On a 0-10 scale, how do you rate FOF2K7?

[Ben E Lou]

I see lots of negative posts, but few positive ones, yet I see a post like tucker rocky's "Star on the rise", and can't help but note that he's 20 seasons into the game. My guess is that people are liking the game, but not posting anything lately because all the cool new stuff has been covered. I'm curious, how do you rate the game, and why? PLEASE COMMENT ON YOUR VOTE. I'm very curious, apart from, "I think this should be fixed, that tweaked, this changed, etc.", what the overall enjoyment of the game is.

[Ben E Lou]

I'm enjoying the heck out of the game, and my complaints are pretty minor overall. Some things work differently from the way they're expected, and the way I personally think they should (like overrated/underrated, for example), but the bottom line for me is this: I was still playing FOF2K4 both MP and SP THREE YEARS after I purchased the game, and my experience with FOF2K7 is MUCH more fun than my FOF2K4 experience. In giving it a 9.5, I'm not by any means saying that it is near-perfect. I am, however, saying that it is the text sim I've enjoyed more than any other I've ever played (including past Solecismic releases) and that by a very wide margin.

[DolphinFan1]

I gave the game a 9.5. I am a slow player, so I am only 3 seasons into a serious dynasty. I can't give it a 10 for the simple fact that it would have to be perfect and that could never happen. But Jim did a good job getting close.

[tucker rocky]

I like the fact that players can develop, especially when I look for gems in the later rounds of drafting.

I've only had 1 FA bust in my 20 "seasons" of playing.
A FB scouted at 68, came out of TC at 49.
This being on a 6 yr vet, I guess the money got to him, and decided to lay down.
His 1 season with my team was total disaster, cut the next.
Matter of fact, I signed an unproven rookie, and his play was far better.
The vet? I encouraged ST, while he steamed on the bench.

This is what I like about this game, unpredictable.



I find the game very enjoyable, with lots of replay value.

[tucker rocky]

dola,

I gave it a 9.0, no game is never perfect.

[Dutch]

8.5

It's got a few issues here and there, but nothing coming close to serious issues.

To be clear--this is a great upgrade to the FOF series.

[Raiders Army]

7.0 because for me, it isn't a significant upgrade to FOF 2k4. I don't play MP so that affects my grading. The score would be much higher if I hadn't played FOF 2k4 since I also adjusted the score for cost/improvements.

[Emiliano]

I'm enjoying the heck out of the game, and my complaints are pretty minor overall. Some things work differently from the way they're expected, and the way I personally think they should (like overrated/underrated, for example), but the bottom line for me is this: I was still playing FOF2K4 both MP and SP THREE YEARS after I purchased the game, and my experience with FOF2K7 is MUCH more fun than my FOF2K4 experience. In giving it a 9.5, I'm not by any means saying that it is near-perfect. I am, however, saying that it is the text sim I've enjoyed more than any other I've ever played (including past Solecismic releases) and that by a very wide margin.

I'm pretty much with you, SD. I didn't give a 10 because, well, one can always do better, but FOF 2K7 is another masterpiece IMO. I'm seeing myself playing this one three years from now also (unless Jim surprises us with a release...:) ).

As far as personal game experience, I've played a 10-year career just after the game came out, just for testing and getting used to the new game; I've joined my first MP league (the WAFL) and now I've just started an OPU career in 1970, using the awesome SuperLeague universe (courtesy of Nugget699): I'm having a blast.

[Eaglesfan27]

I gave it a 9.0. I enjoy this version more than any other version by a wide margin and it is a huge upgrade to my single player enjoyment. Most of the positive points have been previously mentioned, but a few of them are:

- Love Solevision, particularly towards the end of the season. The excitement of watching the various playoff possibilities play out in real time is great.

- I love how scouting has been revamped.

- I really enjoy the drafting improvements.

- Huge impovements in draft AI and FA AI.


- Tons of other little things.


I took a point off my review because I think the AI still has room to grow, but it is much more entertaining and challenging than any previous version and is among the best AI's I've seen in a text sim.

[MizzouRah]

So far, and I haven't had a ton of playing time yet, I would rate FOF 2k7 a 9.0 - but it might move up higher once I play it some more.

[azjoe_02]

The early average is 8.6

[kcchief19]

For my review, I give the game a 9.5. I'm enjoying this version more than any version of FOF since TCY. I think the AI is much more sophisticated and smarter, stat tracking is superior, the simulation is improved and the fun factor is up.

But I think it is the player development features I like the most. I love that there is such diversity in player development, all the way from the draft to retirement. The draft is so deep now that every round -- even undrafted free agents -- plays a role.

