BTS: Frequently Asked Questions

[Muzamba]

Originally Posted by Francis Cole

Yes, basically it's because the faces are 3D (you can view the portrait from different angles in OOTP).

I personally would prefer 2D images with hair to 3D images with no hair, but since FG only renders 3D images (I think), I suppose we don't have a choice. Still, it seems that FG could be programmed to render all the images with the same relative positioning in the frame, even if they are in 3D. Maybe I'm just not following the technical aspect of how FG images are created, though.

Also, because the Face is supplied by FaceGen but the hair isn't (not a lot anyway), we'd need a lot of time with artists to design lots and lots of hairstyles. (look at FM for example to see how hard it is).

Well, FWIW, I always thought the aforementioned hairstyle mod looked pretty good, at least as a base to start from. So if the angle/positioning issue could be addressed in order to allow uniformity in all the photos, perhaps you could get permission to use this hair mod and maybe even build upon it with a few additional styles.

[Valhoun]

First, Francis you have handled our questions in a fantastic manner. Really doing a great job handling the excitement and hype.

I just wanted to throw my two cents in regarding online play. If importing a league file from V1 to V2 won't be possible then it changes things greatly. I play OOTP13/14 almost exclusively online. It's a tremendous sim and I understand why others like playing it solo, but that's just not for me.

Just in terms of selling copies, I think you'll do better if you can assure online GMs that they won't have to reset their league to change versions. Especially since I'm sure that there will be a huge difference in features between V1 and V2.

Thanks again for finally creating something that we've been wanting for years!

[dave1927p]

I hope I can improve the production and talent coming out of Canada.


Are we able to tweak those settings? (the number Canadian high school players going to us colleges and change their talent)

[Francis Cole]

Originally Posted by Valhoun

I just wanted to throw my two cents in regarding online play. If importing a league file from V1 to V2 won't be possible then it changes things greatly. I play OOTP13/14 almost exclusively online. It's a tremendous sim and I understand why others like playing it solo, but that's just not for me.

I agree that it would be an ace feature, and certainly if it's at all possible it will be in, but two thoughts spring to mind:

1)It's still early to think about it, as it will only be needed in V2 onwards!!
2)More importantly, however much we may not like it, it could potentially limit the things we can change in future versions.
Let's say we identify a core component which isn't as good as we want. and it needs rewriting from scratch and the very fundamentals need changing. No longer does it become about rewriting it to become the very best we can possibly make it, but rewriting it with one eye always making sure that the new system and old system share something in common so old games can convert to the new system.


That's not to say it won't be in, but I think it theoretically it could get tricky. That's a bridge we can cross in the future though

Francis

[goalieump413]

Francis,

I have an idea to consider regarding a player's career as GM in BTS. It's something that isn't fully implemented in OOTP, but would be a great benefit to me and others, I'm sure.

Can a system of tracking one's career be built so that as the seasons pile up, your career prestige, milestones, and comparison to the league's historical greats be traced? Not like an arcade game points system per se, but more like an RPG style experience/prestige system.

For example, the game adds to your career file things like:

• your first "All Pro" or "Pro Bowl" draft pick(s)
• your first winning season
• your first "Hall of Fame" player candidate
• your overall winning percentage
• your team's market value

Point is, I believe there should be a place in the game where your numbers, awards, and notable achievements are collected and displayed. I know it sounds like the same old achievements screen from many xbox games, but it'd still be fun to view a screen that visually displays this stuff. Kind of like a view of your office, with all the loot on your walls and desk.

And as for prestige, if you call it a reputation, the higher the prestige, the easier it is to deal with all sorts of negotiations.

[Francis Cole]

Good idea. A bit like the FM achievements screen (if you've played Football Manager?)

Certainly with the way BTS stores everything (compared with OOTP) it makes cross-referencing things like that much easier, so as ever it's just a case of the time taken for me to design the screen etc

[dave1927p]

Originally Posted by goalieump413

Francis,

I have an idea to consider regarding a player's career as GM in BTS. It's something that isn't fully implemented in OOTP, but would be a great benefit to me and others, I'm sure.

Can a system of tracking one's career be built so that as the seasons pile up, your career prestige, milestones, and comparison to the league's historical greats be traced? Not like an arcade game points system per se, but more like an RPG style experience/prestige system.

