Freedom Day Sale Begins: FOF for $19.95, TCY for $12.95.

[Ben E Lou]

10th Anniversary Celebration

Today, February 20, 2008, is the tenth anniversary of the day Jim Gindin packed up his cubicle and founded Solecismic Software. With seven, soon to be eight, full game releases in ten years, Solecismic Software remains an active independent Windows-based game producer.


In honor of the celebration, Solecismic Software is holding a one-day sale on its existing football products. For the next 24 hours, Front Office Football 2007 will cost only $19.95, and The College Years will cost only $12.95.

At the end of the day, Solecismic Software will announce an upcoming product, though not a new version of one of the football games.

[Doug5984]

"though not a new version of one of the football games."

damn...there goes hope on TCY2, for now at least

edit: it does say it is going to be the 8th full game- time for the speculation to begin...
Baseball, Hockey, Curling? Political sim? I really have no clue, but will most likely buy it anywho

[Groundhog]

Maybe it's a new verison of TWO of the football games. ;)

[timmynausea]

Here are the possibilities I see:

1. Release of the card game.

2. Solecismic will be joining another company/publisher or something along those lines.

3. Jim will be releasing a political/election sim by the end of the year.

It could also be another sport, of course, baseball seeming the most likely, but for whatever reason I have a hunch it's not that.

[pizzaddict]

I think a baseball game would be a bad idea. There are already some very nice baseball sims out on the market, namely OOTP8. Any baseball sim that he would put out would have to be a much better piece of software than FOF is imo.

[Fonzie]

I hope whatever he's announcing works out for him, but hearing that it won't be about one of his football games makes me about eleventy billion times less interested.

[Fonzie]

dola-

A good political sim might be fun though.

[Izulde]

:( I'm crushed that it's not going to be TCY2 :(

I really got my hopes up about that.

[Shakes]

you werent the only one. I may buy the original now since its a lower price.

[Atocep]

I think a baseball game would be a bad idea. There are already some very nice baseball sims out on the market, namely OOTP8. Any baseball sim that he would put out would have to be a much better piece of software than FOF is imo.

I'd take a sim engine on par with FOF in a baseball game over anything currently on the market.

[jbergey22]

I'd take a sim engine on par with FOF in a baseball game over anything currently on the market.

I wouldnt... The baseball games are too far ahead of the game right. The depth that OOTP has right now very few games can compete with. I doubt Jim is going this direction.

Great games like Diamondmind baseball and strato matic baseball also have their niche.

[Atocep]

I wouldnt... The baseball games are too far ahead of the game right. The depth that OOTP has right now very few games can compete with. I doubt Jim is going this direction.

Great games like Diamondmind baseball and strato matic baseball also have their niche.

I'm not saying I would prefer Jim to make a baseball game, I'd much rather see TCY2 with multiplayer. However, after playing every version of OOTP since 3 quite extensively, playing baseball mogul, and trying puresim; If Jim were to release a baseball game with an engine on par with FOF I'd probably play it over all of the other baseball options.

[jbergey22]

I'm not saying I would prefer Jim to make a baseball game, I'd much rather see TCY2 with multiplayer. However, after playing every version of OOTP since 3 quite extensively, playing baseball mogul, and trying puresim; If Jim were to release a baseball game with an engine on par with FOF I'd probably play it over all of the other baseball options.

Fair enough:) I would agree that their are certain things about OOTP that bother me a lot, releasing of players after signing huge contracts and waiving nice prospects to name a couple. There is just too much there right now that makes it so far ahead of any other game IMO(Vorp, full minors, customization). Jim would have his work cut out for him to match this game.

[14ers]

I find it hard to believe that TCY is still available for sale.

TCY must have more staying power than the PS2 if it is still be purchased.:)

[Vinatieri for Prez]

I think it is fairly obvious that it is the card game. He said new "product" so it must be a game. It's not the football games, and we know he was working on the Shakespeare card game. I think this conclusion is inescapable.

[Dutch]

It starting to look that way. But while Jim is a very smart and well rounded individual, I am still suprised to see him expand outside of the realm of sports. It's crazyiness, one of the signs of Hillary Clinton being elect...I mean, the apocalypse.

[jbergey22]

Well I really hope its anything but a card game. I can play any card game I want for free on different sites. I wouldnt mind a political sim and would love a surprise with TCY2.

[Schmidty]

This might sound mean, but if it's the card game, this could very well be the final Freedom Day.

On the plus side, I might actually buy FOF2007 now (if my wife let's me). Is this definitely the only day it'll be on sale?

[Schmidty]

Dola.

I just want to clarify that I am not saying that I wouldn't want the game to succeed. I hope it sells many, many copies so that Jim can have another Freedom Day where he announces TCY2.

[Icy]

Own both games already so just waiting for the announcement, even when i'm afraid it will be the card game (hope not as i have zero interest on that) but on the other hand, he already announced that card game in the past, no need to announce it again today.

I really hope that besides the card game that he allready announced and that i guess is interesting for some of you, he will announce that he is working on another sport game (i would have prefered football, pro or college).

[Narcizo]

Freedom Day X Sale. FOF2K7: $19.95. TCY2: $12.95.


You might want to change the main page there. I was ecstatic when I saw this for as long as it took for common sense to kick in (about 1 second) and I realised how unlikely it was. "Not only is TCY2 available now (or available for pre-order at least) but it's going to be dead cheap". Yes that is a lot of thinking for 1 second, I'll agree.

[Ben E Lou]

Fixed.

My bad there.

[Mota]

This might sound mean, but if it's the card game, this could very well be the final Freedom Day.

I'm also personally hoping that it will be a sports game, and I don't even care which one. But it is also likely that Jim is looking to branch out of this forum and hit a larger audience to make SURE that this isn't the final Freedom Day. You can't really fault him if that's the case.

