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10-22-2003, 09:42 PM
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Morgado's Favorite Forum Fascist
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Greensboro, NC
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Transcript Of FOF2K4 Q&A With Jim Gindin (10/22)
NOTE: I tried to clean it up a bit for ease of reading. Let me know if this works.
--Ben PrimeLord:Jim is going to start off by going through the questions that were already posted on the forum PrimeLord:after that we will go into the questions that you send me PrimeLord:feel free to send me your questions anytime PrimeLord:during the process PrimeLord:I will try to get to them as they come in so if your isn't posted for awhile I haven’t forgot about you PrimeLord:there are just a lot of questions PrimeLord:Did I say I was going to quickly go over the format? PrimeLord:Allright I want to thank Jim for taking the time to hold this session and the floor is yours.... JimG: Thanks, Primelord JimG: And thanks to HFP for formatting all these questions. JimG: Let Primelord know if I'm going too quickly. JimG: Q: What are the system requirements for the game? JimG: Windows 95, Patched Version or later, 128 MB RAM, Mouse, Internet Connection. JimG: Q: On what OS was the game designed? JimG: Windows ME. I find it best to start with the least stable system. There's a much better chance of finding any incompatibilities this way. JimG: Q: Is the game going to be download only or is there still the possibility of a non-eLicensed CD version? JimG: It looks like it will be download only. The situation changes daily here. If I have to switch to a CD version, you can expect a significant delay in release. It's not going to an either-or situation. It's too hard to maintain two versions, especially straight from an initial release. And the cost of CDs skyrockets when you manufacture relatively few of them, so the price difference would be well over $10 between the versions. JimG: Q: Will TCY drafts be compatible with FOF2004? JimG: Yes. I will have to update TCY to add the new format. JimG: Q: Will there be league setups available aside from the 32 team league? JimG: No. This isn't something I'm opposed to, it's just a feature that's so large that to include it would eliminate the possibility of adding other new features I think are more important. JimG: Q: Will there be an option to not be the head of any team while simulating seasons? (Effectively just watching the league either before or after heading a team) JimG: No. JimG: Q: Will/should 2k4 careers be compatible with future FOF releases? JimG: I'm not sure. So far, every time I've made a new version, the number of changes I've made to the core of the game has prevented this from being a viable option (for instance, the Almanac would effectively be reduced to gibberish without a lot of the data pieces that are new to FOF 2004). I'm guessing no. JimG: Q: If importing players from TCY, how do the combine numbers interact with the TCY players? JimG: There are no differences between how this will work for imported players and internally-generated draftees. JimG: Q: If you import players from TCY, do you NOT get the added draft info? JimG: You actually get more with imported players. You'll get some key statistics from their last season in TCY. With internally-generated drafts, I decided it was better not to just make up senior-year statistics. JimG: Q: From imported TCY draft files, will the combine scores be interpolated from other ratings, or will they be assigned at random? JimG: There are all actually extrapolated numbers, with some random element added to cover combine-day nervousness. I didn't want the combine scores to tell you exact hidden ratings. JimG: Q: Will TCY need an update to the college export file in order to work correctly with FOF2004? JimG: Yes. There are some small changes. Most significantly, the player names are now exported directly and the key college statistics included. JimG: Q: Will there be rudimentary support for logos/helmets? JimG: Very rudimentary. You will have a 35x35 "helmet" for each team. For anyone familiar with editing bitmaps, this will be very easy to customize. JimG: Q: Will league structure and sizes be customizable for solo and MP? JimG: No. Just the 32-team format. JimG: Q: Would it be possible to include a third-party schedule generator for anything other than a 32-team league? JimG: No. I've tied everything in the AI to the 32-team format. While that easily could be made customizable if I had different league sizes (maybe two days of work), for now it isn't. JimG: Q: Did expansion make it in? JimG: No. For the same reason as the unchanged league size. JimG: Q: Will we have the ability to rename the champsionp game? The conferences? The divisions? JimG: No. JimG: Q: Are there things that can be customized that hasn't been in the past (ie: backloaded contracts, the ability to lose money hand over fist, etc...) JimG: There's more control over the drafts and the initial player files. A couple of user interface changes. JimG: Q: Is there a format for the CSV lists to import players? JimG: Yes. Those formats will be included with the game to make it easier to construct the spreadsheets. JimG: Q: Will salary cap "growth rate" be adjustable? (For historic leagues, to avoid a low starting salary cap practically doubling the first few years). JimG: That's a good idea. I'll have to try and get that in. JimG: Q: Have new incentives been included for contract negotiations? JimG: No. JimG: Q: Will we have any input as to the length of contract for our draft picks? JimG: Yes. You will have choices for contract offers to draft picks. Either two choices or four, depending on the round. These choices are contracts that fit the rookie cap, so you'll only have two choices for contract length for each player. JimG: Q: Will multiplayer play be limited to setting up game plans and having one machine do the simulation, or will head to head play-calling be an option? JimG: Head-to-head play-calling is not an option in the new game. JimG: Q: How much information is included in the "update" files sent back and forth in multi player games? Is this something that would be practical for people with 56k modems to consider or are the files huge. JimG: Zipped, these files are running about 500K in-season. They will grow as careers get longer, and box scores and game logs, which are optional, can add a lot to the download size. JimG: Q: What type of multiplayer commissioner functions are available? Can head coaches be removed due to inactivity? JimG: It's pretty basic. Most functions are related to the import and export of information. Coaches can be removed or added easily. JimG: Q: Is the multiplayer a client/server architecture or is it limited to saving a file and sending it in? JimG: It's limited to file imports and exports. JimG: Q: Where will the definitive league data be stored in multi player games? Will there be a risk of players hacking into the game files to modify their teams? JimG: The data will be stored with the commissioner's copy of the game, though that information is exported. There's no hacking risk, unless the participants have access to the commissioner's computer. However, a lot of information is viewable in the exported files. JimG: Q: Will there be a waiver system? Or will players that are cut just go back to the FA pool? This would seem to be a fairly important thing in a multi-player game. JimG: Hopefully, the second stage of free agency will make that less of a problem. There's no waiver system, but of course a commissioner can enforce one outside of the game. JimG: Q: Will game plans be hidden from opposing coaches (password protected or otherwise) in multiplayer? JimG: Interesting idea. No, people will be on the honor system when it comes to looking at the exported files. Of course, if someone is suspected, he may learn the hard way not to put too much into deciphering last week's game plan. JimG: hold on sec JimG: had to answer the phone - was ViaTech PrimeLord:Bah ViaTech doesn't take precedence over us  JimG: Q: In multi-player, is it easy for the commish to participate in the league as a team or could/would the integrity of the universe potentially be ruined. JimG: Yes. Not at all. JimG: (I told him I'd call back) PrimeLord:Nice  JimG: Q: How much time do you believe a commish