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Old 11-15-2008, 12:38 AM   #1
Solecismic
Solecismic Software
 
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Canton, OH
Free Agency in a Multi-Player Environment

Apologies for going so long without adding to this forum. I was under the impression OS would ask for new entries periodically. My fault for not following up after not hearing anything for a long time.

Many features within Front Office Football have a very different feel when you're playing the game with others.

When you're playing alone, the AI controlling the other 31 teams can react instantly to every stage. When you're playing in a league, with other human beings controlling opposing teams, the pace is a lot slower and other players may act very differently from what you're used to with an AI opponent.

One area where this is most apparent, and makes what ostensibly is a feature that should run smoothly in both paradigms, is free agency.

As those of you who play the single-player game a lot understand, the AI creates offers for free agents in a similar manner to the contract requested by the player's agent. Some teams will offer more, some less, but there are few surprises. If you really want a player, you're probably going to get him.

In leagues, offers can take unusual forms, there are attempts to figure out how bonus money is valued. Some leagues even have house rules limiting the use of bonus money, something I never anticipated.

The reason is that because of the pace, and because you're competing against people, the battle to obtain the services of a specific player takes on a more personal role.

This is one of those areas of the game where I think I can learn a lot from seeing how people view free agency in multi-player leagues, and what they perceive as a good gaming experience versus a frustrating one.

If I can capture the good in that experience and somehow bring it into the single-player version of the game, I think that could add significantly to the depth of Front Office Football. Maybe to a point where the term "house rules" can be retired in much the same way Ryan Leaf left the game.

What do you think would better capture the excitement of free agency without the frustration?

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