[JeeberD]

Please lord let it be a new sport...

[gottimd]

"At the end of the day, Solecismic Software will announce an upcoming product, though not a new version of one of the football games."

A new version of both of the games? A TCY/FOF combination!!!:eek: :D

[Laddin]

I'm betting on the political sim...he always said he wanted to do one and with the election attention this year. Now would be a good time for it.

[Schmidty]

I'm betting on the political sim...he always said he wanted to do one and with the election attention this year. Now would be a good time for it.

I'd buy that. I think it'd be fun. Still wish it had been TCY2 though.

[Tim Tellean]

The question for me is when is the end of the day? 5 pm, 8 pm, 11:59 pm. Just kidding. :)

[3ric]

You might want to change the main page there. I was ecstatic when I saw this for as long as it took for common sense to kick in (about 1 second) and I realised how unlikely it was. "Not only is TCY2 available now (or available for pre-order at least) but it's going to be dead cheap". Yes that is a lot of thinking for 1 second, I'll agree.

LOL. Yeah, I'd probably have the same reaction had I seen that.

[Flasch186]

"end of the day"

what the heck does that mean? Is it 6pm edt? Is it when American Idol ends? Where is it the end of the day? ugh....."HONEY! Date night is off!"

[adubroff]

With seven, soon to be eight, full game releases in ten years, Solecismic Software remains an active independent Windows-based game producer.


That to me seems to suggest something for the PC, not a card game (though I guess it's possible he got frisky and wrote a computer version of the card game).

[Raiders Army]

I hope whatever he's announcing works out for him, but hearing that it won't be about one of his football games makes me about eleventy billion times less interested.

+1

[SFL Cat]

meh - color me a lot less excited with this news.

[Chubby]

Isn't the card game already "announced"?

Pessimistically I will assume it's the card game but I really hope it's a new game. I'd love to see hockey but I really think it will be baseball if we see a new game.

[Chubby]

"At the end of the day, Solecismic Software will announce an upcoming product, though not a new version of one of the football games."

Also from the sounds of it "8 full versions" it could be TCY2 and that Jim is referring to (in the original quote) that there won't be a patch to the existing games. Version COULD = patch so I think TCY2 is still a possibility...

[Pumpy Tudors]

That to me seems to suggest something for the PC, not a card game (though I guess it's possible he got frisky and wrote a computer version of the card game).
Maybe I misunderstood, but I thought the card game actually was going to be a PC version. Again, I could be wrong, but I didn't think he was actually going to produce something with physical cards.

Anyway, since today's announcement is not about TCY2, I'm not sure what I am hoping for. Front Office Hockey? I wouldn't be surprised to see a political sim, but if it is a sports game, I hope it's hockey, now that EHM is in hibernation.

Well, whatever it is, I wish Jim the best, and I hope his new game finds an audience. If it's hockey, I'm probably in. If it's a political sim, I'm probably in. If it's curling, I'm definitely in.

[Dutch]

I don't think so, Chubby. TCY 2.0 would be a new version of an existing game. :(

[Pumpy Tudors]

"At the end of the day, Solecismic Software will announce an upcoming product, though not a new version of one of the football games."

Also from the sounds of it "8 full versions" it could be TCY2 and that Jim is referring to (in the original quote) that there won't be a patch to the existing games. Version COULD = patch so I think TCY2 is still a possibility...
I see where you're coming from, but I really hope that Jim wouldn't screw around with words like that.

[Chubby]

I don't think so, Chubby. TCY 2.0 would be a new version of an existing game. :(


Not really, he talks about full version games (which each FOF and TCY is considered).

Pumpy - Would we really be surprised if Jim carefully chose his words to make it seem like TCY wasn't coming but then was?

Just saying it could be interpreted that Jim isn't releasing a patch for FOF or TCY but a full version game. That wouldn't rule out TCY 2 under that interpretation. Not saying it's a lock but it is a possibility.

[Chubby]

Maybe I misunderstood, but I thought the card game actually was going to be a PC version. Again, I could be wrong, but I didn't think he was actually going to produce something with physical cards.

Anyway, since today's announcement is not about TCY2, I'm not sure what I am hoping for. Front Office Hockey? I wouldn't be surprised to see a political sim, but if it is a sports game, I hope it's hockey, now that EHM is in hibernation.

Well, whatever it is, I wish Jim the best, and I hope his new game finds an audience. If it's hockey, I'm probably in. If it's a political sim, I'm probably in. If it's curling, I'm definitely in.

It's an actual card game. As it's been announced, the more I think about it the more I don't think tonight's announcement has anything to do with the card game.

[Passacaglia]

I think that this announcement could be the card game, and then some 'full release' - the one that is soon to be -- could be in the fall.

[CraigSca]

Seeing that it's not TCY2 has me a little bummed. Still, I'm hoping for some kind of sports game as I'd pretty much buy anything Jim puts out that's sports-related.

[SteveMax58]

Hmm... I'm reading the announcement a little different than most.

I'm reading it as it could be implying an 'announcement' of (potentially) TCY2 or FOF08, but not an actual release of a new version of either football game.

That said...I agree it's probably the release of the card game.

[Solecismic]

Pumpy - Would we really be surprised if Jim carefully chose his words to make it seem like TCY wasn't coming but then was?


The reason I added that sentence was so that I could not be accused of trying to drive sales of the football games with the lower prices right before announcing a new version.

That wouldn't be fair. The announcement has nothing to do with football. The sale is an attempt to capture people who otherwise might never buy the game. I try always to be careful with language, but I'd never use that to try and cheat people.

Really, today is more about managing to do this for a living for ten years now. I try never to promote myself, but I thought I'd indulge for one day. This is a very big deal to me. Thanks for making that possible.

I still haven't forgotten how I felt the day I left the stability of my old job, wondering if I had lost my mind, worried that just a year after getting married and buying a house for the first time that I was going to let my family down. 2/20/98 was a good day for me, but also a very frightening day.

