Why was FPS FBPRO 97/98 so amazing? [Archive] - Front Office Football Central

Mike Lowe

09-17-2007, 10:34 PM

Why was FPS FBPRO so amazing? I stumbled across an old league I used to be in when I was 16. It was my first! Amazing that it's still going and the history is still intact including drafts etc. Amazing to see what I was doing 11 years ago.

Why was this game so addicting though? What was it about it that made it so different from even games today?

Was it because it was "a game" that you actually loaded up and COULD technically see your players play etc?

Was it because it was one of the first available for online leagues?

Was it because the ratings were so nuetral in some areas (all players had the same categories) and were loosely explained leaving much to the imagination and providing great variety and unpredictability?

Was it the music (still awesome)?

Was it the little clicking noises?

Was it the depth for it's time and lack of competition amongst other games (remarkable...truly remarkable)?

Was it the mods and customizability?

I could go on and on. I loved this game and have yet to come across a game that was so shocking to me the first time I played it. TPF came close. Hell, I still remember staying up until 4am to play 97 the first time I bought it in a solo league. I remember the player I first drafted for the Lions, #60 DE Brian Terwilliger.

Anyway, just thought I'd spark a discussion up about a true classic.

For the record...I bought an original copy of 98 that I found at a thrift store while in college...box and all. It is underneath my bed as I type this.

Maybe this deserves a poll later?

Cringer

09-17-2007, 10:40 PM

Just a great game. It was all of the above I guess, although I never did online play with FPS Football Pro.

twothree

09-17-2007, 10:57 PM

For me it was the mods (I know I purchased some of the third party mods, but I don't remember for which version of FBPRO.) and customizability. Different league sizes was great, and I had several leagues all using different setups running on my computer.

I had a friend who loved the ability to make your own plays. And, I know we wasted several trees printing out a whole bunch of playbooks.

Flasch186

09-17-2007, 11:04 PM

i remember returning the game for that one year when it actually was completely broken. that was a sad sad day.

johnnyshaka

09-18-2007, 12:27 AM

For me it was career mode.

korme

09-18-2007, 12:50 AM

bbpro was the sheeyat as well

Young Drachma

09-18-2007, 01:14 AM

The baseball game was absolutely amazing. I mean, I never got tired of playing it. I think it might be why -- despite its problems -- I like OOTP so much or really, just games of the genre so much now that I'm an adult. Because if I want to play the games I can and I don't have to worry about going to school, about my computer not being able to run them or having to justify being at home and wanting to be in front of the computer click incessently.

I miss the soundtrack of the baseball one. It was extremely well done.

nilodor

09-18-2007, 01:14 AM

I think I was so hooked to it like Tecmo Superbowl before and FOF/OOTP after because it brought something completely new to the equation. It was just alot better than what was out there. I think its maximum advantage was that it actually delivered on all the promise.

M GO BLUE!!!

09-18-2007, 01:22 AM

I loved 97 (computer wasn't strong enough for 98, then when i got it still prefered the look of 97 and it wasn't much different!)

I loved designing my own plays and changing my stadium to open air with grass. Snow games were great!

I had one year I was running a 4-3, but injuries set in really bad, so I redid my entire defensive playbook as a 3-4, running all the same plays with my best pass rushing LB as a DE.

I had a TE that was amazing... I had him lining up at TE, WR, FB, HB... at the top of his game he retired... only six years into a career.

99 could have been the greatest game man has ever created.

M GO BLUE!!!

09-18-2007, 01:26 AM

The baseball game was absolutely amazing...

I have both FB'97 and BB'98 (i think) on my old Win98 laptop.

At one point on an old PC, I had the baseball game customized so that it played real music during the game. I remember Prince's DMSR pumping during a game (I even put reverb on so it sounded like a ballpark)

Icy

09-18-2007, 03:53 AM

I never played t, as i didn't know about USA sports in 1997, but no matter how good the game was, i think that the key is "nostalgia".

There are some games i remember as the best games ever, and if i try to play them now, i would notice that they are sooo outdated and not that great, but when i played them, i was a teenager, with plenty of time to play like 6 hours per day, with no distractions, no family to take care of, no work, etc so those games were the best experience.

The same that every football fan remembers FB pro as the best football game ever, we soccer fans see CM 01/02 as the best ever in the series, when we must admit that FM08 is way better and deeper, but... nostalgia wins and CM01/02 keeps being the most voted in every soccer sim pool and i wont' ever forget the long days and even weeks playing it without stop, forgetting to eat, going to the WC only when i couldn't resist it anymore, and getting so pissed when somebody called by phone or came home looking for me.

