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Quick Hit Football Interview

Operation Sports recently had a chance to interview Brandon Justice, Director of Design for Quick Hit Football. He provided some excellent answers to our questions, so make sure you give it a read and find out what the game is all about.

Operation Sports: For those who aren't in the know, what is Quick Hit Football all about?

Quick Hit: Quick Hit Football is, first and foremost, about bringing something new and different to football video gaming that can be enjoyed by both hardcore football fanatics and casual fans alike.

It's been a while since the market has had a new pigskin franchise, and we're pretty excited to bring a fun, fast, free football experience to people.

For those who haven't had a chance to check it out, Quick Hit is a free-to-play Online Multiplayer Coaching game, which means we're closer in spirit to games like Front Page Football and NFL Head Coach than we are to titles like Madden, NCAA, or the NFL2k series.

At sign up, you’ll create a team, face thousands of other coaches in head-to-head match-ups, gain Fantasy Points, train your players to increase their attributes and unlock special skills that can be used to your advantage in key moments.

It's a real change of pace from traditional, button-mashing football games. We place a premium on strategy and play-calling, not on thumb dexterity.

OS: What is the typical in-game experience like?

QH: Well, as I just mentioned, Quick Hit is a coaching game. That means a typical game will involve three key aspects:

- Play-Calling: Should you give the rock to your star HB, or use him as a decoy via a play action pass? Do you go for it on 4th and Inches or play it safe? Will you bring the house on 3rd down or make the QB drop back against the Dime? It's your call, and with an enormous sea of online opponents, you never know how the opposing sideline will react.

- Clock Management: Do you make use of a punishing ground game to keep the opposing offense off the field? Can you score in a hurry when they have you on the ropes? Can you put together a crucial 2-minute drive to tie it up and force the game into OT? As you see week-in and week-out in the pros, good clock management can be a game changer, and Quick Hit Football is no different.

- Skill Use: Each position in QHF has three distinct classes, such as a Speed, Balance and Possession for a WR, and each class has a unique set of skills that helps separate them from the competition. It's your job as a Coach to decide when and how these skills get unleashed. Will you stuff the offense with a Brick Wall from your star DT? Will you apply Sticky Fingers to your top TE and make the game-winning Grab? Or will the opposing Coach fire off a Home-Run Threat against your special teams unit to break the game wide open? It all depends on how you manage these unique power-ups over the course of the game.

Your job as the Head Coach is to manage all of the aspects above to exploit the match ups you've got on the field.

OS: What separates Quick Hit Football from other titles on the market?

QH: Oh man...where to start...

Despite having a lot in common with games y'all know and love, Quick Hit is more of a sports RPG than an Action game, and it focuses on the strategic elements of football.

So what does that mean? Here's a quick breakdown:

- Strategy, Not Twitch: One of the key differences from other products in the market is that Quick Hit places a premium on football savvy over skill on the sticks. The game features AI and Playbooks from some of the same folks who handled those duties on Madden, NCAA, the 2K series and All Pro Football, and we're really pushing to make this a game where would-be Coaching Gurus can use their knowledge of the sport to their advantage in a big way.

- All About Advancement: Unlike most sports games out there, our RPG roots (our founder, as well as other members of the team hail from MMORPG developers like Turbine and EA) mean we're not tied to traditional notions of player development. The result is a couple of key things:

1) You don't have to watch your star rookie rise to fame only to retire or graduate a few years later and
2) Rather than randomly progressing as they age, players increase their attributes based on where you choose to spend Coaching Points, the game's chief currency.

So how do you earn these points? Well, just like in Fantasy Football, you’ll earn fantasy points for every action your players perform on the field. 6 Points for a TD, 1 point per 10 yards, etc. When you earn enough FP (it varies by level), you’ll increase your Coach Level, which will earn you Coaching Points.

From there, you can spend your Coaching Points wherever you please, which means making your star WR faster or your OLB hit harder are simply a matter of where you put your points. Using them effectively? That's up to you and your coordinators, Coach.

- Online-Only: As a designer of multiple online Franchise and Tournament modes, one of the coolest things about the game to me is the fact that everyone who plays Quick Hit is an online gamer. All you need to get started is an Internet connection and a web browser, and when you couple this level of accessibility with our unique team customization model, you're no longer limited to 32 distinct opponents (or a couple hundred if you're an NCAA fan). The playing field is wide open, and this means that each game is a new challenge.

