Save Name: The name used to save and load this career.
First Season: The first actual season that will be played by the league.
League Password: If a password is entered, it will be required for access to options that reveal hidden information like the league editors. The password is also required for simming games or moving to the next stage of the season.
Attribute Style: Player attributes can be displayed in one of four scales. 1-100, 1-20, 1-10, or A-F. This also affects the accuracy of the ratings bars on the player profile. Player potential will always be displayed as an A-F rating.
Coaching: Determines whether or not teams will hire full coaching staffs consisting of the head coach, 3 assistants and a scout if scouting is enabled. When coaching is off teams will only hire General Managers.
Scouting: Scouting adds an element of uncertainty to player ratings. When scouting is off everyone will see the players as they are currently rated. If scouting is on, the quality of the ratings will depend on the quality of your scout. If coaching is off, then everyone shares the league's default scout.
Finances: There are four levels of detail for finances. Finances off means that finances will have no impact on the game. Players on your team do not have contracts so they will stay with the team until you release or trade them. Hard Cap Only adds player contracts and the salary cap. It is not a true hard cap in that you are allowed to exceed the cap at times but you may only add players making the minimum salary to your roster if you are over the hard cap. Soft Cap Only adds many exceptions to the salary cap. These exceptions allow you exceed the salary cap in order to resign your own players or free agents. Players who have not changed teams via free agency for at least three seasons are considered to have Bird Rights. You are allowed to offer them any salary up to the max salary in order to resign them. Some leagues will also allow you to have a Mid and Low exception for signing free agents. These will be given to you at the start of the free agency period if your team is over the salary cap. Full finances adds an additional team budget specified by your owner. Ticket prices and attendance are more important as total income helps determine you team budget.
Historical Modifiers: The historical modifiers setting determines whether the game will attempt to model how basketball was played during past seasons or whether it will use a current day model. Basketball in past seasons was often a more fast paced game. If your league is simulating a past season with historical modifiers enabled, the game will produce results similar to that era.
Import Randomization: Determines how much the skills of players imported from the historical database are randomized to provide a new playing experience. Using none, the players should enter the draft classes with the same ratings each time. Increasing the amount of randomization will allow for different players to become stars.
Autosave: Determines how often the game will save automatically. The monthly setting will save at the end of each stage as well as on the 1st of each month during the regular seasons. The yearly option will save at the end of the postseason each year.
Teams may not trade picks if it leaves them without a first round pick in consecutive seasons: This rule was enabled to ensure teams aren't hurting their future by trading away all of their draft picks. Since FBPB only tracks draft picks for the next three seasons, enabling this rule will prevent a team from making a trade that leaves them without a 1st round pick in either year two or year three.
Players may not be traded again for 60 days after signing as a free agent or being traded: This rule is meant to discourage signing players with the intent to trade them immediately. Players signed during the free agency period are eligible to be traded after December 15th. Players signed or traded any other time must wait 60 days before being traded again.
This is the list of available leagues that you may choose to simulate. Historical leagues offer settings that will automatically set processes like expansion or team movement to occur during the actual seasons that they occurred in real life. Historical leagues will list which seasons are available but you are not required to be simulating those actual seasons in order to use these leagues nor are you required to use the historical features available with them. You can choose to use the league structure of any past season of the Historical league. You are also able to simulate multiple leagues at the same time. While the game will not set a limit on the number of leagues you can enable, it is probably best to run no more than 5-10 leagues at once. Each active league will make the season take longer.
Once you reach the league setup screen you can set the individual settings for each league. To switch back and forth between leagues use the next and previous buttons.
League Name: Sets the full name of the league used by the game
League Abbreviation: Sets the abbreviation to be used for the league when the full name is too long.
Prestige: Prestige determines the quality of the league. Prestige affects the quality of players entering the league as well as how much money teams in the league can make from tickets, television, and merchandising.
Host Country: This is the primary country of the league.
Region: This is the continent the league plays in.
Team Locations: This determines which cities are eligible to play in the league. National means only cities in the host country can have teams. Continental means any city in the continental region can have a team. Global means any city in the world can have a team.
