(S51) Offseason Task

[FootballIsCool]

24. What are your thoughts on the sim engine? What sort of improvements would you make to the sim engine if given the opportunity?

I joined the league just as we switch to the most recent simulation engine, so what we currently have is all that I know. I will say that the change is probably a very good thing. From what I have been informed is that the previous simulation engine was largely figured out and that there were some positions, like offensive line, that were deemed worthless for a player to be occupying that position. But they are now relevant. Since we are a few seasons into the new simulation engine, it has what you would want in a simulation engine. It has a fair bit of randomness that feels like your team is not completely doomed if you are playing against a roster that is "far and away a better TPE". This allows for playoffs and individual games to feel far more meaningful and allows upsets and that is good for entertainment and in return is good for the league. With these positives that does not mean that this simulation engine does not have it's own set of flaws. The one initial issue that I had with the game was the lack of display of post game stats. This has since been remedied with displaying of the box scores. Kudos to the simulation team for adding that bit. Overall from what I have heard the switch was largely a success and an improvement over the old simulation engine. Not sure how I feel about the changes to the removal of individual positional awards. I would absolutely buff fullbacks they seem largely underutilized and as attributes just very bad half backs due to speed being so important in the game. Fullbacks have the potential to be a really cool and unique position.

[290 words]

25. You’re in charge of entertainment for the Ultimus or Ultimini half-time show. What would you do?

The headliner for this half-time show is the former artist formerly known as Prince.

Starting out the entertainment the ghost of Prince’s past, blouse and all will rise through the middle of the stage on a pedestal and will challenge Charlie Murphy, Eddie Murphy and his crew to a basketball game titled “shirts vs blouses”. Prince’s crew will blow out the Murphy boys. Prince will open up with a cover of Queen’s hit song “We will rock you”. Then a smooth transition into Eddie Murphy’s hit song, “Party all the time”. That’ll then transition into Prince’s song “Let’s go Crazy” followed up by “Baby I’m a Star”. Doves will be released and there will be a dancing brigade that will be dropping some sick choreographed moves. As Prince and the Revolution start playing “1999” the pastel colors everywhere really made you feel like you were partying like it was 1999. Followed by the classic "Raspberry Beret". Then all of a sudden it begins to rain right as the lights dim down low and "Purple Rain" is then performed.

[177 words]

28. Imagine your current position was not available to be picked when you created your player. What other position would you have picked, and why? (Written Task)

I would have been a Full back. I would have been like Tampa Bay Legend Mike Alstott, a true threat when running the ball. I would have actually made running the ball as a full back. However I would also have the ability to ground and pound everyone on the field. The main reason I would like to be a fullback is because they are just offensive linemen with hands. They also serve up quite a considerable amount of pancakes to all of the friends on the team. That’s why being a fullback would be amazing. It would also like to see the ball every once in a while with handoffs and would live to show off my celebration dance that I have been planning on showing off. It is called the spruce shake. I will leave that to the imagination of what that is but I will likely get fined for it. Kids will need to avert their eyes from the Television because of it but it will be good for the environment

[174 words]


30. What team do you think has the best branding in the league? Why?

There are a lot of teams in the league that have some really great brandings but I think the team that has the best branding in the league is the Colorado Yeti. I would consider the Yeti to be my favorite branding because of their use of black as a focal point with how colorful this logo is by using the Colorado state flag. Everything is on a red backdrop in front of which is the Colorado flag’s iconic C outlined in royal blue in front of what is assumed to be a yeti but it is actually just a silhouette of what is unknown. In addition to that I think of all of the potential ways you could portray a missing link or yeti going with something unknown and lacking in detail was the right move. This is a team branding that I could see at a professional level and is something that I would happily purchase merchandise for.

[160 words]

[ComebackZak]

10. Through a random lottery drawing, you have been named the league's new commissioner for a day. Congrats! What improvements would you make to the league if you had the power to do whatever you wanted?

Oh boy, commissioner for the day! The first thing i would do is communicate with the commissioners of the Simulation Hockey League and the Pro Baseball Experience and setup a universal bank account with a transfer tax between leagues of 50%. One of the biggest deterrents for sim leagues for users can be earning money and I think as commissioner approving this initiative would help improve recruitment and activity for the International Simulation Football League. So with that initiative it leads into my second one, improving tight ends in the sim that we use. Right now, the league is in a situation where tight end is not in a healthy place despite the league's best efforts. Since so many teams use positions outside of tight end to play tight end, I would immediately ban any position from playing the tight end position unless the player is an actual tight end. We need to allow the position to matter and for it to thrive it needs to become more exclusive and meaningful. I am selfishly doing this because I wanted to make a tight end and found was told it is not worth it since teams don't need an actual tight end playing there which I find to be ridiculous. The third thing I would do to help improve the league, is add two more teams and create divisions. Now, I am not saying this is necessarily a good idea but it would definitely cause chaos and make the playoffs longer and more dramatic as well as make the the regular season even more intense. I think this would make the playoffs overall better with more teams means more chaos and possible upsets plus only three teams making the playoffs right now is unfortunate. These would be the big three changes I would make as commissioner for the day because I feel like the league already operates well and these would be an overall net positive.

