I know someone mentioned following this upcoming American football game in another thread, based on the developer's comments below, looks like we can see it on steam soon. I also included links to the steam page and the developer's blog page if interested. This actually was a game listed in the RPS 2014 game preview article. No idea what it is going to cost and how long it will take for steam to make it available, but does look interesting. I thought I read in the past it might have some "interesting" rules/gameplay mechanics in it that might not correspond 100% with NFL football, but could be fun anyways. Looks like it also not really based on real teams, but that is OK too.
I am a sucker for all American football games so this likely is the game to make me break my resolution for 2014:)
Developer's Comments (posted on 1/7)
"I'm getting up early in the morning, putting in about two and a half hours of final testing, then submitting to Steam."
Blog
http://dubiousquality.blogspot.com/
Steam Page
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=195337612
If I remember correctly, the developer used to work for Sports Interactive...the fine people who bring you Football Manager ;).
Quote from: KyzBP on January 08, 2014, 06:59:23 PM
If I remember correctly, the developer used to work for Sports Interactive...the fine people who bring you Football Manager ;).
Not sure if he did or didn't....if I remember correctly, this is actually his first programming experience on a game. I know he is known in the sports gaming circles for reviews and being involved in forums of sports games since I have seen his name around....but for some reason, not sure he had any in depth experience anywhere else...but I could be wrong.
Here is the article I was referring, to me seems like this is his first game...
http://www.reddoorbluekey.com/features/interviews/moving-chains-talking-gridiron-solitaire-developer-bill-harris/
My bad. There's another American Football Manager game that just started development. If I can remember where I saw it, I'll post a link. I bet someone beats me to it though.
Quote from: KyzBP on January 08, 2014, 07:31:51 PM
My bad. There's another American Football Manager game that just started development. If I can remember where I saw it, I'll post a link. I bet someone beats me to it though.
I bet you meant this one....
http://footballgeneralmanager.wordpress.com/
This one has promise if he sticks with it....
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on January 08, 2014, 07:42:35 PM
Quote from: KyzBP on January 08, 2014, 07:31:51 PM
My bad. There's another American Football Manager game that just started development. If I can remember where I saw it, I'll post a link. I bet someone beats me to it though.
I bet you meant this one....
http://footballgeneralmanager.wordpress.com/
This one has promise if he sticks with it....
Yep, that's the one.
Aww man.
I got all excited but it looks to be a game of solitaire playing cards with a football theme. :-[ I was hoping for a full-on text sim manager thing.
I suppose the other game linked in this thread is the only other text sim football game that has some screenshots and progress posted lately?
I like FOF7 but they really need to change the play-calling setup next year (or next version whenever that will be). Right now the AI only chooses the same style of offense and defense, to small varying degrees, so there isn't much in the way of AI playcalling variety since it just falls down to the same percentage die roll calls in each situation. Maybe we'll see an overhaul in the coming years. *fingers crossed*
Yeah I don't know about this one. I must be missing the appeal of it given the video on Steam.
Just something unique and a little different. Certainly won't replace replace fof or the other games out there. But with limited American football options out there, always good to see at least something new. No idea how it will turn out in the end.
Just saw this is now available on Steam (http://store.steampowered.com/app/266270/?snr=1_5_9__205). Anyone playing it?
Bill Harris moderated GoneGold when it was in it's death throes after Rich vanished. Lots of people over at Octopus Overlords (including myself) are buying this for that reason alone.
It looks interesting, and I'm always down for American football, but I'm not purchasing anything until I can see a gameplay video of some kind and have more info on how the game plays other than vague references to solitaire and NFL data.
This article sheds some more light on GS:
http://www.reddoorbluekey.com/features/interviews/moving-chains-talking-gridiron-solitaire-developer-bill-harris/
This has me more intrigued, actually. I'm on the fence now.
I've been following Bill for ages on his development blog, so I've got the game and have played a little of it.
Basically its a game of solitaire.
Each play, you select cards from the field in alternating colour and numerical order (eg. black 2, red 3 or red 12, black 13). You only select in pairs, and each successful pairing gains yardage on the field (or on defense takes yardage away from your opponent). You have a Big play button that allows you to "roll" for an extra card, but there is a chance of a text event - that usually doesn't end well. So you can't keep stabbing away at this button.
You also get a card penalty (ie.you lose a card from the field) if your opponent reads you next play (pass or run) and puts up an appropriate defense. There are also Wild Card cards that match up with any other card - useful for getting rid of one of a pair of single colour duplicates (eg. two red 13's).
On defense you have a Big Play button, but its only stacked with a finite number of presses - whereas on offense you can chance your luck with it endlessly (but don't forget the nasty text events that crop up, such as fumbles and turnovers etc).
The initial play is 1st and 40 (rather than the usual 1st and 10) to help keep the game pacey and make it about 15-20 minutes long.
