Looks like American football management sims continue to get more love....a little ways off, but glad to see the improvements being mentioned.....
Message from the developer....
I wanted to provide an update about my progress with Front Office Football.
Front Office Football Seven was released in mid-December of 2013. On a Friday the 13th, no less. While the game's "spreadsheet" look has made it very difficult to get reviews, I'm happy that people are still enthusiastically playing – and we're now 17 years after the first version was released.
Thanks to you, I received approval to put Front Office Football on Steam this February. As a result, 2015 will be our most successful year since the days when EA Sports was publishing the game.
Over the last few months, from comments I've made and the second artwork contest, I think it's obvious that I'm working on a new version of Front Office Football.
This is by far the biggest version to date. I've redone huge portions of the game. Play-calling and game-planning are completely new, and bear almost no resemblance to the current game. I'd like a product where you can quickly and effectively make smart play calls in much the same way professional coordinators and coaches plan for games.
I had hoped to release this product (at the time, it was called Front Office Football 2016) around the start of November. However, that would have required hitting beta in early October. In mid-October, I was very close to having the product "feature-complete," which many people call alpha. But it felt rushed. I wasn't happy with how the new modules were integrating with the game engine, and I'm not convinced that the play-calling is quite "right" yet. There isn't enough opportunity to deviate from a game plan that's not working properly. Since you'll call a game much like the AI will call a game, this is a fairly big deal.
I also did a lot of graphics work, mainly putting in a completely new menu system that will allow you to quickly get anywhere in the game once you're familiar with it. Plus, I now use "modeless" windows in most places in the game. So if you want to compare player windows, you can. If you have screen space (even a second monitor) and want the statistics window up all the time, you can do that. However, I'm not convinced that's ready for prime time yet, either. There's something funky with how it works on Windows 10 – something I noticed with Up and Down the River's modeless windows as well. So it's probably something simple that I did wrong – I've spent far too much time looking for it.
It's turning out that this new version is requiring more code work than any two previous versions.
Releasing a football game in December is not ideal. So I decided a couple of weeks ago that I would push FOF 2016 into, well, 2016. It will get done. I'm not sure when I'll release it. My wife and I will be moving next year, so that will take up a lot of time. But I'm fairly certain the new game will be out by fall. Too much has been done (and really some very exciting work) not to eventually get it out there.
So, what about the here and now?
I want to have a 2015 game. I normally put out a new roster file and schedule every year – usually around this time of year. And I need a break from the insane new development schedule I was on.
So I've just started work on a 2015 roster file. I will add the 2015 schedule, tweak the coach file. I won't be patching FOF 7, except for the new extra point rule.
This should be ready well before Christmas, though I won't make any promises. I think it will help Steam sales to have a 2015 game out there. As always, updates will be completely free for existing customers. I will provide the update both for the ViaTech version and the Steam version.
Anyway, that's the state of development right now. Again, I'm really excited about what's going into the new version. I may well share a few screen shots at some point. In the meantime, maybe I'll get a bit of a chance to relax and enjoy the current season.
Thanks again for all your support.
QuoteI've redone huge portions of the game. Play-calling and game-planning are completely new, and bear almost no resemblance to the current game. I'd like a product where you can quickly and effectively make smart play calls in much the same way professional coordinators and coaches plan for games.
Oh please Baby Raptor Jesus, YES!
It needs a massive overhaul in that department, to make it feel more like the actual sport rather than the current Random Encounter Die Roll Chart you have to create. That pulled me out of the immersion faster than Manning getting pulled from his starting QB position.
So.. he's hoping to put this out in February? Sounds like he's already behind his original planned date, but with these changes I'll wait as long as it takes to get it right.
I think he stated to hope and have it out before next fall....so a big window when it may be released. He never has been a person that is predicatable so who knows but glad he is making the changes.
Nice! This, plus the new PFS coming from Wolverine, gives me hope.
Read recently the developer ended up stopping development for a few months so seems like this one might be even later.....American football management games continue to be illusive.
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on June 04, 2016, 05:49:17 AM
Read recently the developer ended up stopping development for a few months so seems like this one might be even later.....
Ugh. Again? :(
I wonder if this means it re-started since then, or whether there will be another years-long hiatus?
This was supposed to be the version which finally started addressing some of the big warts, too.
He said he "hopes" to restart by end of month...but no ETA...he never gives up a release date until it nears completion...just hoping at least done by start of football season.
Well, the developer has been publishing some tid bits about next version, at least a sign the game is not dead yet....really hoping this comes out this year but as usual the developer remains pretty silent.
http://www.solecismic.com/frontierblog/author/admin/
What happened to the "football" ;) game from the devs of OOTP?
Quote from: JudgeDredd on October 08, 2016, 04:45:36 AM
What happened to the "football" ;) game from the devs of OOTP?
Ever since they had to change developers (previous has health issues), things have been pretty quiet and slow...they appear to be in no rush to release and zero possibilities for this year and I would say very little possibility for next year. Its a shame, was really looking forward to it.