Since some of you have been around since the first FOF release in September 1998, it's also a chance to reflect on the community you helped create.

[CraigSca]

Am I missing something? On the site he mentions that this (whatever it is) will be the 8th full release in 10 years. You then go to his "Company Information" page and it lists the following releases:

FOF
FOF 2
TCY
FOF Fourth Edition
FOF 2004
FOF 2007

Is he including FOF 2001 and/or FOF 2002 (though he admittedly did not much have input into either) in his original 7? If not, then I've lost track of what his releases were.

[Solecismic]

Am I missing something? On the site he mentions that this (whatever it is) will be the 8th full release in 10 years. You then go to his "Company Information" page and it lists the following releases:

FOF
FOF 2
TCY
FOF Fourth Edition
FOF 2004
FOF 2007

Is he including FOF 2001 and/or FOF 2002 (though he admittedly did not much have input into either) in his original 7? If not, then I've lost track of what his releases were.

I did an enormous amount of work on FOF 2001. I didn't include FOF 2002.

[CraigSca]

Oh, and as an aside, I'd like to congratulate Jim on ten years "out" of the fold. Not bad to be able to support yourself by making games that you want to play yourself :)

[CraigSca]

I did an enormous amount of work on FOF 2001. I didn't include FOF 2002.

Ah, that makes sense now. Just another feeble attempt to read between lines that aren't really there.

[Chubby]

Ok so at least we know it's nothing to do with football. :)

[cuervo72]

"end of the day"

what the heck does that mean? Is it 6pm edt? Is it when American Idol ends? Where is it the end of the day? ugh....."HONEY! Date night is off!"

Well, Jim G. posted in the AI thread this morning at 12:01 Eastern to announce that he'd be adding AI entries to his Football Frontier blog (a nice idea, btw). His site blurb was updated about then too. So my guess for "end of the day" would be oh, 11:59PM or so. :)

[Synovia]

I'd take a sim engine on par with FOF in a baseball game over anything currently on the market.

For real? The baseball sims have MUCH better engines than FOF.

[gottimd]

Here are the possibilities I see:

1. Release of the card game.

2. Solecismic will be joining another company/publisher or something along those lines.

3. Jim will be releasing a political/election sim by the end of the year.

It could also be another sport, of course, baseball seeming the most likely, but for whatever reason I have a hunch it's not that.

1. A card game? What would set that apart from any other card game out there? So he'll go from the text sim market to the Card Game market which has tons of companies already in it that have huge funding for graphics. Based on my experience with Front Office Products, graphics wasn't the top priority, the game engine was. Just doesn't seem like a logical thing to do, getting into the card game market.

2. Out of your three, this seems the best, or at least the most likely.

3. Other than election times, is there really a big market for an election game?

[Draft Dodger]

Congratulations on 10 years, Jim.

[RedKingGold]

For real? The baseball sims have MUCH better engines than FOF.

Good. Go to those forums then.

[Izulde]

Darn, I was getting my hopes up again with all the semantics talk, but since it's confirmed it's not about football... bleh.

That being said, if it's a political or other sport sim, I'll buy. If it's the card game... likely not.

[Izulde]

dola,

Congrats on the 10 year anniversary, Jim. :)

[Flasch186]

the game will be shipped to your home in a burlap sack!!! Thief!!!

wanna buy a house in Flooooorida?

[Schmidty]

I really wish that this sale lasted until friday.

[JPhillips]

I would love a baseball sim that allowed me to design uniforms for a league in Botswana.

[MikeVic]

Congrats on the years!

[apollo_tsg]

Baseball - all ready done OOTP is way ahead (it just does not make good biz to try and break into that area with two very mature and strong games eating up a small market already)

Hockey - yup, done well already by EHM

Soccer - yup, done

Basketball?

I vote Basketball, there is a need for a good quality basketball sim.


No political sim, no card game - blah

[ZootMurph]

That's nice... unfortunately, I bought the game a week ago at full price.

Still worth it, though!

[Comey]

Basketball?

I vote Basketball, there is a need for a good quality basketball sim.




Really? I think Gary at Wolverine Studios has both pro and college hoops covered pretty well.

[apollo_tsg]

Really? I think Gary at Wolverine Studios has both pro and college hoops covered pretty well.


Pretty well covered? I have not played the game (pro or C) since he left and started the new company. I was left wanting more with both titles - plus the way the company went was a bit souring as well.

[Racer]

I bet it's a political sim.

[sovereignstar]

Good. Go to those forums then.

http://imperialfl.us/images/misc/bigrolleyes.gif

[gottimd]

Maybe its Arm Wrestling Sim? Or a Hula Hoop Sim? Teatherball? Squash? Jai Alai?

[stevew]

Sim Jihad.

[RedKingGold]

http://imperialfl.us/images/misc/bigrolleyes.gif

Alright, come on down to the General Discussion forum and we'll talk about it.

[Tekneek]

If it were hockey, I would love to have something with the open-ended customization of OOTP.

[MalcPow]

If it's politics, I want to be able to customize the width of my candidate's bathroom stall stance.

[Pumpy Tudors]

It would be briefly funny if somebody made a game called "Front Office Go Fuck Yourself."

[Anthony]

i feel old. 10 friggin years. i've accomplished nothing. no MP championships. only been to the playoffs once in my FOF MP career.


all i have to show for my time in FOF is Dean Houston.



on second thought, that is cause for celebration. but still, i would like to win a MP championship at least once.

[mckerney]

Really? I think Gary at Wolverine Studios has both pro and college hoops covered pretty well.

Having played the WS game, still waiting for a quality pro hoops game.

[Young Drachma]

card game. bleh.

[Young Drachma]

End of the day. Bleh.