I have a MLB I signed in free agency who was a guy I was eyeing in the draft when he was a rookie. He was a lowly rated scrub and he was still down on the list of MLB prospects when I was drafting in the fifth round. I decided to let him slide one more round, then Jacksonville stunned me by plucking him. He developed very slowly before breaking out in his contract year, and I scooped him up in FA. It was fun to see someone I scouted and thought would be a player end up making it with another team.

I've got an undrafted wide receiver I picked up last year who I believe as around something 24/49 when I signed him. He's 30/58 after his rookie season, so I'm going to send him to the Solecismic League and see what happens. I think it's a blast.

I give it a 9.5 because while I think FOF is as good as it can be right now, I can still see room for potential. There are elements that I think could be fleshed out more. As someone who is more interested in the team-building aspects and less interested in devising game plans year after year around the team I have put together, I wouldn't mind seeing more dynamic coaching models. I think training camp could use a polish too. The trim down/bulk up feature is nice, but I wouldn't mind having having both more options available for when I want to fine tune development and automate the process so if I want to turn it over to my coaches. I wouldn't mind something closer to what OOTP had for spring training.

But I for one am having a blast.

[gstelmack]

9.0. Solid sim engine driving the game, great financial model.

However, much of the glue that pulls it all together still needs work. Why do I still have to manually open all the windows when I load a game? Why is there still no spreadsheet view of the staff for easy browsing? Why is there still no CSV/database export to go along with the HTML export to help multiplayer leagues? Why do we need 3rd party editors so people can set up MP leagues the way they want to? Those are the kinds of things that keep it from being a 10.0 in my opinion.

[Emiliano]

I give it a 9.5 because while I think FOF is as good as it can be right now, I can still see room for potential. There are elements that I think could be fleshed out more. As someone who is more interested in the team-building aspects and less interested in devising game plans year after year around the team I have put together, I wouldn't mind seeing more dynamic coaching models. I think training camp could use a polish too. The trim down/bulk up feature is nice, but I wouldn't mind having having both more options available for when I want to fine tune development and automate the process so if I want to turn it over to my coaches. I wouldn't mind something closer to what OOTP had for spring training.

Totally agree.

[BradS]

Coming from a GM point of view, it's outstanding. But for me the GM side can only compliment what I enjoy most - the coaching and x's o's is what I dig most in a football sim. Arlie's playbooks have spoiled me in this regard. Too generalized is playcalling is FOF07, but this has always been the case. Hammering away at an opposing teams weaknesses seems more difficult or abstracted in this game. Having said that, Jim's game engine is more sound in the game numbers or stats it produces and this keeps me playing it.

Score 8.5

[Coder]

Shouldn't the thread-title be more like..

On a 0-100 scale, with increments of five and divided by 10, how do you rate FOF2K7?

[Ben E Lou]

I didn't say anything about integers.

[miami_fan]

I seconded the request for more dynamic coaching models.

[timmae]

- Love Solevision, particularly towards the end of the season. The excitement of watching the various playoff possibilities play out in real time is great.

I'll type more later but my quick assessment is a 9.0... Solevision in MP just rocks... I love sitting down for 90 minutes after the files are downloaded and watching what the league has done that week. And yes, I am one of those geeks who covers the screen so I don't see what my final score was before I start solevision!! This feature is just awesome in my eyes... adds to my enjoyment of the league experience by far.

[Vinatieri for Prez]

You know there is an option to turn the scores off on the initial simulate screen so you can go into solevision without covering the screen.

[Atocep]

I gave it an 8.5. Its far and away the most immersive game in the series, but I think it still has a long way to go in terms of Coaches and Ownership. There are numerous resonable requests that could be made in these two areas that could easily take FOF to another level. I'd also like to feel more 'involved' in the free agent process. There's really no sense of a bidding war on any players and that needs to be a part of free agency, especially for the top players.

I do give Jim props for turning what was often an afterthought in previous versions into probably the best draft simulation in any text sim to date. The changes to gameplanning are perfect in that it takes out a lot of the necessary micromanagement from previous versions and truely makes it optional. I wasn't interested at all in Solevision when I read about it in the features list, but I'm sold now. Its a must have for any multiplayer league. Player development for NFL sims is the hardest to emulate and Jim still handles it better than anyone else.

[Antmeister]

Had to go with 8.5. Although this is the best American football simulation on the market, I can't help but to compare it to the best text simulation on the market which is Football Manager. I would love to see media and ownership influence your decisions. And I am still in the camp who believes a simple graphcal representation would take this game to 10 easily.

[3ric]

I gave it 8.5. It's very good as an MP engine, but I'm spoiled playing CM/FM and want the FOF players to have more quirks that affects the team and my decisionmaking in SP.

[WebEwbank]

8.5.

Like SkyDog, I was an FOF2004 addict and the new game has replaced it.

I would like to see a little more depth around scouting and front-office management, but nothing major. A little more effort to get cleaner screens and user-friendly controls would be mice too. Jim seems to be determined to prove that text sims must be a few generations behind the UI curve.