- Constant Updates: Speaking of the advantages an online game provides, one of the things I personally hated when working on 2K and Madden were all the features we left on the cutting room floor each season. We'd have a ton of ideas and only so much time to develop them before the season hit, and that meant these ideas, and any bugs we found after ship had to wait until the next year for a fix. The thing about Quick Hit Football, though, is that it is a "live" product. We'll be updating this thing multiple times a year both in and out of football season, which means we can respond to issues faster, add features in the off-season, and much more.

- Community is King: Last but not least, this is a football game made by football fans and gamers. We love the sport, and we play the crap out of this game against Coaches just like you because we know the importance of Gamer Feedback. Our goal is to build this game for football fans just like you, and at the end of the day, if you don't love it, we're not happy. We plan to leverage the game's online nature and rapid-update capabilities to the fullest by working with the community to determine feature importance and priority, refine existing features, and more. So, if you're active in the community, you'll be a big part of how and when the feature-set develops.

OS: What kind of options are available to players for online leagues?

QH: Right now, we're very focused on the initial feature set, which means most of the dev team's time is spent building a solid core football engine and balancing the impact of player advancement on the field, so we haven’t built online leagues yet.

That said, we have big plans here going forward. Folks from the team used to play in online leagues with a lot of the guys from the OS forums during our days as developers on the 2K series, and we helped pioneer the genre's first online Franchise mode, so there's no shortage of ideas here.

Will we start with full leagues and tournaments? Will we create a ladder system? Will we re-write the book on online management modes? All of those notions are being tossed around, but ultimately our focus here will likely have a lot to do with what you guys want to see first and what we need to build to get there.

Regardless of where we start, you can bet that we'll do our best as a team to take full advantage of Quick Hit's online roots and the strategic nature of the product.

OS: Is there an offline player vs. cpu mode to play?

QH: There sure is.

We know that not everyone wants to dive right in to multi-player mode and tons of Coaches appreciate the ability to practice their craft without revealing too much of their game to the competition.

With that in mind, we've built a pretty robust Single-Player mode, with 27 distinct teams across 3 difficulties.  The CPU mode lets you challenge some gridiron greats from the past and includes some of the legendary NFL Coaches in the ‘most difficult’ setting.  Single-player lets you face off against teams with unique strengths and weaknesses that will help you figure out how to take advantage of certain match-ups, free of the trash talk and humble pie that can accompany multi-player match-ups.

OS: What do you mean when you say ‘challenging greats from the past?’

QH: Well, for starters, the aforementioned Single-Player mode's toughest difficulty level features top-tier teams led by some of coaching's greatest legends, including Tom Landry, Jimmy Johnson, Brian Billick, Dan Reeves and Bill Cowher. As part of our first big update this quarter, we'll be adding another four NFL Coaches, totaling 9 coaches, so it should be a pretty beefy line-up.

In addition to your ability to match wits with some of the game's Coaching greats, we've got some surprises in store for all the football historians out there.

We're all big football fans here at the office, and one of our founder’s (Jeff Anderson) goals was to help the dev team convey that passion through an authentic experience.

To that end, "the Commish" went out and signed a host of players and coaches that represented the pigskin values we hold near and dear, and the team has done some cool things to work these guys into the fabric of the game.

Each CPU team features a unique roster of players who fit their style, including a ton of these Quick Hit Legends. This means you'll line up against guys like Ed "Too Tall" Jones, Ray Lewis and Greg Lloyd. Or maybe you'll be tasked with finding ways to put pressure on Warren Moon or contain the ever-elusive Barry Sanders.

The cool part is this isn't just a talent-crutch for the CPU. Every team in Quick Hit Football, including the one you create, starts with two Legends, hand-picked to fit the coaching style you choose during team customization. Maybe your run-oriented offense features Christian Okoye or Eric Dickerson. Maybe your defense is anchored by a guy like Randy White or Steve Atwater. You'll have to create a team to find out!

We're still adding to our roster of Legends, but with almost 100 signed and more on the way, it definitely adds a cool factor to the game.

OS: How do you achieve balance in the game?

QH: The most successful teams use a combination of ninjas, monkey magic and daily Gatorade baths...kidding, kidding.

On our end, balancing the game is a two-step process that starts with doing our best to ensure that each position knows its job in any given situation. We need to make sure that guys react realistically, both in success and failure.
Stamping out money plays when we find them, and improving the football IQ of our simulator with each new iteration, so that it plays a solid, sensible game of football.

