How to cut unsigned rookie?

[FOF2K7 Forum Feed]

Is there a way? I need to be at 60 for the preseason and I don't want this bum.

More... (http://www.operationsports.com/fofc/showthread.php?t=62494&goto=newpost)

[Chubby]

How to cut this stupid forum feed shit?

[MikeVic]

Oh yeah, I know the answer. But I'm not telling.

[MikeVic]

Did jbmagic post that?

[st.cronin]

Why does the forum feed go from FOF2K7 to OT? Shouldn't it work the other way around?

[twothree]

Oh yeah, I know the answer. But I'm not telling.

How? "FOF2K7 Forum Feed" is the on my ignore list, but all that does is block the message not the threads.

[MikeVic]

How? "FOF2K7 Forum Feed" is the on my ignore list, but all that does is block the message not the threads.

Oops, I meant I know the answer to the thread's question... but I was joking on that too. So I know nothing.

[Crim]

Anger! Rage!

[Crim]

I say we draw straws to post enough incendiary content to get each thread locked as it appears.

Ping: FranklinNoble

[Lorena]

so why you clogging up the forum asswhite?

[korme]

So if I post a thread in FOF2k7 subforum that says like "Fuck the government" and then there's a bunch of bad stuff in it, will it get caught in the mix and the FOF2k7 forum feed would post it over here?

Because that might be worth it

[st.cronin]

So if I post a thread in FOF2k7 subforum that says like "Fuck the government" and then there's a bunch of bad stuff in it, will it get caught in the mix and the FOF2k7 forum feed would post it over here?

Because that might be worth it

That's an excellent idea.

[st.cronin]

Actually, I think the way to combat this is ... FOF2K7 themed werewolf.

[hoopsguy]

Is there anyone that actually thinks that this feed is a good idea? That is glad to have the peek into the forum that they could otherwise click over to view?

[Maple Leafs]

I actually like this new feed. I think it's a good idea.

Apparently I'm the only one, making this the first time in my life I haven't been hopelessly mainstream.

[Crim]

I'm kind of meh about it. I am amused, however, at the reaction it has birthed.

[Crim]

So count this as a vote in favor of it, I suppose.

[korme]

I actually like this new feed. I think it's a good idea.

Apparently I'm the only one, making this the first time in my life I haven't been hopelessly mainstream.

Conform, loser!

[Crim]

I'm on my way over to the FOF2k7 subforum to see if any of the protesters are over there making trouble. If I'm not back in an hour, tell my wife I love her.

[Toddzilla]

Hey SkyDog - stop the dammed RSS feed into the Off-Topic forum

[Logan]

REVOLT!

[st.cronin]

I'm actually ok with it, but I don't think it goes far enough. I think we need an RSS feed from FOF2K7, Werewolf, Hatrick, Dynasty and Archives into Off Topic; from Dynasty, Off-Topic, Archives and Hatrick into Werewolf; and Archives into all forums.

[miked]

This is the silliest thing and I don't know why everyone is acting like a bunch of 5 year olds in timeout. It seems pretty cool. Lots of us still play FOF, but have maybe slowed the posting about it. But there are also alot of new people still getting the game and trying to figure things out. So this feed I would think helps give people who post in the actual FOF forum more of an audience. Who knows, you might even discover something new about the game you never would've known.

This is a FOF-based board, not a WW based board, so I don't know why there should be a WW feed. I have nothing against the WW stuff, I just don't see why any other forum should feed into here except for the one this whole message board was designed for.

[miked]

PS, if you don't like it, don't click on the fucking thread :) There are lots of threads that clog the board that I don't care for, I just don't open them and lo and behold, my blood pressure stats normal. Instead of acting like a bunch of sandy vaginas, ignore the shit, it's like 2 threads on the page.

[Ragone]

We should forum feed some politics threads into fof forum.. that seems like a fair trade

[Anthony]

not even Sportsdigs did this stuff.

it doesn't annoy me, i actually visit the FOF2K7 forum on a daily basis. like, just a couple days ago i discovered Jim is making a new game. now, before your nipples get all hard in anticipation of the hot wax coming, the game will be a Shakespearian-based card game using pics of the wives/GF's of FOF customers. deep down i think it's a joke, but i'll play along with this ruse of his.

[JonInMiddleGA]

I'm on my way over to the FOF2k7 subforum to see if any of the protesters are over there making trouble.

There haven't been (as far as I can tell) but there probably should be.

