Why the next game is FOB

[GoldenEagle]

I think it is obvious Jim is going to introduce a new game in mid 2005. It is taking him longer to code since he has to do everything from the ground up. He has updated the two football versions. Also the mid 2005 date is right during baseball season. OOTP is not slated for another release until 2006. It all makes perefect sense.

[FBPro]

Mid-2005 actually makes it basketball :)

Sorry, couldn't resist.

[Airhog]

Any number of games would fit mid 2005 :D

Im voting for Front Office Rabid OU fan!

[sooner333]

Any number of games would fit mid 2005 :D

Im voting for Front Office Rabid OU fan!

Virtual noop comes in to try and make you mad three or four times per day!

[General Mike]

good call GE

[dawgfan]

I would be very happy to see Jim's take on a baseball sim. The timing makes sense also, assuming he hasn't been spending all his time doing the TCY and FOF revisions.

[CHEMICAL SOLDIER]

FOB? Fresh off The Boat....Manage a young immigrant through his career as a young no talented pick pocket to a feared crime boss.

[sovereignstar]

blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah mid-2005? why that gives us (that have nothing better to post) a chance to speculate for at least another half year blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah
.

[Leonidas]

Baseball is already a saturated market. Jim owns the college football sim market, but that could change if he lets someone else sneak in. I say it will be TCY2 or another FOF game since that is his primary area of expertise/interest.

[Buccaneer]

When I heard about this (5.1) at IHOF, I had wondered what the FOFC would speculate on the mid-2005 game. Imo, there is one obvious choice and one dark horse. Here's what I think:

1. The game will be TCY2. With this major update to 5.1, there's really no more noticeable improvements that can be made to FOF. In order to justify a new release and to get the required income that such would entail, the game has to have major new features. FOF4 did not do this but FOF 5 obviously did. So given that, the one thing that would get him the thousands+ sales for a new version of TCY would be MP and perhaps one other significant SP feature. This would fit into the length of time needed to finish programming and to test...and just in time for the 2005 college football season.

2. The darkhorse would be Baseball, of course. Personally, I have come to agree with certain prominent members of FOFC that baseball does not make a very good sports sim - compared to football and coming from a world-renowned expert on football game development. Obviously some will disagree but I think (I could be wrong) that not every football simmer will jump on board with baseball. FOB would have to have MP, I believe, from the start and that might be a tall order. It would have a jump on OOTP7's release but would it become an afterthought once SI gets its game out? That may not bode well for future versions of FOB.

I'd still put my money on TCY2, though.

[cthomer5000]

I'm exactly with Bucc. TCY2 or Baseball, I think the odds are about 2/3 and 1/3.

[33sherman]

I'd say TCY 2. He said to expect NEWS of the new release, not the actual release. THen three or four months of intense anticipation.

[Ben E Lou]

THen three or four months of intense anticipation.Extremely doubtful. He hasn't done that since he changed his release policy a few games ago. The release is typically within just a few short weeks of the announcement. Last year, even with the release getting delayed unexpectedly, the announcement and release were less than a month a part, I'm fairly certain.

[cthomer5000]

I'd say TCY 2. He said to expect NEWS of the new release, not the actual release. THen three or four months of intense anticipation.
It's be very un-Solecismic like to make an announcement 3 or 4 months before the game comes out. 2-3 weeks is probably more like it.

[33sherman]

I stand corrected.

[jbmagic]

Baseball is already a saturated market. Jim owns the college football sim market, but that could change if he lets someone else sneak in. I say it will be TCY2 or another FOF game since that is his primary area of expertise/interest.


i dont think fof or tcy 2 will be out for 2005....

i think it will be a brand new game..maybe college basketball and pro basketball

[vex]

Tcy came out July 9th I believe.

[Buccaneer]

i think it will be a brand new game..maybe college basketball and pro basketball
Why? In my opinion, the two popular basketball sims (FBCB and TDB) available now are better than what's out there for baseball.

[jbmagic]

Why? In my opinion, the two popular basketball sims (FBCB and TDB) available now are better than what's out there for baseball.


true FBCB for college and i think TPB2005 is great for pro basketball ..


i just took a guess with basketball..to keep his style of making a college and pro version like he did for football...:)

[dawgfan]

Based on prior statements, I don't get the impression that baseketball or hockey are sports that Jim has a significant interest in recreating in a sim. Baseball on the other hand...

