[Ben E Lou]

[19:49] SOLECISMIC: REQUIREMENTS/DISTRIBUTION/RELEASE/ETC
[19:49] SOLECISMIC: Q: What are the system requirements for FOF7?
[19:50] SOLECISMIC: Windows XP or later. A screen with a resolution of 1024x768 or above.

[19:50] SOLECISMIC: Q: Will the new version be available for MAC?
[19:50] SOLECISMIC: Steve Jobs was a great innovator, but he made it very difficult for college kids who loved programming to get into Apple programming. That's why it's so hard to find native MAC software. FOF is a Windows product for now. If you can get it working using Wine or another emulator, that's great.

[19:50] SOLECISMIC: Q: A number of users have reported significant problems with getting Viatech licenses restored in a timely fashion. Are you planning to use a different type of licensing?
[19:51] SOLECISMIC: I am frustrated by these reports. I am also frustrated by the continual installation problems caused by ViaTech's incompatibility with many anti-virus products. It makes up easily 90% of my customer service issues. I was told that the delays in customer service were temporary and a new version of eLicense was coming out to address the compatibility issues. Neither seems to be the case.
[19:51] SOLECISMIC: I really like ViaTech, but I can't in good faith to my customers release another product using their software unless both of these issues are addressed. If I can get FOF7 onto Steam, I will. I don't think that will happen. If I can't, and ViaTech isn't making these changes, I'm open to suggestions.

[19:52] SOLECISMIC: Q: If there are upgrades or add-ons to the game in the future, will these be in the form of download/extract patches?
[19:52] SOLECISMIC: I think that's likely.

[19:52] SOLECISMIC: Q: Is there anything we as a community can do to help you get the game on Steam?
[19:52] SOLECISMIC: I'm not sure. If there's someone who knows anyone at Steam who can help, that would be wonderful. Looking at what's out there, I really doubt if I throw it onto Greenlight myself that it will avoid the negative attention (as in, why are these graphics from the Stone Age?) that will kill the campaign.

[19:52] SOLECISMIC: Q: Can I pre-order this game?
[19:53] SOLECISMIC: I've never done this before, and I'd like to avoid it. Since I don't know how it will be published, I can't consider that at this time.

[19:53] SOLECISMIC: GENERAL JIM QUESTIONS
[19:53] SOLECISMIC: Q: You've resisted giving even projected/hoped release dates in the past. Why the change this year?
[19:53] SOLECISMIC: General Jim is in a constant state of evolution. Right now, I think I need a good kick in the ass more than anything. I'm just not the machine I was for the first several years of Solecismic activity.
{Ben Edit. Cute, General Jim....}

[19:54] SOLECISMIC: Q: Do you consider FOF7 more of a "one-off" type of development project, or do you feel that this may be part of a new cycle of FOF/TCY development?
[19:54] SOLECISMIC: There's a lot more I'd like to do if FOF7 is a success and I can indulge myself by continuing to develop games.

[19:54] SOLECISMIC: Q: As a developer, what change or enhancement are you most excited about in the latest iteration of your game?
[19:54] SOLECISMIC: If I can pull it off, a genuinely competitive AI for managing a team roster would get me very excited about the game.

[19:54] SOLECISMIC: Q: What feature that you couldnt get into fof2k7 are you most excited about including in fof7?
[19:54] SOLECISMIC: I've never liked staff hiring. Turning it into a draft, while not realistic, is something I've wanted to do for a long time. I think it solves the problem of bidding without a real budget and adds structure to the game.

[19:55] SOLECISMIC: Q: It's been 6 years since a new release, and at times there were doubts you'd ever make another FOF game. what brought you back?
[19:55] SOLECISMIC: I've written a couple of posts about what stopped me in my tracks five years ago (when FOF 2009 development was underway). It took a while to reinvent myself. Then I wanted to see if I could move into board game development (seems that I can't). I think this was the next logical progression. I've never stopped studying professional football, and there's just so much I want to do. FOF is...
[19:55] SOLECISMIC: ...simply the best way to present that.

