Confused About DB Files, Sqaud Files, Etc

[bangus]

I would rather try to fix whatever problem CM16 is giving him.

Two issues with that. First, CM now has a number of bugs/non-working functions due to EA having changed the team/lineup/formation file format 2 years ago. Second, the Moddingway DB often can't/won't load in CM, due to either sloppy editing, or a lock they put on it to prevent others from modding their DB. I have never been able to load any Moddingway DB in CM, I quit trying a couple years ago.

 

[white_knight]

Two issues with that. First, CM now has a number of bugs/non-working functions due to EA having changed the team/lineup/formation file format 2 years ago. Second, the Moddingway DB often can't/won't load in CM, due to either sloppy editing, or a lock they put on it to prevent others from modding their DB. I have never been able to load any Moddingway DB in CM, I quit trying a couple years ago.

There isn't no lock whatsoever, as Ariel himself said many times you just need to re-apply the database through the provided selector to restore the competitions files as CM messes with them. And, just for the record, I regularly load MW's 6.0 database with CM 16, never had a problem this year (past years I don't remember).

 

[tinpanalley]

Hey guys, I'm sorry I didn't reply sooner, turns out I wasn't getting the updates from this thread and I still don't know why because I do have it turned on. They're not in my junk folder either.

Both of you are right and wrong in various ways about what I'm asking... Mostly, it's me not expressing things thoroughly out of the idea that there is a common understanding of certain things we were talking about. My mistake.

So, to explain...
1. I want to have different setups for different tournaments/careers but was not getting how save files of squads and tournaments were related to DBs. I now get that a save made and a squad saved within a DB has to stay in that DB to work. Hence, the reason for your advice about two copies of the game or backing up DB files. The ONE thing I don't get about that is: is the fifa_ng_db file the ONE and ONLY thing you need to backup for the entire database?

2. In asking about editing.
- YES, I was asking about modifying squads as in, the starting 11 and the bench.
- YES, I was asking if DBM could do that because it looks to me like it's not capable of it. Clearly, DBM isn't for that.
- CM16, after several attempts, has proven to only cause errors when I try to save ANY changes.
- I've been trying to use CG File Explorer 16 to edit a few lines in the DB file that worked for me earlier this year that allowed me to disable transfers and injuries in my careers and tournaments. I don't know why but I now get crashes during career when I do that same edit in the same program. I can tell you about that edit if you think it will help. Conversely, if you know of any other way to completely kill all injuries and transfers during tournaments and careers respectively, I'd love to know about it.
- The window and in-game thing was very simple. I was referring to using an INDIVIDUAL program in Windows like CM16 as opposed to my OTHER solution for editing squads which is to open FIFA in one window so that next to it in another window on my desktop I can use a browser to look at squads and starting formations and edit them in the game at the same time.

I'll try to get these notifications back on so I can see when you reply to this. AND THANK YOU!!!

 

[bangus]

- CM16, after several attempts, has proven to only cause errors when I try to save ANY changes.

CM has had a save bug in it for years, that may be what you are encountering. Hard to explain it, but it has to do with the tool not saving/corrupting edited info in certain tabs. I used to always click and go back to the first tab before saving, always worked then. Also, when EA changed the formation and player assignment tables two years ago, rinaldo never adjusted CM to fully accommodate those changes. I found I could never edit and save formation and player assignment info in CM after 2014, so I started using DBM to do that, works fine then.

 

[tinpanalley]

CM has had a save bug in it for years, that may be what you are encountering. Hard to explain it, but it has to do with the tool not saving/corrupting edited info in certain tabs. I used to always click and go back to the first tab before saving, always worked then. Also, when EA changed the formation and player assignment tables two years ago, rinaldo never adjusted CM to fully accommodate those changes. I found I could never edit and save formation and player assignment info in CM after 2014, so I started using DBM to do that, works fine then.

Right but you still can't set starting lineups and bench with DBM, right?

 

[bangus]

Right but you still can't set starting lineups and bench with DBM, right?

Yes you can, and I have many times. DBM accesses/edits the exact same tables as CM, the only difference is CM is easier and more convenient... if and when it works. Whereas edits in DBM ALWAYS work, as long as one edits the tables correctly.

 

[tinpanalley]

Yes you can, and I have many times. DBM accesses/edits the exact same tables as CM, the only difference is CM is easier and more convenient... if and when it works. Whereas edits in DBM ALWAYS work, as long as one edits the tables correctly.