Knowing when to cut your losses and End a play, rather than try for another Big Play seems to be the key. The team stats seem to affect certain elements of the game, but I haven't quite fathomed that out yet. Just make sure you have reasonable scores in both offensive run/pass and defensive run/pass stats.
Successful Run plays gain less yardage (4 yards per card pair I think), whereas pass plays gain 8, but needs three in a row to complete the pass. Pass plays run the clock slower though, somehow.
Its very much a football themed casual card matching game, nothing too deep or stat heavy. I kind of like it, but I'm not sure about the pairs mechanic. Fairway Solitaire allows for very long chains, whereas this doesn't, it allows for long pair match chains to a touchdown. If the card draw is with you.
If you're looking for something deep and tactical, I don't think you're going to get it here. If you want something similar to Fairway Solitaire, although a little more homebrew and attached to a Football theme then you might enjoy it.
It said something about having 16 teams, but I'm not really clear on if you're just selecting one for you to run or if you're playing multiple teams.
Also, spelk, what's the off-season like? It said something about training your team, getting draft picks, that sort of thing.
I picked it up, so I'll report back once I've had a chance to dive in.
Thanks, AB.
Quote from: Banzai_Cat on January 21, 2014, 05:33:53 PM
It said something about having 16 teams, but I'm not really clear on if you're just selecting one for you to run or if you're playing multiple teams.
Also, spelk, what's the off-season like? It said something about training your team, getting draft picks, that sort of thing.
You control just one team for the season.
^ Thanks. I figured as much.
What about that off-season stuff? Anything particularly impactful on the game?
At the end of the season your given a budget. With that u can select players to improve your team ratings. For example if you need better running game you can select to improve that. It is sort of like a mini game versus anything in depth like football sims.
It's a good card game and I enjoy it...just have to keep in mind it is not on the level like fof
I'm a little put off by the 1st down after 40 yards thing. And no kickoffs? Still, it sounds like fun and I've been looking for something to satisfy my American football itch for a long time. I was playing Maximum Football but it doesn't work under Windows 8 for whatever reason. It's actually the only game I've had problems with under Windows 8.
It's a fun card game but not sure it will scratch your itch for true American football game. It is meant to be played fast and not get bogged down in details. A number of key football things are streamlined to allow the game to play fast.
Quote from: bbmike on January 21, 2014, 06:37:20 PM
I'm a little put off by the 1st down after 40 yards thing.
That doesn't sound all that easy to live with. Although I think I can understand that from the game's system.
Quote from: Banzai_Cat on January 21, 2014, 07:11:31 PM
Quote from: bbmike on January 21, 2014, 06:37:20 PM
I'm a little put off by the 1st down after 40 yards thing.
That doesn't sound all that easy to live with. Although I think I can understand that from the game's system.
It does take some getting used to but is workable based on how the game plays out.
It sounds like you're going to have the ball for two sets of downs, maybe three, each time your offense touches the ball. Also sounds like you're going to be flipping between offense and defense a lot.
How does it handle kickoffs? Does it just set the ball somewhere and tell the offense to go for it?
I guess I should just buy the bloody thing, but I have to wait a couple of weeks - my son's 15th birthday is this Sunday and we need every coin we can scrape together right now.
No kickoff a just get ball on 20. Each possession length is different since depends on the card flips and how you use the big play feature.
What about fourth down? Any punting? Or do you just hand it over to the other team who starts it from their 20? Or do you just go for it on fourth down every time?
You can punt or go for it...if within 40 yds you can kick a fg
Extra points are automatic and no 2pt conversions. Onside kick offs can happen when only late in the game forgot to mention that
Thanks for the answers, Grim. I think I'll pick it up on the next payday. :)
Quote from: Banzai_Cat on January 21, 2014, 05:33:53 PM
It said something about having 16 teams, but I'm not really clear on if you're just selecting one for you to run or if you're playing multiple teams.
There seems to be 16 teams, but you choose one of them, customise it, Name, jersey colours and stadium and then play with that. My first game was an exhibition match which serves as a tutorial. Then I played another game, against one of the other teams. That's all I've played so far sadly.
Quote from: Banzai_Cat on January 21, 2014, 05:33:53 PM
Also, spelk, what's the off-season like? It said something about training your team, getting draft picks, that sort of thing.
I've not come across the training or draft picks yet, sorry.
Bill has just posted up a Guide for new players
http://dubiousquality.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/gridiron-solitaire-guide-for-new.html
Gridiron Solitaire: Guide for New Players (the first hour)
I want you guys to have the best experience possible, so here are a few things to keep in mind during your first hour of play.
First, pay introduction to the tutorial. It only lasts about 10 minutes, but it explains everything you need to know in terms of the rules. The rules aren't complicated, but you do need to understand them.
Actually, what am I saying? Nobody pays attention to the tutorial. Okay, let's start from scratch here.
There are two major areas of gameplay in GS: strategic decisions related to football, and strategic decisions related to the tableau (the cards in front of you). The football decisions are the same that a football coach would make during a game: run/pass playcall, down and distance decisions, when to kick, time management, etc. That's basic football, so no discussion needed (I'll put up a separate guide for those of you who are unfamiliar with American football).