would have to dedicate to one season of FOF2004 as a minimum requirement? JimG: Most of the time requirement will be nagging people to submit their stage files. The system itself is very quick once you're used to it (took me about 15 minutes). JimG: Q: How will a multiplayer draft be handled? Real time, or will each pick need to be mailed into the 'commish'? JimG: For the amateur draft, you can submit draft profiles and the AI will make all the selections. Or the commissioner can submit all the picks by hand to the game, and implement some sort of email or chat room draft on his own. JimG: Q: Any restrictions on number of players? JimG: From 1 to 32. JimG: Q: Can players be added/removed at any point in a season/career? JimG: Yes. JimG: Q: Can player control be turned on/off at any point in a season/career? I.E. if you have a ten player career going, and one player takes a vacation for a week, can that team's control be automated during that week, and subsequently restored upon their return? JimG: Yes. JimG: Q: How will the FA 20 and 8 step process' function in multiplayer? Will leagues have the ability to run free agency "outside" of FOF and then just sign the players to the winning team at the end? (Ex. FOBL conducts free agency in our own third party program. Once the results of FA have been obtained, the league management then goes into OOTP and manually signs the players to the winning teams). Or, will each team need to submit a bid f JimG: It will function the same way the 20-step process runs in FOF4. Commissioners are free to implement something outside of the game, then have people submit stage files reflecting those decisions. JimG: Q: How is difficulty level affected in a multi-player environment? JimG: It is not an option for a multi-player career. JimG: Q: Are there coaches/scouts in the multi-player environment? If so, do the GM's bid on them as they do now in FOF4? JimG: Yes. The system is the same as it is in FOF4, only with offensive and defensive coordinators. JimG: Q: Should a GM wish to communicate a trade offer to another human GM, does he leave the offer via email and the other will see this offer when loading the current game file? JimG: Trading for multi-player is outside of the game. The commissioner can enter trades through the trading screen, which will notify him if there are any cap problems with the trade. JimG: Q: Will the commish have a flag of some sort to know when all teams current week game files have been imported? JimG: Yes. He will have access to a control screen with that information for each team. JimG: Q: Should a human GM leave the league for any reason, how difficult is it to replace him? Will the computer fill in should a human not take over right away? JimG: The commissioner will have the ability to make that switch on the control screen. JimG: Q: Will we have access to a player's college stats when they enter the draft? JimG: Only a selected few statistics, and only for players exported from TCY (or constructed) drafts. JimG: Q: Has the game presentation changed at all? I.e. the PbP? JimG: No. The in-game module is almost exactly the same as it is with FOF4. JimG: Q: Has HTML exporting made it into this version? JimG: I'm strongly considering adding this capability for a future update. Something like this is very time-consuming to write, but my testers tell me it's something that adds a lot to the multi-player experience. JimG: Q: Will the QB not also be the backup FB on a team's depth chart (when there are a couple of FB injuries), making him both the QB and FB on the same play sometimes (yes, I've had this happen)? JimG: I'll look into this. I've never seen this or had this reported. That should be a backup running back. JimG: Q: Will positions continue to be split (LCB, RDE, etc)? JimG: Yes. JimG: Q: Any chance of getting the same type of Personnel screens for defensive formations that we now have for offensive formations? I'd love to be able to set up specific personnel packages for nickel and dime situations. Will you get to customize the game plans a bit more with nickel and dime D? In other words, can you choose which linbacker to take out in the nickel? Can you have a blitzing percentage for the nickel back that differs fro JimG: Not for now, but these are good ideas for future versions. I'd love to expand the defensive options some day. JimG: Q: Is there the ability to have other players in the Depth Chart apart from the normal list (ala Warren Sapp, the Fridge in at TE, FB, TB). Or, in a more normal situation, an O- Tackle is put at TE position. JimG: No. The relevant positions are set. JimG: Q: Will players you have cut ever consider playing for you again? JimG: Yes. This is toned down, and I'm thinking of eliminating it altogether in certain cases. JimG: Q: Will there be practice squads? JimG: No. Since NFL rules dictate that anyone may be signed off of another team's practice squad at any time, it just doesn't seem like a huge value-add. JimG: Q: Will vested veterans signed for the minimum count less against the cap a la recent changes in the CBA? JimG: No. JimG: Q: Will restricted players, franchise players be able to be signed but at the cost of draft compensation? JimG: I'd like to implement this some day, but for now, no. The Lavernues Coles signing really got people noticing this rule. JimG: Q: Will there be compensatory draft picks or transition tags? JimG: No. JimG: Q: Will restricted free agents have three offers that determine their status? JimG: If I were to implement this, it would be with two offers (no one uses the third as far as I know), but for now restricted free agency isn't in the game. JimG: Q: Will there be more contract negotiation clauses? Incentives? Roster bonuses? JimG: No. JimG: Q: Will the compatibility continue to be based on something like astrological sign or something more realistic like Myers-Briggs Personality Types? JimG: Astrological signs have been removed from the game, as they were distracting people and there never was a conflict chart in the game. But that's still about 80% of the underlying basis of contracts. JimG: Q: Can players that retire be hired as coaches? JimG: Eventually, some might make it back into the staff pool. JimG: Q: Will waiver claims be implemented? JimG: No. JimG: Q: Can a third quarterback on the inactive roster be activated per NFL rules? JimG: The roster is set at 46 rather than 45 to accommodate the third quarterback. The rules surrounding third quarterback participation are not implemented in the game. JimG: Q: Will agents begin to play a bigger role in their client's lives? JimG: Slightly. They will play a big role in rookie negotiations and veteran holdouts. JimG: Q: Will we be able to peruse a fake draft publication that lists rookies by anticipated draft round (in order to have a jumping off point to begin sorting)? JimG: No. But there's a new sort in the amateur draft that more closely matches the anticipated draft order. JimG: Q: Can you be fired/ change jobs to other teams like FOF4? If so and you get fired, will there always be a team that wants your services? Some people have been fired and there are no teams that want to rehire, so in essence the game is over. I couldn't imagine having all that history and then, BOOM! you have to start over. JimG: The only change I've made there is to allow you to "reject" the firing, thus allowing you to continue in your current role. JimG: Q: Has the AI end-game logic been tweaked? (Right now, there are consistently unrealistic play calls late in halves and in OT.) JimG: A little. Some of what's been reported as unrealistic isn't (a halfback screen is almost de rigeur in some desperate situations). But if people report specific cases, I'll take another look. JimG: Q: In the current version of FOF4, it appears that teams go through the leftover players after free agency in a randomly determined order. The first team that gets to do this often signs a handful of strong players to one-year, bargain-basement contracts, and subsequently rises in the standings the next season, only to fall again the following year when all those players go back into free agency. Will this problem be addressed in the n JimG: I hope that the second stage of free agency largely eliminates the power of this effect. JimG: Q: Will Astrological Signs still be implemented? If so, will we get any additional feedback such as Player X and Player Y