Challenge Mode - Teams out of money

majesty95 · 12-25-2018, 11:20 PM

I'm going into my 8th season in Challenge Mode and all of the sudden all teams are out of money. They all have less than $1M available to spend heading into free agency or are one of a few already in the red.

I can't believe this is a known issue that has existed for six months. Is there something I'm missing? Is there any way to fix it? I cant adjust financials in Challenge Mode so am I stuck?

bwburke94 · 12-26-2018, 06:41 AM

You're not necessarily stuck, but it's going to be hard to cut payroll.

Ty Cobb · 12-26-2018, 10:32 AM

Managing resources is the ugliest part of the game. I work hard to sign 'em early and long term. Then, when I'm good and ready, I trade 'em around year 6 or 7 of a 10 year deal for something younger. The AI is predictable in one thing...it likes those 28-30 year olds.

AirmenSmith · 12-26-2018, 12:32 PM

I feel you on this. I just set up my first expansion in my challenge mode league and I have $0 to spend on my roster. I can only use the expansion draft, Rule 5 draft and minor league contracts to fill my team and minors.

majesty95 · 12-26-2018, 03:39 PM

I wasn't worried about me because I was fine cutting salary. My issue was that no other team had money either. This was after arbitration. However, somehow a couple of weeks later in the offseason money showed up for some teams. Very strange.

panda234 · 12-26-2018, 03:42 PM

I have lots of work to do on managing resources. I'll do fine for a few years then the long term back ended contracts I signed come back to haunt me so I dump the team. So my overall record looks ok but in actual fact I've left a bunch of financially insolvent teams in my wake.

wallewalls · 12-26-2018, 08:30 PM

Yeah I have noticed too that a lot of the AI controlled teams are in the red or only have a couple hundred thousand in budget space available in the offseason. It's hard to make trades work and free agents end up signing for pennies on the dollar because of it.

ohms_law · 12-27-2018, 10:39 PM

Just about everyone in this thread is missing the point. majesty95 isn't worried about his team, he's concerned about the AI. If he's the only one who can sign any players... what fun is that?

fightingirish595 · 12-27-2018, 11:44 PM

If you’re in free agency I’m almost positive AI pending offers will count as an expense. Same as the user

majesty95 · 12-28-2018, 06:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ohms_law

Just about everyone in this thread is missing the point. majesty95 isn't worried about his team, he's concerned about the AI. If he's the only one who can sign any players... what fun is that?

That wouldn't be fun but I had no money either haha. I was trying to dump salary but nobody had money to take on contracts. However, maybe it was as mentioned above that teams had spent all of their money offering free agents as it did resolve itself a few weeks later, probably because they did not sign everyone they offered.

Drstrangelove · 12-29-2018, 07:46 AM

1) Regular season: All teams are committed to current contracts. Money available for free agents reflects current year and beyond contracts only. (Contract extensions reflect money starting next season.) Typically, at this point Offered Contracts is zero (or not shown under "Budget Information."

2) Post season ends; arbitration ends: Some players become free agents. Teams offer money to free agents for next year and beyond. Money available for free agents reflects next year only. Future arbitration amounts recalculated. (Contract extensions reflect money starting season after next.) Offered Contracts is no longer zero if the team has offered free agent contracts.

3) Players sign contracts: Money available for free agents starting next year declines as contracts are offered; increases as contracts are rejected. Expenses don't change due to offers: money is simply moved back and forth between Offered Contracts and Money Available for Free Agents. Offered Contracts declines or is zero (or not shown under "Budget Information") typically by the end of April as players sign.

Expenses do not change due to offered contracts. It's simply a running notation of dollars offered. (Think of it as a Christmas Budget: you add stuff or take stuff off as you buy things or decide not to buy things.) Offers aren't contracts and can be retracted or rejected at any time. The reason the AI teams look like they are "suddenly" out of money, is because as soon as the FA starts, they "suddenly" have made FA offers. Because the AI does it instantly, it looks like the AI is out of money, while the human "might" have tons of cash.

But the AI has only made offers. The money isn't gone, because it's not a contract. If the player signs, they get the player. If he doesn't, the cash becomes available again to offer. The thing you want to look for is "Offered Contracts" which shows up under "Budget Information." That amount PLUS "Money available for Free Agents" is the actual total cash the AI has to spend for free agents for the next season. Some of it is committed (Offers), while some isn't (Available.) The human teams starts with zero offers, so 100% shows up as available (at the start.)

