Front Office Football Central  

Go Back   Front Office Football Central > Main Forums > Dynasty Reports
Register FAQ Members List Calendar Mark Forums Read Statistics

Reply
 
Thread Tools
Old 07-13-2018, 01:20 PM   #301
jct32
Mascot
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
That screen is looking good. I was going to ask about what each package meant but then you added it to the right.

Nice job tying us. It was nice to finally see my team in motion. Once again thanks for the update!
jct32 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-13-2018, 02:26 PM   #302
GoldenCrest Games
High School Varsity
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Thumbs up

Quote:
Originally Posted by jct32 View Post
That screen is looking good. I was going to ask about what each package meant but then you added it to the right.

Nice job tying us. It was nice to finally see my team in motion. Once again thanks for the update!

That's something I want to hear from the early-alpha testers, how best to display the style/packages?

Re-watching those highlights, I think that was Faulkner's zone that got burned for both of your passing TDs!
__________________
Live Chat!
YouTube Channel
GoldenCrest Games is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-19-2018, 12:19 PM   #303
jct32
Mascot
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
It's been almost a week. How are things on the homefront?
jct32 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-20-2018, 06:03 AM   #304
GoldenCrest Games
High School Varsity
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Thumbs up

Quote:
Originally Posted by jct32 View Post
It's been almost a week. How are things on the homefront?

Just got back from vacation! I should be kicking things up again tomorrow morning.
__________________
Live Chat!
YouTube Channel
GoldenCrest Games is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-23-2018, 06:54 AM   #305
GoldenCrest Games
High School Varsity
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Thumbs up

And we're back!

Pretty boring game against the Eggshells. They have a high-end DL, which makes it nearly impossible for us to run on. (grrr....) The coverage was just good enough to bottle up the passing attack, with the exception of these 2 long TD passes.

https://www.facebook.com/GoldenCrest...487885645/?t=0

Those might even be my only completed passes for positive yardage! I attempted a lot of screens and swing passes that got tackled for loss.

On the other hand, the new defense is still holding up really well. I'm loving it!

Swarm keep rolling, and the Twisters finally don't end in a tie!

Also, how about those Maroons! Let's check the standings to see if they've actually made it in...
Attached Images
File Type: png week13.png (153.7 KB, 74 views)
__________________
Live Chat!
YouTube Channel
GoldenCrest Games is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-23-2018, 07:03 AM   #306
GoldenCrest Games
High School Varsity
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Thumbs up

Oh crap, the Nemesis could still get in.

The Oranges are playing the Eggshells while the Nemesis get the Browns. I shouldn't worry too much, I guess. If they manage to squeak in, it looks like the Swarm will get them first. At least we'll get to avoid the embarrassment of getting knocked out by the Nemesis again.

In the East, it looks like the Maroons are in! They are even making a play for the #2 seed!! Remember, they just had the #1 overall pick!

That's an impressive turnaround.

I hope the Rainbow Sharks make it in. It would be nice to have at least one run-first team make it into the playoffs.

We'll talk about the leaders after the last regular season game, but I have to note that we have another Urquhart sighting!!
Attached Images
File Type: jpg standings.jpg (336.8 KB, 71 views)
__________________
Live Chat!
YouTube Channel
GoldenCrest Games is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-24-2018, 07:08 AM   #307
GoldenCrest Games
High School Varsity
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Thumbs up

Final week

We handled the Rainbow Sharks pretty easily this week. They have a nice defense, but we found a weakness in the run defense that we exploited bigtime. I found that by calling delayed handoffs, I could neutralize the one star DE they have by letting him run himself upfield, and then Faulkner would dive underneath him and usually find room against the weaker DL/LB. If I ran a standard running play with no delay, the DE would just flatten out and catch Faulkner for a 0-1 yard gain.

Kind of nice see that strategy works sometimes.

On defense, we totally dominated the Sharks' running attack. They stuck to it for 90% of the game, but managed to catch us cheating up on a 3rd and short by going over the top for a long TD pass. Heh, they earned that one. Well played.