So let's talk about the tableau.
The basics:
--playing cards either increases your gain on offense, or reduces the opponent's gain on defense.
--valid "matches" are cards within 1 rank and opposite color (so red 2 and black 3 would be a valid match, for example).
--1 and 13 are NOT a valid match. This is important to the card gameplay and will be discussed shortly.
--on offense, if you run out of valid card matches, you can press the "Big Play" button. When you press the Big Play button, you will either get another card or trigger a text event, which could have a positive or negative outcome. In gameplay terms, this represents risk.
--on defense, you receive an allocation of Big Play presses per half. They're much less risky in outcome terms (a negative event when you press the Big Play button on defense is very rare), but the risk lies in their limited supply. So you need to decide when getting an extra card (which will possibly result in more matches to reduce the opponent's gain on the play) is important.
The card play may seem simplistic at first, and you can certainly play it that way, but because 1-13 is not a match, certain cards are better to have on the tableau than others (with three specific levels of quality). I'm not going to spell that out for you, because I want you to discover it for yourselves, but good card play is a continual process of replacing "bad" cards on the tableau with "good" cards as soon as possible. This affects what order you'll play your matches, if you have more than one showing, and what you want to match the wild card with (wild cards show up occasionally and can be matched with any card).
On Rookie difficulty, you will quickly be able to win. Rookie is really only for people who have no understanding of American football and my Mom (love you, Mom!). The AI is very, very simple on Rookie.
As soon as you move up to Veteran level, though, the AI is very strong. The decisions you have to make on every play are much more consequential, and the game becomes very challenging. So as soon as you feel comfortable on Rookie, move up to Veteran. You can change the difficulty level during a season in the Options menu, so you can move back and forth at will.
Also, don't worry about losing. That's part of every season (some more than others). No matter how strong your team is, you're going to lose games during a season. The game is not about being perfect, it's about adapting to changing game situations and making sound decisions.
That's enough for now. I am happy to answer any questions you have via e-mail or in the Steam forums, and I'll compile a list of the most frequently asked questions and post it in a few days.
Oh, one more note: if you use a pen tablet for your input device, GS should work fine with it (that's what I use), and you can select cards very, very quickly that way. Also, if you have Windows 8 and a touchscreen-enabled device, GS works fine with those, too. You'll just need to use a regular keyboard for editing teams, but other than that, you're good to go with touch. I test on Eli's ultrabook all the time.
Thanks for the feedback, spelk. I believe I will buy this once I can.
It is a fun little game. The off-season gives you the chance to spend money on new players. Your money is based entirely on how well you played the previous year. Now, the more you spend, the better potential player you're landing...and the lower the chance is that said player becomes a bust.
Speaking of..
I recently got an email about a new Kickstarter for an actual football-themed card game from the guy that does Baseball & Football Mogul.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/221843945/masters-of-the-gridiron-pro-football-card-game
The concept for the card game looks & sounds a bit interesting, as far as light & quick fare goes, but I've not delved into the details.
Quote from: Nefaro on January 22, 2014, 05:18:40 PM
Speaking of..
I recently got an email about a new Kickstarter for an actual football-themed card game from the guy that does Baseball & Football Mogul.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/221843945/masters-of-the-gridiron-pro-football-card-game
The concept for the card game looks & sounds a bit interesting, as far as light & quick fare goes, but I've not delved into the details.
Offhand, that reminds me of Statis Pro Football. I know it's not, but it's the first thing I thought of. I miss me some SPF. I still have the boxed game with the 1987 NFL players.
Quote from: Arctic Blast on January 22, 2014, 04:55:52 PM
It is a fun little game. The off-season gives you the chance to spend money on new players. Your money is based entirely on how well you played the previous year. Now, the more you spend, the better potential player you're landing...and the lower the chance is that said player becomes a bust.
Agreed. I think it is fun for what it is attempting to be, fast paced American themed card football game. If anybody is looking for a simulator of football, this is not that game, even if has a football theme to it. Its one of those games that when you have some available time, good to play in a quick session. Having a season as part of the game will help it have some longevity so you can try and beat your score each year. There are a number of things I would like to see added some day, such as:
- Kick Offs (sounds like coming in free expansion)
- Coin Tosses
- Ability to go for 2pt conversions, versus just auto getting the 1 pt. This has burned me a number of times when I could have tied things with a 2pt conversion.
- Like to see option to sim a part of the season
- Like the ability to sim in a game to finish it if I have to quit
- Ability to see ratings within a game, versus having to memorize them beforehand
- Drive/scoring summaries
- Ability to add your own logos/graphics
- Ability to play a quick game versus only season games
- Ability to edit ratings within the game (not in text file)
- Ability to start the season with random ratings versus always being the same
- Like to see penalties added
- Like to be able to see in-game stats at any time
- Like to see timeouts added, couple times CPU can just sit on clock giving you no time to come back
- etc.