For example, the game adds to your career file things like:

• your first "All Pro" or "Pro Bowl" draft pick(s)
• your first winning season
• your first "Hall of Fame" player candidate
• your overall winning percentage
• your team's market value

Point is, I believe there should be a place in the game where your numbers, awards, and notable achievements are collected and displayed. I know it sounds like the same old achievements screen from many xbox games, but it'd still be fun to view a screen that visually displays this stuff. Kind of like a view of your office, with all the loot on your walls and desk.

And as for prestige, if you call it a reputation, the higher the prestige, the easier it is to deal with all sorts of negotiations.

I'm not a big fan of it...to me it makes it feel arcady but I understand why people would like it. As a GM I want to focus on my major achievements only and that's draft success rates (and the players that I drafted who became regulars, and lists of those who became pro bowlers or award winners), superbowls won, total winning games, amount of money my gm makes. Those are the sort of things I'm really interested in but would prefer it presented in a way that makes sense. Meaning looking at a history book of my GM or my "bio" (or as some might see it a resume) opposed to screen just listing gimmicky achievements like "1st hall of fame inductee"... I want to see the list of those hall of fame inductee I was apart of. Not just one small screen saying "good job, so and so is in the hall of fame". I want it to tell a story and remind me of certain things, I want the bigger picture of achievements and not just the arcade "great job". It would have different purpose and that's telling your GM's highlights of his career and his story. Think of it like all the facts (with listed players and coaches who achieved great things under him, including what season (or range), stats etc) you pull straight out of a book written of that GM. For example you would see a number indicating the "successful draft picks" and click on that link to bring you to the list of those players.

Of course that takes more time, but I imagine all this information is tracked somewhere in the game, it just needs to be summarized in a GMs bio/facts screen.

[colourmebrad]

Originally Posted by dave1927p

I'm not a big fan of it...to me it makes it feel arcady but I understand why people would like it. As a GM I want to focus on my major achievements only and that's draft success rates (and the players that I drafted who became regulars, and lists of those who became pro bowlers or award winners), superbowls won, total winning games, amount of money my gm makes. Those are the sort of things I'm really interested in but would prefer it presented in a way that makes sense. Meaning looking at a history book of my GM or my "bio" (or as some might see it a resume) opposed to screen just listing gimmicky achievements like "1st hall of fame inductee"... I want to see the list of those hall of fame inductee I was apart of. Not just one small screen saying "good job, so and so is in the hall of fame". I want it to tell a story and remind me of certain things, I want the bigger picture of achievements and not just the arcade "great job". It would have different purpose and that's telling your GM's highlights of his career.

I'm not sure I'm seeing a significant difference between what you're describing and what was originally pitched, but I guess the devil is sometimes not in the details, but in the presentation of them.

A league almanac that lets you group by conference, team, GM, Coach would be a fantastically enjoyable feature, imo. This is especially fun in online leagues.

[dave1927p]

Originally Posted by colourmebrad

I'm not sure I'm seeing a significant difference between what you're describing and what was originally pitched, but I guess the devil is sometimes not in the details, but in the presentation of them.

That's exactly it, it's the way it would be presented. There is a fine line between what goalieump and I a saying, but a big difference in the way in fits into the world. I don't want an arcady feeling. I want to feel like I'm in the shoes of a GM. Achievements are one thing but presenting them properly to show it like a resume would be vital otherwise it's just a gimmicky feature. Nothing wrong with a gimmicky feature either but when it can be turned into something far greater and realistic should be the end goal.

A league almanac for GMs is different than what I'm suggesting. What I'm suggesting is taking that a step further. So you see the list of GMs main stats in that history GM almanic file, then you would click on that GM to see his yearly breakdown, then click on another tab in his profile to see his achievements including "successful draft picks", "pro bowl players", "superbowls won", "GM Awards", "Major Trades?", "Hall of Famers on his team", "Head Coaches who worked for him", "Total Earned Salary"...etc. All those things would be clickable to bring you to a sort of shortlist listing those. So you click on "Head Coaches" and you will see another list with all the head coaches who was with your team along with some of their quick stats.

Of course what I'm suggesting is not something I would expect in a first version, but I really want to see this sort of thinking in these games. It really has seemed to have stalled with OOTP.