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on October 08, 2016, 03:43:55 AM
Well, the developer has been publishing some tid bits about next version, at least a sign the game is not dead yet....really hoping this comes out this year but as usual the developer remains pretty silent.
http://www.solecismic.com/frontierblog/author/admin/
All the little adjustments will be nice. But I would purchase the next FOF if the only new feature it had was a redone playbook setup that resembles actual football, and not a randomized table of percentages you enter. That has been a huge glaring immersion-busting FOF issue for me.
Not the UI.
Despite mention that the playbook/gameplan change has been planned, I'm still concerned about it actually getting done well, if at all, anytime soon. Judging by how hot/cold the developer is about further FOF development, and his hiatuses. He should probably strike, now, while the offerings are still very thin. I have a feeling other NFL text sims will be showing up and growing in the next few years.
Quote from: Nefaro on October 08, 2016, 06:33:50 AM
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on October 08, 2016, 03:43:55 AM
Well, the developer has been publishing some tid bits about next version, at least a sign the game is not dead yet....really hoping this comes out this year but as usual the developer remains pretty silent.
http://www.solecismic.com/frontierblog/author/admin/
All the little adjustments will be nice. But I would purchase the next FOF if the only new feature it had was a redone playbook setup that resembles actual football, and not a randomized table of percentages you enter. That has been a huge glaring immersion-busting FOF issue for me. Not the UI.
Despite mention that the playbook/gameplan change has been planned, I'm still concerned about it actually getting done well, if at all, anytime soon. Judging by how hot/cold the developer is about further FOF development, and his hiatuses. He should probably strike, now, while the offerings are still very thin. I have a feeling other NFL text sims will be showing up and growing in the next few years.
Besides OOTP, I doubt much NFL games will come out.....the landscape has been baron for years so can't see it changing besides the normal cast of characters. Even though Madden is largely an arcade game, even its management features get stronger. An Axis football, that will never make it:)
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on October 08, 2016, 07:24:57 AM
Besides OOTP, I doubt much NFL games will come out.....the landscape has been baron for years so can't see it changing besides the normal cast of characters. Even though Madden is largely an arcade game, even its management features get stronger. An Axis football, that will never make it:)
Dunno. That other tablet-to-PC port came out not long ago, and is planned to be expanded (for the PC version?) in the future. I'd have it already if not for the high price point. Plus the Wolverine/PFS thing is continuing to be improved AFAIK.
Unlike years past, there is actually a new career football sims occasionally coming out. Even though they're not as feature complete yet, the genre's offerings have been on the increase.
Quote from: Nefaro on October 08, 2016, 09:22:09 AM
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on October 08, 2016, 07:24:57 AM
Besides OOTP, I doubt much NFL games will come out.....the landscape has been baron for years so can't see it changing besides the normal cast of characters. Even though Madden is largely an arcade game, even its management features get stronger. An Axis football, that will never make it:)
Dunno. That other tablet-to-PC port came out not long ago, and is planned to be expanded (for the PC version?) in the future. I'd have it already if not for the high price point. Plus the Wolverine/PFS thing is continuing to be improved AFAIK.
Unlike years past, there is actually a new career football sims occasionally coming out. Even though they're not as feature complete yet, the genre's offerings have been on the increase.
Pro Football Strategy (recent one) seemed to flop on the PC and because of how generic it is, can't see that having a long interest...and certainly if the developer keeps it at $35. And don't get me started on Wolverine:) At least they are actively developing the College game, but no mention of any plans for Pro yet.....before I trust in them again, will really need to see how the College version pans out.
Yes, we have seen a couple of new football entries, but they still seemed to be trending on the light side (mobile, arcade, and not seriously deep) but trust me, I really do hope there are more in the future or at least one that really grabs me:) My biggest hope right now is FOF 8 even with its warts.
Latest news from the developer.....really hoping it is soon.
My intention is to let people know, one way or another, whether FOF8 will come out this year by the end of this week. If it will come out, it's not that far off. If it won't, I'll have a 2016 player file and coaching file completed by the end of November and I'll add it to FOF7 (however, if FOF8 is coming, FOF7 will not be updated).
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on November 15, 2016, 06:23:39 PM
Latest news from the developer.....really hoping it is soon.
My intention is to let people know, one way or another, whether FOF8 will come out this year by the end of this week. If it will come out, it's not that far off. If it won't, I'll have a 2016 player file and coaching file completed by the end of November and I'll add it to FOF7 (however, if FOF8 is coming, FOF7 will not be updated).
Strange. Just strange.
Maybe there was some major bug that has been elusive in testing? I hope it comes out with the new play calling interface, and UI in general. Before the developer goes from Hot to Cold again regarding working on it. :hide:
Yep, not sure why this week is critical to releasing this year....but this is typical from the developer so nothing surprises me.....maybe if he doesn't finish it he is on vacation or something for the remainder of the year. The roster update is probably pretty easy for him since he probably was already working on it for the new version. Anyway, still hoping for this year......
Yes! Coming out next week....shooting for next Wednesday on Steam for $29, with 10% discount......
After probably the longest and most intense development cycle of my career, I feel confident in announcing the pending release of Front Office Football Eight. When, you might ask? I'm hoping it will be out on Steam on Wednesday. But that will be up to them. I will submit a final build by Monday morning.