One weird moment in the game. WTF is that guy doing sliding around on his back?? https://www.facebook.com/GoldenCrest...667690527/?t=0

The playoffs are set, and it looks like we take on the T-Pain. We beat them earlier this season, but you know how the Treefrogs do in the playoffs....

p.s. The Nemesis didn't make it!
Attached Images
File Type: png week14.png (136.1 KB, 70 views)
__________________
Live Chat!
YouTube Channel
GoldenCrest Games is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-24-2018, 07:23 AM   #308
GoldenCrest Games
High School Varsity
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Thumbs up

Here are the final standings

um.... why do the teams only have 13 games played?

And why didn't the stats update this week?

let the investigation begin!
Attached Images
File Type: jpg standings.jpg (332.1 KB, 70 views)
__________________
Live Chat!
YouTube Channel
GoldenCrest Games is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-24-2018, 07:26 AM   #309
GoldenCrest Games
High School Varsity
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
ugh, found it.

I was treating week 14 as a playoff week because my variables weren't counting correctly. That means I wasn't adding up wins/losses or season stats.

Dumb mistake. I don't plan on replaying week 14, though. I'm ok with just plowing into the playoffs as-is. Now the the bug is fixed, we should be good for the future seasons.
__________________
Live Chat!
YouTube Channel

Last edited by GoldenCrest Games : 07-24-2018 at 07:27 AM.
GoldenCrest Games is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-24-2018, 10:07 AM   #310
jct32
Mascot
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
Oh no, math errors like that are aways silly (or are they logic errors, not a programmer)

Looking forward to the playoffs!
jct32 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-25-2018, 07:04 AM   #311
GoldenCrest Games
High School Varsity
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Thumbs up

Developer Update:

Still getting everything ready for some play-testing. I finally got around to integrating the depth chart system into the allocation draft!

I know, I've been talking about that for almost a year now. At least it's finally done!

Cleanup is done from "new game" initiation all the way through the allocation draft now. Next up is making sure the season resets correctly and you can actually play games. (without having a PhD in my workarounds)
Attached Images
File Type: jpg draft.jpg (354.8 KB, 69 views)
__________________
Live Chat!
YouTube Channel
GoldenCrest Games is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-26-2018, 06:55 AM   #312
GoldenCrest Games
High School Varsity
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Thumbs up

Just like that, we're out again.

Seriously, this is getting ridiculous. We couldn't do ANYTHING against the T-Pain. We held them in check for most of the game, but their kicker could hit from nearly midfield. Mine, on the other hand, needed to get inside the 20 to have any chance.

Also, the Swarm lose to the Oranges????

WHAT IS HAPPENING?!?!!?!?

At least the Twisters continue to roll, and are protecting the honor of our sponsored teams.

On the positive side, this means we get another team logo this season!

p.s. sad to see the Maroons lose, but they put up a good fight this season. Not bad for the worst team in the league last season.
Attached Images
File Type: png round1.png (61.7 KB, 66 views)
__________________
Live Chat!
YouTube Channel
GoldenCrest Games is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-26-2018, 07:39 AM   #313
jct32
Mascot
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
I wouldn’t call 27-17 rolling but I’ll take it.
jct32 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-27-2018, 06:27 AM   #314
GoldenCrest Games
High School Varsity
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Thumbs up

They're back!

The Twisters explosive offense finally woke up and took care of the Sharks. I have game video that I still have to go over and pull highlights from. (next post)

Also, the T-Pain make it to the finals and get a logo! I'll have to check in with the sponsor to get a new team name for them. It's probably a 99.9999% chance that the real T-Pain would never notice that he's a team mascot, but you know.....
Attached Images
File Type: png round2.png (57.2 KB, 67 views)
__________________
Live Chat!
YouTube Channel
GoldenCrest Games is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-27-2018, 06:59 AM   #315
GoldenCrest Games
High School Varsity
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Thumbs up

Twisters-Sharks highlights: https://www.facebook.com/GoldenCrest...213724139/?t=0

The most impressive clip is that punt return. Wow! Look at the cuts! It's a big deal to me because you have no idea how hard it was to get runners to evaluate blocks.

I like these highlights more than most, because you get a feel for how different the team styles are from each other. The Rainbow Sharks have impressive blocking, which allows them to have that dominant run game. The Twisters seem to live on creating space with WR patterns.

The longer teams have to develop their rosters away from the initial draft, the more it's showing up in play style. That's kind of cool.