[Suicane75]

I think Jim cracks open these threads and has a good sized chuckle at all our wondering. That's the only thing I know for sure.

[MizzouRah]

Baseball is already represented by ootp and Puresim, basketball by FBCB and TPB, I think Jim will stick with football and TCY 2 is next. Redesigned from the ground up.


Todd

[Klinglerware]

TCY2 wouldn't be an unreasonable guess for Summer 2005. By then, the conference realignments ought to have run their course and the 2005 schedule would be in place. A perfect time to start fresh with a new sim...

[ShaqFu]

What about a non-sports sim?

[GoldenEagle]

OOTP and PureSim leave me wanting much more from a baseball sim. No offense to anyone.

[MizzouRah]

OOTP and PureSim leave me wanting much more from a baseball sim. No offense to anyone.
No offense taken, I'm sure... but what more could you want?


Todd

[GoldenEagle]

A deeper financial system, international scouting, more stats, etc. I also would like improved free agency, a spread sheet look, ad pretty much anything else that comes with a Gindin game.

[Suicane75]

No offense taken, I'm sure... but what more could you want?


Todd


A game that resembles baseball? :D
All kidding aside, i feel the same was as GE. OOTP and Puresim both feel more like baseball type games than actual Baseball games. The logic, the player algorithm (sp?), the way the whole shebang works just leaves me wanting much much more.

[Ksyrup]

1. The game will be TCY2. With this major update to 5.1, there's really no more noticeable improvements that can be made to FOF.
Until FOF offers at least some form of fictional league creation, even if rudimentary and limited, as well as expansion, FOF will not be complete, IMO.

[astrosfan64]

When I heard about this (5.1) at IHOF, I had wondered what the FOFC would speculate on the mid-2005 game. Imo, there is one obvious choice and one dark horse. Here's what I think:

1. The game will be TCY2. With this major update to 5.1, there's really no more noticeable improvements that can be made to FOF. In order to justify a new release and to get the required income that such would entail, the game has to have major new features. FOF4 did not do this but FOF 5 obviously did. So given that, the one thing that would get him the thousands+ sales for a new version of TCY would be MP and perhaps one other significant SP feature. This would fit into the length of time needed to finish programming and to test...and just in time for the 2005 college football season.



I think we need an American Football Game with a 2d engine. Maybe he is working on that.

[MizzouRah]

A game that resembles baseball? :D
All kidding aside, i feel the same was as GE. OOTP and Puresim both feel more like baseball type games than actual Baseball games. The logic, the player algorithm (sp?), the way the whole shebang works just leaves me wanting much much more.I've felt that way in the past and in no way can I speak for Puresim, but v6 of ootp has been just about everything I've wanted in a baseball sim.

Maybe I'm just used to baseball with Markus, football with Jim, etc..etc... seems kind of weird thinking about a FOB.

Edit: I would love to see a 2d engine in FOF


Todd

[Suicane75]

Until FOF offers at least some form of fictional league creation, even if rudimentary and limited, as well as expansion, FOF will not be complete, IMO.

I agree with Ksyrup, being able to load FOF and choose a league size, expansion options and a much more detailed play calling and depth chart scheme like the old NFLPro games had would be the be all end all of FOF for me. It's like, i've dated and seen FOF naked, and its been wonderfull, but now I really wanna get in her pants.

[MizzouRah]

I agree with Ksyrup, being able to load FOF and choose a league size, expansion options and a much more detailed play calling and depth chart scheme like the old NFLPro games had would be the be all end all of FOF for me. It's like, i've dated and seen FOF naked, and its been wonderfull, but now I really wanna get in her pants.
:D

Ok, now it is really time for me to get home. Being in Nebraska is quite depressing and well, I need some love.


Todd

[Franklinnoble]

Until FOF offers at least some form of fictional league creation, even if rudimentary and limited, as well as expansion, FOF will not be complete, IMO.

Agreed... this is one area that I'm sure is programatically challenging, and yet would offer a tremendous amount of depth to the game.

Imagine what you could do with custom league, conference, and division sizes... and expansion... maybe even support for multiple leagues (i.e. - NFL, CFL, Europe, Arena - all under the same game)... with player movement between each teir... and the possibility of mergers (you could re-create the AFL-NFL merger)....