got into a fight in spring training or QB X and WR Y did not seem in synch during the game today. JimG: I'd like to implement additional feedback through the email system. That's something the beta testers are unanimous in wanting. I'm looking into seeing if I can do this without impacting the schedule too much. Astrological signs are gone now. JimG: Q: Will Game Experience be factored in to the scouts opinion of a player? I noticed many times when scouts would favor a FB with a rating of 40 and 8 years experience over a FB with a rating of 70 and 1 year of experience. That always confused me. (The rating being a generic average of all it's attributes). JimG: This has been tweaked. Remember that the future ratings are not the ratings you can expect right now. JimG: Q: Will injuries still be linked heavily to the coach? JimG: Yes. JimG: Q: Will training be expanded beyond Spring Training to include weekly regiments of training during the regular and post-season? JimG: No. JimG: Q: Will coach and coordinator profiles be editable like the player files in fof4. Also will coaches and scouts still be randomly created and assigned to teams like in previous versions or will be be able to give each team their starting front office tandem, as we see fit. JimG: No and Yes. JimG: Q: Will there be a higher difficulty level, or will the highest difficulty level be made more difficult than FOF? JimG: No. I'm hoping the AI is better at choosing free agents. That will do wonders for the difficultly level. I've made a lot of changes there, and only time will tell if they worked. JimG: Q: Will the intelligence test score replace the intelligence rating from previsous versions? JimG: No. The test score will lead to the intelligence rating. JimG: Q: Will Long Snapping, Holding, and Gunning each have their own ratings? If so, will they partially or completely replace the current Special Teams rating? Also, from imported TCY draft files, will those ratings be interpolated from other ratings or will they be assigned at random? JimG: Long Snapping and Holding are new ratings. Gunning is related to the Special Teams rating. Those will be assigned at random. JimG: Q: Are the overall number ratings for current and potential still available during the amateur draft? JimG: Yes. JimG: Q: Will the coach (not me) ever be allowed to pick his own coordinators? JimG: No. Though if you don't make choices, the AI will of course make that choice for you. JimG: Q: Will each player's playoff stats be saved just as the regular season stats? JimG: No. JimG: Q: Can you go back and look up past year's drafts? JimG: No. JimG: Q: Will the CPU be competitive in games vs. Human? Last version I played I could go undefeated with the worst team in the league if I called my own plays. JimG: I hope so. I'd appreciate specifics if you've discovered any holes in the play-calling. JimG: Q: Will we be able to set our special teams lineups? JimG: Just the gunner positions. The game chooses backups, mostly, to fill the rest of the squads. JimG: Q: Will you be able to allow the AI to run your team, but be able to flag players that you don't want them to trade/release? JimG: No. Though that's a good idea - one that has come up in beta testing. JimG: Q: What kind of Difficulty setting will there be? JimG: Difficulty settings are identical to those in FOF4. JimG: Q: Can coordinators get promoted to head coaches (possibly leaving your team to head another team)? JimG: Yes, that can happen. JimG: Q: In previous versions of FOF (before FOF4) when a player was drafted in the first round it would say his draft position on his player card. It would say 1(12) for the 12th pick in the draft. Will this be brought back for this version of FOF? The difference between the # 1 pick and the # 32 pick is a huge difference and it would be nice if this feature was brought back JimG: Yes. That's been expanded to all rounds. JimG: Okay.... that JimG: is all I have. PrimeLord:Allrighty lets get started with the new questions then PrimeLord:A quick reminder for those that joined late send any questions you have to me. I will post them in the channel and Jim will answer them. PrimeLord:Since the game will only be available through download, does that mean there is no way to get the game if your computer has no net access? JimG: I think ViaTech has a way of allowing that access. As I'm not sure if I'll stay with ViaTech, that's a difficult question to answer. PrimeLord:Q: can we edit the city data to give us international cities? JimG: No. Though this is an excellent opportunity for third-party utilities. PrimeLord:Q: In the preseason will we still have to make players active and inactive, so all players could play in the preseason games? JimG: Yes. PrimeLord:Q: Since TCY now directly exports player names, any chance that College name goes as well? IE, will Solecismic Eight Teams now be noticeable? JimG: No. The college names are still limited to the library of colleges. PrimeLord:Q: If difficulty level is not an option in multiplayer, what difficulty level do computer controlled teams act on? JimG: They don't. Difficulty level only affects the human player. PrimeLord:Q: Can teams relocate in a MP league? JimG: Yes. PrimeLord:Q: Waht is the anticipated release date? JimG: I don't know. A lot of that has to do with these discussions with replicators, ViaTech and their competitors. I think the game is fairly close to ready, I just don't want to set a date in stone. PrimeLord:Q: If we play TCY now and have saved draft files will they be compatible with FOF2004 or do we have to wait until after the update to TCY is done to play it and create usable draft files for import into FOF2004 JimG: Old draft files will not be compatible. The TCY update will take place very shortly after the release. Or sooner. A lot depends on the ViaTech situation. You will be able to create draft files with the new generator. PrimeLord:q: Is the internet connection required to play or just to register the game? JimG: Just to register the game. At least that's how ViaTech does it. That's one reason why I'm skeptical about at leasy one competitor - they require an active connection and monthly online checks. JimG: Skeptical meaning "I won't do it that way unless it's absolutely necessary" PrimeLord:Q: You did a great job on some of your choices. How do you select beta testers and can people apply/express an interest for future releases? JimG: I choose testers based on past email discussions and forum participation. I keep the beta pool very small, and I'm happy with how they contribute to the game. PrimeLord:Q: have the minimum number of players needed on the roster at each position changed at all? JimG: No. PrimeLord:Q: have the playing time of players in the preseason been adjusted at all? JimG: Yes. JimG: I've tried to focus a bit on quarterbacks there. PrimeLord:Q: how big will the download be? multiple files or just one big one? JimG: I'm guessing one big file. Maybe somewhere around 25M PrimeLord:Q: Is there a hard limit on how many seasons can be played before the game shuts down? JimG: No. At least I've never found it. In theory, 1,000 seasons isn't out of line. But I wouldn't access the career statistics screen then. PrimeLord:Q: Ok Jim: Try to come clean: Why no Front Office Curling? JimG: Straight hair is more the trend now. PrimeLord:Q: will this version of FOF be compatible with future version so that leasues, player stats, careers, can be imported? Thanks JimG: I did cover this earlier. Let me find the answer... I'm not sure. So far, every time I've made a new version, the number of changes I've made to the core of the game has prevented this from being a viable option (for instance, the Almanac would effectively be reduced to gibberish without a lot of the data pieces that are new to FOF 2004). I'm guessing no. PrimeLord:Sorry my fault PrimeLord:Q: Are there new options made available when starting a career with the initial player file? Can you start a complete fictional career without the use of OPU? JimG: No, there aren't. PrimeLord:Q: Have the game viewer along with the play by play been remodeled and updated? JimG: No. PrimeLord:Q: Are Championship Games still hosted in cold weather cities? JimG: They can be. PrimeLord:Q: Will there be the ability to edit city weather data? JimG: No, but that would be a good option to include in that third-party city editor utility. PrimeLord:Q: Are team specific hall of fames back in the game? JimG: No. That never came across very well. PrimeLord:Q: What's so much better about the stats in this version? JimG: Mostly, the inclusion of all career statistics for former players. That was a huge addition. PrimeLord:Q: How big will the import/export files be? (not saved game files) JimG: Zipped, export files run about 500K in-season. Import files are very small - maybe a few hundred bytes at most. PrimeLord:Q: what is the default difficulty for mp? JimG: There is no default difficulty. PrimeLord:Q: Would you like to see player interaction taken to the level it is in CM? JimG: Eventually. But remember that this sort of thing is dependent on having enormous variety in the events presented to the gamer. Marc Vaughan has a wonderful system for getting that into his game, and while I'd love to follow his lead, anything less than the amount of work he puts into this would result in a system that people really would find more annoying than enjoyable. PrimeLord:Q: what is your favorite new feature you added to fof2004? JimG: I really like the new career stats screen, just because of the technical difficulty. But I'm enjoying the multi-player a lot in testing, so I'd have to go with that answer. PrimeLord:Q: When can we expect to see screen shots of the new game? JimG: Within a few days, I hope. I really am working around the clock right now, and it's just a matter of what's most important on the to-do list. In order to do screen shots, I want to make the player names fictional. And then take a career out a few years. So it's no small task. PrimeLord:Has the league hall of fame been tweaked to allow more defensive players and offensive linemen in or an option to induct yourself? JimG: I've never thought about self-induction. It has been tweaked, but I don't expect huge differences. PrimeLord:q: What made you decide to do FOF again? If the multi player feature works well, do you think it's possible that you might try TCY online one day? JimG: It had a lot to do with wanting to get the best possible game ready for distribution. I think FOF can be a huge seller if properly presented, and multi-player might be the hook that's necessary. We'll see how that goes - if it goes well, yes, I can see putting together a similar feature for TCY. But I can't imagine a truly online system - it would most likely have to be a file transfer system like FOF. PrimeLord:Sorry PrimeLord:had to step away for a sec PrimeLord:Q: if we buy 4th edition NOW, can we get a free upgrade to 2004 (believe it or not, i never bought 4th edition) JimG: No. I've discounted FOF4 this week, essentially going that route. PrimeLord:Q: In multiplayer is it possible to assign all teams to the same city or different cities for financial purposes? JimG: No, team movement is only possible through the city voting mechanism. Though I'm sure those third-party utility writers might find something interesting in the initial city assignment area of the data files. PrimeLord:Q: You covered the minimum hardware requirements, but what are the recommened system requirements? JimG: I think you're going to want at least a Pentium 2. And 256M of RAM is always nice these days. It's really just a matter of what speed you're comfortable with in terms of game play. PrimeLord:Q: Since we can now save/load game plans, will there be preset game plans included in the game (west coast, etc)? JimG: I'd love to include that, it's on my list for future versions of the game just because it's rather time-consuming. I think people will have a lot more fun creating custom game plan packages. PrimeLord:Q: Are there any team budgets, or are we still allowed to spend whatever we want on coaches/scouts/etc without any real penalty? JimG: My feeling is that custom game plan creation is going to explode because of multi-player. JimG: No, there are limits - each team has a built-in limit for scout/staff offers and salary offers. PrimeLord:Q: Will the AI offer trades during the draft? JimG: No. PrimeLord:Q: In multiplayer leagues will owners be able to vote in game on who recieves MVP, Rookie of the Year awards, etc? JimG: No. PrimeLord:Q: Can you explain any more about your change of direction earlier in the year? JimG: It has to do with an opportunity I had a while back. I did a lot of design work, but the opportunity was no longer there when I finally responded. My fault for not jumping on it when I had the chance. PrimeLord:Q: Do you prefer FOF5 or FOF2004? :-) JimG: Well, I found that FOF2002, EA's roster update for FOF2001, might actually have outsold FOF4 this year. So maybe my sales problem with FOF4 had something to do with confusion over the name of the game - which is more current? I thought it made sense to go with FOF 2004 instead of FOF5 to alleviate confusion. JimG: Next is FOF 3000, by the way. PrimeLord:Q: You haven't considered using Softwrap, have you? they are really bad. JimG: O JimG: I'm open to suggestions. Softwrap charges a lot, too, so they're low on my list. PrimeLord:Q: When you say there is no default difficulty in multiplayer, does this mean that a FOF league has to be 32 human players? Or does a "Generic" AI GM take care of any computer players JimG: I spent some time today on the phone with Element5, with sells Macrovision's SafeCast. What do people think of that? There was that Turbotax problem. JimG: The Generic AI GM handles the remaining teams. JimG: What I meant was that the difficulty level in the solo game applies only to the human team with regard to issues that really don't apply in multi-player. PrimeLord:Q: How is player development handled? Apart from the preseason training do they also improve during the season. How does playing time affect their development? JimG: Playing time helps development. Otherwise, development is handled on a curve related to how players typically develop in the NFL - mostly it's a peak year/peak end system. PrimeLord:Q: Can rookies get burned out from playing too much too early and stunt their development? Does height or weight matter for the simulations? JimG: No and No. Those are both good ideas for future development, though. I've always wanted height to matter, especially for quarterbacks. PrimeLord:Q: why can't we edit conference and bowl names? JimG: I've just felt that other new features were more important. I haven't updated TCY in a while. PrimeLord:Q: has any adjustment been made to the player of the week logic? JimG: Yes. I've made it much more important for that player to be on the winning team. PrimeLord:Q: Does the player file "somewhat mirror" the beginning of the 2003 NFL season or current standings? (Hypothetically is the Rams second quarterback their starter, etc.) JimG: Yes, it somewhat mirrors rosters as of week 5, I believe. Maybe week 4. PrimeLord:Q: what was the technical challenge of the career stats system? Have you essentially implemented a relational database (primary keys, foreign keys, b+ trees, etc)? JimG: I tend to stay away from formal databases, because everything is so customized. The challenge was simply in grabbing relevant information from so many different locations. What makes it interesting is that you can now call up career stats for any player for his performance on any team (or all teams). PrimeLord:Q: Is the AI any more intuitive when setting up game plans to take advantage of its team strengths/opponent weaknesses, or is it more of a stock plan and player selection? JimG: It tries to look at the opposing team. I haven't made any serious changes from FOF4 there, though. Teams do prefer, especially on offense, to follow their own strengths. PrimeLord:Q: can mp commissioners change the salary cap? PrimeLord:Q JimG: Not once a career has started. PrimeLord:whoops PrimeLord:Q: Can you tell us a little about the league analysis of drafts? How is the info displayed, etc? JimG: There's a list of teams and letter grades. Grading is based on a combination of the quality of the players drafted, and the expected improvement to each team's roster. In testing, the human teams keep getting "D-", so this needs tweaking. Or the testers need tweaking (myself included). PrimeLord:Q: You mentioned HTML exports will not be included in the initial release. Willt here be any other way to extract the league data to a spreadsheet or to create web pages form it? JimG: Other than printing to file, nothing new. PrimeLord:Q: How many