Now it's on to the title game! Twisters vs T-Pain
__________________
Live Chat!
YouTube Channel
GoldenCrest Games is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-30-2018, 06:26 AM   #316
GoldenCrest Games
High School Varsity
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Thumbs up

Championship time!

No, that's not an error. That's really the score. I watched the whole game, and it was surprisingly a defensive battle. (no video because I played it on the development computer instead of the gaming computer)

Both teams would sustain drives until they got into the redzone, and then they'd either throw an interception or kick a FG. The one TD in the game came on a desperation heave to a downfield WR that the Twisters had beautifully double-covered. The poor throw allowed the faster WR to adjust and make the reception, and then break 2 tackles for the stroll into the endzone. It was crazy.

The Twisters had a great drive after that score, only to throw a pick in the endzone, which the T-Pain returned to the 3. 2 sacks in a row to get the safety cut the score to 7-5.

After that, it was "close your eyes and chuck the ball" time, because there had to be at least 3 more interceptions. I've never see so many in a game before. There was hope near the end of the game when the Twisters picked off a quick-out, and broke the initial tackle. He was streaking down the field for a go-ahead TD, but the T-Pain are a much faster team, and tracked him down for the game saving tackle.

Overall, I think the speed of the T-Pain was the difference. They are a really fast team, and it's hard to get any long TDs on them. They track you down every time and force you to continue to make plays.

The T-Pain sponsor is currently researching for the new team name. Once that comes in, I'll send it off for the new logo.
Attached Images
File Type: png champ.png (46.6 KB, 64 views)
__________________
Live Chat!
YouTube Channel
GoldenCrest Games is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-30-2018, 06:34 AM   #317
GoldenCrest Games
High School Varsity
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Thumbs up

Retirements:
  • FA: QB/CB/ST Timothy Berry retires at the age of 20 and a value of 102.2($1)
  • Swarm: QB/CB/ST Esteban Pugh retires at the age of 37 and a value of 148.1($5)
  • FA: WR/DL/ST Derek Tobias retires at the age of 21 and a value of 115.7($2)
  • Reds: OL/DL/ST Kristopher Schexnayder retires at the age of 34 and a value of 127.9($3)
  • FA: QB/DL/ST Antony Cozart retires at the age of 29 and a value of 130.0($3)
  • FA: OL/CB/ST William Spears retires at the age of 20 and a value of 96.7($1)
  • FA: OL/LB/ST Warner Oswalt retires at the age of 21 and a value of 107.4($1)
  • FA: RB/S/K Albert Plowman retires at the age of 37 and a value of 159.1($6)
  • FA: QB/LB/KR Elias Breunig retires at the age of 31 and a value of 144.6($4)
  • Twisters: OL/DL/ST Luigi Chung retires at the age of 33 and a value of 137.9($4)
  • Grays: OL/CB/K Wallace Halvorson retires at the age of 31 and a value of 134.7($3)
  • Nemesis: OL/LB/ST Shelby Lorenz retires at the age of 28 and a value of 119.7($2)
  • Oranges: OL/LB/KR Wilford Russell retires at the age of 26 and a value of 117.3($2)
  • T-Pain: OL/S/ST Korey Travis retires at the age of 20 and a value of 132.0($3)
  • Slates: OL/DL/ST Shawn Hanley retires at the age of 32 and a value of 208.5($19)
  • Rainbow Sharks: OL/CB/ST Rayford Gregory retires at the age of 20 and a value of 116.1($2)
  • Grays: WR/CB/ST Marshall Cooley retires at the age of 20 and a value of 145.4($4)
  • Eggshells: RB/CB/KR Trenton Choe retires at the age of 32 and a value of 198.3($15)
  • Reds: RB/DL/ST Ross Serrano retires at the age of 20 and a value of 127.3($3)
  • Eggshells: OL/CB/K Ken Wheeler retires at the age of 20 and a value of 134.0($3)
  • Rainbow Sharks: OL/DL/ST Darrel Pugh retires at the age of 20 and a value of 113.6($2)
  • Blues: OL/CB/ST Timothy Khan retires at the age of 20 and a value of 106.5($1)
  • Nemesis: RB/DL/ST Daren Hanson retires at the age of 20 and a value of 134.3($3)
  • Grays: OL/LB/K Tory Blanton retires at the age of 26 and a value of 148.4($5)
  • Alpacas: OL/S/ST Forrest Richardson retires at the age of 20 and a value of 118.5($2)
  • Swarm: RB/CB/K Olen Hale retires at the age of 20 and a value of 119.4($2)
  • Olives: OL/CB/ST Max Cannon retires at the age of 20 and a value of 124.1($2)
  • Rainbow Sharks: WR/CB/ST Edison Saunders retires at the age of 20 and a value of 132.2($3)
  • Alpacas: QB/DL/ST Marlon Frye retires at the age of 20 and a value of 138.7($4)
  • Cyans: RB/S/ST Foster Cleary retires at the age of 32 and a value of 171.3($9)
  • Cyans: OL/LB/ST Clinton Oneal retires at the age of 23 and a value of 149.2($5)
  • Twisters: WR/CB/ST Oscar Horowitz retires at the age of 32 and a value of 225.6($26)
  • Eggshells: QB/LB/ST Andres Beals retires at the age of 33 and a value of 193.1($14)
  • Slates: OL/DL/ST Wilton Vines retires at the age of 35 and a value of 232.9($29)
  • Swarm: RB/LB/ST Johnnie Mcclellan retires at the age of 35 and a value of 214.6($21)
  • Twisters: WR/DL/ST Donnell Keil retires at the age of 27 and a value of 120.7($2)
  • Blues: OL/DL/K Homer Hinton retires at the age of 37 and a value of 157.9($6)