You'll notice a lot of changes in the new product. I think it looks a lot better. Another fantastic main background and branding from Cyril Chong – he's also been wonderful working with my admittedly intense and varied development schedule. A new menu system designed to get you wherever you want in lightning speed. Non-modal windows mean you can have a lot of information on your screen(s) all at once.
There's a new game planning system that's modeled after how NFL coaches prepare for each game. And, each year, you'll be able to install your own playbook, complete with plays designed to fit your team's strengths. Of course, Rex is improved, and you'll have more options for letting him get you through the complicated stuff at first.
Numerous other improvements and new features round out the package. This is definitely the biggest leap between new versions I've ever tried. This is the final major piece of new development for my vision of Front Office Football. After a good rest, I hope to start on TCY2. No promises there, but the vision has always been about having both products.
The price of Front Office Football Eight is $29.95. I will offer a 10% discount upon release to reward existing customers who know this is something they want right away.
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on November 18, 2016, 07:27:16 PM
Yes! Coming out next week....shooting for next Wednesday on Steam for $29, with 10% discount......
After probably the longest and most intense development cycle of my career, I feel confident in announcing the pending release of Front Office Football Eight. When, you might ask? I'm hoping it will be out on Steam on Wednesday. But that will be up to them. I will submit a final build by Monday morning.
You'll notice a lot of changes in the new product. I think it looks a lot better. Another fantastic main background and branding from Cyril Chong – he's also been wonderful working with my admittedly intense and varied development schedule. A new menu system designed to get you wherever you want in lightning speed. Non-modal windows mean you can have a lot of information on your screen(s) all at once.
There's a new game planning system that's modeled after how NFL coaches prepare for each game. And, each year, you'll be able to install your own playbook, complete with plays designed to fit your team's strengths. Of course, Rex is improved, and you'll have more options for letting him get you through the complicated stuff at first.
Numerous other improvements and new features round out the package. This is definitely the biggest leap between new versions I've ever tried. This is the final major piece of new development for my vision of Front Office Football. After a good rest, I hope to start on TCY2. No promises there, but the vision has always been about having both products.
The price of Front Office Football Eight is $29.95. I will offer a 10% discount upon release to reward existing customers who know this is something they want right away.
Ohhhh dayum.
I'll be ready to jump on this, for the play-calling & playbook overhauls alone. :bd:
Hope it's been given a good shakedown by testers. Have we seen any preview screenshots or the like?
No shots yet......but I will absolutely be a day one purchasing so I will be test subject for this one too:)
Too bad, there aren't any improvements to the Draft mentioned. I always found the Draft the most enigmatic part of FoF7.
The first two draft rounds were mostly ok for me (even better with high picks :) ), but from round three on I normally felt like wandering blind through the fog.
Quote from: Tosh on November 19, 2016, 07:34:07 PM
Too bad, there aren't any improvements to the Draft mentioned. I always found the Draft the most enigmatic part of FoF7.
The first two draft rounds were mostly ok for me (even better with high picks :) ), but from round three on I normally felt like wandering blind through the fog.
Maybe we will be surprised...the developer is not a great communicator so who knows what else has changed:)
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on November 19, 2016, 07:36:03 PM
Quote from: Tosh on November 19, 2016, 07:34:07 PM
Too bad, there aren't any improvements to the Draft mentioned. I always found the Draft the most enigmatic part of FoF7.
The first two draft rounds were mostly ok for me (even better with high picks :) ), but from round three on I normally felt like wandering blind through the fog.
Maybe we will be surprised...the developer is not a great communicator so who knows what else has changed:)
I kinda enjoyed the draft's wild variatians.. to an extent.
The later picks could definitely be all over the place, with little indication from the stats beforehand. But I'd rather it be mysterious rather than set in stone.
Some supposed new screen shots, although really doesn't show any of the new major things...but highlights multiple windows, some additional fields on the player card, etc. Rather would see new screens on play calling and game planning....
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1117.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fk592%2FGrimReaper42%2FGames%2FFOF8.jpg&hash=97afc0cb557cb6f2d1f1175c75b0c5224af66347)
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on November 21, 2016, 06:35:38 PM
Some supposed new screen shots, although really doesn't show any of the new major things...but highlights multiple windows, some additional fields on the player card, etc. Rather would see new screens on play calling and game planning....
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1117.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fk592%2FGrimReaper42%2FGames%2FFOF8.jpg&hash=97afc0cb557cb6f2d1f1175c75b0c5224af66347)
(my bold)
Same.
Keep us abreast.
Developer submitted stuff to steam it appears and hopes for release this week....really hoping it makes it especially tomorrow since on vacation:). But history probably tells me it won't.
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on November 22, 2016, 05:06:52 AM
Developer submitted stuff to steam it appears and hopes for release this week....really hoping it makes it especially tomorrow since on vacation:). But history probably tells me it won't.
It's Steam. I'd be surprised if they didn't drag their feet for 2-4 weeks. Of course, this would be content that directly makes them money, so I shouldn't project their abyssmal customer service performance on it evenly.
Not sure....no sign of it in upcoming games....really hoping tomorrow is the day!
I'm really looking forward to this so hopefully it won't get delayed. There's no news on Twitter and FOF Central is down which is frustrating. Hopefully Steam just approve it and release it smoothly on Wednesday.
