- updated LSU field, as in the screenshot above
- updated NCAA base .tpf, with all-new logos
- updated roster
Regarding the roster, Littleware was active on the forum on Nov 30, but has still not been in touch. All I'll say is that I was right to wait a couple of extra days to give him a chance to respond. Shame he didn't.
So I went ahead with my backup plan to boost the ratings of the weaker (Madden-generated teams). What I did was import the attributes of the defensive players from higher-rated Madden-generated teams into BAY, MISS, OHST, OU, and TENN. What that means is the roster is more playable now. All players on all teams have correct names and jersey numbers, plus BAMA, CLEM, FSU, LSU, and MICH have been rated by hand. The other 5 teams have Madden-generated ratings but now will be able to compete better against the rated teams.
In case anyone was wondering what happened to MICH, MISS, and FSU, I did politely request that slydways stay away from just this thread for my final 3 and a half weeks, and in return I'd aim to finish hand-building the endzones for MICH and MICH, as well as complete all of FSU. I had been working on all three, but started running out of time. Anyway, he didn't stay away, so I pulled the plug on those, and chose to work on the stuff that interested me instead (LSU field perimeter, and all the main logos.) I think that's fair.
This project is now considered finished, and I will no longer be maintaining it. I have no objection to anyone continuing to develop this mod, but I wish to make a clear line of separation between my involvement and other folks'. Therefore, if anyone wishes to continue this mod in any form, here are my requests.
CONDITIONS FOR DEVELOPMENT BY OTHERS
- It must be in a separate thread (not this thread).
- Future releases must use a different splash screen (not my Derrick Henry). This applies even if someone just updates the roster next week and wants to release it as v4! It still must use a new splash screen.
- If the mod continues to use the FieldBuilder framework solely as it base, then the mod must contain the word "FieldBuilder" at the end. Same applies for future years such as "NCAA 18 FieldBuilder" etc.
- If the mod does not use the FieldBuilder framework solely as it base, then the word "FieldBuilder" must not be used in the title. So any mod that contains a mix of these fields and fields made by other methods must not use the word "FieldBuilder" at the end.
- The same original conditions in the first post still apply: no releasing on other sites, no payment taken, no use of others' work without permission. However, you do have my permission to modify and re-release my .tpf's on this site in whatever way you wish.
If anyone actually does want to keep this mod alive in the same format, you have my permission. More likely though is that that folks will call for my fields to be converted to .dat instead, and opt-out of all of that fancy "FieldBuilder" stuff. (I can hear them already: "Just give me a dumbed-down field dude; we don't want yer fancy ways round these parts!" ) I gotta admit though, that was partially why I enjoyed working on my LSU field some more! LOTS of detail in that one.
I am officially retiring for good from this forum now, as it's just not fun for me any more. I do enjoy modding still, but intend to cut that waaaaay back. I may pick away at my mod into the off-season, and perhaps even into next season, but I won't be uploading or posting any more. I've found that all the big benefits I've got from modding have ALL been from realizing my own goals and surpassing my own expectations (which I do all on my own), and none have been from posting or uploading.
There's a ton of other things I want to do instead now (nothing to do with modding) and I am completely content to be making big changes in my life right now. I'll leave you with this thought: I have a small text file in my phone that I call my "bucket list". Nothing to do with travel, just things I want to get done. I started this last January, and added all sorts straight away. Some were quite minor, but many were really quite a big deal for me. Some I thought were likely to be just too big to address just yet, so I stuck them to the very end. As I think of more things, I add them to the "to-do" section. But more importantly, as I actually do these things, I move them to the "done" section at the top. I can then look back at all the things I've done this year and think "those seem real minor now, but I know many of them were really quite major things at the time!". And that's the key: new challenges start to feel less like big obstacles when they come up.
Setting this Dec 3 deadline was also an amazing exercise for me. Just with the mod, it forced me to prioritize over what was most important to me. But I also used the deadline to get other things in place, which are nothing to do with modding. I am now much better at making lists of what I want to achieve, breaking them down into an order that will work, and then sticking to it.
So here's a little exercise for you: think of ONE thing that you've been putting off for ages. Something that you actually want to do, but stuff just keeps getting in the way. Give yourself 7 days to get it done. And then get it done.
Finally, I'd like to ask a moderator to lock this thread so I can sign off permanently. (Just wait an hour so I can check that everything works)
Be kind to others, and to yourself.