leagues are you going to join? JimG: One, possibly. I'm enjoying the multi-player testing more than I thought I would. PrimeLord:Q: Is it still possible to download the install file for FOF2 and if so where is that file located? JimG: I don't know. That's an EA product, so I never had it. Maybe it's on FOFC somewhere. I'm certain someone from FOFC has it and can send it to you. PrimeLord:Q: In the players file will players currently on the IR in the NFL start the year on the IR? JimG: No. We let them start healthy. PrimeLord:Q: What options are available to start a multiplayer game (fantasy drafts, etc.?) JimG: You can start with existing roster, with a preference draft or the commissioner can enter each pick by hand (53 rounds, though - not much fun). PrimeLord:Q: Can we change city data/city names? JimG: No. I think I covered that one above somewhere. PrimeLord:Sorry i thought so too, but I wasn’t sure PrimeLord:Q: Marlins or Yankees? JimG: I'm in Red Sox Nation. PrimeLord:Q: Will the league analysis include grading of players or just overall team scores? JimG: Not sure what's meant here. PrimeLord:I think he meant will the league analysis give grades on the individual players taken or will there only be overall team scores for A's and B's etc PrimeLord:Also guys if you have anymore questions send them to me JimG: Oh, just overall grades. PrimeLord:Anymore questions? PrimeLord:Q: Is the demo still on track for this month? JimG: I think so. PrimeLord:Q: What kind of changes can we expect in future versions of FOF? What features do you still want to add that have not made it into the current version? JimG: Well, from testing, I'd say the export to html feature is a must-have. Also near the top of the list, but nowhere near that level, would be the implementation of restricted free agency. It's just something that would be a lot of fun to have, though it's very difficult from a programming perspective. I don't have too many thoughts about future versions yet, but getting into more customized game plans would be a nice direction. PrimeLord:Q: will we be able to go through on off season in the demo, I'd like to play with the draft JimG: No. Don't want to give away the cow. Or the milk. Or whatever that saying is. I will include that in the screen shots, though. PrimeLord:Q: Have finances been changed? Specifically, is it easier to get fired when you lose tons of money? JimG: It's been tweaked a bit, but no tremendous changes have been made. PrimeLord:Q: Can you give more detail about the "tweaking" of the finances? JimG: Basically, adjusting the factors that the "owner" uses for making decisions about a warning. More emphasis on team performance and the bottom line financially. Also, trying to increase the penalty for too-drastic ticket-price increases. PrimeLord:Q: Will it still be possible for the human player to offer tons of money to coaches/scouts? PrimeLord:Whoops I already asked that earlier PrimeLord:Q: What type of research did you do for the MP aspect of FOF2004? Did you talk to online league members, join a league, etc.? JimG: I've received a lot of email about multi-player in the FOF series. That, the league size question and NFL Europe make up a huge percentage of the comments I've received. MP was more a matter of both seeing what fit with the design of the game and what elements of the game people mentioned when they talked about wanting MP in FOF. I've tried some online simulations, and I knew I that I had to have a game that was entertaining from a sin PrimeLord:Q: Does FOF2004 mean yo were not entirely satisfied with FOF4? That it needed changes? JimG: That's a tough question. I'm never entirely satisfied with anything I write. That's just my nature. I'm happy with how it turned out - particularly the play-calling interface, which was a major new addition (replacing a system from FOF2/2001 that was tedious). This decision had a lot to do with responding to what customers wanted. I felt there were new opportunities with a new version - especially with the addition of multi-player. PrimeLord:Q: Do you see yourself joining up with a publisher again, like a 400sports or OOTPDevelopments, or do you consider a one man house the best for you with regards to flexibility? JimG: Well, .400 is pretty well covered. I doubt they'd have any interest in me. I really don't know. One thing I've learned from talking to publishers is that they have to come to you, I can't go to them. If an established publisher came to me with an interesting offer, I might very well take it. These games are getting bigger and bigger, and there is definitely more of a barrier to entry for a one-man ship than there was six years ago. PrimeLord:Allright guys I think that is a wrap. I want to thank Jim again for taking the time to do this. And also tot hank everyone who submitted questions and for being patient as I sorted through them all. JimG: Thanks, Primelord. There's no one better at sorting through all of that. PrimeLord:I have to be good at something. PrimeLord:Ok you can all talk again. Thanks.
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The media don't understand the kinds of problems and pressures 54 million come wit'! |
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10-22-2003, 10:25 PM
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#2 | |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Colorado
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Overall, pretty good. Still don't like the following responses but I can hope for the future
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10-22-2003, 10:44 PM
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#3 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Hometown of Canada
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I don't really like this:
JimG: Q: Will game plans be hidden from opposing coaches (password protected or otherwise) in multiplayer? JimG: Interesting idea. No, people will be on the honor system when it comes to looking at the exported files. Of course, if someone is suspected, he may learn the hard way not to put too much into deciphering last week's game plan. I'm not good with FOF, so I keep my gameplan pretty much the same... kinda crappy that the other people can see it then.  I'll have to see how multiplayer functions before I participate in it. |
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10-22-2003, 10:58 PM
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#4 |
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lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: sans pants
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I completely agree with Bucc and MikeVic's concerns.
Hopefully Jim's beta team can push him on those issues.
__________________
Superman was flying around and saw Wonder Woman getting a tan in the nude on her balcony. Superman said I going to hit that real fast. So he flys down toward Wonder Woman to hit it and their is a loud scream. The Invincible Man scream what just hit me in the ass!!!!! I do shit, I take pictures, I write about it: chrisshue.com |
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10-22-2003, 11:02 PM
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#5 |
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World Champion Mis-speller
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Covington, Ga.
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If it weren't for multi-player (and then only to play in the one league), I would have no reason to buy this game.
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10-22-2003, 11:05 PM
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#6 |
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College Benchwarmer
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Lexington, KY
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I agree. I can't see any features aside from multiplayer that would really justify the pruchase of this new game. Maybe FOF4.5 would be a better name for it
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10-22-2003, 11:25 PM
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#7 | |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Troy, Mo
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This sold the game to me... I have to get going on TCY once the update is released! Thanks!! I knew this was money well spent (TCY).
