Problem - Import Players do not move to Draft Class and remain as free agents indefinitely

al01 · 07-15-2021, 11:27 AM

I'm taking the liberty of copying G-Force's comments and mine to this forum rather than keep in in General Discussion. Hopefully it gets some attention over here and is resolved.

G-Force comment:
I've imported players during the season before the draft because I was told that's when they needed to be imported to get them in the next draft class. But when the next draft shows up, they are nowhere to be found. I've imported them at 18 and they don't show up, then imported at 17, still don't show up.

OOTP I can enter a player ID, the year I want them imported all into a text file, click the box that says import for next draft class and bang, it's done.

Don't get why importing historical players for a draft is so easy for OOTP and such a problem for this game.

GH

My comment:
I have this issue as well. I'm in Commissioner Mode, creating fictional teams and importing historical players at the end of each year. Age 16 or 17. Expectation is that they are drafted in coming year or the following year at the latest.

I'd like to see how teams draft and develop and how these players perform against one another over time.

But when Newsy Lalonde and Gordie Howe by age 24 still are free agents or are toiling in the minors (100+ points in 70 games, no less) something is wrong with the game.

I went back and made sure they are assigned to "None" teams (instead of "Free" agents), and that did not change anything. Out of desperation I even assigned the rights for Howe to a lousy team and he got a 2 year contract but never played a game. Something is seriously wrong.

JeffR · 07-16-2021, 06:26 AM

Can you upload the save (instructions here)? I'd like to see the specifics of what exactly is happening with Hull and Lalonde.

al01 · 07-16-2021, 10:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JeffR

Can you upload the save (instructions here)? I'd like to see the specifics of what exactly is happening with Hull and Lalonde.

Yes, I will be away from that computer for a little over a week. I will send to you as soon as I am back.

al01 · 07-25-2021, 10:41 AM

I just loaded two zip files: Lalonde Howe IHL.lg.zip and Lalonde Howe IHL 1959.lg.zip

Here's why I did that. I started the league in 1946 and at the end of each league year (June 30th) I manually import a handful of historically significant players in roughly chronological order. I have auto-save disabled and save the league at the end of each league year and each July 1st. I have played through the end of 1955. Since I noticed some significant players have not appeared in the major league (the IHL) by age 22/23/24/25, I tested their progress by simming all at once through the end of 1958. Lalonde and Howe were not on major league teams by the end of 1958. OnceI determined that, I made my original post. I did not save the original sim to 1958.

I've resimmed a test through 1959. Lalonde made a major league team, Howe has not. I saved a copy of the test sim through 1959 and sent that to you as well.

Something that just occurred to me: I changed the players' peak ages to 27/28, which may be impacting their development? Perhaps I should pull that back. The intent of the change was to lengthen their period of impact on the major league, but maybe that's stunting their development?

I reviewed a handful of imported players and summarized their development in the attached file (also below):

Entry Year Player Name Result by 1955 Result by 1959
1946 Reg Noble 8 years in minors 12 years in minors (2 years of 2 points per game)
1946 Clint Benedict 8 years in minors 2 years in majors (age 28 & 29)
1946 Cy Denneny 7 years in minors - > forced assigned to major league team remained in majors
1946 Corb Denneny 8 years in minors 12 years in minor
1946 Newsy Lalonde 9 years in minors 4 years in majors (age 26 - 29)
1946 Georges Vezina 8 years in minors 4 years in majors (age 27 - 30)
1946 Punch Broadbent 7 years in minors, major at age 25 1.5 years in major, back to minors at age 26; 4 more years in minors
1946 Sprague Cleghorn 9 years in minors 13 years in minors
1946 Odie Cleghorn 9 years in minors 13 years in minors
1946 Babe Dye 8 years in minors 12 years in minors
1946 King Clancy 8 years in minors 12 years in minors
1946 Howie Morenz 2 years in majors remained in majors
1946 Hap Day 10 years in minors 3 years in majors (age 27 - 29)
1946 Babe Siebert 8 years in minors, 1 year in majors (age 25) 1 more year in majors (age 26), 5 years in minors
1947 George Hainsworth 9 years in minors 2 years in majors (age 27 & 28)
1947 Lorne Chabot 10 years in minors 1 year in majors (age 28)
1947 Dit Clapper 9 years in minors 3 years in majors (age 26 - 28)
1948 Cooney Weiland 6 years in minors 10 years in minors
1951 Maurice Richard 2 years in minors 6 years in minors
1952 Ted Lindsay 1 year in minors 5 years in minors
1952 Gordie Howe 1 year in minors 5 years in minors
1953 Terry Sawchuk 1 year in minors 4 years in minors
1953 Alex Delvecchio undrafted, no team 4 years in minors
1953 Jean Beliveau 1 year in minors 5 years in minors
1954 Jacques Plante undrafted, no team 4 years in minors
1954 Johnny Bucyk undrafted, no team 1 year in minors
1954 Henri Richard undrafted, no team 1 year in minors

al01 · 08-22-2021, 01:15 PM

Hi, I'm wondering if anyone has had a chance to take a look at the files I sent you.

