Looking to get a football game

thirdandlong · 08-04-2003, 05:05 PM

I downloaded the FoF demo the other day, and well it was a bit overwhelming. I stuck to it and ran through a few iterations of the exhibition season. I really wish I could have gone through a whole season with the sim, but the demo doesn't allow that. This sorta peeve's me actually, because He says on his website that he doesn't want people to buy the game and not be happy. Well he is making it extremely hard for someone to really know if they like it. I mean no one can really judge a "dynasty" management simulation in five games. The notion is ludicrous.

In any case. I am looking at buying this game. I haven't played a football sim in quite a while. My favorite so far has been THe "Front Page Sports" series...well the second or third edition actually. I loved that game, I used completely fictional rosters and built extensive playbooks. I really liked the facet of designing plays.............I stuck with actual NFL type plays, not BS "line 8 guys out on the left wing" plays.

In any case you folks that like this game, can you give me some idea of how the contracts work, how the draft is done...anything like that.

any help is much appreciated

mrsimperless · 08-04-2003, 05:09 PM

Im assuming you are talking about FOF4?

If you are any type of college football fan and it is still available I would recommend buying TCY. (Front Office Football:The College Years) I own both TCY and FOF4 and I put in probably 10x more playing time in TCY than I have in FOF4. Actually, I still put more time in FOF2001 than I do in FOF4 as well...

FBPro · 08-04-2003, 05:13 PM

Be warned that TCY while being a good and well put together game, is to some more of a "recruit-fest" and less of a football game.

Bee · 08-04-2003, 05:40 PM

I'm guessing you want details about the off-season.

After the end of the season, you get an email or two detailing any new TV contracts the league has made and updating the new salary cap and minimum player salary. (I believe it only mentions the rookie minimum, there is a veteran minimum as well that is proportional to the rookie minimum based on the number of years the player has been in the league).

You then have the options of making a Stadium Proposal (build a new one, revamp the one you got, etc). Choose a new team to coach (quit your job and find a new job kind of thing). Or Begin Staff Hiring.

Staff Hiring is a 3 week process. The staff consists of the coach and scout (kind of weak compared to the size of the staff from TCY). You basically make contract offers to the staff you are interested in bidding against the computer controlled teams. At the end of each week it gives you a list of who has given each coach or scout the best offer and what that offer is (ex. 3 years at $650,000 per).

After the staff hiring period, you have the option of setting ticket prices, importing a draft or Starting the Free Agency period. Ticket prices are pretty self-explanatory as is importing the draft. Before starting free agency, you may want to use your franchise tag on a player. If you use the franchise tag on a player, plan on resigning him to a long contract during the off-season or he'll get pissed and not want to resign with you again.

Free Agency is 20 weeks long. You bid against the computer teams for various free agents including your own Unrestricted Free Agents. There are also your own Restricted Free Agents that you can sign (now or after the draft for cheaper). When you go to sign a player he'll give you his demands. You can change those demands to what you want to offer. Each week there is a list of all the players receiving offers and which team has the preferred offer and what that offer is. When you click on the player you can get a list of all offers that player has gotten and which teams are after him. Some players sign immediately, others will hold out for better deals (sometimes this backfires). During free agency you can also get a list of team cap space and team needs for every team. Also, during free agency you can preview the upcoming draft. This will give you an idea of what might be available at your draft pick to help you plot out your free agency signings.

After free agency, the draft comes up. The draft progresses team by team. You can control the speed. Teams will make trades between each other, but sadly you will not receive trade offers during the draft (although you can make trade offers at any time by pausing the draft). The draft is 7 rounds.

After the draft, you can sign free agents again. There are no steps, it's just negotiations. You then head into training camp. You can set how many hours you spend each day on a variety of activities. This will influence how the players progress during the training camp.

After training camp you start the preseason.

Oh yeah, between each stage of the off-season you can also receive emails offering trades from the computer.

If you have any specific questions go ahead and ask. I'm sure someone will be able to answer. If you want to get a feel for how the game plays, I highly recommend checking out one of Quiksand's dynasties in the Dynasty section. He does an excellent job of going through some of the thought processes during the game although he has gotten to the point that he has to use several "house rules" to increase the challenge to a satisfactory level for him.