The second step is making sure that as Coaches level up their players, the AI wins and loses based on the talent gap between two players. For example, we want to make sure that a Level 20 WR torches a Level 5 CB, and conversely, we want to see a Level 30 DT abuse a Level 10 OG and blow up plays in the backfield.

For all you Coaches out there, balancing your roster is all about how you spend your Coaching Points relative to the types of things you want to do on the field. Maybe that means a strong defensive line in favor of a weak secondary? Maybe it means a balanced passing attack with no big stars? Maybe it means an awesome offensive line with a middle-of-the-road QB? Ultimately, you have total freedom as a Coach to make those calls.

If there's anything I've learned so far playing the game it’s that there's really no right or wrong way to put it all together. The most successful Coaches are the ones who focus on a unique team structure and clever play calling that accentuates their strengths and hides their weaknesses. In that sense, there's no limit to the number of "good" team templates you can build, so my biggest advice here is to have fun with it and always keep 'em guessing.

OS: Can teams regress?

QH: In a manner of speaking, yes. Players don't age and they don't retire, but the longer the game is on the market, the more the teams around you will grow and adapt to the way the game is being played by the rest of the league.

In the same sense that you see teams reacting to and adopting the "Wildcat"
formation, it's your job as a Coach to keep up with friends and rivals as they coach up their players.

Maybe there's a trend toward passing, and folks start putting a lot of points into QBs and WRs. This means that if you fail to grow your defense at a similar rate, they will take a step back in their ability to cover opposing offenses due to the difference between the guys who mix it up on the field.

Again, though, you can cover up those weaknesses by developing a running team that keeps these explosive offenses off the field, so it's really your call.

OS: Will penalties and onside kicks be eventually added?

QH: As I mentioned before, we're a live game, so things like Penalties and Plays will be a constantly expanding aspect of the game.

One thing to keep in mind is that we're building everything you see in Quick Hit Football from the ground up, so each new play represents new behaviors for the AI, and when you're trying to get the CPU to play good football, there are always some big challenges on the balance front. The next update will feature about 30 new plays, and we expect to blow that number out of the water in the updates to come.

As for penalties, things like pass interference, offsides, and illegal procedure are all in the cards, but again, they come at a cost on the development side. We have to make calls about whether or not we want to improve the way the QB reacts to pressure in the pocket or make the CPU smart enough to do stupid things like jump offsides in anticipation of a pending defensive mismatch.

Determining which ones we do first will come down to what the game needs the most from the perspective of the Dev Team and the folks who play the game, so we'll see how it all shakes out as we progress.

OS: What about matchmaking? What are the plans for that?

QH: Right now, you can hop into the Single or Multiplayer lobby and find an opponent, and these get sorted based on the best match-up to help encourage parody, but this is still a bit trickier than we'd like it to be.

We’ll be working over the next few updates to make it much less complicated. This will come in the form of improvements to the existing system, as well as potential solutions like a ‘quick match’ feature, group game modes like tournaments, and more.

OS: Will milking the clock be limited in the future?

QH: That's a bit of a loaded question, really.

I mean, making use of the play clock is a big part of the strategy behind the game, and even though the game features three minute quarters, both coaches have equal opportunity to use the clock to their advantage.

Sure, it'd be easy for us to reduce the number of ticks on the play clock, but it's a part of the game, and we kind of feel like it's not really our job to force people to use a quick-strike offense or a methodical ball control running game. We really want to leave that to y'all.

That said, the upcoming skills system will definitely push the pace of the game, and we will be exploring alternate modes with customizable game and play clocks as we continue to expand the feature set.

OS: What is in store for the future of Quick Hit Football?

QH: I've hit on this topic a few times over the course of the interview, but to sum it all up, the future of Quick Hit will be about three things:

Improving the existing game
Expanding feature set
Taking advantage of the unique and social nature of our game

We've got a ton of ideas internally and expect many, many more from the community as we continue to grow, so it should be an exciting thing to see how the game changes and matures over the next few season.

If you want to get a jump on helping us figure it all out, hop over to Quick Hit ( HYPERLINK "http://www.quickhit.com" http://www.quickhit.com) and give the game a spin. The guys have really been working hard on building a solid football experience, and we'd love to hear what ya think!  The forums are ready and waiting for your feedback!


Member Comments
# 1 CreatineKasey @ 11/02/09 11:31 PM
Thanks for getting my questions answered, Chris! I've put in over 25 games of quick hit football (not counting the quits) and really enjoy what they have going on over there.