Twisters and Swarm each lose a critical player to old age. That's going to hurt.

Looks like the Slates lose the best player, Wilton Vines, at a value of 232.9 and $29 salary.

No Treefrogs retirements. Probably because of my team youth obsession.
__________________
Live Chat!
YouTube Channel
GoldenCrest Games is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-30-2018, 06:49 AM   #318
GoldenCrest Games
High School Varsity
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Thumbs up

Development Update:

Progress on the early-alpha has been slower than expected. There are some things happening in my real-world job that might be cause for some news later this week, so stay tuned! That being said, I'm still hammering away on the playable build.

Here's what the schedule looks like as of now: (time estimate is how far away, from today)
- Finish early-alpha through the "start new season" phase. (1-2 days)
- Finish Kickstarter page and prepare to launch campaign (2-4 days)
- Finish early-alpha through season and playoffs. (4-5 days)
- Begin Kickster campaign. (about a week from now?)
- League rookie draft
- Finish early-alpha through rookie draft
- League FA
- Finish early-alpha through FA
- Start graphics update season (2-3 weeks)
- Distribute sponsor early-alpha for play testing
- Finish Kickstarter campaign (mid Oct?)
- If successful: Distribute Kickstarter early-alpha for play testing
- If not successful: Figure something else out
__________________
Live Chat!
YouTube Channel
GoldenCrest Games is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-30-2018, 04:48 PM   #319
jct32
Mascot
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
Another championship loss. Congrats to the (Insert Name here). Horowitz being gone will hurt. Hopefully we can find a good replacement.
jct32 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-31-2018, 07:14 AM   #320
GoldenCrest Games
High School Varsity
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Thumbs up

Quote:
Originally Posted by jct32 View Post
Another championship loss. Congrats to the (Insert Name here). Horowitz being gone will hurt. Hopefully we can find a good replacement.

Now we're really going to see if Horowitz made Luna a star, or if Luna made Horowitz a star.
__________________
Live Chat!
YouTube Channel
GoldenCrest Games is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-01-2018, 07:15 AM   #321
GoldenCrest Games
High School Varsity
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Thumbs up

Development Update:

- Finish early-alpha through the "start new season" phase. (1-2 days)
- Finish Kickstarter page and prepare to launch campaign (2-4 days)
- Finish early-alpha through season and playoffs. (4-5 days)
- Begin Kickster campaign. (about a week from now?)
- League rookie draft
- Finish early-alpha through rookie draft
- League FA
- Finish early-alpha through FA
- Start graphics update season (2-3 weeks)
- Distribute sponsor early-alpha for play testing
- Finish Kickstarter campaign (mid Oct?)
- If successful: Distribute Kickstarter early-alpha for play testing
- If not successful: Figure something else out
__________________
Live Chat!
YouTube Channel
GoldenCrest Games is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-04-2018, 12:01 PM   #322
GoldenCrest Games
High School Varsity
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Thumbs up

Development Update: Just finished the Kickstarter page! It's my first time ever putting something like this together, so it's going to be a great learning experience. (The video was especially difficult!) I managed to beat down my nitpickyness and just call it done. Right now it's in review, so we're almost there!

