So, I decided to do some searching around to locate the tables that dictate how many players are asked on a roster, and I located them on the very useful file number 11 of the DBTemplates.dat file. There are 3 tables in fact, and the 3 of them are important. Those are DRPS (According to the definitions that come with the Madden DB Editor, Depth Chart Info), PLPS (Positional Info) and POSG (Game Info ... I guess, the definitions don't get that far). These tables hold a) Minimum number of players at the position, b) Position Priority, for Free Agency purposes (Key here), c) Number of players required for a game to start. Point c here is what we need to make fullbacks, the position tag not the depth chart position, irrelevant for teams that don't have or want to have a fullback.
However, there are some complications. The first is that these tables are not built equal. For instance, DRPS asks for, for a minimum ...
(These lists will be on spoilers, as to make a possibly huge post be a tad smaller)
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... whereas PLPS asks for ...
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... and POSG asks for ...
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That's the "Minimum" players. Following that, we have the "Required" players. which on DRPS are...
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... whereas PLPS asks for ...
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... and POSG asks for ...
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Looking at what these tables ask for, I can say that ...
- DRPS is the table used in the Roster Management > Breakdown section. It is the exact requirements.
- PLPS is probably the one that is used for Depth Chart purposes, but I can't confirm.
- POSG could be the one used on Owner Mode, when determining Positional OVR.
Now, what I wanted to arrive, following ALL that is the next set of changes.
- Removing fullbacks as an OBLIGATORY position, not as a depth chart position. Teams still have designated tight ends to play lead blocker.
- Only make CB#1 and CB#2 the starting CB positions. Reason? Allow the starting FS or SS to move to CB#3 or CB#4 position, generating Big Nickel or Big Dime sets, which can't be produced by the CPU.
- Only make DT#1 the starting DT position. Reason? Allow a starting DE to be DT#2 for 3-4 teams, so that he appears as an interior pass rusher in Nickel 2-4-5 and Dime 4-1-6 sets.
Those would be my proposed changes. The first one seems fairly easy to achieve, and I'll test it tonight. Just making the "Required" and "Minimum" players be 0 for fullbacks AND lowering the priority of fullbacks, then look around to see how many teams end up with fullbacks after simming an offseason. In theory, not all teams should have fullbacks. Some may have 2, but I will consider this a success if some teams ignore the FB position.
The other 2 are more complicated. CB#3 and CB#4 are "Starters", which they shouldn't be. Well ... your milage may vary on the CB#3, since now a days Nickel is the base defense for everyone except New England (Dime-based) and Cleveland (Base-based, if that makes sense), similar to DT#2 (Your mileage may vary for 4-3 teams naturally, but they shouldn't be a huge issue really). I need to find a way to make CB#3, CB#4 and DT#2 non starters, so that actual starters can move to those positions.