Scheduling question/suggestion for '08 maybe?

phenom · 04-12-2007, 10:03 AM

I know you can manually edit schedules, and it also seems that the scheduler itself is maybe a tricky thing to work with/code, but there is something I'd like to see.

I'd like to see an option that allows a restriction on the number of games scheduled in a week. For instance, I'd like to be able to auto-generate a schedule that only has two games per team per week, or one that only plays games on Tuesdays and Saturdays, something like that.

I don't see an '08 suggestions forum yet, and that's probably a good thing for now, but I wanted to throw this out there and maybe get some feedback from the development team about the possibility/difficulty in adding this in future releases.

Smetana · 04-12-2007, 10:07 AM

I'll second that. Scheduling functionality is still somewhat of a black mark on a great game.

briantheiceberg · 04-12-2007, 10:36 AM

with a spreadsheet and a converter you can create any schedule you want in less than 15 minutes. I spend more time than that setting up stadiums. I love how schedules are done now and have not used a game created schedule.

chimanbj · 04-12-2007, 10:57 AM

15 minutes? Really? Hmmm...

phenom · 04-12-2007, 11:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by briantheiceberg

with a spreadsheet and a converter you can create any schedule you want in less than 15 minutes. I spend more time than that setting up stadiums. I love how schedules are done now and have not used a game created schedule.

Perhaps you could explain in more detail?

briantheiceberg · 04-12-2007, 11:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by phenom

Perhaps you could explain in more detail?

its hard to explain but easy to do. I'll give you my last league as an example. 16 team league. 2 divisions (one per league). 56 games. No interleague play. first thing I did was create seven pairings across the top. the first pairing had 1v2, 3v4, 5v6, 7v8. the next set had 1v3, etc so that at the end of the seven pairings each team played each team one time. I then copy this and paste to the right then drag the teams on the left of each pairing to the right so that the home teams in the first pairing are now the away teams. I then hit the 'sum' key and click on the box with the 1 and hit that box plus 8. I then drag this down to the spot where I get all sixteen teams and copy and paste. I now have 14 "days" of the schedule done with this. I then copy and paste the hole box per the number of games in a series. In this league, there's a 4 game series. I then randomly drag a four game series to the bottom of another, trying to make sure they are relatively evenly spread.

After this you put all the series in a colum, then in the first column you number the days - for this league teams play 8 days then get one day off. Finally, randomly assign times to each day. Like I said, a schedule done in 15 minutes

I know this explaination sucks, but it is much easier to do than to explain.

phenom · 04-12-2007, 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by briantheiceberg

I know this explaination sucks, but it is much easier to do than to explain.

Yeah, so anyway, about that in-game scheduling function that I wondered about...

briantheiceberg · 04-12-2007, 12:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by phenom

Yeah, so anyway, about that in-game scheduling function that I wondered about...

silvam14 · 04-12-2007, 12:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by phenom

Yeah, so anyway, about that in-game scheduling function that I wondered about...

hehe

endgame · 04-12-2007, 12:24 PM

On my wishlist. 1) Improve/Fix the Unbalanced schedule option (currently TT'd) and 2) As we did with bring Cato-like features to the game, this is a bring Stickware-like features to the game! It offered the best ideas I've personally had to work with yet, and it made the job almost automatic.

phenom · 04-12-2007, 12:28 PM

I agree, but let's not forget about the option/possibility of scenarios like I described in my first post: Two-game-per-week schedules, or two-day-per-week gamedays.

briantheiceberg · 04-12-2007, 12:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by phenom

I agree, but let's not forget about the option/possibility of scenarios like I described in my first post: Two-game-per-week schedules, or two-day-per-week gamedays.

Phenom, how many teams you got and how many games you want? And you want it balanced or what?

endgame · 04-12-2007, 12:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by phenom

I agree, but let's not forget about the option/possibility of scenarios like I described in my first post: Two-game-per-week schedules, or two-day-per-week gamedays.

No, of course not. Didn't mean to ignore your OP.

If I recall, Stickware had an option to use or not use "days off". What'd be easy, I think, in that case is to implement a sliding scale for #days off per week as an average, perhaps like average series length is currently.

phenom · 04-12-2007, 12:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by briantheiceberg

Phenom, how many teams you got and how many games you want? And you want it balanced or what?

I appreciate your inevitable offer, but I'm not looking for one specific schedule. I'm looking for the ability to create various "non-traditional" schedules.

briantheiceberg · 04-12-2007, 01:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by phenom

I appreciate your inevitable offer, but I'm not looking for one specific schedule. I'm looking for the ability to create various "non-traditional" schedules.

oh I see.... its more of a want to have because you want that option not because you want that option NOW. Well if you do design a league like that let me know, I"ll give your schedule a go. I've found myself likeing the league creation process as much as playing the games. (is that odd - or is the fact that I imagine tiny-little digital-baseball players cheering when I get another step done because its one day closer to them taking the field odd?)

phenom · 04-12-2007, 01:24 PM

What's odd is that I just printed out a bunch of regional maps of the USA, as I'm in the early planning phase of a baseball universe.

silvam14 · 04-12-2007, 01:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by briantheiceberg

(is that odd - or is the fact that I imagine tiny-little digital-baseball players cheering when I get another step done because its one day closer to them taking the field odd?)