[19:55] SOLECISMIC: GENERAL/MISCELLANEOUS QUESTIONS
[19:56] SOLECISMIC: Q: Will there be any new options for game startups, such as the option popular in many text sims to simulate multiple seasons with one click to pre-sim for "history" before taking over a team?
[19:56] SOLECISMIC: That's on the possible list. I try to avoid discussion that involves competitors because I think the market works best if we all develop independently. Which means there might well be common functions I don't include, and functions I do include that no one else considers.
[19:56] SOLECISMIC: I use a "hidden" function in the game to generate multiple seasons in order to stress-test the game. Putting a UI in front of it and exposing that is a possibility, but I do tend to avoid functions that aren't intuitive to a game.

[19:56] SOLECISMIC: Q: Will TCY imports still be supported, and if so, will there be any changes to those algorithms?
[19:56] SOLECISMIC: Yes, they'll still be supported, but TCY is quite old, so there's no sense spending development time on it unless I make a new TCY.

[19:57] SOLECISMIC: Q: Will the current CSV files be used to create rosters, or has a new system been put in place? Will the current historical rosters and draft classes be usable for FOF7?
[19:57] SOLECISMIC: There are slight changes to the csv structure. It will be quite easy to make those changes and rebuild the player files (the player file generator has been revised to support the new format).

[19:57] SOLECISMIC: Q: Will there be any customization options with regard to league structure, such as conference/division setup, number of teams, season length, playoff format, expansion?
[19:57] SOLECISMIC: There won't be (ducking and hiding for the next several minutes....)
[19:57] SOLECISMIC: To do this right, it would take up an entire development cycle on its own. I don't think that would be a good business decision.

[19:58] SOLECISMIC: Q: Will AI changes are planned that might make the single player experience more challenging?
[19:58] SOLECISMIC: If it's not more challenging when I'm done, I need to rethink whether I belong in this profession. This is a major development focus for FOF7.

[19:58] SOLECISMIC: Q: The NFL has changed a lot since the last FoF release. Amongst others, passing has become more important relative to rushing. Tight Ends are more important in the passing game than before. Scrambling/rushing ability is now far more important for QBs. The distinction between Defensive Ends and Outside Linebackers has been somewhat blurred. Do you intend to capture any or all of these modern...
[19:58] SOLECISMIC: ...developments in the new version?
[19:58] SOLECISMIC: I'm always looking at this data. And these changes are very real and important. You saw some changes in 6.4. I don't think I can get everything right, mostly because of how personnel matchups work, but the last thing I do before I release a product is run dozens of seasons and fine-tune the statistical output. Changes to tight ends constituted one of the biggest adjustments in the 6.3-6.4 period.

[19:58] SOLECISMIC: Q: Will you work on AI's drafting logic and will we see a improved draft day?
[19:59] SOLECISMIC: I'm not sure. It's on the list to check, but it's not a serious concern at present other than not enough checks in place to prevent drafting a player who may really stand out, but you should be happy with the guy you drafted last year.

[19:59] SOLECISMIC: Q: Are you making design decisions in this version to give the user more information, less information, or about the same amount, perhaps in a different way? As an example, will the interview process be tweaked to give more specific information on a player, eliminated entirely, or maintained at the general "underrated/overrated/hard to tell" level of detail?
[19:59] SOLECISMIC: I am considering eliminating the rookie interview process, because no one has yet to ask me to give teams more interviews. At the very least, I hope to reduce interviews.

[19:59] SOLECISMIC: Q: Will the league playing style evolve with time or is it more set to mimic the current state of the NFL? (For more clarity, will we see things like teams or the league as a whole moving from being heavy rushing, deep pass oriented to short, quick passes instead of runs, to option based attacks, etc.)
[19:59] SOLECISMIC: This is something I've wanted to do for a long time. I don't know, though. If it can be done without seeming hokey, it will get in there.
[20:00] SOLECISMIC: (I have eliminated quite a few "will this be included" questions because I don't like saying "no" too many times. I apologize if your question wasn't answered.)

[20:00] SOLECISMIC: Q: You mentioned that the football board game you designed will have an impact on game-planning in FOF. Can you elaborate on what this means, and how game-planning will change (even if the changes aren't related to the board game?)
[20:00] SOLECISMIC: Early in the FOF 2009 development cycle, I visited the Pro Football Hall of Fame and had the opportunity to spend some time in the archives. I focused on game-planning documents and playbooks. After that trip, I spent a lot of time coming up with a design that reflected how NFL coaches approach game planning.
[20:00] SOLECISMIC: This was the basis of the board game, though what I'd like to do is far more complex. If there is an FOF8, this is pretty much the only development item on the list. The first piece - the changes to how staff is implemented - is finished.