Starting Stage: Determines which stage the league will be in when the league starts. If you want to start with a draft of all players in the league, choose creation draft. Otherwise you can either start during free agency or the preseason. The best option will depend on the roster file you are using.
First - Last Season: This can be used to set the seasons when the league started or ended play. As long as you have at least one active league you can set a league to start or end at any point in the future.
League Type: Leagues can be standalone, tiered, or part of a Parent-Developmental combination. Standalone leagues have no relationship with any other league. Tiered leagues offer promotion/demotion between leagues and can chain together any number of leagues into one big tiered league. Parent-Developmental leagues allow the parent league to send players to the developmental league for extra playing time.
Sub League: For parent leagues this will be the developmental league. For tiered league this is the league below the current league.
Promotion Spots: For tiered leagues only this is the number of teams that will promote/demote between this league and its subleague.
Starting Settings: For historical leagues this allows you to automatically select the rules used by the league for any year of its existence. Otherwise it will be set to custom.
Starting Alignment: This allows you to choose which season alignment from any of the past alignments that you want to start with. This only works with historical leagues.
Alignment Type: Historical automates all settings in the Alignment section based on the settings used by the league in the current historical season each year.
Schedule: Historical automates all settings in the Schedule section based on the settings used by the league in the current historical season each year.
Rules: Historical automates all settings in the Rules section based on the settings used by the league in the current historical season each year.
Finances: Historical automates all settings in the Finances section based on the settings used by the league in the current historical season each year.
Initial Player Source: These are the initial rosters when starting a new league. They can be from the historical database, a player file generated by the player file editor, or fictional.
Yearly Player Source: This is the source of the yearly draft pools for the league. The source can be the historical database, draft files from FBCB 1 & 2, or fictional.
Historical Database Type: Standard means players will enter the league the season they did in real life. Random debut will add a random group of players from the entire database each season.
Historical Database League: All will use any player found in the database. USA1 will use the players from the main US league going back to 1946. USA3 will use the players from the US league that ran from 1967-1975.
FBCB Import League: Specifies which FBCB league will be used for the draft pool. (league folder) will use only files placed in the \draftfiles folder of your save. Any other listed saves from FBCB will use the draft files directly from their current folder in your FBCB saves.
FBCB Import Season: Specifies which FBCB draft file to use first. The game will continue using each following one each season until there are no more files left.
Teams: Displays the number of teams in this alignment. This cannot be edited during league setup. It must be changed using the league file editor or you must choose a different season alignment for historical leauges.
Team Movement: None/Custom will make it so teams only move if you change them using the league editor. Historical will use team movement that occurred in each real life season. Random will allow teams to move on their own.
Allow Expansion: None/Custom will make it so teams only expand/contract if you change them using the league editor. Historical will make the changes that occurred in each real life season. Random will allow leagues to expand on their own. Teams will not randomly contract.
Conferences: Displays the number of conferences in the current alignment. Conference names can be edited if you are not using historical alignment.
Divisions: Displays the number of divisions in the current alignment. Division names can be edited if you are not using historical alignment.
Schedule: The number of regular season games played by the league. If the desired setting isn't possible due to the number of teams in the league, the schedule maker may add or subtract games to make a legal schedule.
Playoff Teams: The total number of teams in the playoffs each season. If you choose 0 then the regular season champion will be the league champion.
Round 1-4: Sets the maximum length of each playoff series from 1 to 9 games. The finals will always be round four. The semifinals will always be round 3.
Enable 3pt Shot: Whether or not the 3pt shot is used by the league.
Rookie Draft Enabled: Whether or not the league uses the rookie draft. If there is no draft then new players will enter the league as free agents.
Draft Lottery Enabled: Whether or not there is a draft lottery to determine the draft order for teams that did not make the playoffs. Otherwise the draft will go in order of record from worst to best with teams that did not make the playoffs drafting first.
Expansion Eligible for Lottery: Whether or not expansion teams are eligible to win one of the top three picks during the lottery. Otherwise they will be slotted starting at the #4 pick.
Dispersal Draft Enabled: Whether or not there will be a dispersal draft for players under contract to teams that have left the league.
