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gmo · 10-22-2005, 07:25 PM

Do custom schedules in OOTP6 cause the postseason box scores to beginning numbering at 1, thus overwriting early regular season box scores, rather than being ordered numerically after the regular season box scores?

(Tentative) Conclusion: Yes, to the extent of CSV-format schedules imported at the beginning of a season will cause the box score numbering to start over at #1 for any postseason (or even postseason spot determining one-game playoff) games for that season in which the import occurred. However, in subsequent seasons if the schedule is not alterred structurally the box score numbering works properly, plus there are methods to avoid this numbering problem even for that first season.

For some time I have noticed this box score numbering problem but never cared too much about it because it neither affected anything important to me like CatoBase nor bothered me losing some regular season box scores. Finally I decided to investigate the issue to see if indeed, as hypothesized, CSV-format imported schedules were to blame. I tested with an 8-team league (with two 4-team subleagues) playing 86-game seasons. As a quick review, the problem is that after the full compliment of regular season games (in my testing case 86*8/2=344) rather than postseason (or, if necessary, one-game playoff) games being numbered after the regular season games (in my testing case starting with 345), they start over numbering the box score & game log files with 1 and so on thus overwriting the first regular season games' box scores & game logs.

I took the test league and gave it season schedules in various ways.

The following methods did not show the box score numbering error:
*OOTP-generated schedules
*Stickware-generated schedules (copying .dat file into .lg folder)
*Any schedule (including originally imported CSV) in future seasons

The cases where I observed the box score numbering error all involved seasons where at the beginning of that year the schedule in CSV format was imported into the league. If you import a CSV format schedule in the preseason of a year, in the postseason of that year the box score numbering error will occur. However, with the same schedule used in the following season the error will not occur. Furthermore, I found other methods that could allow one to avoid the error.

The following two processes resulted in the box score numbering error not occurring:

***Import the CSV format schedule before proceeding to the next season.
EDIT: This method has its own problems, specifically it causes the box scores and game logs to not be saved at all in the Almanac for that season while the league goes through the "Proceeding" process. See the notes in post #8 below.
Rather than waiting until the preseason of the year for which you want the schedule, go ahead and perform the import after the postseason and everything else is completed in the previous year and just before pressing the "Proceed" button. This obviously requires some planning ahead and a league that is not just beginning. There was one test season case where though the postseason box score numbering error did not occur, another error did occur where the box scores of one day were overwritten by the box scores of the following day. It is uncertain why that happened, but perhaps it had something to do the the All-Star Game date from the previous schedule. Thus the possibility of some kind of an error with this method may make the following method more preferable overall even though it is a bit more work.

***Create a dummy league into which to import the CSV format schedule, then after having generating a schedule in the preseason of the real league, copy over the "schedule.dat" file from the dummy league into the real league's .lg folder. This may seem complicated, however the actual process is fairly brief. In the preseason of the year for which you want to import a schedule, go ahead and use the in-game schedule generator to create a momentary placeholder schedule for the league, leaving off an All-Star Game for the time being but going ahead and specifying the number of games the CSV format schedule to be used has. Then create the custom "dummy" league. This dummy league should be the same configuration (specifically the same number of teams) as the real league, and it must be created with the initial season year the same as the year of the current season in the real league (very important so that the year shown in the schedule matches the year of the league). There is no need to make the team names the same (any random cities will work), and the league does not even need players, but just to be safe set the number of games per team to be the same as what is in the CSV format schedule to be used. After the league is generated, simply go straight to the Edit Schedule page under League Setup and import the CSV format schedule into the dummy league. No need to yet fiddle with the All-Star Game date and Year Starts On day as those can be set in the real league. Now from the .lg folder of the dummy league, copy its "schedule.dat" file into the .lg folder of the real league thus overwriting its "schedule.dat" file. Then open the real league in the game (after that the dummy league is done and may be deleted). On the Edit Schedule screen set the All-Star Game and Year Starts On information, then check the Report to see if everything appears as it should.

Simply importing a CSV format schedule into OOTP6 is apparently what opens the door to the box score numbering error. A season rolling over into the next, seems to "fix" the schedule. Copying over "schedule.dat" files does not raise this issue. That is how Stickware works, and the same applies when using the dummy league method described above. Key to both though is copying the "schedule.dat" file into a league not already having this error embedded. Thus in the dummy method the step of having the game generate a schedule first is added. Generating a schedule in-game is necessary before importing a schedule with a different number of games than the league had previously so the league knows the right number of games in the season at least for magic number calculation, and it is probably just a good idea in general.