Godzilla Blitz · 08-04-2003, 05:43 PM

I would guess if you like the team management aspect of the Front Page Sports series, you'll greatly enjoy FOF4c.

Some thoughts...

I agree that it is very difficult to judge the long-term playability of the game based on a five-game demo. Don't worry though, the strengths of the series have been its accurate stats and realisitic player developement models. I think you will be very happy with these aspects of the game.

The AI, IMHO, is much improved over FOF2001, but has room for improvement. The drafting AI is overall very sharp, but the AI's roster management and financial acumen still leave a bit to be desired.

There are some things that really could use tweaking. The two that stand out in my mind are the AI's near absolute refusal to draft punters, and the game's tendency to have a handful of free agents stick to high salary demands, slip all the way through the free agent process, then sign one-year minimum salary deals with some randomly determined team. However, both of these things are not game breakers.

As far as TCY versus FOF, both are worthwhile games, but I would recommend FOF if you have played neither. The time management of students in TCY, although improved over its initial release, still involves quite a bit of micromanagement, and the human player can dominate a TCY game in a decade by recruiting smart players for the first four of five years to build up school prestige.

To get a good idea of FOF gameplay, I would recommend you check out Quiksand's Dynasty. He plays with some fairly strict "house rules" to increase the challenge, but I think you'll get a great sense of what the game is like by reading that.

Good luck with your decision!

thirdandlong · 08-04-2003, 09:28 PM

Thanks for the help. I think I am gonna go for it. Part of me wants to wait for .400 and their Total Pro Football. I looked a little at Football Mogul, and that was just abysmal.

In regards to TCY versus FoF, I can't imagine the recruiting drudgery in TCY. I say that because the other sports sim I have been running lately is Tournament Dreams. My experience there is that I just barely get to know a guy's name when he graduates. I can't imagine having to replace 50 guys year after year. Now it might be that TCY makes the recruiting process more attractive, I might have to try...Then again if the demo doesn't allow me to go through the process...how will I know?

The other sports game I play is PureSim Baseball. Don't know why I mentioned that...just informational.

thirdandlong · 08-04-2003, 09:38 PM

Regarding my reference to Recrruiting drudgery in TDCB, I not sure that recruiting in that game is done poorly. I enjoy the process. I think my problem is that the actual "in game" play is SO weak,(You don't seem to be able to really make much of a difference) that I recruit...sim the rest of the season and then recruit again. My thought is that hopefully the playing of each game in a college football game would be more appealing.

Oh and I believe that local custom requires a "Dola" somewhere in this post.

Neuqua · 08-04-2003, 10:04 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by thirdandlong
Oh and I believe that local custom requires a "Dola" somewhere in this post.

Good man

Godzilla Blitz · 08-04-2003, 10:34 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by thirdandlong
In regards to TCY versus FoF, I can't imagine the recruiting drudgery in TCY. I say that because the other sports sim I have been running lately is Tournament Dreams. My experience there is that I just barely get to know a guy's name when he graduates. I can't imagine having to replace 50 guys year after year. Now it might be that TCY makes the recruiting process more attractive, I might have to try...Then again if the demo doesn't allow me to go through the process...how will I know?

I really enjoy the recruiting in TCY. You actually only end up with dealing with about 16 scholarships a year, so it's not that many to handle.

One of the reasons that I thought I might not like TCY was that the longest that a player is with you is five years. I really enjoy following entire careers in FOF4. However, a season in TCY takes a lot longer to play than in FOF4, so I've found I actually end up "getting to know" my players more than I thought I would. Also, you spend the year before they arrive recruiting them as well, so that helps too.

One of the things that really makes owning both games a plus is that you can import TCY drafts into FOF. You end up getting to see guys graduate high school and eventually make it all the way to the Hall of Fame.

FBPro · 08-04-2003, 10:57 PM

I think that "for now" FOF is your best bet, however another football sim is headed down the pike and appears(now atleast) to have alot of potential and maybe what all us "FBPro-addicts" have been looking for. You can find more info on it here:

http://400softwarestudioscom.siteprotect.net/invboard/upload/index.php?c=52

It is called "Total Pro Football" and is slated for release this fall. If you are into graphics games AT ALL I'd also suggest that you atleast consider Madden 2004 as they have made huge strides in the customization and management side of things in the past few years. It is due out in the next week or so.

thirdandlong · 08-05-2003, 01:31 AM

ACK FoF is ONLY available via US Mail CD!?!

