Fictional players don't start?

adaher · 09-25-2011, 04:04 AM

I've been playing a historical league with real transactions, but not real lineups, since I wanted to put in Negro League players. So I create Pop Lloyd and Pete Hill and just for kicks put them both on the Philadelphia A's in 1908. But for some strange reason, despite vastly superior ratings, they don't start. Instead, they get "Every 2nd game" backup status at multiple positions.

I tried trading Pop Lloyd to Cincinnati, which has Tom Downey at SS, and he gets the same thing: Every 2nd game. I also notice this happens to players who missed a year in real life. Mike Donlin was an outstanding, MVP-quality player when he played, so I wanted to see how he'd do if he had committed himself fully to baseball. But when he misses a year in real life, he gets relegated to Every 2nd game status despite superior ratings to the guy the AI wants to start.

Is there a reason the AI discriminates against fictional players or players who otherwise did not play in real life that year? Is it looking at real life statistics when making its judgments rather than ratings, and is there a setting to change that so it looks mainly at ratings? I did change AI Evaluation in the League settings to 100% ratings, but it didn't affect anything.

David Ball · 09-30-2011, 09:46 PM

I have had this happen, not with fictional players but with real ones whose careers I've artificially extended past their premature endings (Joe Jackson, Koufax). Koufax, as I recall, eventually worked his way back into the starting rotation, but only after spending several prime years as a long reliever and spot starter.

In his case, I had one-year recalc on; can't remember about Jackson, but it was probably three-year recalc or none at all.

adaher · 10-02-2011, 06:44 AM

It almost seems as if the AI is trying to use players as they were really used even if you're not using real lineups.

I'm at 1909 right now, hopefully when I get to 1921 and the Black Sox players are still playing, that the AI doesn't bench all 8 of them. I also plan to have Smoky Joe Wood pitch at his peak level for his entire career rather than just up to about 24, but it won't do much good if the AI refuses to put him in the rotation.

09-25-2011, 04:04 AM	#1
adaher Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 22	Fictional players don't start? I've been playing a historical league with real transactions, but not real lineups, since I wanted to put in Negro League players. So I create Pop Lloyd and Pete Hill and just for kicks put them both on the Philadelphia A's in 1908. But for some strange reason, despite vastly superior ratings, they don't start. Instead, they get "Every 2nd game" backup status at multiple positions. I tried trading Pop Lloyd to Cincinnati, which has Tom Downey at SS, and he gets the same thing: Every 2nd game. I also notice this happens to players who missed a year in real life. Mike Donlin was an outstanding, MVP-quality player when he played, so I wanted to see how he'd do if he had committed himself fully to baseball. But when he misses a year in real life, he gets relegated to Every 2nd game status despite superior ratings to the guy the AI wants to start. Is there a reason the AI discriminates against fictional players or players who otherwise did not play in real life that year? Is it looking at real life statistics when making its judgments rather than ratings, and is there a setting to change that so it looks mainly at ratings? I did change AI Evaluation in the League settings to 100% ratings, but it didn't affect anything.

09-30-2011, 09:46 PM	#2
David Ball Minors (Triple A) Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 281	I have had this happen, not with fictional players but with real ones whose careers I've artificially extended past their premature endings (Joe Jackson, Koufax). Koufax, as I recall, eventually worked his way back into the starting rotation, but only after spending several prime years as a long reliever and spot starter. In his case, I had one-year recalc on; can't remember about Jackson, but it was probably three-year recalc or none at all.

10-02-2011, 06:44 AM	#3
adaher Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 22	It almost seems as if the AI is trying to use players as they were really used even if you're not using real lineups. I'm at 1909 right now, hopefully when I get to 1921 and the Black Sox players are still playing, that the AI doesn't bench all 8 of them. I also plan to have Smoky Joe Wood pitch at his peak level for his entire career rather than just up to about 24, but it won't do much good if the AI refuses to put him in the rotation.