Front Office Football Seven

[TheFoosballWizard]

Originally Posted by Desnudo

Pretty realistic results so far

Russell Wilson on New England? So much for the new trade AI!

[zullojer]

Originally Posted by Ben E Lou

Game Options-->Choose/Edit Color Scheme-->Use custom box and log browser.

thank you sir... been a long time since i played single player or messed with any settings

[tpmoon]

HELP! Paid and downloaded, at first wouldn't open, got it open, and when I try to insert license, and enter, says I don't have an internet connection, even though I do! Any help greatly appreciated...insomnia and cannot play-frustrated, Tim

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by tpmoon

HELP! Paid and downloaded, at first wouldn't open, got it open, and when I try to insert license, and enter, says I don't have an internet connection, even though I do! Any help greatly appreciated...insomnia and cannot play-frustrated, Tim

A couple of people (myself included) ran into this. Use the "Install Offline License" option. Follow the instructions there, and you should be good.

[tpmoon]

Originally Posted by Ben E Lou

A couple of people (myself included) ran into this. Use the "Install Offline License" option. Follow the instructions there, and you should be good.

Ok, but I will still be able to play online (If I'm brave enough)?

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by tpmoon

Ok, but I will still be able to play online (If I'm brave enough)?

Absolutely. It's just some quirk in E-license with certain configurations, apparently.

[Postman]

I will buy FOF7, but only after I complete a proper mourning period for my FOF 2007 universe.

It's amazing how attached you can get to these fictional players.

Anyway, congratulations, Jim.

[DeToxRox]

What is the best way to get a running QB carries?

[WSUCougar]

'Grats, Jim! Downloading now...

[Fonzie]

Originally Posted by EagleFan

Same as previous games. Extra active spot added for that 3rd QB instead of fighting with the injury rule for that 3rd QB.

My recollection was that the 3rd QB could be "out" but still be slotted in the depth chart, but that doesn't seem possible in the new version. Or am I misremembering that?

[Icy]

Originally Posted by Ben E Lou

A couple of people (myself included) ran into this. Use the "Install Offline License" option. Follow the instructions there, and you should be good.

Had same issue and offline licensing worked for me too.

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by Fonzie

My recollection was that the 3rd QB could be "out" but still be slotted in the depth chart, but that doesn't seem possible in the new version. Or am I misremembering that?

Rule on third QB was changed in 2011, probably a change in FOF to mirror that.

NFL drops third quarterback rule, 46 active players on game day | ProFootballTalk

Ah, see that others saying you need 3 QBs on depth chart. Hopefully that gets patched out because most teams seem to just have 2 active nowadays.

[Sun Tzu]

Purchased n' stuff.

[EagleFan]

Originally Posted by zullojer

got the game tonight, excited to start some single player. Everything is going smooth except when i click on the boxscores it won't outpout to a web page. It just pops up a browser that says "oops, the page you are looking for cannot be found"

anyone else have this issue?

I had that problem with the last version sometimes. Found out that if I have a browser open it would open the box score in a new tab fine. To be honest, I had the browser open to this page last night while playing so I don't know if that is why I had no issue this time yet.

[StLee]

Originally Posted by mckerney

Rule on third QB was changed in 2011, probably a change in FOF to mirror that.

NFL drops third quarterback rule, 46 active players on game day | ProFootballTalk

Ah, see that others saying you need 3 QBs on depth chart. Hopefully that gets patched out because most teams seem to just have 2 active nowadays.

I didn't like the 3 QB rule in the last version, and don't like it in this version, either. Already, I had to sign a third QB. Then my backup was hurt in the final preseason game, so I had to sign a fourth QB to the roster. Frustrated that I needed roster spots at other positions, I just put the backup on IR, even though he was only going to be out for four weeks.

[Fonzie]

Yeah, not a fan of needing 3 healthy, active QBs. Doesn't seem to reflect current NFL practice.

[Grim.Reaper]

Originally Posted by Fonzie

Yeah, not a fan of needing 3 healthy, active QBs. Doesn't seem to reflect current NFL practice.

I would also love to have the option of only 2 QBs on the roster.....but......isn't that easier said than done? In real life, if both QBs go down, then some RB/WR likely takes over who might have played a little QB in college or high school. In the game, other non-qb position players have no ratings for playing a QB position. This means in the depth chart screen you would need the ability to put in some other emergency QB that is not an actual QB. And if the player does play, what ratings does the game use to determine how well they play the position? What kind of game plan gets instituted? etc.

Again, I would also like the option, but I can see why it may not be a possibility without a ton of work.

[StLee]

Maybe a compromise could be to allow for a 47th active player since very few teams ever activate their 3rd QB on game day.

