FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How do I get started?

It is relatively easy: (1) Sign-up for a SimulatedSports ID (user name) and password. If you already have one from any other game, then that ID is valid for this game as well. (2) After receiving your ID & password, you must activate your account by following the "request team" link and then "....activate account." (3) This "activation" requires you to choose a team name. Usually within 24 hours, you will be placed into a league and will then be able to log-in using the "validated player log-in" utility on the home page. There is no notice once your team is assigned. You will need to attempt a login to find out if you are active. (4) Once signed in, more coaching options will be obvious through the links provided at that time.

Is there a cost to play?

No. This game is entirely free.

I've lost my Password. What do I do?

Click here.

How can the game be free? How long will that last?

This game is expected to be free for its entire lifetime. We attempt to cover our expenses through the banner advertising you see on the site, as well as through a couple of other methods. For more information on advertising and/or sponsorship, please refer to our "Advertising" link, available on the Main page or on the "More Options" page if sign-in.

Can you give an overview of who's who?

Here's the cast for the Basketball game:

pick6king / Jeremy Vessels - created the game and runs it. Plays as "pick6king", and communicates as such on the Message Board.
billgulch / Mike Wallace - created the Horseracing game. Plays BB as "testcase". He is not generally involved with the daily operations of the BB game.
SmartAcre, LLC - the business entity that owns all rights to the game.
SimulatedSports.com - our most commonly referenced "brand name" and URL.
SimulatedSports.net - an additional URL for the site.
hoops.cc - an additional URL for the site.

What are the weekly deadlines?

You can view the weekly deadlines here

When I signed up, I made a mistake on my team nickname. Can I fix it?

You may make corrections prior to the deadline for team instructions for the first game. To do so, simply go through the same team request process and make the request with the corrected team name. You will keep the same team but the new name will take precedence. Nothing else, including any previous lineup changes or recruiting efforts, will be affected.

Can I change my team nickname at the end of a season?

Yes, but we recommend against doing so, since your team develops an identity as you go through each season. The option, however, is yours. Follow the same procedure as if you were correcting the name during the first week (separate FAQ).

Can I change my user ID or Password?

No. Both changes are too much manual work to be feasible. Please do not share your Password with anyone, and you should not find yourself needing to change it.

How often does my team "Practice"? How much does "Practicing" improve a player's abilities? Do the visible attributes change when my player improves through practicing?

Your selection for the "Practice" feature is registered weekly (Friday deadline). Any improvement from that week's practicing is registered after Friday's game. Improvement is intentionally subtle. However, your players will improve with practice, and over a player's career you may see the improvement. Whether or not the attribute shown on the "coach" page changes is dependent upon how much a player improves and how close he was to moving up to the next rating. Lack of visible change on the attributes does not indicate a lack of improvement.

Can I have more than 1 team?

You may sign-up for 1 team per valid e-mail address. If you choose to have multiple teams, you may want to at least play a couple of weeks with just one team to get the hang of it.

Why don't my lineup changes show up?

Currently, lineup changes will only be reflected following a stats file upload (usually nightly). Due to this, please check your lineup carefully before submitting. There is a lineup verifier that should catch any invalid lienups, but that doesn't mean you can't submit one that is valid but still different than what you intended. Your submissions, until processed, should appear under the "unprocessed coaching instructions" link. However, please note that there is one exception to this...there is a lag between the time that I pull the instructions in and get the updates uploaded where the actions are gone from the "unprocessed" list but still not reflected on the "coach" page.

I think the boxscore is wrong. I think 3-pointers are only being counted as 1 point. What gives?

Please note that 3-point field goal attempts also count as "regular" field goal attempts. Hence, they are included in both the FGA and FG3A counts (and likewise the FGM and FG3M made, if applicable). If you multiply FGs by 2 when computing your score, you are already counting each 3-pointer as 2 points. You then need to add only 1 more point for each 3-pointer. Thus, score = 2*FGM + FTM + FG3M. This is standard statistical procedure.

I can now log-in, and my team name and User ID look correct on the "coach" and "stats" pages, but the standings, schedules, and leaders all show a different team name and coach's names. What's going on?

Usually, when uploading new players, I do not necessarily re-run the standings, schedules, etc., since these always get updated each game night anyway. In this case, the team is totally yours, and the old team info will be fully eliminated following the next full set of uploads.

Can you please explain the Power Rankings? Another team has the same record as mine, and I beat them head-to-head. How can they be ranked ahead of me? I won last game, but fell 2 spots in the rankings. How can that be?

