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Not sure if there are any football fans here, and if there isn't, this will e a short thread With the cancellation of EA NCAA Football, I thought it'd be a great opportunity for someone to produce a good college football sim. Then I realized I don't have a current game project, so figure I'll atleast brainstorm about it and possibly try to put some wheels in motion. Anyways. What are some ideas you guys think should be implemented? And if you're not a football fan,q maybe you can just provide tips/motivation/advice or anything. Honestly any kind of comment would be helpful, because this would be my first big project.

Ps. It'd be a text based sim online, written in PHP. Maybe try to learn MongoDB and use that for DB.

I am a college football fan, but I actually had not heard about the EA vs. NCAA thing. But then I never really played them, as the NCAA Football games were always a cut below the Madden games. And even the Madden games really seemed to have slipping quality over the years.

As far as making a text game, I think it would be risky. Each college and conference protects their trademarks individually, and if any one of them sent a cease and desist order, it could be a serious problem for the game.

Jackolantern wrote:I am a college football fan, but I actually had not heard about the EA vs. NCAA thing. But then I never really played them, as the NCAA Football games were always a cut below the Madden games. And even the Madden games really seemed to have slipping quality over the years.

As far as making a text game, I think it would be risky. Each college and conference protects their trademarks individually, and if any one of them sent a cease and desist order, it could be a serious problem for the game.

Oh, it wouldn't have real names/conferences. See simsportsdynasty.com for an example

Are you looking to make this multiplayer turn based, multiplayer real-time or single-player?

Jackolantern wrote:Are you looking to make this multiplayer turn based, multiplayer real-time or single-player?

I think the best way it's worked is more or less multiplayer turn based. The user does actions in a set time period,the game spins and all actions are done. People won't have live play calling though. Just be. Able to review their box scores and maybe game logs and whatnot. Maybe afterwards though, port it into a single player standalone.

Alright. Gonna start planning this I also may have a pro version as well. I just want to get the sim engine done for this, REGARDLESS of if I make a game. Here are my attributes -- thoughts?


Attributes
Strength - capped base do on height/weight with exceptions (look at NFL bench press #s, max for every 0 pounds) - determine tackling ability, ability to knock ball out, ability to break tackle by trucking, helps pressing, helps breaking from press, o-line d-line interaction helps stand ground and not get pushed

Speed - Capped based on weight with exceptions (NFL 40 yard dash based on every 10 pounds), helps Wr get open, CB help cover, rb help get yards, oline help pull, dline help pass rush and keep contain, linebacker tog et around field, safety to get around field, qb to scramble outside of pocket

Hips - Important attribute, how fluid the player can move, helps cb cover, helps wr get open, helps oline pull and pass block, helps d line pass rush and keep contain, helps linebacker and safety pass cover, helps rb make elusive moves

Agility - Look at best combine drill and determine base do n height/weight - what persons does with ball, elusiveness, helps dline get off block, helps oline pass blocking

Tackling - how good the tackling form is

Pass Blocking - pass block technique

Run block - run block technique

Diagnose - ability to read offense/defense helps diagnose play type of each, helps not get caught doing wrong thing, helps call audible, very important for captain of d and qb

Passing accuracy - how accurate the passes are

Arm power - influenced by strength, increases chance for short/mid, can throw farther, better accuracy deep

Catching - ability to catch the ball, in traffic affected by strength

Jumping - How high they can jump and go get ball/block kick

Ball security - controls fumbles, hold onto ball when getting hit, also affects drops

Pocket presence - ability of qb to step up in pocket, feel pressure, not fumble, not takes sack, scramble, also helps o-line ability to keep pocket and dline to collapse pocket

Fitness - determines ability to staying in game/not get fatigued, also helps injuries

Personality - determines how much money (pro), if get upset about playing time, if recover faster from injury/play through, how fast they progress, how likely to get in trouble,

Finesse move - pass rushing technique such as swim,rip, work with speed/agility/hips to pass rush and get around blocks also works for pulling guards

Power Move - pass rushing technique such as bullrush, work with strength, hips and height, push pocket back and oline backwards, also helps for power run game straight ahead

Punting power - how far you can punt

Punting accuracy - increases chance of being downed in 20

Kicking strength - power off the kickoff and for field goals

Kicking accuracy - field goal accuracy

Clutch - if player wilts/improves in 4th quarter, playoffs and on game winning drives

