Rocketcan

November 9, 2023

Hello Coaches!

Welcome to another Dev Diary for NewSim on SimFBA! We are continuing our series on the upcoming changes to the simulation engine regarding schemes. This dev diary will focus on the new offensive plays being added to the engine.

Option Runs

For a long time I have wanted to do option plays for the sim, but simply haven’t been able to. We have been abstracting that away with pre-called plays where QBs can keep the ball themselves. No longer!

This season, you can call plays that have the QB actually read the defense to determine whether to keep or hand off the ball. In fact, there will be several forms of option plays!

Read Option

This is the most common form of option play run all the way from youth ball to the NFL. In the read option, most of the offense will be executing a run to one side of the field. However, they will leave the last man on the line of scrimmage unblocked. If this defender looks like he will chase the RB, the QB will keep the ball and attempt to get outside of this “crashing” defender. If the defender “stays home” (does not take the bait and chase the RB) then the QB will hand the ball off like normal. This puts stress on the defense even on the handoff, because usually that means the defense now effectively has one less defender to defend against the RB.

Here is an example. The first play the QB gives the handoff. The second play he keeps it.

For our purposes, Read Option will either be called to the left, or to the right. If called to the left, the play will either be a handoff to the RB on an inside run to the left, or the QB will keep it on an inside run to the right (read option right will flip which side the RB and QB go to). This means that good inside running RBs, and agile QBs will do well on this play.

Speed Option

This type of option play is similar to, but slightly different than the read option. Instead of going to two separate sides, this play has both QB and RB heading toward the outside on the same side. The QB will read the first unblocked defender. If the defender goes after the QB, the QB will pitch the ball to the RB. If the defender goes after the RB, the QB will keep it.

Here is an example where the QB pitches it:

And here is an example where the QB keeps it:

In the sim, Speed Option Left will have the QB on an outside run to the left. If he makes the read to pitch it, then it will become an outside run to the left with the RB instead. Thus, agile players at QB and RB will be important.

Inverted Option

There are a few different names for this type of option, so to just simplify I will call it Inverted Option. The “inverted” part comes from how the RB will run the outside track, while the QB will run the inside track, rather than the other way around like in Read Option.

Here is an example of the handoff to the RB:

Here is an example of the QB Keep:

For the sim, Inverted Option Left will choose between an outside run left with the RB, or an inside run left with the QB (With Inverted Option Right having both players go to the right). So now big and strong QBs and agile RBs will be preferred.

Triple Option

Option teams everywhere, rejoice! The pinnacle of option football, the Triple Option, will be in NewSim for the 2024 season! This is one of the most complex plays in football, and as a result, one of the most complex to code. However, we think we have a handle on it!

The Triple Option, as the name implies, is built around the QB making a decision between 3 different points of attack. The traditional approach to this play requires the QB and two RBs (usually a FB and a HB). Basically, it is a combination of Read Option and Speed Option. In it, the QB will run to the playside and mesh with the FB who is running inside toward the playcall. The QB will then read whether to give the ball to the FB or keep it and continue on his track (many teams even make this a pre-snap read because it happens so fast and it makes the handoff more decisive). If the QB keeps, he then continues until he reaches the first unblocked defender, whom he also reads. If the unblocked defender goes after the QB, then the QB will pitch the ball to the RB. If the defender goes after the RB, the QB will keep it.

Here is an example of the traditional Triple Option with a FB Give:

And the QB Keep:

And the Pitch:

That isn’t the only way to run Triple Option, however. What if there is only 1 RB? As modern football moves away from two RB sets and to sets with more WRs, a different form of the triple option has come about. This newer form has a WR go in motion towards the middle of the formation. Once the WR is close, the ball is snapped and the WR and QB mesh with the WR running outside away from the playcall. The QB can hand the ball off to the WR here, but if he doesn’t, the QB next will continue with the option play as is traditional, with the RB being there for the pitch.

Here is a more modern example of the FB/HB give:

The QB Keep:

And the Pitch:

What Makes Option Special

There will be special effects based on how the defense decides to play the option. It won’t make much sense until we get to how to defend Option, however, so those effects will have to wait for the next dev diary.

The Play That Shall Not Be Named

That’s right. RPOs are here.

All those weeks added up, but we finally hit the end of it! RPOs will now be a valid playcall for users in NewSim!

In case you don’t know what an RPO is: an RPO (Run-Pass Option) is a play that allows the QB to decide between two different points of attack, just like an option run. But instead of the option being between different types of runs, the option is between a run or a pass.

The way that NewSim will handle RPOs is by breaking them down into two main categories: Pre-snap RPOs and Post-snap RPOs. Each of these types will be broken down further by what type of run play that will be run (Inside, Outside or Power).

Pre-snap RPOs

These RPOs are the safer of the two options because the QB does not have to rush and make the read on the fly. He just has to see how the defense lines up, and then makes the decision. Because it is a quick decision, these plays will always have a Quick Pass paired with a run (Inside, Outside or Power). Since this is safer, the only maluses that apply are that if a defense is setting up to stop the run and the QB correctly reads this and throws the pass, the defense will get the regular malus for committing to the run against a pass play, and vice versa.

Here is an example that shows the read the QB makes by counting the number of defenders in the box and how many defenders are covering the receivers:

Post-snap RPOs

This is the riskier of the two RPO options, but it also has bigger rewards. In this RPO, the QB reads how the defense reacts to the run action of the offense. If they “stay home” and don’t chase, the QB hands the ball off with the hope that the defense is now out of position to stop the run. If the defense plays the run, the QB pulls it and then throws a designated route that should be taking advantage of at least one particular player that the QB was reading being out of position. Because this read takes longer, these plays will always be runs (Inside, Outside, or Power) paired with a Short Pass, rather than quick.

Here is an example of a QB making a post-snap RPO read:

The effects for a correctly read Post-snap RPO are:

If the defense reacts to the run, then whoever is assigned coverage to the intended receiver loses a whole tier of coverage ability.
If the defense reacts to the pass, then the offensive line will receive a boost of one whole tier of run blocking ability.

However, the QB can always make the wrong read. If he does:

And the defense is playing the pass, the defender will have their coverage ability increase a whole tier and have a higher chance for an interception.
If the defense plays the run, then the offensive line will lose one whole tier of run blocking ability.

QB Reads

All of these plays being added are dependent upon the QB making the correct throws. All of these reads will be made using the QB’s Football IQ attribute. The exact influence has yet to be set in stone as this will likely need a *lot* of testing and balance work.

That is it for this dev diary. The next dev diary in this series will continue the scheme updates, specifically regarding some new defensive play options that will be available.

