Playcalling vs Lance Haffner

[harmonykorine]

I'm a long time sports simulation player who is very stuck on some old games. I've been trying to find a football sim to replace Lance Haffner's 3in1 but haven't had much luck. My main question about FOF is what is the playcalling like? I'd love the answer from someone who played 3in1 and could compare. I like to be able to call each play during the game and watch results unfold as opposed to gameplans run by the computer.

Thanks!
Rob

[bryce]

FWIW, (and i never owned 3in1), but you can do what you're looking for with FOF - call each play, and 'see' (ie, text description) the play unfold, both offensively and defensivly. personally, i refuse to buy a game unless play calling is involved b/c i like the coaching aspect as well as the gm aspect, and i own fof4, so there ya go.

[QuikSand]

I think downloading the demo of FOF4 sounds like a good idea for you. It's free, and will give you a very clear idea of how the game works.

FOF4 Demo (http://www.solecismic.com/demo/index.php)

[markprior22]

Well, I used to have (probably still do somewhere) a copy of 3 in 1. It was an excellent game for it's time but the entire genre has advanced so far that I can't envision playing it anymore. With career and financial options, I think you will find that the new generation of sports text sim games are much, much better. Check out www.400softwarestudios.com for info on their upcoming game (Total Pro Football) and other sports sim titles.

[PilotMan]

Played 3n1 for a long while, and the playcalling feature in FOF is much more involved and detailed than 3n1. You choose lineups and formations and there is a great deal to choose from.

One thing different is that while Lance Haffner is more of a replay sim like Strat-O-Matic, while FOF is more of a career management simulator.

Like Mark said above, the genre has come a long, long way. I think that if you are looking at a direct replacement for 3n1, with actual players and more true to life statistics take a look at Strat-O-Matic's football game. If you want a mmore well rounded, deeper and more intense gameplay go with FOF.

[Sweed]

I'm a former Haffner player myself. Those were great games in their day. I remember waiting patieintly after ordering for the new team disk to show up in the mail.

QickSand gives you good advice, d'load the demo and give it a try. I d'loaded it about a week ago and am now waiting for the new version to come out. It is a very deep game and after playing Haffner may seem a little overwhelming to start with. Take your time with it though and I think you'll find it to be a very good game.

MarkPrior22 mentions tpf from 400 studios that also looks to be a sweet game but won't be out until sometime in Dec. I plan on picking that up too. Going to be a fun winter.

I hadn't played a decent game of football since upgrading from the old 286 and 3 in 1 went by the wayside. Right now I'm trying to figure out why I didn't d'load the demo of fof a year ago:(

edit for spelling

[kcchief19]

Definitely try the demo. That will give you a flavor for the game.

Since I only had the LH games for the Apple and my IIE shot craps a few years ago, I haven't played it in quite a while. But from my memory, I think the playcalling in FOF4+ is on par or superior to 3 in 1.

However, whereas playcalling is really the chief, if not only, part of 3 in 1, it is a bit of a smaller part of FOF. With FOF, you are resonsible for building rosters, drafting players, signing free agents and juggling the salary cap. While I loved 3 in 1, I always wanted a career sim option, so FOF is a dream come true. But if you are more interested in the replay value of a game like 3 in 1, FOF might be too powerful for you.

With the emphasis on career simulation prevalent in today's football games, I'm not sure there is a really good sim for playcalling. But if you want playcalling to be a part of a career sim and watch the games unfold, then I would order FOF in a heartbeat.

I had and loved LH games -- CCBB, Full Count, 3-in-1 -- but FOF is my favorite by far.

In fact, if FBCB or TDCB would take a look at Lance's CCBB and build an in-game management like that, I would buy the game in a heartbeat. I still think that game had the best basketball in-game management.

[JimboJ]

If you're not interested in a career sim, check out Action PC Football at www.dksports.com. Its basically a replay game, but the playcalling is excellent and the AI is pretty tight. I used to play it all the time until I discovered FOF. :)