[Olsson]

Nice... When browsing team stats, clicking on a team takes you to their team summary :-)

[SackAttack]

As I enter my 6th winter in Green Bay, having gained an appreciation thereby for the winters here, I just played a postseason game, at Lambeau, between the Packers and the Giants. The Giants beat the top-seeded Packers, which, okay.

The reason I bring up my experience with Wisconsin winters: the two teams combined, in 11 degree weather, for 67-103 passing and 814 yards passing.

I feel sorry for the wide receivers.

[Rawhide]

Originally Posted by Olsson

Nice... When browsing team stats, clicking on a team takes you to their team summary :-)

Not only that; clicking on a season in a player's career statistics screen brings up a game-by-game recap of that player's performance.

Quite neat.

[Peregrine]

Anyone know if TCY draft files can still be imported into FOF7? I assume so, but the date range for starting leagues is getting pretty high (2004 for TCY) - so would I need to play 9 years before I could import things? Used to know this but can't remember.

[MizzouRah]

What penalties do giving bonuses have vs big money contracts? Is it just your profit.. aka bottom line that it affects?

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

What penalties do giving bonuses have vs big money contracts? Is it just your profit.. aka bottom line that it affects?

Well, from a strategy standpoint, the more money you put in the bonus, the more you're "on the hook" for it cap-wise. If a guy gets hurt, retires, or has a big aging decline and he had a high-bonus contract, you can't recover as much money from it when you cut him. A low-bonus high-salary contract is "safer" for you as a GM--though it will probably cost more cap room.

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by Ben E Lou

Well, from a strategy standpoint, the more money you put in the bonus, the more you're "on the hook" for it cap-wise. If a guy gets hurt, retires, or has a big aging decline and he had a high-bonus contract, you can't recover as much money from it when you cut him. A low-bonus high-salary contract is "safer" for you as a GM--though it will probably cost more cap room.

Thanks.. I just renegotiated some contracts and opted for higher bonuses to my better players.. thus allowing me much more cap room to work with for next season.

Although we are young, this Rams team needs lots of work, starting with the QB position.

[MarkRidings]

I installed the game on my linux machine using wine, and on my windows 8 machine. I see no discernible difference between the two. In fact, installation, licensing, etc. was actually easier on linux. Stupid Windows.

[Pyser]

Originally Posted by MarkRidings

I installed the game on my linux machine using wine, and on my windows 8 machine. I see no discernible difference between the two. In fact, installation, licensing, etc. was actually easier on linux. Stupid Windows.

im on wine on a mac. only downside i have is i cant move windows around. is it the same for you?

[MarkRidings]

Originally Posted by Pyser

im on wine on a mac. only downside i have is i cant move windows around. is it the same for you?

I can move the windows around. I also like the the game remembers were I positioned them so I don't have to do it every time I start up the game. To be honest, I haven't played much on the Windows 8 machine, so it's possible there are some options I don't realize I'm missing, but I haven't seen any difference when using wine/linux.

[nflchampion]

Pyser, you might want to try CrossOver. I did so on the recommendation of one of these threads, installed as an XP app, and the implementation appears to be basically perfect.

[WVUFAN]

Originally Posted by Blackadar

It's blasphemy I know, but I doubt I'll pick up this version, which will make this the first version of FOF I didn't purchase.

Maybe I'm wrong, but the changes listed look extremely incremental in nature. I'm not playing it, so it could be that what is listed impacts the game far more than I realize. But it doesn't appear so. It could be there are additional features and changes to come, but those aren't articulated, promised or in the current product.

Also, the price is $37, which astounded me. For that price I can get FOF or the newest version of Football Manager, which has in every way put the FOF series to shame. That's not a knock on FOF, but it is the truth - FM is just the best text-based sports sim ever created. OOTP is $20 now. I just can't see the justification in the price premium. I could see the justification in the premium of Distant Worlds + the expansions ($90), so it's not just the number. It's the number as compared to the competition.

I hope that those who do purchase enjoy the game and I'll follow this thread to see if something makes me change my mind. But right now I don't see it.

I'm an American football fan first and foremost, and for American Football, there's no competition that comes even close to FOF. Football Manager may be the greatest thing since sliced bread, but if you're not a soccer fan, it's not a true competitor to FOF. Same with OOTP.

[SegRat]

Deangelo Williams now has 3 straight 2000 yard seasons.

[Ben E Lou]

What injury setting are you using?

[SegRat]

150

[korme]

Thought this was cool.