Stay tuned for the campaign launch!

- Finish early-alpha through the "start new season" phase. (1-2 days)
- Finish Kickstarter page and prepare to launch campaign (2-4 days)
- Finish early-alpha through season and playoffs. (4-5 days)
- Begin Kickster campaign. (about a week from now?)
- League rookie draft
- Finish early-alpha through rookie draft
- League FA
- Finish early-alpha through FA
- Start graphics update season (2-3 weeks)
- Distribute sponsor early-alpha for play testing
- Finish Kickstarter campaign (early Sep)
- If successful: Distribute Kickstarter early-alpha for play testing
- If not successful: Figure something else out
- Big news! (stay tuned)
__________________
Live Chat!
YouTube Channel

Last edited by GoldenCrest Games : 08-04-2018 at 12:27 PM.
GoldenCrest Games is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-04-2018, 12:14 PM   #323
jct32
Mascot
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
Awesome! Looking forward to it when it gets approved!
jct32 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-05-2018, 07:53 AM   #324
GoldenCrest Games
High School Varsity
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
It's approved!

Going live this afternoon. Stay tuned!
__________________
Live Chat!
YouTube Channel
GoldenCrest Games is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-05-2018, 05:23 PM   #325
GoldenCrest Games
High School Varsity
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Thumbs up

We did it! Another big step completed as we launch our first Kickstarter.

http://kck.st/2M5AkSH

Tell your friends!
__________________
Live Chat!
YouTube Channel
GoldenCrest Games is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-06-2018, 12:46 PM   #326
GoldenCrest Games
High School Varsity
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Thumbs up

We got our first backer!

WOOHOO!!
Attached Images
File Type: png Capture.PNG (206.6 KB, 53 views)
__________________
Live Chat!
YouTube Channel
GoldenCrest Games is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-07-2018, 07:24 AM   #327
GoldenCrest Games
High School Varsity
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Thumbs up

Quick development update:

The biggest hurdle is complete. Fast-sim is completely integrated with slow-sim, and it's all controlled from the schedule screen with all the variables getting set/reset correctly.

In short, the entire sim/play system is complete. The only things standing in the way of the playable early-alpha are user interface updates, small updates to save/load file management, and some minor play balance.

THIS IS HAPPENING!!

__________________
Live Chat!
YouTube Channel

Last edited by GoldenCrest Games : 08-07-2018 at 07:25 AM.
GoldenCrest Games is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-08-2018, 07:07 AM   #328
GoldenCrest Games
High School Varsity
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Thumbs up

Lesson of the day: Be smart when you lay out all your screens and panels. Don't do what I did, and end up with a depth chart panel that fits the draft but doesn't fit the roster screen.

Also, I'm embarrassed that it took me an hour to fix it. All I needed to do was make a quick little system that resized and moved the depth chart depending on which screen was open. For some reason, my brain couldn't solve this simple problem and I had to ask google. Ugh!!

__________________
Live Chat!
YouTube Channel
GoldenCrest Games is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-08-2018, 08:01 AM   #329
jct32
Mascot
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
Don't get frustrated by that. It's a process. You are doing great!
jct32 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-08-2018, 08:30 AM   #330
GoldenCrest Games
High School Varsity
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Thumbs up

Quote:
Originally Posted by jct32 View Post
Don't get frustrated by that. It's a process. You are doing great!

It was frustrating, but I was really happy with how it turned out. It's nice to steadily cross things off the list, and that was one that's been on the list for a while.



Also, it was a good lesson about screens. I'll definitely manage my screens a lot better in the next game.
__________________
Live Chat!
YouTube Channel
GoldenCrest Games is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-13-2018, 06:08 AM   #331
GoldenCrest Games
High School Varsity
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Thumbs up

Dev Update:

Kickstarter still going pretty slow. (at $102 now) However, I still believe!!

On the development front, one last thing I want to update before going into the league rookie draft. I just want to update the save/load system, and then we can get rolling again. Right now it saves all the files to my desktop, and you can't have multiple leagues saved. I think I can do better than that.