All the results have not been tested to the point of being "laws," but in my mind they are very solid "theories." If you notice in discrepancies with what is described here, report them, and if you have anything to add, please do.

************************************************** *****

Season-by-season test league results

Season 1 - 2005 - Original generated schedule
---Postseason box scores numbered correctly

Season 2 - 2006 - Original generated schedule again
---Postseason box scores numbered correctly

Season 3 - 2007 - Imported custom schedule, no ASG
---Postseason box scores numbered incorrectly

Season 4 - 2008 - Imported custom schedule, no ASG again
---Postseason box scores numbered correctly

Season 5 - 2009 - Imported custom schedule again, but added ASG
---Postseason box scores numbered correctly

Season 6 - 2010 - Newly game-generated schedule
---Postseason box scores numbered correctly

Season 7 - 2011 - Imported custom schedule, added ASG
---Postseason box scores numbered incorrectly

Season 8 - 2012 - Before proceeding, imported custom schedule, added ASG
---Postseason box scores numbered correctly

Season 9 - 2013 - Created Stickware, added ASG
---Postseason box scores numbered correctly

Season 10 - 2014 - Rolled over Stickware
---Postseason box scores numbered correctly

Season 11 - 2015 - Before proceeding created Stickware, added ASG preseason
---Postseason box scores numbered correctly

Season 12 - 2016 - Before proceeding, imported custom schedule, added ASG preseason
---Postseason box scores numbered correctly, but 5/22 repeated numbers of 5/21 (prev ASG)

Season 13 - 2017 - Rolled over custom above
---Postseason box scores numbered correctly

Season 14 - 2018 - Imported custom schedule, added ASG
---Postseason box scores numbered incorrectly

Season 15 - 2019 - Copied dummy schedule.dat just after creation of dummy league
---Postseason box scores numbered correctly

Season 16 - 2020 - Before proceeding, imported custom schedule, added ASG
---Postseason box scores numbered correctly

Season 17 - 2021 - Imported custom schedule, then copied dummy schedule.dat just after creation of dummy league
---Postseason box scores numbered incorrectly

Season 18 - 2022 - Generated schedule, then copied dummy schedule.dat just after creation of dummy league
---Postseason box scores numbered correctly