12-25-2018, 11:20 PM	#1
majesty95 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: San Antonio, TX Posts: 1,755	Challenge Mode - Teams out of money I'm going into my 8th season in Challenge Mode and all of the sudden all teams are out of money. They all have less than $1M available to spend heading into free agency or are one of a few already in the red. I can't believe this is a known issue that has existed for six months. Is there something I'm missing? Is there any way to fix it? I cant adjust financials in Challenge Mode so am I stuck? __________________ College Football Sim League \| '95 Problems Online League

12-26-2018, 10:32 AM	#3
Ty Cobb Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Grayling, MI Posts: 3,950 Blog Entries: 66	Managing resources is the ugliest part of the game. I work hard to sign 'em early and long term. Then, when I'm good and ready, I trade 'em around year 6 or 7 of a 10 year deal for something younger. The AI is predictable in one thing...it likes those 28-30 year olds. __________________ “What’s the most you ever lost on a coin toss?” “Everyone is an atheist until Templars begin marching in the rain.” Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder. It is usually futile to try to talk facts and analysis to people who are enjoying a sense of moral superiority in their ignorance.—Thomas Sowell "Alinsky works for me now."

12-26-2018, 12:32 PM	#4
AirmenSmith Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Corpus Christi TX Posts: 2,090	I feel you on this. I just set up my first expansion in my challenge mode league and I have $0 to spend on my roster. I can only use the expansion draft, Rule 5 draft and minor league contracts to fill my team and minors. __________________ Come join me on my Twitch Channel for gaming at its excellence Twitch Link

12-26-2018, 03:39 PM	#5
majesty95 All Star Starter Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: San Antonio, TX Posts: 1,755	I wasn't worried about me because I was fine cutting salary. My issue was that no other team had money either. This was after arbitration. However, somehow a couple of weeks later in the offseason money showed up for some teams. Very strange. __________________ College Football Sim League \| '95 Problems Online League

12-27-2018, 10:39 PM	#8
ohms_law Minors (Triple A) Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 232	Just about everyone in this thread is missing the point. majesty95 isn't worried about his team, he's concerned about the AI. If he's the only one who can sign any players... what fun is that? __________________ You insist that there is something a machine cannot do. If you will tell me precisely what it is that a machine cannot do, then I can always make a machine which will do just that! -J. von Neumann

12-26-2018, 06:41 AM	#2
bwburke94 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Belchertown, MA, USA Posts: 4,447	You're not necessarily stuck, but it's going to be hard to cut payroll.

12-26-2018, 03:42 PM	#6
panda234 Minors (Triple A) Join Date: Oct 2018 Posts: 264	I have lots of work to do on managing resources. I'll do fine for a few years then the long term back ended contracts I signed come back to haunt me so I dump the team. So my overall record looks ok but in actual fact I've left a bunch of financially insolvent teams in my wake.

12-26-2018, 08:30 PM	#7
wallewalls All Star Reserve Join Date: Apr 2016 Posts: 774 Infractions: 0/1 (1)	Yeah I have noticed too that a lot of the AI controlled teams are in the red or only have a couple hundred thousand in budget space available in the offseason. It's hard to make trades work and free agents end up signing for pennies on the dollar because of it.

12-27-2018, 11:44 PM	#9
fightingirish595 Bat Boy Join Date: Oct 2018 Posts: 12	If you’re in free agency I’m almost positive AI pending offers will count as an expense. Same as the user

12-29-2018, 07:46 AM	#11
Drstrangelove Major Leagues Join Date: Jun 2014 Posts: 346	1) Regular season: All teams are committed to current contracts. Money available for free agents reflects current year and beyond contracts only. (Contract extensions reflect money starting next season.) Typically, at this point Offered Contracts is zero (or not shown under "Budget Information." 2) Post season ends; arbitration ends: Some players become free agents. Teams offer money to free agents for next year and beyond. Money available for free agents reflects next year only. Future arbitration amounts recalculated. (Contract extensions reflect money starting season after next.) Offered Contracts is no longer zero if the team has offered free agent contracts. 3) Players sign contracts: Money available for free agents starting next year declines as contracts are offered; increases as contracts are rejected. Expenses don't change due to offers: money is simply moved back and forth between Offered Contracts and Money Available for Free Agents. Offered Contracts declines or is zero (or not shown under "Budget Information") typically by the end of April as players sign. Expenses do not change due to offered contracts. It's simply a running notation of dollars offered. (Think of it as a Christmas Budget: you add stuff or take stuff off as you buy things or decide not to buy things.) Offers aren't contracts and can be retracted or rejected at any time. The reason the AI teams look like they are "suddenly" out of money, is because as soon as the FA starts, they "suddenly" have made FA offers. Because the AI does it instantly, it looks like the AI is out of money, while the human "might" have tons of cash. But the AI has only made offers. The money isn't gone, because it's not a contract. If the player signs, they get the player. If he doesn't, the cash becomes available again to offer. The thing you want to look for is "Offered Contracts" which shows up under "Budget Information." That amount PLUS "Money available for Free Agents" is the actual total cash the AI has to spend for free agents for the next season. Some of it is committed (Offers), while some isn't (Available.) The human teams starts with zero offers, so 100% shows up as available (at the start.) Last edited by Drstrangelove; 12-29-2018 at 08:18 AM.