- Finish early-alpha through the "start new season" phase. (1-2 days)
- Finish Kickstarter page and prepare to launch campaign (2-4 days)
- Finish early-alpha through season and playoffs. (4-5 days)
- Begin Kickster campaign. (about a week from now?)

- League rookie draft
- Finish early-alpha through rookie draft
- League FA
- Finish early-alpha through FA
- Start graphics update season (2-3 weeks)
- Distribute sponsor early-alpha for play testing
- Finish Kickstarter campaign (early Sep)
- If successful: Distribute Kickstarter early-alpha for play testing
- If not successful: Figure it out then
__________________
Live Chat!
YouTube Channel
GoldenCrest Games is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-13-2018, 06:51 AM   #332
GoldenCrest Games
High School Varsity
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Thumbs up

The cool part about grinding through all the non-fun parts of learning to make games is when something like this used to take me more than a day to figure out. Now, 20 mins.

Before: "I want to show the save file name....um....hmmmm..... (googles for 2 hours) ok, I think I know how to show a filename, but how do I show it without the extension? .... (googles and tests for another hour)..... "

Now: I'm all "Let's see, I want each save game to contain all this information, I'll just grab it from an index file I'll create in the save file structure...I want it to highlight when you mouse over, but I also want it to stay highlighted so you know what you're loading/deleting....and I want the logos. tap-tap-tap-tap DONE!"
Attached Images
File Type: png save.png (127.1 KB, 44 views)
__________________
Live Chat!
YouTube Channel
GoldenCrest Games is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-15-2018, 07:40 AM   #333
GoldenCrest Games
High School Varsity
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Big news coming..... 1 month away.

__________________
Live Chat!
YouTube Channel
GoldenCrest Games is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-16-2018, 08:21 AM   #334
GoldenCrest Games
High School Varsity
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Thumbs up

You know, it always amazes me where you get hit with bolts of inspiration.

So I'm out on the running trail yesterday, wrestling with various programming problems I have right now. Gameplay and playcalling pops up again, because this is one area I've had the most trouble with. It love the game engine and how the players run around, but I hate the playcalling part.

Frankly, it's boring.

In it's current state, playcalling doesn't make you feel like part of the game. I've almost scrapped it a few times and gone all auto-playcall mode because it feels like a chore instead of a meaningful part of the game. I don't fast-sim my games because watching the players is so much fun!! If only I could connect you (the player) to the little guys running around the field....

Then, about mile 5 (when I got a good runner's high ) it hit me! I'm thinking about this all wrong. I'm still thinking about playcalling as if this were Madden. It's not, so I have the freedom to do something different. This is a lot more "backyard football" than NFL/Madden, so playcalling should be a lot more backyard too.

Wait, why even call plays? Why not call routes instead of plays? That's how we all did it back when we played in the street! That worked just fine, and it would work really well in DD:F!!

Here's the idea:
  1. Your playbook is really a book for formations. You pick a "play" that is really just a formation, based on the roster style your team runs, and the players line up accordingly.
  2. After the players lined up, they would be assigned a random* route. (*not truly random, but based on some AI + randomness)
  3. Then you'd have the opportunity to hot-route everyone to something new.
  4. Snap ball and off we go!

The key to all of this is the hot-route step. I really believe that individually assigning routes to your favorite players, based on the game situation and matchups, will pull you into the game a lot more than just calling predetermined plays. As I play, I'm always wishing I could change the play I called, just a little bit. I want to feature Faulkner a lot more, and get in in the best positions, but I'm too limited by what's in my playbook. Having the ability to change the play on the fly would open up unlimited options for using my team talent!

So that's the new direction. Luckily, this should work nicely with most of the systems I've already developed. It's good that I held off on finalizing the playcall system for so long. Now I don't feel like I've wasted a lot of time by changing it!

As always, I'm open to any ideas or thoughts.
__________________
Live Chat!
YouTube Channel
GoldenCrest Games is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-16-2018, 07:17 PM   #335
jct32
Mascot
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
That seems like it could get tedious quickly. Having to change the route for every receiver every play or to just leave certain receivers as is and hope that combination works.. I don't see the issue if you allow for a create a play system then people will be able to tailor their playbooks so they can make their own plays instead of a randomly generated route. Also how do running plays work?

