Quote:
Originally Posted by Markus Heinsohn
Well, in theory it is supported already... however, we'd need to add little things like tiebreakers and team actually playing to win when being close to relegation. This will happen someday as an option, but not for OOTP 16. Unless I can figure out a quick and dirty way to do it.
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Right, theoretically, promotion/relegation is supported in the sense that there is nothing in the game that prevents us from moving teams from league to league, even if they're on different levels. And as you know I am running a promotion/relegation dynasty within the confines of OOTP14 right now*. It's close enough to pass some muster, but it also comes up lacking in some very basic ways, which you recognize with your comment about the need to add some things to really make p/r work. But the most encouraging thing here is that you say it
will happen someday, if not for 16—but even so, it might happen in 16 if you can figure out an easy way to implement it. That's very hopeful.
So, recognizing that p/r is not on the table right now, if it ever gets seriously closer on your radar, I would say that the most important features to include, at minimum, would be these:
- Instruct AI to have teams Win Now! towards the end of a season to both avoid relegation, and to try to earn promotion to the next level. (I've been trying to do manage this manually in season and it is unfortunately not working so well).
- Automatic movement of clubs from division to division immediately after the last game is played, with number of teams going up or down by division selected in game options.
I think if you added these two features to the game, that would create a credible promotion/relegation system that an OOTP gamer would feel extremely comfortable (not to mention grateful) implementing.
As for promotion playoffs, I believe that's already baked into the game: under Association settings, we can already select which places in the table will play in playoffs. So in a situation where three clubs go up and the top two teams are automatically promoted, we can instruct the league to play playoffs involving the four teams from third to sixth place to play for that third spot.
I think the following would be very nice to have, but to my way of thinking would be lower priority:
- Reserve teams and leagues, which would act like affiliated minor league teams and leagues except there would be no limitations on movement between the reserve and the first-team squads.
- Development academy teams and leagues for young players, which would act like the low minor leagues except would include whatever regulations there are re: movement to first-team or reserve clubs that exist today.
- Allow transfers instead of trades.
- Allow player loans.
- Allow ties to be broken by run differential rather than playoff.
- In season cup tournaments with separate records, and player status (injury, etc.) transferable from regular season to cup tourney.
I suspect that in terms of programming, that last one would probably be a big hairy deal!
Anyway, thanks very much for weighing in on the topic, Markus.
* - Actually, given my signature, I'd venture to say that everybody must know by now that I am running a promotion/relegation dynasty. 