Annual Storyline thread

[EvilGenius]

This has been promised to us for years now. Instead of hoping and praying the next version incorporates it, let me just do it myself for my own personal game.

Has anyone had any experience writing the code for it?

Among other things, how would you go about testing to see if the stuff I wrote worked? (I haven't written so much as one line yet, just getting my ideas together) Do you just play out 20 or 30 seasons and see if it ever happens? That could be tedious in trying to tweak it just right so the effects are neither too big nor too small.


Here are my short term and long term goals:

Short term:
Learn how to write the easy stuff. Mostly just random stuff that happens usually once a year and doesn't depend on other complicated stuff to happen first

ie...

• "Celebrity actress seen in Wive's club" -- moral increase
• "Player works out in off season, shows up to spring training in great shape" -- talent increase
• Conversely, "Player shows up to training camp in terrible shape " -- talent decrease

Older versions of the game had stuff like...

• "Corrected a hitch in minor league player's delivery" -- talent increase

This stuff is easy because the effects are controllable.

Long term:
Complicated storylines that can span the course of a season or more. Much like the existing storyline about Latin Player's Age Disputed, only longer and more thought out

• Rumors of steroids that plague the player and the team throughout the season, constantly taking small hits on the fan interest each time. Maybe the player gets exonerated in the end, maybe not. To the player himself, have the steroid give him a talent increase if he's young, but have him get strange nagging injuries later on followed by a precipitous drop in talent. If he's caught, have a drug suspension kick in.
  
• Other ideas are having the Owner and the Manager start feuding (a la George Steinbrenner and Billy Martin), and have this play out over the course of a season. If it spirals out of control, you have to actually consider firing the Manager.
  
• Players with bad attitudes (low leadership and low intelligence) generating lots and lots of negative publicity (a la Albert Belle). Not just a random bad event, but a downward spiral. Making you actually consider trading a star player. Have him fight with the media, publically criticize teammates, get into bar fights. Maybe he pulls himself out of it, maybe he doesn't.

This isn't so easy, since multiple bad stuff (or even good stuff) can have more of an effect than intended. This takes considerable testing to get just right. And it is hard to test a "random" event.

Can this be incorporated into an existing league? Or does it have to be in place upon league creation?

[md5423]

I actually saw a pretty cool storyline the other day, took a screenshot and shortlisted the player to see how he does

[Cryomaniac]

I agree, it would be nice to get a list of how to make custom storylines.

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by md5423

I actually saw a pretty cool storyline the other day, took a screenshot and shortlisted the player to see how he does

Haven't seen that one yet.. but I like it!