Front Office Football EIGHT - released!

[MizzouRah]

From Jim:

The new version of the professional football simulation is now ready for sale. Please visit http://www.solecismic.com.

For those of you who are new to the series or want to give it a whirl first, the trial lasts for up to three days.

Thanks for all your support over the last 15+ years. Hopefully I'm not done yet.

[Brando70]

I got an email notice about this and was so excited. Can't wait to play the game. I was still playing the 2007 version this year.

[MizzouRah]

I got an email notice about this and was so excited. Can't wait to play the game. I was still playing the 2007 version this year.

Me too.. haha.. the Rams should be fun to build up!

[Leebo33]

I bought the original FOF and really liked it, but ended up spending more time with Action! PC Football over the years. However, although Action is great for replays and the projection disk is fun to play around with I really miss the franchise stuff. I haven't had a chance to mess around too much and my 3 free days are over today. Any show-stoppers? Are you guys enjoying it?

[Brando70]

I haven't gotten it yet -- I'm out of town for work for a few days and am going to buy it when I get back. I'll be off for 10 days so I hope to get through at least 10 seasons

I think there's a free demo. I know the interface will be pretty awful, but the changes Jim made to the game sound really great. There are things like complete draft histories now that add a lot to the universe.

[MizzouRah]

I'm loving it thus far.. a lot of little under the hood changes this time around, especially for the SP crowd like myself.

One thing I would suggest, you can use a program called "reshacker" to change some of the graphics. There is one thread over at FOFC that has some of the user made graphical improvements, the only one I say is a must is this one (look below the ratings where it shows position ratings, the default is red bars that are hard to read, with a mod, you can have it so it lists them by numbers instead):



As far as the game goes, I'm really liking it. My Rams went 5-11 and we had the #3 pick in the draft. We desperately needed a RB and thankfully the best one was there for our picking, so we finally have a stud at RB. It's funny, the game keeps the starts rated properly, but the unknowns can fluctuate, so Bradford was horrible and I released him. Clemens had a decent year with 18 TD and 9 INT, so he's my starter again this season.

DT Sims is holding out after starting all season, he wants starter money and I'm broke. Jim did a fantastic job as far as I can tell enhancing the SP difficulty.

You now have a staff draft each year, which is really neat - it's based off of financial standing. I fired our DC and hired an assistant from Green Bay to be the DC.

All the real player names and coach names are in the game.

[Brando70]

I've been playing it for a week and really like the improvements. The game feels harder, especially in terms of staying out cap trouble. I've gotten eight seasons done in a Bears franchise and only had one division title, three playoff appearances, and two playoff victories. I need to get the mods because the game screens look bad even by Front Office Football standards, but other than that it really is a stellar text sim. I will definitely get my money's worth out of this one just like I have out of every other FOF for the past 15 years.

[MizzouRah]

I've been playing it for a week and really like the improvements. The game feels harder, especially in terms of staying out cap trouble. I've gotten eight seasons done in a Bears franchise and only had one division title, three playoff appearances, and two playoff victories. I need to get the mods because the game screens look bad even by Front Office Football standards, but other than that it really is a stellar text sim. I will definitely get my money's worth out of this one just like I have out of every other FOF for the past 15 years.

Jim is having a contest for the modders and is going to put the winning entries into his first patch, so expect a small graphical upgrade soon.

[Brando70]

That's good to know!

I got a couple more seasons in and won the Super Bowl with the Bears in year 10. I hired Mike Tomlin as my coach after a six-year Trestman stint that started out well went south. I had three current Bears on that roster: Kyle Long, who was one of the highest-rated players in the league; Alshon Jeffrey, a reliable 1000-yard receiver for most of his career; and a surprisingly amazing Chris Conte. The other surprising thing is that Geno Smith, despite not being highly rated, wound up being a two-time Super Bowl starter and reaching the game two other times. I love the little alternate realities like that.

One thing I've noticed is that there is much more boom or bust potential. I've had two first-round picks completely flame out after their first training camp, while there have been a few late-round bloomers. I wonder if Volatility is more important this time around.

Anyway, another great entry in the series from Jim. I only wish I could play it on my phone or a tablet.

[MizzouRah]

That's good to know!

I got a couple more seasons in and won the Super Bowl with the Bears in year 10. I hired Mike Tomlin as my coach after a six-year Trestman stint that started out well went south. I had three current Bears on that roster: Kyle Long, who was one of the highest-rated players in the league; Alshon Jeffrey, a reliable 1000-yard receiver for most of his career; and a surprisingly amazing Chris Conte. The other surprising thing is that Geno Smith, despite not being highly rated, wound up being a two-time Super Bowl starter and reaching the game two other times. I love the little alternate realities like that.

One thing I've noticed is that there is much more boom or bust potential. I've had two first-round picks completely flame out after their first training camp, while there have been a few late-round bloomers. I wonder if Volatility is more important this time around.

Anyway, another great entry in the series from Jim. I only wish I could play it on my phone or a tablet.

Well done!