Expansion Draft Enabled: Whether or not there is an expansion draft for expansion teams when they enter the league.
Game Format: Either two halves or four quarters.
Period Length: The length of each half/quarter.
Overtime Length: The length of the overtime period.
Max Fouls: The number of fouls it takes for a player to be disqualified from the game.
Shot Clock: The amount of time a team has to take a shot each possession.
Allow Trades: Whether or not the league allows trades.
Trade Deadline: The last day during the season that it is possible to make a trade.
Salary Cap: The maximum amount teams can spend on players without using any exceptions.
Luxury Tax Threshold: The amount teams must spend in order to be charged luxury tax. Currently the tax will be equal to the amount the team is over the threshold. Setting this value to 0 will disable the luxury tax.
Mid Exception: The maximum starting salary for players signed to the mid exception. This value can be split between multiple players.
Low Exception: The maximum starting salary for players signed to the low exception. This value can be split between multiple players.
Max Contract Length: The maximum contract length that you can use when signing players from your own team.
Max FA Contract Length: The maximum contract length that you can use when singing players from other teams.
Max Yearly Raise: The maximum raise you can give each season when signing players from your own team.
Max FA Yearly Raise: The maximum raise you can give each season when singing players from other teams.
Waiver Length: The number of days players that are waived spend on the waiver wire. If set to 0 then the waiver wire is disabled.
Revenue Sharing: Whether or not teams share a percentage of their revenue with other teams.
Offseason: This is the period where it is possible to change league rules as well as expand/contract teams using the league editor. Any changes for the upcoming season must be complete before moving on. The offseason concludes with the draft lottery.
Staff Hiring: The staff hiring period will proceed until all teams have a full staff. This includes a General Manager, Head Coach, 3 assistants, and a scout. If coaching is disabled then teams will only hire a General Manager.
Draft Period: The draft period is when dispersal, expansion, and rookie drafts will take place in that order.
Free Agency: The free agency period is a 30 day period where teams can submit offers to free agents. At the end of the 30 days any developmental leagues will run their drafts out of the remaining free agents.
Training: Players are assigned their offseason training orders in preparation for the upcoming season. Any improvements will take place once camps are complete.
Preseason: During the preseason teams will play a number of exhibition games in preparation for the regular season. They will not count towards the final team records. During this time teams may carry up to 20 players.
Regular Season: Games now count and rosters must be set. Teams can carry up to 15 players with a max of 13 active players on the roster.
Postseason: The playoffs are completed and a champion is crowned.
Scouting Current Ability: Used to determine the player's current ability.
Scouting Potential Ability: Used to determine the player's future potential.
Coaching Inside: Affects inside scoring and rebounding.
Coaching Shooting: Affects free throw shooting, jump shooting, and 3-point shooting.
Coaching Handling: Affects handling and passing.
Coaching Post Defense: Affects post defense and shot blocking.
Coaching Perimeter Defense: Affects perimeter defense and stealing.
The skills of the coaching staff will have an affect on both player performance during games as well as development of skills. For each coaching category you can assign up to three staff members on the staff window. You will get a rating based on your coaching skill of one to five stars. Scouting of players is done by the scout only. The scout will rate players multiple times per season and will adjust their evaluations of the players based on a combination of previous scouting results and the current evaluation.
Inside Scoring: Helps determine the player's ability to create all shots as the ability to get inside will open up outside shots as well.
Jump Shot: Affects how likely a player is to make shots away from the basket.
Free Throws: Affects how likely a player is make a free throw.
3-Point Shot: Affects how likely a player is make a 3-point shot.
Handling: Affects how likely a player is to commit a turnover
Passing: Affects the quality of a player's passes.
Offensive Rebounding: Affects the player's ability to get offensive rebounds.
Defensive Rebounding: Affects the player's ability to get defensive rebounds.
Post Defense: Affects the player's ability to defend inside shots.
Perimeter Defense: Affects the player's ability to defend outside shots and prevent drives.
Stealing: Affects the player's ability to steal the ball.
Shot Blocking: Affects the player's ability to block shots.
