A few questions on building templates, a quickstart, combining each in one uni,+ maybeee some help??

[Kammich]

Hi guys!

I am (mostly) a lurker here. In fact, this was once (ages- as in 10 years ago I think) my friend's screen name for one day, which he used it for maybe two posts.... I just never got around to changing my own name when he stopped using this and I started, so I've continued scarcely posting here under this name and once upon a time ran a league on 6.5 with some buddies and we would come here more often than not to try to keep it going with fresh members until our method became too obsolete to go on. But I digress! My point is, I would be posting much more if I wasn't gassed and (half of the time) just installing the updates or quick starts, and never playing into them or having enough time- I would be on the forums and try to help with the mod community/photo hunters/etc. and whenever I have down time I hope to be able to be a part of projects in the future! But since I have been a quiet lurker for the most part untl right now, I first and foremost just want to just say THANK YOU!!! to alllll of the great mod creators, photo collectors, and quickstart compilers- etc. etc. etc. .... I know most names but don't want to butcher one or another so let me just say thank you to all of the great mod creators who have made all of these games so amazing for years! I hope to be able to join up with you guys and help more often now that I have a more capable computer and looks like I will be working half my time at home, which is awesome for free internet times when the job is online!

Anyway, after all the blabber you're probably wondering about my question(s) and it would help if I elaborate. So to use a quick example to try to explain what I want to attempt- and then, in return, I'm looking for an informative (enough) reply that can give me the best method to go about this project, or where/what I should go off as for the starting point, what order in which to integrate certain sub-leaues and others alike, etc. Basically, i want to put together- hopefully, with permission to either use current templates and whatnot and the permission to (from their original owners/creators) in order to start working on this and to kind of use those templates as the new templates within and making adjustments as going along. I'll use an example of exactly what I *want* to do, and if possible for someone to tell me if it is possible, and also if those involved in past creations of some mods I am about to mention that I would like to ask permission to use within this Quickstart if the thing gets off the ground. Also, if there is one way to do this that is more realistic as far as time consumption (that is- saving time, of course) goes, or if there are currently tools out there to aid in the process it would help to know! (I haven't been heavy on modding since pierre's tools wayyyyyyyyyy back when but I do download recent quick starts and love what everyone has created!- but admittedly, OOTP is more out of the box play-friendly than ever which is of course a good thing really so 6.5/12 was a diff. demon....)

So my goal in a nutshell, is to do this (in what order?- I have no idea- that's where i could use advice, and maybe a quick run-down or ref. on a nice place to read up on how to do just such a thing (that is- if there are more manuals w/ additional info as the main manual wasn't able to help me figure this one out)....

I want to do the following-
MLB universe quick start w/ 7 (I think?) INT leagues, all of the minors/majors, etc- basically, the all-in-one package and a real photopack as well (which I plan to hopefully use BigRod and Boogaloog's if that is cool with them, for each player, as I noticed some have certain hats and some didn't- unless each or one has been updated since?...But permission to use and credit your works would be appreciated if I complete and release this to the public- thanks guys! )..... if it is a MiLB photo, I will try to find he appropriate class level and if there are multiples i'll include an alternate photopack for download, with alt. jerseys (I'm actually about 70% done with a project like this, with each player having their respective cap from each year and even minor leagues if possible- but I stiill have a long ways to go and just only recently got a new scanner, so now I can add some odd baseball card MiLB shots and other rares I have sitting in bins even- so that folder for every hat player's careers (approx 1970ish-onwards- some early photos missing, but this is more for my own convenience when importing photos manually and most are resized or sized on my own but I planned to include it as well no matter how far close to done I get....but for example- guys like Kenny Rogers or Jamie Moyer were well-traveled, and some players even have more photos than others or doubles etc. that I've found in old call cards or similar things)- hopefully not too many dups, but they will simply be in one folder for those who like manually importing or do it from time to time when doing historical replay w.o. historical accuracy w/ rosters and whatnot....one folder just for convenience, and then I would include the photopacks in hi-res if given permission for the main QS. Just wondering if that would be cool, you guys? And this HAS NO TIMELINE! So if it doesn't make it then it wouldn't even be a bother. I will give more than full credit and truly appreciate it if I can use them, though and hope to be able to crank this out with some help.

