Developer Chat

This chat is to discuss the changes introduced with the update on 12/2/2008.

Has just the run defense been approved or has the pass defense improved as well? (godsize - Hall of Famer - 1:01 PM)

The entire defensive aspect of the engine has been updated and modified to bring better balance to the game. The run defense has been improved a great deal, but pass defense is also a little better as well. During testing it looked like the defenses have been improved to a good, balanced level for the offenses available. This is an aspect of the game that we will have to monitor though to make sure more changes aren't needed.

Does having a player from your team drafted help to raise your teams prestige like it does in HD? (scottso14 - Hall of Famer - 1:02 PM)

Currently, having a drafted player does not effect your school's prestige level. However, this is an aspect of the draft that I would like to incorporate into the game as soon as possible.

Can you clarify the qualifications for advancing divisions? (slick58 - All-Star - 1:06 PM)

The changes that we have made to the job page will hopefully clear up some questions surrounding this. Prior to the job period, you will see the job page as you always have. Once the job period starts, the notes section will contain information telling you if you are qualified for the position or not. (There is currently a bug in this and we are working on getting it fixed.) This way you will know before submitting the application if you at least have a chance at the position. More generally, success qualifications are very difficult to quantify in terms of wins, conference championships, etc. because all coaches have their success rated relative to all the other coaches in the world. As the makeup of the world changes, so to does your success rating. I know this is hard to understand, but hopefully the changes to the job page will help.

I looked in Wilkinson DIA recruiting before and after the update. While stated that the recruiting pool will be adjusted to fulfill current trends, I didn’t notice a change in the number of OL and DL in my 1,000 mile radius. Could you please tell us what trend you were seeing in coaches recruiting? Also, do you expect to see a change in the trend since running won’t be such a huge factor it has always been? (dupa220 - Hall of Famer - 1:08 PM)

All existing recruiting pools prior to the update were left unchanged. At the end of recruiting in each world, a new recruiting pool will be generated and this pool will reflect the changes. The roster trends are variable based upon the number of players at each position on teams.

I don't see the SOS ranking in the standings. When will that be implemented? (scottso14 - Hall of Famer - 1:10 PM)

The SOS ranking will be updated the next time the rankings (WIS, Press, Coaches) are updated in each world. This is why the SOS column in the WIS rankings is empty at the moment. The top 10 list on the side of a couple pages will also update at this time and the current listing is simply the first 10 teams and is not a valid ranking. I know this is confusing at the moment, but it will be resolved once the rankings update in your world.

Now that the change jobs are updated and we only see schools that will consider us is it easier to get another job and not get denied and hurt our loyalty?Because it takes to long to move up to D1A schools if you are an average coach and get turned down by good schools. (ginobili04 - Hall of Famer - 1:11 PM)

The requirements to move up to DII have been reduced substantially, but the other divisions have remained the same for the time being. With the change to the job page, you will at least know which jobs you have a chance at landing but a more qualified coach could always apply and beat you out.

Can you talk about the Draft Results page and how that is going to work? (firedogs - Hall of Famer - 1:16 PM)

The draft results page will list the complete draft results for each season. There are no historical drafts at this point, but there will be in subsequent seasons. You will be able to select the season and the round (1-7) for each draft to view the results. This will list the pick number (round and overall), the NFL team, the player selected, his position, and the player's college. I have plans to add some notes to each selection with a future update. The draft will take place following the NC games in each world.

Can you give us an idea of how much a recruit will respond to promised playing time? Is 25% similar to a So. start and 75% close to a campus visit? (redwolf95 - Hall of Famer - 1:20 PM)

Promised playing time should be a very effective recruiting tool. I don't want to give the exact correlation to other tools because this is an element of strategy in the game, but ALL recruits want playing time. With this in mind, even a minimal promise of playing time could be very influential. This tool is meant to give some of the "lesser" schools a chance to sign better players away from the power schools who would ride the bench at those schools their first season.

How are the recommended practice time settings determined? Do they accurately reflect the relative importance of each item in the sim? (vincec - Hall of Famer - 1:24 PM)

The practice plan recommendations are meant to give new coaches an idea of what to practice and an example to follow. The recommendations are not necessarily the optimal settings, but good. More experienced coaches will likely want to tweak them a little to fit their needs and more closely follow their experiences within the game.

What and were is the clipbord? What is it used for and how can I use it to my avanage? (fermor332002 - Hall of Famer - 1:25 PM)

The clipboard links at the top of team and player profiles are for copying/pasting links to profiles in the coaches corner. Once you click the clipboard (copy) on the profile, go to the coaches corner and click the paste button -- this will put a link to the profile in the coaches corner. This is just to make talking about and linking to players/teams a little easier in the coaches corner.

