Requirements: You will need .NET Framework 3.5 installed to use this utility
ALWAYS MAKE A BACKUP OF YOUR FRANCHISE FILE BEFORE USING THIS UTILITY!!
(you should always make a backup of whatever file is going to be edited before using any utility)
To use this utility:
Step 1a: In Madden '08, load up whatever roster you want to use, and stat a franchise with it.
Step 1b: DO NOT START A FANTASY DRAFT FRANCHISE! Use any other settings you want and control whichever human teams you want... BUT DO NOT START A FANTASY FRANCHISE.
Step 1c: Save the franchise immediately after creation (and before doing minicamp drills <-- not that necessary) and exit Madden.
Step 2: Make a backup of your franchise and then load up the original in the Fantasy Draft Utility. When it's loaded, you should see this screen:
At this stage, you get to set all your options for how the computer will treat the drafting process.
On this main screen, you can set the draft type, draft order, number of rounds, and select which teams you would like to draft for as a human.
You will also notice there are two buttons: "Edit Overall Ratings Formula" and "Edit Player Evaluation Formula".
The first button should not be messed with unless you know that the franchise you are using is using any other formula than the default formula provided by Madden. Since most (read: nearly 100%) of the users will have no idea that a formula even exists, or that we actually know what it is and how it works, I would just leave this button alone. But, if you absolutely must know, this is what the screen looks like that pops up when you click it:
The second screen, though, is where all the magic happens:
I will not spend time explaining all the workings of that screen here since I have tried to explain as much as I could in the actual utility.
Step 3: After you have saved all the settings, and are ready to proceed, click the "Save Draft Order and BEGIN DRAFT" button. That will bring you to a screen that looks similar this (depending on version and when I've updated this forum):
This screen is fairly self explanatory, but I will point out a few things.
- "Auto Update Draft Info" is nifty, but it drags the speed of the utility WAY down (because it constantly is clearing and rebuilding all that stuff). So, if you notice the drafting speed is taking too long, uncheck that box. If you have selected a team to draft for, you may not notice it too much. However, if you have selected no teams, the draft will complete in like 30 seconds. But, with auto update on, it takes about 5 mins.
- "Computer Draft Player" will have the computer draft a player based on the drafting AI and randomness (as set in the Edit Player Evaluation" screen).
- "Draft Players without Prompt" will get rid of the warning every time you click to draft a player.
Step 4: After the draft is complete, save the franchise!
Have fun, and try to break this utility. I want to know about anything that goes wrong no matter how little or no matter how big. There are some annoying thing I already know about that I will fix/add later. I wanted to get this released though. Good luck, and have fun!
JD
UPDATES
Version 2.3 (11/21/13):
- fixed issue with draft freezing after a certain round
(depending on "1st" requirements)
- fixed issue with draft boards not displaying properly
Version 2.2 (11/19/13):
- Fixed the Halfback/Fullback jersey number issue
- Changed the progress bar label to display the file name when opened
- Added "Offense" and "Defense" to the "sort by" combo box
- Changed default number of draft rounds to 53
- The drafted players list now auto-scrolls long with the current pick
(can be disabled)
Version 2.1 (11/16/13):
- Should open and handle franchises with a practice squad (BETA)
- Players are listed as having been "Acquired in Fantasy Draft"
- Okay.... NOW I've fixed the contract issue...
- Fixed the kick/punt returner depth chart issues
- Fixed the scrolling issue where the player list wouldn't scroll to the top after switiching search criteria
Version 2.0 (11/15/13):
- This utility will now auto-order depth charts during the draft
Version 1.2 (11/15/13):
- fixed issue with players getting drafted with no salary
(hopefully correctly this time)
- fixed issue with some players getting assigned illegal jersey numbers
- adjusted the numerical order players receive new jersey numbers to be more realistic with league standards
- fixed issue with dealing with ratings larger than 99
(now all attributes will be read as if they have a cap of 99... but they are still treated as their actual value)
- fixed issue with updating team draft info when picking back to back picks
- added a back color to rows on the player list when viewing "all players" if they've already been drafted
- added an option to "check/uncheck" all teams when selecting user teams
Version 1.1 (11/14/13):
- enabled and updated "About..." box
- added auto draft option
- made it so the last sorted column in the player grid will remain the sorted column when switching positions
- fixed the player list loading then reloading when switching between "ALL", "Drafted" and "Undrafted" views
- added a spot for the "best 5" attributes to be displayed when a player is selected
- added the height, weight, and years pro info to the same location
- fixed the issue of players being signed to zero years in a fantasy draft (all free agents are now signed to a 1 year deal)
- made it so that drafted players will no longer share jersey numbers (the first drafted player gets priority)
Version 1.0 (11/13/13):
- initial release
