The Blog for the Sports Gamer

Lots of emails about this (thanks guys) and I admit I didn’t see this one coming, at least not now, but Jim Gindin is going to release the next game in the FoF series…tomorrow.

There is a brief demo version online and more info can be found at the website.

I’ll post impressions on this as soon as I get a chance to mess with it.

Talk about a nice surprise. In the meantime check out the new feature list:

• Solevision. Designed to bring you an entire week of Front Office Football action to one screen, Solevision provides you up to 16 exciting channels at once. You choose a channel and watch a game’s play-by-play unfold, line by line. Solevision tracks the leaders in several statistical categories, tells you about scoring plays elsewhere in the league and gives you access to every game log and box score while the games are in progress. It’s a new way to sit back and let the game come to you.
• New Game Plans and Depth Charts. You now have much more control over the intricate details of your offense and defense. The new version separates out more yardage-to-go categories, and allows you more control over passing distance. You also have greater control over pass coverage, blitzing and minor tweaks you can make based on the game situation. With the new depth charts, you can specify major personnel changes for nickel, dime and goal-line situations.
• Expanded Statistics. Every player is now tracked in 135 statistical categories, including Red Zone and Third-Down situations.
• Expanded Team Statistics. The team statistics module was redesigned to show 182 different team statistics and league totals. You can now look back and view every year of team numbers for your universe.
• Playoff Statistics. Individual playoff statistics are now tracked for players, both for single seasons and on the career statistics screen.
• Expanded Scouting Combine. Players are now rated in the broad jump and in a position-specific drill, in addition to the 40-yard dash, an agility drill, a strength test and an intelligence test. Scouts now take these results into account when forming their ratings. Some players may decide not to take part in the scouting combine.
• Weight Training. Before training camp, you may ask your players to bulk up or slim down a little. This will help them optimize their on-field performance or prepare for a position switch.
• Summer League. Each season, you may send one of your young players to Europe to participate in the summer league. While those games aren’t played in Front Office Football, players will gain experience and you will learn more about their abilities.
• Wind Speed. The wind is now a factor in games, and you might see it affect on-field performance. Studies show that no weather factor influences football more than a strong breeze. Just ask any quarterback.
• Blitz Pickup. You can now ask your tight end and running backs to stay in and help protect your quarterback from those pesky blitzing linebackers.
• The Red Flag. A few players will receive the dreaded designation: Red Flag. Those players could create drama, leading to performance problems on the field.
• Multi-Player Security. This was the most-requested feature during the past two years. Game files are now encrypted and password protected, so no one other than the commissioner can run the game as a commissioner, and participants can not look at old game plans from other teams.
• Fatigue. Players who are overused could become tired and less able to do their best in the next contest.
• Gridiron Greta. Each week during the season, Gridiron Greta will make available her report on the best players in the league. Yes, there’s finally a tiny bit of sound (mute button available) in Front Office Football. Just a tiny bit. We don’t like noisy games, either.
• Player Transaction History. Transactions and Injuries are now tracked on each player’s information screen.
• Scouting Report. Scouting reports and game previews now contain a large set of team statistical rankings.
• Nicknames. You can now give your players nicknames. Be nice. Blocks of binary data have feelings, too.
• Veteran Minimum Salaries. The salary cap calculation now incorporates the veteran minimum rule, allowing you to keep older backups without huring your team’s cap situation.
• Rookie Interviews. Each season, you can interview up to 60 rookies before the annual amateur draft. You’ll learn about their personalities, and get a better picture of their abilities.
• The Grey Sheet. An annual list tracking the top 75 free agents in your league.
• Team History Screen. A new screen giving you a quick look at your team’s record and leading players statistically for each season of your career.

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 26th, 2006 at 9:59 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.