[20:01] SOLECISMIC: Q: Any thought about aligning the pass distances screen for gameplanning with the ratings/ranges for QBs? Are they different intentionally?
[20:01] SOLECISMIC: Yes, this is intentionally different to ensure a smoother implementation of throwing ratings.

[20:01] SOLECISMIC: Q: How will conversions of MP leagues work, and will SP leagues have a conversion option?
[20:01] SOLECISMIC: A month or so after release, I will ask MP commissioners interested in conversion to send me their league files at the year-end stage. I will convert those files and send them back. Once per established league. There will not be a conversion utility for single-player universe files.

[20:01] SOLECISMIC: Q: You've mentioned here at FOFC that you agree with the assessment of many that WRs are too overvalued in the current version of FOF. For FOF7, is it safe to assume that this will be addressed?
[20:02] SOLECISMIC: Yes, it's on the priority one list.

[20:02] SOLECISMIC: Q: You've done a lot of writing at Football Frontier about research you've done on Quarterback performance. How has that data influenced your design of the new game?
[20:02] SOLECISMIC: Primarily, it has helped me understand that the development curve varies considerably between positions. Quarterbacks don't develop like we intuitively expect them to develop. If there's anything I've done that I think would help an NFL front office, it's the data mining I've done using quarterback performance.

[20:02] SOLECISMIC: Q: now that the new cba has basically standardized signing draft picks, will contracts be automatically assigned to rookies based on when they were drafted? or will all rookie deals still need to be negotiated? (and will the new 4 year deal, 5th year team option for 1st round picks be in the game?)
[20:02] SOLECISMIC: Yes, that change has been made. I won't be implementing the team-option or top-performance clauses, as they make roster management more complex than I'd like to expose at this time. Year five is an interesting case, as players rarely receive a true restricted free agent contract requiring compensation, but the restricted free agency rules often drive second contracts.

[20:03] SOLECISMIC: ... and now back to Ben...
[20:04] BEN: Jim, thanks so much for taking time to do that
[20:04] BEN: Now to the crowd; go ahead and submit your questions. I have a few already...

[20:05] SOLECISMIC: Q: You said the new staff draft order is based on financial performance. Since winning teams tend to perform better financially, are you concerned that giving successful teams a better crack at good coaches hurts competitive balance?
[20:07] SOLECISMIC: It's said that in the NFL, teams run in cycles. It's remarkable how often teams reach the playoffs, and the playoffs are only open to 12 of 32 teams. What Buffalo and Oakland have accomplished is truly rare. So I see the amateur draft as more of an equalizer.

[20:08] SOLECISMIC: Q: You mention that balancing the impact of WR is a major priority. As a mostly MP player, I see the limits stretched often. It ends up with a "one system wins" setup. Will the balancing include an attempt to make it so that, for instance, you can win in MP with a run-first team on a consistent basis if built properly?
[20:09] SOLECISMIC: There's plenty of discussion about other systems. I don't think there's one magic bullet - though the disparity between the value of WRs with big-play ability and how they value themselves creates a problem.

[20:10] SOLECISMIC: Q: Since finances are being used for staff draft order, may we assume they will be of increased importance in other parts of the game? Will the fiancial system be revamped in any meaningful way?
[20:10] SOLECISMIC: Meaningful is a difficult word to define, but, yes, finances will be examined again.

[20:12] SOLECISMIC: Q: Are you able to elaborate on positional experience changes?
[20:13] SOLECISMIC: One piece that I felt was essential to the game all the way back in version 1 was developing a realistic career arc for players. When do they reach their peaks? This needs to be re-examined.

[20:13] SOLECISMIC: Q: What in the way the current game works is outdated with regard to the current state of the game?
[20:14] SOLECISMIC: Definitely contracts. Everything has changed, really. This is no small piece of work. I also think the passing game has been emphasized so much these days that I need to do more to tune defensive expectations.

