Flexible Playoffs!!!!

[professor ape]

This makes me very happy! I am sure that there will still be dozens of variations that will not be supported but that is fine. I can't wait to see what is in store for us.


Flexible Playoffs: A revised playoff system, with many more customizable options, has been added to the game, giving unparalleled flexibility when setting up playoffs for your league.

[theasfl]

I'd personally love to see Markus figure out how to code in a ghost team of sorts so that a bye week can be done which would, in theory, allow for any number of teams to be in the postseason.

[ctorg]

I'm really interested in seeing what new kinds of options become available.

[Le Grande Orange]

Originally Posted by theasfl

I'd personally love to see Markus figure out how to code in a ghost team of sorts so that a bye week can be done which would, in theory, allow for any number of teams to be in the postseason.

You shouldn't really need a ghost team. After all, in the regular season, there are effectively byes whenever a team has an off day in the schedule and the other clubs are playing.

Perhaps it's a matter of changing the approach of how the game views the playoffs. If there was a post-season schedule file of sorts, then it'd only have to follow that schedule and byes shouldn't be problematic. Theoretically, that is.

[theasfl]

Originally Posted by Le Grande Orange

You shouldn't really need a ghost team. After all, in the regular season, there are effectively byes whenever a team has an off day in the schedule and the other clubs are playing.

Perhaps it's a matter of changing the approach of how the game views the playoffs. If there was a post-season schedule file of sorts, then it'd only have to follow that schedule and byes shouldn't be problematic. Theoretically, that is.

You have far more knowledge of how to go about doing it than I do, I'd just ultimately like to have a blank to enter any value on the league options screen for the number of playoffs teams- from there I suppose it would lead to a drop down of playoff formats (which would potentially be limited by the value entered) followed by series length (or something to do with group play if I can dream) and so on. I just didn't see it being possible without byes being possible, my guess on the bye being possible was the "ghost" team.

Either way I look forward to whatever Markus can add with flexible playoffs.

[professor ape]

I'd like to try out a format which I think would be great IRL. Take the ML division format but have two wild card teams per league. The two wild card teams play a one game play-in game (effectively a 1st round). The winner of that game plays the division winner with the best record. The other two division winners play each other and so on.

This makes the regular season mean a whole lot more. Now you really want to win the division to avoid the one game play-in. Also, if you are the WC team that wins the play-in game then you have lost a day of rest going into the next round and you probably used your best pitcher to win that game.

Now the top team in the league has a real advantage where their rotation is set while the WC winner is scrambling with limited rest. The end result is a structure where it would be much more of an achievement to win the championship out of the WC spots, unlike IRL where there were three straight when a WC team won it all.

[rogmax11]

I am hoping that support will be given for a three-league system that would involve up to eight teams in a 3-tiered playoff post season ( 3 league champions + 3 runners-up + 2 best-record wildcards ). The sequence would be T1 vs T8, T2 vs T7, etc.

I did this years ago with APBA and was consistently rewarded with riviting post-season play that highlighted gegraphical and traditional rivalries. It would be nice to revisit that setup.

[Syd Thrift]

The one problem with byes and such is that unlike football, taking a week off in baseball can be a hindrance rather than a help. There's really very little to "game plan" that can't be covered in a 3-hour pregame meeting, and beyond that all the extra time does is give the players the opportunity to get out of their game. Theoretically it's also a period where injured players can rest, but the vast majority of players are not, of course, among the walking wounded, even in October.

[theasfl]

Originally Posted by Syd Thrift

The one problem with byes and such is that unlike football, taking a week off in baseball can be a hindrance rather than a help. There's really very little to "game plan" that can't be covered in a 3-hour pregame meeting, and beyond that all the extra time does is give the players the opportunity to get out of their game. Theoretically it's also a period where injured players can rest, but the vast majority of players are not, of course, among the walking wounded, even in October.

certainly granted in real life baseball...but Im willing to throw that out the window for this

[theasfl]

Originally Posted by rogmax11

I am hoping that support will be given for a three-league system that would involve up to eight teams in a 3-tiered playoff post season ( 3 league champions + 3 runners-up + 2 best-record wildcards ). The sequence would be T1 vs T8, T2 vs T7, etc.