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10-22-2003, 11:26 PM
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#8 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Troy, Mo
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dola,
thanks primelord and Jim!! Primelord, get going on some Missouri players into FOF 2004!! Todd |
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10-22-2003, 11:38 PM
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#9 |
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Head Coach
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Seven miles up
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FOF 4 just wasn't that much better than me to make me buy it and abandon FOF2k2. This addition and improvment certainly will. I will wait though and see what the initial reaction is, before I lay my money down.
__________________
He's just like if Snow White was competitive, horny, and capable of beating the shit out of anyone that called her Pops. Like Steam? Join the FOFC Steam group here: http://steamcommunity.com/groups/FOFConSteam |
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10-22-2003, 11:46 PM
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#10 | |
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Pro Starter
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Troy, NY
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Quote:
Suuuureee...
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Quis custodiets ipsos custodes? |
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10-23-2003, 12:17 AM
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#11 |
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College Starter
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Calgary
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Bucc and I must play sport sims alike because those were my exact concerns as well.
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10-23-2003, 01:04 AM
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#12 | |
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Poet in Residence
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Charleston, SC
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10-23-2003, 01:22 AM
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#13 |
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General Manager
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: The Satellite of Love
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I actually think being able to see the game plan for the other teams is a good thing. Remember, you'll be seeing the game plan from the previous week.
Every pro team has people who scout the hell out of opponents to determine exactly what they do and when they do it. This pretty much makes up for it. And those who make their defensive and offensive plans too specific with the opponents previous one will get burned when the oppoents mixes it up. Like, you notice that your oppoentn never goes deep, and only throws short and runs. So you scale back on the zone and play more man and blitz. Suddenly, you play them, you elimiated concern over the deep pass and you get smoked several times for huge gains off long passes because the plan got changed. I actually might become interested in MP now. |
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10-23-2003, 01:32 AM
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#14 |
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Poet in Residence
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Charleston, SC
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One man's poison is another man's...poison, I guess, but maybe they have a higher resistance or something.
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10-23-2003, 02:25 AM
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#15 | |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Tallahassee, FL
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Quote:
Gotta second this opinion. I was on the fence with this game and TPF but reading the transcript confirms I'll be going the TPF route. There's really nothing for the solo player in this release, except some minor adjustments that I can live without. I may be in the minority but I think Jim is rushing this game out so his customer base doesn't jump to 400ss, which is a good idea. It's not a coincidence that they were gonna be released at the same time. |
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10-23-2003, 03:50 AM
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#16 |
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Solecismic Software
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Canton, OH
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Back in April, when I made the decision to go with FOF 2004, I aimed at October 1. I had no idea what competition, if any, would be released.
You can be unhappy about feature sets. You can call months of work minor adjustments. You are certainly free to buy whatever you choose to buy. But this game is not being rushed out, nor does my release schedule have anything to do with .400. |
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10-23-2003, 04:19 AM
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#17 |
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Pro Starter
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Rennes, France
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Thanks for the Q&A session transcript.
I do anticipate the TCY/FOF2004 relation to be one of my favorite feature. Just after MultiPlayer ofcourse ! |
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10-23-2003, 04:21 AM
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#18 |
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Dynasty Boy
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Michigan
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As always, thanks to Jim and primelord for taking time out of their busy schedule to answer and ask these questions for us. And thank you all for asking such interesting questions.
I'm actually mildly encouraged by the answers I see here, except of course for the big one (difficulty). I'm a little sorry to see the horoscope signs gone and it's too bad one can't play under expansion conditions, but the draft looks like fun, and if the AI can manage their rosters well (i.e. better), then Jim might have something here. But overall it still looks like SSDD (same stuff, different day) that I am in no hurry to add to my collection. |
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10-23-2003, 05:03 AM
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#19 |
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Morgado's Favorite Forum Fascist
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Greensboro, NC
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I gotta disagree with the consensus in this thead. The two areas of the game that to me could be improved the most to add to the single player experience were drafting and free agency. From what I saw in the chat, and from what I've read in Quik's diary about these two parts of the game, it sounds as if the draft has had a complete overhaul, and free agency has had some significant attention as well.
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The media don't understand the kinds of problems and pressures 54 million come wit'! |
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10-23-2003, 05:18 AM
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#20 | |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Tallahassee, FL
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Quote:
What's been changed in the draft? I'm not being a smartass I genuinely would like to know. Ive seen that there are going to be some combine scores, but there maybe some other things I overlooked. Maybe I was a little hasty in my previous post. If this game gets good reviews on here I may be tempted to buy it, but as it stands right now I would like to check out something new, and I don't have the time or the money to play two games. P.S.: perhaps my choice to use the word rushed in my previous post wasn't the best. I didn't mean to imply at all that a sub par game was being released for the sake of timing. I didnt mean to piss anyone off |
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10-23-2003, 05:25 AM
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#21 | |
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Morgado's Favorite Forum Fascist
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Greensboro, NC
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Quote:
__________________
The media don't understand the kinds of problems and pressures 54 million come wit'! |
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10-23-2003, 06:14 AM
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#22 | |
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Pro Starter
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Fairfax, VA
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Quote:
I completely agree SkyDog. To me, the problem with single player wasn't a lack of features, it was the features already there didn't work as well as they should. Most of my concerns centered around free agency (I actually thought Jim did a pretty nice job with the last patch for FOF4 in addressing quite a few concerns with the draft). Probably the biggest disappointment I have would be no trade offers during the draft, but hopefully that can be added in a future version. I'd rather have the current feature set working properly than adding more and nothing working right. |
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10-23-2003, 07:02 AM
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#23 |
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lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: sans pants
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Sabotai makes a good point about being able to see the gameplans.
__________________
Superman was flying around and saw Wonder Woman getting a tan in the nude on her balcony. Superman said I going to hit that real fast. So he flys down toward Wonder Woman to hit it and their is a loud scream. The Invincible Man scream what just hit me in the ass!!!!! I do shit, I take pictures, I write about it: chrisshue.com |
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10-23-2003, 07:17 AM
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#24 |
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This guy has posted so much, his fingers are about to fall off.
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: In Absentia
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I agree that the changes to drafting and free agency are big, although I'd call them subtle in another sense, since the game probably won't look or even feel any different to someone who only plays it for a few hours. I think the changes will be subtle, and play themselves out over a career, which, I hope, will be a far more rewarding experience than FOF4 was. For that reason, I'm looking forward to the game.
However....if drafting and free agency really are the two biggest selling points to this version over FOF4, and you want people to try the game, having a demo that runs just like the previous demos ain't gonna cut it. Am I correct on this? Isn't the demo essentially limited to the beginning of a season and running a couple of weeks? How is that supposed to convince someone whether they want to buy FOF2K4, or stick with a previous version?
__________________
M's pitcher Miguel Batista: "Now, I feel like I've had everything. I've talked pitching with Sandy Koufax, had Kenny G play for me. Maybe if I could have an interview with God, then I'd be served. I'd be complete." |
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10-23-2003, 07:27 AM
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#25 |
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Pro Starter
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Fairfax, VA
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Ksyrup have you read QS's last diary entry? Looks like the draft has a much different feel.
