Game weather:
This update is all about adding weather as a new gameplay mechanic. Every game played now has a weather forecast going into the game, which is randomly generated and is based on real-world data from where the game is played and what month we're in. For example, Florida will be hot and humid with higher rain chance in August, and Boston in the winter might have some snow. This is a big win for immersion, and I've even added some nice weather effects to really spice it up.
Here we see some heavy rain during our Florida-Miami rivalry game:
And here we see some moderate snowfall in Boston in the winter:
These visual effects can be disabled in the "Game Settings" page in the 'Preferences' section at the bottom of the page, but I think they're quite fun.
Weather effects:
Your player performance will be affected by the weather that the game is played in, across a wide variety of factors. High heat and humidity will make your players tire quicker in the game. High wind will make throwing and kicking more inaccurate. Heavy rain will make the ball more slippery and your players less evasive on the field. Of course, if the game is played in very mild weather with no wind/rain then weather will have no effects on the outcome.
All active weather effects can be viewed in the 'Summary' tab when playing games, outlining exactly how the weather might change your strategy.
Coaches will automatically adjust their playcalling based on the weather; this includes their pass/rush balance and when they decide to kick a FG or punt. In heavy winds, coaches will rarely attempt 50+ yard field goals. In wind & rain, they'll end up running the ball far more often too. Make sure to take your upcoming game's weather forecast when setting your practice focuses and gameplan strategies!
New postseason location options:
Of course, not all games are played outside, particularly when the postseason rolls around. There are now new options to configure whether conference championships, bowl games, and playoff games are played indoors (in a domed stadium) or outdoors. If the game is played indoors, naturally weather will have no effect, and the stadium icon is used instead of the normal cloud conditions.
These new options can also be configured in league universes so that they are preserved when importing. You can read more about how this is done via the "Learn more" button during League Universe Setup when starting a new game.
There are a few other minor improvements and bug fixes included in this update as well. View all the changes below.
New weather features:
- Weather is now randomly generated for every game based on the location and time of year, with logic to have similar weather for games close to each other.
- Weather will affect player performance and coach decision making; for example, heavy rain will make the ball more slippery, make FGs much harder, and coaches will call more running plays.
- Each game has a weather 'forecast' which will determine the actual weather at game-time. You may have a game with 50% rain chance and not know if it rains until you actually start playing.
- Rain and snow effects will be overlayed on the field when playing games, with more effects for heavy rain vs light rain. This can be disabled in the "Game Settings" page.
- Postseason games can now be configured to be played indoors (dome) vs outdoors. This can be done in the 'Change postseason locations' option in "Game Settings" page, and can also be setup in league universes on import.
- Weather impact can be increased or disabled altogether in the "Weather" section of league settings, which can be changed during the 'Advance Year' stage.
Minor improvements:
- Practice no longer consumes stamina, now your starters will play every snap when practicing plays
- Adjust QB stamina thresholds so that they stay in the game longer and aren't unexpectedly subbed out
- Improve UI for stats and rankings when games haven't been played yet
- Can now call timeout in overtime to cancel a playcall
Bug fixes:
- Fix issue where 'Q1 15:00' would be shown even after game is played
- Fix issue where fumble could be recovered on 0 yard line
- Fix issue with certain league universe configurations so that FCS teams are always generated for use
- Coach contract renegotiation will always at least match the existing salary
- Fix revoke offer integrity cost text to be accurate on hard/legend
- Remove ability to click 'Subs' tab when doing a game coin toss
Thanks for playing!
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