Quickness: Has a small affect on driving, rebounding, creating shots, and defense.
Strength: Affects play near the basket including rebounding, shooting, and defense.
Jumping: Helps determine the player's ability to get to the basket with drives.
Stamina: Determines how quickly players get tired during a game. Tired players will have decreased performance.
The depth chart allows you to set your starters as well as the order players should be used off of the bench. The legal positions section allows you to set which positions a player can play during a game. If there are no eligible players that can play the position, the game will place what it determines to be the best available player at that position in the game. The playing time setting allows you to set the desired number of minutes for each player. The setting is most important for starters as any unassigned minutes will be filled by players from the bench. Players set with no legal position or no playing time are not a part of the normal playing rotation. They will be used only when it is not possible to fill the lineup with rotation players or if too many members of the rotation are in foul trouble.
Pace: A higher setting means your players will push the action more. This will increase the number of possessions in the game while also tiring players faster.
Motion: A high setting means your team runs a very structured offense. This is beneficial for teams with good passing skill but is harder on players who are good at creating for themselves.
3p Usage: Affects the likelihood that your team will look for 3 point shots.
Focus: The general preference for where you would like to shoot the ball. Players will be less likely to shoot if they are outside of the preferred region.
Crash Boards: How much your team should focus on getting the rebound as opposed to getting back on defense or trying to get easy baskets on offense.
Defense: Teams may specify up to two defenses that they will use. The usage settings will determine how likely you are to use each defense. If they are equal then you will use them equally. If one is 10 and one is 1 then you will mostly use the defense set to 10.
Full Court Press: How often your team will run a full court press. This will create turnovers at the expense of more fouls and extra energy use.
Key Players: Up to three key players may be selected. These players get more touches on offense, especially at the end of the game.
Minimum Salary Players: Minimum salary players have a special exemption in trades. Their salary counts as outgoing salary for the team that is trading them but it does not count as incoming salary by their new team.
Draft Picks: Teams also may not make a trade that leaves them without a 1st-Round pick in future seasons. This option can be disabled under league options.
For online leagues it is vital to set a league password. The league password is required to enter sensitive areas as well as for performing any action that advances the league forward. It is also important to setup an FTP account for the league. This allows the process of importing and exporting team files to be done with one click each. The saved game for the league will need to posted so that each team may download it and then make changes to their team. I highly recommend keeping backups of your last 2-3 saves as it is possible for save files to become corrupt and it may not be possible to recover the save file if it is corrupt.
Exporting Team Files: Team files are exported under the team setup section. If the Export team file to FTP option is enabled, use this option to automatically upload the team file to the league FTP server. Otherwise use the Export team settings to file option which will export the team file to the teamfiles section of the save folder. This file should then be emailed to the commissioner.
Importing Team Files: Team files can be individually imported under the team setup screen or they can all be imported at once under the Import Team Files option in the Commish Tools section of the Tools menu. The Import Team Files screen has two options for importing. The Import button will import any team files that have been placed in the \teamfiles\ folder in the save folder for the league. The Import FTP option will download all league files that have been uploaded by teams and then import them all at once. The results section will let you know whether or not each import was successful.
HTML: HTML files for the league can be created by going to the HTML Output option under Commish Tools in the Tools menu.
Player File Editor: The player file editor allows you to make a roster file that can be used with any league when starting a new game. If you want players to be assigned to specific rosters, make sure their team setting matches up with a team from the league you are playing. The game will check the team abbreviation, team name, and team nickname for matches. If a match is not found then the player will be declared a free agent. If you are using a creation draft with the league then it doesn't matter whether the team setting matches any team from the league.
League File Editor: The league file editor allows you to create new leagues for use when starting a new game. You set the default rules for the league and then add teams. The league file will only show up under when starting a new game after teams have been added. The basic settings match those found under league setup. The main addition is the SubLeague Filename option. This is used to automatically declare another league file to be either a developmental league or a subleague in a tiered setup. If both leagues are active when starting a new game, the association between the leagues will be made automatically. If the subleague filename is NBDL.csv, this is what you should enter in the box.