Main operationsports site back up....so hopefully FOFC up sometime later where I hop there is some updated news.
Developer posted this a little while ago in steam forums.....not sure if this is just coming soon type page or ready for selling.....
I know. He knew before I did.
I've been working extremely hard the last few months hoping I could get it done.
My goal tonight here is to get the FOF8 page active.
And new page live with available date being tomorrow...number of screen shots as well...
http://store.steampowered.com/app/547900/
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi974.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fae230%2FSlyBelle%2Ffof%2Ff1.jpg&hash=e7fb0f420ffebca2669765aa2f13aa6bb664415d)
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NEW IN VERSION EIGHT
For those of you who have played Front Office Football in the past, there are dozens of new features in the game. This is our most ambitious new product to date, and you'll find it a much more realistic professional football experience.
Custom offensive playbooks. Each year, during training camp, you can create a book of up to 200 offensive plays to use during the season. Of course, as with all the management features in Front Office Football, the game's AI can create a playbook specifically for your team if you like.
New player participation charts. You can select your starters based on personnel groupings. This gives you much more control over who is on the field in every situation.
More realistic game planning. Rather than filling out extensive charts, you can write scripts for the plays your team will run in every situation. Create a list of plays for use in the Two-Minute Drill. Save your best plays for those critical third-and-three situations. This is much closer to how professional teams handle in-game play-calling. On defense, your plan will cover how you react to what your opponent is doing. You'll have fewer choices to make, but the choices will have a big impact on performance.
Instant history (or at least history created as quickly as your computer can run). At the press of a button, you can generate up to 50 seasons of "history" for your league, with the AI running every team.
Enhanced Multi-Player Support. A fuller set of options for maintaining your multi-player games. Additional security features to prevent "hacked" stage files and file compression to shorten load times and reduce the FTP space needed to run a game.
New player cards with quick access to all the information available about each athlete.
Create graphs showing how many wins each franchise has over any time period in your league to highlight potential dynasties.
A playoff probability simulator so that late in the season you can determine each team's chances of reaching the playoffs or gaining a first-round bye.
A brand new menu interface. Front Office Football will never be the prettiest game in the world, but the the new menu will quickly get you any place in the game.
Interface improvements. Switch between using various screens within the game. You can even take advantage of multiple monitors and have all sorts of varied information available at once. Front Office Football has always been about displaying as much information as possible.
Quote of the Day. Every day, you can read a quote from the vast store of collected wisdom within the Front Office Football universe.
Extensive improvements and fine tuning within the game engine. Little was left untouched. The heart of Front Office Football is in the play results and the simulation of thousands and thousands of games.
A 2016 player file and coach file.
Excellent, it's looking like a really good progression for an already impressive series.
Quote from: FC on November 22, 2016, 10:29:00 PM
Excellent, it's looking like a really good progression for an already impressive series.
I am hoping...have to admit was hoping the game planning screen would be a little more simplistic, but could be fund creating your own playbooks.....I'll know this time tomorrow:)
Manual posted...has some good info especially on creating plays, playbooks, and game planning...
http://cdn.edgecast.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/547900/manuals/FOFOffensivePhilosophy.pdf?t=1479889384
A much needed leap.
The new playbook & game plan features! :notworthy: O0
I'll buckle like a belt.
Hope the excellent Logo mod pack I use is still compatible with this one, since the UI got upgraded.
Link to both offensive and defensive planning guides...
http://www.solecismic.com/downloads.php
Bought and dlownloaded!
Ditto, it's been an expensive week but initial impressions are very positive. It took a short while to get used to the new layout and flow of the game but it is much more streamlined than FOF7.
Yep, the new layout is taken me some time to actually find stuff....I am sure I'll get use to it.
Pretty sure I still have backups of Icy's Glossy Logos somewhere, if anyone needs da best official NFL logo set for FOF.
The old 2k7 download links are now dead.
Will have to find it for my own install of FOF8.
Hopefully they still work okay. They still did in FOF7.
I believe I have most of the logo mods that were ever posted, Icy had like 3-4 sets and a number of people had them too. I haven't put them in the game yet but they should work since the screens haven't really change and they only show in 1-2 spots anyway.
Very tempted. I'd like to see him revisit the college game again at some point as well.
That's up next....he mentioned that work would start on it.
Has anyone ever tried an mp league in fof? I wonder how well that works compared to say ootp. I really enjoyed this about 15 years ago, so I will probably jump in this weekend.
Quote from: vyshka on November 23, 2016, 09:45:04 PM
Has anyone ever tried an mp league in fof? I wonder how well that works compared to say ootp. I really enjoyed this about 15 years ago, so I will probably jump in this weekend.
I've never MP'd in FOF. Not much for lengthy PBEM games, myself. But there have been people doing MP leagues for many years.
I just picked this up, never played a previous version. I simmed the 2016 season without changing anything, and Cleveland beat Carolina to win the championship!
I've got a lot to learn, but it looks pretty easy to get around. The team names are fake, but the players are from the 2016 rosters.
Quote from: RedArgo on November 23, 2016, 10:28:53 PM
I just picked this up, never played a previous version. I simmed the 2016 season without changing anything, and Cleveland beat Carolina to win the championship!