Again, its a good game and pretty solid from a release standpoint, where I haven't witnessed any crashes or error messages, pretty impressive for his first game developed....
Quote from: Nefaro on January 22, 2014, 05:18:40 PM
Speaking of..
I recently got an email about a new Kickstarter for an actual football-themed card game from the guy that does Baseball & Football Mogul.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/221843945/masters-of-the-gridiron-pro-football-card-game
The concept for the card game looks & sounds a bit interesting, as far as light & quick fare goes, but I've not delved into the details.
Got the email too....its too bad they didn't attempt to make a computer version, but I guess for people that like to play card games in person, might be some fun...personally, I would like to see them spend more time with their football mogul game and make that better versus worrying about a card game.
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on January 22, 2014, 06:44:00 PM
Quote from: Arctic Blast on January 22, 2014, 04:55:52 PM
It is a fun little game. The off-season gives you the chance to spend money on new players. Your money is based entirely on how well you played the previous year. Now, the more you spend, the better potential player you're landing...and the lower the chance is that said player becomes a bust.
Agreed. I think it is fun for what it is attempting to be, fast paced American themed card football game. If anybody is looking for a simulator of football, this is not that game, even if has a football theme to it. Its one of those games that when you have some available time, good to play in a quick session. Having a season as part of the game will help it have some longevity so you can try and beat your score each year. There are a number of things I would like to see added some day, such as:
- Kick Offs (sounds like coming in free expansion)
- Coin Tosses
- Ability to go for 2pt conversions, versus just auto getting the 1 pt. This has burned me a number of times when I could have tied things with a 2pt conversion.
- Like to see option to sim a part of the season
- Like the ability to sim in a game to finish it if I have to quit
- Ability to see ratings within a game, versus having to memorize them beforehand
- Drive/scoring summaries
- Ability to add your own logos/graphics
- Ability to play a quick game versus only season games
- Ability to edit ratings within the game (not in text file)
- Ability to start the season with random ratings versus always being the same
- Like to see penalties added
- Like to be able to see in-game stats at any time
- Like to see timeouts added, couple times CPU can just sit on clock giving you no time to come back
- etc.
Again, its a good game and pretty solid from a release standpoint, where I haven't witnessed any crashes or error messages, pretty impressive for his first game developed....
I notched half a dozen games today. You can definitely get into a rhythm and once you figure out what's going on, everything moves smoothly. It's a fun little game. Not a simulator by any means, but it does "feel" like football enough to be enjoyable. I completely agree on every suggestion you have made here, btw. Good suggestions.
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on January 22, 2014, 06:44:00 PM
There are a number of things I would like to see added some day, such as:
- Kick Offs (sounds like coming in free expansion)
- Coin Tosses
- Ability to go for 2pt conversions, versus just auto getting the 1 pt. This has burned me a number of times when I could have tied things with a 2pt conversion.
- Like to see option to sim a part of the season
- Like the ability to sim in a game to finish it if I have to quit
- Ability to see ratings within a game, versus having to memorize them beforehand
- Drive/scoring summaries
- Ability to add your own logos/graphics
- Ability to play a quick game versus only season games
- Ability to edit ratings within the game (not in text file)
- Ability to start the season with random ratings versus always being the same
- Like to see penalties added
- Like to be able to see in-game stats at any time
- Like to see timeouts added, couple times CPU can just sit on clock giving you no time to come back
- etc.
Again, its a good game and pretty solid from a release standpoint, where I haven't witnessed any crashes or error messages, pretty impressive for his first game developed....
Good list! You do need to be able to mod this game. And the constant crowd noise is already grating my nerves. Also, there need to be a way to skip the 'blah blah' news guy.
I thought I read somewhere that the crowd would leave if the game was a blowout. Does the crowd noise not change with that?
Would be pretty cool if the crowd got loud when their team was on defense, then shut up when you make a big play on them. 8)
Quote from: Banzai_Cat on January 22, 2014, 08:38:38 PM
I thought I read somewhere that the crowd would leave if the game was a blowout. Does the crowd noise not change with that?
Would be pretty cool if the crowd got loud when their team was on defense, then shut up when you make a big play on them. 8)
The crowd DOES leave in a blowout. Pretty darn funny when that happens...well, as long as you are the winning team. And it could be my imagination, but I would almost swear that when playing at home, making a long drive and getting close to the end zone...the cheer of the crowds gets louder.
Probably my imagination 8)
Quote from: Steelgrave on January 22, 2014, 08:27:51 PM
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on January 22, 2014, 06:44:00 PM
Quote from: Arctic Blast on January 22, 2014, 04:55:52 PM
It is a fun little game. The off-season gives you the chance to spend money on new players. Your money is based entirely on how well you played the previous year. Now, the more you spend, the better potential player you're landing...and the lower the chance is that said player becomes a bust.