I agree about the demo. Jim does this every year and I think it's a mistake every year. The strength of this type of game are things in the offseason and if you don't show that in a demo, no one knows what to expect and the demo doesn't do what it is meant to do (demonstrate the game). I think it would be much better if the demo started at the end of the last season and let you run through free agency, the draft, the preseason and 1 regular season game. But it's not my choice sadly. |
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10-23-2003, 07:30 AM
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#26 |
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This guy has posted so much, his fingers are about to fall off.
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: In Absentia
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Just read it. OK, so it will be different. Even more of a reason to get the game. From Jim's discussion during the chat, I got the feeling that many changes were subtle, but this looks completely redesigned. Nice!
__________________
M's pitcher Miguel Batista: "Now, I feel like I've had everything. I've talked pitching with Sandy Koufax, had Kenny G play for me. Maybe if I could have an interview with God, then I'd be served. I'd be complete." |
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10-23-2003, 07:38 AM
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#27 | |
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Morgado's Favorite Forum Fascist
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Greensboro, NC
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Quote:
__________________
The media don't understand the kinds of problems and pressures 54 million come wit'! |
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10-23-2003, 07:43 AM
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#28 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Jan 2002
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I would like to know more about the Coaching/scouting team budget. I wondered how this was going to work in an MP world.
I would also like to know what kind of further trouble our players can get into without the NFL License.(how low can you go?) Is there any thought of a TCY type in season "team" suspensions? EX: you star QB has missed his 3rd straight morning practice do you a)play him. b)bench him. c)suspend him.
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END OF LINE..... |
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10-23-2003, 07:58 AM
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#29 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Troy, Mo
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The best diary entry yet!
So, I guess 40-times do matter? Meaning speed kills type thing? Will a faster WR return more punts and kickoffs? A faster RB have more long TD's? Todd |
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10-23-2003, 08:09 AM
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#30 | |
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Pro Starter
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: The Internets
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Quote:
I couldn't agree more. That demo got me hooked on text sim games. Sure, I'd played a few Wizard Games and loved the sim aspects of FPS FB, but when I played that demo, I had to have the game and have been playing sports text sims ever since.
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I do mind, the Dude minds. This will not stand, ya know, this aggression will not stand, man. - The Dude |
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10-23-2003, 08:12 AM
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#31 |
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This guy has posted so much, his fingers are about to fall off.
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: In Absentia
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I'm a bit confused about something:
PrimeLord:Q: Can rookies get burned out from playing too much too early and stunt their development? Does height or weight matter for the simulations? JimG: No and No. Those are both good ideas for future development, though. I've always wanted height to matter, especially for quarterbacks. Now, from QS' recent diary: "I quickly notice, for instance, that the fastest man in this draft is a lightning-quick cover corner out of Kansas named Jerome Raymond - who has potential, but not great size. His 4.33 second time makes him a standout in this draft, and he looks to be a fairly early selection, despite his fairly diminutive size and correspondingly low score in the "strength" area." Do I understand correctly that size doesn't matter (aside from being a determining factor for which positions a player is eligible for, I think), and that QS' comment is more "storyline filler" (no offense, QS) than a substantive part of the game? So, among the info that I really need to pay attention to on the draft screen, height and weight are just window dressing, but the others - 40 time, test score, bench press, etc., are real factors?
__________________
M's pitcher Miguel Batista: "Now, I feel like I've had everything. I've talked pitching with Sandy Koufax, had Kenny G play for me. Maybe if I could have an interview with God, then I'd be served. I'd be complete." |
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10-23-2003, 08:15 AM
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#32 |
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Morgado's Favorite Forum Fascist
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Greensboro, NC
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Ksyrup:
Excellent question.
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The media don't understand the kinds of problems and pressures 54 million come wit'! |
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10-23-2003, 08:17 AM
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#33 |
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Hall Of Famer
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Troy, Mo
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Good work, I was wondering that myself.
Todd |
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10-23-2003, 08:22 AM
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#34 | |
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Pro Starter
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Fairfax, VA
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Quote:
Jim has said the combine scores are interpolated from actual ratings with a "fudge" factor to account for combine day nerves. As you said, Jim also said that height and weight do not play a factor in the simulation, BUT that doesn't mean they also aren't interpolated from ratings in some manner (based on position). I have no idea if this is the case or not, but I would think that height is pretty random, but weight may be tied to strength in some manner (so a "strong" RB may weigh more). Edit: Weight is probably also tied to height as well. Last edited by Bee : 10-23-2003 at 08:23 AM. |
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10-23-2003, 08:33 AM
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#35 | ||
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Head Coach
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Colorado
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Quote:
pjstp20: That was uncalled for. Quote:
I feel this way too and I wonder how much of the improvements in drafting, free agenting, trading (my favorite areas) would be applicable to MP? I can certainly appreciate the emphasis on gameplan features but in the immortal words of SkyDog, "I don't care 'bout that". Jim did a great job with the questions and answered them honestly (unlike a company like Firaxis who generally replies 'No Comments' to many of the same type of questions). I do believe he's right when he said that MP alone would put FOF back on the map and I will support him just for that. Here's a secret: If you want to see many of the desired features in the patches (like the ones I stated plus HTML and others) - buy the game and get others to buy it as well. |
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10-23-2003, 08:38 AM
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#36 |
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This guy has posted so much, his fingers are about to fall off.
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: In Absentia
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Did anyone else shake their head sadly at this:
"JimG: Well, I found that FOF2002, EA's roster update for FOF2001, might actually have outsold FOF4 this year. So maybe my sales problem with FOF4 had something to do with confusion over the name of the game - which is more current? I thought it made sense to go with FOF 2004 instead of FOF5 to alleviate confusion."
