i thought I understood this after playing this game for quite awhile but i would apprexiate any info on how you use this tool and how you believe it actually works. How do you know its working?

Are we talking about The Nautilus here ? Cause if we are I would go to AskCaptainNemo.com .

Yeah, thanks.

I'm pretty sure it's working. The sub level is just the fatigue level at which a player will be rested for a sub, if there's a player available on the bench at that position. For example, if you have the sub level set at 85, the player will get fatigued over the course of a game. When his fatigue level drops below 85, the AI will look for an available player on the bench to replace him. As soon as the starter's fatigue level rises back up above 85, the AI will put the starter back in.

You can check this by going to a game box score, going into the play by play, and clicking on the little green x and o box for each play. It will show the current fatigue level of all the players on the field at that time.

There has been some debate as to how much the fatigue level affects the players' performance. I will usually keep my levels at 85, unless I am playing an easy SIM, and I want to get my younger players in more. Then I will set some of my upper classmen starters at 90 or 95.

Or another way to use it is if you promised a player 75% playing time, you might lower his sub level to 80 or 75 (or even lower), just to make sure he gets at least 75% PT.

Can someone give me an example of sublevels? my goal is i promised a freshman a start, but have come to realize he probably should not. i want him out of the game fast! so what do i set my sublevel at to get him replaced fast?

Set him at 95 percent.

@browns99 - Is this your Aurora team in Yost? Which position? Which player?

I have been dealing with the delicate art of balancing promised playing vs. depth chart positioning and substitution levels, and the more experienced coaches here gave me some great advice that I can pass on to you. But it is a bit complicated.

1.
The formations you run and your depth chart positioning, substitution levels and stamina ratings are the primary factors that go into determining how much playing time each player gets. But other factors, somewhat outside of your control, will factor into the equation as well such as: your opponents' offensive formations (which may dictate which defensive formations you are using in the game), time of possession (actually the distribution of offensive snaps between the two teams...if your D is on the field all game, then your D players will see boosts in their playing time but your O players will see declines in their PT).

2.
Your younger players are going to have lower stamina ratings than your older players, so you have to compensate for that when guesstimating how much playing time will result from your depth chart positioning and substitution level settings. If you tell us which position(s) and player(s) you are concerned about, then coaches here can give you some more specific guidance.

3.
If you promised playing time, and do not follow through with the promised amount of PT, that player's work ethic will take a massive hit. How quickly the player gets dejected and suffers the near-catastrophic work ethic hit depends on his character traits that were hinted at in the scouting reports. If the scouting report says something like, "his work ethic just isn't all there" then BEWARE! he will throw and hissy fit and lose work ethic after the first game in which you fail to deliver the promised PT. Likewise, if the scouting reports say things like "he is only in it for himself" or other things that would indicate that he is not a team player, then he will get dejected very quickly at the lack of promised PT. Conversely, if his scouting report paints him as a real team player, then he will give you a few games grace period before he gets dejected and loses work ethic, AND "team players" work ethic hits won't be quite as massive as the "divas."

It all depends on what kind of depth you have. If you have good depth, set it at 95 percent. If you have crappy depth, set it at 85 percent.

@browns99 - Indpnt1 and mojolad were among the experienced coaches who helped me, so their advice is dead-on. Setting his substitution level at 95% will get him out of the game very quickly.

However, you should carefully think through the repercussions of failing to honor the promised playing time, in this case a promise that he would start. To get credit for a start requires around 30% PT, and to play it safe you should aim for at least 35% PT. Depending on which position this is, what formation you run (how many of this position are in the starting 11), how much depth you have at this position, and the stamina rating for this player (likely low since he is a freshman) compared to the stamina of others at the position, if you put his substitution level at 95% he might not reach 30% PT to get credit for the start. If you fail to honor the promised start, there will be serious repercussions for this player's work ethic and ultimately for the trajectory of his playing career.

Armchair is correct about honoring your promised playing time. If you don't honor that his WE will drop like a stone hurting his growth rate .

Say you have a player that has a rating of 50 and his fatigue is at a 80 during a game. Would he perform about the same at that point as a player with a rating of 40(assuming the 40 is at 100%)?

No, the player at 50 would still perform better. Fatigue does not make that much difference, unless it gets really low.