[dumbrabbit]

Will BTS be using the new 4:3 format OOTP is using to display information or will you have your own format?

[Francis Cole]

Originally Posted by dumbrabbit

Will BTS be using the new 4:3 format OOTP is using to display information or will you have your own format?

Not 100%, but I think it will be the new one.

[Mr. Baseball]

I really don't understand why OOTP can't just buy the hair mod. I've heard that the organization sells between 7,000 and 15,000 copies of the game per version. Take that low estimate of 7,000 and charge an extra $0.25 per game and that's $1,750 for the mod. If you charge an extra dollar that's $7,000. There's no reason OOTP can't afford to pay for it. None. Furthermore, I highly doubt the addition would be more than a few hundred bucks.

[Francis Cole]

Singular Inversions - Additional Hair Models

That's all they supply as far as I know. The cost factor isn't paying them, it's hiring a 3D modeller (or whatever you need to draw the hair! - I have trouble drawing stick men so whatever it is is beyond me! ).

[Valhoun]

Originally Posted by Mr. Baseball

I really don't understand why OOTP can't just buy the hair mod. I've heard that the organization sells between 7,000 and 15,000 copies of the game per version. Take that low estimate of 7,000 and charge an extra $0.25 per game and that's $1,750 for the mod. If you charge an extra dollar that's $7,000. There's no reason OOTP can't afford to pay for it. None. Furthermore, I highly doubt the addition would be more than a few hundred bucks.

I would hope that they sell more copies than that. After paying taxes and distribution fees that's not a lot left over if they are only selling 10k.

[Francis Cole]

Valhoun with high hopes for BTS!

[olivertheorem]

I don't remember if this has been asked or not, and I'll admit to being too lazy to search for it.

Position changes. Will the AI, say, draft an offensive tackle and move him to guard (whether officially or just by playing him there). Or a small college pass-rush DE being drafted and moved to OLB by a 3-4 team. There are probably other examples, but those are the only two that come to mind.

Basically, are positions locked in once the player is generated or will the AI move them around as skills/surrounding talent/scheme dictate?

[Spharv2]

One thing that kind of irritated me about iOOTP (Not sure it's in OOTP, I haven't played any of them in a few years) that I'm hoping can be adjusted for BTS is the Hall of Fame and All-Pro/Pro Bowl standards. Pretty low priority request, but it would be nice to be able to set standards for these things position by position. (Maybe not the yearly awards, since you run the risk of standard-ing everyone out) but at least for the HoF, being able to set the cost of admission so to speak would be great. I would prefer the HoF to be only the very best, not just the pretty good.

[Marinersfan51]

Originally Posted by Spharv2

One thing that kind of irritated me about iOOTP (Not sure it's in OOTP, I haven't played any of them in a few years) that I'm hoping can be adjusted for BTS is the Hall of Fame and All-Pro/Pro Bowl standards. Pretty low priority request, but it would be nice to be able to set standards for these things position by position. (Maybe not the yearly awards, since you run the risk of standard-ing everyone out) but at least for the HoF, being able to set the cost of admission so to speak would be great. I would prefer the HoF to be only the very best, not just the pretty good.

I don't know about iOOTP, but in OOTP you can change the HOF induction standards or induct manually and can do manual all-star selection. I would assume that this would be the case with BTS as well.

[Sebastian Palkowski]

iOOTP is intended as casual game to be played on small devices like iPhone/iPod and iPad. Extended edit options (like with the desktop version) will never be part of iOOTP as 98% of all it's user would never use them.

[Cryomaniac]

Originally Posted by olivertheorem

I don't remember if this has been asked or not, and I'll admit to being too lazy to search for it.

Position changes. Will the AI, say, draft an offensive tackle and move him to guard (whether officially or just by playing him there). Or a small college pass-rush DE being drafted and moved to OLB by a 3-4 team. There are probably other examples, but those are the only two that come to mind.

Basically, are positions locked in once the player is generated or will the AI move them around as skills/surrounding talent/scheme dictate?

Regarding position designations, in the NFL it can actually make a difference, because of the "franchise tag" system. Basically a team can designate one player with the franchise tag every season and he gets a one year contract with a value equal to the average of the top 5 salaries at his position. Players have been known to ask to be designated as other positions in order to exploit this to get more money (most commonly DEs being designated as OLBs, IIRC).