[Antmeister]

Congrats on your 10 years of freedom.

[Nukester]

Greetings everyone

Congrats on the 10 year anniversary, Jim.

You managed to hook me in. Im looking forward to learning the game (FOF2007) :)

[jbergey22]

Really? I think Gary at Wolverine Studios has both pro and college hoops covered pretty well.

Having played the WS game, still waiting for a quality pro hoops game.

I agree with mckerney on this. I really like the potential of both games but I cant seem to get more than a couple seasons without an Error message. It was written on a poor unstable program IMO and is not so much Gary's fault. He is having a problem fixing these "bugs". If the game worked without these random shutdowns Id rate them very high. I should be fair and say that some people dont get these errors which is odd as these are the only two games I play that I get these type of errors with my computer.

[Dutch]

It would be briefly funny if somebody made a game called "Front Office Go Fuck Yourself."

http://sc.tri-bit.com/images/2/2a/fuck-u-tie.jpg
Jim Gindin - Feb 19, 1998

[LloydLungs]

I agree with mckerney on this. I really like the potential of both games but I cant seem to get more than a couple seasons without an Error message. It was written on a poor unstable program IMO and is not so much Gary's fault. He is having a problem fixing these "bugs". If the game worked without these random shutdowns Id rate them very high. I should be fair and say that some people dont get these errors which is odd as these are the only two games I play that I get these type of errors with my computer.

I will third this, unfortunately. I'm really dying to play an NBA sim these days, but I'd heard a lot about frequent crashes with Gary's game. I just decided to try it with the most recently updated demo, and it seemed like it could be a lot of fun, but crashed eight picks into the first rookie draft. That pretty much confirmed my fears. And with Brian Nichols obviously going through some major issues, his pro basketball release appears a long way away at best.

So I would be thrilled with a Gindin basketball sim, although there is zero chance of one. Since he said it was an announcement of a product, that should rule out a deal with a publisher, so I'd be surprised if it wasn't just the card game.

[Drake]

I'd pay money for Jim to do a "Front Office American Idol" or "Front Office Rock Band" sim.

[cody8200]

I will third this, unfortunately. I'm really dying to play an NBA sim these days, but I'd heard a lot about frequent crashes with Gary's game. I just decided to try it with the most recently updated demo, and it seemed like it could be a lot of fun, but crashed eight picks into the first rookie draft. That pretty much confirmed my fears. And with Brian Nichols obviously going through some major issues, his pro basketball release appears a long way away at best.

So I would be thrilled with a Gindin basketball sim, although there is zero chance of one. Since he said it was an announcement of a product, that should rule out a deal with a publisher, so I'd be surprised if it wasn't just the card game.

I'll 4th it. The college game crashes on me all the time. Gary is making an effort to fix it but this crash is happening to a ton of Vista users and I just can't get any fun out of the game. Every time I'm a bit immersed I have to save the game and lose it. I save after every single day I play. If it crashes the only way to restart the game is to restart your computer :(

[Flasch186]

alright 13 minutes to 5 I think that 5 should be end of day......no?

[Draft Dodger]

The announcement:

"Geez, get a life people."

[Izulde]

End of day is midnight, I'm sure.

So roughly 7 hours to go.

[Julio Riddols]

No one has made a game yet that simulates simulating. Could be groundbreaking stuff.

[Flasch186]

not true, maximum football can do that.

[gottimd]

What can't maximum football do?

[korme]

Fuck it, I'm ready for FOF Baseball

[korme]

Or FO Baseball, rather

[Ben E Lou]

Congrats on your 10 years of freedom.
QFT.

This is a great milestone. 10 years of doing it solo is most impressive.

{tips cap}

[Vince]

Hear, hear. Amazing that you've managed to do this Jim, and keep it going. Hefty congratulations are definitely in order.

[Xavier12]

A sports gamer blog I frequent a lot: http://www.sportsgamerblog.com/ had the game advertised as being on sale for its 10th year anniversary. Since I had been reading about the game for years and playing other sports sims like Football Manager and OOTP I jumped at the opportunity to finally get my hands on the game.

I haven't even loaded it up yet but I just wanted to say thanks.

BTW, this community looks awesome. I'm really glad I joined up (finally).

[tarcone]

What if I can only buy one game? Do I buy TCY hoping the announcement is not another game I might like more?

[A-Husker-4-Life]

Great Job for the past 10 years Jim, here's hoping for 10 more..

[cody8200]

What if I can only buy one game? Do I buy TCY hoping the announcement is not another game I might like more?

Buy TCY. Good times and easily worth $13.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Front Office Texas Hold 'Em
(It's a text sim & card game all in one)

[Flasch186]

bbbbbbbbbbbooooooooooooooooorrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnngggggggggggggggggggggg

[pizzaddict]

I'd take a sim engine on par with FOF in a baseball game over anything currently on the market.

I completely disagree.

1) The OOTP interface is 1000 times better than FOF.
2) OOTP is much more customizable than FOF.
3) OOTP actually has an extensive user manual that goes through every aspect of the game.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to dog on FOF, as I think it is the best football sim out right now. However, if it was a baseball sim instead of football, it would lag behind OOTP and probably Baseball Mogul imo.

[pizzaddict]

If it were hockey, I would love to have something with the open-ended customization of OOTP.

NHL Eastside is a pretty nice sim. I've only played the demo but it seemed pretty deep.

[Schmidty]

You know, I'm actually really, really excited and anxious for the announcement. I mean, it's nothing like the rabid insanity of wating for TCY to come out back in 2002, but t's nice to anticipate a olecismic product again.

[Tekneek]

NHL Eastside is a pretty nice sim. I've only played the demo but it seemed pretty deep.

Sure, it is, but there isn't a whole lot of easy customization that you can do. I would love to be able to create my own hockey universe as easy as I can create a baseball one with the new OOTP games. I don't believe there is anything out there that will do that right now.