It is my favorite game by a landslide.

[timmae]

You know there is an option to turn the scores off on the initial simulate screen so you can go into solevision without covering the screen.

I do now... overlooked that one. Thanks mang..

[kingnebwsu]

I'm having lots of fun with it, even though I've only played like six seasons. I continue to support Jim even though I haven't played any FOF game (dating back to FOF 2) more than 15 seasons. I did play TCY for 50+ seasons, so I'm hoping he makes a sequel as promised. I'll say 8.5, because I have yet to get super-immersed into any FOF historically, but hopefully I'll be playing this one for a while.

[aran]

In order for this game to earn a 9 or higher, it needs to have a notably good interface, not merely a usable one.

I voted 8.5, but would, after more thought, probably rate this game an 8. Too many areas for improvement to give it the 8.5. This game is missing a lot on the player personalities and media relationships side of the football. AI is better than ever, but still has noticeable room for improvement. Where this game does excel, though, is in the actual sim engine. It's goddamn amazing. I love it. It's the only real reason I keep playing.

[Raiders Army]

After a few days of thought on this subject, I'll expand on my 7.0 rating. This game is very, very, very good at what it does and it is excellent at replicating the NFL. That being said, it is essentially the same game that FOF v1.0 was. Sure, there are a lot of added "features" and in this game we have actually have some sound, but it is the same game as previous versions. Some of the features that have been added to the series were the player cards (which added quite a bit), career tracking of every player ever, and in this iteration, more stats for every player.

Solevision is something that has added a lot of value to the game as well; however, nothing in the game has actually changed from the user perspective. It's just a different way to present the information. While I like and can appreciate the effort involved in the presentation of information and additional tracking over the various iterations, I feel as if there are no risks taken with the series. Without risks, this is a very "safe" game that everyone has come to know and enjoy but it is also a somewhat stagnant game that shows little growth outside the presentation of data.

This isn't saying that I hate the game at all; on the contrary, I love the game and feel as if it's worth twice the cost of the game. I feel as if it is the best on the market; however, just like Madden when there's no competition, this is very little incentive to take risks and evolve into a more immersive experience.

[dbd1963]

The presentation and UI are not at professional standard, and it's getting pretty late in the game's life cycle to excuse it like I used to. Often, there's not enough feedback for the user. Just above the example of FA bidding was given. It doesn't feel like you are involved in something real.

If you are a stat-hound, however, the way the game generates decades of stats is very satisfying and it's easy to immerse yourself in the game. But, aside from the stats, the game doesn't do a lot to immerse you. The addition of Gridiron Greta was an attempt, but it was rather feeble on the whole, at least by itself.

Put up against other games (I don't mean just football games) I feel like this one rates around a 7.5 because it's missing a truly professional front end. If it hits your sweet spot, of course, you'll feel like rating it higher.

[Narcizo]

I have to say I'm surprised that my 7.0 was one of the lowest given. It's a great little game but there are a lot of issues with it. It's a fantastic bit of programming for one developer but I still find it to be somewhat lacking overall in execution. There's not something I can put my finger on - I guess I'm like Raider's Army and think that the (SP) game isn't immersive enough. Now that's great if you want to quicksim but I'd like to be able to get in-depth in the players personality and stuff. People may think that a comparison with FM is unfair but the price is pretty similar and let's face it FM is just so much more in-depth and well-rounded. (Of course I don't play FM anymore because I think it's too in-depth, but, hey, I'm a paradoxical sort of guy). Of course the other advantage FOF has over FM is the fact that MP play is 100 times easier with FOF.

[Narcizo]

And I agree. Why not just have a scale of 1-20 rather than 1-10 with half points.

[BrianD]

I give the game an 8. I do have some minor complaints about the interface. Window positions not being remembered, and having to close any detail windows before being able to minimize is a bit of a pain. Overall though, I find the game to be very fun. It is immersive enough to keep me hooked and want to keep playing "one more season", but it isn't so immersive that it takes forever to get through a season.

[miami_fan]

People may think that a comparison with FM is unfair but the price is pretty similar and let's face it FM is just so much more in-depth and well-rounded.

I think this may be an important point. FM seems to be the standard when it come to "immersion". I have never played FM, so I can't compare the two.

[JeffW]

I have to say I'm surprised that my 7.0 was one of the lowest given. It's a great little game but there are a lot of issues with it. It's a fantastic bit of programming for one developer but I still find it to be somewhat lacking overall in execution.

I gave it an 8.5, but on reflection I think that's too high and I'm giving extra points simply because I enjoy the genre and I like . I think 7-7.5 is a fair grade. A lot of FOF's quirks and missing features drive me a bit crazy--why isn't player progress tracked on the player cards when it's so damned important to the game(and combine scores for that matter)? Why isn't there support for being in multiple MP leagues? Why do rookies in the initial draft have no combine scores? Why is there no support for observers in 2k7 MP leagues? There are tons of quirky interface annoyances as well.