I'm not against the idea because I would need to see it fleshed out but those are some things to think of.
jct32 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-16-2018, 07:55 PM   #336
GoldenCrest Games
High School Varsity
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Thumbs up

Quote:
Originally Posted by jct32 View Post
That seems like it could get tedious quickly. Having to change the route for every receiver every play or to just leave certain receivers as is and hope that combination works.. I don't see the issue if you allow for a create a play system then people will be able to tailor their playbooks so they can make their own plays instead of a randomly generated route. Also how do running plays work?

I'm not against the idea because I would need to see it fleshed out but those are some things to think of.

Those are some good points. It might become a pain. Maybe the happy medium is to keep playbooks and just allow hot-routing? You're probably right that random routes is too far.
__________________
Live Chat!
YouTube Channel
GoldenCrest Games is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-17-2018, 11:49 AM   #337
jct32
Mascot
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
Quote:
Originally Posted by GoldenCrest Games View Post
Those are some good points. It might become a pain. Maybe the happy medium is to keep playbooks and just allow hot-routing? You're probably right that random routes is too far.

I see nothing wrong with that. It seems to be a pretty standard thing in football games, same with flipping the play.
jct32 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-18-2018, 07:22 AM   #338
GoldenCrest Games
High School Varsity
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Thumbs up

Quote:
Originally Posted by jct32 View Post
I see nothing wrong with that. It seems to be a pretty standard thing in football games, same with flipping the play.

Seems like a good place to start, without going crazy with it. If it still doesn't feel right, I can always push a little farther.
__________________
Live Chat!
YouTube Channel
GoldenCrest Games is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-20-2018, 07:14 AM   #339
GoldenCrest Games
High School Varsity
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
We might be at the end of the development dynasty. We're hitting a point where the game is starting to get developed beyond the league save. The workarounds to make our league files compatible with the new features are getting longer and longer. (not to mention that the coaches aren't up to the current game standards)

It's a sad day, but also a big opportunity! When the "big news" day gets here (about 4 more weeks) we'll kick off a new and improved dynasty with more features and more options to interact!

I'll keep this topic going with my development updates until the official launch of the new dynasty. The next 4 weeks will be the final push to get the early-alpha ready for you guys. Here we go!!
__________________
Live Chat!
YouTube Channel
GoldenCrest Games is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-20-2018, 08:44 PM   #340
GoldenCrest Games
High School Varsity
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Thumbs up

I just cancelled the Kickstarter. In the end, I'm looking to build more of a community than a one-time blast. Long term I'll probably still need a little funding help, so I'm turning to Patreon instead of Kickstarter. Patreon seems to be a much better fit for what I'm looking for.

Feel free to check out and share the page! Patreon Page

There are a few cool thing I'm planning over there. I'm specifically going to start experimenting with live-streaming some of my playtesting and development.

Don'y worry, jct and SirBlurton, you both automatically get the alpha and beta testing builds.
__________________
Live Chat!
YouTube Channel

Last edited by GoldenCrest Games : 08-25-2018 at 06:48 PM.
GoldenCrest Games is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-21-2018, 07:03 AM   #341
GoldenCrest Games
High School Varsity
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Thumbs up

First twitch livestream test is a success!

Check here for future livestreams: https://www.twitch.tv/goldencrestgames/
__________________
Live Chat!
YouTube Channel
GoldenCrest Games is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-21-2018, 09:03 AM   #342
jct32
Mascot
 
Join Date: Nov 2014
Sounds great! I'm looking forward to the upcoming livestreams.

I don't know if you just did a test game livestream but there is also a community for people who livestream their coding. That also might help build your community as well.
jct32 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-21-2018, 09:21 AM   #343
GoldenCrest Games
High School Varsity
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Thumbs up

Quote:
Originally Posted by jct32 View Post
Sounds great! I'm looking forward to the upcoming livestreams.

I don't know if you just did a test game livestream but there is also a community for people who livestream their coding. That also might help build your community as well.

A coding/development livestream was one of the things I was going to try. Who knows what's going to stick, but I'll try a bunch of stuff out.