That is annoying! I have been putting off buying the darned thing. I have decided to buy, but won't be able to play for a week?

I may have to buy and download TCY just to get a FIX NOW!!!

TargetPractice6 · 08-05-2003, 10:52 AM

I received FOF4 in two days when I ordered last week.

QuikSand · 08-05-2003, 10:57 AM

Good luck - from your posts, I have every reason to believe that you will love FOF4. Perhaps TCY, too, but definitely FOF4.

And good call on the dolafession.

08-04-2003, 05:09 PM	#2
mrsimperless College Prospect Join Date: Apr 2003	Im assuming you are talking about FOF4? If you are any type of college football fan and it is still available I would recommend buying TCY. (Front Office Football:The College Years) I own both TCY and FOF4 and I put in probably 10x more playing time in TCY than I have in FOF4. Actually, I still put more time in FOF2001 than I do in FOF4 as well... __________________ "All I know is that smart women are hot. Susan Polgar beat me in 24 moves in a simultaneous exhbition. I slept with the scoresheet under my pillow." Off some dude's web site.

08-04-2003, 05:13 PM	#3
FBPro College Starter Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: SE	Be warned that TCY while being a good and well put together game, is to some more of a "recruit-fest" and less of a football game. __________________ GM RayCo Raiders-est. 2004-2012 Charter member of the IHOF-RayCo GM GM Tennessee Titans PFL 2011-2014 GM Tennessee Titans FOWL 2020-2025

08-04-2003, 05:43 PM	#5
Godzilla Blitz College Starter Join Date: Oct 2000	I would guess if you like the team management aspect of the Front Page Sports series, you'll greatly enjoy FOF4c. Some thoughts... I agree that it is very difficult to judge the long-term playability of the game based on a five-game demo. Don't worry though, the strengths of the series have been its accurate stats and realisitic player developement models. I think you will be very happy with these aspects of the game. The AI, IMHO, is much improved over FOF2001, but has room for improvement. The drafting AI is overall very sharp, but the AI's roster management and financial acumen still leave a bit to be desired. There are some things that really could use tweaking. The two that stand out in my mind are the AI's near absolute refusal to draft punters, and the game's tendency to have a handful of free agents stick to high salary demands, slip all the way through the free agent process, then sign one-year minimum salary deals with some randomly determined team. However, both of these things are not game breakers. As far as TCY versus FOF, both are worthwhile games, but I would recommend FOF if you have played neither. The time management of students in TCY, although improved over its initial release, still involves quite a bit of micromanagement, and the human player can dominate a TCY game in a decade by recruiting smart players for the first four of five years to build up school prestige. To get a good idea of FOF gameplay, I would recommend you check out Quiksand's Dynasty. He plays with some fairly strict "house rules" to increase the challenge, but I think you'll get a great sense of what the game is like by reading that. Good luck with your decision! Last edited by Godzilla Blitz : 08-05-2003 at 08:40 AM.

08-04-2003, 10:57 PM	#10
FBPro College Starter Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: SE	I think that "for now" FOF is your best bet, however another football sim is headed down the pike and appears(now atleast) to have alot of potential and maybe what all us "FBPro-addicts" have been looking for. You can find more info on it here: http://400softwarestudioscom.siteprotect.net/invboard/upload/index.php?c=52 It is called "Total Pro Football" and is slated for release this fall. If you are into graphics games AT ALL I'd also suggest that you atleast consider Madden 2004 as they have made huge strides in the customization and management side of things in the past few years. It is due out in the next week or so. __________________ GM RayCo Raiders-est. 2004-2012 Charter member of the IHOF-RayCo GM GM Tennessee Titans PFL 2011-2014 GM Tennessee Titans FOWL 2020-2025