Agreed. I think it is fun for what it is attempting to be, fast paced American themed card football game. If anybody is looking for a simulator of football, this is not that game, even if has a football theme to it. Its one of those games that when you have some available time, good to play in a quick session. Having a season as part of the game will help it have some longevity so you can try and beat your score each year. There are a number of things I would like to see added some day, such as:
- Kick Offs (sounds like coming in free expansion)
- Coin Tosses
- Ability to go for 2pt conversions, versus just auto getting the 1 pt. This has burned me a number of times when I could have tied things with a 2pt conversion.
- Like to see option to sim a part of the season
- Like the ability to sim in a game to finish it if I have to quit
- Ability to see ratings within a game, versus having to memorize them beforehand
- Drive/scoring summaries
- Ability to add your own logos/graphics
- Ability to play a quick game versus only season games
- Ability to edit ratings within the game (not in text file)
- Ability to start the season with random ratings versus always being the same
- Like to see penalties added
- Like to be able to see in-game stats at any time
- Like to see timeouts added, couple times CPU can just sit on clock giving you no time to come back
- etc.
Again, its a good game and pretty solid from a release standpoint, where I haven't witnessed any crashes or error messages, pretty impressive for his first game developed....
I notched half a dozen games today. You can definitely get into a rhythm and once you figure out what's going on, everything moves smoothly. It's a fun little game. Not a simulator by any means, but it does "feel" like football enough to be enjoyable. I completely agree on every suggestion you have made here, btw. Good suggestions.
Agreed, once you wrap your head around this is not exactly football (i.e. 1st and 40 versus 1st and 10), it still is very enjoyable as a card game. It can be addictive as you try to beat the computer. I would also like to see overall game scores (some kind of score that represents how well you did, not just the game score) so you could try and beat that and maybe even have a high games section..this would only make sense if Bill ever added a quick game option.
I believe it is a difficult balance when trying to add features...Bill really wants to keep the game in something that can be played in 15-20 minutes so have to be careful that additions don't make the game take an hour, otherwise you might as well play one of the hardcore sims out there:)
Quote from: bbmike on January 22, 2014, 08:35:28 PM
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on January 22, 2014, 06:44:00 PM
There are a number of things I would like to see added some day, such as:
- Kick Offs (sounds like coming in free expansion)
- Coin Tosses
- Ability to go for 2pt conversions, versus just auto getting the 1 pt. This has burned me a number of times when I could have tied things with a 2pt conversion.
- Like to see option to sim a part of the season
- Like the ability to sim in a game to finish it if I have to quit
- Ability to see ratings within a game, versus having to memorize them beforehand
- Drive/scoring summaries
- Ability to add your own logos/graphics
- Ability to play a quick game versus only season games
- Ability to edit ratings within the game (not in text file)
- Ability to start the season with random ratings versus always being the same
- Like to see penalties added
- Like to be able to see in-game stats at any time
- Like to see timeouts added, couple times CPU can just sit on clock giving you no time to come back
- etc.
Again, its a good game and pretty solid from a release standpoint, where I haven't witnessed any crashes or error messages, pretty impressive for his first game developed....
Good list! You do need to be able to mod this game. And the constant crowd noise is already grating my nerves. Also, there need to be a way to skip the 'blah blah' news guy.
yeah, I kind of agree about the news guy...however, the reason Bill has it in there is it does give you clues on the game such as weather and how the teams match up. However, I would prefer just to have a screen that says that all versus going through the broadcast, but I can see he was trying to jazz it up a bit.
Quote from: Steelgrave on January 22, 2014, 08:40:28 PM
Quote from: Banzai_Cat on January 22, 2014, 08:38:38 PM
I thought I read somewhere that the crowd would leave if the game was a blowout. Does the crowd noise not change with that?
Would be pretty cool if the crowd got loud when their team was on defense, then shut up when you make a big play on them. 8)
The crowd DOES leave in a blowout. Pretty darn funny when that happens...well, as long as you are the winning team. And it could be my imagination, but I would almost swear that when playing at home, making a long drive and getting close to the end zone...the cheer of the crowds gets louder.
Probably my imagination 8)
I guess that shows you how bad I am at the game....I have yet to blow anyone out to see the crowd leave:) That is pretty cool it does that. Personally, I think Bill needs to release this game as a mobile app...perfect type of app for the mobile platform. Fun for the home computer too, but could probably make a killing if he released it on mobile devices too. I believe the way it is code would require a complete different version...but if successful on steam, maybe provides him the motivation to do it.
Are you guys having winning seasons so far?
Quote from: Banzai_Cat on January 22, 2014, 08:48:01 PM
Are you guys having winning seasons so far?
I haven't really focused on completing a season yet...I am just playing games here and there versus worrying too much about the season stuff. This is kind of why I would love to have a quick game option so I can do this without going into season mode. On rookie level, I am winning about 50% of my games so far...it can be a challenge since you are partially relying on the luck of the cards...but knowing when to use and not use the big play option also is big time strategy.