[tzussu]

I just figured it out....Solecismic hooks up with GreyDog to complete the much anticipated Basketball sim!

If i"m right - do i win a free copy?

[bob]

I hope after the announcement we can still buy TCY at the lower price - money is tight, so it will be TCY or save for whatever is announced.

[Izulde]

1) The OOTP interface is 1000 times better than FOF.


No.

[Crim]

A sports gamer blog I frequent a lot: http://www.sportsgamerblog.com/ had the game advertised as being on sale for its 10th year anniversary. Since I had been reading about the game for years and playing other sports sims like Football Manager and OOTP I jumped at the opportunity to finally get my hands on the game.

I haven't even loaded it up yet but I just wanted to say thanks.

BTW, this community looks awesome. I'm really glad I joined up (finally).

Welcome aboard, Xavier12. Hope you stay. Hope you enjoy it. Hope you're not an asshat.

[Atocep]

I completely disagree.

1) The OOTP interface is 1000 times better than FOF.
2) OOTP is much more customizable than FOF.
3) OOTP actually has an extensive user manual that goes through every aspect of the game.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to dog on FOF, as I think it is the best football sim out right now. However, if it was a baseball sim instead of football, it would lag behind OOTP and probably Baseball Mogul imo.

I said engine, which is my primary concern when playing a text sim. FOF's engine has its flaws, but considering how much more difficult it is to generate realistic results from a football game in comparison to a baseball game, I'd love to see Jim's take on a baseball.

OOTP is more customizable, but at the expense of statistical accuracy in a lot of cases.

I also prefer the interface of FOF over OOTP and its not really close for me. All of the info I need is right in front of me in FOF and I don't have to spend a week learning which pages I have to sift through in order to find the info I'm looking for. I've been a big proponent of the new interface for OOTP since it went with more of a SI/CM look, but I still don't think its close to the efficiency that FOF's interface has. Its not pretty, but I can get more accomplished in FOF with a lot less clicks than it takes to get things done in OOTP.

Personally, I could care less about a manual. I don't think I've ever read one for a text sim.

Also, as I stated earlier its a personal preference. OOTP is a solid game, IMO, but the fact that things have been continually added to the game while core problems remain bothers me. If Jim were to make a baseball game on par with FOF from a statistical engine and player development standpoint, I would probably prefer it over OOTP, puresim, and definitely baseball mogul. With that said, I'm still hoping for TCY2.

[DeToxRox]

I feel like Jim would destory anything Markus has done post 6.5. OOTP 7 is past probaiblity and deep in the realm of the totally random in how some of these things are done there. FOF Baseball is my dream game from him and one I'd buy immediatley.

[Young Drachma]

QFT.

This is a great milestone. 10 years of doing it solo is most impressive.

{tips cap}

Very true. Jim's story inspires me whenever I think about an ability to step out on one's own and to do something big on faith and with a heap of planning and organization. And mostly, doing it his own too. That's the excellent part. I have nothing but respect for him.

[Young Drachma]

I feel like Jim would destory anything Markus has done post 6.5. OOTP 7 is past probaiblity and deep in the realm of the totally random in how some of these things are done there. FOF Baseball is my dream game from him and one I'd buy immediatley.

I do agree with this. He's just more thorough and isn't as prone to whining and trying to please everybody. I think that Jim would be way better for baseball than for any other sport, because baseball is so stat heavy and text heavy, that it'd be just downright okay to deal with the lack of graphics and wiz bang. OOTP still does something for me, but a detailed baseball sim that is deep would be out of the world.

[johneh]

Maybe he is joining forces with David Winters for
Front Office Maximum Football

[Subby]

Congrats on 10 years, Jim! I wish I had the balls to do what you did.

Here's to 10 more...

Cheers!

[DeToxRox]

I do agree with this. He's just more thorough and isn't as prone to whining and trying to please everybody. I think that Jim would be way better for baseball than for any other sport, because baseball is so stat heavy and text heavy, that it'd be just downright okay to deal with the lack of graphics and wiz bang. OOTP still does something for me, but a detailed baseball sim that is deep would be out of the world.

Ditto, my sentiments exactly. I think a smooth engine with a simplistic design is perfect. Too many bells and whistles on OOTP. It's a fun game but I still think the simpler the better.

[Celeval]

The drive to do this, as well as the ability make me have great respect for Jim. Congrats on the milestone.

[Racer]

I'd also like to say thanks to Jim. The first FOF game I bought was FOF 2001 and the series has been one of my favorites ever since.

[CraigSca]

Ok, after reading these last few posts, I'm hankering for FO Baseball as well. I have all the baseball sims but really don't play any. I'd love a baseball sim that is easy to load up, get going and have fun.

[Racer]

What if I can only buy one game? Do I buy TCY hoping the announcement is not another game I might like more?

I would definitely recommend FOF2007 over TCY.

[Racer]

I tried guessing the link. All I could get was an access is forbidden message. Looks like Jim considered what EA did not.

[Ben E Lou]

I tried guessing the link. All I could get was an access is forbidden message. Looks like Jim considered what EA did not.YOU'RE CUT OFF!!!

[Chubby]

I tried guessing the link. All I could get was an access is forbidden message. Looks like Jim considered what EA did not.

Pirate!

[stevew]

Man, i hope it's FO:Baseball

That means hopefully it'll be out sooner than later :)

[Flasch186]

AI over, the day is done. Where is my personal message from Solecismic!?

[cartman]

SportsDigs posted the title of the new game a few weeks ago.

[pizzaddict]

[quote=Atocep;1664370]I said engine, which is my primary concern when playing a text sim. FOF's engine has its flaws, but considering how much more difficult it is to generate realistic results from a football game in comparison to a baseball game, I'd love to see Jim's take on a baseball.