I've got a lot to learn, but it looks pretty easy to get around. The team names are fake, but the players are from the 2016 rosters.
You can go under controls menu and one time rename the teams to be the real world names. When you also start a league, choose the alternate coach file and will use real coach names.
Great, thanks, when I start a real league that will help with the immersion.
Quote from: RedArgo on November 23, 2016, 10:28:53 PM
I just picked this up, never played a previous version. I simmed the 2016 season without changing anything, and Cleveland beat Carolina to win the championship!
I've got a lot to learn, but it looks pretty easy to get around. The team names are fake, but the players are from the 2016 rosters.
hope you reported this bug :DD
I just finished a season with the Steelers, and in the new season one of the tasks is to renegotiate contracts for staff. My head coach, off coord, and assistant coach all have 0 years left on their contact, so I'm not able to extend or renew. The 1st season of the game begins at the training camp stage and I don't see another way to extend the contract of the staff during the season. Am I missing where that can be done (I don't see a button like there is on the player information window)? Good thing we had an 11-5 season that first year, because this year is probably going to be chaos with the coaching staff. We beat New England in the wildcard week, and then lost to Indy in the divisional playoffs. The last game of the season we lost Antonio Brown for the rest of the year, which probably didn't help. Cincy won the division by also going 11-5, and bumping us somewhere in the tiebreaks (same conf record, same div record, split our 2 games, their opponents won 1 more game than mine). Big Ben had a good year, but he probably doesn't have many left in him. Le'Veon Bell had a great season as well winning the offensive player of the year award. He was just shy of 1600 yards rushing and added another 700+ receiving, and returned 2 punts for touchdowns.
Looking at my roster I apparently wasn't paying attention to the contract status of many folks so I probably have to start again or get fired.
Edit: Looking at the possible achievements, it is a testament to Vinny Testaverde's career that the achievement named after him is about starting a qb that is over 40 years old, and not having a qb that threw 30+ interceptions in a season (still angry about trading for him in a statis-pro football league about 1 week before he decided he was color blind).
I don't believe you can renegotiate contracts of staff during the season just during the resigning stage. Plus new in this version, you can no longer renegotiate player contracts during the season either.
You should be very happy if you can't resign Kevin Butler, maybe Steeler's defense will actually improve without him:)
Started another game, this time with the alt coach file. They all had 4 year contracts so no worries there. Just finished the regular season and we went 9-7. Ben had a much rougher year, and my secondary got tore apart. I think I need to spend some time reading the help files and getting a better understanding of how the scouts and their estimates work. Bell led the league in rushing for me though with over 1800 yards, and grabbed another 770 receiving. He must have liked his new contract. Now we go into wildcard week with 3 players gone for the season. We lost Antonio Brown early in the season, and I just lost a tackle and my TE.
Although I like the game and always will, have mixed feelings on the new version so far.
1) I never thought the UI could take a step back, but I actually think it did. Not a big fan of the new menu system, was a lot easier in the prior design.
2) I don't like the fact you can't set your own backup players anymore...you can setup packages, but I haven't found a place where I can explicitly say my backup players per each position.
3) Game planning. Based on early descriptions, really got the impression it was going to be easier....it may have even gotten more tedious in my opinion. I know I can have the AI set things up, but was hoping I could still have influence on the plan without going into so much detail.
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on November 24, 2016, 05:40:52 AM
Although I like the game and always will, have mixed feelings on the new version so far.
1) I never thought the UI could take a step back, but I actually think it did. Not a big fan of the new menu system, was a lot easier in the prior design.
2) I don't like the fact you can't set your own backup players anymore...you can setup packages, but I haven't found a place where I can explicitly say my backup players per each position.
3) Game planning. Based on early descriptions, really got the impression it was going to be easier....it may have even gotten more tedious in my opinion. I know I can have the AI set things up, but was hoping I could still have influence on the plan without going into so much detail.
There are no depth charts per position? Does the AI just choose on it's own? I wouldn't have too much problem with this except that there was always at least one case of the AI picking a 2nd stringer where I thought it's 3rd string pick should've been instead. Then again, I think the FOF AI chose replacements better than OOTP does, and it's a damn headache fixing OOTP depth charts.
Even if it's more complicated, I'll be happy with the new game plan & playbook system. Those tables of percentage numbers just sucked the immersion right out of me in past iterations. But I'll probably start learning it by letting the AI choose everything, then start turning it off and modifying the AI's initial setup as I need to. I often did that with the play calling and depth charts in previous FOFs because it saved time up front.
I've been on a
Warships tear lately, plus some extra holiday activities, so I haven't delved in yet. Have you read any of the Offensive & Defensive guides? Are they a big help regarding the new FOF8 system, or are they just primers on football knowledge that many fans of the game already know?
Quote from: Nefaro on November 24, 2016, 07:17:59 AM
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on November 24, 2016, 05:40:52 AM
Although I like the game and always will, have mixed feelings on the new version so far.
1) I never thought the UI could take a step back, but I actually think it did. Not a big fan of the new menu system, was a lot easier in the prior design.
2) I don't like the fact you can't set your own backup players anymore...you can setup packages, but I haven't found a place where I can explicitly say my backup players per each position.
