Am I missing it somehow or was the player editor taken out? If so that would really concern me. One because I always like to edit my rosters before starting a season and two because it reminds me of the EA mentality of taking useful features out from one release to the next.

Please someone point out to me that I am simply not seeing it somehow.

Export to csv and edit then import csv.

Export to csv from what program? I don't see any option to do so in the main game or the player generator.

Even if it does work IMO that still sucks - the previous player editor was easy to use.

If you start the editor, export to csv and open in Excel, it is an easy tool.

I have also worked with mountains of data via csv and excel for over 10 years. My background is a network engineer and IT director. I don’t have any issues using the technology.

However if there are 3 or 4 players I like to edit, because I don’t believe in the ratings in the old editor I would choose position, then player then make the simple changes.

Now I need to export (which I still cannot find for some reason) search through the entire data base and make changes in excel. Then re-import. This is the way things were done years ago. This is a huge step backwards in my opinion. Even Madden is easier to change.

Having csv capability is great if someone wants to make mass changes to the database, but for small changes it is no good.

OOTP is the only one that gets this exactly right as far as I am concerned. Allowing players to make changes whenever and wherever is the best move. Why should developers care if I think certain ratings should be different.


Very disappointing.

This is the 1970 player file, converted to FOF2k4 format:

http://hem.fyristorg.com/kristian9/1970mod.csv

Feel free to make your own changes before creating the *.fdt.

44niners,

I don't think it is an issue that Jim cares whether or not you agree with his ratings. In terms of being able to change the ratings at any time has more to do with how the game is designed. Jim has said in the past that the game structure just doesn't lend itself to making those changes within the season.

As far as the player editor goes I think the csv file editing is much more flexible. Even if you only need to edit a player or two you can easily search for that players name to make the changes.

Plus I wouldn't be shocked if someone in the community developed a frontend to make manipulating the csv files easier. (Looking in 3ric's direction ;))

http://hem.fyristorg.com/kristian9/1970mod.csv

Thank you for that it illustrates my point perfectly.

If lets say I want to increase the med pass rating of Johnny Unitas and decrease the short pass rating of Terry Bradshaw.

Old way – open editor, choose file, pos, player, change rating.

New way – export to csv, filter or find the players in question, find Unitas rating in column AA, which I know to be med passes because I found the key and change his rating, then find Bradshaw column Z to change his rating, then save, then re-import. To change two ratings!!!!! In 1995 it is groundbreaking, in 2003 it is antiquated.

God forbid I want to go through the positions (the way I use to) and make sure the ratings are “right” as far as I am concerned (a most obvious example of this, for some reason Jeff Garcia is rated higher on long passes then he is on short passes, which for anyone who has watched more then 2 qtrs of 49er football knows is exactly wrong and backwards)


I have been a huge fan of Jim for years and have bought every game he has ever made, but I have owned FOF 2004 for under an hour and I feel like I have purchased an EA game were features that I used extensively in previous versions have been completely removed.

http://abctechnical.com/edit.bmp

Also – How are you guys exporting????

From the program mentioned – there are 5 buttons on the right that are basically information only buttons and the one working button “generate player file” is the import button.

Obviously there has to be a way, but I can’t find it.

Exporting - my FOF4 draft and player file editor opens a *.faf or *.fdt file in a spreadsheet, from this you can copy everything to an Excel sheet. At least that's how I've been doing it.

3ric: So if I want to go about simming 20 seasons of players to get all real ones out, and then export for use with a fictional league preference initial draft, how do I do this?

How in the world did you guys get the ol 1970 file updated to this format so dam quick?

No matter how ya did it, thx. Ya saved me a bunch of work.

RPI-Fan: When you find out the answer to this:

So if I want to go about simming 20 seasons of players to get all real ones out, and then export for use with a fictional league preference initial draft, how do I do this?


Let me know.

Does the FAF editor support FOF2k4? Everytime I try to open the players.fdt file with it I get the following popup error:

"Run-time error '6':

Overflow"

and then it closes out.

This question has been asked several times, but noone seems to want to answer it.

If one wants to edit an existing player file, where does the csv file to be read into excel come from? Both the stock file and primelord's are FDT types. Is there a way to convert these to csv's using a solecismic product, or is everyone using some sort of third party tool?

To answer both Daimyo and Samdari:
the FAF/FDT editor supports only the FOF4 *.fdt format for the moment. I have to modify it to enable that, and unfortunately I don't know when I can find the time to do this. There's some busy times ahead of me at work.

Samdari:
if/when this update is done, it should be possible to open a FOF2k4 *.fdt file and copy the data to Excel.