I did this years ago with APBA and was consistently rewarded with riviting post-season play that highlighted gegraphical and traditional rivalries. It would be nice to revisit that setup.

if thats not possible in a 3 sub-league set up, Id hope it at least becomes possible in a 3 divisional set-up.

[jg2977]

I am hoping that we can have an NHL-style playoffs (1 vs. 8, 2 vs. 7, etc.) and re-seed after the first round.

For example:

1 beats 8
4 beats 5
7 beats 2
6 beats 3

In the second round, 1 would play 7, and 4 would play 6.

[Sdpm100]

Originally Posted by Syd Thrift

The one problem with byes and such is that unlike football, taking a week off in baseball can be a hindrance rather than a help. There's really very little to "game plan" that can't be covered in a 3-hour pregame meeting, and beyond that all the extra time does is give the players the opportunity to get out of their game. Theoretically it's also a period where injured players can rest, but the vast majority of players are not, of course, among the walking wounded, even in October.

I can think of three leagues that have byes in their playoffs around the world. One of them has a four-team ladder playoff. They don't seem to have too many problems.

[curtains]

Im just hoping they add the ability to have playoff series longer than 9 games. That and of course they fix the bug when you have 8 teams in the playoffs from a league, when 1 plays vs 2 in the second round.

[ajsas01]

I think the 2006 Tigers would tell you that having a long layoff is not a positive thing IRL

[theasfl]

Originally Posted by curtains

Im just hoping they add the ability to have playoff series longer than 9 games. That and of course they fix the bug when you have 8 teams in the playoffs from a league, when 1 plays vs 2 in the second round.

right there with you

[jg2977]

Originally Posted by curtains

Im just hoping they add the ability to have playoff series longer than 9 games. That and of course they fix the bug when you have 8 teams in the playoffs from a league, when 1 plays vs 2 in the second round.

They should give you the option to seed and re-seed the playoffs any way that you want in whatever round you're in.

It would also be great if you could have a crossover round for the semi-finals. For example:

Top 2 teams in AL
------------------
Detroit 108-54
Seattle 100-62

Top 2 teams in NL
------------------
Atlanta 94-68
Arizona 92-70

Instead of having Detroit vs. Seattle and Atlanta vs. Arizona in the LCS, you could have:

Detroit vs. Arizona and Seattle vs. Atlanta

This would give you the chance to have the teams with the top two records in baseball playing in the World Series.


And about the first thing, I would love to do something crazy in the Word Series like have a best-of-21. First team to 11 wins is the champion!

[hobbitrjw]

I would personally like to see options for those that say would like to be able to model the World Baseball Classic and such,with very little hassle.

Something like maybe the option to create the teams and all then set the Season Schedule to 0 games,then choose your playoff format from there,this would be good for anyone that just wants to maybe create a Tournament of some sort,without having to go through the Hassle of Manually Scheduling everything the way you want it.

[Xavier12]

Originally Posted by hobbitrjw

I would personally like to see options for those that say would like to be able to model the World Baseball Classic and such,with very little hassle.

Something like maybe the option to create the teams and all then set the Season Schedule to 0 games,then choose your playoff format from there,this would be good for anyone that just wants to maybe create a Tournament of some sort,without having to go through the Hassle of Manually Scheduling everything the way you want it.

Man, a World Baseball Classic in my fictional universe would be incredible!

[johnnybourbon]

Originally Posted by Xavier12

Man, a World Baseball Classic in my fictional universe would be incredible!

indeed. My ex-firstbaseman would be a starter for Japan's team "Weng Cheung" (Man I wish I could find that thread with the crazy names listed)
I'd like a more customizable playoff system as well.

[theasfl]

Originally Posted by hobbitrjw

I would personally like to see options for those that say would like to be able to model the World Baseball Classic and such,with very little hassle.

Something like maybe the option to create the teams and all then set the Season Schedule to 0 games,then choose your playoff format from there,this would be good for anyone that just wants to maybe create a Tournament of some sort,without having to go through the Hassle of Manually Scheduling everything the way you want it.

the WBC/World Cup request(s) is(/are) considered different from customizeable playoffs by most