I haven't played FM(I don't know anything about Futbol Internacional), but there is a danger in going too far to the micromanagement dark side. This happened in the transition from Master of Orion I->Master Orion II IMO.

[Schmidty]

I've said it a million times, but I'll say it again: The interface is crap.

A guy as smart as Jim should be able to come up with something that is more polished, but still has just as much functionality. The two do not have to be mutually exclusive. The fact that he won't meet those of us that dislike the interface even a quarter of the way, annoys me.

[Ben E Lou]

Overall vote to date: 8.37
Vote with Top and Bottom 10% removed: 8.44

[daveroswell]

This is one of the best games ever, and THE best sports sim. I also have very few complaints. There are two things I think need "tweaking." First, the help file could be a little easier to navagate. Secondly, there are a lot of things that take time in the game, such as weight training, interviewing etc. If there was a way to make this part of the game faster and easier (like the preference draft: pick the settings for weight training for example), I think the game could very well be a 10 for me.

[daveroswell]

And may I just say, for me the interface doesn't have to be pretty for me to totally enjoy the game (Although I can't play with some teams cuz the color schemes are horrid...:b)

[Subby]

I gave it a 9.0 because Schmidty gave it a low grade and I wanted to cancel out his vote.

[MizzouRah]

I would love to up my vote as the more I play this game, the more I see so many improvements over 2k4.

[jbmagic]

I would love to up my vote as the more I play this game, the more I see so many improvements over 2k4.


like?

[Bonegavel]

I'm loving the game so far. Trying like hell to get my first MP experience with it, but even that little bit has been great (if only SP could get close to MP).

This version just seems so far above 2k4 even though it seems to be the same game.

I've let it be known that I would like more printing options (and I agree with the csv requests above). Let me export my data so I can Excel-ify it if I want to. Also, I think the way the game handles the different MP leagues is sloppy at best and it wouldn't be too much work for Jim to tidy that up a bit (needing to run a batch file to play a game like this is insane).

I feel more in control of my team than I ever have in the past. The draft is better (even if I still don't understand the whole interview overrated / underrated thing) and I think adding to the draft experience is worth the effort on Jim's part. The draft is a big part of my enjoyment of the game.

I understand the iterative nature of these games and I think 2k7 is definitely a step forward. Jim can only commit to so many changes/additions to the game as a solo-developer.

I am big on buyer's remorse and I haven't experienced that with FOF2K7.

[daveroswell]

One thing I didn't mention before: disk space is an issue for me, and FOF 2007 takes up much less room than FOF 2004. Yet another improvement from the old game.

[Chubby]

I gave it a 9.5 because no game is ever perfect IMO but 2k7 is close :)

If Jim does do playbooks in the next version, there has to be a "create your own plays" part or it won't be worth it IMO.

2D models, meh. If Jim thinks it will help sell the game then I'm all for it but I don't really see it as a "need" new feature IMO.

And for the love of god, redo coaches/scouts!!! :D At least make it so I can extend their contracts if only one thing gets changed about them...

[MizzouRah]

like?

Do a search and I'm sure you'll find plenty of posts from me on what I'm liking so far in this version.

[BrianD]

Do a search and I'm sure you'll find plenty of posts from me on what I'm liking so far in this version.

But if you combine the list and present it in a nice bullet format, it wil be easier to copy and paste in a different forum.

[Toddzilla]

like?Bring back QOTM!

[Gotee7]

I would give it a 8.5. I have been playing FOF since 99, but recently decided to start posting. I must say that the 2007 version is by far the best. The only reason I give it a 8.5 is the coach/scouting. Why can't I renegotiate with my current staff?? That just seems absurd to me. I think that should be handled similiar to the way players renegotiations are handled.

[robster1225]

I gave it an 8.5.
I just started playing SP, after starting with a MP league. It took me awhile to get into it, but now I love it.
I play a lot of text sims, and this is one of my favorites.

[MizzouRah]

But if you combine the list and present it in a nice bullet format, it wil be easier to copy and paste in a different forum.

Exactly why I'm not doing his work. :)

[path12]

I voted 8.0. I've had every version from the beginning and other than the original FOF this is the one I've played the most. I play as GM only and really appreciate that the AI gameplans really seem to reflect the talent I acquire.

I must say though that FM would score a 9.5 for me, and without a more robust coach/media/fan interaction (and some of the interface issues already noted above) I don't think I could score any future version of FOF higher than 8.

[timmynausea]

I just went with 10. Not trying to suggest it's perfect but I am just scratching the surface as far as learning all the drafting and player development nuances and etc. and I know I'll still be playing this game years from now. That puts it head and shoulders above almost any other game I can think of.