Most importantly, you should realize that there is no true definition of "right" or "wrong" with rankings, whether in this game or in real-life (although the concept of "good" rankings does exist). Note the following about the rankings:

The rankings are based primarily on record and strength of opposition. There is also small consideration given to margin of victory/loss, and a slight weighting of more recent games over earlier ones. The margin adjustment doesn't give much credit for winning by large amounts. Rather, it is more intended to assign credit for narrow losses to good teams, and also penalize for narrow wins over bad teams. The Strength of opposition is necessarily measured by the opponents' record and strength of opposition, etc.
Unlike "polls", the computer rankings lack a memory. One week's rankings depend purely upon on-court results, not the previous day's ranking. It is my personal belief that that's how any rankings (including polls) should be. This is the reason that a team can win and fall in the rankings. Perhaps the win was against weak competition while the team moving up defeated a stronger opponent. Or, perhaps the falling team's previous opponents had a bad week, dropping their rankings, and diminishing the strength of schedule.
There is no artificial comparison to account for head-to-head results. Consider 2 conference teams (same diviison and hence same conference schedule) that are both 10-5 overall and 8-2 in the conference. Assume Team A beat Team B twice in their matchups. Which is the better team? The answer is: "not enough information given". Many people might select teams A based on head-to-head play. However, consider the other conference games, played against the same exact opponents. Team A was 6-2, while Team B was 8-0. If Team A is clearly better than Team B, why did they have a poorer record against common opponents? The fact is that this situation may result in either team being ranked ahead of the other, and that makes complete sense. In fact, if we would expect the rankings to predict tournament success, then the rankings should probably favor Team B. While it may be true that Team B has maybe shown that they have a matchup problem with Team A, they have also shown that they have a better ability to win against other opponents than does Team A. Of course, more information (including the nonconference games) would be taken into consideration, but this example is intended to show that what seems illogical at first glance isn't really illogical at all.
The early-season rankings will be less meaningful and more subject to variance than the late-season rankings. As more results are tabulated, it becomes clearer how good teams really are.

The viewer gives me an error message that I am missing the file: msvbvm60.dll or oleaut32.dll. What can I do?

You can download msvbvm60.dll from HERE. Also, this other site has several dlls including oleaut32.dll. NOTE: Please read any user agreement or warnings these sites may have. We do not take any responsibility for the contents of these sites. These are simply sites that we found by searching the net for specific dlls.

How do I determine a player's best position?

A player's best position is determined by answering 2 questions: (1) Which position do the player's attributes (including height) suit him for?, and (2)What are my team's needs? Thus, a player can play any position for which they are well-suited. Wonder if your talented 6-8 man can play center better than your untalented 7-footer? Try it out. Some will be athletic/smart/gifted enough to play undersized, while others can't. There is no magical formula, just as there isn't in real-life. Generally speaking, try to put height, rebounding, and defense in the post positions, and try to put shooting and handling skills at the guard positions. On occasion, you may need to consider your opponent when making out a lineup. If there is a superstar on the other team, you may need to concentrate some extra defensive ability on him. Certainly, it is expected that it will take some time to learn your team. Fortunately, you will have a full 4 game-years to get acquainted with all incoming Freshmen.

It is stated that playing time affects a player's development. Does this "change" the attributes?

Playing time, as in real-life, can affect both long term (career) development, as well as in-season development. However, the attributes will not actually change. Rather, a player will more quickly/slowly reach full potential (or possibly fall short of full potential) depending on his development.

When originally assigned, all players have default positions before I make out my own lineup. What should I read into those position choices?

Not much. In case the team is never assigned to a real person, the computer takes the liberty of making a default lineup. That DOES NOT mean that the computer's choices of positions are the best ones. Sometimes the computer is not as "smart" as the rest of us, so just coach your team as you see fit.

Will a player play only the position I assign to them?

Your lineup reflects your preferred position for everyone. However, any player may (theoretically) come in to play any position, especially when dictated by foul trouble or extreme fatigue. Nonetheless, you will usually see your players sub for their assigned position.

Will a player improve over time?

All players mature over time (but don't grow). However, the "maturation" is just the realization of their inherent abilities. Thus, an "exc"-shooting Freshman is probably not as good a shooter as an "Exc"-shooting Senior.

What exactly do a player's attributes represent? Are there more unlisted attributes?

Remember that the attributes provide you a quick summary of your team's skills. Experience with your team is still necessary to fully understand your team's strengths and weaknesses. There are many facets of your team that are intended to be "felt out" over time. With that in mind, here is a run-down of the attributes appearing on the "Coach My Team" page:

SHT (Shooting) - is an aggregate rating of the player's shooting ability. Free-throw, 3-point, and 2-point shooting are all taken into consideration.
DEF (Defense) - measures the player's defensive ability, including blocking skills. Remember that other factors affect overall defensive ability (height, quickness, intelligence, opponent match-up...).
HANDS (Ball Handling) - measures the player's ability to take care of and distribute the ball.
REB (Rebounding) - measures a player's pure rebounding desire/ability. Rebounding is still subject to other factors (height, positioning...).
INT (Intelligence) - measures a player's Intelligence.
ATHL (Athleticism) - is an aggregate rating of the player's quickness, speed, jumping ability, and strength.

There are certainly other attributes of your players. These fall into the category of things intended to be "felt out". This is largely a concession to reality, where there is no magical formula or rating to summarize a player's game.

What are "Activity Points"?

Please refer to the "Activity Points" link on your "coach" page.

How could college-level players have "None" or "Poor" skills in key areas?