1Q: 03:15 OAK - Mario Marklund 45 fumble return (Dale Ferguson extra point)
2Q: 09:37 BUF - Roosevelt Peralta 16 run (Jorge Silverman extra point)
3Q: 14:03 OAK - Mario Marklund 36 interception return (Dale Ferguson extra point)
3Q: 10:46 BUF - Cary May 35 pass from Lukas Rose (Jorge Silverman extra point)
3Q: 08:04 OAK - Joe Walton 10 pass from Leif Bunner (Dale Ferguson extra point)
4Q: 15:00 BUF - Pete Heath 11 pass from Lukas Rose (Jorge Silverman extra point)
4Q: 13:20 OAK - Mario Marklund 28 interception return (Dale Ferguson extra point)
4Q: 07:32 OAK - Jay Calciano 3 run (Dale Ferguson extra point)
4Q: 00:15 OAK - Dale Ferguson 38 field goal

[Coffee Warlord]

Originally Posted by Noop

I thought the same thing but this game is way harder now. The game is better but not fancy.

I know we've (as in people on the board) have been down this road a bajillion times, but it continues to astound me Jim refuses to contract a UI person.

Let's not sugar coat it. The game looks dated, cheap, and in some sections, actually illegible (that calendar actually makes the game look worse than previous generations). I don't think anyone is going to refute this. I very much believe there's a large segment of potential new customers who take one look at the interface, looks at the price tag, and says "fuck that". An actual modern UI would probably increase revenue, even factoring in the cost of that person's work. Hell, find a college art / game design department - a student would probably do the work for peanuts/free just for the work experience.

It's damn near 2014. There's no reason you can't have something that both plays well *and* looks good. Or at least looks modern.

[jetpunk2000]

Lost a 3rd round pick for a cap violation. Anyone know if this has always been in place and what constitutes a cap violation?

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by jetpunk2000

Lost a 3rd round pick for a cap violation. Anyone know if this has always been in place and what constitutes a cap violation?

It has been there dating back at least to FOF2K4, possibly further. I don't recall all of the parameters, but I know that if you finish FA1:12 and are over the cap, you lose a pick. To be clear, you can go from the season rollover to FA1:12 over the cap and be fine, but if you head to the draft over the cap, you get it taken away. (I think there might be another time or two after the draft as well where you can get penalized, but I'm not sure about that.)

[Fidatelo]

Originally Posted by Coffee Warlord

I know we've (as in people on the board) have been down this road a bajillion times, but it continues to astound me Jim refuses to contract a UI person.

Let's not sugar coat it. The game looks dated, cheap, and in some sections, actually illegible (that calendar actually makes the game look worse than previous generations). I don't think anyone is going to refute this. I very much believe there's a large segment of potential new customers who take one look at the interface, looks at the price tag, and says "fuck that". An actual modern UI would probably increase revenue, even factoring in the cost of that person's work. Hell, find a college art / game design department - a student would probably do the work for peanuts/free just for the work experience.

It's damn near 2014. There's no reason you can't have something that both plays well *and* looks good. Or at least looks modern.

I agree. I'm a software developer and certainly no graphics wizard myself, so I understand the difficulty in developing a fancy UI. But this product isn't just plain, or utilitarian, or any number of other adjectives that often describe apps that don't spend much focus on UI design. This product is downright ugly. It's to the point that the attempts at style actually make it worse. The images used are terrible, and I'd argue the product would look better if they were all just removed. And the use of colors is jarringly poor, to the point of distraction.

And it's not just style that is hampered, but actual usability as well. I installed the game on my Surface Pro 2 to play the trial and about 2 screens in I hit a modal dialog that had OK/Close buttons displayed below my taskbar, with no close button in the upper corner of the dialog and no apparent way to move the dialog around. I was completely stuck, and had to use task manager to kill the process. Needless to say my next step was to uninstall the game.

I loved the FOF franchise a decade ago, and I'd love to get back into it again, but I just can't imagine staring at those screens for hours. In fact I think I'd prefer to go back to the old EA versions. I can't imagine what someone new to the game or genre would think if they were shown the product.

[LastWhiteSoxFanStanding]

Apologies about cross posting this from another thread but this thread seems to get more traffic than the other and I'm hoping to get an answer before I get home from work!

Is there any way of seeing what other teams have offered during free agency? During the stages, I double click on the player and click view contract. On that screen there is a window that says other offers. Usually I only see my team as having made an offer. Yet when I end the stage that player has signed with some other team for a lot more money. What am I doing wrong?

If there isn't a way to see what other teams are offering, what strategy do you use for top players so you don't get blindsided with having your offer rejected

[jaygr]

Originally Posted by Fidatelo

And it's not just style that is hampered, but actual usability as well. I installed the game on my Surface Pro 2 to play the trial and about 2 screens in I hit a modal dialog that had OK/Close buttons displayed below my taskbar, with no close button in the upper corner of the dialog and no apparent way to move the dialog around. I was completely stuck, and had to use task manager to kill the process. Needless to say my next step was to uninstall the game.

This is my biggest disappointment. I got a windows 8 tablet about a month ago and knowing that the FOF release was coming I was counting down the days to be able to play it on the tablet while on the couch or whatever. It wasn't the main reason I got the tablet but it certainly was one of my plans for it.