Seven years later i have a better game in FM08, but i can't play more than a few hours from time to time as real life takes most of my time.

I won't ever forget the best games in my life, Pirates Gold, UFO Enemy Unknown and CM01/02.

BigDawg

09-18-2007, 04:51 AM

You come to the right place to ask about FBPRO.

I still have in the box... FBPRO 95-96-98 , I skipped 97 and 99 was a total piece of crap. Going way back when I was on compuserve I was looking around for info on fantasy football and I ran across a group of guys playing the original version of the game ( FBPRO 94 ) , after talking with a couple of them I went out and got the new game fbpro95 and joined in.

Not sure anyone will remember names such as Bork, Sly, Dean and the grandfathers of these leagues. I was addicted the min I opened the box.

The real fun was spending hours talking with other guys about making plays, I think part of why its was so addicting was you could make a play and than run it in real time against someones elses defence and see the results. Watch your players on the field.

I also only played in home sim leagues where the home tea got to run the game and sit and watch it in real time. You could shuffle plays in and out of your playbooks and practice against other coaches playbooks.

Their were two groups of guys , one on compuserve and another on AOL, once fbpro96 hit both preaty uch went to the NET and the real explosion of leagues happened. I know I played in 5-6 leagues I also ran the first college league with the game that would supply its graduates to 4-5 NFL based leagues for their rookie pools.

Its been over 10 years and no game has come close to fbpro, I played TPF for a while but found many problems with it. I am now into FOF to get my football fix.

BigDawg

09-18-2007, 05:02 AM

http://pnfl.com/ .. still running after 15 seasons

BigDawg

09-18-2007, 05:05 AM

http://pnfl.com/ .. still running after 15 seasons

BigDawg

09-18-2007, 05:05 AM

http://pnfl.com/ .. still running after 15 seasons

BigDawg

09-18-2007, 05:05 AM

http://pnfl.com/ .. still running after 15 seasons

Crim

09-18-2007, 06:18 AM

post whore.

Swaggs

09-18-2007, 06:28 AM

Anyone know if the pnfl is still running?

JeeberD

09-18-2007, 06:49 AM

I heard a rumor that it was still going strong after 15 seasons. Can't remember where I heard it, though...

cartman

09-18-2007, 08:03 AM

I heard a rumor that it was still going strong after 15 seasons. Can't remember where I heard it, though...

You probably heard about it over at sportsdigs.com :D

Pumpy Tudors

09-18-2007, 08:05 AM

I'm looking for a league that's been running for at least 14 seasons, but all of them seem to have shut down. There used to be one called the "pnfl" or something, but it seems to have disappeared into the ether. Can anyone help me out here?

Kodos

09-18-2007, 10:07 AM

I'm afraid you're out of luck. Surely, no league could have lasted 15 season.

MikeVic

09-18-2007, 10:12 AM

I don't think I've ever played this game? Anyone remember a game made by Sierra, where if you put your league name as Canadian Football League, it would automatically give you the format and cities of the CFL? I remember doing that, but not playing it for very long.

I played a game called Unnecessary Roughness the most.

Mike Lowe

09-18-2007, 07:45 PM

lol you guys are cruel.

Back on topic! What are these developers doing these days?

MizzouRah

09-18-2007, 08:15 PM

How could anyone skip '97? It was the best of the series. In fact, any game with Barry Sanders on it HAS to be good.

It was great because it had a career mode and watching that 1st round draft pick get his first TD or first sack made me giddy.

Swaggs

09-18-2007, 09:34 PM

I was never fanatical about the series, but bought them every year.

I can still remember getting the one with Dan Marino on it from EB and trying to load it up and there was literally nothing on the disk whatsoever. Oddest purchase ever. I thought they would give me crap when I took it back (since it was open) but I guess it had been happening all along.

stevew

09-18-2007, 09:44 PM

I never had a computer good enough to play it on. I think I did buy it in 94 or 95. I think one of those years, not positive which one. I dunno which, but it ran like shit. Didn't get a "decent" PC until 99, the one I got in 02 was fairly good, and the current one gets the job done. Actually this is the first machine I've had without integrated video.

CraigSca

09-18-2007, 09:50 PM

Pffft. Get back to me when your league is still running after 15 seasons.

watravaler

09-18-2007, 09:51 PM

Rich Colacino owns all...

http://pnfl.com/helmets/falcons.jpg

SirFozzie

09-18-2007, 10:29 PM

I played in the PNFL a while ago. I was awful :)

BigDawg

09-19-2007, 04:56 AM

The very first online fbpro league CSFL was still running after 27 seasons but I havent been to their site in a year. I cant seem to find it now. :(

BigDawg

09-19-2007, 05:00 AM