SHAFT Game Day Procedures and Notes:

Some recent bugs have been discovered that reveal that both coaches need to autoplay enough games with the matchup they are about to play to heal any injuries that may reside on either team on their computer. Do this before you hook up to play your opponent. Both coaches need to do this.

1) Double check the schedule to make sure you are playing the proper opponent.

2) Double check the schedule to make sure the proper team is the Home (Server) Team.

3) Launch Strat-O-Matic Computer Football Version 2.

4) Home (Server) Team Procedure:

  1. Click on "Options" and verify that "Player Overusage" is NOT checked.
  2. Under "Options" also verify that "Home Field Advantage" is NOT checked.
  3. As the Home Team you may now set up the remaining "Game Options" however you want.
  4. Note on "Rules Through The Years": Choose "Use Current Rules" if you want 2 point conversions. Choose "Use Home Team Rules" or "Use Visiting Team Rules" if you do not want 2 point conversions. The 1990 season did not have 2 point conversions, but you may choose to have them for your home games if you wish.
  5. Click "OK".
  6. Make sure that "Local" is highlighted on the left-hand side of the screen.
  7. Choose the appropriate "Visiting (Join) Team" and "Home (Server) Team".
  8. Click on "Launch New Game Server" under "Network Launch Types".
  9. Click the "Launch" button.
  10. Choose the 2nd option "Internet TCP/IP Connection For DirectPlay" in the "Connections" box.
  11. Click "OK".
  12. Type in whatever you want as the "Player Name" and the "Server Name" in the "Create Server" box.
  13. Click "OK".
  14. "Waiting for opponent to arrive…" should now appear on your screen.
  15. Signal to your opponent that you are ready for them to join, preferably by an instant messenger program. You also need to tell your opponent the IP address of your PC. To get this you can click on "Start" on your desktop, then "Run", then type in "winipcfg" in the box and hit "OK". Your IP address is NOT "0.0.0.0". If this is all you see, click on the drop down menu and select the next item.
  16. If you have Windows XP do the following to get your IP address: Go to Control Panel and choose Network Connections. Left click on the Connection and choose Properties. Choose Status and then go to the Support tab. The IP address is there. After doing this once an icon will appear in your system tray at the bottom of the screen. It looks like two monitors. All you have to do is right click that icon and choose Status, then Support to get your IP address.

5) Visiting (Join) Team Procedure:

  1. Make sure that "Local" is selected on the left-hand side of the screen.
  2. Choose the appropriate "Visiting (Join) Team" and "Home (Server) Team".
  3. Click on "Join Server" under "Network Launch Types".
  4. Click the "Launch" button.
  5. Choose the 2nd option "Internet TCP/IP Connection For DirectPlay" in the "Connections" box.
  6. Click "OK".
  7. Type in the IP address of your opponent in the "Locate Session" box.
  8. Click "OK".
  9. Wait for the connection to be established.

6) Before Kickoff:

  1. Both Players should click on "Game", then "Options" and verify that "AutoSave after Each Play" is ON.
  2. Both Players should verify that "Player Overusage" is OFF.
  3. Both Players should verify that "Home Field Advantage" is OFF.
  4. I STRONGLY RECOMMEND that both players put checkmarks in "No Play Animation" and "Do not allow play animation replay". If these boxes are unchecked the game takes a LOT longer to play. The animation is fun to watch at first, but it REALLY adds to the length of the game. Most of us do not have a lot of leisure time so anything we can do to speed up the games is appreciated by all.
  5. Click "OK".
  6. If you have injured players and you have not healed them yet, click on "View" then click on the appropriate manager. Find the injured player in the "Depth Charts" and highlight him. Now click the "Player" button. Then click the "Heal" button. Click "OK" to exit. Recent bugs indicate that this may not work properly. Please autoplay games, as indicated at the top of this doocument, to heal players before you connect with your opponent.

7) NO CHEATING!:

  1. DO NOT EVER USE the "Delete Last Play" button no matter what! If someone does let me know and disciplinary action will be taken.
  2. If the game is being played with injuries DO NOT EVER USE the "Heal" button during that game except before kickoff to heal injuries from a previous game. I strongly recommend that you heal players before you even connect by launching a "Local" game with your team and going in and using the "Heal" button as outlined above.
  3. DO NOT INTENTIONALLY DISCONNECT after a big play or a key injury and try to restore back to the play before the event. Disconnects happen, but if they happen immediately after a key event and the game is restored and resumed starting with the play before the key event, let me know. It will not take long to identify anyone who is intentionally doing this. Do I even need to say that you will be removed from the league if I see a pattern develop?

8) SPORTSMANSHIP:

  1. Play your games until the clock expires. Few things stink more that winning a game and having your opponent bail before the game actually ends. I will be able to tell if this happens because the time of possession will not add up to 60 minutes. Offenders will be disciplined.
  2. Use discretion with the chat feature. Not everyone likes to chat during the game. If you do not get any responses after a couple of messages, then get the hint. On the other side, if you don't want to chat, either say so or ignore the messages. I do not want to police the chat function. Everyone please keep the comments good-natured when you use the feature.
  3. Always enjoy the game and give your opponent an honest effort no matter what the score or the odds are.
  4. Have fun.

9) IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE GAME THE HOME TEAM SENDS ME THE HTML BOXSCORE FILE AND CCs THEIR OPPONENT TO AVOID ANY CONTROVERSY OR LOST FILES:

1. The file is located here: C:\Program Files\Strat-O-Matic\Strat-O-Matic Football\leagues\local\Week0\reports\