So the Qs would be like the all-in-one— but I wanted to add multlple templates, or see about helping and/or collaborating with some of the others who are doing projects in making an all-in-one ultimate release sort of thing.... see, I really loved the idea of the QS w/ opening day and independent leagues, and the idea of FAs being able to sign with independent leagues and be bought for cheap prices- and fiances *are* adjustable I believe, but the aforementioned maker of the QS (with indy leagues added, and some CAPs- pretty nifty but it had some older rosters that weren't post-deadline, but too outdated for my picky ass :P I loved the idea though! And great work on the templates- save for that and finances needing setup but I think I can handle that- and I also wouldn't mind if I could have your permission to use similar templates/a template, if possible?*)

*If possible then if someone can explain to me how to either export and then re-import from that QS into a new one, then that is how I'd get it going, and then add teams and if needed divisions/leagues, etc.... and fill some rosters out (and then figure out through trial and error what settings work best for a sim with FA and players doing to the indie leagues if they're on the WW/in the FA pool, and sitting for 2 yrs vs the idea of them outright retiring at 24 with 2 star potential, say, because no one gave them a contract offer when in real life these guys do go to Japan or the indie leagues, mexico, etc. and come back (sometimes) twice the player or having had made major adjustments. See: Colby Lewis for a little bit there; McGehee; others I'm too lazy to think of ...

So I would figure all of that out and post info once I get far enough into that stage, and also release some test versions as I go along if people want to work or screw around/test things to make sure I don't SNAFU something big time early one, or if anybody would like to collaborate on this universe idea. I have been working on it for a bit but am only now looking to add the additional templates. I am going to also have to figure out how to do the draft- but may leave that up to users- or simply assign the players, perhaps, and cancel the draft for a year or something- I am entirely unsure but whatever choose there will be two diff. options that contrast enough so everyone would be appeased w/ one or the other or could try both ....

I also want to note I loved nutt's NCAA universe, and i know lukasburger and bigrod are currently working on one right now as well. I was going to offer my services if I can help at all, and also ask permission if I could use this as a template within the universe once ultimately finished or as each goes along and hits certain points where I can release small BETA updates so anyone intrigued can check it out, and make sure (As I said) there are no errors within that I overlooked that could possibly be irreversible come a certain time.


Obviously this is more of a group project, and I am hoping some people will want to collab or help, or take some of the work I have done at the least and use it on their project if something similar to a universe of such a stature (and this WILL be a doozy, w/ no timeline despite having done work on this already for almost a month now- albeit at a slow pace, I'm just hoping to have it out before mid-SEP or the playoffs in general right now so there is some interest heading into the OOTP16 releases for those who would rather replicate 2014 in most detail + college and then some for a franchise experience instead of starting with a 2015 patch roster, which may have errors in it early on w the way this season showed no player is sacred; FA is gonna be nuts IRL in my opinion!)...

So that is it in a nutshell! I know this is long, so the bulletpoints below, and BigRod, lukasburger, nutt(??), Boogaloogcrab, That70sGuy (opening day w/ independent leagues qs maker), and anybody else who was involved in making anything I had mentioned hope in using for my "Universe" project which may not work out- or may! I'll know early if it's too much to undertake but working from home frees me some time since it looks like I will be some days each wk, esp. early on!

I'd like to just make an MLB + all minors, spanish/mexican leagues, independent leagues (and set it up so players in the FA pool who sit and then retire way too young while IRL Bryan Lahair is making over 4mil to play overseas this year for example can sign w/ indies and possibly work their way back to the majors, ala so many times before this actually has notably happened.... I mean look no further for CY candidate Scott Kazmir).... and then when available, and I am willing to offer a hand to the project iff needed, the collegiate NCAA mod for 15 as well. It would be opening day, 2014 rosters, and I would also rename anything within the game (ie minor league teams that may still be outdated, just so long as I can have a list of any/everything in need of being fixed so goes minor things like that or I'd otherwise overlook it!)....