My Rams are in playoff contention this season.. but I'm in big time cap trouble next year and really need a QB. Clemens has been my starter the last 3 years (Bradford rapidly declined) but he can only throw the short pass.

Did you know you can click on a players ratings to see their scouted ratings history? That's new this year.

[Brando70]

Yes, the scouted rating history is a terrific edition.

I love the extra aggression in free agency and also in player demands. I used to load up before training camp on the rookies with the highest-rated future ratings, but now teams will offer more than the minimum for the best ones. It's also hard to find veterans who will take one-year deals unless they are at the end of the careers or old. The days of being $20 million under the cap and having a great team appear gone.

[MizzouRah]

Yes, the scouted rating history is a terrific edition.

I love the extra aggression in free agency and also in player demands. I used to load up before training camp on the rookies with the highest-rated future ratings, but now teams will offer more than the minimum for the best ones. It's also hard to find veterans who will take one-year deals unless they are at the end of the careers or old. The days of being $20 million under the cap and having a great team appear gone.

Definitely.. patch #1 is due out next week.

If you have a low rated player and you play them a lot, they look for a big contract too. It's much tougher this time around in SP mode for sure.

Send me your email address and I will send you a few logo packs I did.

[MizzouRah]

v7.0a released today!

Mainly a graphics update, but I'm sure Jim will post a patch fix soon.

http://www.solecismic.com/orders/FOF7Install.msi

[MizzouRah]

7.1 update released, includes coaches and players for 2014 season. Also a few other tweaks, like player number retirements.

[bkrich83]

I love this game. Really addicting.

[MizzouRah]

I love this game. Really addicting.

Me too!

[MizzouRah]

HAHA.. all you Bears fans out there.. Cutler wins the Super Bowl!

[Brando70]

Ha, that is hilarious. Almost as good as Cedric Benson turning into a hall of famer for me a couple versions ago.

Sadly, my computer I had this on flamed out, and I don't have a replacement PC I can put it on (can't install it on my work computer).

[MizzouRah]

Ha, that is hilarious. Almost as good as Cedric Benson turning into a hall of famer for me a couple versions ago.

Sadly, my computer I had this on flamed out, and I don't have a replacement PC I can put it on (can't install it on my work computer).

That stinks.. I'm in the process of getting these Rams back to glory days. I just improved the stadium!

[MizzouRah]

FOF 8 to be released next Wednesday on Steam!

http://www.solecismic.com/frontierblog/ ... ight-news/

After probably the longest and most intense development cycle of my career, I feel confident in announcing the pending release of Front Office Football Eight. When, you might ask? I’m hoping it will be out on Steam on Wednesday. But that will be up to them. I will submit a final build by Monday morning.

You’ll notice a lot of changes in the new product. I think it looks a lot better. Another fantastic main background and branding from Cyril Chong – he’s also been wonderful working with my admittedly intense and varied development schedule. A new menu system designed to get you wherever you want in lightning speed. Non-modal windows mean you can have a lot of information on your screen(s) all at once.

There’s a new game planning system that’s modeled after how NFL coaches prepare for each game. And, each year, you’ll be able to install your own playbook, complete with plays designed to fit your team’s strengths. Of course, Rex is improved, and you’ll have more options for letting him get you through the complicated stuff at first.

Numerous other improvements and new features round out the package. This is definitely the biggest leap between new versions I’ve ever tried. This is the final major piece of new development for my vision of Front Office Football. After a good rest, I hope to start on TCY2. No promises there, but the vision has always been about having both products.

The price of Front Office Football Eight is $29.95. I will offer a 10% discount upon release to reward existing customers who know this is something they want right away.

[MizzouRah]

Game is OUT! I know most of you DSPers are graphical folks.. but there is no better football simulation game on the market than FOF.

Time to make Cleveland relevant again!

The game features an innovative new playbook and play-calling design, modeled on how professional coaches prepare for each contest. We made dozens of improvements to the game, including a new interface structure that allows you to move quickly between the nearly 200 screens of information within the game. You can explore your vast Front Office Football universe more thoroughly than ever.

In Front Office Football, you play the role of your favorite team's general manager. You determine your team's future through trading with opponents, negotiating contracts, bidding for free agents and building through the annual amateur draft.

You can also play the role of the armchair coach, setting game plans and depth charts, or even calling each play from an extensive playbook.

You can determine ticket prices and submit stadium construction plans for public approval. You can even move your team if the public won't properly support your franchise.

[bkrich83]

Picked it up today. Hope to get some time with it tomorrow.

[MizzouRah]

Picked it up today. Hope to get some time with it tomorrow.

I let the AI do my game plans and what not.. but if you're into that stuff.. big additions in that department.

I took the Browns.. should be interesting. Brady got hurt in the preseason and is out with an ACL tear.. 26 weeks.

[MizzouRah]

Patch 8.0a out today

I'm glad the Browns have so much cap space.. going to be a huge roster overhaul.

[Brando70]

So bummed I can't pick it up. Have just been using my work PC since my personal one died last year, and my wife uses a Mac otherwise I'd sneak it in on her computer.