Uhhhhhhh......That's perfectly normal!

Eugene Church · 04-12-2007, 04:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by briantheiceberg

I've found myself likeing the league creation process as much as playing the games. (is that odd - or is the fact that I imagine tiny-little digital-baseball players cheering when I get another step done because its one day closer to them taking the field odd?)

I just spent all day yesterday partially setting up a universe...just six leagues. It will probably take a week or two, if I use custom stadiums, logos, jerseys, caps and photos.

Maybe one day before V2008 is released, my players will be able to step on the field and actually play a game or two, too.

The ability to limit the number of games a week would be good.

It would be nice to just play games on the weekend. I wanted a league like that, but doing it manually would have taken forever.

I have been asking for a better schedule generator since OOTP3.

For a regular league, I accidently found a workaround. Make all your leagues with two subleagues each with an 8-team division with no interleague play, balanced schedule, 140-game season.

Voila!

Every team plays 70 home and 70 away and plays each opponent 20 times...and the off days are random...and all teams are not off on the same day. It couldn't get any better for me.

I really wanted 154 games, but it couldn't handle that. Teams played each other 21-24 times.

Not acceptable to a sicko perfectionist like me.

I think I will manually add in the other 14 games as part of doubleheaders.

When life gives you a lemon - make some sweet, refreshing lemonade.

Le Grande Orange · 04-12-2007, 05:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eugene Church

I really wanted 154 games, but it couldn't handle that. Teams played each other 21-24 times.

If I ever manage to get around to it, you'll have some real-world minor league schedules to use for an eight team, single division league playing 154 games, in four different "flavours":

There's a 152 day, 6 series per opponent version; a 152 day, 8 series per opponent version; a 145 day, 6 series per opponent version; and a 145 day, 8 series per opponent version. I also know of a very short 138 day version, but I don't know how many series there are per opponent.

Note, of course, that the shorter the calendar length of the season, the more scheduled doubleheaders there are; also, the 6 series per opponent versions will naturally have longer individual series and longer home stands/road trips than the 8 series per opponent versions.

cavebutter · 04-12-2007, 06:53 PM

Please don't mistake my question for scoffing-- for I, too, am a geek. What's the benefit you're getting by programming your own schedule? Is it the task itself that's enjoyable, or is there a payoff in game?

04-12-2007, 10:03 AM	#1
phenom Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Near the Great Wall. On the GOOD side. Posts: 3,754	Scheduling question/suggestion for '08 maybe? I know you can manually edit schedules, and it also seems that the scheduler itself is maybe a tricky thing to work with/code, but there is something I'd like to see. I'd like to see an option that allows a restriction on the number of games scheduled in a week. For instance, I'd like to be able to auto-generate a schedule that only has two games per team per week, or one that only plays games on Tuesdays and Saturdays, something like that. I don't see an '08 suggestions forum yet, and that's probably a good thing for now, but I wanted to throw this out there and maybe get some feedback from the development team about the possibility/difficulty in adding this in future releases. __________________ reported

04-12-2007, 10:57 AM	#4
chimanbj All Star Reserve Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Chicago, by way of Philly Posts: 791	15 minutes? Really? Hmmm... __________________ People ask if I'm a Cubs or White Sox fan...I tell them, proudly, I'm a Phillies Phan!

04-12-2007, 12:24 PM	#10
endgame Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 16,842	On my wishlist. 1) Improve/Fix the Unbalanced schedule option (currently TT'd) and 2) As we did with bring Cato-like features to the game, this is a bring Stickware-like features to the game! It offered the best ideas I've personally had to work with yet, and it made the job almost automatic. __________________ "Try again. Fail again. Fail better." -- Samuel Beckett _____________________________________________

04-12-2007, 12:28 PM	#11
phenom Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Near the Great Wall. On the GOOD side. Posts: 3,754	I agree, but let's not forget about the option/possibility of scenarios like I described in my first post: Two-game-per-week schedules, or two-day-per-week gamedays. __________________ reported

04-12-2007, 01:24 PM	#16
phenom Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Near the Great Wall. On the GOOD side. Posts: 3,754	What's odd is that I just printed out a bunch of regional maps of the USA, as I'm in the early planning phase of a baseball universe. __________________ reported

04-12-2007, 10:07 AM	#2
Smetana All Star Starter Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: West Virginia Posts: 1,071	I'll second that. Scheduling functionality is still somewhat of a black mark on a great game.

04-12-2007, 10:36 AM	#3
briantheiceberg Banned Join Date: Mar 2007 Posts: 212 Infractions: 0/4 (102)	with a spreadsheet and a converter you can create any schedule you want in less than 15 minutes. I spend more time than that setting up stadiums. I love how schedules are done now and have not used a game created schedule.

04-12-2007, 06:53 PM	#20
cavebutter All Star Starter Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 1,164	Please don't mistake my question for scoffing-- for I, too, am a geek. What's the benefit you're getting by programming your own schedule? Is it the task itself that's enjoyable, or is there a payoff in game?