3) Game planning. Based on early descriptions, really got the impression it was going to be easier....it may have even gotten more tedious in my opinion. I know I can have the AI set things up, but was hoping I could still have influence on the plan without going into so much detail.
There are no depth charts per position? Does the AI just choose on it's own? I wouldn't have too much problem with this except that there was always at least one case of the AI picking a 2nd stringer where I thought it's 3rd string pick should've been instead. Then again, I think the FOF AI chose replacements better than OOTP does, and it's a damn headache fixing OOTP depth charts.
Even if it's more complicated, I'll be happy with the new game plan & playbook system. Those tables of percentage numbers just sucked the immersion right out of me in past iterations. But I'll probably start learning it by letting the AI choose everything, then start turning it off and modifying the AI's initial setup as I need to. I often did that with the play calling and depth charts in previous FOFs because it saved time up front.
I've been on a Warships tear lately, plus some extra holiday activities, so I haven't delved in yet. Have you read any of the Offensive & Defensive guides? Are they a big help regarding the new FOF8 system, or are they just primers on football knowledge that many fans of the game already know?
Yes, you can no longer set depth charts per se....instead you setup personnel packages for various formations. Therefore, if you have 3 QBs on your roster, you can name the starter but the AI will determine your backup and when they play. The guides provide good information although not sure I comprehend it all yet. The play and playbook setup just seems very tedious (although robust), which I am sure some folks enjoy....just wish he would include a simplistic version for those that don't and using the AI is not an option since then it removes all your input.
You can still tell the AI to do the initial setup, then turn it off and modify that to your liking, right?
Quote from: Nefaro on November 24, 2016, 07:46:34 AM
You can still tell the AI to do the initial setup, then turn it off and modify that to your liking, right?
Assuming your meaning the plays and playbook...yes, you can do that....it can and will recommend everything, then you can modify until your hearts content. Whether it does it go or not, way too early to tell.
on page 2 in the screen shots you posted i see 2 of them titled depth chart offense and depth chart defense, those dont work as one would think they should??
Quote from: CptHowdy on November 24, 2016, 11:10:54 AM
on page 2 in the screen shots you posted i see 2 of them titled depth chart offense and depth chart defense, those dont work as one would think they should??
No, they turned those into personnel package screens....you set different players per package (i.e. 3 wr, 1te, etc.), but you can't input the depth for a specific position. So if my RB goes out with injury in the game, there is no setting where I can tell the computer which RB to put in his place....I am assuming the computer is deciding what it thinks is best. My problem with that is the computer doesn't know what I want to do...I may not want the highest rated player, I may want someone that I am looking to build.
anymore impressions? stable, buggy? big improvement over previous versions? computer AI any good at making financial decisions? AI make crazy trades or not sign key players even though it has money to do so? regret or glad you purchased?
There will never be regrets in purchasing the game, regardless if any issues need ironed out or some things that I wish were done differently. To me its not leaps and bounds different than prior versions, but more of a refinement and continuing to mature which is perfectly fine for me and what I would want. If you enjoy American football and careers sims, simply a no brainer that you'll find nothing finer. I am also fully confident based on past history the developer will fix any reported issues quickly and occasionally deliver enhancements, even if he rarely participates with the community.
For me a few things.
- Not a fan they removed depth charts
- Preseason usage of players is suspect
- Not a fan of the new menu UI--they should have just left it alone
- Way too early, but wish they would have simplified play creation and game planning--doesn't mean not good, just wish more simplistic
- Like the fact you can create history---you can start by simming as many seasons as you want
- Like that multiple windows can be open
- No longer need to carry 3 QBs, which is good
- Seems likely a lot of little tweaks behind the scenes (height/weight matter, coordinators matter, etc.)
Although I haven't necessarily seen myself, other issues/concerns being reported by people.
- Suspect choices of the AI filling out rosters--not always using the best or right players
- Some people having crashes or display issues
- Some searching not working
- The auto generation of game plans kind of random...meaning you can hit the button over and over and get different results (you would think it would be similar if basing on your talent, coaches, etc.)
I'll tell you one thing, the actual game play by play and how it unfolds remains top notch....rarely if ever see a head scratching play or outcome. Teams seem to call the right type of plays and manage the game clock well. Just had a heart breaking situation but awesome how it unfolded.
Steelers (season record of 15-1) in the playoffs against the Colts.....with about 3 minutes left, Steelers up 13 to 6. Colts get the ball and drive down the field. Around the Steeler's 40 yard line, Andrew Luck attempts a 4th down pass and incomplete.....but hold on, defense called for a penalty, they get new life.
Colts drive down to roughly the Steelers 8 yard line.....again the Steeler's defense holds them and on 4th down, another incomplete pass...but hold on, Steeler's called for holding, Colts get lucky again. Next play Luck throws TD pass to Frank Gore and game all tied up with about 50 seconds remaining in the game.
Steelers get the ball, Ben attempts a couple passes, but incomplete. Then he attempts another pass and Colt's get an interception! They run one play to get a little closer for their FG kicker and he splits the uprights as time expires. Colts win 16-13 :(
Although a sad way for a 15-1 team to exit the playoffs, it was simply a stunning conclusions like you see sometimes in the NFL.....and no I don't think the CPU cheated at all to get this outcome, for every outcome like this, far more times the game ends as you would expect....but in this case, an instant classic!