Vision - affects finding hole For rb, int for qb, catch rate for all else, knock down passes for dline pick up blitz for oline

Man coverage - technique in man coverage, but affected by hips, speed, agility, strength, jumping

Zone coverage - technique in zone coverage, affected by hips, vision, agility, speed

Route running - ability to run routes, also helps DBS diagnose routes, affected heavily by hips

Alright, I figure you guys can help me out with this. How do I devy up the field? Obviously I can't just code "make a field" and it work properly. I also need to make it so every yard is possible to gain, etc. for obvious reasons. I was thinking a multi-dimensional array that would encompass every yard on the field (kind of like an x,y) but surely there's a better way. I was also considering breaking it into "parts" of the field, IE Deep Thirds, Shallow, etc. Thoughts? Suggestions?

Well, I can say you definitely thought up more attributes than I could have. I would have struggled to get 50% of those

As far as the field goes, another option that could be more simple than trying to create slots to put the players in on the field is to make every player's location relative to the exact location of the ball snap. Then you could easily have a high resolution of player locations, so a player could be at the 42.8271 yard line if you wanted to. That way the quarterback may be at (2, -6.5) before throwing, which would be slightly to the right of snap and 6 and a half yards back, while a safety could be at (-12.2, 24.7) which would be near the left bound and deeper down field. You could just store the coordinates of where the ball is snapped, and then you can get where each player is as well, and even how they will all move for the play. Having a coordinate system would make it easier to see if the quarterback has a clear line of sight to his target as well. You could use the midpoint formula and figure that anything closer to the quarterback than the midpoint is not really in the way as the ball would be too high in its arc, then find the midpoint from the old midpoint to the target and check each defender's distance from that point using the distance formula and check to see if they can pick the ball off using their attributes with the distance, then repeat until the quarterback's target is the closest to the ball, at which point you could test if they catch it.

While that is just an example, you can probably see how having a solid relative coordinate system really frees you up to make mechanics how you want.

Jackolantern wrote:Well, I can say you definitely thought up more attributes than I could have. I would have struggled to get 50% of those

As far as the field goes, another option that could be more simple than trying to create slots to put the players in on the field is to make every player's location relative to the exact location of the ball snap. Then you could easily have a high resolution of player locations, so a player could be at the 42.8271 yard line if you wanted to. That way the quarterback may be at (2, -6.5) before throwing, which would be slightly to the right of snap and 6 and a half yards back, while a safety could be at (-12.2, 24.7) which would be near the left bound and deeper down field. You could just store the coordinates of where the ball is snapped, and then you can get where each player is as well, and even how they will all move for the play. Having a coordinate system would make it easier to see if the quarterback has a clear line of sight to his target as well. You could use the midpoint formula and figure that anything closer to the quarterback than the midpoint is not really in the way as the ball would be too high in its arc, then find the midpoint from the old midpoint to the target and check each defender's distance from that point using the distance formula and check to see if they can pick the ball off using their attributes with the distance, then repeat until the quarterback's target is the closest to the ball, at which point you could test if they catch it.

While that is just an example, you can probably see how having a solid relative coordinate system really frees you up to make mechanics how you want.

So have the two-dimensional array idea to create the X,Y for where the ball is on the field, then use another similiar type thing for each player's distance from the ball before it's snapped, and also use it to determine where he goes on the play and etc.. ? I've never worked with coordinates/moving pieces before, so this is the big "snag" so far. What's the difference between just having the multi-dimensional with every yard of the field layed out and the relative distance thing?

I do love the mid-point thing for the QBs, and that is a really simple but correct solution to passing, so thanks
I'd have to do some math and whatnot to figure at what yardage away a defender can defend a pass, etc. etc. etc. but still a very good solution.

Also gonna be using this thread just to hold my ideas so I can access them via multiple platforms.


