SimHoops Pro FAQ
(Last updated Thursday, July 16, 2020)

Q: I have signed more than 24 players for next season. Who can I rescind?
A: The RFA/UFA process can be easier to grasp, if you keep these rules in mind:

Q: This game is hard to play! How can I get better at it?
A: This game is not for those with time issues or no PC access. To be good, you'll likely need to check your team out daily (or at least every other day) and make adjustments as needed. There are a lot of little things that can help you win - defensive matchups, how many minutes to play a player, when to rest a fatigued player, etc. And those are just the coaching options! To be a good GM, you need to be active, make trade offers with other teams, and study the draft pool! For best results, subscribe to the deluxe package, where you get draft newsletters and in-season newsletters that will give you extra information when making GM/Coaching decisions! Also, ask questions on the message board!

Q: Where do the players come from?
A: Some players are people I know. You can also name players if you wish (premium option). The rest (and future draftees) come from SimulatedSports College Basketball Game - All draftees through season 7 come from League 4, while season 8 on will use the new League 15 draft pool.

Q: What game engine do you use?
A: I wrote my own game engine in Visual Basic. It is not perfect but I run statistical reports on it and adjust the game as necessary. I make it a point to make enhancements each season, so now that we're in our sixth season, I feel the engine is pretty solid!

Q: I've trained my team, but none of their attributes changed. Is this normal?
A: It can be. The attributes you see are a category, which is a range of numbers. For example a fair rebounder may have a rating of 44, or 47.99, but he is still considered fair. Young players (under 25) have a better chance of showing quick improvement than older players (and most old players will start to decline in ratings). On average, over a players career you should see their attributes improve 2 or 3 spots (from poor to avg-good, from fair to good-exc, or from avg to exc-allpro)

Q: I had a player go up in only one category, despite being under 25 and playing major minutes.  Can this happen?
A: Yes.  Remember the difference from Avg+ to Good- is still 1 full point in most categories and therefore to expect all attributes (or even half) is generally unlikely.  But if you compare a player from the beginning of a season to the end of a season you should see a difference in a young player who is getting good minutes.

Q: I had a player go up in one category, stay the same in some, and go down in a category.  Can this happen?
A: Yes.  Players do not increase the same amount in every category.  Every category has varied factors.  While players under 27 should NEVER decrease in skill level, players 27+ can and sometimes do (although it is more common for players 31+ to start decreasing in skills).

Q: What enhancements are you planning to make?
A: I will be working on a number of things in the future. The list includes (but is not limited to and these changes are not guaranteed, also there is no guaranteed specific timetable for any of these planned enhancements):

• Insert bench players on blowout (configurable number that says if team is down that many or up that many points to bench the starters)
• Advanced substitution logic-DONE!
• Better foul logic (currently all fouls are shooting fouls)-DONE!
• Defensive options (zone, man to man, defensive matchup (cover his SG with your PG-DONE!)

Q: Why do you ask for people to support your game financially?
A: I enjoyed creating this game very much and look forward to the seasons of fun it can offer! However, I am married with 2 kids and have limited time resources. I don't want to do anything with my time that is non-productive. I am not looking to get rich off this game, but I do need to offset some costs as well as the cost of my own time. Currently the game is fee-based (but low cost, even the deluxe package is around $2.00 per month!) You will receive 100 credits for every dollar paid.

Q: My team is always fatigued. Help!
A: Well, you shouldn't have played them 42 minutes every game! :) Seriously, there are 2 ways to adjust fatigue once your players are fatigued: 1) Bench them so they don't play any minutes (they will gain back 5 fatigue points for every game they are at n/a), or 2) either make them a reserve (but playing) or start them but sub them out at 70 or 80%. This will slowly increase their fatigue. One way to avoid fatigue in the first place (you can't totally avoid it) is to play your starters at 40-50% sub out. Or maybe use some strategy and sub them out more when facing a weaker opponent so they're ready for the big games. There are lots of ways to adjust your lineups, you'll have to play around and see what works best for you. Finally, a star player at fatigue rating 70 is still going to be better than a bench player at 100 in most cases.

Q: I told my player to play 30 minutes, but he still played more (or less) minutes than expected. Why?
A: This could be due to a number of reasons. First, his backup could have gotten injured or in foul trouble. Or the player in question could have gotten injured or in foul trouble. The way you set your lineup could play a role (8 man rotations are the least accurate in determining specific minutes played)

Q: Team XYZ doesn't respond to my trade requests!
A: Here is some basic trade etiquette (both towards the other teams as well as the commish):

1. Respond to all trade requests, even if it is a quick "Not interested" reply.
2. Check the message board for private messages as well as e-mail.
3. Do your homework! Make sure no teams involved will exceed the salary cap with the trade proposal. Also make sure no one will exceed 8 guaranteed contracts on your deal.
4. All teams involved must confirm the trade to the commissioner via the trading module.
5. There is no trading with a computer controlled team.
6. No team in their free trial period can make a trade.

Q: What do we use for playoff tiebreakers?
A: Here are the unofficial tiebreakers (if someone can go back in time and find the old tiebreakers please send them to me):
 
Two team tiebreaker

1. Head to head
2. Division record (if within the division, otherwise ignore)
3. Conference record
4. W-L percentage against playoff teams inside the same conference
5. Scoring margin
6. Virtual Coin-flip

1. Division record (if within the division, otherwise ignore)
2. Conference record
3. Head to head (W-L percentage) across all teams tied
4. W-L percentage against playoff teams inside the same conference
5. Scoring margin
6. Virtual Coin-flip

Q: I don't see my question answered here.
A: Post it to the message board, or send me an e-mail!