Schedule Request - 162 Games,16 Teams, 2SL, 2DIV, ILY, ASG

[CrazyLarry42]

I'm trying to learn how to create a schedule for my fictional league and my head is spinning. Basically I'm playing Dead Ball Era, but 162 games with East and West divisions and Interleague play, with an All Star break.


So it's 162 games of 16 teams with 2 subleagues, American and National, eight teams in each.
2 divisions of four teams in each subleague, East and West.
Interleague play (which is why the in-game schedule generator won't do me right).
All Star break roughly halfway through the season.


Unbalanced with emphasis on division games, especially in the final weeks, would be great, but whatever works is fine with me.

I feel like if I could read a tutorial featuring these numbers I could understand it, but trying to substitute my numbers for the tutorials that are out there gives me a popsicle headache. Any help anyone could give in either generating such a schedule or pointing me to instructions with these parameters would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

[gmo]

As for making schedules, I would say do it if you want to, but do not punish yourself with it. Like the game itself there can be work and less enjoyable parts to it, but the point is to have it be a net positive experience.

The schedule upload list at https://forums.ootpdevelopments.com/...d.php?t=324385 has some options for your league structure. This in particular is somewhat newer and might be close to what you want - https://forums.ootpdevelopments.com/...60&postcount=4.

But maybe your "whatever works" becomes wanting some specific things not really in anything existing. By all means go as far as you like making something yourself, though just asking for something is always fine. Maybe not quickly, but requests are often filled.

Another sticky thread in this forum section gives a how-to mostly from one person's perspective: https://forums.ootpdevelopments.com/...d.php?t=253597. There is a link in that to my blog (that term should indicate how long ago I started it) that has info on how I do things. https://makingbaseballschedules.blogspot.com/

Making schedules is a niche skill, not for everyone for any number of reasons. As those previous links may show it does not have any single way or technique to do it. Practice tends to improve it. Some people will be better, and some may never have it click. I can juggle numbers around pretty well to make schedules, and I have made myself various tools toward that end. But, e.g., art is not my thing, and I cannot put curve on my bowling throws.

I will say that league structure as a good one for learning because it is full of even and consistent numbers that make it easy to connect teams into matchups. Those links will go into more detail. If you are okay with something very mathematical it is easy to have all teams playing either division, interdivision, or interleague games at the same time. E.g., division games can always be simultaneous 1v2 & 3v4, 1v3 & 4v2, or 1v4 & 2v3.

The process can become as complicated as you let it. Numbers of games against various opponents and the home/away breakdown of the games is generally the starting point. That is the basic, but the spice can be in getting games to fall on days in a certain way, distributing offdays, having doubleheaders, making the distribution of games less (or more) mathematical, constraining homestands/roadtrips, etc.

[CrazyLarry42]

Originally Posted by gmo

As for making schedules, I would say do it if you want to, but do not punish yourself with it. Like the game itself there can be work and less enjoyable parts to it, but the point is to have it be a net positive experience.

The schedule upload list at https://forums.ootpdevelopments.com/...d.php?t=324385 has some options for your league structure. This in particular is somewhat newer and might be close to what you want - https://forums.ootpdevelopments.com/...60&postcount=4.

But maybe your "whatever works" becomes wanting some specific things not really in anything existing. By all means go as far as you like making something yourself, though just asking for something is always fine. Maybe not quickly, but requests are often filled.

Another sticky thread in this forum section gives a how-to mostly from one person's perspective: https://forums.ootpdevelopments.com/...d.php?t=253597. There is a link in that to my blog (that term should indicate how long ago I started it) that has info on how I do things. https://makingbaseballschedules.blogspot.com/

Making schedules is a niche skill, not for everyone for any number of reasons. As those previous links may show it does not have any single way or technique to do it. Practice tends to improve it. Some people will be better, and some may never have it click. I can juggle numbers around pretty well to make schedules, and I have made myself various tools toward that end. But, e.g., art is not my thing, and I cannot put curve on my bowling throws.

I will say that league structure as a good one for learning because it is full of even and consistent numbers that make it easy to connect teams into matchups. Those links will go into more detail. If you are okay with something very mathematical it is easy to have all teams playing either division, interdivision, or interleague games at the same time. E.g., division games can always be simultaneous 1v2 & 3v4, 1v3 & 4v2, or 1v4 & 2v3.

The process can become as complicated as you let it. Numbers of games against various opponents and the home/away breakdown of the games is generally the starting point. That is the basic, but the spice can be in getting games to fall on days in a certain way, distributing offdays, having doubleheaders, making the distribution of games less (or more) mathematical, constraining homestands/roadtrips, etc.

Thank you so much for this info, this is so helpful! That specific one you linked is exactly like what I'm looking for!

Yeah I mean I really just wanted interleague games, that's the only reason I'm looking into making schedules. Seems crazy the in-game schedule generator doesn't do it for historical fictional leagues. It means I never get to play against guys like Christy Mathewson or Honus Wagner except in the World Series, which if I remember correctly was part of the real life argument for interleague play in the first place.

But then reading your post it actually sounds more interesting than I first thought. Things like having games fall on certain days sounds intriguing - maybe I will explore more in time. But this is a great start, thanks again!