But to be honest, I figure our absentee landlord would just play his HNIC card & do bad things to anyone who did. It's not like this is going to accomplish anything except increased animosity and some loss of credibility (it really does put some of the fanboy allegations in new perspective) so given that gestures would be futile I figure it's best just to let him waste his time trying to make a dead game relevant again.

Besides, it's his nickel so if he wants to use it to look foolish, well, who are we to get in the way of that.

[Anthony]

dead game? did this game come out in 2006 or 2005? i swear, i'm starting to really believe Solecismic when they state that this community represents only a small % of his total customers, because for the life of me i can't fathom how a person can support a family off of a text sim football game released a couple years ago. if there is serious money in this industry for a small timer/one man shop i think i really may have to consider teaching myself how to program a game. that comment made me stop and think about how long ago the 1.0 version came out, i thought it was somewhat recent but now that i think of it i believe it came out in '05. that's pretty impressive for Jim that he could create such a good game that he could go years between releases. astounding, really.

edit: i get it now - i was very late to the party, i only bought 2k7 cuz my MP league switched over to it. i only bought the game sometime this year.

[JonInMiddleGA]

for the life of me i can't fathom how a person can support a family off of a text sim football game

Are you his accountant? Me neither.
So how does anyone here really know whether that's even the case or not?

Doesn't really matter of course, but that's kind of why I really haven't spent much time pondering how it could be possible.

[Buccaneer]

the game will be a Shakespearian-based card game using pics of the wives/GF's of FOF customers. deep down i think it's a joke, but i'll play along with this ruse of his.

Hadn't considered that it would be a ruse, given that it is prominently displayed at the company website. I wonder, however, what kind of customers he is looking at?

[Draft Dodger]

How to cut this stupid forum feed shit?

step 1) don't bump it to the top of the page by replying.

[Joe]

for the life of me i can't fathom how a person can support a family off of a text sim football game released a couple years ago.

wife has a good job?

[Anthony]

i just think its amazing, that's all. we're not talking about joystick games here, it's a text sim football game that doesn't even have the NFL license. it's remarkable that enough income can be derived from releasing FOF to not have to come out with something new every year. not to sound fanboyish but it think it's really a testament to the quality of his games that word of mouth finds its way to new customers, cuz lord knows his marketing dept isn't earning it's keep. hahahaha.

[Anthony]

Hadn't considered that it would be a ruse, given that it is prominently displayed at the company website. I wonder, however, what kind of customers he is looking at?

i'm always reading between the lines, sometimes there's something there - sometimes not.

1. he doesn't market his games, so how would people find out about his Shakespeare card game if they don't even know about his flagship FOF game. that's like advertising a great sale on plasma tvs on a website devoted to Sybion pandoras (http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G1-18149499.html), a species that lives on the lips of lobsters.

2. many here are of the nerd variety, i get that, as is anyone who is into playing text sim football games (all the cool kidz are playing madden, yo). but at its heart, FOF is for lovers of the sport. anyone who happens to find Solecismic's website is there to primarily learn more about it's football games. so it doesn't really make sense to market a shakespearian card game to a group of football buffs. that's like trying to sell ticket to the ballet at Home Depot. nerds aside, we're still a group of football loving, steak-eating, red-blooded American men.

3. he mentioned the market not being right for niche computer games, which is poo-pooing his own (and only) products. i think it's just the opposite. with the scarcity of pc games at your local Gamestop, i think the internet will eventually be one of the only places to actually buy pc games. furthermore, it strikes me as odd to make that "market is dead" statement...and then announce you're releasing a pc game in the same breath.

i'm not one to hang on his every word, i'm just stating the reasons why i wouldn't be surprised this was a prank or smoke and mirrors routine meant to shock us and throw us off balance and then *poof* some other game more in line with this audience's tastes is released.

of course, it just may be he wants a change of pace. i'm not here to judge. i'm allowed to make comments and post my opinions. i'm not knocking the game either, i haven't played it.

[Chubby]

step 1) don't bump it to the top of the page by replying.

Like it wasn't going to happen without me :)

[Shkspr]

Who the hell reads Shakespeare, anyway?

[Raiders Army]

Original thread: 6 replies. This thread: 36 replies.

[Lorena]

Who the hell reads Shakespeare, anyway?

LOL :D

[Toddzilla]

I hope that this works both ways, so the FOF forum now knows that we here in the OT wonder how to get your mom off


http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/273/wtfrr5.jpg

[MikeVic]

I don't get it though, are there really people that go to the OT sub-forum that know nothing of the 2k7 sub-forum? Why put these threads here?