Until next time,

Rocketcan

EDIT: I forgot to mention that not all offensive schemes will be able to use all of these plays all of the time. The breakdown of that will come in a later dev diary.

November 6, 2023

15 hours ago, JC. said:

I'd argue that either man or zone can/should be played from all these formations. I'm not familiar with any formations in football that cannot be adapted to play both. Obviously teams tend to have a bias for one due to the strengths of their scheme and/or personnel but a defense should always be flexible enough to play both man and zone so that they can adjust throughout the game depending on offensive playcalling.

Additionally, with gameplanning there is already an option to run man/zone coverage so I'm assuming the sim gives a malus/bonus based on your players strengths/weaknesses.

I agree with giving bonus/malus to DBs who are ball hawks/run stoppers and the overall bonus/malus applied for different front 7s but I don't think teams should be cornered into certain schemes based on the secondary as I don't believe this is really true to life.

Please see this comment:

On 11/2/2023 at 2:47 PM, Rocketcan said:

None of this is entirely in stone. The man/zone dichotomy is on the top of list for revision.

14 hours ago, JC. said:

2 Gap Zone

Scheme Fits: Run Stopper DE, Run Stopper and Nose Tackle DT, Run Stopper and Pass Rush OLB, Run Stopper ILB, Zone Coverage DB

3 Man Front Spread

Scheme Fits: Nose Tackle DT, Pass Rush OLB, Coverage ILB, Zone Coverage DB

Above are the only two 3-4 formations being proposed, even if 1 of these werechanged to Man coverage, 3-4 teams would have even less flexibility on their scheme and the same can be said for the 4-3 schemes (+ the single hybrid scheme).

No defensive coordinator has decided the entire scheme based on what coverage the DBs are better at playing. In my personal experience, it's been quite to opposite but I realise that may not be true for everyone so that statement is neither here nor there but defensive backs are mostly capable of playing both man and zone when required. A db with a zone preference will fair much better being asked to play man coverage than a nose tackle would being asked to rush the passer or a pass rushing OLB being asked to constantly set the edge and play the run. This is even backed up by the sims logic as looking at the stats of my db's, whilst they are zone corners, they are only 10 points lower in man coverage whereas my nose tackle is 20 points lower in pass rush than run stopping.

I completely agree that the archtypes of front 7 players is going to play a large part in determining the scheme, not just because of skill sets but because of the genetic makeup of each player. You never see teams asking pass rushing OLB's to cover athletic tight ends (unless you are Joe Barry and believe Preston Smith is really a 265lb cornerback) but a zone coverage cornerback isn't suddenly going to forget how to play cornerback because he was asked to play man coverage.

I get the sim won't be as complex as real life and have the ability to run both man and zone because it largely requires the coach to be able to see what is happening on the field in real time but my point is, if we can only choose to play the whole game in either man or zone then we shouldn't have to match our dbs up to an entire scheme. If we wanted to give a malus/bouns for man/zone then I would argue that we'd be better off applying these to the opponents offensive scheme aka a team running a west coast offense could be countered by running zone coverage to stop short routes such as slants/crossers. Give the coach to ability to determine whether they want to 'outscheme' their opponent by trying to take advantage of a weakness in the offensive scheme or rely on the raw ability of their defensive backs to just straight up beat the offense.

This as well.

November 2, 2023

4 hours ago, tsweezy said:

Is there anyway to get a 3-man front that uses man coverage DBs? Right now both of them penalize that and want zone

None of this is entirely in stone. The man/zone dichotomy is on the top of list for revision.

November 1, 2023

38 minutes ago, Rome said:

I'm not gonna pretend to know how the attribute works, but I do wanna throw my ideas out for other "big time" games, both college and pro.

College

Rivalry Games - Either Designated or with some sort of "recent history" metric, maybe with a historic adjustment so that you have default rivalries, but they evolve over time. Like OSU-Penn State blossoming into what I always thought was a rivalry.

Ranked vs Ranked - Both in-conference non-rivalry ranked games and non-con ranked games tend to have pretty raucous atmospheres. To me, that's what really defines a "playoff" atmosphere: how much the crowd cares about each individual play. USC at Ohio State, Texas at Alabama, Oregon vs whoever wanted those hands, always made the game feel very important. I think the players buy into it as well.

College GameDay Location - You got picked! You're in the spotlight! Now live up to the hype!

Pro

Divisional Games - Steelers vs Ravens, Seahawks vs Niners, New England vs everyone else. The 6 games against your divisional opponents are your rivalry games in the NFL, so the extra fight and strategy comes out these weeks. No matter how good the Bengals are lately, the Browns still beat them, and that's because Baker Mayfield was Clutch AF.

Week 17, 18 Games - IFF both teams are in the hunt of the playoffs and/or seeding (not eliminated or locked into the 1/4/5), both teams are fighting for their lives. These are the pseudo playoff, playoff-in games. Given these are also rivalry games, it gets extra spicy. Negated if one team rests starters.

I like all these ideas. Some are more feasible than others, like the week 17/18 games and whether or not starters are rested is a bit gray. But the rivalry games could be determined fairly easily even now. I expect the easier ones could be added no problem, but the harder ones reserved for later upgrades. For example: things like ranked vs. ranked is definitely possible, but requires extra infrastructure on the interface that we do not have just yet.

November 1, 2023

6 hours ago, subsequent said:

Should add conference championship games... or maybe matchups against ranked teams? 👀

Some of this will be a matter of logistics that we might not be able to hash out right away.

6 hours ago, subsequent said:

I don't think I will.

+1

November 1, 2023

14 minutes ago, alexfall862 said:

Does the malus or boost for either of these (passing and clutch) apply as a global modifier or impact specific attributes?

These affect all attributes, but even a player having the best clutch rating doesn't mean that if they are a DT they can play QB.

November 1, 2023

Just now, alexfall862 said:

Someone is going to spreadsheet this out and sign an entire team of below average but clutch players. @tsweezy

I am all for it at Tennessee.

It is forbidden in Washington D.C.

November 1, 2023

Hello Coaches!

Welcome to another Dev Diary for NewSim on SimFBA! We are continuing our series on the upcoming changes to the simulation engine regarding schemes. This dev diary will be a bit shorter and focus on the changes to attributes that players have. To summarize: there will be two new attributes for players this season.

Shotgun Rating

Now, some of the eagle-eyed among you many have spotted some formations in Part 1 of the Scheme Change Dev Diary with the word "Gun" or "Pistol" in the name. This denotes that the formation is considered a shotgun formation. This is not just a way to get the same personnel on the field more often, but also a way to further tailor your offense to your liking and the players at your disposal.