In Bryant, did existing coaches go down to 1/4 of their carry-over money for the previous year? Or will that start at the end of recruiting this season (i.e. they keep 100% of carry over for this season's recruiting) (skeeziks - Hall of Famer - 1:27 PM)

No recruiting budgets have been modified. The first time budgets will be reduced to 25% will be after the world has had a full recruiting period since the ORIGINAL announcement of the change in the forums. I do not know the schedule off hand so you'll want to double check this, but I think your budget in Bryant will be reduced at the end of the next recruiting period.

If during the first round of recruiting we just make phone calls, will they reaspond with their preferences after first round calls? Does it matter how many calls that round? (diamondjim69 - Hall of Famer - 1:30 PM)

All assistant coach phone call responses will contain this information, so you will get this information right away. It does not matter how many you do.

The new elite firing standards. Does that only take place when a team is "In Jeopardy" ? (plague - Hall of Famer - 1:31 PM)

Yes -- it applies to the coach trying to save his job once he is "In Jeopardy." The progression of going from "Very Secure" down to "In Jeopardy" has not changed.

How much impact will a recruit's choice of favorite school have on his recruiting? Will his favorite school have a significant or minor recruiting advantage? (freesteagle - Hall of Famer - 1:32 PM)

At the present time, I think this will be a small factor, but this is hard to judge until the effects are seen in a true recruiting environment. This aspect will be monitored moving forward and adjusted as necessary.

Can a recruit's choice of favorite school change after signings begin? In other words, if his favorite fills all their scholarships, and another school sends him an assistant coach phone call after signings begin, will he give his favorite alternative or will he still offer his original favorite? (freesteagle - Hall of Famer - 1:33 PM)

No -- it will remain constant.

Is there a penalty if you redshirt the player who you have guaranteed a percent of plays to, or will it just roll to the next season (like a freshman start)? (nelsonba25 - Hall of Famer - 1:35 PM)

There WILL be a penalty just like the freshman start. A redshirt DOES NOT delay promised starts nor does it delay promised playing time. There is a knowledge base article on this subject for promised starts -- please read it -- and I will add one for promised playing time.

Normally Georgia would never fight Ohio State for a recruit in Ohio but with the new recruiting changes, would it even out the distance advantage if Georgia was the recruits favorite school? Or if the recruit wants to go away from home? (shonmurphy20 - Hall of Famer - 1:37 PM)

It will definitely make a difference and the hope is to make such a battle worthwhile for Georgia to pursue. Whether or not this will be the case in practice is yet to be seen.

In GridIron Dynasty I've found certain days in the schedule to be very important - especially the first two days of recruiting. However, because of religious observance there is one day a week where I don't play GD so I try to choose worlds that accomodate my religious observance. In the last few months the schedule of worlds has changed twice. My question is, could WIS make a policy to keep the world schedules constant (and possibly reverse the recent one day bump forward)? Thanks (kirill - Pro - 1:38 PM)

I'm sorry, but we cannot. We do not say that schedules will stay constant because it is sometimes necessary to modify them.

Is a recruits growth potential completely random now? Will there be no way other than WE to judge future growth? Will AC scouts offer any hint at all? (joe_pa - All-Star - 1:42 PM)

Potential is unchanged and you will still get information on it through scouting reports. The only change involving potential is that is now excluded from the recruit value determination which is used to decide his projected level. This will shift some higher potential players down some so that lower schools have the opportunity to sign higher potential players and develop them. This is aimed at balancing out the teams some and making it slightly easier to build a contender.

Can both a FR promised stat be used in recruiting in addition to the new percentage of plays promise or is it one or the other only? (gator1time - Hall of Famer - 1:43 PM)

They can both be used.

I had created a recruiting list prior to the update, should I go back and search to make sure the players are still within my vision? (memphus01 - Hall of Famer - 1:44 PM)

This should not have changed, but it may be worthwhile for you to double check.

Hi JConte - thanks for your work on the update. Since AC phone calls will now be a valuable recruiting tool, will our draft boards be increased from a max of 100 players to accomodate the likelihood that coaches will want to send more than 100 of these calls? Thanks (mcbethbr - Hall of Famer - 1:46 PM)

I had not thought about increasing this limit. If it turns out that this limit is a detriment, then it can be increased in the future, but for now it is the same.

Has there been any change to the stamina/fatigue/pace system? (mjsmjs - Hall of Famer - 1:47 PM)

No, this has not been changed as I feel it is in a good spot.

Will there be an option for a hurry up/spread offense? (chadrader - Hall of Famer - 1:48 PM)

No new offensive or defensive formations have been added with this update. There is always opportunity to add to these in the future.

the 180 miles search in the recruiting page is no longer there. There was a significant increase in recruiting cost from 179 miles to 180 miles. I wonder if that is still the case since the 180 miles search has been taken out? (DKC - Hall of Famer - 1:49 PM)

The cost structure for recruiting has not been modifed with this update and remains the same as before.

