Automatically Expand League

[omg_pwnasaurus]

Quick question about this checkbox. If I create 2 expansion teams manually (and have this option unchecked at the time, obv) and after creating these 2 new expansion teams, check the box again so that say in 1993, Col/Flo get automatically generated, will it also wipe out the custom expansion I did x seasons ago or does it not remove any expansion customization as part of that checkbox? Long winded way of saying, can I manually expand and then let history take over or is it an all or nothing situation?

[David Watts]

Originally Posted by omg_pwnasaurus

Quick question about this checkbox. If I create 2 expansion teams manually (and have this option unchecked at the time, obv) and after creating these 2 new expansion teams, check the box again so that say in 1993, Col/Flo get automatically generated, will it also wipe out the custom expansion I did x seasons ago or does it not remove any expansion customization as part of that checkbox? Long winded way of saying, can I manually expand and then let history take over or is it an all or nothing situation?

If you have made any alterations to your league, you don't want to enable historical expansion. Historical expansion will eliminate your changes and set your league to the historical format once the offseason rolls around.

[omg_pwnasaurus]

Originally Posted by David Watts

If you have made any alterations to your league, you don't want to enable historical expansion. Historical expansion will eliminate your changes and set your league to the historical format once the offseason rolls around.

Ah thanks much, good to know.

Appreciate the wisdom. Cheers.

[LansdowneSt]

The solution is to copy the /stats folder and call it /statsMOD. Then when starting a historical game (I think in Step 2 of the Wizard, repoint to that folder) for the sim being created. Then go to /statsMOD and edit the Teams.csv file. There are technically two such files, but one is wrapped into the .odb file. That wrapped one is used for the first year of the sim.

But the accessible Teams.csv file is what is read every subsequent offseason to set thhe league structure. Many know this file because they find/replace Guardians with Indians in the appropriate years. But this file can be edited so that the two expansion teams you want to add can be inserted into the Teams.csv file so they "evolve" and appear as naturally as the real MLB expansion teams. Then keep listing them every subsequent year in the .csv file. After all, the game is not resetting to the real MLB historic structure,... it's resetting to whatever you tell it is the "real MLB historic structure" per that file. So, that's how you use auto-evolve to get what you want instead of turning it off. Just a different means to the same end.

Want the Homestead Grays and Detroit Stars to appear two years after you start your sim, just insert them in every appropriate year. Easy as that.

The reason I said to not edit the one in /stats is that a patch might erase yours and replace it with the -ships-with-game-one. But in /statsMOD it is untouched by patches.

[omg_pwnasaurus]

Ah neat. Good to know thanks. And please stop reading my mind as I was planning to add a few "new" NEL teams starting in 1981

[LansdowneSt]

Make sure to sim test it to make sure you didn't skip a year in the file by accident so one of the four teams drops and to ensure you get a schedule generated appropriately when it happens.

[omg_pwnasaurus]

Does the "Automatically Expand League" checkbox encompass other stuff like the Orioles moving from Memorial Stadium to Camden Yards, etc. Just curious how much of the league that checkbox controls or if it's simply only relegated to adding expansion teams.

I'm using Silvam's historical stadium so I'm mainly curious if I have that checkbox disabled, if the teams will still move into new stadiums, Expos will move to DC, etc, since none of that is actually expansion related. I can also use the file mod suggested but was mainly curious how powerful that checkbox is w/r/t other league evolve factors.

[LansdowneSt]

Originally Posted by omg_pwnasaurus

Does the "Automatically Expand League" checkbox encompass other stuff like the Orioles moving from Memorial Stadium to Camden Yards, etc. Just curious how much of the league that checkbox controls or if it's simply only relegated to adding expansion teams.

I'm using Silvam's historical stadium so I'm mainly curious if I have that checkbox disabled, if the teams will still move into new stadiums, Expos will move to DC, etc, since none of that is actually expansion related. I can also use the file mod suggested but was mainly curious how powerful that checkbox is w/r/t other league evolve factors.

Yes. All that is tied to it. Enabled tells the game to read the files that contain those historical changes. It is not just the expansion teams.

[omg_pwnasaurus]

Thx. I'm assuming then it does not impact things like economy/financials not advancing or anything like that?

Just trying to make sure that if I do uncheck to automatically expand the league, I won't have to worry about other stuff like stats/financials/AI progression according to season, etc not working as expected because I didn't manually advance something and it's only the existing team details/league alignments that stay static.

[LansdowneSt]

The best approach would be start in 1901. Uncheck it. Sim to 2024 and check strategy and finances. It might tie to era parts of the game I have never edited so didn’t pay attention to but a 124 year sim and look around would probably be best.

[omg_pwnasaurus]

Good idea.

I did notice that on the creation wizard screen it does mention some stuff that handles, a little blurry on my photo but I'll double check anyway with some simming.

Thanks!