The rating will have the following possible values:

Balanced
Shotgun Passer
Drop Back Passer

Quarterbacks with the Balanced rating will not have any bonus or malus in any formation. The majority (about 60%) of players will have this rating, meaning there is a good chance you will find a QB that is fairly versatile in this aspect.

But not everyone is versatile. Shotgun Passer QBs will prefer shotgun formations and receive a bonus while in them. The downside being that in formations that put them under center they will suffer a malus. While not a majority of players, they represent a good chunk of QBs (about 25%) as some teams have moved to purely shotgun formations.

The flipside of the modern, shotgun QB is the Drop Back Passer. A relic of the past, the Drop Back Passer prefers to take the snap directly from the Center's hands. They will receive bonuses in formations where he is under center, while suffering maluses when in shotgun formations. This type will be uncommon, but not unheard of (about 15% of players).

Every single player in the sim will have this attribute, but obviously this is important for QBs only. We haven't entirely put in stone whether or not you can see everyone's rating, but I am leaning towards just seeing it on QB cards. That way we don't clutter up other positions' cards further.

Now that this attribute is known, I wanted to also announce another small scheme change that didn't make it into Part 1 because I wanted to see if people caught on to the formations with "Gun" or "Pistol". All shotgun formations will receive a (slight) bonus to pass protection, and under center formations will receive a (slight) bonus to run blocking. So even though your QB might be balanced, there are still (albeit small) reasons to choose shotgun or under center formations over one another.

Clutch Rating

Potentially my favorite addition to the engine will be the Clutch Rating. This will be an invisible attribute, like progression, but there will be ways you can see if a player is clutch or not and I will explain those later.

Clutch will be referenced during the following high-leverage situations:

3rd Down
4th Down
Two Minute Drill
Four Minute Drill
Playoff/Bowl Games

This list might change in the future, but for now these are the situations that will have effects applied. For example, perhaps primetime games, or games against "superior" opponents could be added in the future, but not now.

There are 4 possible ratings for a player. Since it is a hidden attribute, they technically won't have a name (they will just be a humble number from 0-3) but I will label them with names here for clarity.

None: This player does not step up in big moments more than usual, but they also do not shrink from the spotlight. No bonuses or maluses. This will be the most common rating by far (~70%).
Clutch: This player knows that big moments call for big plays, and they step up to make big plays. This player will receive a bonus in high-leverage situations. Uncommon, but not rare (~15%).
Choker: This player can't get out of their own head and the pressure gets to them consistently. This player will receive a malus in high-leverage situations. Uncommon, but not rare (~15%).
David Tyree's Illegitimate Son: This player seemingly becomes super human when all eyes are on him. They thrive and author their best performances in the biggest moments. This player will receive a significant bonus in high-leverage situations Rare (~1%).

As stated before, this attribute is a hidden one, but you can get an idea about a player if you do some scouting on your own. Finding players that consistently show up in high-leverage situations is a good indication that they have a good clutch rating. Choking with the game on the line in the two-minute drill? Likely a bad rating. This will be easier to see with players like QBs, RBs, and receivers, but it is definitely possible to determine this for defensive players and specialists as well.

That is it for this dev diary. The next dev diary in this series will continue the scheme updates, specifically regarding some new offensive play options that will be available.

Behave yourselves...

Until next time,

Rocketcan

October 18, 2023

On 10/16/2023 at 2:38 PM, Jieret said:

I am SO excited for these new schemes! And the ideas of having multiple formations is great, much more fun than just choosing slider numbers.

Question: As listed the entire defensive scheme have strengths/weaknesses versus specific formations. Any thought to adjusting those numbers based on the formation inside the defensive scheme?

E.g. If I run a Speed Man scheme, it's weak to Wing-T and Double Wing (heavy run concepts). But in Speed Man we have 4-1-6 Dime and 4-4 Heavy formations. While acknowledging the Wing formations as an overall weakness, a 4-4 shouldn't be as susceptible to running offenses as a Dime formation.

That will already happen because the 4-4 already is less weak to the run than a 4-1-6, for example. The sim already has some factoring for number of players in the box. It's less of a chance that there is a large hole to break through. I say all that to say no I don't think we will add any more granularity to the strengths and weaknesses. At least not for now.

October 16, 2023

5 hours ago, kwheele said:

now that we have seen the new schemes is there a way to rescind our contract extensions?

If the player has accepted, unfortunately, no. Don't worry, though, this is only the tip of the iceberg for the update. There might be other uses for those players yet!

October 15, 2023

2 minutes ago, kwheele said:

So how are Ballhawk DBs being handled? Are they just neutral or are they considered man cover?

They usually are more balanced than man or zone archetypes, so in most cases they are neutral. Although, again, this is in flux and the DBs are the most likely place to see rework of this.

October 15, 2023

34 minutes ago, kwheele said:

Excited and now have to retool my entire team...

is this in a google/word doc somewhere?

This is still in flux, so don't take what is here as gospel. As the update work progresses, this will solidify and a group of posts that outline each scheme in detail will be posted to help users decide what schemes to choose.

October 15, 2023

Hello Coaches!

Welcome to another Dev Diary for NewSim on SimFBA! We will start a series of Dev Diaries to explain the massive changes that are coming to the sim regarding schemes. There is a ton of stuff to go over, so this post will cover just the most high-level changes. This is just a taste of what is still to come. There will be in-depth posts made about each scheme in terms of what you can, and cannot do with them.

Scheme Fits

All schemes will have a list of player archetypes that are considered "scheme fits". This means their archetype is especially suited for this scheme and they will receive a bonus to their play (amount not yet determined and subject to balance). In addition, there are several player archetypes that are considered "bad fits" for each scheme, and these players will receive a penalty (see caveat about the bonus) to their play. The good news is that most archetypes will fall into the "serviceable" category. These players will not receive a penalty as they are not wholly opposite of what the scheme is looking for, but they aren't what it is looking for either and thus won't receive a bonus. I will list the good and bad fit players with each scheme as I go over them (serviceable is just all those not listed). These lists are subject to change for balance purposes.

Offensive Schemes

Up first is the offense. Previously, there were only four options here: Pro, Air Raid, Spread Option, and Double Wing. Now, we will expand that number by three times to 12. We have also grouped the new offenses into three categories: Pro, Spread, and Smashmouth. You can definitely still see some resemblance to the old schemes, but there is a lot more granularity and options to choose from.

Personnel

Before we dive introduce the new schemes, I want to go over the concept of personnel first, as this is a big key to how the schemes differ. In short, personnel determines who is on the field for you. Each formation has a personnel associated with it (I formation, for example, is 21 personnel: two RBs, 1 TE, and 2 WRs), and many schemes only have one formation per personnel group, so that formation is likely the only way to get that particular grouping of players on the field.

