Game Day Tips
INSTRUCTIONS
I. INTRODUCTION
Many of you have played Action! PC Football for a long time so much
of this will be old hat to you but please read these instructions
completely anyways. It might be best to print a copy of this out for reference
sake for those of you new to the game or new to participating in an the
league.
II. CREATING, EXPORTING, AND EMAILING A
COACH FILE
The first thing that I will need all of you to do before we start the
season is for you to send me out your "coaches" file. You will need to
go to your roster and fill in all the platoons. Make sure that your offensive
(Basic1, Basic 2, Basic 3, Pass 1, Pass 2, Run 1, Run 2),defensive (Basic 1,
Basic 2, Nickel, Dime, Quarter,
Run 1, Run2) & special teams platoons are set to the way that you want
them. For example, make sure that your kicker is set to be the one kicking field
goals and not some
offensive lineman etc.
Next, you will export your "coaches" file. To do this you start at
the APCFB main screen, at the top it will say "Utilities". Click on
Utilities and scroll down to "Export Coaches" and click on it. First
highlight & double click on the team's coaches file (presumably yours)
that you want to export (a * will appear next to that team) and
then choose the location that you want to export the "coaches" file to on
your hard drive. It doesn't really matter as long as you can find it
later to send. Next click on Begin Export near the bottom of the
screen. If done correctly, a box will pop up saying "Finished Exporting
Coaches!" Next find the coaches file that you exported. The file will
have a COA extension. (Example Dallas.COA, Minnesota.COA) Zip it up
using Winzip and email it to me.
III. DOWNLOADING LEAGUE FILES
Each week during the season, I will be sending out a new updated
set
of league files. ONLY use the correct set of files for the corresponding week's
games. Do not use Week #2's files to play a Week #3 game etc. That will
totally screw things up, so please make sure and use the correct set of files
for each game.
Hopefully, everyone understands how to download a set of new files
and make them active at this point but if not.First, download the files to your
hard drive (make sure you download them so that you can find them later). They
will be zipped up using winzip. Find the zipped files and extract them using
winzip.The files will be inside a folder entitled League File or whatever week
we are currently playing. Copy the folder and paste in your Action PC game
directory (should be Action2003. Next, make the folder active by going to
"Setup" from the games main menu and double clicking on
the new folder.
IV. SCHEDULING A GAME
Once the new files are sent out, it is up to you to schedule
a time with your opponent to play the game. When I send out the
files, I will give a date by which all the games are due. Try not to wait until
the last minute to
play your game. Email your opponent as soon as possible after the new files are
sent out and schedule the game for as early as possible in case problems should
arise.
Remember, we all don't live in the same time zone, so be specific in your emails
about what
time(s) you are available to play.
V. HOW TO PLAY A LEAGUE GAME
First of all, determine who will host the game (I will call the non
hosting team the "guest").
The Home team will host unless both teams agree otherwise. The
first thing that the host team must do is find their IP Address. You can do that
by clicking on your "Start" button and clicking on "Run". Next type in winipcfg
and hit ok. This will give you your current IP Address. It will be a group of
numbers separated by periods. (Example 63.193.188.29) Please DO NOT use the game
(APCFB) to find your IP Address. It is almost always incorrect and without the
correct IP Address the two computers will never be ableto connect. Some
computers with cable & DSL keep the same IP Address
but most internet connections will have a different IP Address each time they
connect. After the host finds their IP Address the need to send it to the
guest team. This can best be done using
AIM or ICQ but for some it will have to be sent using email. After the host has
sent their
IP Address to the guest, they click on Play (top left hand corner) from
the games main
menu. Then scroll down to Scheduled League Game(s) and click. Next scroll to the
Week # of
the game that you are playing and then double click on the game that you are
going to be
playing. If done correctly a * will appear next to the game. Next
click on Play
from that screen. After that the game screen will pop up with one of the teams
set to
kickoff. It's at this point that you let the guest team that it is ok for them
to connect into
the game. The guest team can connect with just a few easy steps. First,
from the game's
(APCFB) main menu click on Play (top left hand corner) from there, scroll down
and click on
Internet-Join Game. You will then type in the host's IP Address and click on
connect. After
a short wait, a screen will/should pop up on the host's computer and they will
need
to click on the appropriate choice. It will take a few seconds for everything to
load before you are
ready to play the game.
VI. WHAT TO DO AFTER FINISHING YOUR LEAGUE GAME
After completing the game the host team will need to export the game file
and email it to me. First click on Utilities from APCFB's main screen. Next,
scroll down and click on Export Games. Choose an "Export Folder" (this is where
you will find the file once
it has been exported). Next, scroll down to the game that you need to
export and double click on it. A * should appear next to the game. Click
on Begin Export.
If done correctly, a box will pop up saying "Export Complete" Next, email me the
file.
The file will have an XBX extension (example: BUF 7 MIA 14.XBX) and you will
find it where you directed the game to export it to earlier in the process. It
is very important
that you email me this file at the completion of the game. Without this file the
game and all
the statistics cannot be recorded.
VII.