Quote from: Banzai_Cat on January 22, 2014, 08:48:01 PM
Are you guys having winning seasons so far?
4-2 with a decent team. The game is done well enough that my two losses were heartbreaking, lol!
I'm going to download and play through the demo this weekend if I have the time. I've been craving a good football text sim for a long, long time.
Quote from: Bison on January 22, 2014, 09:46:05 PM
I'm going to download and play through the demo this weekend if I have the time. I've been craving a good football text sim for a long, long time.
No demo...plus keep in mind this is not a text based football game. It's a card game with a football theme.
Nah...wrong thread. I though this was the front office football 7 thread. Carry on gentlemen. I'm too lazy to correct my previous reply. It'd take too much work to retype or something and I've got better things to do then just, you know, type stuff into forum replies here and stuff.
Quote from: Banzai_Cat on January 22, 2014, 08:48:01 PM
Are you guys having winning seasons so far?
I just went to the title game, but didn't take the title. Had a terrific offseason, though. I will be back!
Good. Sounds like there's a bit of a curve to the AI. The dev stated that the Rookie level is great to learn the system but you're going to want to move up to Veteran to really get challenged.
I wonder, if you're 'improving' your players in the off-season, by raising your letter rating, that this probably directly impacts the types of cards you're drawing. There's no players per se, right? Just the cards and the values you're drawing. I would imagine if you're an 'A' on offense or defense you're going to get much better card draws than if you were rated 'C' or 'D.'
The cards are drawn / dealt completely random. They are not modified by the team ratings.
Team ratings have an influence on:
a) chance for an event to be triggered
b) the outcome of an event
c) homefield advantage (home teams have more defensive big plays than away teams)
d) more defensive big plays on road games (better teams have more def. BP than weaker ones)
Difficulty settings only depends on how much yards the AI gains while on offense:
-Rookie 25/12 max/min gain, depending on whether the player guesses the CPU playcalling correctly.
-Veteran 30/15
-Champion 35/17
Thanks for an informative first post.
This was just posted by the developer which provides a pretty detailed overview of ratings.
How Ratings Affect The Game
Here's a brief explanation of how team ratings affect gameplay in Gridiron Solitaire.
First off, there are five ratings: run offense, pass offense, run defense, pass defense, and special teams. Each of these ratings can be anywhere from "A+" to "F". Behind the scenes, each rating has more possible levels, but it's abstracted to a letter grade so that you get some information without getting absolutely explicit information.
Let's look at how ratings affect each of the major gameplay categories.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Field goals: in terms of field-goal accuracy and distance, an "A+" rating will correspond to the statistics of the best kicker in the NFL. An "F" rating will correspond to the worst. However, this is probability-based, so kickers may go through streaks based on unlikely dice rolls. However, over time, their performance will correspond to their rating.
Also, a high special teams rating when you try a field goal makes the kick less likely to be blocked. If you are on defense, a high special teams rating for your side increases the chances that you will block the kick. These chances should correspond to the best ("A+" rating) special teams performances in the NFL and the worst ("F" rating).
Punts: a high special teams rating when you punt will correspond to a longer kick, lower chances of the kick being blocked, and a shorter return of the kick by the receiving team. Again, "A+" and "F" ratings will roughly correspond to the statistics of the best and worst punter in the NFL. Just reverse all that information when you're receiving the punt instead. Well, you know what I mean.
OFFENSE
On offense, the chances of triggering a text event when you press the Big Play button include a modifier based on ratings. Here's a quick example: if you have an excellent rating for running, and the CPU has a lousy defend run rating, the chances of triggering an event go down in proportion to the ratings distance.
The inverse is also true. If you have a lousy run rating and the CPU is a run-defending beast, your chances of triggering an event on offense go up.
It works the same way for passing plays.
However, there is no ratings effect once the event has been triggered. You're not more likely to fumble once you trigger an event, you're just likely to trigger more events, which will eventually lead to more fumbles.
DEFENSE
On defense, the number of Big Play presses you are allocated is affected directly by your defensive ratings versus the CPUs offensive ratings. The ratings will also shade the CPU playcall, although this often has a smaller effect than other factors (score, time remaining, down and distance).
There is a min/ max number for Big Plays on defense, but inside those parameters, ratings have a large effect.
PREGAME BROADCAST
If you think that the pregame announcer is just adding flavor, that would be incorrect. Well, he is adding flavor, but he's doing much more-- he's telling you all the ratings information you need to know to improve your decision-making during the game, and his descriptions change based on the size of the ratings differences. So if you read his commentary, you will receive some very useful information.
A review of the game that provides more details.
http://www.reddoorbluekey.com/reviews/review-gridiron-solitaire/
If anyone is curious about the game, I have been posting my game-by-game results for my current season over at the official forums.
http://steamcommunity.com/app/266270/discussions/0/558746089044123746/
Its certainly not a replacement for hardcore American football, but still fun to play around with especially as you try to improve your stats (i.e. how well do you guess the CPU's plays, etc.).