Code:

325 words

14. Expansion Expansion Expansion! Tell us why you think the league should expand / not expand or include any ideas (in words) for team branding ideas you have or team locations.

The International Simulation Football League should definitely expand for a couple reasons. The first of which would be expanded playoffs. It has always felt like the ISFL playoffs were too quick and should have more teams involved. Additionally, expansion also means moving to divisions within the two existing conferences and possible realignment to give the league a fresh outlook and who plays who. This could reinforce rivalries and make them more meaningful within divisions. The trickle down effect of this would be the Developmental Simulation Football League would have to contract but allow players to come up sooner and help speed up rebuilds. Now when it comes to branding idea, there is such an untapped market in sim leagues that I want to be addressed with this expansion. The first of which a team in Ohio is a must have. No sim league utilizes this powerful midwest state and it is a true travesty. So the first team will be the Cleveland River Rats. With the history of the Cuyahoga River and the pollution it suffered many years ago having the River Rats is an elite name. The second location is in Pennsylvania. We must bring a team back to Philadelphia!! I think we should straight up bring back the original branding of the Philadelphia Liberty. Some alternative brandings as security nets are: Mexico City Diablos. Bringing the league to Mexico City would be huge for fan interest, especially with a DSFL team not too far away bringing a ISFL team would be absolutely electric and help grow the support in the Americas. Another possible team is the Ireland Football Club. Keep it simple yet effective. Getting a team to Ireland would be absolutely huge for the league and expanding the global reach of the ISFL. Ultimately, I am in favor of expansion and I think any of these teams would be awesome locations and brandings to make the league reach more people. There are so many places you can come up with to expand and I think having at least one team internationally and one team in midwest United States would be amazing.

Code:

354 words

[bachirafan]

https://wiki.sim-football.com/view/Meguru_Bachira

Task 0: Update player's wiki page. I added detail about Bachira's first two seasons in the league, as well as added achievements to the corresponding section for Pro Bowl selections, DSFL North championships and a Ultimini championship.

[Muddym13]

17. Wiki Update

366 Words + Updated stats for Season 50 (https://wiki.sim-football.com/view/Rex_Havoc#Season_50)

15.  If you could create a team using any active players in the league, what would that team look like? Would you build a group of all-stars to contend in the next Ultimus, or a team full of jokesters for the fun of it? Describe the roster and why you chose the players you did. (Written or Graphic Task)

For my ideal ISFL team, I’d aim for a strong, balanced roster packed with talent and versatility, with a focus on both performance and chemistry. This squad would be designed to dominate and contend in the Ultimus while also ensuring we have a few personalities to keep the locker room lively. More specifically, I am going to put my money where my mouth is and choose to go with my team of the year that I picked. I will explain why for each position.

Offense:

QB: Lenard McRobinson (Honolulu Hahalua) – With McRobinson’s dual-threat ability (26 passing TDs, 12 rushing TDs), he’s the perfect choice to lead our offense, capable of making plays through the air and on the ground. Think Lamar Jackson but better.

RBs: Kit Fisto (San Jose Sabercats) and Reginald Hammerfall (New York Silverbacks) – A powerhouse combo, with Fisto offering breakaway speed and Hammerfall adding reliability and versatility in both rushing and receiving. They will be my Gibbs/Montgomery backfield of the ISFL.

WRs: Keanu Callhoun (Cape Town Crash), Benji Aguilera (Arizona Outlaws), Seer Ial (Austin Copperheads) – These receivers combine speed, precision, and consistency, with Callhoun as the go-to deep threat with Aguilera and Ial for consistent gains. The new greatest show on turf.

TE: Bob Kronkowski (Yellowknife Wraiths) – With 661 yards, Kronkowski is our red-zone specialist, a key element for tough short-yardage situations.

Defense:

DL: Doctor Who (New Orleans Secondline) and Carter Goad (Baltimore Hawks) – These two will wreak havoc (haha get it? cause it my player's name...okay anyways) on offensive lines, with Doctor Who’s 15 sacks and Goad’s 12, ensuring relentless pressure on opposing QBs. Those poor, poor linemen.

LBs: Crazy Tomato (New York Silverbacks), Crasher Wake (Austin Copperheads), Thomas Sutha (Arizona Outlaws) – This linebacker unit brings aggression, with each player contributing high tackle counts, sacks, and forced fumbles. Gimme three Luke Kuechly's and that's this linebacker core.

