Teams.xml, Custom Leagues and Mods (general)

[servo75]

What is the purpose of teams.xml? More specifically, I notice some mods use a different version. If I make a version for a mod do I simply place it in the league folder for that league? Can we modify the file to make a new league format? For example, 12 teams 3 divisions is awkward because it has unbalanced conferences. So I tried to use the xml file to to create a 12-team, 1 conference, 3 division, 14 game format. But when I create a new league in the game it does not appear.
Can I actually create mods this way? If so is there something specific I need to do? Suppose I just want to change the schedule format or number of weeks? Can I mod that in teams.xml or in other places?

I also think, and I mentioned this in the suggestions forum, that it would be nice to have more choices for custom leagues. I realize there are so many choices already, but some are rather awkward. For instance the existing 12 team 3 division leagues still have 2 conferences, so we have 8 teams in one conference and only 4 teams in another. Yet 4 teams per CONFERENCE (i.e. all teams in one and half in the other) make the playoffs.

The reply I usually get to custom formats is how will the schedule work? First, I'm not sure where the scheduling formats come from right now. But I think it's reasonable to expect that if a player mods his own league format, then they are responsible for building an appropriate schedule template.

[brooks_piggott]

The teams.xml file is used for modding... it mostly contains metadata about the teams to make it easier to start new leagues from mods. However, the league formats and such are not moddable... several of them are odd formats because they've been requested by the community over the past several years. So some of them are built to match a historical league format for people to play in a given era, and others were created based on fantasy league formats or world formats or other one off's. Each of the formats in the game came with a set schedule either by the submitter or some sort of historical schedule.

In the future we may look at more customizable solutions so people can set up their own number of games and number of teams as long as they provide a schedule to match. It hasn't been a big priority since the existing formats tend to meet the needs of most of our users and really is much easier to handle versus creating custom schedules each year.

[servo75]

Thank you for your quick reply. Personally, if we had a case where "You can customize any format you want but you are responsible for a custom schedule" I'd take that in a heartbeat.

I would humbly put in a request for 12 teams, 1 conference, 3 divisions, 14 or 12 games. 6 team playoff format (3 div + 3 WC). I'm trying to do a USFL expansion.

I wonder, would it at least be possible to customize number of weeks? For instance, there is a 4x2 format but only available for 16 or 18 game schedules. I can put in a custom 10-week schedule (thinking USFL/XFL which there's no model for) but it would result in 6 or 8 bye weeks. I guess I could put those bye weeks in the beginning of the season but would be awkward. If there were a setting to say I only wanted 10,11 weeks.

Would I be able to ask where the schedule templates are located? I'm playing in an online sim league which is great, 24 teams 6 divisions. Except the schedule has no interconference games. I think getting this would go a long way to what I'm looking for. If we could modify schedule length and matchup formula, that would solve most of the issue for me, even if we didn't have more league structures per se.

[brooks_piggott]

There aren't any templates for the schedule. It's built into the code. But you can certainly upload your own schedule as long as it has the same number of games. Typically the number of games is required to be the same as the built in schedule so that tie breakers and other logic doesn't break down for that particular format.

[servo75]

There aren't any templates for the schedule.

Personally I think that would be a good idea. It would also help alleviate some weird schedules we end up seeing, such as 3+ home/road games in a row, finishing the season with non-division opponents, etc. Think about it, you could take 12 NFL schedules, you don't even have to design them, just take from previous NFL seasons. If NFC East plays NFC West one year then NFC North the next, then rotate the NW to NN, etc. You could probably do the entire thing with a single template if you did it that way.

[brooks_piggott]

Unfortunately I can't pre-make NFL schedules since they both rotate, and they are dynamic based on where teams finish the season. So if in the template Team A finishes first and Team B finishes second, but in the sim Team A finishes 4th the schedule would be locked like they were first. So we'd have to decide what was more important... maybe the seeding matchup isn't as important as the 3 home games in a row issue. (If someone wants to generate 12 schedules let me know... there haven't been 12 seasons of 17 games yet so it would take a bit of work to sort it all out)