We have been working on some game engine upgrades over the past few weeks, and wanted to give you a preview of what's coming at the start of next season. We'd like to thank all of the people who have been making bug reports and suggestions, and in particular, GM-Kainan-Maki, for their help as we tried to improve the engine.
The upcoming version of the game engine includes:
Improved substitutions: Our current AI is unable to find substitions where a player who is already in the game needs to change positions. This is a major limitation for teams that use the same bench player to play multiple positions, and typically results in some starters being unable to substitute out, playing too many minutes, and getting tired. Our new AI allows players to switch positions in order to find the best lineup.
Improved end of game logic: In the previous version, we attempted to have situational lineups at the end of the game (for example, putting three-point shooters into the game when a three-pointer was needed, or removing a poor free throw shooter in a situation where you expect to be fouled), but these lineups would be rarely triggered. We have made these lineups more active for typical end of game situations.
More balanced fast-paced tactics: In the current game engine, playing at a very high pace makes it very unlikely that you will turn the ball over, since turnovers depend upon the number of passes thrown in a halfcourt set. We have adjusted this so that passes are easier to complete in more deliberate offenses, as matches real life. While this will make fast-paced tactics slightly less powerful, we have observed that currently fast-paced tactics are better for nearly every team in BuzzerBeater, while our goal is for fast-paced tactics to be a good choice for some teams but a poor choice for others.
Improved end of game timing: It will take longer for teams to get quick shots off at the end of games when down, and those shots will be less effective, as the current game engine allows for quality shots to be taken at an unrealistic speed.
New foul trouble options: You will now have the option on the tactics page of using the current system in which coaches sit all players in foul trouble and a new option where coaches will consider allowing players to play through foul trouble at times, particularly when they feel that the player is so much better than his backup that it's worth taking the risk of another foul.
Minor bug fixes: We have fixed a number of minor bugs involving lucky fans entering the game.
Our plan for all future game engine changes other than critical bugfixes is that we will first release the changes for scrimmages and then at some point later (usually the start of a season or the all-star break) turn these changes on for all games. The changes listed above will go live for scrimmages starting on Thursday of next week, and we plan to release these changes for all games at the start of Season 7 if no complications arise. This gives you a chance to preview the new changes before your team is forced to adjust to them in competitive games.
Thank you again for helping us to continue improving the game engine, and we look forward to future suggestions. Our next major set of game engine changes will likely be devoted to improving defensive matchups.
Finally, we would like to remind you that our servers are based in the United States and that the BuzzerBeater clocks will be set back one hour on November 2.
Mensen die engels kunnen? :-)