Formation

So now that we have established personnel, now we can talk about formations. Formations are just the name that each scheme gives to the personnel group and let's you know how the players are lining up on the field. Each scheme will have 5 formations to choose from, but you will only be able to pick two or three for each game. You will be allowed to change between any of the five formations your scheme offers without penalty. However, overall scheme changes still will have scheme change penalties associated.

As I go through the formations, I will give what personnel are included on the field in that formation. I will also tell you what kind of players will be

Pro Scheme Group

This scheme group is defined by a mostly balanced approach (run vs. pass) in addition to usually having 1-2 RB, 1-2 TE and about 2-3 WR.

Power Run

Formations:
- I Formation: RB1, FB1, TE1, WR1, WR2
- Singleback: RB1, TE1, WR1, WR2, WR3
- Double Tight: RB1, TE1, TE2, WR1, WR2
- I Formation Heavy: RB1, FB1, TE1, TE2, WR1
- Split Back Gun: RB1, FB1, TE1, WR1, WR2
Scheme Fits: Power RB, Blocking FB, Blocking TE, Red Zone Threat WR, Run Blocking OL
Bad Fits: Speed RB, Receiving RB, FB and TE, Vertical Threat TE, Pass Blocking OL
Notes: This scheme centers around using the run to set up the pass. Most run-heavy pro scheme, but still a good amount of passing will be available.

Vertical

Formations:
- I Formation: RB1, FB1, TE1, WR1, WR2
- Singleback: RB1, TE1, WR1, WR2, WR3
- Double Tight: RB1, TE1, TE2, WR1, WR2
- Singleback Gun: RB1, TE1, WR1, WR2, WR3
- Spread Gun: RB1, WR1, WR2, WR3, WR4
Scheme Fits: Pocket QB, Receiving RB, Receiving FB, Receiving and Vertical Threat TE, Route Runner and Speed WR, Pass Blocking OL
Bad Fits: Balanced, Scrambler, and Field General QBs, Power RB, Blocking and Rushing FB, Blocking TE, Red Zone Threat WR, Run Blocking OL
Notes: This scheme centers on the long pass, but still allows for quite a bit of running.

West Coast

Formations:
- Near/Far: RB1, FB1, TE1, WR1, WR2
- Singleback: RB1, TE1, WR1, WR2, WR3
- Spread: RB1, WR1, WR2, WR3, WR4
- Singleback Gun: RB1, TE1, WR1, WR2, WR3
- Split Back Gun: RB1, FB1, TE1, WR1, WR2
Scheme Fits: Field General QB, Balanced and Receiving FB, Receiving TE, Route Runner and Possession WR, Line Captain C
Bad Fits: Blocking FB, Red Zone Threat WR
Notes: This scheme centers on the short pass, but still allows for a bit of running.

I Options

Formations:
- I Formation: RB1, FB1, TE1, WR1, WR2
- Singleback: RB1, TE1, WR1, WR2, WR3
- Double Tight: RB1, TE1, TE2, WR1, WR2
- Singleback Gun: RB1, TE1, WR1, WR2, WR3
- Split Back Gun: RB1, FB1, TE1, WR1, WR2
Scheme Fits: Scrambler QB, Power RB, Rushing FB, Blocking TE, Possession WR
Bad Fits: Pocket QB, Speed and Receiving RB, Receiving FB, Receiving and Vertical Threat TE.
Notes: This scheme offers up the ability to run a lot more option-type plays, but still is mainly balanced in run vs. pass.

Spread Scheme Group

This scheme group is defined by a pass-focused approach in addition to usually having 1 or fewer RB, 1 or fewer TE and several WR.

Run and Shoot

Formations:
- Spread: RB1, WR1, WR2, WR3, WR4
- Singleback: RB1, TE1, WR1, WR2, WR3
- Spread Gun: RB1, WR1, WR2, WR3, WR4
- Singleback Gun: RB1, TE1, WR1, WR2, WR3
- Empty Gun: WR1, WR2, WR3, WR4, WR5
Scheme Fits: Field General QB, Speed and Receiving RB, Speed WR, Line Captain C
Bad Fits: Balanced and Power RB, Blocking and Rushing FB, Blocking TE, Possession WR
Notes: This scheme focuses on short passes and passes far more often than it runs.

Air Raid

Formations:
- Spread Gun: RB1, WR1, WR2, WR3, WR4
- Singleback Gun: RB1, TE1, WR1, WR2, WR3
- Empty Gun: WR1, WR2, WR3, WR4, WR5
- Big Spread Gun: RB1, TE1, TE2, WR1, WR2
- Pony Spread Gun: RB1, RB2, WR1, WR2, WR3
Scheme Fits: Pocket QB, Receiving RB, Receiving and Vertical Threat TE, Speed WR, Pass Blocking OL
Bad Fits: Balanced, Scrambler, and Field General QBs, Power RB, Blocking and Rushing FB, Blocking TE, Run Blocking OL
Notes: This scheme focuses on long passes and passes far more often than it runs.

Pistol

Formations:
- Pistol: RB1, TE1, WR1, WR2, WR3
- Power Pistol: RB1, FB1, TE1, WR1, WR2
- Heavy Power Pistol: RB1, FB1, TE1, TE2, WR1
- Big Pistol: RB1, TE1, TE2, WR1, WR2
- Spread Pistol: RB1, WR1, WR2, WR3, WR4
Scheme Fits: Balanced and Pocket QB, Balanced RB, Rushing FB, Vertical Threat TE, Route Runner and Possession WR
Bad Fits: Balanced FB, Line Captain C
Notes: This scheme is the most balanced of the spread offenses and has limited access to option-type plays.

Spread Option

Formations:
- Spread Gun: RB1, WR1, WR2, WR3, WR4
- Singleback Gun: RB1, TE1, WR1, WR2, WR3
- Split Back Gun: RB1, RB2, TE1, WR1, WR2
- Big Spread Gun: RB1, TE1, TE2, WR1, WR2
- Pony Spread Gun: RB1, RB2, WR1, WR2, WR3
Scheme Fits: Scrambler QB, Speed RB, Receiving FB, Route Runner and Possession WR
Bad Fits: Balanced RB, Balanced FB
Notes: This scheme offers up the ability to run a lot more option-type plays, but focuses on pass plays still.

Smashmouth Scheme Group

This scheme group is defined by a run-focused approach in addition to usually having 2-3 RB, 1-3 TE and very few WR.