Wow, ok, but from the little time I've spent playing with it that means you need to know IDs for players, teams, formations, etc and where they all are. Correct? Seems easier to use the clunky but more direct in-game editing tools.

But I'd love to learn DBM. Much more control but hardly any tutorials.

 

[bangus]

Seems easier to use the clunky but more direct in-game editing tools.

Of course. But you were asking about DB editing, so I talked about DBM. The in-game tools only edit the save file.

 

[tinpanalley]

Of course. But you were asking about DB editing, so I talked about DBM. The in-game tools only edit the save file.

Ohhhh... then THAT's where my massive confusion lies. I was under the impression that the DB is where you find squads, formations, etc. I didn't know that was in the save file. Because it's the DB and XML you load in CM16 when you edit squads. (I think)

 

[bangus]

Ohhhh... then THAT's where my massive confusion lies. I was under the impression that the DB is where you find squads, formations, etc. I didn't know that was in the save file. Because it's the DB and XML you load in CM16 when you edit squads. (I think)

The db contains all the various player/team tables. That's what you edit when you use CM or DBM, you permanently edit and change those table values.

When you edit using the in-game editing tools, the game creates a squad save file based off the current db you are using, after which all edits are then saved to that squad save file. The db itself remains untouched.

 

[tinpanalley]

The db contains all the various player/team tables. That's what you edit when you use CM or DBM, you permanently edit and change those table values.

When you edit using the in-game editing tools, the game creates a squad save file based off the current db you are using, after which all edits are then saved to that squad save file. The db itself remains untouched.

Ok, I see. I guess I have more to learn. All I knew was that when I set squads in CM16, before even having a squad file, all the teams would be set up the way I wanted them. For some reason that no longer works.
So what you're saying is that by editing squads in CM16, I was editing the default placement of those player IDs. Is that it?

 

[bangus]

All I knew was that when I set squads in CM16, before even having a squad file, all the teams would be set up the way I wanted them. For some reason that no longer works.

If you have a current squad save file in your Docs/FIFA 16 folder, and you then edit the db using CM, the game will still load your squad save file when you start the game, giving the impression your edits to the db didn't work. Is that what you're encountering? If so, you have to delete the squad save from your Docs/FIFA 16 folder, after which the game will read from your newly-edited db and then create another squad save file, one with all your edits visible.

 

[tinpanalley]

If you have a current squad save file in your Docs/FIFA 16 folder, and you then edit the db using CM, the game will still load your squad save file when you start the game, giving the impression your edits to the db didn't work. Is that what you're encountering? If so, you have to delete the squad save from your Docs/FIFA 16 folder, after which the game will read from your newly-edited db and then create another squad save file, one with all your edits visible.

Actually, I just went into CM16 to try to get you a screencap of the exact error that comes up and it didn't happen. I'm starting to think that it was just that one DB file that was corrupted. It seems to work fine now. What you described isn't the problem I was getting but it's good to learn that anyway.
So the key to remember is that you can set the DB squads to whatever you want but if you then create a sqaud save file in-game, you won't see those changes anymore in CM16 because CM16 will only look at the original DB that isn't affected by squad file changes.

 

[bangus]

What I don't get is how you'd use DBM to edit squads outside of the game.

You asked a couple of times about DBM. As an older sim gamer, you would probably appreciate knowing you can easily and quickly apply global edits to all players in the game using DBM and Excel (or an Excel-like program like OpenOffice). That's what I use DBM for mostly. Each year for example I globally lower many/all players' speed, accel, and agility, and edit other select ratings like higher shot power (creates more long shots) and lower GK handling (creates more loose balls and rebounds). FIFA is a completely different and much more realistic game when players' abilities are lowered from super-human to human levels.

 

[tinpanalley]

You asked a couple of times about DBM. As an older sim gamer, you would probably appreciate knowing you can easily and quickly apply global edits to all players in the game using DBM and Excel (or an Excel-like program like OpenOffice). That's what I use DBM for mostly. Each year for example I globally lower many/all players' speed, accel, and agility, and edit other select ratings like higher shot power (creates more long shots) and lower GK handling (creates more loose balls and rebounds). FIFA is a completely different and much more realistic game when players' abilities are lowered from super-human to human levels.