Well, if it is a baseball sim hopefully it will be great and Jim will prove me wrong. I guess we'll find out shortly.

[CU Tiger]

"Though football remains my primary focus, my desire to break into new sports continues to grow, and my notebooks are littered with partial designs for other games. In this field new challenges always beckon, and this has been a tremendously rewarding experience."

It may not be a stretch depending on how thorough these partial designs are....

[RedHawk00]

as a software engineer still stuck in the cubes, mad props brother, mad props...

[Flasch186]

11 o clock, do you know where your announcement is? How about your pants, then?

[Heims]

I hope it basketball. I'd love if it were basketball.

Right now I'm stuck playing an old copy of Season Ticket Basketball 2003 that I edit the draft class for the players entering the league that year (started with the last year of the Bulls first threepeat). Of course, the game doesn't model player improvement or decline, so everybody is pretty damn good (I use their career numbers, so their performance is based on a hypothetical average season).

I've actually thought many times about how much a basketball game like FOF would kick ass. I would pay a metric assload of money for such a game.

[lighthousekeeper]

I would pay a metric assload of money for such a game.

That's not actually much when you convert to US assload units.

[stevew]

jim gindin
http://www.solecismic.com/sole/jim.jpg

[CraigSca]

Ok - it's 12am, and I have to be up by 6am tomorrow morning. C'mon, Jim!

[Flasch186]

did another page in this thread get started? nope. maybe he meant Mountain time.

[stevew]

Oh, yeah, Jim moved to CST now.

[Izulde]

It's only just past 11 CST, the real time zone.

[mckerney]

At the end of the day, Solecismic Software will announce an upcoming product, though not a new version of one of the football games.

So we'll be getting updated versions of both of the football games?

[Izulde]

So we'll be getting updated versions of both of the football games?

No, he said earlier in this thread that the announcement has nothing to do with football.

[Flasch186]

damn, i gotta go to bed.

[CraigSca]

Most of Michigan is in the eastern time zone.

[LloydLungs]

jim gindin
http://www.solecismic.com/sole/jim.jpg

This makes me bust out laughing every single time. I can't really explain it.

[Buccaneer]

Front Office Horse Racing would be ideal. Can't think of anything else that I would be remotely interested in from Sol (esp. baseball), except I would be curious as to the changes to TCY. That was a good product for its time.

[apollo_tsg]

I think he fell asleep

[Izulde]

On a completely unrelated note, I despise folklore interpretations of literature and the texts selected for what otherwise should be a fun class really, really blow.

[lighthousekeeper]

On a completely unrelated note, I despise folklore interpretations of literature and the texts selected for what otherwise should be a fun class really, really blow.

Ahh speaking of bust out laughing pics:
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d138/duckman76/Funny/Izulde.jpg?t=1168070093

[Flasch186]

Oval Office 2008, is my final answer.

[Heims]

That's not actually much when you convert to US assload units.

Actually, the exchange rate is currently almost par, which means I have lost out on potential assloads converted from US to Canadian.

COME ON FOHoops!

[pizzaddict]

It seems to me if he is intentionally waiting until the 24hour sale of FOF and TCY is over before making this announcement, the announcement must have something to do with that. If it didn't, why wouldn't you just make the announcements at the same time? Why wait until the exact moment when the sale is over?

[Doug5984]

I have a tax test at 8 am, should probably be getting some sleep- but I really want to see what it is before I go to bed

[Vince]

Actually, the exchange rate is currently almost par, which means I have lost out on potential assloads converted from US to Canadian.

COME ON FOHoops!

The humor-to-post-count ratio here is pretty good. Keep it up :)

[pizzaddict]

A card game, how lame!

[jbergey22]

Oh hell and I waited up for that:)

[stevew]

blech.

[billethius]

Interesting. "Oh Hell" is a very fun card game, though I'm not terribly sure how well it'll transfer to solo play on the computer. I guess it could be an enjoyable way to waste time at work. Better than solitaire anyway.

[Izulde]

:(

[Stevebsfan]

Worst..Announcement..Ever

A card game? Really? A landscaping game where all you do is plant grass and watch it grow sounds more interesting than yet another card game.

[Shkspr]

Good luck with the game, Jim. Given the surprise addictiveness of Fairway Solitaire recently, I don't think one can totally discount the chances of the game being enjoyable.

On a selfishly personal note, is this the supposedly Shakespearean-themed game?

[Schmidty]

Bummer.

If you promise to make TCY2, I'll buy the card game. Deal?

[BradS]

Congratulations on ten years, hope we have another ten years at least.

But screw all of this baseball talk! Baseball simmers have had it good, really good for years.

I'm still waiting for the OOTP-Football Manager of American Football, preferably college football, BBCF notwithstanding. Short of a publishing deal FOF is the closest we have to this. Any diversion away from it is just WRONG.

[gottimd]

blech.
+1

[Mota]

Congrats Jim on 10 years! Many of us have been along for the ride since the beginning (myself included).

I think it's a great deal ... you get to be your own boss and do what you love, and we get some ultra-fun games out of it. Here's to 10 more!

[Ben E Lou]

Bump. Un-stick.

[wade moore]

There might be more card games in the future if this one sells well, but the company will remain committed to football products in the future as it searches for a new publisher.

Hmmm...

[RedKingGold]

This sums up my feelings best:

<TABLE class=PollTable cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=2 width=400 border=2><TBODY><TR><TD class=PollTableTitle align=middle width="100%" colSpan=4>The Future</TD></TR><TR><TD><TABLE width=400><TBODY><TR><TD align=left width="100%" colSpan=4>What would you like to see next from Solecismic Software?


