Warrior General Games

What we needed, and I've made numerous suggestions about already, is the copy/paste ability.


The user defines his/her own outputs on a separate page and names them, this can even use the current interface about formation distance receiver, etc. Just then you save it, name it, and instead of re-entering all of the info every single time you want inside run singleback HB2, you just pull "inside SB power" from a drop down menu and move on.


So next to each spot you name your current outputs can be a pulldown, to select something you've already made. Or, you can just select (unnamed) or something, which of course would be the default when you click "new output." Then if you select a premade such as inside SB power, you still can edit the settings like normal - when you do, it just changes the pulldown from the name to (unnamed) again.


This way, you could also make a slight change to "inside SB run" on the premade settings page, and it would auto-update across everything.


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Somebody made a post about using basic settings, but that doesn't fully optimize what an OC wants to do.

For example, if you want HB pass block 100% on TE medium plays, and TE pass block 100% on all other medium plays, what is your basic settings? Then what if you want no pass block on short plays, and all pass block on long plays? Good luck.

As it is, if you have 20 inputs, each with HB/WR/TE short/med/long that is 9x20 = 180 outputs you have to manually change the pass block assignments game by game. Boy, would that be nice to make 9 changes on the "premade output" page, to short TE, .... , long WR and it would just fill all the way down your settings.



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This doesn't give OCs more options, it simply allows for a better interface to USE the options put in place. If we want to discuss new options, that's another thread of discussion I'm sure.





An additional idea on interfacing:
-turn on/off your inputs
(its annoying to have to adjust the settings, move them down, etc., something lame to make sure they don't come up, then remember to move it back. WHy not just turn it off for a game?)

-drag/drop inputs
(again, its annoying making a new input, then clicking 50+ times at HUGE LAG to get it to the bottom)

Combining these two ideas:
a new page that simply lists your inputs by the way you named them. Then you can click up/down like depth chart to change their order, and click "update." This obviously updates their order on the main tactics page, but it would probably make things go much, much faster.

Originally posted by Octowned
-drag/drop inputs
(again, its annoying making a new input, then clicking 50+ times at HUGE LAG to get it to the bottom)

This deserves to be said twice.

One of my many pet peeves in the interface and part of why it takes hours to make even minor game-to-game updates to advanced tactics.

good idea, less clutter in AI the idea? i likey

I like these ideas. I enjoy OC-ing but sometimes it's too time consuming.

Sounds epic to me. As the AI gets more complex it gets more time consuming, even if multiple people are helping.

first to say +1 on epic

Originally posted by thehazyone
I agree completely. I hate having to create the same defensive output for Single Back, 1st down, 2nd <8, 3rd <4, 4th <2, I should be able to just create a output and assign it to certain down and distances. That can't be that hard to code.

Like you would re-use a function over and over in a computer program?

Can you maybe give an example of how you think it would work? Or does the D play creator sorta cover it (create one play, assign it over and over)?

N/M - octowned kinda described it.

Originally posted by Octowned

Combining these two ideas:
a new page that simply lists your inputs by the way you named them. Then you can click up/down like depth chart to change their order, and click "update." This obviously updates their order on the main tactics page, but it would probably make things go much, much faster.

Do you mean not showing all the options, etc, and just the custom names - one liners?

Great suggestion for both offense and defense.

To make it work you just allow the user to define pre-made output (a specific tab for that)
like:
Name: Long bomb
50% singleback pass long TE ...
30% shotgun pass long WR
20% normal I pass ling HB ...

When the use enters the output he can just choose the name "Long bomb" give it a percentage and he is done.

Originally posted by Bort
Originally posted by Octowned


Combining these two ideas:
a new page that simply lists your inputs by the way you named them. Then you can click up/down like depth chart to change their order, and click "update." This obviously updates their order on the main tactics page, but it would probably make things go much, much faster.

Do you mean not showing all the options, etc, and just the custom names - one liners?

This is precisely what I mean.


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I'll recap my ideas in a way that hopefully isn't too confusing, and outlines both the function and usefulness of them.

1) A page where you can create and name your own outputs
-Then on the normal tactics page, where you usually type in a name, you could also pull-down and select a pre-made output. This would "auto-fill" the normal tactic boxes where we change things, and grey out the ability to modify them unless you de-select the name.
-If you go back to the custom output page and modify something, it will then modify every case that you selected that output in your AI, obviously.
-Of course, you don't HAVE to do it this way, the current way would be the default when you click "add new output"

2) A page where you can move/delete/turn on/off individual inputs
-It would be a list of one-liners as you named them. Normal text for on, a button to grey them out for off. Arrows to move them up/down including the ability to highlight a chunk of inputs and move the whole chunk (might be overboard?) just like the depth chart.
-Turning on/off the inputs would also need an analogous feature on the normal AI page - just a checkbox on/off I guess. Off would grey out the input settings (yards to first down, score difference, etc.) as to make it obvious, etc.

3) Custom output packages
-You save a package of outputs and their assigned %s together. I dunno how easy this would be to implement, but for example your "4th down and short package" you might have 30% short TE I, 20% inside singleback, 50% strong I right run. What if your next game you want to get rid of the Strong I. Now you've gotta change it on all 15 times 4th and short comes up. Having a package you could assign would be nice.

Picture it all together. You want to gameplan a team, so first you go to
"Custom Outputs"
Select "medium pass" and edit your blocking assignments, etc. Select "inside run" change what TE you want blocking, I dunno. All the stuff you want to modify for the game (or set up for the first time!) . Define your package for 3rd/4th and short.

Now, you save, and go to the "Custom Inputs"
Select "first down" and edit your %s, add a few new things, do what you want, without being lost in the maze of your complete AI. Save it, go to "second and long" etc, all the way down to your "4th and short." You may have a dozen different 4th and short settings for various situations, but each time, just select your "3rd/4th short package."

Now, go to the "Move Inputs" page
Move things around, turn off some various tactics like your red zone offense if you don't want to use it, etc.

When you are done, you never had to see the maze of the normal AI, but everything got changed. Of course, you can still click "Offensive AI," make minor adjustments, or just do it all the old way.


Just rambling/procastinating.

Originally posted by tragula
Great suggestion for both offense and defense.

To make it work you just allow the user to define pre-made output (a specific tab for that)
like:
Name: Long bomb
50% singleback pass long TE ...
30% shotgun pass long WR
20% normal I pass ling HB ...

When the use enters the output he can just choose the name "Long bomb" give it a percentage and he is done.

Ah yes, this is precisely what I described as a "package" but hadn't read your post, I think this would be great.

Originally posted by Octowned
Originally posted by tragula

Great suggestion for both offense and defense.

To make it work you just allow the user to define pre-made output (a specific tab for that)
like:
Name: Long bomb
50% singleback pass long TE ...
30% shotgun pass long WR
20% normal I pass ling HB ...

When the use enters the output he can just choose the name "Long bomb" give it a percentage and he is done.

Ah yes, this is precisely what I described as a "package" but hadn't read your post, I think this would be great.

This would be GREAT!

Originally posted by Octowned

I'll recap my ideas in a way that hopefully isn't too confusing, and outlines both the function and usefulness of them.
.
.
.
Just rambling/procastinating.

Great, and crucial.

Also by splitting the AI info the reaction time will improve (sometimes it takes a full minutes to update the AI, and saving a preset takes even longer)

Hm, that makes sense Octowned.

What about also making separate pages for 1st quarter, 2nd quarter, etc? Would possibly make loading/saving quicker. I would have to do some finagling to get it working, but it's probably possible.