I don't know how you got that I'm an older sim gamer, but you're right.
I think your observation of FIFA holds true for all EA Sports games. NHL definitely suffers from the same thing. Every player is cranked up on speed speed speed and super agile and goalies are super human. I think this has always been the case with sports video games of the last, let's say, 10-15 years. I remember the first sports games with editable players played, in general, slower for lack of a better word. I know this because when I go back and play them now they flow more naturally despite their simpler graphics. Anyway, another topic for another day.

All I want, because it's important to me is to have the right players on the pitch for the teams I'm playing with and against. But to be honest, a Career mode with no injuries and transfers is much more important. I just need to figure out how to make sure my edits in CG File Explorer don't cause crashing. The transfer adjustment seems to work fine. Players complain about their time on the pitch but never actually demand transfers. I think I've isolated the one setting that kills all injuries but I accidentally messed up my last DB and career with something else and haven't tested it enough to know if it works. I got to January in my career with no injuries. It was upgrading to a new version of MW that killed my career. Still don't understand why.

 

[bangus]

It was upgrading to a new version of MW that killed my career. Still don't understand why.

Any update means a new db, which will conflict with your older squad and career save files. I only ever edit and play with the original, default db for the whole year. And I have Origin updates shut off so it never downloads the latest squads.

I remember you from Operation Sports back in the early 2000s, that's how I know you're a sim gamer. Anyway, a couple years back I downloaded Beta's career mod and found the values that shut off injuries, so that can definitely be done. But having the correct players on the pitch often requires some positional and overall rating adjustments. Example: say you edit a CPU team's lineup, and you place their star CMF in the AMF position. The game will still sub in a lower-rated AMF bench player, and remove the star CMF player, simply because the AMF has the correct positional listing. And if the formation doesn't include any CMFs (only has RM, LM and DMF for example), the star CMF may even be left on the bench. One thing that seems to override that bit of substitution-coding is if the star player's overall rating is significantly higher than the overalls of any of the corresponding bench players. But even then the game will often stick him in some other position than the one you placed him in. I believe there are values to adjust all this in Beta's mod as well, but I've never investigated it.

 

[tinpanalley]

Any update means a new db, which will conflict with your older squad and career save files. I only ever edit and play with the original, default db for the whole year. And I have Origin updates shut off so it never downloads the latest squads.

Ok, well that explains it.

I remember you from Operation Sports back in the early 2000s, that's how I know you're a sim gamer.

And that explains that. Yeah OS is no good for football talk.

Anyway, a couple years back I downloaded Beta's career mod and found the values that shut off injuries, so that can definitely be done.

Ok, I definitely need to find this beta mod. I think I did, if this is it. So, that looks like it will conflict with MW. In fact it flat out says it doesn't work with it. Ok, no problem. If I could edit the career elements that are important to me (transfers, injuries, overall player ratings) then all I need to figure out how to do is apply the graphics stuff I like (kits, stadiums, logos) for the leagues I play and add my different scoreboards. Is there one program I need to learn for all that? Would it be a process of applying ALL my Premier League stuff, regenerating, then switching to my Ligue 1 and regenerating over and over or can that all be settled in one modification? I really honestly don't NEED MW, I only do it cause it's a one stop shop for the CL music, and all the graphics stuff I just mentioned. But if I could do it myself I'd be happy. I suppose the MW guys just throw those things all into one installable thing anyway, no?

 

[tinpanalley]

Anyway, a couple years back I downloaded Beta's career mod and found the values that shut off injuries, so that can definitely be done...

So, help me out here in understanding this. To not mess with my PC version I've installed FIFA on my laptop and installed Beta's Career Mod. So, where is the UI for this mod? Or does installing it simply enable you to go in with DBM and edit things?

 

[bangus]

Or does installing it simply enable you to go in with DBM and edit things?

I downloaded his whole file which includes a number of folders and files. I then edited via Notepad (as I recall) the tables and values I wanted. I only installed those specific folders/files in my game, and discarded all the others. Regenerate and done.

 

[tinpanalley]

I downloaded his whole file which includes a number of folders and files. I then edited via Notepad (as I recall) the tables and values I wanted. I only installed those specific folders/files in my game, and discarded all the others. Regenerate and done.

Wow, ok. That's gonna require a lot of teaching myself about how to tweak stuff without breaking the game. Any clue where that injury value is in the tables? I think I've seen it in the simsettings part of data-ini.