Think of all the ratings as relative to other college players. Thus, "None" for a certain skill simply means the lowest rating plausible for a college player, not necessarily absolutely no skill whatsoever (for example that of a nonplayer). Also, the ratings could just as easily be indicated with 1/2/3/4/5 rather than the descriptive scale used. The important fact is that there is a 5-tiered scale, not the names used for each tier. (Of course the actual ability scale is continuous, it's just the representation of the scale that is 5-tiered).

Can I elect to play in the same league/conference as another person?

You can specify a league preference, although there can be no guarantees due to limited availability. You cannot, however, choose your conference placement.

My team doesn't look very good on paper. How can I win with these guys?

Remember, there are very few superstars in college. You may be surprised what a little bit of good coaching can do for a bunch of "fair" players. And, not everything about a player is measurable. Let them show you what they can do on the court before you condemn them too much. Also, remember that the season only lasts 8 real-time weeks, which gives you a very short turnaround time to bring in some new talent and change the look of your team.

There are alot of abbreviations used. What do they mean?

The following abbreviations are used for the 5 standard positions: "PG" for Point Guard, "SG" for Shooting Guard, "SF" for Small Forward, "PF" for Power Forward, and "C" for Center. For backups, the position is preceded with a "b." The "N/A" designation is for the 2 inactive players. For player attributes, the following are used: "sht" for Shooting Ability, "def" for Defensive Ability, "hands" for Ball Handling/Passing Ability, "reb" for Rebouding Ability, "int" for Intelligence, and "cond" for Physical Condition. The following are used to abbreviate statistical categories: "mins" for minutes played or "mpg" for mins/game, "pts" for Points or "ppg" for points/game, "reb" for rebounds or "rpg" for rebounds/game, "ast" for assists or "apg" for assists/game, "fgm" for a field goal made, "fga" for a field goal attempted, "ftm" for a free-throw made, "fta" for a free-throw attempted, "3pm" or "fg3m" for a 3-point field goal made, "3pa" or "fg3a" for a 3-point field goal attempted, "blk" for blocks, "stl" for steals, "to" for turnovers, and "pf" for personal fouls. In the recruiting world, "RPE" stands for Recruiting Points Earned.

In the viewer, what does a name in () mean after a player scores?

If an assist is credited on a field goal, the player receiving the assist is listed in ().

In the viewer, how should I interpret the time markers?

The viewer obviously can't illustrate every head fake, every bounce, or every fake pass. It doesn't account for every single second of the game. What it does is give an account of the major action of the game. For example, if the viewer says (Joe passes to Bob at 13:30, Bob dribbles at 13:26, Bob misses a shot at 13:22), then you might interpret that thusly: Bob recieved a pass with approximately 13:30 left on the clock. At 13:26, he was dribbling the ball. He started dribbling at sometime between 13:30 and 13:26, and may have thrown in some fake passes or other moves before starting his dribble. With approximately 13:22 left on the clock, he missed a shot. Between 13:26 and 13:22, he had to stop dribbling, take a shot and then have the ball not go in.

The NTT Championship results go up late Friday night, with the winner getting to name 3 recruits, but the deadline for name submission is noon on Saturday. How is this best handled?

Once you make the NTT Final Four, you should probably go ahead and submit your contingent recruit name requests. If you do not go on to win, your request will simply be ignored.

What is the "Credits" entry on the "coach" page?

The "credits" entry on the "coach" page will indicate any "unspent" payments that we have received from you. You may buy 1 credit for $0.01. For example, if you wanted to send a single $20 payment and name 5 recruits per season for 4 seasons, we would use "credits" to track your balance. Please note that anything sent to us as a prepayment will be considered a nonrefundable contribution to our site. Your balance will be available for "spending" via "credits" awarded to you, but there cannot be any cash refund. Credits will expire upon the deactivation of your account. Please note the following example of how the "credits" entry works. If you send in $20 to name 5 recruits per season for 4 seasons, and you go ahead and select the names for the first batch, to be implemented at the next rollover, you will receive 1500 credits. Although it may be several weeks before the new recruits are posted with the first set of names, the first $5 is considered "spent" at the time the naming instructions are received.

Can you give an HTML Tutorial?

You can view an in-house tutorial here

Is there anything I can do to help support this site?

Certainly. The following list outlines some ways you can support the site:

Support our advertisers. If you see an interesting banner, please take a moment to check it out.
Spread the word. We are always looking to add as many new players as possible.
If you have a site or product to promote, you can purchase advertising space for yourself (see "Advertising" link on "More Options" page).
You can use the "Name a Recruit" option to name High School players for $1 each (see link on "More Options" page).
Be active and make suggestions. We would love to hear from you and incorporate some of your ideas into the game.

What if I need help?

Feel free to post questions on the message board. More experienced players may be able to answer your questions. You can also e-mail me at pick6king@simulatedsports.com.

What if I have a suggestion or comment?

Please e-mail them to me at pick6king@simulatedsports.com. We want this site and game to be the best they can be, so all constructive input is welcomed.

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