PC Manager mode testing help sought

[StevePitts]

Folks,

I am seeking some help from those that are playing manager mode on the PC.

Firstly, is there anyone that has a current career with the problem with the same team appearing twice in the ECC?? This seems to happen most often with Fenerbahce, but I've read anecdotal evidence to the effect that others (Barca??) may also crop up from time to time. I'd like to see if I can find a way to fix it but to do that I need a sample (or three). If you have such a problem career then please ZIP the manager mode data file, FIFA.DB and ENG.DB and send them to me via the email address in my profile (click on my name in the LH column, then select 'send an email to ...' in the drop down box and you will get a page with my email address as a mailto: link)

Secondly, I am looking for guinea pigs - I mean beta testers - for my fixture decongestant, which eliminates (or at least reduces) the problem of fixtures being scheduled too closely together. This facility has been added to my F2K7DUMP utility and tested on my own career (I've simmed through to the middle of the following season, just to prove it doesn't cause crashes, and I'm in the throes of playing through instead) but I'd like to test it more widely, especially on non-English careers and those using the CEP database rather than the default.

If you're willing to get involved in such a process then please either send me an email (see above) or if you're not bothered about exposing your email address to the outside world, then just reply to this thread with said address. The latest beta will be released within the next few days (I've just got to update the GUI front-end to pass the new switch values), and I will send an email to any/all of those that have signed up, with details of where to download.

Thanks in anticipation to anyone prepared to put their career in the firing line, and perhaps I should point out that the utility makes it possible to see what would be done without actually writing it to the manager mode data file, so you can check things out to your heart's content before any changes are actually made (see the relevant section of my web pages for an example).

A few points worthy of note about what the utility will do:

• it will attempt to rearrange the manager's team's fixtures to eliminate two games played on the same day, or two fixtures closer together than two full days (ie. on consecutive days or with only a day's gap)
• it will maintain the integrity of the fixture structure, such that a game will never be moved before a preceding fixture in a knock-out competition, or after a subsequent fixture in a knock-out or playoff competition
• it will attempt to move league games in preference to cup games
• it will move a problem fixture as far as is necessary to find a 'free' slot (ie. one that itself does not conflict with other fixtures) even if that is weeks earlier, or later
• it will identify fixtures that might feature the manager's team (eg. future cup rounds) and move those (or the fixtures they clash with) as well

and a few things that it won't do (currently, or ever in some cases):

• it won't touch games that have already been completed, or any game on the same day as a game that has been completed
• it won't move fixtures that don't involve (either definitely or potentially) the manager's team, so fixture congestion may still be a problem for your opponents
• it won't move fixtures that could feature the manager's team but might not even if they are not eliminated from the competition. What I mean by that is that if it is possible to qualify to multiple fixtures (eg. ECC group stage, ECC qualifying, league playoffs) then those later fixtures will not be moved until such time as the preceding stage has been completed
• it won't move cup finals
• it won't do lighting, or curtains, or carpets, or radiators, or ...

 

[pfk505]

I'd be willing to check it out Steve, though I am using the CEP. Recently I had the Carling Cup final scheduled before the Semi-Final, so when I completed (and won) the semi-final, the final automatically simulated itself (it was actually scheduled between legs of the semi final). My January alone had probally 10 or 12 matches, with no less than 3 incidents of back-to-back gamedays. How does EA get away with this crap?

 

[StevePitts]

I'd be willing to check it out Steve, though I am using the CEP

Thanks, I've added you to the (sadly rather short - I guess most of those that have been complaining about this element of the game must be playing on the consoles) list of those interested. It will be good to have someone using the CEP test this out, because that adds another variation that I wouldn't otherwise get to check. FWIW my tools are quite happy to process the CEP database, and manager mode data files derived therefrom.

Recently I had the Carling Cup final scheduled before the Semi-Final

Ah now, look what you've gone and done - given me something else to worry about {sigh}



Looking at the RTSG data in the default FIFA.DB I can see how this might happen, and a cursory glance through the English competitions suggests that it is also possible to have the Football League playoffs start before the league games have been completed. Nasty. It ought to be easy enough to fix that in FIFA.DB, and in such a way as to not damage existing saved data files (because it is a question of updating entries in place). Fixing it after the fact might be more of a challenge, but if you've got an example career with this problem then perhaps you could ZIP it and send it to me (along with details of which version of the CEP you are using) and I'll see what I can figure out.

How does EA get away with this crap?

Because we all buy the game year in and year out despite the fact that it is always full of bugs?? I've always gotten the feeling that they don't have anyone on the programming team who really cares about this basic record keeping stuff, although that is almost certainly unfair.

 

[bruno167]

I want to test it too.
I have CEP installed.

My mail is [email protected]

 

[StevePitts]

I want to test it too

Thanks Bruno. Look for something later today, the GUI has been updated and internal testing is complete, so I've just got to package up the new beta release and upload it to my web space.

 

[pfk505]

Hey Steve

I shot you an email just now, gonna shoot you another one with my career zipped.

 

[Javyol]

Hi Steve,
I would like to test your utility
Email:[email protected]
Cheers!

 

[StevePitts]

I shot you an email just now, gonna shoot you another one with my career zipped.

Got them both, and I've responded with a request for a couple more files. I suspect that this is a difference between v3.1 of the CEP and the v3.0 that I tested with and hopefully we can get to the bottom of it

I would like to test your utility

Thanks. Check your mail.