Wing-T

Formations:
- Wing-T: RB1, RB2, FB1, TE1, WR1
- T-Split: RB1, FB1, TE1, WR1, WR2
- Wing-T Double Tight: RB1, RB2, FB1, TE1, TE2
- Split Back Gun: RB1, FB1, TE1, WR1, WR2
- Wing Split Back Gun: RB1, RB2, FB1, TE1, WR1
Scheme Fits: Balanced QB, Balanced RB, Balanced FB, Speed WR
Bad Fits: None
Notes: This scheme has the most balanced approach (run vs. pass) of the smashmouth scheme group.

Double Wing

Formations:
- Double Wing: RB1, RB2, FB1, TE1, TE2
- Double Wing Strong: RB1, RB2, FB1, TE1, WR1
- Double Wing Wide: RB1, RB2, FB1, WR1, WR2
- Double Wing Spread: FB1, WR1, WR2, WR3, WR4
- Double Wing Split: RB1, FB1, TE1, TE2, WR1
Scheme Fits: Power RB, Blocking and Rushing FB, Blocking TE, Red Zone Threat WR, Run Blocking OL
Bad Fits: Pocket QB, Speed and Receiving RB, Receiving FB, Receiving and Vertical Threat TE, Pass Blocking OL
Notes: This scheme has barely any access to pass plays.

Wishbone

Formations:
- Wishbone: RB1, RB2, FB1, TE1, TE2
- Wishbone Strong: RB1, RB2, FB1, TE1, WR1
- Wishbone Wide: RB1, RB2, FB1, WR1, WR2
- I Formation Heavy: RB1, FB1, TE1, TE2, WR1
- I Formation: RB1, FB1, TE1, WR1, WR2
Scheme Fits: Balanced and Field General QB, Balanced RB, Red Zone Threat WR
Bad Fits: Balanced FB, Route Runner WR, Line Captain C
Notes: This scheme is also fairly balanced (run vs. pass) like the Wing-T, but it does not have access to any shotgun formations.

Flexbone

Formations:
- Flexbone: RB1, RB2, FB1, TE1, TE2
- Flexbone Strong: RB1, RB2, FB1, TE1, WR1
- Flexbone Wide: RB1, RB2, FB1, WR1, WR2
- Flexbone Gun: RB1, RB2, FB1, TE1, TE2
- Flexbone Gun Wide: RB1, RB2, FB1, WR1, WR2
Scheme Fits: Scrambler QB, Speed RB, Balanced FB, Red Zone Threat WR
Bad Fits: Balanced RB, Speed and Possession WR
Notes: This scheme offers up the ability to run a lot more option-type plays, but is almost entirely run-focused.

Defensive Schemes

Next, we have the defense. Previously the schemes just a generic 4-3 vs. a 3-4 which really weren't even schemes; they were formations. Once again, we will have three times the number of schemes with six for defense. The only right now that bothers me is I can't seem to come up with good names for the defensive schemes. If you have any ideas, please share them here!

Personnel

Just like offenses, defenses have personnel. Also just like on offense, personnel determines who is on the field for you. Each formation has a personnel associated with it (4-3 Base, for example with 4 DL, 3 LB and 4 DB), and many schemes only have one formation per personnel group, so that formation is likely the only way to get that particular grouping of players on the field. I will list the personnel of each formation.

Formation

Again, formations are just the name that each scheme gives to the personnel group and let's you know how the players are lining up on the field. Defenses will have five formations to choose from, but will not be limited in the number they can field, but why that is will have to be saved for a future dev diary. You will be allowed to change between any of the five formations your scheme offers without penalty. However, overall scheme changes still will have scheme change penalties associated. When I list personnel in a formation, the two '|' characters show the separation between the DL, LB, and DB groups.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Each defense will have two offenses that they are good against (they will get bonuses against them) and two offenses they are weak against (they get maluses). Any other offensive scheme will not have any modifiers applied. I will list these under each defensive scheme.

Old School Front 7 Man

Formations:
- 4-4 Base: (LE1, DT1, DT2, RE1 | LOLB1, MLB1, MLB2, ROLB1 | CB1, CB2, FS1)
- 4-4 Over (LOLB1, LE1, DT1, DT2, RE1 | MLB1, MLB2, ROLB1 | CB1, CB2, FS1)
- 4-4 Under (LE1, DT1, DT2, RE1, ROLB1 | LOLB1,MLB1, MLB2| CB1, CB2, FS1)
- 4-3 Light (LE1, DT1, DT2, RE1 | LOLB1, MLB1, ROLB1 | CB1, CB2, FS1, SS1)
- 4-2-5 Nickel (LE1, DT1, DT2, RE1 | MLB1, ROLB1 | CB1, CB2, CB3, FS1, SS1)
Scheme Fits: Run Stopper OLB, Field General and Run Stopper ILB, Man Coverage DB
Bad Fits: Coverage OLB and ILB, Zone Coverage DB
Strengths: Flexbone and Wishbone
Weaknesses: Vertical and West Coast

2-Gap Zone

Formations:
- 3-4 Okie (LE1, DT1, RE1 | LOLB1, MLB1, MLB2, ROLB1 | CB1, CB2, FS1, SS1)
- 3-4 Bronco (LE1, DT1, RE1, ROLB1 | LOLB1, MLB1, MLB2 | CB1, CB2, FS1, SS1)
- 3-4 Eagle (LOLB1, LE1, DT1, RE1, ROLB1 | MLB1, MLB2 | CB1, CB2, FS1, SS1)
- 3-3-5 Nickel (LE1, RE1, ROLB1 | LOLB1, MLB1, MLB2 | CB1, CB2, CB3, FS1, SS1)
- 3-2-6 Dime (LE1, RE1, ROLB1 | MLB1, MLB2 | CB1, CB2, CB3, CB4, FS1, SS1)
Scheme Fits: Run Stopper DE, Nose Tackle DT, Run Stopper and Pass Rush OLB, Run Stopper ILB, Zone Coverage DB
Bad Fits: Speed Rush DE, Pass Rusher DT, Speed OLB and ILB, Man Coverage DB
Strengths: Wing-T and Double Wing
Weaknesses: Spread Option and Pistol

4-man Front Spread Stopper Zone

Formations:
- 4-2-5 Base (LE1, DT1, DT2, RE1 | MLB1, ROLB1 | CB1, CB2, CB3, FS1, SS1)
- 4-1-6 Dime (LE1, DT1, DT2, RE1 | MLB1 | CB1, CB2, CB3, CB4, FS1, SS1)
- 4-1-6 Big Dime (LE1, DT1, DT2, RE1 | MLB1 | CB1, CB2, CB3, FS1, SS1, SS2)
- 4-3 Heavy (LE1, DT1, DT2, RE1 | SS2, MLB1, ROLB1 | CB1, CB2, FS1, SS1)
- 4-4 Jumbo (LE1, DT1, DT2, RE1 | SS1. SS2, MLB1, ROLB1 | CB1, CB2, FS1)
Scheme Fits: Speed Rush DE, Pass Rusher DT, Coverage OLB and ILB, Zone Coverage DB
Bad Fits: Nose Tackle DT, Run Stopper DE, OLB, ILB, FS and SS, Man Coverage DB
Strengths: Air Raid and Pistol
Weaknesses: Flexbone and Wishbone