Regarding % of plays - is that over the player's next season only? Or for their entire career? In other words, if I promise someone 50% of the plays, and they get that in their freshman season, are they expecting 50% in their sophomore, junior, and senior seasons also? (bhazlewood - Hall of Famer - 1:50 PM)

The promise is only for the player's first season with your team and not for subsequent seasons.

Has the impact/necessity of formation practice changed any at all, at any level? (champ83 - Hall of Famer - 1:50 PM)

No, it has not changed with this update.

In reguards to the recruiting change where cores are used now and potential has been taken out. Does that now mean that DIII teams will be seeing lower cored players across the board or will we still be able to see 60/60/30 core OL and DL? (dewagne - Hall of Famer - 1:52 PM)

I would say that the players they see will be similar to those in the past, but the results will more accurately reflect the value of the players across all levels.

When using the recommendation button on practice time is it the same for all users or is it designed for what our current players are lacking/could improve on. Thanks, mossyoaksoon (mossyoaksoon - All-Star - 1:53 PM)

The recommended practice plan currently gives the same recommendation for everyone.

It is stated, as most of us know, that the OL works as a unit. Why is it that stamina is not shared as is blocking/strength/tech etc.? (dennis7474 - Hall of Famer - 1:54 PM)

The offensive line works as a unit when blocking because it makes sense in football terms -- if the OL is not working together, they do not perform well. Fatigue is an individual thing and does not make sense to share across the line.

With the carryover $$ being reduced has there been any changes made in the amount of money needed to knock off a SIM coached team? Any changes to the cost associated with each recruiting effort? (kev959 - Hall of Famer - 1:55 PM)

No, these have not been changed. Recruiting against a SIM is still a fairly easy proposition.

Does carryover affect playoff money earned by the conference? (wesklick - Hall of Famer - 1:57 PM)

No, it does not. The reduction to 25% (if you filled all of your scholarships) is done at the end of the recruiting period. Any post-season money earned by the conference is added at the end of the season and kept in its entirety.

Is running the ball "harder" (more realalistic? If so how did you accomplish this? Is the O watered down? Is the D now better? If a D sells out to the run (calling Always Run) does the sim now more acurately access the possability of stopping the run? (bullfrog333 - Hall of Famer - 1:59 PM)

Running the ball should be more difficult and realistic, especially against an "all run" defense. I hope this change will make teams run a more balanced and realistic offense and teams that choose to run every play will find the going rough. Essentially, the defenses will simply perform better than in the past.

Will special team plays count toward a players plays? For example I recruit a DB and have him set as returner. He returns 3 kicks does he get credit for that? (lukeyboy - Veteran - 2:00 PM)

No -- a defensive player will have his percent participation determined by the total number of defensive plays in the game only. Likewise, an offensive player will have his determined by the ofensive plays in the game only.

Regarding percentage of plays, what is the penalty for not meeting the percentage of plays and how is it evaluated? Is it evaluated on a game by game basis or over the course of the season? (lyonzfan37 - Hall of Famer - 2:03 PM)

The evaluation is covered earlier, but the penalty is lost WE (temporary at first and then permanent if the promise is not later fulfilled) and a damaged reputation.

What is the PP% in the Player Profile? (hamnation - Hall of Famer - 2:05 PM)

This lists the percent of plays that the player participated in for that game. Games played prior to and including 12/3 will have potentially inaccurate numbers since this feature was just added in and tracking not performed within the simulation. The numbers from 12/4 forward should be correct.

With reguards to today. What do I need to know about gameplanning (tweaks etc) that will help us in the second half? Most of us have not been able to test the new engine. What do we need to know? (richramirez - Hall of Famer - 2:07 PM)

I don't think there will be a significant impact to game planning unless you are running a very unbalanced offense and your opponent can easily game plan against you. If you run every play and your opponent game plans to stop the run, you should find the going a little tougher now.

One can still get by just fine with one or zero kickers, no doubt? (ososdeoro - Hall of Famer - 2:09 PM)

I don't think so.

If I want to know the SOS of the school I coach, and it is not in the top 10, where do I find that information? (brandonford - Hall of Famer - 2:10 PM)

Under the SOS column on the WIS rankings.

With the removal of the potential aspect in recruiting, are we to understand that potential is now randomly spread across recruits of varying talent? Is there still a way to glean this potential a la scouting visits ? Or am I completely misunderstanding the change in potential? :) (cygnusx1 - All-Star - 2:12 PM)

Yes, it is better spread across all levels and will still be in scouting reports.