RPI-Fan:
theoretically, you could sim 20 seasons in <b>FOF4</b> now, open the fdt file, copy it to Excel, edit it to the <b>FOF2k4</b> format and save it as a *.csv file. I haven't tried it though.

Originally posted by 3ric
Exporting - my FOF4 draft and player file editor opens a *.faf or *.fdt file in a spreadsheet, from this you can copy everything to an Excel sheet. At least that's how I've been doing it.

so now I have to re-load fof4 to get an export of my fof2004 file??? this keeps getting better by the minute.

Originally posted by 3ric
To answer both Daimyo and Samdari:
the FAF/FDT editor supports only the FOF4 *.fdt format for the moment. I have to modify it to enable that, and unfortunately I don't know when I can find the time to do this. There's some busy times ahead of me at work.

Samdari:
if/when this update is done, it should be possible to open a FOF2k4 *.fdt file and copy the data to Excel.

RPI-Fan:
theoretically, you could sim 20 seasons in <b>FOF4</b> now, open the fdt file, copy it to Excel, edit it to the <b>FOF2k4</b> format and save it as a *.csv file. I haven't tried it though.

I have no idea what this means. Please, someone, anyone, answer this question, and only this question:

"Both the stock file and primelord's are FDT types. Is there a way to convert these to csv's using a solecismic product, or is everyone using some sort of third party tool?"

Not yet.

Sigh.

Can someone now answer clearly.

My question asks the answerer to pick from two choices. Neither is yes or no.

Does editing existing player files require:

(a) only solecismic products and a spreadsheet.

OR

(b) solecismic products, a spreadsheet and some third party tool

B - which is why I am so upset.

this is EA stuff, huge step backwards

The answer seems to be neither a nor b as of right now.

What I'd like to do, since there does seem to be interest, is to post a .csv version of the default player file. That way you can easily import that into Excel and make changes.

So, does anyone know how primelord got a .csv of the stock fof2004 player file to edit?

DOLA, of course, Jim's post makes mine a moot (note, not mute) point.

Originally posted by Solecismic
What I'd like to do, since there does seem to be interest, is to post a .csv version of the default player file. That way you can easily import that into Excel and make changes.

Have to do it on your site, since no more attachments here. :( :( :(


{EDIT: And it would also make editing the player file possible for those who don't have FOF4.}

Originally posted by Solecismic
What I'd like to do, since there does seem to be interest, is to post a .csv version of the default player file. That way you can easily import that into Excel and make changes.

Thanks Jim - this is a great step in the right direction - but hopefully one of the creators of the "real NFL" players can do one as well, since that is really the one we care about.

most of all Jim, if there is anyway to bring back the simple eiditor that would be a very good idea.

I agree that we need an easy to use editor to make just some changes, the .csv idea is great to generate complete files or mass editing, but not confortable to just edit some attributes of one player.

44niners, i have asked to primelord for the .csv with real players too at another thread, i'm sure he won't have any problem releasing it.

With this title, I thought the thread would be about Horns.

OK, after reading all this I feel real stupid cuz I still don't have a clue how to do this. How can you take a player file, open it into excel, edit something (like Kevin Johnson now being with Jacksonville) save it, and turn it into a new player file? Am I really this computer illiterate?

OK, after reading all this I feel real stupid cuz I still don't have a clue how to do this. How can you take a player file, open it into excel, edit something (like Kevin Johnson now being with Jacksonville) save it, and turn it into a new player file? Am I really this computer illiterate?

Dont feel stupid. You cant do it because, well, you CANT do it.

I do wish Jim had kept the ol player editor around. Maybe it would be a quick & easy fix for him to pop it into an update for this version, I dont know. It was a nice easy way to make a few changes to a player file.

If youre creating a whole new massive player file, a historical one for instance, like Im working on, then this is an awesome way to go. But for minor editing, this blows.

Hopefully, the little addition I've just made to the support area of solecismic.com will turn around the frowny face.

I think switching to a spreadsheet for the heavy duty player file creation was an important change. But for minor editing, it'll help a lot to have the original .csv file available.

I'm sure someone will turn up with the NFL version soon enough. But I can't help with that myself for obvious reasons.

Completely understood Jim. Thanks for a great game (again!)

thanks Jim.

I am assuming that because of the new file format - there is no simple update to the old player editor that will work.

I'm an engineer not a programmer; so I don't know how hard it would be to simply bring back the old editor for simple changes.

If it is relatively easy I beg you to do so. Again csv is awesome for massive change but is very cumbersome for minor changes.