DBs: Blacksmith Andre (San Jose Sabercats) and Roquefort Cotswold (Honolulu Hahalua) – With Andre’s 6 interceptions and Cotswold’s 7, our secondary will shut down top receivers and create turnovers. No fly zone will be in full affect.

Special Teams:

K: Wing Wang (New York Silverbacks) – Wang’s consistency (85% FG) and impressive 65-yard range make him the best choice to lock down the kicking game. Justin Tucker who??

Code:

385 Words

[IR15H0000000000]

Tier 1 - Item 0: https://wiki.sim-football.com/view/Brick_Wall#Season_51

Added S50 stats and a 450 word summary of season 50

[Tmoney6996]

Task #1: Wiki Update - 10 TPE 

https://wiki.sim-football.com/view/Thoma...#Season_50

-~468 words on S50
-Updated Receiving and Return statistics tables

[JJ5]

2. 
The S47 draft class will always hold a special place in my heart. That was one of the most fun times I've had in the league, writing mocks and interviewing GMs and placing it all together. Really really fun and I don't think I can ever replicate that again. I had mocked myself at 12 to go to the Baltimore Hawks. I ended up going 7th to the then Chicago Butchers, now Osaka Kaiju. I think we have to look at the biggest bust of the draft, Walter Yensid. Yensid was seen as a consensus 1OA and I thought Berlin did a great job picking up the guy at 3OA. A huge steal, right? He was MDM, active, funny, laid-back, and a pleasure to be around. Roque was toxic. HON had 1OA and 2OA and everyone knew they were grabbing Brad Woof. They also needed a CB and everyone, including myself, mocked Walter Yensid there. Icebear's genius and prophetic vision allowed him to see the future and see that Walter was going to go MIA and disappear from the league. Walter never even crossed the 400 TPE threshold. Nobody could have seen this coming unfortunately, so we will not blame Gadget and Dewalt for this. Tough for Berlin, as it set their rebuild back several seasons. HON nailed that 1OA and 2OA pick. Roquefort, at 2OA, just won DPOY in his 4th season. The sky is the limit for the young CB He also leads the class in TPE as I'm writing this with 1100 TPE. Tremendous player. 4OA was Tim Riggins, a WR from KCC who transitioned from TE and had the chart consume. He has been solid, max earning. 5OA, daniel, was an HO intern and also has been max earning. He swapped to RB and has been fantastic for the Silverbacks, leading them to an ultimus berth. 6OA was dunkler, who has crossed 1000 TPE. He was a slam dunk pick and has lived up to the expectations. 7OA is more interesting, as the player picked there, JJ What (me), has been max earning (apart from a few predictions and the first rounders task which I'm really salty about since I got it in like 2 minutes late), but the pick would grade out poorly as JJ is no longer playing for the Chicago Butchers. The Butchers traded JJ not even a few days after the draft to the Honolulu Hahalua for a S48 2nd round pick. Absolutely terrible! They just basically moved down a couple spots and a year for free. IT happened because JJ was looking for an expedited role to WR1, and Chicago didn't have that available. The team didn't properly scout Chicago, and JJ didn't feel like they were even interested in him. Neither GM reached out, which seems odd. Very odd for your first round draft choice, especially 7OA in a stacked class. JJ has been a great player, but unfortunately the pick was not good. Shoutout to Honolulu for being fast and picking up JJ and making him into a team-first LB. Icebear managed to calm him down and turn him from a Diva WR to a stud at OLB. 8 and 9OA were predictable picks for SJS, picking up 2 veteran recreates. Both have max earned. 10OA was fangorn, but he was traded from OCO to NYS for peanuts. He's max earning now, and NYS' backfield consists of 2 S47 max earners. 11OA is Soul King Brook, who was a recreate, but has only hit 700 TPE. He's not max earning, but he's still active. 12OA was Baron, who won a ring this past year and has been a great WR1 for Baltimore. Solid pick. 13OA was Lane Wilson, another max earning recreate for the YKW. 14OA was the same, another max earning recreate for AZ. 12/14 picks are still max earning. 13/14 are over 700 TPE. Only one went IA, which is 3OA, Walter Yensid, the projected 1OA. Unlucky.

[dannuic]

Tier 1:

7. Write 600 words or more on something about anything in the league that interests you. It could be related to statistics, a league issue that you take seriously, or a niche part of history that doesn’t fit neatly into either of the above categories. This must be directly related to the league, so don’t wax 600 words about your team’s participation on a Werewolf server or something.