One other cool thing I'm looking forward to is livestreaming some of the experimental game prototypes I do once in a while. It would be fun to get a chat going as I'm trying out some ideas. Maybe the instant feedback will ignite one of them into the next big thing!
__________________
Live Chat!
YouTube Channel
GoldenCrest Games is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-21-2018, 12:44 PM   #344
SirBlurton
High School Varsity
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Sorry about the kickstarter - but sounds like you're on a good track with your thinking re: building a passionate fan base. I'm excited to test. It's really impressive to see the progress you've made on this project in a really short time!

I've built a mostly mangled board game adaptation in the time you've built a pretty fully featured sim with a tonne of features, really cool.
SirBlurton is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-21-2018, 06:53 PM   #345
GoldenCrest Games
High School Varsity
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Thumbs up

Here are our current team setups. Any changes you guys want to make to the play style?

My team is going to the Spider. I prefer to have a spread style offense, but I also like knowing I can run a quick dive play when I need to. On defense, I've always liked highly aggressive play at the line with my CBs out on islands.
Attached Images
File Type: png fofcSetup.png (69.2 KB, 17 views)
__________________
Live Chat!
YouTube Channel
GoldenCrest Games is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-24-2018, 11:46 AM   #346
SirBlurton
High School Varsity
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
The Swarm will stay the course!
SirBlurton is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-24-2018, 04:01 PM   #347
GoldenCrest Games
High School Varsity
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Thumbs up

In the spirit of finally getting around to overhauling the graphics, I had to tackle one thing I've been putting off forever, cameras.

My old camera angle was ok, but it's wasn't really centering the action very well. Too much of the screen was being used for area behind the ball carrier. Not a showstopper, but annoying.

I finally broke down and spent half the day experimenting with different camera packages, and ended up using the one I started with. I did, however, learn a lot about camera targeting systems and was able to modify my old system to easily adjust position based on the action. (without stuttering!) It was surprisingly difficult to get rid of the stuttering. Unlike AI and logic, you can't fake the funk with cameras. They need to be right or you'll notice every little issue.

Aside from all that, I settled in on a nicer perspective view. It just looks a little better, and the 3d jumps out of the screen a little more. It also doesn't freak out when the ball gets too high in the air, like the previous camera did. (you'll probably notice in the livestream)

I still have some works to code in all the adjustments for all the special teams stuff, but it's looking pretty good so far. I'm also thinking about adding a "sideline" style camera, to watch the game from the high sideline perspective. So far it hasn't worked, but I think I'm figuring this out.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg screen.jpg (200.7 KB, 12 views)
__________________
Live Chat!
YouTube Channel
GoldenCrest Games is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-24-2018, 04:18 PM   #348
GoldenCrest Games
High School Varsity
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Thumbs up

I definitely think there's potential here...

I tried a ton of views that I thought would work, but most of them were more annoying than fun. This one, on the other hand, had a nice feel to it.
Attached Images
File Type: jpg screen2.jpg (246.0 KB, 12 views)
__________________
Live Chat!
YouTube Channel
GoldenCrest Games is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-25-2018, 12:48 PM   #349
GoldenCrest Games
High School Varsity
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Thumbs up

Finally finished the gameplay cameras!

https://youtu.be/5UtI1A8kmrg

I'm really happy with how it turned out. Not only can I play in either camera mode, but the cameras do a much better job with orienting themselves to better capture the action on the field. (mostly with kickoffs and punts)

I think I'm going to start working on something so you can see which players are which, in game. Sometimes I forget where my guys are lining up.

It would also be nice to be able to see the skill level of the players, to assess matchups.
__________________
Live Chat!
YouTube Channel
GoldenCrest Games is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-27-2018, 12:04 PM   #350
GoldenCrest Games
High School Varsity
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Thumbs up

Quote:
Originally Posted by GoldenCrest Games View Post
On a related note, I almost made this first version a Blood Bowl or Mutant League Football type game, just to force the idea that it's different than the NFL.

Quote:
Originally Posted by SirBlurton View Post
Glad you didn't because that's one of the ideas on my "someday I'll make" list!

I'm not sure you'll be happy with the upcoming announcement of my next game.....
__________________
Live Chat!
YouTube Channel
GoldenCrest Games is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 2 (0 members and 2 guests)
 
Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

vB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On
Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 10:52 AM.



Powered by vBulletin Version 3.6.0
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.