players failing to age

[voxpoptart]

Some background first:

When I first created a league in OOTP4, and was asked what year I wanted, I very casually chose the year 701. There was no reason not to, and my cities were from empires I'd created with Sid Meier's Civilization (my previous computer-game addiction ), and 701 was hi-tech modern times in those empires, so... 701 it was.

Late in the year 702, I noticed that the players weren't aging: that their ages were being calculated as if it were still 701. I appealed for help and can't recall whether I got much, but meanwhile I noticed something helpful: that those players born in January, February, and March were aging just fine. So I took several hours, edited everyone's birthdays to get them all in the year's first three months, and come 703, voila!, everyone's ages were fine. Every season since I've taken 45 minutes or so, fixed the birthdays of all the draft pool, and the problem didn't reappear.

Until now, with OOTP6. Oddly, the problem is showing up in my _second_ season with it: it had no problem aging everyone into the year 707. But now, the year is 708, and everyone's age is stuck as if the year was still 707. Everyone's, no matter their month of birth.

So: now what? I can't change the year (as Steve and Markus explained just hours ago in another thread), so how do I get the players' ages advancing again, at one year per year? Any ideas?

[Steve Kuffrey]

I've not attempted this but my best guess would be that the "unusual" starting year is probably showing a limitation of the game. Not sure that anything can be done in this regard.

[jmm8356]

A wild and crazy idea... [insert liability disclaimer here ]<INSERT here disclaimer>

You could export Player General Info and either run some sort of Excel macro to turn all the birthdates back a year... or use Notepad and do a Find and Replace on every birthyear... something like change all instances of "/641," with "/640," and so on...

Might be something to ask about in the Mods forum...

[voxpoptart]

Originally Posted by jmm8356

You could export Player General Info and either run some sort of Excel macro to turn all the birthdates back a year... or use Notepad and do a Find and Replace on every birthyear... something like change all instances of "/641," with "/640," and so on...

Thanks! I had to read that three times before I understood what you were getting at, but it just might work. "Mods forum"? What's that?

[voxpoptart]

Originally Posted by Steve Kuffrey

I've not attempted this but my best guess would be that the "unusual" starting year is probably showing a limitation of the game. Not sure that anything can be done in this regard.

Meanwhile, Steve, is this anything that could be fixed in the next patch? It doesn't seem like it'd be hard to fix. I know that, clearly, the problem hasn't come up for many people, but there was nothing in the game warning me (or anyone else) away from such an unusual start date, so it seems only fair that the date ought to work.

[Steve Kuffrey]

I do not know, I don't recall ever seeing any other issue like this but will mention it.

[voxpoptart]

Originally Posted by Steve Kuffrey

I do not know, I don't recall ever seeing any other issue like this but will mention it.

Thanks! I'll hope for the best.

[jmm8356]

Originally Posted by voxpoptart

Thanks! I had to read that three times before I understood what you were getting at, but it just might work. "Mods forum"? What's that?

My fault... remind me to be more verbose in the future.

The OOTP Mods forum is where people talk about OOTP-related programs that aren't OOTP, if that makes sense. Some folks there have a lot more experience with CSV exporting / importing than I do; that's why I recommended it.

If you use Excel or another spreadsheet program, there's a chance that the player heights won't import correctly. Don't remember exactly what happens or how to fix it, but a search or a post in the Mods forum should find the answer.

I also kinda wonder if you'll end up with screwy player development doing this... since players won't "turn 36" but instead will just magically "become 36". However, players age in the offseason under normal circumstances, so the more I think about it, the more I think it will work.