As someone with a background in physics, I find myself particularly fascinated by systems that exhibit complexity, and that’s one of the reasons why I am deeply interested in understanding the simulation engine of this game. Simulations, by their very nature, attempt to capture and model real-world behaviors and processes through mathematical and computational techniques. In this case, we’re talking about simulating the dynamics of a sports league, with all the unpredictable variables of player performance, strategies, and countless other factors that affect outcomes. Understanding how these simulations work at a fundamental level, how they make decisions and calculate probabilities, is incredibly appealing to someone with a physics mindset.

In physics, we often use simulations to study systems that are too complex to solve analytically, such as fluid dynamics, quantum mechanics, or astrophysical phenomena. These simulations use a combination of equations and random variables to model real-world outcomes, much like a Monte Carlo simulation. The Monte Carlo method, for instance, is a computational technique that relies on random sampling to estimate numerical results. It’s particularly powerful in systems with a lot of inherent randomness or when multiple variables are at play. Sports leagues, both in real life and in video games, seem like perfect candidates for this type of approach, given the unpredictability of outcomes and the multitude of factors influencing each game.

That’s why I’ve seriously considered purchasing the game and setting up a Monte Carlo-style simulation of my own to better understand how in-game stats affect performance. The idea would be to use random sampling techniques to simulate thousands of potential outcomes based on player stats, team dynamics, and other variables. This would allow me to infer how different stats impact a player's or a team’s performance over time. For example, if a quarterback's accuracy ability is rated highly, how often does that translate into a win in various simulated games? What role do other stats like endurance or intelligence play when factored into these outcomes? By simulating hundreds or thousands of games with slightly varying conditions, I could begin to piece together a clearer picture of how each element contributes to the final result.

A Monte Carlo simulation would essentially involve running the game’s simulation engine repeatedly while tweaking various parameters. In the case of this game, I imagine the stats of players—such as speed, strength, accuracy, and intelligence—are key inputs. By setting up a large number of simulated games, where each stat is randomly varied within a reasonable range, I could gather data on how each factor contributes to winning games, individual player performance, and other outcomes. The randomness in a Monte Carlo simulation mirrors the inherent randomness in sports, where even the best teams occasionally lose, and underdogs sometimes pull off upsets.

However, setting up something like this is no small task. It would require a deep understanding of the game’s mechanics, and that’s where the real challenge lies. I would need to thoroughly dissect how the game’s engine works, possibly even reverse-engineering some of its processes based on observed results. This is no small feat, as simulation engines in video games are often complex, balancing dozens—if not hundreds—of variables to produce results that feel natural and realistic. My background in physics helps in this regard, as I’m used to working with complicated models and simulations, but video game simulations can have layers of abstraction and subjective design choices that might not be immediately apparent.

In a physics-based simulation, we deal with concrete variables and equations grounded in reality. In a sports game simulation, however, the developers have the freedom to tweak those equations to fit their vision of what a realistic sports league should look like. They may introduce their own biases or simplifications into the model, which could make it harder to infer the true impact of certain stats. This is part of the challenge—and part of the fun—of trying to reverse-engineer a simulation engine: you never quite know what assumptions or shortcuts the developers have baked into the system.

Another aspect that intrigues me is the possibility of discovering emergent behavior within the simulation. In physics, emergent behavior refers to complex patterns or behaviors that arise from simple rules. For example, the flocking of birds can be modeled with just a few simple rules, but when you simulate a large number of birds, complex group dynamics emerge that weren’t explicitly programmed into the system. I wonder if similar emergent behaviors exist within the game’s simulation engine. Do certain team combinations or player archetypes consistently lead to unexpected outcomes? Are there hidden synergies between certain stats that produce results far greater than the sum of their parts? These are the kinds of questions that a Monte Carlo simulation could help answer by allowing me to explore the game’s mechanics at a deep level.

Of course, whether or not I actually have the patience to carry out something like this remains to be seen. Setting up and running thousands of simulations, analyzing the data, and making sense of the results would be a time-consuming process. As much as I enjoy working with complex systems and data, I’m still relatively new to this particular game and its league. There’s a learning curve involved, both in terms of mastering the game itself and in figuring out how its simulation engine operates. It’s possible that I’ll dive into this project, only to realize that the time and effort required is more than I’m willing to commit. Or, I might find that the game’s engine is too opaque or simplified to yield the kind of detailed insights I’m looking for.

On the other hand, there’s something deeply satisfying about the idea of peeling back the layers of a complex system and seeing how all the pieces fit together. Even if I don’t end up running a full Monte Carlo simulation, the process of exploring the game’s mechanics and understanding how stats influence outcomes would still be rewarding in its own right. Whether it’s through playing the game, analyzing its results, or setting up more formal simulations, I’m excited to dig deeper into the simulation engine and see what I can learn from it. In the end, it’s the pursuit of knowledge—of understanding how things work at a fundamental level—that drives me, whether I’m studying the laws of physics or the mechanics of a sports simulation game.