Like you said, it just doesn't work. The windows get cut off. It seems silly. I mean it didn't even cross my mind that it wouldn't work. Why would some text sim that looks like it was tailor made for windows 98 not work, right?

Furthermore I figured then that I would just use remote desktop to play it on the tablet remoted into my main PC. No dice there either. When I try that I get a nice message from E-License saying I can't use the program via remote.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by jaygr

This is my biggest disappointment. I got a windows 8 tablet about a month ago and knowing that the FOF release was coming I was counting down the days to be able to play it on the tablet while on the couch or whatever. It wasn't the main reason I got the tablet but it certainly was one of my plans for it.

Like you said, it just doesn't work. The windows get cut off. It seems silly. I mean it didn't even cross my mind that it wouldn't work. Why would some text sim that looks like it was tailor made for windows 98 not work, right?

Furthermore I figured then that I would just use remote desktop to play it on the tablet remoted into my main PC. No dice there either. When I try that I get a nice message from E-License saying I can't use the program via remote.

That's fragging ridiculous on both counts.

Welcome to the 1990s.

[johnnyshaka]

Originally Posted by jaygr

Furthermore I figured then that I would just use remote desktop to play it on the tablet remoted into my main PC. No dice there either. When I try that I get a nice message from E-License saying I can't use the program via remote.

If FOF is already running on your desktop and then you remote in it will work just fine...been doing that for years.

[Solecismic]

Originally Posted by jaygr

This is my biggest disappointment. I got a windows 8 tablet about a month ago and knowing that the FOF release was coming I was counting down the days to be able to play it on the tablet while on the couch or whatever. It wasn't the main reason I got the tablet but it certainly was one of my plans for it.

Like you said, it just doesn't work. The windows get cut off. It seems silly. I mean it didn't even cross my mind that it wouldn't work. Why would some text sim that looks like it was tailor made for windows 98 not work, right?

These new devices are a challenge. In this case, in order to get that screen resolution, some set the default text scaling to 125% or higher. FOF is designed to display as much text as possible.

Now that we're starting to see devices with more than 96dpi, what was once routine programming practice is far more difficult. For now, I've decided not to try and support scaling. If setting the scaling to 100% is not an option for you, FOF7 won't work on the smaller screens.

[dbd1963]

Let me add my voice to those who say that the game seems to be significantly harder to play. It's feeling much more realistic to me in SP.

Let me also add my voice to those who say the UI is in dire need of improvement. The fonts are so small that my old eyes can't see them very well, even with reading glasses. Add in the color choices and it gets even harder to see. A cleaner interface would make the game much more pleasurable.

[jaygr]

Originally Posted by Solecismic

These new devices are a challenge. In this case, in order to get that screen resolution, some set the default text scaling to 125% or higher. FOF is designed to display as much text as possible.

Now that we're starting to see devices with more than 96dpi, what was once routine programming practice is far more difficult. For now, I've decided not to try and support scaling. If setting the scaling to 100% is not an option for you, FOF7 won't work on the smaller screens.

Jim thanks for the response. I will say while I am in the camp that is disappointed with the UI, I am enjoying the game a lot so far for everything outside of the UI. Great job on the game.

I tired your suggestion about the scaling and I was able to bump it to 100%. I didn't get a chance to dig too deeply yet, but it does seem like it is all fitting on the screen now.

I do like the tablet better with 125% scaling but if that means I have to change it and unchange it each time I want to play FOF then I don't think that is a huge sacrifice to make.

My question, however, is there a way to reset the window positions? Before I did the scaling trick I got one of the windows stuck off screen (the top is cut off, completely obscuring the "hide menu" button). Is there anyway I can reset the positon?

[MizzouRah]

I have a WLB who is disgruntled.. he's the starter and I run a 4-3 defense, yet he's only started 6 of 11 games? He had a slight chest injury, but nothing that has kept him out any games.

Any idea why it wouldn't show him as starting all 11 games?

[Masked]

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

I have a WLB who is disgruntled.. he's the starter and I run a 4-3 defense, yet he's only started 6 of 11 games? He had a slight chest injury, but nothing that has kept him out any games.

Any idea why it wouldn't show him as starting all 11 games?

Your team started in a nickle or dime defense in 5 games

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by Masked

Your team started in a nickle or dime defense in 5 games

yup

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by Masked

Your team started in a nickle or dime defense in 5 games

Thanks.. I figured that might it. Seems a bit goofy to me. He's a defensive starter, but a #3 LB. Does he not know he's a ROOKIE!

[jaygr]

had an interesting one: The MVP of my most recent Super Bowl was Zane Beadles, LG for the Vikings. He didn't have anything crazy like a fumble recovery for a TD either. Stats say he had 9 KeyBl, 12 BlOpp