JeffR · 08-24-2021, 05:44 AM

Sorry, I meant to get back to you earlier and got caught up with some other things - yes, changing the Peak Age by that much is going to have a huge effect on the development curve, particularly with the changes to the development system (mainly the Aging attribute) in 7. The increase in the distance between the baseline peak age and the player's starting point is going to depress the development rate of the players by so much that it becomes very difficult for them to push established players - you can see that in the drafts from the early 50's, where there are a huge number of first-round busts. There are also some known issues with drafting priorities that may be affect whether or not the imported players get chosen vs. their fictional alternatives, but the peak adjustment will be the bulk of the problem.

al01 · 09-06-2021, 08:46 AM

Thanks for the reply. I tried a fresh league without changing the peak age and I'm still seeing the same results. This raises other questions:

1. When I import a player I do not "Select Year". My rationale is that they start at their youngest age and progress/develop through their career. Would that impact development? I'm aware that if I select a year they start at an older age, but if I don't start them older, are they doomed to only have the skills of a 16 year old their whole career?
2. If I start them older, I presume they will have a shorter career. Is that true? (Even if it is, starting them older may guarantee that the fewer years are spent in the highest league...)
3. I'm starting the league in the 40s, but importing players from the 10s/20s. Does that matter? Do the fictional players have advanced 1940s skills beyond their 1920s counterparts?

I've also noticed that the imported players tend to skip juniors and be signed by the same minor league team (which makes for some interesting won-loss records). Why does that happen, and does that impact development in any way?

JeffR · 09-06-2021, 08:53 AM

If you start them older, they'll import at (approximately) the level they were at historically at that age, so the older you'll import them, the more likely they are to reach their full potential. At younger ages, they'll be starting farther back from the peak, so there's more of a chance that something goes wrong with their development that keeps them from fulfilling their potential.

07-15-2021, 11:27 AM	#1
al01 Bat Boy Join Date: Jul 2021 Posts: 9	Problem - Import Players do not move to Draft Class and remain as free agents indefinitely I'm taking the liberty of copying G-Force's comments and mine to this forum rather than keep in in General Discussion. Hopefully it gets some attention over here and is resolved. G-Force comment: I've imported players during the season before the draft because I was told that's when they needed to be imported to get them in the next draft class. But when the next draft shows up, they are nowhere to be found. I've imported them at 18 and they don't show up, then imported at 17, still don't show up. OOTP I can enter a player ID, the year I want them imported all into a text file, click the box that says import for next draft class and bang, it's done. Don't get why importing historical players for a draft is so easy for OOTP and such a problem for this game. GH My comment: I have this issue as well. I'm in Commissioner Mode, creating fictional teams and importing historical players at the end of each year. Age 16 or 17. Expectation is that they are drafted in coming year or the following year at the latest. I'd like to see how teams draft and develop and how these players perform against one another over time. But when Newsy Lalonde and Gordie Howe by age 24 still are free agents or are toiling in the minors (100+ points in 70 games, no less) something is wrong with the game. I went back and made sure they are assigned to "None" teams (instead of "Free" agents), and that did not change anything. Out of desperation I even assigned the rights for Howe to a lousy team and he got a 2 year contract but never played a game. Something is seriously wrong.

09-06-2021, 08:46 AM	#7
al01 Bat Boy Join Date: Jul 2021 Posts: 9	Thanks for the reply. I tried a fresh league without changing the peak age and I'm still seeing the same results. This raises other questions: 1. When I import a player I do not "Select Year". My rationale is that they start at their youngest age and progress/develop through their career. Would that impact development? I'm aware that if I select a year they start at an older age, but if I don't start them older, are they doomed to only have the skills of a 16 year old their whole career? 2. If I start them older, I presume they will have a shorter career. Is that true? (Even if it is, starting them older may guarantee that the fewer years are spent in the highest league...) 3. I'm starting the league in the 40s, but importing players from the 10s/20s. Does that matter? Do the fictional players have advanced 1940s skills beyond their 1920s counterparts? I've also noticed that the imported players tend to skip juniors and be signed by the same minor league team (which makes for some interesting won-loss records). Why does that happen, and does that impact development in any way? Last edited by al01; 09-06-2021 at 09:04 AM.

07-16-2021, 06:26 AM	#2
JeffR FHM Producer Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Kelowna, BC Posts: 17,224	Can you upload the save (instructions here)? I'd like to see the specifics of what exactly is happening with Hull and Lalonde.

08-22-2021, 01:15 PM	#5
al01 Bat Boy Join Date: Jul 2021 Posts: 9	Hi, I'm wondering if anyone has had a chance to take a look at the files I sent you.

08-24-2021, 05:44 AM	#6
JeffR FHM Producer Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Kelowna, BC Posts: 17,224	Sorry, I meant to get back to you earlier and got caught up with some other things - yes, changing the Peak Age by that much is going to have a huge effect on the development curve, particularly with the changes to the development system (mainly the Aging attribute) in 7. The increase in the distance between the baseline peak age and the player's starting point is going to depress the development rate of the players by so much that it becomes very difficult for them to push established players - you can see that in the drafts from the early 50's, where there are a huge number of first-round busts. There are also some known issues with drafting priorities that may be affect whether or not the imported players get chosen vs. their fictional alternatives, but the peak adjustment will be the bulk of the problem.

09-06-2021, 08:53 AM	#8
JeffR FHM Producer Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Kelowna, BC Posts: 17,224	If you start them older, they'll import at (approximately) the level they were at historically at that age, so the older you'll import them, the more likely they are to reach their full potential. At younger ages, they'll be starting farther back from the peak, so there's more of a chance that something goes wrong with their development that keeps them from fulfilling their potential.