TROUBLE SHOOTING
Several problems can
arise during the process of playing a game. The biggest problem is the game
disconnecting during game play. It is not unusual to get an error message during
a game nd to lose connection with your opponent. If this happens do not start
the game over from the beginning. It is very important that you understand
this. I repeat, do NOT start the game over again from the beginning. APCFB
automatically saves the game after each play. If the game crashes, both teams
should go completely out of the game before trying to reconnect. The host
can resume the game by
clicking on Play (top left hand corner), clicking on Resume Game, finding
the game
and double clicking on it. That will start the game back up from where it
disconnected. The guest will use the same procedure as before to reconnect.
How do I create Files?
Game Coach File (to export):
To create a Game Coach File, simply go to the Action PC Main Menu and put your mouse pointer over "Organize." Then move the pointer down to "Team." Once the teams pop up, select your team. This will load a new window with a new set of folders. The window should default to show your offensive Skill players (RB, WR, TE) and in the basic 1 setting. You have 3 basic settings, two pass settings and two run settings.
These are simply a way to platoon your players in different packages if you so chose. For instance, say you want to run 3-4 WR, you can go to one of your Pass settings to do this. Want to run 2 TE and 3 RB in short yardage, use one of your two run settings. Same holds on defense.
A simple way to do this is to move your mouse pointer over "Lineups" and select "Autofill." Since the computer will sometimes make a mistake, go through each platoon and double check. This is especially true for you special teams players. MAKE SURE TO CHECK this prior to a game. The time to find out your safety is your kicker isn't when you line up and he misses a chip shot!
Once all of your platoons are set, exit out of this sub directory and go back to the Action PC Main Menu. Put your mouse pointer over "Utilities" then move down to export coach. A Box will appear which will show all the teams to the left "Coaches to Export" and a box to the right "Export Location" which dictates where the file will be created and sent to by the computer.
If you know how to create paths and are comfortable with computers, do what I do which is create a file in your IFL directory called "coach file." You are not comfortable, try this:
First create a new directory on your C drive. Start by double clicking "My Computer" once this opens up, you will see a listing of all your computer's drives. Put your mouse pointer over the C drive and double click opening up your C drive directory. Once this is opened up, look for the menu bar and put your mouse pointer over "File" this will open another menu and you will need to select "New" and then select "Folder."
A new folder will appear in your C drive which is highlighted in blue awaiting you to name it. Name this whatever you want as long as you can remember--that's why I call my Coach File! Now go back to the point of having a box with all the teams to the left and under "Coaches to Export" put your pointer over your team name and double click. A star will appear to the left of the team name letting you know its ready to be exported. Now under "Export Location" select the C drive then scroll down until you find the folder you created and named and double click it. Now all files you export will go to this location.
Game Coach File (to import):
From the Action PC Main Menu, put your mouse pointer over "Utilities" and once this opens up move the pointer down to "Import Coach." A double box will appear Which defaults to your C drive called "Chose Import Source Directory" on the left and "Coaches Available" on the right. If you are comfortable with computers, simply create a box in your IFL subdirectory and import it there. If not, follow the directions mentioned above on how to create a new directory in the C drive and name it something you can remember or use the directory used for exporting coaches.
From here, as mentioned above, place your mouse pointer over coaches shown in the box called "Coaches Available" and then press the "Begin Import" button in the bottom right corner of the box. This will automatically update your opponent's platoons for him so he doesn't have to do it prior to the start of the game. It also import on how to do this since the game will hang up and this process will have to be repeated.
Game File Export:
This is very important since all the statistics, injuries, player usage which will affect fatigue later in the season cannot be done without the game file. The hosting team needs to accomplish this at the end of the game and send it to: [email protected]
so I can compile each game prior to making a new game file for the following week. Use the directions above on how to create a directory in your C drive then following this to export it:
From the Action PC Main Menu, move your mouse pointer over "Utilities" and select "Export Games." A double box will appear with "Mark Games for Export" on the left and "Export Folder" on the right (Use the directions mentioned above on how to create a box in your C drive and then how to select it to make it your default folder. I call my "Games Folder" but you can name it whatever you want). Put the pointer over the game to be exported and double click. This will send the file to your game file default folder.
From here, you need to email it as an attached.
How do I find my IP address?
1. Load Action PC and from the main screen, look for the Utilities menu. Put your mouse pointer over this to open and move the pointer down to "Find IP Address." Only this visiting team will need to know this since the host team (home team) will simply give this number to the visiting team and they will plug this number in.
2. What if the Action PC IP address is wrong?
Go to this website and it will tell you your IP address: http://www.whatismyip.com/
3. OK, so I have the IP address where do I plug it in?
From the same main screen on Action PC, look for the Play menu. Put your mouse pointer over this to open and move the pointer down to "Internet-Join Game." Select this and a box will appear. Simply plug the IP number into the box that says, "IP address."
Can I chat with the other coach during the game?
Yes you can use the chat which is provided in the Action PC game which I hate, or using a chat program (which I recommend) such as American On Line Instant Messenger (AOL IM) or (IM). A chat program is a must for live leagues in my opinion since it allows you to chat with other coaches during the week or to hammer out a trade. Its much faster than emailing back and forth especially if you want a dialogue. Its also free!
If you have any questions, email me,