[Crim]

What I find funny about this whole alledged fiasco is, it reminds me of the Coke suing Coke Zero commercials. Like the community is revolting against itself. I mean, the other thread, something about a great feeling or whatever, was started by M Go Blue, a frequent (though misguided) OT subforum contributer.

I keep thinking, "there is no legal precedent for a forum to bring legal action against itself..."

[st.cronin]

What is FOF2K7 anyway, does anybody know?

[mckerney]

What is FOF2K7 anyway, does anybody know?

After going over there to check it out, it seems to have something to do with Shakespeare and card games. I couldn't for the life of me figure out what they have to do with one another though.

[MizzouRah]

HA gets my vote for posts of the day.

[Jim G.]

It is somewhat difficult to support a family on the revenue from the games alone.

One feature that has worked very nicely for me, and probably saved the company, is that when you have a successful season (not only winning the Front Office Bowl, but doing well with stadium revenue and dominating the league like the Patriots have this season) Herb will come up and ask for donations.

Herb makes a great case. He tells a wonderful sob story about how we are eating mac-and-cheese every night and we live in a cardboard box because we couldn't get the new house finished. None of it is true (sorry, guys), but the few hundred dollars we've received through Herb's PayPal account have allowed us to put a few presents under the Christmas tree this year (really just a bush near the box).

Seriously, though, how do we make this work? We're really conservative about spending. We try not to buy what we don't need. If there's a temporary boost in the bank account after a release, it all goes into savings. We have a small child at home, and my wife doesn't work, so those savings have to stretch. I'm sure most of you make a lot more than I do.

On the other hand, I really enjoy doing this, and I hated working in cubicles, so, as long as we can put food on the table, I don't mind not ever getting rich.

I made a long post about marketing a year or so ago. It still applies today. I am getting new customers, steadily, so I think I'm doing okay at it. Spending money on advertising for a niche product like this is just wasted. I've tried it before and it doesn't work. Just getting the product out to people is what's important. Reviews drive customers, and with the major magazines moving away from PC games, it's hard to get reviews.

Part of the reason for a new and different product is simply to get my name in front of different reviewers. I've been told many times that since FOF is now in its sixth iteration, magazine editors aren't as interested. Combine that with the decline in PC gaming, and getting the word out is more difficult than ever. So, by sending a brand new product out there, I'm more likely to get press.

This card game is not a huge new product, and I was hoping that the specific language I used would make it clear that football remains my primary focus. This isn't taking away from a new football product in the future. The development cycle on this card game is much shorter than an FOF cycle. For those of you who still care, you're not losing anything in the way of a new FOF. I don't think it's necessarily a good idea to try to release a new version of FOF every year. But, once I get good at this, I can see a world where I get a release out every year (TCY one year, FOF the next).

I'd also love to find a publisher for this series. Someone to pay for the artwork, get distribution, maybe figure out a way to help me into the console world, now that consoles are big enough for a game like FOF. My reluctance to move to a state where there's a real publishing presence hurts me there. I like it in Michigan and I'm going to stay.

[Logan]

Wait...Jim G really = Solecismic?

[MizzouRah]

A TCY 2 = money. :)

[Anthony]

re: artwork, has Solecismic ever considered maybe recruiting college students who'll work for college credits/experience? obviously you get what you pay for, but maybe trying to employ as much volunteers as possible would add to the staff. craigslist is full of people trying to get services for free, what's in it for the other person is the experience like i mentioned and having something tangible to affix their name to.

as far as marketing is concerned, maybe offering your game for free to some smaller websites as prizes for web-contests or whathaveyou is one route you can take. since you have a blog, maybe providing articles/analysis for free to other sites in exchange for them pimping your game.

i respect a guy who can take an idea and see it through to fruition. i wish i had the ability to make reality all the ideas in my head. that's what i try not to poo-poo anyone's idea's/products whenever possible, cuz even a weak product by someone is more than what i can do.

[miked]

I don't get it though, are there really people that go to the OT sub-forum that know nothing of the 2k7 sub-forum? Why put these threads here?

I believe tk didn't even know who Jim was. I'd venture there are a lot of people who post on here that don't know what FOF was at some point. Bringing attention to the 2k7 threads is a good idea, and may even spur some people who have lost interest to fire the game back up. Either way, it's like 2 threads on the page, people need to just accept it.

[Crim]

i wish i had the ability to make reality all the ideas in my head.


Ack! Horrors!

[Anthony]

don't worry, my butterscotch flavored ball-gags would have a low-fat alternative.

[Crim]

lol

[korme]

we're still a group of football loving, steak-eating, red-blooded American men.

Now THATS what I call a pep talk!