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

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by Solecismic.com

10th Anniversary Celebration

Originally Posted by Solecismic.com

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]

Originally Posted by 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.

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

[jbergey22]

Originally Posted by Atocep

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]

Originally Posted by jbergey22

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]

Originally Posted by Atocep

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]

Originally Posted by Schmidty

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!!!

[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]

Originally Posted by 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.

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]

Originally Posted by Narcizo

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]

Originally Posted by 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.

+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]

Originally Posted by adubroff

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]

Originally Posted by 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...

I see where you're coming from, but I really hope that Jim wouldn't screw around with words like that.

[Chubby]

Originally Posted by Dutch

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]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

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]

Originally Posted by Chubby

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]

Originally Posted by 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.

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]

Originally Posted by Solecismic

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]

Originally Posted by 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!"

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.