Historical Mode Roster Problems

Dkitson16 · 12-13-2017, 11:39 PM

I started a Winnipeg Jets team in Historical mode in 2016.

My active Roster, contracts and protected list are all the same 31 players, which appear to be only players who played at the NHL level that year. I have no unsigned draftees.

Then there are the problems with the players. For example Byfuglien is a 1/2 star ability and potential with a cap hit of $735,000. Wheeler is 1 1/2 in both and earning $780,000.

Everyone is on a 3 year contract.

I am well under the salary cap with 31 players earning 37 million.

WHat happened?

JeffR · 12-14-2017, 02:09 AM

Contract data in historical games is generated at the start of the games, it doesn't use the player's actual contract for that season (which would be extremely difficult to find thorough data on for all but the most recent seasons.)

The database generally only includes players who've played in the NHL, although I'm gradually expanding that. So other than Laine, none of the 2016 Winnipeg draftees are in yet, and only Roslovic and Connor are there from 2015.

Byfuglien and Wheeler were both rated to start declining in 2016 when I originally did their ratings - career prime/decline/end periods for active players are best guesses, usually meaning a decline around 30-32. Obviously, that hasn't been the case for Wheeler or Byfuglien, so I'll update the ratings and move the declines to a later year.

Dkitson16 · 12-14-2017, 09:08 AM

The other problem is I can't play the season because I'm about 20 million under the cap floor. Many of the players have ridiculously low salaries, with Byfuglien earning about 1/10th of his current salary. This is 2016 so their salary data is easily obtainable. I understand much earlier years have to be generated.I only mentioned Wheeler and Byfuglien because they were the obvious ones. Several other players appeared to have low ratings but I didn't compare them to what is done in standard mode.I guess I assumed Historical Mode would have as deep a roster as the Standard Game. I've played the modern Jets in both and the Standard Mode has a deeper roster, draft picks and I believe it had relatively accurate salaries - I didn't really check but I wasn't blocked from playing because I was under the Salary Floor.Maybe I'm misunderstanding something? Or I checked a wrong box somewhere?

JeffR · 12-14-2017, 11:22 AM

The modern database takes months to put together and update properly. If we were to do everything we do for it for all 100 historical seasons, the first version of the historical database might be ready a decade or two from now. So, instead, the historical database uses a lot of shortcuts and approximations to create reasonably realistic leagues for a vast number of seasons. It's not a matter of just copying data over; even something as apparently simple as adding salary data for each season would require major changes to the database and game's coding.

If a 2016-17 historical start is putting you under the cap floor, that shouldn't be happening. Something may be going wrong with the historical financial conversions, the way player ratings are being generated in that season, data issues like I initially mentioned above, or something else. We'll try to figure out what's causing it and get it fixed.

12-13-2017, 11:39 PM	#1
Dkitson16 Major Leagues Join Date: Oct 2017 Posts: 315	Historical Mode Roster Problems I started a Winnipeg Jets team in Historical mode in 2016. My active Roster, contracts and protected list are all the same 31 players, which appear to be only players who played at the NHL level that year. I have no unsigned draftees. Then there are the problems with the players. For example Byfuglien is a 1/2 star ability and potential with a cap hit of $735,000. Wheeler is 1 1/2 in both and earning $780,000. Everyone is on a 3 year contract. I am well under the salary cap with 31 players earning 37 million. WHat happened?

12-14-2017, 02:09 AM	#2
JeffR FHM Producer Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Kelowna, BC Posts: 16,623	Contract data in historical games is generated at the start of the games, it doesn't use the player's actual contract for that season (which would be extremely difficult to find thorough data on for all but the most recent seasons.) The database generally only includes players who've played in the NHL, although I'm gradually expanding that. So other than Laine, none of the 2016 Winnipeg draftees are in yet, and only Roslovic and Connor are there from 2015. Byfuglien and Wheeler were both rated to start declining in 2016 when I originally did their ratings - career prime/decline/end periods for active players are best guesses, usually meaning a decline around 30-32. Obviously, that hasn't been the case for Wheeler or Byfuglien, so I'll update the ratings and move the declines to a later year.

12-14-2017, 09:08 AM	#3
Dkitson16 Major Leagues Join Date: Oct 2017 Posts: 315	The other problem is I can't play the season because I'm about 20 million under the cap floor. Many of the players have ridiculously low salaries, with Byfuglien earning about 1/10th of his current salary. This is 2016 so their salary data is easily obtainable. I understand much earlier years have to be generated.I only mentioned Wheeler and Byfuglien because they were the obvious ones. Several other players appeared to have low ratings but I didn't compare them to what is done in standard mode.I guess I assumed Historical Mode would have as deep a roster as the Standard Game. I've played the modern Jets in both and the Standard Mode has a deeper roster, draft picks and I believe it had relatively accurate salaries - I didn't really check but I wasn't blocked from playing because I was under the Salary Floor.Maybe I'm misunderstanding something? Or I checked a wrong box somewhere?

12-14-2017, 11:22 AM	#4
JeffR FHM Producer Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Kelowna, BC Posts: 16,623	The modern database takes months to put together and update properly. If we were to do everything we do for it for all 100 historical seasons, the first version of the historical database might be ready a decade or two from now. So, instead, the historical database uses a lot of shortcuts and approximations to create reasonably realistic leagues for a vast number of seasons. It's not a matter of just copying data over; even something as apparently simple as adding salary data for each season would require major changes to the database and game's coding. If a 2016-17 historical start is putting you under the cap floor, that shouldn't be happening. Something may be going wrong with the historical financial conversions, the way player ratings are being generated in that season, data issues like I initially mentioned above, or something else. We'll try to figure out what's causing it and get it fixed.