you are certainly taking a risk. It's analagous to investing heavily in one stock as opposed to spreading the risk across multiple types of investments. I'm not a financial planner, but I did sleep at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

Will the new substitution logic mean less mass substitutions so that my second string in not ALL on the floor at the same time? Will we be able to set it so that 2-3 starters are always on the floor? (wisefella99 - Hall of Famer - 11:36 AM)

While I certainly can't comment on your specific situation without seeing depth charts, target minutes and boxscores, I can say that the new subsitution logic does a much better job finding the optimal lineup based on all the parameters you've provided as the coach. Particularly I'm referring to non-standard situations (foul trouble, injuries, ejections, etc.) in which the sim will now do a better job of sliding players around.

What does the improved end of game logic involve? Are we still going to see a lot of fouls at the buzzer? Are teams still going to drive the lengh of the court for a game winning layup with 3 or 4 seconds left? (kelby_03 - Hall of Famer - 11:39 AM)

What you were seeing were not actually fouls at the buzzer, but the way the play by play was being generated, it required an 'event' to register so if a team scored with :03 remaining and the other team was unable to get a shot off, it would appear as though the player scored with :00 remaining. The new engine will still have last second shots, but now you'll see that the player was fouled with :02 remaining and the other team was unable to get a shot off.

If I run a completely balanced defense and the team I'm facing is sending everything inside, if I click the halftime adjustment, will this send my team to a -1 or -2? Or the other way around if they're shooting 3's all night? (svan - Pro - 11:40 AM)

It depends on what percentage of the scoring is coming from inside/outside. In your example your defense would start the 2nd half at a -2.

Will there be any changes like those mentioned in the HD forum to fix some of the senior dominated teams? (kelby_03 - Hall of Famer - 11:41 AM)

If you're referring to a limit on scholarships, it's something that we're looking into but we haven't made any decisions as of yet.

In RL, a superior defending PG can defend the opponent's SG, without giving up his offensive PG duties. Any plans on allowing us to dictate who our players defend as oppossed to guarding the player at their position? (Rails - Hall of Famer - 11:42 AM)

We've tried to skin that cat 50 different ways and have not (at least not yet) been able to come up with a way to implement that functionality without it becoming uber-complicated for the user to setup. You have other issues to deal with such as what happens when the player you're assigned to leaves the game.

There has been a big influx in 3-point shots made and scoring in general lately. What did you change? (kelby_03 - Hall of Famer - 11:45 AM)

We haven't changed anything. Coaches are finally starting to figure out how to beat the trendy sagging defense strategy.

Will the new substitution logic eliminate the platoon effect? I.E., if you have 5 starters at 24-28 mins and 5 subs at 14-18 mins, all 5 subs seem to enter and leave the games in waves rather than being sprinkled in. (treyomo - Hall of Famer - 11:47 AM)

Yes - that's not to say you won't see 3 or 4 subs in at once, but overall I think you'll see less mass substitutions.

Admin, Isn't the halftime adjustment really just an automatic sim correction to our making a human coaching mistake with our human set defense? In essence, taking some of the human element out of the game? (1OldDawg - Hall of Famer - 11:51 AM)

Actually no, this is a counter-balance to what the offense has been enjoying since day 1. If I set my players to a 0 for 3 point frequency, that means a different thing if I'm playing against a sagging 2-3 zone than if I'm playing against a pressuring man to man. In real life, the offense would make these adjustments, but up until this point, the defense has been static until your late game options kick in. In real life, the coach would make half-time adjustments. This change provides the defense with *some* ability to react. Again, you can't go from a -5 to a +5 and it doesn't kick in until the 2nd half so this will be no means take the responsibility of game planning off the coach.

As far as the play-by-play format change: I've noticed it's difficult to follow who's subbing for whom. Any chance that you will ID the position that players come in at or during the play-by-play itself ID their positions? (Jones-PF comes up with the steal or Smith-C tips it in)?? (Rails - Hall of Famer - 12:10 PM)

Yes, you'll be able to see the positions of the players entering the game.

Can we add the ability to adjust at halftime, only if losing? I'd hate to adjust a strategy that worked in the first half, only to get killed in the second half. (thescamdog - Hall of Famer - 12:19 PM)

Sorry for the confusion, the halftime adjustment option is if you are winning. It will always kick in if you are losing or tied. So if you are winning and you have it checked, then it will adjust (if it needs to). If you are winning and you do not have it checked, it will not adjust. We've updated the page/FAQ to reflect the difference.

Has the SIM engine been making halftime adjustments like the +2/-2 all along - looking at how the game is going and dynamically adjusting? (mamxet - Hall of Famer - 2:16 PM)

No.

Will this automatically change game plans by sim coached teams as well? (mike45 - Hall of Famer - 2:17 PM)

Yes.

Are we going to see a decrease in the wholesale lineup changes that always seem to happen about 3-4 minutes in the game? Will the AI try to get better matchups by having 1st teamers against 2nd teamers depending on fatigue? (Wildcard88 - Hall of Famer - 2:18 PM)

The sim will not make substitutions based on fatigue, only based on your depth chart and target minute settings.