3-man Front Spread Stopper Zone

Formations:
- 3-3-5 Base (LE1, DT1, RE1 | LOLB1, MLB1, ROLB1 | CB1, CB2, CB3, FS1, SS1)
- 3-3-5 Over (LOLB1, LE1, DT1, RE1 | MLB1, ROLB1 | CB1, CB2, CB3, FS1, SS1)
- 3-2-6 Big Penny (LE1, DT1, RE1 | MLB1, ROLB1 | CB1, CB2, CB3, FS1, SS1, SS2)
- 3-2-6 Penny (LE1, DT1, RE1 | MLB1, ROLB1 | CB1, CB2, CB3, CB4, FS1, SS1)
- 3-4-4 Heavy (LE1, DT1, RE1 | SS1, LOLB1, MLB1, ROLB1 | CB1, CB2, CB3, FS1)
Scheme Fits: Nose Tackle DT, Pass Rush OLB, Coverage ILB, Zone Coverage DB
Bad Fits: Run Stopper OLB, ILB, FS and SS, Speed OLB and ILB, Field General ILB, Man Coverage DB
Strengths: Run and Shoot and Spread Option
Weaknesses: Power Run and I-Option

Speed Man

Formations:
- 4-3 Base (LE1, DT1, DT2, RE1 | LOLB1, MLB1, ROLB1 | CB1, CB2, FS1, SS1)
- 4-3 Over (LOLB1, LE1, DT1, DT2, RE1 | MLB1, ROLB1 | CB1, CB2, FS1, SS1)
- 4-2-5 Nickel (LE1, DT1, DT2, RE1 | MLB1, ROLB1 | CB1, CB2, CB3, FS1, SS1)
- 4-1-6 Dime (LE1, DT1, DT2, RE1 | MLB1 | CB1, CB2, CB3, FS1, SS1, SS2)
- 4-4 Heavy (LE1, DT1, DT2, RE1 | SS1, LOLB1, MLB1, ROLB1 | CB1, CB2, FS1)
Scheme Fits: Speed Rush DE, Pass Rusher DT, Coverage and Speed OLB, Speed ILB, Man Coverage DB
Bad Fits: Run Stopper DE, Nose Tackle DT, Pass Rush OLB, Field General ILB, Zone Coverage DB
Strengths: Vertical and West Coast
Weaknesses: Wing-T and Double Wing

Multiple Man

Formations:
- 4-3 Base (LE1, DT1, DT2, RE1 | LOLB1, MLB1, ROLB1 | CB1, CB2, FS1, SS1)
- 4-3 Over (LOLB1, LE1, DT1, DT2, RE1 | MLB1, ROLB1 | CB1, CB2, FS1, SS1)
- 3-4 Bronco (LE1, DT1, RE1, ROLB1 | LOLB1, MLB1, MLB2 | CB1, CB2, FS1, SS1)
- 4-2-5 Over (LE1, DT1, RE1, ROLB1 | MLB1, MLB2 | CB1, CB2, CB3, FS1, SS1)
- 4-2-5 Nickel (LE1, DT1, DT2, RE1 | MLB1, ROLB1 | CB1, CB2, CB3, FS1, SS1)
Scheme Fits: Run Stopper DE, Speed OLB, Speed and Field General ILB, Man Coverage and Run Stopper DB
Bad Fits: Speed Rush DE, Pass Rusher DT, Coverage OLB and ILB, Zone Coverage DB
Strengths: Power Run and I-Option
Weaknesses: Run and Shoot and Air Raid

Big Thanks to @Sarge, @alexfall862, @Piercewise1 and @TuscanSota for doing a lot of the design work on this!

That is it for this dev diary. Next up, we have a topic that @Sarge has put a lot of work into: Out of Position Penalties

Until next time,

Rocketcan

October 11, 2023

It's good to see you again! Welcome back!

June 26, 2023

Good to have you back man

May 24, 2023

Team	Offensive Scheme	Defensive Scheme
Akron	Pro	4-3
Appalachian State	Pro	4-3
Arkansas State	Spread Option	4-3
Boise State	Double Wing Option	3-4
Buffalo	Double Wing Option	3-4
Charlotte	Spread Option	3-4
Cincinnati	Pro	4-3
Coastal Carolina	Spread Option	4-3
Eastern Michigan	Double Wing Option	4-3
FIU	Pro	3-4
Florida Atlantic	Double Wing Option	4-3
Georgia State	Spread Option	4-3
Georgia Tech	Air Raid	3-4
Iowa	Pro	3-4
Kent State	Double Wing Option	4-3
Liberty	Double Wing Option	4-3
Louisiana	Spread Option	3-4
Louisiana Monroe	Spread Option	4-3
Louisiana Tech	Spread Option	4-3
Miami (OH)	Spread Option	4-3
Michigan State	Air Raid	4-3
Middle Tennessee	Pro	4-3
Missouri	Spread Option	4-3
NC State	Spread Option	4-3
New Mexico State	Double Wing Option	4-3
North Texas	Air Raid	4-3
Old Dominion	Pro	4-3
Rice	Pro	4-3
South Florida	Pro	4-3
Southern Miss	Pro	4-3
Texas State	Spread Option	4-3
Toledo	Air Raid	4-3
UAB	Air Raid	4-3
UConn	Pro	4-3
UMass	Pro	3-4
UTEP	Air Raid	4-3
UTSA	Double Wing Option	4-3
Vanderbilt	Spread Option	4-3
Virginia	Pro	3-4
Wake Forest	Spread Option	4-3
Washington	Pro	4-3
Western Kentucky	Spread Option	4-3
Jacksonville State	Pro	4-3
Sam Houston State	Pro	3-4
Kennesaw State	Double Wing Option	4-3
Youngstown State	Air Raid	4-3
Indiana State	Spread Option	4-3
Illinois State	Air Raid	3-4
Missouri State	Pro	4-3
Murray State	Air Raid	3-4
Northern Iowa	Spread Option	3-4
Southern Illinois	Pro	4-3
North Dakota	Spread Option	4-3
North Dakota State	Pro	4-3
South Dakota State	Spread Option	4-3
South Dakota	Air Raid	4-3
Western Illinois	Double Wing Option	4-3
Bucknell	Spread Option	4-3
Colgate	Air Raid	4-3
Holy Cross	Air Raid	4-3
Lafayette	Pro	4-3
Lehigh	Pro	4-3
Fordham	Air Raid	4-3
Georgetown	Spread Option	4-3
UC Davis	Pro	4-3
Cal Poly	Spread Option	3-4
Eastern Washington	Spread Option	3-4
Idaho	Pro	4-3
Idaho State	Pro	4-3
Montana	Double Wing Option	4-3
Montana State	Spread Option	3-4
Northern Arizona	Pro	4-3
Northern Colorado	Spread Option	3-4
Portland State	Air Raid	4-3
Sacramento State	Spread Option	3-4
Weber State	Pro	3-4
Brown	Spread Option	3-4
Columbia	Spread Option	4-3
Cornell	Spread Option	4-3
Dartmouth	Spread Option	3-4
Pennsylvania	Pro	4-3
Harvard	Spread Option	3-4
Princeton	Air Raid	4-3
Yale	Spread Option	3-4
Furman	Air Raid	4-3
Samford	Spread Option	3-4
The Citadel	Spread Option	4-3
Wofford	Double Wing Option	3-4
Chattanooga	Pro	4-3
East Tennessee State	Pro	4-3
Western Carolina	Pro	4-3
Mercer	Pro	3-4
VMI	Pro	3-4
Grambling	Pro	4-3
Bethune-Cookman	Spread Option	4-3
Prairie View A&M	Air Raid	4-3
Alcorn State	Air Raid	4-3
Southern	Double Wing Option	4-3
Alabama A&M	Air Raid	4-3
Arkansas-Pine Bluff	Spread Option	4-3
Florida A&M	Spread Option	3-4
Alabama State	Spread Option	3-4
Texas Southern	Pro	4-3
Mississippi Valley State	Pro	4-3
Jackson State	Pro	4-3