</TD></TR><TR><TD>Front Office Football 2008</TD><TD noWrap>4433 vote(s)</TD><TD noWrap>https://scimages.hostway.com/SiteControl/images/interactives/smile1.gifhttps://scimages.hostway.com/SiteControl/images/interactives/smile1.gifhttps://scimages.hostway.com/SiteControl/images/interactives/smile1.gifhttps://scimages.hostway.com/SiteControl/images/interactives/smile1.gifhttps://scimages.hostway.com/SiteControl/images/interactives/smile1.gifhttps://scimages.hostway.com/SiteControl/images/interactives/smile1.gifhttps://scimages.hostway.com/SiteControl/images/interactives/smile1.gifhttps://scimages.hostway.com/SiteControl/images/interactives/smile1.gifhttps://scimages.hostway.com/SiteControl/images/interactives/smile1.gifhttps://scimages.hostway.com/SiteControl/images/interactives/smile1.gifhttps://scimages.hostway.com/SiteControl/images/interactives/smile1.gifhttps://scimages.hostway.com/SiteControl/images/interactives/smile1.gifhttps://scimages.hostway.com/SiteControl/images/interactives/smile1.gifhttps://scimages.hostway.com/SiteControl/images/interactives/smile1.gifhttps://scimages.hostway.com/SiteControl/images/interactives/smile1.gifhttps://scimages.hostway.com/SiteControl/images/interactives/smile1.gif</TD><TD>34.24%</TD></TR><TR><TD>The College Years 2008</TD><TD noWrap>1900 vote(s)</TD><TD noWrap>https://scimages.hostway.com/SiteControl/images/interactives/smile1.gifhttps://scimages.hostway.com/SiteControl/images/interactives/smile1.gifhttps://scimages.hostway.com/SiteControl/images/interactives/smile1.gifhttps://scimages.hostway.com/SiteControl/images/interactives/smile1.gifhttps://scimages.hostway.com/SiteControl/images/interactives/smile1.gifhttps://scimages.hostway.com/SiteControl/images/interactives/smile1.gifhttps://scimages.hostway.com/SiteControl/images/interactives/smile1.gif</TD><TD>14.67%</TD></TR><TR><TD>Front Office Baseball</TD><TD noWrap>543 vote(s)</TD><TD noWrap>https://scimages.hostway.com/SiteControl/images/interactives/smile1.gifhttps://scimages.hostway.com/SiteControl/images/interactives/smile1.gif</TD><TD>4.19%</TD></TR><TR><TD>Front Office Basketball</TD><TD noWrap>555 vote(s)</TD><TD noWrap>https://scimages.hostway.com/SiteControl/images/interactives/smile1.gifhttps://scimages.hostway.com/SiteControl/images/interactives/smile1.gif</TD><TD>4.29%</TD></TR><TR><TD>Front Office Hockey</TD><TD noWrap>5277 vote(s)</TD><TD noWrap>https://scimages.hostway.com/SiteControl/images/interactives/smile1.gifhttps://scimages.hostway.com/SiteControl/images/interactives/smile1.gifhttps://scimages.hostway.com/SiteControl/images/interactives/smile1.gifhttps://scimages.hostway.com/SiteControl/images/interactives/smile1.gifhttps://scimages.hostway.com/SiteControl/images/interactives/smile1.gifhttps://scimages.hostway.com/SiteControl/images/interactives/smile1.gifhttps://scimages.hostway.com/SiteControl/images/interactives/smile1.gifhttps://scimages.hostway.com/SiteControl/images/interactives/smile1.gifhttps://scimages.hostway.com/SiteControl/images/interactives/smile1.gifhttps://scimages.hostway.com/SiteControl/images/interactives/smile1.gifhttps://scimages.hostway.com/SiteControl/images/interactives/smile1.gifhttps://scimages.hostway.com/SiteControl/images/interactives/smile1.gifhttps://scimages.hostway.com/SiteControl/images/interactives/smile1.gifhttps://scimages.hostway.com/SiteControl/images/interactives/smile1.gifhttps://scimages.hostway.com/SiteControl/images/interactives/smile1.gifhttps://scimages.hostway.com/SiteControl/images/interactives/smile1.gifhttps://scimages.hostway.com/SiteControl/images/interactives/smile1.gifhttps://scimages.hostway.com/SiteControl/images/interactives/smile1.gifhttps://scimages.hostway.com/SiteControl/images/interactives/smile1.gifhttps://scimages.hostway.com/SiteControl/images/interactives/smile1.gif</TD><TD>40.76%</TD></TR><TR><TD>Oval Office 2008</TD><TD noWrap>187 vote(s)</TD><TD noWrap></TD><TD>1.44%</TD></TR><TR><TD>Front Office Card Games</TD><TD noWrap>13 vote(s)</TD><TD noWrap></TD><TD>0.10%</TD></TR><TR><TD>Something Else</TD><TD noWrap>40 vote(s)</TD><TD noWrap></TD><TD>0.31%</TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle width="100%" colSpan=4>
Total number of vote(s): 12948
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

[RedKingGold]

BTW, my only disappointment in this announcement is that Solecismic Softmare has yet to update their Company Information page.

Whenever I go to that website, I'm forced to continually remind myself that it is 2008, not 2007 (or 1995 for that matter).

[Ben E Lou]

BTW, my only disappointment in this announcement is that Solecismic Softmare has yet to update their Company Information page.

Whenever I go to that website, I'm forced to continually remind myself that it is 2008, not 2007


As we enter 2007, Solecismic Software remains strong. My goal is to provide cutting-edge sports simulations with clean, simple interfaces. I'm not going to waste valuable development time with expensive graphics. I will continue to work on presenting as much information as humanly possible on each game screen, in ways that are clear and easy to understand.


I've now reached nine years "unemployed." My primary long-term goal is to maintain the two football games, keeping them on the cutting edge for this type of career simulation. We moved to the new house at the beginning of February. In a few weeks, I will begin work on the next project, though it's uncertain whether there will be any 2007 releases.



RKG, it's just Jim keeping in theme with the Ann Arbor Anachronism.

