Guide to Testing a Custom Fantasy or Regional Database

Guide to Testing a Database

Here is a quick guide on how to test your custom made fantasy or regional database quickly and easily. It is always good to have an idea if how you want or expect your database to do in a test and in the final version.

Basic Principles

Simple things for your first few tests, ensures the database is stable and functioning for the first few seasons and that things generally progress how you envision.

1. Load up just your nation


2. Load a small database


3. If it does not load then fix any issues, sometimes things really go wrong and you have to go back to an older version of your created database or start from scratch, don't worry, we all have to do this at some point.


4. Turn off saving, this speeds things up a lot!


5. Holiday while unemployed, no need to manage a team


6. *Optional* Subscribe to all your nations cups and leagues while removing any pesky awards you are subscribed to for your continent (This means you can just watch things about your nation ticker through. This should take between 10 and 30 minutes to run a season, depending on your database size and PC speed. I have a pretty quick PC so takes just under 10 minutes!


7. Review the leagues history, clubs financial status and squads to ensure things are going how you envisioned.


8. Make any changes for issues you noticed in the editor


9. Test again for at least two seasons, pay close attention to how clubs develop and grow.


10. Make any further imrpvoements


11. Test again, for more specific testing see below.

Financial Testing

It is important to know how club finances change over time, this means doing the basic principles above but looking for specific things.

1. Test the effect of league prize money and TV money seperatly from cup prize money, set cup prize money ONLY after financally testing the first two fully! (Its easy to get carried away and set Cup prize money but I strongly advise to do it last!)


2. So go and remove any cup prize money! Have only TV and league money.


3. Load up the database as described in "Basic Principles


4. Test one league at once unless you are feeling very confident


5. Pick 3-5 teams, at least one top table team, one middle table and one bottom table.


6. Either use FMRTE or join as a manager of each team. Then screen shot or note the financial situation. You can then resign as the teams manager if you wish


7. Holiday for one season, until just after the start of new season date (June 20th is the 2012 default). Don't let it run too far past


8. Add yourself as a manager to a few clubs of different reputations, check and note the finances (for each playable league if you have more than one)


9. Test until the end of the second season, check the same clubs again and compare how each leagues general income changes


10. Adjust and test again until teams are financially stable for at least three seasons OR are at whatever level you want in income and growth.


11. Add cup prize money for all cups.


12. Test again to ensure teams are rewarded fairly by the cups.


13. You should be done now :)

Long Term Stability Testing

1. Load up as described in "Basic Principles"


2. If you are making a regional database I recommend loading the "Parent Country" along side you nation (eg England for databases for Hampshire, Yorkshire etc)


3. Start a game and go to bed, work, shopping (PRO TIP: don't fall asleep before starting the game!)


4. After 3 seasons see where you are and make adjustments to the database where required


5. Repeat for 5 seasons and make any changes required,


6. Pay close attention to league and cup history, consider rules to change such as squad, match day or first 11 rules to make things more fair.


7. Test again for 10 seasons, do at least 2 long term stability tests like that.