The ability system sounds like it could get REALLY addicting by adding another layer of strategy to the game. The online league/tournament options are endless with the way the game is designed and CANNOT wait until it gets going. This will probably take over as my football game of choice (over their old game.. APF) once they get some of the basics settled like quits and how games are found.

The only thing I was a little bummed about reading is not addressing clock management at least a little bit. I mean, do you really want someone to have the capability of milking an entire half in one drive? When competition gets fierce, all measures necessary will be taken by users and that is a measure. I just envision it in the future: A team getting up by 1 score then just grinding the clock out for the rest of the game. i hope I'm wrong but it only makes sense.

To anyone reading this: If you like strategy, check this game out! it is an absolute blast to play and it really does resemble real football very well. It is rewarding to play a game where people have very few options to "game the game" and they really have to use football strategy to win. You WILL get attached to your players. I'm not gonna lie, I check how many fantasy points my level 16 MLB has tallied up over the course of a game... it is very addicting and I find myself getting jacked when my guys make plays.

Quick hit rocks guys! It is only going to go uphill from here.
 
# 2 jsou4646 @ 11/03/09 12:32 AM
Were can I get it?
 
# 3 CreatineKasey @ 11/03/09 12:43 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by jsou4646
Were can I get it?
www.quickhit.com

you'll sign up and design a team. Once everything is set up you'll be prompted to download a 70 MB flash program that fires up every time you start a game.
 
# 4 ZoneBlitz @ 11/03/09 08:32 AM
OMG!!! A breath of fresh air. I'm going to check it out.
 
# 5 pjpants @ 11/03/09 10:24 AM
this is a game that i was really excited for. there was some problem with me getting in which was MY FAULT, and the people running it were in constant communication with me. the customer service was AMAZING i was really happy with the way they treated me. i got in on the game early and it wasnt what i was hoping it would be... however it is a new game and it is really fun.
 
# 6 elgreazy1 @ 11/03/09 11:15 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by CreatineKasey
Thanks for getting my questions answered, Chris! I've put in over 25 games of quick hit football (not counting the quits) and really enjoy what they have going on over there.

The ability system sounds like it could get REALLY addicting by adding another layer of strategy to the game. The online league/tournament options are endless with the way the game is designed and CANNOT wait until it gets going. This will probably take over as my football game of choice (over their old game.. APF) once they get some of the basics settled like quits and how games are found.

The only thing I was a little bummed about reading is not addressing clock management at least a little bit. I mean, do you really want someone to have the capability of milking an entire half in one drive? When competition gets fierce, all measures necessary will be taken by users and that is a measure. I just envision it in the future: A team getting up by 1 score then just grinding the clock out for the rest of the game. i hope I'm wrong but it only makes sense.

To anyone reading this: If you like strategy, check this game out! it is an absolute blast to play and it really does resemble real football very well. It is rewarding to play a game where people have very few options to "game the game" and they really have to use football strategy to win. You WILL get attached to your players. I'm not gonna lie, I check how many fantasy points my level 16 MLB has tallied up over the course of a game... it is very addicting and I find myself getting jacked when my guys make plays.

Quick hit rocks guys! It is only going to go uphill from here.
Kasey, I just realized something. When the NFL signed it's Exclusive License there was always an open door for other devs to create NFL-based games on mobile & internet programs, not consoles & CPU-games; QH is actually the work-around for it. Creators of APF & former Madden devs came together, imported APF elements, added card game/turn-based strategy to it, and allowed for open development by making it browser based.

Now if only they can couple this with a football engine **cough2korBBeuphoriacough** and we really got ourselves something!!!!
 
# 7 jackswastedlife @ 11/03/09 12:50 PM
Glad you guys like the game so far. We've been working very had to make the game fun for folks who really dig on strategy.

We're about to release a big update that will add a ton of big features to the game, and would love to hear more from hardcore sports fans on what they'd like to see next.

If y'all have a chance to check it out, feel free to send us some feedback! Also, I am on all the time, so look for this Username in the lobby if you'd like a tour of the product.

Brandon Justice
Design Director, Quick Hit Inc.
 
# 8 CreatineKasey @ 11/03/09 03:24 PM
Once the next update releases I'll give you a breakdown of what I think.
 
# 9 JkA3 @ 11/03/09 06:24 PM
I'm oing to check this out.
 
# 10 CreatineKasey @ 11/03/09 11:17 PM
Once this gets more widespread, lets consider getting an OS league/tournament going! I'd love to torch everyone here with my jacked up D!
 
