Custom Games Need Real Control Over Drafts and Player Generation

HockeyEnjoyer1980 · 05-10-2025, 03:48 PM

I’m really frustrated with the developers. They’ve created such an interesting and deep game — but the lack of customization in core systems like the draft and regen player generation is awful.

I started a Custom Game with the NHL and a Farm League.
I set the farm league age to 15–22 so it could feed players into the NHL.
And guess what? The game just says “screw you.”
I can see the players in the Future list, but the draft logic ignores them. The game scripts pick whatever it wants — and most of the time, it picks garbage.
I suspect the draft logic is based on the current strength of league players. So if the league already has solid players, the system compensates by feeding in weak ones.

Why is the game deciding for me — in a Custom game — which player pool to draft from?

- I can’t control how players are generated
- I can’t control how drafts are populated
— but I want to control both.

Please — just give us a .csv or something editable, where we can configure basic things:
– Which leagues draft from where, and exactly how they do it – with full control over pool size, limits, balancing, or no restrictions at all.
- Whether generation scales with current talent or not

Is that really too much to ask from a game where the long-term experience completely depends on regens?
Right now, it genuinely makes me hesitate to support or buy the next version.

05-10-2025, 03:48 PM	#1
HockeyEnjoyer1980 Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: May 2024 Posts: 32	Custom Games Need Real Control Over Drafts and Player Generation I’m really frustrated with the developers. They’ve created such an interesting and deep game — but the lack of customization in core systems like the draft and regen player generation is awful. I started a Custom Game with the NHL and a Farm League. I set the farm league age to 15–22 so it could feed players into the NHL. And guess what? The game just says “screw you.” I can see the players in the Future list, but the draft logic ignores them. The game scripts pick whatever it wants — and most of the time, it picks garbage. I suspect the draft logic is based on the current strength of league players. So if the league already has solid players, the system compensates by feeding in weak ones. Why is the game deciding for me — in a Custom game — which player pool to draft from? - I can’t control how players are generated - I can’t control how drafts are populated — but I want to control both. Please — just give us a .csv or something editable, where we can configure basic things: – Which leagues draft from where, and exactly how they do it – with full control over pool size, limits, balancing, or no restrictions at all. - Whether generation scales with current talent or not Is that really too much to ask from a game where the long-term experience completely depends on regens? Right now, it genuinely makes me hesitate to support or buy the next version.