May 19, 2023

Ryan Johnson is a stud

May 13, 2023

Hello coaches!

Here is the changelog for NewSim v0.4.2.

These will likely be the last bug fixes and adjustments for this offseason.

Bug Fixes:

Hopefully finally fixed net punt statistics. (Please don't kill me @Pumph)
Fixed some backend directory issues
Tweaked some of the go-for-it on 4th down logic
Made the rating for QBs in the NFL be the NFL-style stat (out of 158.3)
Fixed fumbles not being reported in the play-by-play if the play went out of bounds, or if an intercepting player fumbled.
Fixed autopost script so scores made on the final play of a quarter should be counted in the correct quarter on the box score.

New Features:

Added Weather Forecast posts

These changes will take effect immediately so they are in time for the 3rd week of preseason and spring games.

Feel free to ask any questions on these changes here.

May 10, 2023

Hello coaches!

Here is the changelog for NewSim v0.4.1.

Some very minor changes for this weeks games. Couldn't fit anything else in this week, so more will have to come next week.

Bug Fixes:

Fixed scores at the end of quarters allowing the scoring team to score again at the beginning of the next quarter.

New Features:

Added injuries in their own section on box scores.
Added position information to passers and rushers on box scores.

These changes will take effect for the 2023 week 2 spring and preseason games.

Feel free to ask any questions on these changes here.

May 5, 2023

34 minutes ago, Minnow said:

No INTs though!

Yeah, only one QB threw a pick-six to a DT, and his name is not Kyle Higbee.

May 1, 2023

1 hour ago, smackemz said:

Is this changing for the upcoming season?

No, base 3-4 basically lines up like a 5-2 and both OLBs pass rushing in a pass situation.

This will only change once the schemes are updated (probably the flagship feature for the next offseason's update)

April 26, 2023

12 hours ago, Dash Dustrider said:

Do I post here to request the Knicks?

Welcome back! You should be able to use the interface to request them, I believe.

April 13, 2023

Hello coaches!

Here is the changelog for NewSim v0.4.0.

Bug Fixes:

Games should no longer end on a defensive penalty.
Teams should no longer kick extra points after a walk-off touchdown.
Teams should no longer kick field goals when down by more than 3 late in the game or in OT.
Fixed how punts and punting stats are reported.
Teams should no longer go for it on 4th down when the following conditions are true:
- It is the 2nd Quarter
- There are fewer than 2 minutes left on the clock
- The ball is on their own side of the 50 yard line.
There should no longer be any plays after a kickoff that should be the last play of a game.

New Features:

Weather. All games will have weather generated for them based on historical average data for that location. If the game is played in a non-protected stadium, the elements will have an effect on the games. All effects will max out at about 10%, but can stack based on things like very windy and rainy or snowy games. These effects will consist of the following:
- Indoor games will have things like field goals, punting, throwing, etc. receive a very slight boost.
- Windy (10+ mph) games will poorly affect things like field goals, punting, throwing, etc. Maluses increase with the severity of the wind.
- Hot games will reduce the stamina of all players. Maluses increase with the severity of the heat.
- Cold games will reduce attributes like throwing, catching, and carrying. Maluses increase with the severity of the cold.
- Wet (rain, snow, icy mix, etc.) games will have maluses to things like throwing, catching, carrying, etc. Maluses increase with the severity of the precipitation.
Weather Forecasts. These will be released the Tuesday before games are run so that coaches will have time to adjust their gameplans based on the forecast. Reports will NOT be 100% accurate and will likely deviate slightly from the true numbers (temperature or amount of precipitation), but will always be in the ballpark. A Weather Forecast will contain the following information:
- Which game the weather report is for, including the week.
- Where the game is located.
- High temperature (games played during the day and late afternoon will likely be around this temperature)
- Low temperature (games played at night will likely be around this temperature)
- Precipitation (light rain, heavy snow, etc.)
- Cloudiness (mostly clear, overcast, etc.)
- Windiness (breezy, calm, etc.)
NFL Players will now retire as they get older and cannot compete on the same level that they used to.
Scheme Change Penalties. Teams are now free to adjust their schemes at will and without telling their opponents. However, doing so will result in severe penalties to the team's execution. These penalties start at 25% the first week and drop over the next few weeks. BYE weeks are counted in this, so changing your scheme during a BYE week can greatly reduce the penalties your team receives. See Dev Diary #84.
Player Injuries. Players can now get hurt during games. These can range from injuries that only last a quarter and the player can return that same game all the way to season-ending ACL tears. The types of injuries are based on length of time out and position the player was playing when they were hurt. See Dev Diary #86.
Blowout Substitutions. If your team is leading big in the 3rd or 4th quarter, the engine will put in your backups. The threshold in the 3rd quarter is 40 point lead, and the 4th quarter is 24 point lead. In addition, for NCAA games, your 3rd string QB will be put in if the lead is 60 points in the 3rd quarter or 35 points in the 4th. The following positions will have their backups put in if the backup threshold is met:
- QB1
- RB1
- WR1
- TE1
- Top 3 OL by overall
- LE1
- DT1
- RE1
- LOLB1
- MLB1
- ROLB1
- CB1
- FS1
- SS1