# 11 twthomas @ 11/03/09 11:57 PM
Tried to bring this to everyones attention about three months ago but everyone was busy Bit**** about Madden. Hope more people join up.
 
# 12 teampunjabi @ 11/04/09 12:24 AM
Does anyone have freezing issues during the advertisements? Great game btw. I just havent been able to finish a game because the game keeps freezing during an advertisements randomly.
 
# 13 JoeMimic @ 11/04/09 05:33 AM
I like that if I play against a team that's lower then mine and I whoop on them like I should I don't get a ton of FP because I'm supposed to beat them big. I get more FP for playing a team of my own caliber and even just putting up a decent game not even winning. It's fun building up your players, definitely something you have to be aware of while playing so your team can be good in all areas.

Yay 500th post!
 
# 14 StormJH1 @ 11/04/09 12:00 PM
I'm checking it out as well. It does come with a 70MB install file, which isn't a huge deal, but it does mean that it's not totally web-based. In other words, it's not like I can just go to any computer with an internet connection, log in, and play a game, which is a minor drawback.

Love the idea though. The layout is pretty attractive, though I don't understand the player "levels" and I'm not totally sure what I'm doing there. Perhaps when I play an actual game, I'll get a better notion of it.

Also, I didn't realize that they randomly assign you two current or past NFL players (kinda like APF 2k8). But you can't CHOOSE them, so I have Drew Pearson and some defensive guy I've never even heard of. I thought that was a critical error in the immersion element of 2k8 putting real life guys in the game, mixed with a bunch of fake guys. If this is supposed to be my startup franchise that I'm managing, I'm less inclined to believe that when I have a couple of guys on my team that played in the 60's or 70's. I'd prefer they weren't there.
 
# 15 StormJH1 @ 11/04/09 12:04 PM
Also, his answer about teams "regressing" kinda bothered me. While I understand that this is supposed to be a Football "RPG". The fact that my team just perpetually gets better (and nobody retires, nor do you get new players, right?) kinda divorces this from any GM simulation or franchise mode, where the idea is that you need to do your job well both to improve AND even sustain your level of skill.

Somebody who's played this game 100+ time is just flat out going to have a better team, irrespective of their coaching and strategic abilities.
 
# 16 CreatineKasey @ 11/04/09 12:28 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by StormJH1
Also, his answer about teams "regressing" kinda bothered me. While I understand that this is supposed to be a Football "RPG". The fact that my team just perpetually gets better (and nobody retires, nor do you get new players, right?) kinda divorces this from any GM simulation or franchise mode, where the idea is that you need to do your job well both to improve AND even sustain your level of skill.

Somebody who's played this game 100+ time is just flat out going to have a better team, irrespective of their coaching and strategic abilities.
I agree with this. That's why I wrote the question to be asked. Right away when I started this I thought "wait.. there's no consequence for LOSING!". Honestly, a league or tournament mode will need to fuel the competitive fire that drives online competition. At this point I don't even care if I lose... what does it matter? I get points either way.

One positive note is once you get up to higher levels it takes a much longer time to gain them.. so this means that once you get to a certain point, many teams level off and it is more about wins and losses than fantasy points.

I'm already noticing some of this at level 15. Also, I've read stories about coaching upsets, beating guys 20 levels above them, so its possible. I'm guessing it is tough though.
 
# 17 CreatineKasey @ 11/05/09 09:46 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by firrea80
I beat people +10 coaching level higher than me and they give me like +5 more FP then my level. The only problem is them quitting on me which is why I quit the game. Remember Casey, I got good in that game in 1 day...
lol! I would like to point out to everyone that the game does emulate each position real well. I've built a defensive team, and it shows. There is more than one way to find success on the field on Quick Hit. It's fun to see your run stuffing DE blow up his LT and kill a run play even though they outman you at the position and such.
 
# 18 FunkDockta27 @ 11/06/09 04:35 AM
Count me in! Downloading the file now...thanks for a heads up on this!
 
# 19 CreatineKasey @ 11/06/09 10:00 AM
if possible, add me to your friends list... OS guys. My screen name is the same on QH. I'd like to get some full games in.
 
# 20 kwpit79 @ 11/06/09 03:25 PM
Sounds fun. I actually saw a TV add for this last Wednesday (while watching a UFL game on VS.)
 

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