Droooooolllll......

[Icy]

Agree with some of you guys, specially with MizzouRah, Jim is good and the god :) for football games, why to change? why not keep improving your best games that are also the ones that made you known?
There is a big room to improve TCY and FOF, just look at the suggestions threads. But i agree that is time for a new start from zero as Sigames do every 3 years with his soccer games. Every engine is limited and from time to time you need to start from zero to pass that limits. I really hope a new TCY and FOF, i own OTTP as i buy all text sims, and also agree that next year is a good one to start another baseball game without new OOTP, but Markus and Shawn will have always and advantage on baseball games games to Jim named experience and fan base, as Jim has it over other programmers that could start footbal games. IMHO for bussines is better to be the best at one thing than average at some things.

[Chubby]

I'd have to say the frontrunner for the new game is baseball right now with when the next announcement will be. TCY2 a distant second. I just don't see Jim updating TCY to turn around and release a new version 6 months later...

[MIJB#19]

The NFL Europe resumes in mid 2005.

[Bonegavel]

I was certain Jim was going to release FOF2K5 this week (after he assured us the game wouldn't be a political sim).

Then, my thoughts turned to FOF baseball for all the reasons listed above - ootp delayed, announced during baseball season, and also because this would fit the criteria Jim has put forth that he would like to venture into other sports.

With the recent update to FOF2K4 I get the same feeling I had when he released the update for TCY - he won't put out a game that he just updated. Of course, Jim isn't the typical developer, but the reasoning isn't bad.

In the end, Jim's choices for games/releases seems obvious after the fact and, while he likes to pique or interests with his posts, there is no real guile here or trickery. Besides, this is Jim's livelyhood and I don't he would make an out-of-left-field choice here especially with a little one to worry about.

So, with that, I say that Jim is developing TCY2 and FOF2K-NEXT in tandem (still separate) and will release them together August-ish to finally coincide with the football season.

My main reason for this speculation is that he worked hard this past year to "finalize" the 2 games in his stable with 2 great patches to basically say thanks and I'm sure to fix things that bugged him (as works of art are rarely ever "done" in the minds of their creators) and he is moving on to what will be considered the Next-Generation FOF engine probably adding some interface glitz where he can (he can't deny that looks help sales forever) and prolly a 2d X's and O's game viewer.

This is all up in the air however, if he plans on actually releasing the game next year because all of that will take a lot longer than the "middle of next year." Unless of course he has been working on this all along and did the TCY/FOF2K4 updates as a break.

[Bee]

I'd have to say the frontrunner for the new game is baseball right now with when the next announcement will be. TCY2 a distant second. I just don't see Jim updating TCY to turn around and release a new version 6 months later...

I agree with the Chubster. Baseball is the frontrunner IMO. To all the folks talking about there being other baseball games he'd be competing against, I think you can take that off the table. Jim has come out several times and said what other people release doesn't affect his decisions on what he's doing. I think he's said the only other text sim he's even tried was Baseball Mogul.

The other reason I think Baseball is the frontrunner is that Jim mentioned at one point that he had a deal to do a different sport last year with a publisher and it fell through. I'm guessing either the deal is back on or Jim has worked it out to release the game on his own. I think that's why the release this year was delayed and why he had time to spend a couple month's updating his existing products, he was working things out with that publisher.

B

[Honolulu Blue]

I disagree with the title of this thread. My reasoning remains the same.

I'm a little surprised that there will be no new Solecismic game since 1997, when none of us had ever heard of it. I guess Jim thinks his updates will spur some sales. We'll see.

As for what I think will be next, I'd rank the possbilities thusly:

1. TCY2
2. FOF6 / 2006
3. Some other football game
4. Another Front Office sports game
5. Non-sports game

[WSUCougar]

I'm not even going to speculate or guess anymore. I'll wait until the next official news is released, then rejoice or cry in my beer accordingly.

[Noop]

Virtual noop comes in to try and make you mad three or four times per day!
???

[Dutch]

I'm going to guess TCY2 w/ Multiplayer.

Recruiting Wars and a static one game a week college schedule makes it more appealing to the MP world.

Baseball would be interesting to me in a SP enviroment, but the staggered schedules of baseball and long season's may hurt it's MP appeal.

[jbmagic]

the more i think about it ...i see TCY2 being made before FOF, because TCY is the older game...