[Flasch186]

well I will admit Im disappointed however I will also admit that if he can find a niche with this card game it could be far more lucrative than the sports sim. A hit of a card game can make you a ton of money and fast if it's picked up by one of the Casual gaming sites.

[Passacaglia]

I honestly don't know why people would have expected a football game to be announced now. As long as I've been here, those games have always been released during football season.

[Ben E Lou]

I honestly don't know why people would have expected a football game to be announced now. As long as I've been here, those games have always been released during football season.I guess you missed that part when Jim point-blank said way back in fall of 2006 that TCY2 was likely the next game and likely to be released in Fall of 2007. It wouldn't be a stretch at all from there to think that he would announce TCY2 now, then release it in the fall.

[Eaglesfan27]

I guess you missed that part when Jim point-blank said way back in fall of 2006 that TCY2 was likely the next game and likely to be released in Fall of 2007. It wouldn't be a stretch at all from there to think that he would announce TCY2 now, then release it in the fall.

Yep. Color me disappointed. Oh well. Good luck with the card game, Jim.

[gottimd]

Yep. Color me disappointed. Oh well. Good luck with the card game, Jim.

You can color me disappointed as well, as long as you don't...

http://www.musicsnews.com/content_images/color%20me%20badd.jpg

still crossing my fingers that this is some elaborate April Fools joke setup, but it probably isn't.

[Icy]

Of course dissapointed too and i can't underestand it by a bussines standpoint, but i guess Jim studied it well to take that decission.

Btw, congrats on the 10 years Jim, you had big guts leaving your work to pursue your dream, and you managed to do it well.

[molson]

I honestly don't think it's possible for one person to create a competitive baseball or hockey game from scratch at this point. And it makes no sense to dedicate the time it would take to do that when you can make a good living off FOF updates and projects like a card game.

[Dutch]

I honestly don't think it's possible for one person to create a competitive baseball or hockey game from scratch at this point. And it makes no sense to dedicate the time it would take to do that when you can make a good living off FOF updates and projects like a card game.

I don't think you can make one that is as naseautingly detailed as OOTP, but you could make a great fun game for speed simmers that is based on a solid/realistic game and development engine.

Seriously, if Front Office Baseball was actually fun to play and I could sim a season in an hour or two and still maintain a fairly large control over my team, I'd drop OOTP like a bad habit.

One reason I always go back to Baseball Mogul is because it's actually fun to play. Although I recently discussed this with someone and think that even BM is getting too far away from it's fundamental appeal (baseball-lite).

[Ben E Lou]

From scratch??? Jim mentioned 3 years ago that he has an engine design, and it's known that he switched from a game in another sport to FOF2K4 at some point in 2003. There's a decent chance that a Solecismic baseball game has been at some level of development/design/thought process for five years or more.

[Tekneek]

Not excited about the card game, personally. We only play Euchre, Rook, or Uno in even our extended family. We don't play that much, but my in-laws actually meet somewhere between Ohio and Georgia several times a year just to spend the weekend playing Euchre and talking.

Happy to get a deal on FOF2007, which I had gone far too long without.

Best of luck, Jim.

[molson]

From scratch??? Jim mentioned 3 years ago that he has an engine design, and it's known that he switched from a game in another sport to FOF2K4 at some point in 2003. There's a decent chance that a Solecismic baseball game has been at some level of development/design/thought process for five years or more.

I missed that, I remember hearing him having stuff in various notebooks for different games, but I wonder how much (if any) of that other sports game is actually built at this point.

I just compare the work v. sales for a major FOF update, against the work v. sales for a 1st generation baseball-lite sim, and it doesn't make sense to me to do anything but FOF and card game kind of stuff. (as long as it's still a 1-man operation).

[Heims]

You guys are totally off the mark with this baseball talk. Nobody needs another baseball sim. What the world needs is a basketball sim!

[MacroGuru]

You guys are totally off the mark with this baseball talk. Nobody needs another baseball sim. What the world needs is a basketball sim!

Wolverine has 2 sims and GDS is working with Brian on FBB.

[Heims]

Wolverine has 2 sims and GDS is working with Brian on FBB.

I can't find this "Wolverine" and their two sims. Do you have a link?

As for FBB . . . um, short version is that it looks identical to Season Ticket Basketball 2003 (I even recognized some of the generated player names in the screen shots) and I already aired some of my issues with that game. But here they are again, please tell me if these apply to FBB:

- crap (and by crap I mean No) options for offensive philosophy or plays
- ditto for defense. Why the F Bomb can't I choose to double the big man at all (let alone 'in the paint' 'on the move' 'after he dribbles' etc) unless I want to "Trap" the whole damn team Never, Occasionally, Average, Often, All the Time. What kind of options are those?
- players never improve, or decline in abilities. This leads to a lot of good players sitting on the bench because I edit the draft files to supply real players and have to use their career stats to get a good idea of their skills. So all kinds of players sit on the bench, and old guys who should be washed up are still starting and producing even though they're 40 years old.
- a weird ass bug where the human controlled teams sell out all their club seats (seemingly at any price, they'll all still sell. I make money like a madman!).

I guess that's the main issues. If FBB doesn't have these problems (even tho it looks to be the exact same engine) I'm very interested. Or if anybody can link me to any other games (again, I couldn't find 'Wolverine') or better yet, some demos, it would be greatly appreciated.

Edit: Holy crap, I just looked at the screen shots and is says Fast Break Basketball 2001! Are they kidding me? GDS looks like their version hasn't been touched in over a year (website still says Info Coming in 2007) and FBB is the OLD Version of my loved/hated Season Ticket Basketball 2003. Please tell me Wolverine's games are less than a half decade old, please!

Edit2: Just found Wolverine. So far this at least looks like it has possibilities. And a DEMO! I now have something to do at work today!