08-04-2003, 05:40 PM	#4
Bee Pro Starter Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Fairfax, VA	I'm guessing you want details about the off-season. After the end of the season, you get an email or two detailing any new TV contracts the league has made and updating the new salary cap and minimum player salary. (I believe it only mentions the rookie minimum, there is a veteran minimum as well that is proportional to the rookie minimum based on the number of years the player has been in the league). You then have the options of making a Stadium Proposal (build a new one, revamp the one you got, etc). Choose a new team to coach (quit your job and find a new job kind of thing). Or Begin Staff Hiring. Staff Hiring is a 3 week process. The staff consists of the coach and scout (kind of weak compared to the size of the staff from TCY). You basically make contract offers to the staff you are interested in bidding against the computer controlled teams. At the end of each week it gives you a list of who has given each coach or scout the best offer and what that offer is (ex. 3 years at $650,000 per). After the staff hiring period, you have the option of setting ticket prices, importing a draft or Starting the Free Agency period. Ticket prices are pretty self-explanatory as is importing the draft. Before starting free agency, you may want to use your franchise tag on a player. If you use the franchise tag on a player, plan on resigning him to a long contract during the off-season or he'll get pissed and not want to resign with you again. Free Agency is 20 weeks long. You bid against the computer teams for various free agents including your own Unrestricted Free Agents. There are also your own Restricted Free Agents that you can sign (now or after the draft for cheaper). When you go to sign a player he'll give you his demands. You can change those demands to what you want to offer. Each week there is a list of all the players receiving offers and which team has the preferred offer and what that offer is. When you click on the player you can get a list of all offers that player has gotten and which teams are after him. Some players sign immediately, others will hold out for better deals (sometimes this backfires). During free agency you can also get a list of team cap space and team needs for every team. Also, during free agency you can preview the upcoming draft. This will give you an idea of what might be available at your draft pick to help you plot out your free agency signings. After free agency, the draft comes up. The draft progresses team by team. You can control the speed. Teams will make trades between each other, but sadly you will not receive trade offers during the draft (although you can make trade offers at any time by pausing the draft). The draft is 7 rounds. After the draft, you can sign free agents again. There are no steps, it's just negotiations. You then head into training camp. You can set how many hours you spend each day on a variety of activities. This will influence how the players progress during the training camp. After training camp you start the preseason. Oh yeah, between each stage of the off-season you can also receive emails offering trades from the computer. If you have any specific questions go ahead and ask. I'm sure someone will be able to answer. If you want to get a feel for how the game plays, I highly recommend checking out one of Quiksand's dynasties in the Dynasty section. He does an excellent job of going through some of the thought processes during the game although he has gotten to the point that he has to use several "house rules" to increase the challenge to a satisfactory level for him.

08-04-2003, 09:28 PM	#6
thirdandlong Mascot Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Fresno CA	Thanks for the help. I think I am gonna go for it. Part of me wants to wait for .400 and their Total Pro Football. I looked a little at Football Mogul, and that was just abysmal. In regards to TCY versus FoF, I can't imagine the recruiting drudgery in TCY. I say that because the other sports sim I have been running lately is Tournament Dreams. My experience there is that I just barely get to know a guy's name when he graduates. I can't imagine having to replace 50 guys year after year. Now it might be that TCY makes the recruiting process more attractive, I might have to try...Then again if the demo doesn't allow me to go through the process...how will I know? The other sports game I play is PureSim Baseball. Don't know why I mentioned that...just informational.

08-04-2003, 09:38 PM	#7
thirdandlong Mascot Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Fresno CA	Regarding my reference to Recrruiting drudgery in TDCB, I not sure that recruiting in that game is done poorly. I enjoy the process. I think my problem is that the actual "in game" play is SO weak,(You don't seem to be able to really make much of a difference) that I recruit...sim the rest of the season and then recruit again. My thought is that hopefully the playing of each game in a college football game would be more appealing. Oh and I believe that local custom requires a "Dola" somewhere in this post.

08-05-2003, 01:31 AM	#11
thirdandlong Mascot Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Fresno CA	ACK FoF is ONLY available via US Mail CD!?! That is annoying! I have been putting off buying the darned thing. I have decided to buy, but won't be able to play for a week? I may have to buy and download TCY just to get a FIX NOW!!!

08-05-2003, 10:52 AM	#12
TargetPractice6 College Benchwarmer Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Lexington, KY	I received FOF4 in two days when I ordered last week.

08-05-2003, 10:57 AM	#13
QuikSand lolzcat Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Annapolis, Md	Good luck - from your posts, I have every reason to believe that you will love FOF4. Perhaps TCY, too, but definitely FOF4. And good call on the dolafession.

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