Balance Changes:

Homefield Advantage has been tweaked. v0.3.x would have over 73% win rates for home teams. This has been reduced to ~55-61% which is much closer to the real-life values of ~60%. See Dev Diary #78.
Adjusted punting values.
Improved field goal and extra point rolls. There should be a higher percentage of extra points and field goals being made this season.
Scramblers have had all penalties for passing removed. This results in a slightly better completion percentage and more TDs and fewer INTs. They are still the worst archetype for a pure passing offense, but should be somewhat more usable now. Their best attribute is still their ability to run the ball, however.

Misc:

Several under-the-hood optimizations and changes to simplify my terrible code.
Added a way for the engine to re-arrange depth charts in the middle of a game if a player is injured.

Feel free to ask any questions on these changes here.

April 4, 2023

2 hours ago, PoopyRhinoPickle said:

Great work! This will definitely add to the sim. Just a couple ideas to ponder: will this give us the ability to remove redshirts midseason? Also, a med center would make a good addition to the interface where all injuries are listed and able to sort by team, pending Tuscan’s workload of course. Super excited!

For now, the redshirt thing I am not sure. I think we go without it for one season while we think about how to implement something like that.

April 4, 2023

Hello Coaches!

Welcome to another Dev Diary for NewSim on SimFBA!

We are continuing along with our updates to the engine to bring us to our v0.4.0 build. Next up is probably the biggest in terms of gameplay implications: Injuries.

Hello

So every once in a while, the sim will roll that an injury should occur. This can be on any play of the game (except extra points because of some weird little technical issues). If an injury event is rolled, then the next step will be to determine *who* gets injured. If the position that is selected has a player on the field, then that player gets hurt (There could be no player there, like no 3rd WR, which results in no injury).

I Hear You're Feeling Down

Next step has the sim roll against a large chart using the injured player's injury rating to see how long the injury will last. This can be anything from until the end of the quarter to about 20 games. This is all influenced by what kind of injury rating your player has. The worse the rating, the more catastrophic injuries will be. It is possible for there to be no length of time a player needs to be out, despite the injury (given a high enough injury rating and good roll). It is always possible for a player to miss multiple games, no matter how good the injury rating is. For example, there is a column in the injury length table that has over a 70% chance of nothing happening, but there is always still at least a 2% chance of missing anywhere from 1-20 games after the game the injury occurred in.

Can You Show Me Where It Hurts?

So now that the injured player has been selected, and their injury rating has been used to determine how long they will be out, the next step is to determine what the injury actually is. First, the severity of the injury is determined. There are four categories of severity:

Minor: Anything 2 weeks of recovery or less.
Moderate: 3-6 weeks of recovery.
Severe: 7-12 weeks of recovery.
Season-Ending: 13+ weeks of recovery.

Each position group (QB, RB, WR, DL, etc.) has their own set of injury probabilities based on severity, so the next step is to cross reference the injured player's position group with the severity to find the right list. Then, a weighted roll is made to see what the exact injury is. For example, hand injuries are more important for QBs and WRs, so even seemingly minor injuries of these types might be listed as moderate or severe, since it hampers a QB's play more than an OL's play.

The injury type is just flavor text. For now, there is nothing like "this player has sustained a knee injury, and therefore are more likely to injure their knee again." While we would like to do that for the future, for now we didn't have the bandwidth to get that in.

I Can Ease Your Pain And Get You On Your Feet Again

All players will eventually heal from their injuries. Some injuries are so minor that they will heal during the game, and those players will be put pack onto their team's depth charts. However, more likely, players will be out at least the rest of the game or longer. While a player is injured, they cannot be placed on your depth chart. If you attempt to place a player on the depth chart, you will receive a warning. Also, after a game in which any of your players are injured, the interface will redo any positions with injured players automatically in order to ensure that all slots are filled. It would be prudent to check each week to make sure your depth chart is to your liking.

It is possible that a player receives an injury that will last longer than the rest of the season. In that case, that player's season is over. Technically, it is also possible that a player that receives a "Season-Ending" injury make it back in time for something like the Super Bowl, but that will probably be rare. If that does happen though, that player will be available as soon as they heal like normal.

Just The Basic Facts

How will you know if one of your players got hurt in the game? Well in terms of things that currently are in the engine: all play-by-plays will have a blurb if there is an injury. It will provide who it is, what the injury was, and how long they will be out. In addition, injured players will show up in red on the interface depth chart. It has not been done yet, but what will likely happen is the box scores posted to the site will also have a new section showing any injured players.

Is There Anybody In There?

Injuries will be effective come the NFL preseason, and week 0 in NCAA. NCAA spring games will not be affected because they are in the spring. We will be attempting to limit the number of injuries initially to about 0-2 per game max. To be clear, though, there is no hard cap, and technically it is possible for more than that to happen. I would rather the sim have too few injuries rather than too many.

I really hope that this feature adds new layers to decision-making in the sim. Do you play your starters in the NFL once you have secured the best possible playoff seed? Do you play your starters in all of your preseason games to determine the best scheme despite the risks? What about playing rookies that you want to develop? An injury early in their career could really derail their development. Regarding that development, for now I think the best approach is for players that are hurt to not receive additional penalties to growth, rather they just end up with far fewer snaps than they likely would. This will reduce their potential multiplier and likely give them worse progression than a healthy player. Also, there will be some form of Injured Reserve for the NFL, but the details of that have not been hammered out just yet, so keep your eyes peeled for that.

For those of you wondering about whether or not you want to keep your starters in a blow out, that may or may not be the next feature I am working on...

This was probably the biggest lift for this update, so it is (mostly) downhill from here in terms of engine development. There are still some more features I'd like to add, but most of them are on the smaller side. After the last of the new features are added, we will need to do some testing, do a couple of balance passes, and then we have to do some logistical work to make sure that the engine can run on the server. This will ensure that none of the admins (particularly me) need to be home in order for the sim to run. This automation will mean that it will be much easier to keep this sim moving on a weekly basis. You will probably hear more about that in the coming weeks, but we are hoping to get the spring games and NFL preseason going fairly shortly after the NFL draft.

That is it for this dev diary.

Until next time,

Rocketcan

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