BTS: Frequently Asked Questions

[Lithium]

With team names/logos etc., if you weren't allowed to use the real ones, could you do what Football Manager does in terms of the German national team being blocked (where there is a file which prevents the national team being accessible, so you can delete the file and it becomes included in the game)? I haven't heard of them having any trouble with that, though this situation isn't the same...

[Francis Cole]

Would you provide the option to add/edit the nicknames? That way we as the user can just rename them to the proper names?

Yes.

[BradC]

I think a good solution for teams sharing the same city, if we can't use nicknames, would be this:

New York Giants = NYG

New York Jets = NYJ

I would not want to use New Jersey for either one, as that would be very confusing.

And with the Chicago Cardinals and Chicago Bears, well, we'll deal with that when we add historical play, which won't be in v1 anyway.

[raider]

I am so excited for this game to come out. I have a couple questions, feel free to ignore them if they've been asked before.

1. Can players hold out/not show up because they're upset? Be it because of a contract issue or just plain unhappiness (such as Andre Johnson right now).

2. Will players have different agents?

3. Will there be detailed scouting reports on the players? Regarding personality/ detailed mechanics? An example of this would be Tim Tebow who had a great personality/great stats in college but because of his release and accuracy couldn't cut it. I think scouting reports give players a more personal feel.

4. Random events that can really mess with your overall plan? This could be steroids/PEDs like we have with Josh Gordon and Mathis.

5. This isn't really a question but more of a wish. I'm hoping that somehow the players can have a personal feel/hype about them when it comes to the draft. Manti Te'o, Manziel, and Tebow are some of the few recent players who brought a storyline to the draft that was very intriguing. This may not make V. 1, but I'm just hoping player personalities can shine through either through interviews or news stories that could be brought up in articles by an ESPN/NFL Network type.

Like I said I can't wait for this game! I'll be buying it the second it comes out! Can't wait to take control of my college in whatever version that may be.

[raider]

Also, will having veteran players on your team help rookies develop?

Is potential in players you draft hard coded? Or will their success depend on a number of factors?

[dumbrabbit]

This may have been asked but will this game feature the concept of busts and gems? I.E can the No. 1 overall pick become a bust at some point like JaMarcus Russell was?

Just wondering because older games like earlier Madden games dont have this feature, like the first rounders will always perform. Could my Super Bowl winning team be made up of 5th 6th and 7th rounders and undrafted free agents if scouted properly?

[Francis Cole]

First off, regarding any new ideas/features the forum comes up with, it's probably not wise to start adding on new stuff for me to do, so if people come up with any new great ideas they probably won't be in V1; not because the idea isn't great, but because there isn't enough time

That said, let's get on with answering some questions!

1. Can players hold out/not show up because they're upset? Be it because of a contract issue or just plain unhappiness (such as Andre Johnson right now).

Probably not for V1.

2. Will players have different agents?

Agents won't appear at all V1.

3. Will there be detailed scouting reports on the players? Regarding personality/ detailed mechanics? An example of this would be Tim Tebow who had a great personality/great stats in college but because of his release and accuracy couldn't cut it. I think scouting reports give players a more personal feel.

There will be scouting reports, I'm not sure how in depth they will be for V1, e.g. regarding throwing mechanics etc. There will be players who put up great college numbers which don't translate to the pros though.

4. Random events that can really mess with your overall plan? This could be steroids/PEDs like we have with Josh Gordon and Mathis.

I'm not sure yet about the whole off the field stuff yet for V1. I need to think about that at some point.

5. This isn't really a question but more of a wish. I'm hoping that somehow the players can have a personal feel/hype about them when it comes to the draft. Manti Te'o, Manziel, and Tebow are some of the few recent players who brought a storyline to the draft that was very intriguing. This may not make V. 1, but I'm just hoping player personalities can shine through either through interviews or news stories that could be brought up in articles by an ESPN/NFL Network type.

