No competition for Free Agents

Castleview · 06-14-2023, 03:31 PM

Historical game starting on 1st July 1917.
I've set it up as a multi-player game where I'm controlling 2 teams, one in the NHL , and one in the PCHA.

I've reached 16th July and there has been virtually no free agent activity
by any of the AI controlled teams, with the exception of Toronto who signed 1 player on 6th July.
Essentially, unless the teams I'm controlling make an offer for the same player, there is no bidding competition and nothing to stop me signing
all the best players.

Unsure if this is due to the multi-player aspect, as I don't recall it being this
bad when controlling a single team. However, even then I'd expect the AI
to try and create some sort of free agent frenzy in early July.

Edit : I've reached 1st October 1917 and just noticed that the PCHA manager cannot make any trades!
The 'Trade Offer" option is greyed out and players cannot be shopped, only put on Trade Block.
The NHL manager can make trades without any problems. I have Commisioner mode switched on , so NHL manager is also Commisioner.
In 'Team Control Settings' the manager is correctly set to Initiate & React to Trades.

I've tried removing the PCHA manager and rolling forward a day, then re-adding him. Also tried putting him
in charge of another NHL team. Still unable to make trades in either case.
Seems to be a Team Control issue as PCHA manager can't hire staff or scouts either, despite having those options set. It appears that
he only has Head Coach abilities, despite being set up as GM & Head Coach.

Edit 2: I experimented with a new multi-player game starting in 1918 and same thing happens. Any additional managers (non-commisioner)
that get added in a GM/Head Coach position, only appear to get Head Coach privileges. They can offer contracts and release players, but
are unable to initiate trades, handle team finances or hire staff/scouts.

Set up is as follows:
Historical Editing : On
Historical Drafts : On
Teams/Leagues appear when they did : On
Teams/Leagues disappear when they did : Off
Iron Curtain rule : Off
FHM Player Development : On
Everything else : On

am I missing some obvious setting here?
I find it hard to believe that nobody has tried playing an historical multi-player game and not noticed this!

JeffR · 06-18-2023, 03:30 AM

There typically won't be a lot of free agent activity at the beginning of a July 1 historical start. The teams begin with relatively full rosters, so unless there's an immediate need to fill, they won't be looking to add players. And in historical, the best unsigned players tend to start on independent teams, which makes it even less likely that they'll be targeted for an offseason signing. There are roster-upgrade AI routines that run throughout the season, but they may take a while to grab the unsigned guys at the start of a game. The AI should start behaving normally with offseason free agency after the end of the first season.

Re: the trading, in multiplayer games only the commissioner account can set up trades.

Castleview · 06-19-2023, 03:30 AM

The problem is there's a disconnect between the way the AI behaves (albeit historically accurate), and
the lack of constraints on me as a human manager.

Most of the teams start with 13 to 15 players under contract. Since there's a maximum of 25 contracts
allowed, I can fill out my roster by signing as many free agents as possible. Even if I don't particularly
need those players I can still use them as future trade bait. I can also buyout the poor half-star potential
players on my roster and upgrade them with better free agents.

If the AI teams don't also try to do this, it leads to nonsensical situations where the AI teams will later happily
trade away one of their better players to me in exchange for some free agents they could have simply signed a few days
earlier for nothing.

The alternative is to make the constraints on the human manager much tougher. Maybe fewer contracts, much tougher
financial budgets, or more severe financial penalties for releasing players under contract. Also possibly
flag players that the AI teams have no interest in signing, so they won't then subsequently accept them in trades
at least in the short term.

06-14-2023, 03:31 PM	#1
Castleview All Star Reserve Join Date: May 2020 Location: Scotland Posts: 945	No competition for Free Agents Historical game starting on 1st July 1917. I've set it up as a multi-player game where I'm controlling 2 teams, one in the NHL , and one in the PCHA. I've reached 16th July and there has been virtually no free agent activity by any of the AI controlled teams, with the exception of Toronto who signed 1 player on 6th July. Essentially, unless the teams I'm controlling make an offer for the same player, there is no bidding competition and nothing to stop me signing all the best players. Unsure if this is due to the multi-player aspect, as I don't recall it being this bad when controlling a single team. However, even then I'd expect the AI to try and create some sort of free agent frenzy in early July. Edit : I've reached 1st October 1917 and just noticed that the PCHA manager cannot make any trades! The 'Trade Offer" option is greyed out and players cannot be shopped, only put on Trade Block. The NHL manager can make trades without any problems. I have Commisioner mode switched on , so NHL manager is also Commisioner. In 'Team Control Settings' the manager is correctly set to Initiate & React to Trades. I've tried removing the PCHA manager and rolling forward a day, then re-adding him. Also tried putting him in charge of another NHL team. Still unable to make trades in either case. Seems to be a Team Control issue as PCHA manager can't hire staff or scouts either, despite having those options set. It appears that he only has Head Coach abilities, despite being set up as GM & Head Coach. Edit 2: I experimented with a new multi-player game starting in 1918 and same thing happens. Any additional managers (non-commisioner) that get added in a GM/Head Coach position, only appear to get Head Coach privileges. They can offer contracts and release players, but are unable to initiate trades, handle team finances or hire staff/scouts. Set up is as follows: Historical Editing : On Historical Drafts : On Teams/Leagues appear when they did : On Teams/Leagues disappear when they did : Off Iron Curtain rule : Off FHM Player Development : On Everything else : On am I missing some obvious setting here? I find it hard to believe that nobody has tried playing an historical multi-player game and not noticed this! Last edited by Castleview; 06-16-2023 at 02:08 AM. Reason: Additional Trade Issue

06-18-2023, 03:30 AM	#2
JeffR FHM Producer Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Kelowna, BC Posts: 17,434	There typically won't be a lot of free agent activity at the beginning of a July 1 historical start. The teams begin with relatively full rosters, so unless there's an immediate need to fill, they won't be looking to add players. And in historical, the best unsigned players tend to start on independent teams, which makes it even less likely that they'll be targeted for an offseason signing. There are roster-upgrade AI routines that run throughout the season, but they may take a while to grab the unsigned guys at the start of a game. The AI should start behaving normally with offseason free agency after the end of the first season. Re: the trading, in multiplayer games only the commissioner account can set up trades.

06-19-2023, 03:30 AM	#3
Castleview All Star Reserve Join Date: May 2020 Location: Scotland Posts: 945	The problem is there's a disconnect between the way the AI behaves (albeit historically accurate), and the lack of constraints on me as a human manager. Most of the teams start with 13 to 15 players under contract. Since there's a maximum of 25 contracts allowed, I can fill out my roster by signing as many free agents as possible. Even if I don't particularly need those players I can still use them as future trade bait. I can also buyout the poor half-star potential players on my roster and upgrade them with better free agents. If the AI teams don't also try to do this, it leads to nonsensical situations where the AI teams will later happily trade away one of their better players to me in exchange for some free agents they could have simply signed a few days earlier for nothing. The alternative is to make the constraints on the human manager much tougher. Maybe fewer contracts, much tougher financial budgets, or more severe financial penalties for releasing players under contract. Also possibly flag players that the AI teams have no interest in signing, so they won't then subsequently accept them in trades at least in the short term.