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on November 26, 2016, 03:10:56 AM
There will never be regrets in purchasing the game, regardless if any issues need ironed out or some things that I wish were done differently. To me its not leaps and bounds different than prior versions, but more of a refinement and continuing to mature which is perfectly fine for me and what I would want. If you enjoy American football and careers sims, simply a no brainer that you'll find nothing finer. I am also fully confident based on past history the developer will fix any reported issues quickly and occasionally deliver enhancements, even if he rarely participates with the community.
For me a few things.
- Not a fan they removed depth charts
- Preseason usage of players is suspect
- Not a fan of the new menu UI--they should have just left it alone
- Way too early, but wish they would have simplified play creation and game planning--doesn't mean not good, just wish more simplistic
- Like the fact you can create history---you can start by simming as many seasons as you want
- Like that multiple windows can be open
- No longer need to carry 3 QBs, which is good
- Seems likely a lot of little tweaks behind the scenes (height/weight matter, coordinators matter, etc.)
Although I haven't necessarily seen myself, other issues/concerns being reported by people.
- Suspect choices of the AI filling out rosters--not always using the best or right players
- Some people having crashes or display issues
- Some searching not working
- The auto generation of game plans kind of random...meaning you can hit the button over and over and get different results (you would think it would be similar if basing on your talent, coaches, etc.)
I recall the preseason player usage, by the AI, being suspect before.
More so how often my players were getting injured in preseason in past versions. I even began turning off preseason games in newly created careers because most teams would end up with 3-5 injuries before the regular season even started. ::) I hope that's fixed.
Been wanting to delve into FOF8 soon, but I've been gorging on WoWS and making plans to get familiar with SOW: Waterloo. And now probably PrON along with FOF. Split four ways. :nerd:
The big difference between 8 and 7 concerning pre season usage is you no longer have the option to set playing time...so totally at the mercy of the computer to do it right. I lost my starting RB to injury because he was still playing in a preseason game well into the 3rd QTR....had my starting QB play an entire preseason game....
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on November 26, 2016, 07:34:32 AM
The big difference between 8 and 7 concerning pre season usage is you no longer have the option to set playing time...so totally at the mercy of the computer to do it right. I lost my starting RB to injury because he was still playing in a preseason game well into the 3rd QTR....had my starting QB play an entire preseason game....
I'd just turn it off when starting a new career. Had to do it before, due to excessive preseason injuries. Will do it again.
Just wish you could still reduce the "rust" factor a bit, on some players, when it's off.
Quote from: Nefaro on November 26, 2016, 07:40:40 AM
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on November 26, 2016, 07:34:32 AM
The big difference between 8 and 7 concerning pre season usage is you no longer have the option to set playing time...so totally at the mercy of the computer to do it right. I lost my starting RB to injury because he was still playing in a preseason game well into the 3rd QTR....had my starting QB play an entire preseason game....
I'd just turn it off when starting a new career. Had to do it before, due to excessive preseason injuries. Will do it again.
Just wish you could still reduce the "rust" factor a bit, on some players, when it's off.
Do you mean turn off preseason games or injuries? Don't see any option to turn off games, so assuming you mean injuries. Hopefully will be improved since I don't really want to go that route either since I am ok with injuries, just not OK when they unrealistically happen at a point where real players wouldn't be in the game.
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on November 26, 2016, 07:46:07 AM
Quote from: Nefaro on November 26, 2016, 07:40:40 AM
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on November 26, 2016, 07:34:32 AM
The big difference between 8 and 7 concerning pre season usage is you no longer have the option to set playing time...so totally at the mercy of the computer to do it right. I lost my starting RB to injury because he was still playing in a preseason game well into the 3rd QTR....had my starting QB play an entire preseason game....
I'd just turn it off when starting a new career. Had to do it before, due to excessive preseason injuries. Will do it again.
Just wish you could still reduce the "rust" factor a bit, on some players, when it's off.
Do you mean turn off preseason games or injuries? Don't see any option to turn off games, so assuming you mean injuries. Hopefully will be improved since I don't really want to go that route either since I am ok with injuries, just not OK when they unrealistically happen at a point where real players wouldn't be in the game.
Turning off preseason games.
There was an option in the last two FOF versions. I don't recall exactly where it was, but they had it. Hopefully that option wasn't erased.
Quote from: Nefaro on November 26, 2016, 07:49:55 AM
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on November 26, 2016, 07:46:07 AM
Quote from: Nefaro on November 26, 2016, 07:40:40 AM
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on November 26, 2016, 07:34:32 AM
The big difference between 8 and 7 concerning pre season usage is you no longer have the option to set playing time...so totally at the mercy of the computer to do it right. I lost my starting RB to injury because he was still playing in a preseason game well into the 3rd QTR....had my starting QB play an entire preseason game....
I'd just turn it off when starting a new career. Had to do it before, due to excessive preseason injuries. Will do it again.
Just wish you could still reduce the "rust" factor a bit, on some players, when it's off.
