FOF2004 Multiplayer + AI Question
 

I searched the board but couldn't come up with an answer to this one. I'm trying to talk a friend into buying FOF2004. The slant I'm taking is that he and I can be in a league together where we each control a team while the rest are controlled by the game AI. However I haven't been able to confirm that this is even possible to do. Anybody know for certain one way or the other?

It's possible, but I don't think it'd be much fun. The AI by which the computer teams roll on is pretty horrific. They won't re-sign guys and their gameplans will be pretty stagnant.

I'm pretty sure you can do that, someone has to be the commish. Or, search the online league directory for a MP league that has 2 openings, and both join an already established league.

So the AI that the game would use in multiplayer is different from the single player AI?

Yes. Now I don't know why, but I'm 100% sure on that one.

I guess it is different, but if you were playing with 30 other GM's (and the 2 of you), you will find it more challenging, or at least a good amount of human controlled teams.

For god sakes stop playing with yourselves!

this league has some openings. fictional league, so you can name your own teams. and we send each other pics of ourselves taking rotten cucumbers and....nevermind, i don't want to spoil the fun.

on second thought, don't join. rookie GM's tend to scare easily.

Well can we send pictures even if we are not in the league? :rolleyes:

nope. it's a bonding thang.

Alright, maybe I shouldn't have said "100% sure" because I decided to do a test. I ran a league with all computer teams. Some teams franchised players and the prime free agents were signed.

I guess I was going off my experiences in being in leagues where there were a few computer-controlled teams compared to 25-30 human-controlled teams. In those instances, the computer teams were very passive in going after any free agents. Computer teams don't re-sign players, but then again they don't in singleplayer, do they?

After the first stage of free agency I'm seeing cap ranges from 8 million to 34 million. Does that sound right in comparison to single-player? I haven't touched upon SP in awhile now.

Maybe gstelmack would know more on this as I think he runs an office league with a small number of co-workers.

so basically you're just talking out of your ass since you aren't sure of what you're writing. very helpful. what other "insights" do you have.

So I'll need help on this one, but after running both stages of free agency I'm seeing some holes, but I don't know if it'd be any different in singleplayer.

Madison needs a QB pretty bad as they've only got two QBs and they are rated at 9 and 13 disrespectively. They've got 34 million dollars in cap room. In fact, there are quite a few teams that only have 2 QBs going into preseason and they've all got the cap room to sign someone better. Wasn't some of this stuff addressed in singleplayer?

Hey, buttplug. Instead of trying to pimp whatever shitty league you're a part of, I'm trying to help out a brotha'. Can you feel me?

I've been running a league since shortly after FOF2k4 came out (I believe only the WigFL is older) in my office that started with 5 human GMs and has hit as many as 8. All the rest of the teams are AI controlled. It works just fine. Only real snag is that you can't easily trade with the AI; you can't make offers for them to accept or reject. We work around this by allowing GMs to submit trade proposals to the rest of the GMs, and we debate whether or not we'd take that trade if we were the AI. With only two of you, I doubt that would work, but you never know. The rest of the game works just fine.

no more pics of me covered in butterscotch for you. :mad:

So you find free agency to be competitive? How strong are the human-controlled teams compared to the computer-controlled teams. I guess one thing that would turn me off (as it does in single-player) is that their offensive schemes would barely change and I could gameplan against that. While the pass distances may very, the run percentages will always be that default set.

Well, we've only had two human controlled teams win Super Bowls so far (we're in the 2007 playoffs right now), and only 3 human teams even made the playoffs. Humans are tending to win their divisions finally (except in the one division where we just recently added the human GMs), but no one is completely dominating.

Having the human GMs competing seems to even things out in a "beat each other up" sort of way. The AI is doing a reasonable job of finding talent as we all go after the same players.

So...


...yes
:)

Though it does seem to me that the AI is much too passive in free agency. I'd think that you (mrsimperless) would have much more fun if you could get yourself and your friend in one of the many FOF leagues that are out there. Of course, you'd lose some control over the schedule of things, but it might be worth the hassle.

don't join LXF. i hear they post pics of themselves engaging in various forms of beastiality.

Don't join Dean Houston.org as I hear the initiation process involves the slapping of boys ages 6-10 outside of local churches.