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on January 25, 2014, 06:47:30 AM
Its certainly not a replacement for hardcore American football, but still fun to play around with especially as you try to improve your stats (i.e. how well do you guess the CPU's plays, etc.).
Agree it's no replacement for a good football game but you're right it is fun and it does have a very good football feel to it. I need to see about modding it though.
I also think this would be a great tablet app.
Well, in my third season I won my league's championship with the weakest team I fielded in those three seasons....go figure.
Quote from: bbmike on January 25, 2014, 08:54:28 AM
Quote from: Grim.Reaper on January 25, 2014, 06:47:30 AM
Its certainly not a replacement for hardcore American football, but still fun to play around with especially as you try to improve your stats (i.e. how well do you guess the CPU's plays, etc.).
Agree it's no replacement for a good football game but you're right it is fun and it does have a very good football feel to it. I need to see about modding it though.
I also think this would be a great tablet app.
Over at the official forums, people are creating various name/rating mods...might want to check them out.
And where might the official forums be? 8)
Quote from: bbmike on January 25, 2014, 02:24:02 PM
And where might the official forums be? 8)
Sorry about that...on steam.
http://steamcommunity.com/app/266270/discussions/0/
Completed my first season winning the Gridiron Bowl!!!
As said before, it is a nice game for what it tries to accomplish, especially for the low price...something that will stay on my hard drive for awhile. But after completing a full season in basically one day, time for a break:)
If interested, kind of documented my seasons as I played it out in case folks were interested in how things unfolded or are unsure about the game.
http://steamcommunity.com/app/266270/discussions/0/558746089044123746/
I'm now 4-1 in my first season. This last game I played San Fran, who was undefeated and probably going to kick my behind. The first half was pretty uneventful but just before halftime they scored a TD. I then scored on a fourth and goal from the 8 yard line, then busted a 72 yard run a couple of possessions later, then scored a third time. They got another TD, making it 21-14, and then on the LAST play of the game they managed to get the ball into the end zone, but I was able to push them out by the skin of my teeth, by just a few yards, and had no more combos and no Big Plays to draw from. The computer once again managed to get a Big Gain (as it has in all my games so far) but it also turned the ball over on a fumble, too, which set up my second score.
The more I play this the more I like it, but I've bee going slow with it so I don't burn out on it.
GS was updated to version 1.0.2
Two new features were implemented:
a) a sack mechanic, and
b) a Big Stop play.
The new version contains also some more minor tweaks.
Read more here:
http://steamcommunity.com/app/266270/discussions/0/558747287213702356/
Pretty major update to the game today....not a bad game if you like this sort of stuff.
Okay, the update just went live. It's 1.1, not 1.3, but it's the big update that's been discussed for a while. Please note that if you start the game and you're not seeing Version 1.1 in the bottom left corner of the title screen, then you need to log out of Steam and log back on. That will trigger the update to download.
For those of you who played the game extensively prior to this version, this is going to be an adjustment. Please give it a few games, because this is version is much truer to real football and much more realistic.
Patch notes:
GAME ADDITIONS/ENHANCEMENTS
1. REVISED GAMEPLAY BALANCE
Run matches are now worth 3 yards, not 4. This means that you can no longer use the run-heavy, predictable offense that was effective in previous versions. There must be much more balance now to be successful.
2. KICKOFFS (NEW FEATURE)
Kickoffs auto-resolve and are based on Human/CPU Special Teams rating. Closely models real NFL data for 2013 season.
3. PUNTS
Punts are now based on real NFL data, including chances of punts being downed inside the 20.
NOTE: The addition of kickoffs/punts has greatly increased the importance of the Special Teams rating.
4. PENALTY CARDS
A penalty card will block its card stack unless matched with a wild card. Frequency is affected by Human rating for active play type.
5. BIG IMAGES
On Kickoffs, Punts, and Human touchdowns, a "Big Image" is now shown instead of the small referee image. There's also a huddle image in-between scrimmage plays.
6. 2X SMALL HEADLINES
There are now twice as many possible headlines for the small story images on the left side of the newspaper.
7. OFFSEASON AI
Instead of two possible team strategies during the offseason, there are now eight, and the criteria for changing strategies is more robust.
8. OFFSEASON NEWS TICKER
After the offseason broadcast, you'll see a news ticker announcing coaching changes along with team strategy changes.
BUGS
1. Missing a 2nd level pass message--can't progress on play (rare-fixed)
2. Deleting league with in-game save in directory crashes game (fixed)
3. On 1st play of second half, first Big Play press has no outcome. Game continues when you press BP again (rare-fixed)
4. Wrong crowd cheers on Hail Mary (rare-fixed)
5. If Options.txt file couldn't load, game would crash (rare-fixed)
6. CPU kneels to run clock at end of game, then kicks FG, but leaves time on the clock (rare-fixed)
7. CPU was calling Run Defense too frequently on 3rd and long for Human player (fixed)
8. Card dealt on Big Play not usable in valid match (rare-fixed)
9. Screen resolution options sometimes offered fullscreen when the game would look a little squished or stretched in fullscreen. The tolerances for offering fullscreen as an option have been tightened so that won't happen.