Just to clarify on your earlier remarks about the recruiting base. If I'm in a world that's in the playoffs now, is it true that I won't see the change until after I've gone through recruiting one more time? (laswell - Hall of Famer - 2:13 PM)

Yes, this is correct. I did not want to remove current recruiting pools and therefore eliminate any in-season scouting work that coaches may have done.

Will lower-level players prefer lower-level teams and higher-level players prefer higher-level teams? Or is it totally random regardless of level? Or will players only prefer DI-A teams regardless of their own ability? (taint98 - Hall of Famer - 2:17 PM)

It is random, but not completely. Players will randomly select from a pool of high prestige schools (DIA), local schools, and schools that are a reasonable fit for the player.

Can you clarify some more on the promised playing time to a recruit. If I promise a recruit with a stamina of 10, 75% playing time, this doesn't seem like it could happen. Do I have to use my own judgment, based on his stamina and what I set their effectiveness setting to, to meet that 75%? (gregscar - Hall of Famer - 2:20 PM)

Yes. If you promise a 10 stamina player 75% of plays, you better use a very low effective setting in order for him to meet the promise. If you just blindly make promises, you could get yourself into trouble.

Any changes to special teams with regards to kickers and punters and QBs being able to play the kicker position? (miami_jefe - Hall of Famer - 2:21 PM)

Yes -- I increased the penalty so that players who are not kickers or punters but are performing those duties will perform very poorly.

Does the AC call negate the need for an AC visit to determine the recruit's potential? (thereids - Hall of Famer - 2:22 PM)

No, potential information in not in the AC call responses.

During recruiting when we make a call and the recruit lets us know his interest in which school he likes does he only mention a school name or just mention he isnt interested in your team and how many teams will he mention? (ginobili04 - Hall of Famer - 2:25 PM)

He will specifically mention the school, e.g. I always wanted to play for Hawaii. Each recruit will have 1 favorite school.

Is there a certain distance that recruits define as "far" if they don't want to play close to home? For example, a Miami recruit isn't necessarily "close" to FSU, but that's still in state. (ebbets55 - Hall of Famer - 2:27 PM)

Anthing over a few hours drive away is considered to be away from home.

Any thought of going to a rolling team prestige similar to what HD has? I really think you need to have some sort of adjustment so that a consistent 7-6 Ohio State doesn't have a prestige advantage on a consistent 12-2 Cincinnati. (moranis - Hall of Famer - 2:30 PM)

Prestige already works much the same way as it does in HD. A school's prestige is adjusted at the end of each season based upon the success of that season and is not constant. With this system, a consistently underperforming Ohio St. will drop and a consistently good Cincinnati will rise.

Is the percentage of plays locked in once you make a offer? Or can you change it in later cycles? For example you offer 30% cycle 4 and on cycle 8 offer 60% (plague - Hall of Famer - 2:31 PM)

Once the promise is made and accepted, it is locked in and you cannot adjust it later. I like this approach because it makes coaches think more about the promises when they are initially given.

Today is the last day of recruiting in Hayes. Does this mean that the players I promised freshman starts to (before the update) now have to start this season? (mccarthyizm - Hall of Famer - 2:34 PM)

They always did have to start in their first season. You may get lucky and not get a complaint, but the possiblity is there for them to complain.

Does the DL not work as a unit anymore like you stated they did in the past? (mrhands17 - Hall of Famer - 2:34 PM)

This has not changed and they still work as a unit.

With the new D changes what will be the affect of the tendency the D calls? I.E. will an Always Run D more realalistcly stuff the run? (bullfrog333 - Hall of Famer - 2:36 PM)

Yes, that is the idea.

That's all the time I have for today -- thanks for all the questions! ( Moderator - 2:37 PM)

Concerning the new Guaranteed % of Plays option, if I promise a recruit 50% does that mean he has to start 50% of plays in every game, or can you go 45% one game and make up for it with 55% the next? Will his WE drop if this number is missed, even by just one percentage point? (pds65 - Hall of Famer - 10:05 AM)

The percent of plays is based upon the total number of plays that the player could reasonably consider he should play -- e.g. all offensive snaps for a QB. There will be some leeway because the player can look at the season to date as a whole, so going under one game and over the next may balance out though it is possible for the player to complain after a single game below the promised percent. If the player does complain, it will work much like the promised starts where his WE will drop but can recover if he starts getting the playing time he was promised.

Has there been any changes to the amount of players who leave D1 early? Right now it is relatively high. (mele316 - Hall of Famer - 10:07 AM)

No -- the number of players who leave early are in line with historical real world early declarations and there is never more than the maximum number who have declared early in any given year for the real NFL draft. (Proportional to roster size differences in GD compared to real world rosters.)

Thanks for taking part in the chat!