I have never used the role players (basically because I couldn't find very much information on how it all works, what it affects, etc.)

I looked through the FAQ's (in fact, I do that a lot, and I've never seen anything at all about role players). I might have missed something, but the FAQ's are like my Bible, because I'm really new here, and I'm constantly referring to them about other things.

I also couldn't find anything in the knowledge base about it (under the support tickets section).

So, anyway, I was setting my team for the conf. tourney championship game last night, and all of a sudden, voila! A bunch of positions popped under the role player category (you know, where you set your depth chart, team game plan, player game plan, etc. And they had numeric values in all the categories.).

How did this happen? I know I certainly didn't do it. I mean, if I understood it, I would probably use it, but I think I've been doing okay without it so far. I don't want to rule it out, but I'd really like to understand why it showed up all of a sudden, without any input from me? I thought it might be just something that happens to you after a few seasons, but then again, I thought, "Why would it suddenly show up like that, if a player wasn't sure how to use it?"

What is this "role player" thing used for? And how does it all work?

And, most importantly, if I don't like it, does it affect anything if it's there? And, even more importantly, how do I set it back to basically "nothing" (which was what was there all along on every team I've coached) if I don't want it.

Has this ever happened to anyone else? I mean, the role players for all five positions (PG SG SF PF C) just showing up. I've never had this happen to me before.

Thanks in advance, for anyone who has any input. I really appreciate it.

--Cheryl

Cheryl, they very recently added that display as a tweak to the player rolls feature. 

The way it works is that users can assign a value to the categories (you could have all these values add up to 100 if you like, but aren't required to). By assigning different weights by position you can reorder your team based upon the weighted values you input. This doesn't alter your lineup or depth chart or anything, its just a reference tool. 

If you decide to tinker with it I wouldn't make any drastic changes based upon the output without seeking some advice on it first, since because you enter your own values (guesses for all of us really) for each category the chances are good that the real value for that category won't be exactly what you guessed, and if that happens for all the categories you could generate results that aren't the same as how the engine sees the players vs how your inputs see them. 

I don't use them for anything at all, so maybe hughesjr or someone else can see this thread and drop by for more help, but hopefully that answers some of your questions.

Thanks so much, dac.

I haven't tinkered with it at all, and I won't .... .

I read both things in what little material that I could find on the subject, that it affected game play AND recruiting, but those are the parts (since I never used them) that I really couldn't wrap my head around--how it affected game play AND recruiting.

I have a pretty fair team this year...well, one monster and everyone else is youngish and/or just sort of along for the ride...and I really don't want to mess with the recipe too much when things are going well.

Okay, well, take care and good luck with all your teams this season, Dac. It was really, really great of you to respond here.

np, you do have a pretty good team IMHO btw :)

good luck this year (well, all the other years too...)

My understanding is that the player roles tool has NO direct effect on anything.  It is just a way to analyze and view a set of players (either potential recruits or your own team) a different way than you intuitively would.  For me, it is not as useful as the filter search tools in recruiting, but I do use it as a supplement just to see if there is anyone interesting who has otherwise slipped through the cracks.  I have found one or two distant gems as a result.  To me, using it to analyze my own team is not too useful.

Agreed, it has no actual effect on your team. It's just a way to analyze your team and recruits based on values you deem most important. Don't be afraid to use to experiment, because as long as you don't go changing your lineups or anything, it wont have any effect.

yes, this - sorry if I implied something different ^

Do any veteran coaches utilize this feature?

I know hughesjr does, he's posted in one of the other threads about it. Probably many at least look at it. I think I made a poll about it once - let me look...

Posted by dacj501 on 4/30/2014 8:45:00 AM (view original):
I know hughesjr does, he's posted in one of the other threads about it. Probably many at least look at it. I think I made a poll about it once - let me look...

well, yeah, I did a poll, but it has little relevance to the issue...