I had made some great progress and wanted to post this 2 days ago, but where I currently am staying the fuse box (1950s style....yea) blew on SUN, and they didn't get here to fix it til tue morn; from there we had no power until late lastnight and I haven't had a chance to post this... so I want to apologize for how jumbled it may be, just because I am now rushing it to just get it out there for those who can forgive a lot of it being clumped together. Any q's due to how horrible my formatting or just explanation of this is, I'd be glad to help answer. And I apologize for this being all over the place and out of order a bit- just a hell of a 3-day span without air or any power save here & there. So now that I'm stable all weekend and then some, I wanted to post this. See if i can get the permission to use some of what was made from the names I mentioned above. AND, ask for advice on how to build or import (plant?) a template in a new all-in-one quickstart RIGHT after installing/starting it up.... if exporting the template from the indie league file for example, is there a place to import it within the all-in-one w/ the new rosters and recent update??? Or how can i build my own indie league template without it sort of falling somewhere in the major league scroll bar, or the minors even?


Thank you guys so much. I also plan to track progress as I go along with this. KEEP IN MIND, this is OPENING DAY. HOWEVER, in lieu of some of the revelations this season has brought on us to a point where I think we can make SOME decisions- even if not changing overall potential- as how to alter ratings slightly, or up ratings for players who have broken out in gigantic ways and.or rebounded similarly and are not rated very high in the game (two examples from 2014 even: Michael Brantley as a breakout, and Melky Cab as an underrated asset and star in real life-. JD Mart (to some extent I think it's fair to say this has been pretty legitimate), possibly Carlos Gomez, Brandon Moss maybe?- hell even guys like Chris Coughlan, Brock Holt, etc.-- and then I'm sure a good amount of SP (ie Garrett Richards even, i want to say), might need to be touched up ratings-wise a bit. but if i do this- again- I will release an "as is" version, and one with my own ratings touched up because i know some have and use their own formulas when editing a player or players and pitchers vs. batters accordingly as not to skew one side vs the other. And that way if you're of the side who likes to re-rate players on their own, and does it a certain way you'll simply get to edit the ratings it default comes with. I would only be changing minor things like injury prone and cutch/how high for each, ratings for either the in-game "present" (for those surprise yrs where regression next yr is almost a given with some of these career years in 2014) ratings, or the "potential" ratings (this being for those who look as they've become risers but are listed as D- or F or something on the show when they are up to top-30-50 prospects in the MLB right now. Lots of midseason breakout starts. as I said, two diff. versions will come out- one with and one without (which will be released first probably) rating changes.

Anyway, I will track any and all progress in rhis thread moving forward, and hope to hear from Rod/Lukas and some others as goes permission in using some of their mods in this QS. I also wouldn't mind a little help understanding this template stuff- I am struggling a bit and feel like i'm missing something super easy!!!

Cheers, and wish me luck!! if anyone wants to help out and join making it a collaborative effort, i'd love that!
cheers, and thanks to those who took the time to sift thru this and answer some of my questions!!!! I appreciate it and thank you a bunch in advance!

[Bigrod]

Wow, a massive undertaking at best and I wish you all the best with your project.
Feel free to use any of my work you wish to and if I can be of any assistance at all just shoot me a PM as that's always the best way to get hold of me.
Just a few ideas that may make building such a project a little easier IMHO:
List your questions on templates and I can help answer those. If I were you, I'd create each league as a separate template.
MLB
AAA
AA
etc.
Templates are great as you can mix and match any of them at will, anytime you want and then create a quickstart without worying about team and player ID problems as ootp will auto adjust those upon import without interfereing with any existings ones.
If you don't know how to manipulate players, stats, etc. in a spreadsheet, it's time to learn and it's also a tremendous time saver. Especially the vlookup and concatenate formulas as they will be your best friends.
I use Apache Open Office only as it's free. I can teach you all you need to know on how to use it with ootp.
I use it to create the games schedules and minor league stats to send to Markus each year. I also used it to create my NCAA D1 template for 2013 which has all real teams, players and stats.
Looking forward to your progress updates