Do you mean turn off preseason games or injuries? Don't see any option to turn off games, so assuming you mean injuries. Hopefully will be improved since I don't really want to go that route either since I am ok with injuries, just not OK when they unrealistically happen at a point where real players wouldn't be in the game.
Turning off preseason games.
There was an option in the last two FOF versions. I don't recall exactly where it was, but they had it. Hopefully that option wasn't erased.
I would be interested to know where that is....I also have 7 loaded and don't see it anywhere.
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on November 26, 2016, 07:55:08 AM
I would be interested to know where that is....I also have 7 loaded and don't see it anywhere.
I seem to recall the preseason option in FOF7 being on that initial career setup screen. The one with the options that had two buttons (like an on/off switch) and some other little stuff. There was an entry box where you could enter how many preseason games you wanted to play. IIRC, entering zero worked..?
It could've been in the Options screen, however.
Quote from: Nefaro on November 26, 2016, 08:00:58 AM
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on November 26, 2016, 07:55:08 AM
I would be interested to know where that is....I also have 7 loaded and don't see it anywhere.
I seem to recall the preseason option in FOF7 being on that initial career setup screen. The one with the options that had two buttons (like an on/off switch) and some other little stuff. There was an entry box where you could enter how many preseason games you wanted to play. IIRC, entering zero worked..?
It could've been in the Options screen, however.
Nope, checked both 7 and 8, neither have those options in that screen or any other that I can find....maybe it was in a version older than 7. You can change injury settings though.
I also tried looking at the 2007 version, which was the version before 7, couldn't find it there either...maybe just not looking in correct place:)
Guess I could be confusing it with some other football manager sim. Although I don't know which one that would be since I've not played any others in a few years. *shrug*
Uninstalled my FOF7 a short time ago, after not playing it this year. Haven't even done the initial name changes & logo modding to FOF8 yet since I've been gaming some other stuff this weekend, and planning others. Maybe after the Sunday games I'll be ready to crack it open for the first time.
I believe your referring to PFS football, it had the option to select number of preseason games.
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on November 26, 2016, 07:52:45 PM
I believe your referring to PFS football, it had the option to select number of preseason games.
Must've been.
Perhaps I just temporarily turned off injuries during the preseason games, then back up afterward.
Since I do want some injuries during preseason to keep things realistic, likely won't turn off injuries. I don't mind injuries as long as players are realistically being rotated and the injury comes at a realistic time, not happening in the 3rd quarter to a starting rb. I guess I'll just need to use my imagination to say the injury came at a realistic time.
There have been some acknowledged crash bugs, so I've been waiting them to be cleaned before starting.
Although some crashes, don't believe they happen on a regular basis....although you may not get started with a career still worthwhile to experiment with the new features.
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on November 29, 2016, 06:27:41 PM
Although some crashes, don't believe they happen on a regular basis....although you may not get started with a career still worthwhile to experiment with the new features.
They sounded like they could be reproduced with regularity. I didn't feel like finding out exactly what to avoid, whilst playing, since it's supposed to be patched up in the next week or so.
Dev also said he wanted to address the poor AI substitution problems in same update. Dunno if it's just AI routine adjustments or some extra depth chart usability.
I play it safe and start a new career/campaign when mechanics get changed in a game update. Will wait.
Patch released this morning....some nice changes included with bug fixes. Improved the player card to see more information that was previously hidden by default, can now choose kick returners, improved the recommended depth charts, etc.
I couldn't find an actual change list s hopefully one will be posted at some point.
Hrmm... check this new patch out, we must. :cowboy:
Was getting window bleed-through that made it unplayable.
Checked FAQ. Says I must have Aero enabled. Works now. :-\
So far, really like this version and likely have played this more already then the prior version. Still haven't started a "serious" career play yet, just feeling my way around but liking the results. If history serves correct, there will be another 1-2 patches released at some point so going to wait a bit, but so far really haven't noticed any major issues, especially after the first patch....no crash yet.
Have you started customizing your own game plans yet? Or have you just been letting the AI create them for you?
Been expecting to mess with it some, starting this weekend. I'm sure there will be another patch or two, as with most releases. But if they fixed the major bits with this first update, then I'll begin delving into it.
Nope, I am sticking with playing the role as a GM, so I plan I letting the coach do his job:)
I have a far superior set of Glossy NFL Logos someone created for an older version. They're better than the others currently listed for FOF8.
Samples:
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi63.tinypic.com%2F20z30ok.jpg&hash=a102ea1669fadce5c4d3b2a30bbab9a48fac0949)
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi64.tinypic.com%2Fnbxd76.jpg&hash=58bf33bd3574b189873b9ee9e51c544de80d7a71)
Someone posted a new d/l link to them, for FOF8, not long ago. But I cannot find the goddamn thread to save my life. Lost in the noise. Would be a shame if the best set of logos got lost over time.
Anyway.... if you want this set, here they are. They're higher quality than the others IMO.
I just had to rename the Rams logo pic to the same as the Los Angeles one, in this new version. Everything's still the same. I also left the Rams logo in for St. Louis, but it shouldn't show up since there won't be a team there. In other words - this has been updated to FOF8.
Just drop the "pictures" folder into your FOF8 install folder and overwrite.
Attached ~~>