BTS: Frequently Asked Questions

[RchW]

LOL, let's first get v1 in the hands of players with maximum functionality and minimum breadth. We have learned that overreaching can set you back. Going slower may be frustrating but will result in a better game overall.

I'm quite sure that game development is no different than any other product development. Try to do it all and you will do nothing. Establish the "must have" attributes get them right on spec then go down the priority list in a systematic fashion. I'd rather miss something I want if the result is any compromise in core functionality. I'm sure the developers know this but we customers must manage our expectations. Put another way, "I don't know" is no until it is "yes".

[GiantYankee]

Will the schedule format be the same/similar to OOTP? Lsdl.
I'm already thinking about creating schedules.

<SCHEDULE type="ILY_BGN_G162_SL1_D1_T5_D2_T5_D3_T5_SL2_D1_T5 _D2_T5_D3_T5_C_" inter_league="1" balanced_games="0" games_per_team="162" start_month="3" start_day="31" start_day_of_week="1" allstar_game_day="108">

Would lie to confirm:
-Playoffs unlikely be customizable for V1 (8 teams no matter size of league)?
-I understand that there will be two conferences. Will we be able to adjust number of divisions or will it have to be like NFL, four divisions per conference?

Thank you guys so much for developing BTS. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since I saw the announcement.

[iamcline]

Any plans to release this on MAC as well as Windows?

[Francis Cole]

Originally Posted by GiantYankee

Will the schedule format be the same/similar to OOTP? Lsdl.

The plan is yes, but the way schedules are stored/created are different so I don't know if the lsdl files will be 100% the same as they are in OOTP

-Playoffs unlikely be customizable for V1 (8 teams no matter size of league)?

I have not looked at this yet.

-I understand that there will be two conferences. Will we be able to adjust number of divisions or will it have to be like NFL, four divisions per conference?

Yes you can adjust it, but there are limits, such as a max of around 36 teams in total.

Thank you guys so much for developing BTS. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since I saw the announcement.

Thank you

[Francis Cole]

Originally Posted by iamcline

Any plans to release this on MAC as well as Windows?

Should be just like OOTP; PC/Mac/Linux.

[olivertheorem]

Francis, this was touched on in a question about 4-3 vs 3-4, but not really expanded.

The big difference, IMO, between the two is that a given player may play DE in a 4-3, but play OLB in a 3-4. Will the AI be able to make the necessary distinctions between what is necessary for the respective systems to function, and draft/sign FA/etc accordingly?

Back when I played Madden, it was not uncommon to see 3-4 teams draft Jevon Kearse-types to play DE, or pass-rush DT to play the nose.

[Francis Cole]

Will the AI be able to make the necessary distinctions between what is necessary for the respective systems to function, and draft/sign FA/etc accordingly?

Yes, if a team prefers a 3-4 you are going to want a big run-stuffing NT, and then when it comes time to rank the DTs to see who you want to draft, you are going to rate the run blocking big guys more than the smaller pass rush types.

I don't play Madden, nor do I own a console, so I have no idea how they do it!

[olivertheorem]

Well, I know the player will do that, but you're saying the AI is smart enough to do that too, right?

This was a big problem for me, and quite frankly would be a game-breaker if it wasn't done properly, so please excuse me if I harp on it a bit.

(I will gladly volunteer for beta to help test this part :P)

[james17]

Francis this is the BEST sports game news I've heard in a dozen years! I can't wait to play it.

I love the idea of 2D graphics and being able to call plays as well as manage a franchise. I've never understood why no one never did this before.

Will the 2D graphics be similar to the old XOR NFL Challenge game (i.e., x's and o's)?

[Francis Cole]

Originally Posted by olivertheorem

Well, I know the player will do that, but you're saying the AI is smart enough to do that too, right?

Yes, when I talk in general I'm always talking the AI, as I have no control over what the user does, and users usually go out of their way to do crazy stuff

[olivertheorem]

Francis, you make this work and I will give you so much money for the rest of my life. You win the Internet for the month.

Might even get my brothers to get into text sims.

[Francis Cole]

Originally Posted by james17

Francis this is the BEST sports game news I've heard in a dozen years! I can't wait to play it.

Thank you.

Will the 2D graphics be similar to the old XOR NFL Challenge game (i.e., x's and o's)?

Currently they are circles in the colour of the team they are playing for (one of the other threads I think someone posted a video of my original game, so you can see what they look like now).

However, I have no idea how graphically they will look in the final version though. X and Os are nice in theory, but are not the easiest to look at when they are all moving around the field. We'll see.

[perez24]

I've always wished that the OOTP crew would do a football game. I love FOF but they don't always seem very open to customer suggestions.

I was wondering, if there are historical seasons, will they function as they did back then, e.g. fullbacks getting lots of carries, QB's not running much, etc.?

[Francis Cole]

Originally Posted by perez24

I was wondering, if there are historical seasons, will they function as they did back then, e.g. fullbacks getting lots of carries, QB's not running much, etc.?

That is the plan, but it is also the reason whey historical seasons are not as easy to implement as they might be in OOTP. It's not just a case of doing the research on what where the rosters in the 1920s, I'd have to re-do the game Engine as well to take into account Football back then.

We will do it one day though!

[perez24]

Originally Posted by Francis Cole

That is the plan, but it is also the reason whey historical seasons are not as easy to implement as they might be in OOTP. It's not just a case of doing the research on what where the rosters in the 1920s, I'd have to re-do the game Engine as well to take into account Football back then.

We will do it one day though!

That makes sense. Quick response too!!!

[Marberi]

Francis:

Just dropping by to say hi and to thank you for doing this.

I understand that BTS V1 will be somewhat limited (compared to where OOTP is at this point), but based on the growth of OOTP precisely, I'm sure BTW wiil still be better than most american Football sims out there today, and will only improve in future versions.

Good luck!

[Le Grande Orange]

Originally Posted by GiantYankee

Will the schedule format be the same/similar to OOTP? Lsdl.

Originally Posted by Francis Cole

The plan is yes, but the way schedules are stored/created are different so I don't know if the lsdl files will be 100% the same as they are in OOTP

Get in touch with me.

I've got some ideas for how to improve OOTP's schedule files, but I'm not sure if that will make it into OOTP 15. But with BTS further out they can probably be incorporated into it.

Originally Posted by GiantYankee

-Playoffs unlikely be customizable for V1 (8 teams no matter size of league)?

Originally Posted by Francis Cole

I have not looked at this yet.

Get in touch with me again.

Football is easier to handle in terms of playoffs in that, historically at least, playoff formats in the NFL and AFL have been quite straightforward. But in terms of having a system allowing the user to construct more customized playoffs, I've got some ideas and refinements of the method OOTP currently does.

[conception]

Originally Posted by Bluenoser

Will things like OTA's be included?

Built into the schedule?


Tks

It would certainly make for a better and more immersive game if things like this were meaningful and had some impact.

[Cryomaniac]

Originally Posted by Francis Cole

Yes you can adjust it, but there are limits, such as a max of around 36 teams in total.

Seems about right, although I'd prefer it be higher, obviously (Okay, the limit in OOTP is a little over the top (2 conferences of 50 divisions of 50 teams each = 5000 teams lol)). I personally would go for 64 as the limit to start with because it's a power of 2 lol.

Also, speaking of league structures, will we be able to have different structures in each conference? Eg could you have one conference have 12 teams split into 3 divisions and the other have only 10 teams in 2 divisions?

[Francis Cole]

I have not got BTS open this second, but from memory you can do that.