What exactly would it take to get my defense to adjust at halftime? If an opponent is hitting 75% of his 3's, but has only taken 4 of them, and I am losing by 1, will my defense change by +2? (kj45 - Hall of Famer - 2:20 PM)

Odds are no, you wouldn't see any adustment in that only 9 of his points came from outside the arc. There needs to be a dramatic impact on offense for you to see a change in defensive positioning.

some coaches like to play -5 D throughout a game because of the rebounding advantage it provides and the relative difficulty of making 3s. it seems that the new defensive policy will force us out of that alignment no matter what. that doesn't make sense; why can't we have an option to NEVER adjust? would that have really been so difficult? or am i misunderstanding the change? thank you! (kcsundevil - Hall of Famer - 2:37 PM)

We're in the process of expanding your control of this feature now. You'll be able to choose any of the following options: adjust defensive positioning ... [never], [if losing by 10 or more], [if losing by 5 or more], [if losing], [if losing or tied], [if winning], [anytime]

like the new play by play format - saw it in Crum exhibitions - easier to follow, easier to "decode" and learn from...with the changes announced today, there is another strong reason to show half time stats - so we can see what had happened before the adjustments (automatic and voluntary) - soon? (fd343ny - Hall of Famer - 2:40 PM)

Thanks for the feedback. We're not planning on splitting up the boxscore by half, but we are planning on adding supplemental stats at the end of the first half and at the end of the game. Those stats will include (but are not limited to): points in the paint, points off turnovers, 2nd chance points, bench points, number of times the score was tied, number of lead changes, largest lead by each team.

Allowing the Sim engine to analyze the results after one half and then kick in at a variable between of + or - 1 or 2 either direction seems to be a huge advantage to the losing team since the Sim engine obviously should make the perfect decision based upon it knowing all the variables - why should a team that is losing be given such an advantage? (vandydave - Hall of Famer - 2:42 PM)

It's available to both teams so neither team is being given an advantage.

Now that we can efficiently play multiple offenses and defenses, will we eventually be able to switch our O/D sets at other points in the game, other than the last 6 minutes? I'd like to see a 20 minute or 30 minute option. (spit_ballerz - Hall of Famer - 2:45 PM)

There's nothing in the works as of yet, but I could certainly see advanced offense/defense options that would allow you to switch offenses/defenses based on certain game triggers.

Will the game logic changes help stop my player from continuing to shoot when he is say 1 for 10? (Weena - Hall of Famer - 2:46 PM)

No, that's controlled solely by your offensive distribution. Guys have bad shooting nights.

Sometimes I have a player pick up his 4th foul early in the 2nd half and he is pulled and never gets back into the game. Will the new logic put him back in? (Weena - Hall of Famer - 2:46 PM)

Yes.

Seeking Clarity: The defensive postioning will always change when you are losing or tied (no matter if you've checked the box) and optional (if checked) when winning? Thanks. (Rails - Hall of Famer - 2:49 PM)

We're in the process of expanding your control of this feature now. You'll be able to choose any of the following options: adjust defensive positioning ... [never], [if losing by 10 or more], [if losing by 5 or more], [if losing], [if losing or tied], [if winning], [anytime]

At what shooting percentage is the defensive switch made? (Weena - Hall of Famer - 2:50 PM)

It's based on where the points are coming from, not necessarily a specific shooting percentage.

Since you're discussing adding new stats: what about adding a +/- for each player in the player stats? (For example, if a player's in a game for 10 minutes total, and his team scores 15 points in that time while giving up 20 points, his +/- would be a -5.) This would help a bit in determining the extremely-hard-to-quantify effects of individual defense. (bluespruce - Hall of Famer - 2:51 PM)

Hockey fan, eh? It's something we can look at but it won't be added in the next release.

In reference to Defensive Adjustment options (kcsundevil): Why not just make 2 options: Auto-adjust if ahead, Auto-adjust if tied or behind. SIM AI can have one (or both) auto-checked, and humans can decide whether they want this option. (kbjone - Hall of Famer - 2:53 PM)

The new options achieve that goal while adding more control for those coaches that want it.

I just had my best player (starter at one position and 2nd string at 2 more and 34-38 min) get his 2nd foul with 10 min left in the first half and he didn't come back in until 11 min left in the game and played only 20 min. Does the new setting cause players with 2 fouls to stay out until the middle of the 2nd half? (stockmaj - Veteran - 2:53 PM)

It depends on his target minutes. You should send in the boxscore.

Since this change in defensive logic will also apply to the Sim AIs does that mean that the Sim AIs will "game plan" now and say start out at a -2 instead of balanced? (Weena - Hall of Famer - 2:54 PM)

Now, they'll still start at a 0 - for right now.

Will the end of game logic now send in a scrub off the bench to foul when I'm in an intentional foul situation instead on causing one of my regulars to foul? (Weena - Hall of Famer - 2:55 PM)

No, scrubs will still only see time in a mopup situation.

Why dont you rename this feature "Weena Chat"? (dmurphy104 - Hall of Famer - 3:01 PM)

We have a policy against porn on the site.

At what paint/perimeter ratio are the defensive switches triggered? (And is it a sliding scale - sometimes a +/-1 adjustment, sometimes +/-2?) (bluespruce - Hall of Famer - 3:02 PM)

It's a completely dynamic evaluation that looks not just at what percentage of points are coming from inside/outside, but your primary position as well. A team playing a -2 will have a higher threshhold before coming out to guard the perimeter than would a +2 team.

Thanks for taking the time to post your questions. If you have a question which was not answered, please feel free to contact us via email.