[20:14] SOLECISMIC: Q: Do you think you will join a MP league after you've released the game?
[20:15] SOLECISMIC: No. That was the worst decision I've made in 15 years, joining an MP league. I did learn from the experience, but if I ever do it again, it will be anonymously.

[20:16] SOLECISMIC: Q: If interviews are removed, would there be any other tools that we could gain to get a window into rookies?
[20:17] SOLECISMIC: Probably not. Right now, the complaint is that once you've played a lot of FOF, you know too much about rookies as it is. This might help with balance as well.

[20:17] SOLECISMIC: Q: With the increased focus on staff, will there be any indicator to make it more clear what impact the staff has? I'm not sure I have a concrete example - but for instance maybe that the coach called a good play, or a bad play?
[20:18] SOLECISMIC: There will be better documentation of staff responsibilities. I'm not a big fan of text in the play descriptions, as it gets very, very repetitive.

[20:18] SOLECISMIC: Q: New types of statistical evaluation have become popular in baseball and basketball, but football lags a bit behind. Of the advanced metrics currently being used in football, which ones do you think have the most value, and have you incorporated it (or others) into FOF7?
[20:21] SOLECISMIC: The big difference between football and basketball/baseball is the dependence on the other ten players on your team. Basketball analysts swear that points scored per touch is constant, no matter who your teammates are. Baseball is nine people essentially in nine vacuums. So evaluation is quite subjective. I like to look at participation logs. After that, it's really hard to guess what to do...
[20:21] SOLECISMIC: ...next. My quarterback work is meaningful only in a macro sense.

[20:22] SOLECISMIC: (just a reminder to submit questions to Ben - I'm typing too fast to have IM windows open)

[20:23] SOLECISMIC: Q: Would you ever give consideration to doing team chemistry differently for a future version? Perhaps something more temperament/personality-based that would be a bit more random and less tedious for those that don't want to build zodiac spreadsheets?
[20:25] SOLECISMIC: Zodiacs are an attempt to keep it as simple as possible. The idea being that this is a way to encapsulate personality (notice there is definitely not an even personal attribute distribution amongst the different signs) in a way people can grasp. The problem is that astrology is silly and really has nothing to do with football. I think it's better to keep the spreadsheets for now, or simply...
[20:25] SOLECISMIC: ...start a new universe without chemistry.

[20:26] SOLECISMIC: Q: On limiting position switching, you mention that you can't become a QB. Are any other new limitations going to be added to position switching?
[20:26] SOLECISMIC: I haven't made that decision yet. It's possible I'll eliminate OL/DL switches.

[20:27] SOLECISMIC: Q: For those of us who let the AI pick our game plans, do different staff members choose different game plans currently, and if not, will they in FOF7 (or beyond)?
[20:27] SOLECISMIC: No, they don't, and won't in FOF7. Beyond... it's probable.

[20:29] BEN: We are out of questions. Last call.

[20:30] SOLECISMIC: Q: "With the additional file output (csv, whatever the format is) - will there be any work on the html portion, or will the output files attempt to support existing sites designed by leagues?"
[20:32] SOLECISMIC: I'm not a web designer. So I think it's best to leave html alone for now. It does a fair basic job, and was never intended to be more than that. Since I'm exporting what Ben (and a couple of other commissioners) have recommended, I think it will be very useful for leagues.

[20:33] SOLECISMIC: Q: If you have a feature or tweak and see that it will benefit MP a lot but hurt SP, do you implement it? Which takes precedence?
[20:34] SOLECISMIC: I've yet to see anything that would fall into that category. For me, it's all about the simulation itself. A better simulation serves both MP and SP. New features, of course, can benefit one and not the other (AI for roster management, for example). I don't really give one side precedence, though. It's more what I think the game needs than anything.

[20:35] SOLECISMIC: Q: How does it feel having a quite large internet forum devoted to something you created over 14 years ago? Does it make you feel good, or is it just a lot of pressure and headache?
[20:36] SOLECISMIC: I think it's great. If no one was interested, then it would be more than indulgent to keep working on this game.

[20:37] BEN: I believe that's all for the evening. Jim, thanks again so much for your willingness to do this, and thanks again to all of you for being here and submitting questions.
[20:38] SOLECISMIC: Thanks, Ben, for running the show. And thanks to everyone for showing up. It's a lot of fun to do these. I hope to do another once the game is out there.