Run Game played through gaps
0 – right behind center
1 – on the right of center
2 – on the left of the center
3 – on right of guard, between tackle, right
4 – on left of guard, between tackle, left
5 – on right of tackle, right
6 – on left of tackle, left
7 – on right of tight end, right
8 – on left of tight end, left
9 – towards sideline, right
10 – towards sideline, left
11 - outside of farthest receiver, right
12 - outside of farthest receiver, left

4-3
RDE - 5
LDE - 6
LDT - 2
RDT - 3
SLB - 7
MLB - 1
WLB- 4
CB1 -12
CB2 -11
FS - 8
SS - 9

4-3 Under
RDE - 7
LDE - 4
LDT - 2
RDT - 5
SLB - 6
MLB - 1
WLB- 3
CB1 - 12
CB2 - 11
FS - 8
SS - 9

4-2-5
RDE - 5
LDE - 6
LDT - 2
RDT - 3
SLB - 1
MLB - 4
CB1 -11
CB2 -12
N1 - 7
FS -8
SS - 9

4-1-6
RDE -5
LDE -6
LDT - 2
RDT - 3
MLB - 1
CB1 - 11
CB2 - 12
N1 - 7
N2 - 10
FS - 8
SS - 9

4-0-7
RDE - 5
LDE - 6
LDT - 4
RDT - 3
CB1 - 11
CB2 - 12
N1 - 7
N2 - 10
N3 - Playmaker
FS - 8
SS - 9

4-6
RDE - 7
LDT - 4
NT - 0,1
RDT - 3
SLB - 8
MLB - 2
WLB- 6
CB1 - 11
CB2 - 12
FS - 9,10
SS - 5

4-4
RDE - 5
LDE - 6
LDT - 4
RDT - 3
SILB - 1
WILB - 2
SOLB - 7
WOLB - 8
CB1 - 11
CB2 - 12
FS - 9.10

3-4
LDE - 6
NT -0, 1, 2
RDE - 5
SILB - 3
WILB - 4
SOLB - 7
WOLB - 8
CB1 - 11
CB2 - 12
FS -10
SS - 9

3-3-5
LDE - 4
NT - 0
RDE - 3
SLB - 5
MLB - 1
WLB - 2
CB1 - 11
CB2 - 12
N1 - 7/8 (Depends on alignment based on WR)
FS - 10
SS - 9

3-5-3
LDE - 4
NT - 0
RDE - 3
SLB - 5
MLB - 1,2
WLB - 6
DLB - 7
CB1 - 11
CB2 - 12
FS - 9/10
SS - 8

5-2
LDE - 6
LDT - 4
NT - 0
RDT - 3
RDE - 5
SLB - 1
MLB - 2
CB1 - 11
CB2 - 12
FS - 7/9
SS - 8/10

5-3
LDE - 6
LDT - 4
NT - 0
RDT - 3
RDE - 5
SLB - 7
MLB - 1,2
WLB - 8
CB1 - 11
CB2 - 12
FS - 9/10

6-2
WLDE - 8
LDE - 6
LDT - 2
RDT - 1
RDE - 5
WRDE - 7
SLB - 4
MLB - 3
CB1 -11
CB2 - 12
FS - 9/10

1-5-5
NT - 0
SILB - 1
WILB - 2
SOLB - 3
WOLB - 4
DLB - 5
CB1 - 11
CB2 - 12
N1 - 7/8 (Depending on side)
FS - 9/10
SS - 6

2-5
LDT - 1
RDT - 2
SILB - 3
WILB - 4
SOLB - 5
WOLB - 6
DLB - 7
CB1 - 11
CB2 - 12
FS - 8
SS - 9


4-3 Pulls
*for pulls, WLB has to notice, relay message
*DE has to hold pulling lineman and push to inside so LB can get the outside/force run play outside
*SLB needs to get outside of pulling lineman that the DE should have posted up
*If pulling guard, DE responsible for pulling guard, SLB gets DE gap responsiblity
*LDE just needs to stay tight when the line blocks down so a gap doesn't open between him and the tight end
*Creates 1v1 situation between DE and G
RDE - 6, FS - 4, N - 2, WLB - 1, T - 3, MLB - 5, LDE - 7, SLB - 9, SS - play maker
*If the G and T pull, the DE post up the G, the SLB post up the T, SS makes the play


3-4 Pulls
*NT has to read guard and relay
*LG double nose, NT gap = 1, RG, NT gap = 2
*LB adjust accordingly to the NT
*SS force it back inside, SILB make the play
*If LT and LG pull, the SS makes hte play

4-2 Pulls
*Same as 4-3, but SS makes the play

3-3 Pulls
*Same as 34, SLB makes the play like SOLB