The tXtFL Game Guide

NEW! Download New Leagues

New for tXtFL 3 is the ability to download entire leagues straight from the web.

View leagues. In the browser on the left side of the app, click on the Import Leagues button to view available leagues on the web. You can view description and check for updated versions.

Import league. If you see a league you want, click the link to import the league. The league will be automatically downloaded and imported. When it appears in your league list, you can start running it right away.

NEW! Create Leagues

You can create your own league in two ways:

• Share your league for download from the web
• Create your own private league for import

Get the league template. We've posted an online template that you can use to create your own league. We keep it updated as we incorporate new stats and parameters into tXtFL.

You can either make a copy an online copy of the spreadsheet into your own account or download it (Excel or OpenOffice format) onto your computer.

Customize your league. Once you've made your own copy of the spreadsheet, customize it as you like. Replace the given values with your own. See below for details.

Share your league. If you'd like to share your league with others on the main leagues list, simply share your spreadsheet via Google Docs.

To share your league, make sure you're either editing it in Google Docs or have uploaded your copy onto Google Docs. From there, go to File > Share, and share the document with txtflimport@textflex.com. Within an hour, your spreadsheet should appear in the list (barring any errors, of course).

Privately import your league. If you want to keep your spreadsheet private, or if you simply want to test it ahead of time, you can import it directly to the app.

Download the "leagues", "teams", "players", and (optionally) the "seasons" sheets individually as CSV files (File > Download as > CSV for each of those sheets). Be sure to keep the name of the sheet in the filename.

Move all of these files to your home directory (eg C:\Users\mike in Windows, or /home/mike on Linux (replace "mike" with your username).

From within tXtFl, enter the following command into the browser URL bar: txtfl://import:Your League - leagues.csv|Your League - teams.csv|Your League - players.csv, where you've listed your actual file names and can omit the seasons sheet if you want (and tack on the seasons file if you want).

When you press enter, the sheets should all load into the app. Note that you may need to press Next and then Back again to refresh the list.

League Settings

So what are we actually customizing? Learn here.

Customize players. Players include "Skill Points" as a measure of raw talent. These values can be set to any number, reflecting the wide range of talent among even professional players. The only requirement is that a players's total points must sum to a max of 5.

• Hands: Catching balls and passing.
• Feet: Important for rushing plays and kicking or punting.
• Build: Influences blocking ability.
• Smarts: Key to QB's as they scan the field for open opportunities.

Customize teams. Teams include "Coaching Points," a maximum of 5 points that you can distribute among several areas of coaching:

• PassCoaching: Influences QB's ability to pass and makes passing plays more likely in autopilot mode.
• RunCoaching: Increases RB's and FB's ability to rush and makes rushing plays more likely in autopilot mode. The pass:run ratio will also affect the balance of passing to rushing plays.
• PassRushCoaching: Provides added value to the offensive line.
• DefensiveBacksCoaching: Emphasizes the ability for CB, FS, and SS to stop plays.
• SpecialTeamsCoaching: Bolsters K, P, and returners.

Further Customization

Players. Should you wish to further customize your players, here are the details.

Name: Name your player however you like.

Pos: The position is the player's default position. Positions in tXtFL have a slightly modified naming scheme, where the "r" or "l" prefix designates the player's side of the field. The assigned position could be very exact (eg "rcb") or more generic ("cb") or even more generic ("db").

Team: The player's team. This team name should match the name of one of the teams in the teams spreadsheet.

Depth: The depth value specifies whether the player is a "starter" (depth of 1) or a backup (2+), and if so, how far back.

Hands, Feet, Build, Smarts: See more information on these player skill values.

Stats: Player stats predict their playing level. Stats are averaged by attempt, so you can choose to include yearly or even career stats based on how you wish to weight your players. A "0" for any value means that the player's stat will default to the 50th percentile.

Teams You can also further customize your players on these parameters.

Name: Team names should be unique within each league.

Hometown: Pick your teams' cities.

Leagues, Conferences, and Divisions: The team league, conferences, and division names should correspond to the names in the leagues spreadsheet. Leave the division name blank if the league has no divisions.

Coaching points: See the team customization for details on how to assign these values.

Plays. Plays are currently available to all leagues.

All plays are divided into offensive and defensive plays, then further divided into play categories. There must be at least one offensive and one defensive play of each category, a both the offensive and defensive plays must each have at least one of each play category. tXtFL already has the required number of plays so that you can focus on just creating the new plays you want.

Name: Play names should be unique. It might be helpful for the name to be somewhat descriptive to aid you when choosing your play call.

UPDATED! Category: Onside kicks were added in tXtFL 3. The full set of play categories are:

Distance: Each of your plays will target a given distance. For example, offensive pass plays with "25" as their distance will attempt a 25 yard pass.

Defensive pass plays with "25" will anticipate a 25 yard pass and position players near that yardage. The goal of the defense is to predict these distances as closely as possible, which minimizes the offense's chances of ever getting there.

For field goals and PATs, the distance value is the distance beyond the goal-posts that the kicker aims for.

Players: Each player assignment has up to two additional options. Listed by itself, the position refers to the default player for that position. If an equals ("=") sign and another position or player name follows the position, this player is substituted for the given position.

Carrier: The first player listed in the players section of each offensive play spec is termed the "ball-carrier," the player who usually receives the ball, such as a wide receiver would during a pass play, or as a running back might during a rushing play. In kick-offs and punts, this player boots the ball.

Deliverer: The second listed player delivers the ball to the ball-carrier, if applicable. During pass plays, for example, the deliverer would act as the quarterback, regardless of whether the qb has been asigned to this position. During special plays, you could even specify a running back to act as the passer.

Other players: tXtFL allows a total of up to the number of players specified in the league's rule set.

Spreadsheet column trick. The table headers need to match tXtFL stat keywords. Missing stats in each line will be given default values. To assign your own default value for a given stat, append an equals sign ("=") and the assignment in the header position. To override a constant for a given player, simply type in the assignment for the stat in the player's column for it.

See Advanced Features!

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