10. On 4th down, if a team didn't reach the first down marker, the tackle was showing in the wrong place on the drive canvas (fixed).
NOT BUGS, BUT CHANGES:
1. Fewer field goal messages referencing crossbar/upright.
2. Play and Big Play button colors are now consistent by play type.
3. Default ratings for Special Teams has been increased for a few teams.
4. The footballs indicating possession on the scoreboard are larger now.
5. On ratings or stats screen, your next opponent's information is now highlighted.
6. Down marker and first down marker are now shown pre-snap as well as during the play.
7. Offseason card prices have been adjusted downward for 2 and 3-star cards. Previously, you were being mathematically penalized for purchasing them. Now, everything should be mathematically balanced.
GAMEPLAY TWEAKS (WITH EFFECTS)
1. Run matches are now worth 3 yards (improves run/pass balance and makes playcalling strategy much more like real NFL).
2. Fumbles are now more likely near the line of scrimmage than downfield (reflects NFL data).
3. Max Gain for CPU has been tweaked at Veteran level (balancing gameplay)
4. Turnover frequency slightly increased (more closely models NFL data)
5. CPU offense now less predictable on 2nd/3rd and long
6. Ratings now have an effect on Big Gain/Big Stop frequency
7. There is now a fumble chance when the CPU is sacked.
8. If the Human player pins the CPU deep in their own territory after a punt, additional Big Play presses are awarded. Inside the 10, it's +2. Inside the 15, it's +1.
9. Offseason budgets are slightly increased, given the greatly increased importance of special teams.
Thanks, GR. I'm still in the middle of my first season after I had some PC issues that interfered with the game...looks like it's working fine again and will give this a whirl later.
Bill Harris, developer of GS is still working hard on the game and further improving it.
Version 1.2 is now live:
Quote:
"Here's a list of what's in 1.2. Thanks for playing as I continue working on improving the game.
GAMEPLAY CHANGES
1. The CPU max gain will not extend past the end zone. This will make goal line stands much more possible.
2. On Rookie difficulty, the yards per match on offense goes from 3/8 to 4/10. There are too many people right now who feel the game is too difficult, even on Rookie, so this will help.
3. Penalty cards will now be less frequent, BUT matching a penalty card no longer gains yards or reduces the opponent's gain. This is how I should have done it from the beginning, because it presents the player with more interesting decisions.
CUSTOM DIFFICULTY
Now you'll be able to customize your difficulty setting. If you're fine on offense but struggling on defense, for example, you can make adjustments to defensive difficulty only.
NEW FEATURES
1. The Team History area will now be an interactive Team History Museum, with a huge number of additional stats tracked as well as career statistics for named players. You can also view all-time franchise leaders in the franchise record book.
Each season will have its own selectable book in the Team Library. And if you've won Gridiron Bowl Championships, enjoy seeing your trophies displayed prominently in the Museum.
2. New halftime scorebox with TV-style presentation."
http://steamcommunity.com/app/266270/discussions/0/616187203946298664/
Nice! I still have my first season to finish.
Looks like another update coming soon....thread below with some info/screens, go all the way to the ending posts. Not sure there is anything overly drastic, but nice to see it keep going.
http://www.operationsports.com/forums/other-football-games/706153-gridiron-solitaire-anyone-check-out-2.html
Dammit...you can't be recommending games like this when I am at home, alone, and, well, not sober...
Bastards...
It's a fun game and there is some skill and luck mix to winning. I've had last second game winning drives. I've stopped opponents last second drives inside the 5. Many fun situations. The Dev is very responsive and working to bring more to the game.
@Cyrano - buy it, buy it, buy it... cave to the peer pressure... O0
Oh, I bought it...I don't have anywhere near that much self-control sober, much less, um, not.
Great game even as Sunday morning's coming down.
Makes me wish for an MP version, tell you the truth. Reminds me in that regard of Pizza Box Football which was quite good.
Developed by Bill Harris, I've been following his long running blog "Dubious Quality" long before he started to tackle game development.
http://dubiousquality.blogspot.co.uk/
I remember finding his blog when he did an AAR/Introduction/Beginners Guide to playing Armageddon Empires in 2007!..
http://dubiousquality.blogspot.co.uk/2007/08/armageddon-empires-play-guide-part-one_23.html
Yep, that, and the booze, was why I pulled the trigger.
His sliders for Madden were religion for me back in the day...creepy passion for the sport that even exceeds my own...
I still have Armageddon Empires installed on my notebook. And all the others from same. O0
Was sad to hear there would be no more, despite some of them feeling like they needed more work. The developer switched to making boardgames, but his first one wasn't something that caught my interest.