10-22-2005, 07:25 PM	#6
gmo Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2002 Location: Longmont, CO Posts: 3,400	Do custom schedules in OOTP6 cause the postseason box scores to beginning numbering at 1, thus overwriting early regular season box scores, rather than being ordered numerically after the regular season box scores? (Tentative) Conclusion: Yes, to the extent of CSV-format schedules imported at the beginning of a season will cause the box score numbering to start over at #1 for any postseason (or even postseason spot determining one-game playoff) games for that season in which the import occurred. However, in subsequent seasons if the schedule is not alterred structurally the box score numbering works properly, plus there are methods to avoid this numbering problem even for that first season. For some time I have noticed this box score numbering problem but never cared too much about it because it neither affected anything important to me like CatoBase nor bothered me losing some regular season box scores. Finally I decided to investigate the issue to see if indeed, as hypothesized, CSV-format imported schedules were to blame. I tested with an 8-team league (with two 4-team subleagues) playing 86-game seasons. As a quick review, the problem is that after the full compliment of regular season games (in my testing case 868/2=344) rather than postseason (or, if necessary, one-game playoff) games being numbered after the regular season games (in my testing case starting with 345), they start over numbering the box score & game log files with 1 and so on thus overwriting the first regular season games' box scores & game logs. I took the test league and gave it season schedules in various ways. The following methods did not show the box score numbering error: OOTP-generated schedules Stickware-generated schedules (copying .dat file into .lg folder) Any schedule (including originally imported CSV) in future seasons The cases where I observed the box score numbering error all involved seasons where at the beginning of that year the schedule in CSV format was imported into the league. If you import a CSV format schedule in the preseason of a year, in the postseason of that year the box score numbering error will occur. However, with the same schedule used in the following season the error will not occur. Furthermore, I found other methods that could allow one to avoid the error. The following two processes resulted in the box score numbering error not occurring: ***Import the CSV format schedule before proceeding to the next season. EDIT: This method has its own problems, specifically it causes the box scores and game logs to not be saved at all in the Almanac for that season while the league goes through the "Proceeding" process. See the notes in post #8 below. Rather than waiting until the preseason of the year for which you want the schedule, go ahead and perform the import after the postseason and everything else is completed in the previous year and just before pressing the "Proceed" button. This obviously requires some planning ahead and a league that is not just beginning. There was one test season case where though the postseason box score numbering error did not occur, another error did occur where the box scores of one day were overwritten by the box scores of the following day. It is uncertain why that happened, but perhaps it had something to do the the All-Star Game date from the previous schedule. Thus the possibility of some kind of an error with this method may make the following method more preferable overall even though it is a bit more work. *Create a dummy league into which to import the CSV format schedule, then after having generating a schedule in the preseason of the real league, copy over the "schedule.dat" file from the dummy league into the real league's .lg folder. This may seem complicated, however the actual process is fairly brief. In the preseason of the year for which you want to import a schedule, go ahead and use the in-game schedule generator to create a momentary placeholder schedule for the league, leaving off an All-Star Game for the time being but going ahead and specifying the number of games the CSV format schedule to be used has. Then create the custom "dummy" league. This dummy league should be the same configuration (specifically the same number of teams) as the real league, and it must be created with the initial season year the same as the year of the current season in the real league (very important so that the year shown in the schedule matches the year of the league). There is no need to make the team names the same (any random cities will work), and the league does not even need players, but just to be safe set the number of games per team to be the same as what is in the CSV format schedule to be used. After the league is generated, simply go straight to the Edit Schedule page under League Setup and import the CSV format schedule into the dummy league. No need to yet fiddle with the All-Star Game date and Year Starts On day as those can be set in the real league. Now from the .lg folder of the dummy league, copy its "schedule.dat" file into the .lg folder of the real league thus overwriting its "schedule.dat" file. Then open the real league in the game (after that the dummy league is done and may be deleted). On the Edit Schedule screen set the All-Star Game and Year Starts On information, then check the Report to see if everything appears as it should. Simply importing a CSV format schedule into OOTP6 is apparently what opens the door to the box score numbering error. A season rolling over into the next, seems to "fix" the schedule. Copying over "schedule.dat" files does not raise this issue. That is how Stickware works, and the same applies when using the dummy league method described above. Key to both though is copying the "schedule.dat" file into a league not already having this error embedded. Thus in the dummy method the step of having the game generate a schedule first is added. Generating a schedule in-game is necessary before importing a schedule with a different number of games than the league had previously so the league knows the right number of games in the season at least for magic number calculation, and it is probably just a good idea in general. All the results have not been tested to the point of being "laws," but in my mind they are very solid "theories." If you notice in discrepancies with what is described here, report them, and if you have anything to add, please do. ********************************************** *** Season-by-season test league results Season 1 - 2005 - Original generated schedule ---Postseason box scores numbered correctly Season 2 - 2006 - Original generated schedule again ---Postseason box scores numbered correctly Season 3 - 2007 - Imported custom schedule, no ASG ---Postseason box scores numbered incorrectly Season 4 - 2008 - Imported custom schedule, no ASG again ---Postseason box scores numbered correctly Season 5 - 2009 - Imported custom schedule again, but added ASG ---Postseason box scores numbered correctly Season 6 - 2010 - Newly game-generated schedule ---Postseason box scores numbered correctly Season 7 - 2011 - Imported custom schedule, added ASG ---Postseason box scores numbered incorrectly Season 8 - 2012 - Before proceeding, imported custom schedule, added ASG ---Postseason box scores numbered correctly Season 9 - 2013 - Created Stickware, added ASG ---Postseason box scores numbered correctly Season 10 - 2014 - Rolled over Stickware ---Postseason box scores numbered correctly Season 11 - 2015 - Before proceeding created Stickware, added ASG preseason ---Postseason box scores numbered correctly Season 12 - 2016 - Before proceeding, imported custom schedule, added ASG preseason ---Postseason box scores numbered correctly, but 5/22 repeated numbers of 5/21 (prev ASG) Season 13 - 2017 - Rolled over custom above ---Postseason box scores numbered correctly Season 14 - 2018 - Imported custom schedule, added ASG ---Postseason box scores numbered incorrectly Season 15 - 2019 - Copied dummy schedule.dat just after creation of dummy league ---Postseason box scores numbered correctly Season 16 - 2020 - Before proceeding, imported custom schedule, added ASG ---Postseason box scores numbered correctly Season 17 - 2021 - Imported custom schedule, then copied dummy schedule.dat just after creation of dummy league ---Postseason box scores numbered incorrectly Season 18 - 2022 - Generated schedule, then copied dummy schedule.dat just after creation of dummy league ---Postseason box scores numbered correctly Last edited by gmo; 11-25-2005 at 05:45 AM.