I think the likes of the 3 players you listed above, all had hype due to the off the field stuff I mentioned above, so that may not be in V1.

Like I said I can't wait for this game! I'll be buying it the second it comes out! Can't wait to take control of my college in whatever version that may be.

Thank you.

Also, will having veteran players on your team help rookies develop?

I think so, but TBD.

Is potential in players you draft hard coded? Or will their success depend on a number of factors?

Their potential is hard-coded when they are generated/you start the game, but if they ever reach it will depend on the in-game factors.

Could my Super Bowl winning team be made up of 5th 6th and 7th rounders and undrafted free agents if scouted properly?

Yes (well, I can't guarantee a SB win for you ). And also yes there will be players like Gholston/Russell who are drafted high but don't do well.

[Avindian]

Will player ratings be based just on individual players, or on schemes as well? Thinking of linebackers who might rate well in a 3-4 scheme (because they're good tacklers and fast) but not in a 4-3 (because they aren't so good in pass coverage) as one example, or defensive ends transitioning to linebackers. You could spread this out to offense too (a QB in a West Coast offense will prize accuracy over arm strength).

[Ceithearn]

It could be entertaining to have off field issues at some point but with so many other basic factors to work on for v1 my vote would be to leave it out. Much better to focus on the player ratings, playability, ease of play/playbook selection and player development for v1.

OOTP is an amazing product as is FM. With the popularity of football in North America and growing world wide this game/simulation has tremendous potential.

[dumbrabbit]

What is trade AI like? Will it be difficult to trade for team's stars or will it be easy?

[whouse85]

Have you guys thought about making a college football game. I think it would do well due to no college football console games for a while.

In another thread I asked about holdouts. I got my answer here, I really hope that this and suspensions appear in future versions.

[dumbrabbit]

Francis has said a few times that college football will be integrated with the NFL game. In other words, no standalone college football game, but it's like two football games in one.

Sort of like those commercials that say "But Wait, there's more!"

[Le Grande Orange]

But wait! There's more!

[goalieump413]

Will he throw in a 2nd one for free?

[dumbrabbit]

Not sure if been asked, but will BTS feature position coaches? i.e QB Coach, DBs Coach, etc

[Ceithearn]

Not many games/simulations have offered a "quick and dirty" scouting report prior to game time. In particular to Madden or NCAA football, you can go in and look at the attributes of the players to check for position weaknesses but no game time scouting overview is available. For instance a quick rating on the front seven or secondary would be useful. If the front seven are one of the best in league against the run you may want to adapt your game plan accordingly. Linebackers great against run but lacking in pass coverage; run formation, pass out of that. Facing a potent run attack, you may choose to stack the box or change to 3-4 or vice versa depending on your personnel.

Francis has mentioned it is too late to add new items for V1(I believe) but if this feature isn't in V1 would be great to see down the road.

[Hanson Bros]

Here is a good question ... how are you going to overcome the disaster that FHM is/was ... a lot of people on this board will not be buying a game sight unseen again ... obviously not your fault but you fly under the same banner .... if the game isn't ready to play from day one my guess is the leash will be a very short one

[Al Davis]

Hi

I am a big FM and FOF player and have been for years, but never played your other games as I am not American and not in to baseball etc.

In FOF injuries are now pretty realistic but there is no practise squad, this can mean you are struggling to get 46 players on the turf for a game, it's realistic but if you have multiple star players out the game can become a little unplayable. This happens particularly in MP leagues, where GMs are very likely out of the playoff race say around week 10 and basically don't submit files or try that hard until the new season. I wonder how you may deal with that kind of thing as obviously getting people into the game in V1 and staying interested in the game is going to be critical to the success of the game moving to V2 and onwards?

thanks

[Francis Cole]

There is a PS in BTS, but in real life when players get season ending injuries it is more common to go to Free Agency for replacements rather than the PS.

[dumbrabbit]

nvm