Question about importing a draft pool...

[ConStar]

I'm playing a game I started in real-life 2013, and have simply updated it year after year when I buy the new OOTP version. Yes, my league is six years old. I play a game a day, mirroring the real calendar.

Until this year, where that has bitten me is on draft day. For OOTP13, I had real players to choose from. But since I couldn't import the draft pool from OOTP14 into my OOTP13 game after I'd upgraded to 14, the last five years my draft has been 100% fictional players.

Now I see we can import draft lists. So I have my OOTP13 game, and I've bought OOTP19. I'm assuming there's a file somewhere in OOTP19 with real players in it, ready to be drafted by OOTP19 users. So where do I go to import that list into my OOTP13(updated) game, and when on the calendar should I do it? Before or after the pool is announced?

[whaleheader]

I am interested in this as well. I'm porting a league that has used a different game (18 human managers) into OOTP. I assumed if I follow the game release timeline I'd get an updated real amateur draft pool each year. Is my thinking correct?

I'm trying to convince my league members to make the switch and this will be one of my selling points.

[Let'sGoBraves]

I could be wrong...but it seems an unwise business practice to allow official roster files to be imported to earlier versions, as that is typically a big reason why we upgrade to the next version. It probably also now violates the MLB license of the last few versions. Could certainly be wrong, but I really doubt this is possible.

[ConStar]

Originally Posted by Let'sGoBraves

I could be wrong...but it seems an unwise business practice to allow official roster files to be imported to earlier versions, as that is typically a big reason why we upgrade to the next version. It probably also now violates the MLB license of the last few versions. Could certainly be wrong, but I really doubt this is possible.

I probably confused the issue a bit ...

I bought OOTP13, then 14, then 15, then 16, etc. I've bought the game every year. I just convert my game to the next version up every season. I just wanted everyone to understand that I have an old *league*, not an old *game*, and wanted to add a draft class to that particular league.

I just don't want to have to create an entirely new game in order to get the draft class.

[OutS|der]

I haven't seen anyone post any draft files so you'll have to get the draft pool file yourself.

I've tried exporting a draft, adding players and reimporting it but got all blank names so I'm not sure how this works

[stealofhome]

On the file that is exported from the draft it says that the names will not be imported. That seems to severely limit the usefulness of the feature. Not sure how to use it if you can't import the names along with the ratings.

[ConStar]

Originally Posted by stealofhome

On the file that is exported from the draft it says that the names will not be imported. That seems to severely limit the usefulness of the feature. Not sure how to use it if you can't import the names along with the ratings.

Are you talking about the draft file that comes preloaded with OOTP19? What I'm trying to do is import that file into my saved game (which started as an earlier version but has been converted up to OOTP19 itself) so that once my calendar hits May, I'll be drafting real prospects and not just made-up names.

[NoOne]

you would have to re-use playerid's from the destination league. paste all but that column and make sure there are enough existing players.

don't delete or try to add players to a list and import.. this will cause corruption in the database.

must re-use player id... too many is better than too few... if too many, do not delete any. you can delete them once you import back into game.

player ids and team id's (not related but similar) are unique/incrementally created within the game only. import/export lists cannot 'create' anything. you can only modifiy existing data.

[OutS|der]

Originally Posted by ConStar

Are you talking about the draft file that comes preloaded with OOTP19? What I'm trying to do is import that file into my saved game (which started as an earlier version but has been converted up to OOTP19 itself) so that once my calendar hits May, I'll be drafting real prospects and not just made-up names.

Yeah that works. Create a game with the Major Quickstart and change the draft pool reveal date to 90 days, sim a day to reveal the draft pool and export it. Once the 2019 Pool is released in your game from 2013 export that and copy and past the players from the Majors Draft pool while keeping the player ID's of your draft pool.

Originally Posted by NoOne

you would have to re-use playerid's from the destination league. paste all but that column and make sure there are enough existing players.

don't delete or try to add players to a list and import.. this will cause corruption in the database.

must re-use player id... too many is better than too few... if too many, do not delete any. you can delete them once you import back into game.

player ids and team id's (not related but similar) are unique/incrementally created within the game only. import/export lists cannot 'create' anything. you can only modifiy existing data.

Yeah I figured it was the player ID's. It would be nice if we could add players with the import, just with unique player ID's.

[NoOne]

the problem is there are probably multiple talbes that involve a player's id. it owuld have to recognize a new id and create all teh necessary records in other tables to maintain integrity. doable, but also would make it incredibly easy to rip players from newer versions without buying the game. still doable, regardless.

just make more than enough rounds/players etc before exporting from destination league... ensure there's enough based on teh #'s you exported from source.

[Vulkan]

This is how I did it. Not sure if this is the best way though:


1. Create draftpool in NEW QUICKSTART OOTP.

2. Export that pool.
3. Wait until game creates draftpool in IMPORTED GAME (the one you play).

4. Export that pool.
5. You now have two exports. One with real names (from NEW) and one with fictional names (from the one you play - the imported game).

6. Open both txt-files in excel. Force excel to use [,] as form for columns.
7. Copy all data (except player ID:s) from NEW to IMPORTED.

8. The imported now has the correct ID:s but the new names.
9. Go through all fictional names that are left in the imported and edit them to be really bad so that they will never get drafted in your game.

10. Save the file as a text-file.
11. Open the text-file in the notepad. The file will now be very tabbed. That won't work.

12. Copy the first tabbed space that follows the first player id.

13. Use the EDIT-REPLACE tool and copy the tabbed empty space in the search column, and then put a [,] in the replace column. Execute.
14. The file now looks like the same that OOTP IMPORT, but with the real life names.

15. Import this file back into OOTP.
16. DONE


If you have been playing for a few years, you might have players in this draft pool that signed with a team in your game, but didn't in real life. You need to delete those, or play with duplicates. Your choice.




So this is how I did it. I'm sure some smart computer guy can do it in a better way, but this way seems to work for me.

[whaleheader]

Did you try saving the files as a CSV in Excel? I’ve had success exporting as csv and reimporting.

[scurvycure]

I'm a little late to this discussion but I was happy to find it as this is something that has been on my wish list for years. I was wondering if anyone had tried this and what their experience has been?


Mike

[stealofhome]

I've used it to mass adjust draft class ratings and then re-import which functionally worked perfectly but I wasn't happy with the adjustments on my end.