__________________
M's pitcher Miguel Batista: "Now, I feel like I've had everything. I've talked pitching with Sandy Koufax, had Kenny G play for me. Maybe if I could have an interview with God, then I'd be served. I'd be complete." |
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10-23-2003, 08:40 AM
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#37 | |
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Morgado's Favorite Forum Fascist
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Greensboro, NC
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Quote:
__________________
The media don't understand the kinds of problems and pressures 54 million come wit'! |
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10-23-2003, 08:50 AM
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#38 | |
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lolzcat
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Annapolis, Md
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Quote:
Okay, gang. The fact that height is essentially immaterial in the game is not news. That has always been the case, and this question has been answered before. However, I think there is a meaningful advance in this version on this front - particularly regarding rookie players. "Small" players in this game have a generally lower ability in the strength-related areas -- so a 5-8 and 180 lb running back is not likely to not have the "strength" factors that a 6-1 225 lb running back would. And this correlation is generally pretty evident in the combine ratings, along with showing up in the scouting analysis of rookie players. However, just like previous games, FOF 2004 uses a system of "result-oriented" ratings, rather than basic skills. So, when you eventually see that your RB has a rating of 70/100 for "power running" - THAT is what you should base your opinion on, because THAT is what really matters. You shouldn't go back to look at the fact that the RB is only 195 lbs and say "well, he's really not big enough to be a power runner." (This excaly mirrors the way the rating system has worked in all prior versions of the game, too -- In FOF 2001 of FOF 4, if you have a 5-9, 265 lb DT who is rated 90/100 in "Run Defense" then he is a run stopper, not mater what his size might tend to indicate) I think this is what Jim means by "weight and height don't matter." When I'm scouting rookies for the draft, I am definitely looking at things like a player's combine lifting result and his size - because I have reason to believe that this will connect to his ability to be a tough run stopper, for instance. But once his ratings are fully revealed (after the player has performed and we get a real look at his scouted ratings) then these secondary factors are irrelevant, and the scouted ratings tell me what I was originally just guessing at. Does that connection make a little more sense? |
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10-23-2003, 08:56 AM
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#39 | |
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Morgado's Favorite Forum Fascist
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Greensboro, NC
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Quote:
That makes complete sense, and is an improvement, in my opinion, IF an "averaged"-sized guy for his position might have above-average or below-average ratings in "strength." For example, if one 6'0", 200lb RB might be rated 60 in "inside running", but another guy who is the exact same size might be rated 40. Otherwise, the weight becomes redundant I think. (I'm not sure I'm making sense.)
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The media don't understand the kinds of problems and pressures 54 million come wit'! |
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10-23-2003, 10:12 AM
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#40 |
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"Dutch"
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Tampa, FL
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If that is true, QS, that is a nice addition. Next maybe we can work on getting descriptive tags to go along with some of the ratings.
Perhaps we could have scatbacks which get a bonus to ratings such as "Speed to the outside" and "Elusiveness" and a penalty modifier to "Endurance" and "Power Inside". North South power runners would get the opposite bonus and penalty. Just things for Jim to think about for the future. |
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10-23-2003, 10:15 AM
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#41 |
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"Dutch"
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Tampa, FL
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One question that I asked but didn't get into detail was commissioner participation in multiplayer. Would there be any chance a commissioner could cheat was basically my question.
The answer was no. But I wonder if the commissioner doesn't like the results of a week of action, could he/she simply not save it and reload the game and to it again? It sure seems like he/she could do that, unless the game autosaves after results are determined. |
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10-23-2003, 10:35 AM
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#42 | |
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Hokie, Hokie, Hokie, Hi
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: Kennesaw, GA
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10-23-2003, 11:28 AM
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#43 |
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High School Varsity
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Seattle, Washington
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Thanks PrimeLord and Jim for the Q&A.
I disagree with the way this thread started to read. I log in taking a break from programming hell, and read where the additions and changes to the game are viewed as minor tweeks, rushed at that. Of course Jim logged in to set the record straight, and I must say, I think Jim had a lot of work to do for these changes to be in place. And the future changes he says he wants to make are quite ambitious. I was about to jump on a programming soap box, but I have a video card to finish. For me as long as the sim plays the games out in a realistic fasion, the other changes can come in time and all is good. |
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10-23-2003, 12:56 PM
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#44 | |
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World Champion Mis-speller
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Covington, Ga.
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Quote:
Of course we've had this conversation before so Ben knows where I stand, but those were only two of many things that needed to be improved. If you want to know what else I'd like to see improved, just go back to the chat and see what Jim said "no" to. 95% are things I have always wanted and many others have been asking for from day one. Even simple things that are in every other game of this type (division names and bowl names) stay unchanged. The demo thing is another. You must allow one post-season to get a feel for the game, or you cannot slam people for not being happy with the game after buying it by saying "well, you had a demo." No, you really don't have a demo. I will give Jim props for two things. One, you finally brought on some Beta testers. That was wise and something most have been asking for since day one. Two, adding MP after fighting it for so long. I think that was a brilliant stroke to help sell this game. There was one encouraging thought that came out of this chat also: JimG: Well, .400 is pretty well covered. I doubt they'd have any interest in me. I really don't know. One thing I've learned from talking to publishers is that they have to come to you, I can't go to them. If an established publisher came to me with an interesting offer, I might very well take it. These games are getting bigger and bigger, and there is definitely more of a barrier to entry for a one-man ship than there was six years ago. I hope this means Jim will broaden his mind in getting some help on producing his products in the future. In truth there is no chance there ever will be a football game with "CM" type depth untill there is more than a one or two man shop working on the game. .400 has two programmers and have several others helping them on different aspects of the game. That has allowed the game to have a much more ambitious feature set than has ever been seen in football text sim. I'm not saying that this means that the game will be "better" than FOF, that remains to be seen. But, imagine a game were Jim is concentrating on the engine, someone else is concentrating on the financials, some one is concentrating on the personality traits and yet another works on the interface. That is what it is going to take to make the ultimate football game. |
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10-23-2003, 01:31 PM
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#45 | |
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Strategy Moderator
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: North Carolina
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Any thoughts on the death of Astrological signs? I'm a bit surprised, and maybe even disappointed.
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10-23-2003, 01:40 PM
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#46 | |
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Pro Starter
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: The Internets
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I didn't understand his answer to that question - did he mean that chemistry was eliminated entirely or that something other than astrological signs is being used.
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I do mind, the Dude minds. This will not stand, ya know, this aggression will not stand, man. - The Dude |
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10-23-2003, 01:49 PM
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#47 | |
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Pro Starter
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Fairfax, VA
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Quote:
I think he might have meant "conflicts" instead of "contracts" in his answer. Otherwise, I have no idea what he was saying either.  |
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10-23-2003, 01:58 PM
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#48 | |
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College Starter
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: Sweden
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Quote:
Marc, are you reading?
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San Diego Chargers (HFL) - Lappland Reindeers (WOOF) - Gothenburg Giants (IHOF) Indiana: A TCY VC - year 2044 - the longest running dynasty ever on FOFC! |
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10-23-2003, 02:00 PM
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#49 | |
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Pro Starter
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Fairfax, VA
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Quote:
Edit: Warning - Pure Speculation Ahead - I was actually wondering if that is what fell through. Jim said by the time he got back to them, the offer was no longer on the table. I wonder if it could have been an offer from SI or Eidos and the split was the reason the offer was no longer on the table. Just a thought... Last edited by Bee : 10-23-2003 at 02:01 PM. |
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10-23-2003, 02:09 PM
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#50 | |
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This guy has posted so much, his fingers are about to fall off.
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: In Absentia
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My pure speculation is that Jim might have been invited to join .400, but PureSim got there first. Again, I have nothing to go by, just my own pure guess.
__________________
M's pitcher Miguel Batista: "Now, I feel like I've had everything. I've talked pitching with Sandy Koufax, had Kenny G play for me. Maybe if I could have an interview with God, then I'd be served. I'd be complete." |
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