FOF8 pro challenge mode

[tzach]

(I'm sure someone has done this before)


I wanted to create a single player career that captures better the uncertain opinions of coaches on players. If someone has feedback/ideas on the procedure below, please add them to this thread.



The best way that i found so far was to play without access to numerical ratings or specific bars.



I edited the game file elements.bmp that prints the numerical ratings and bars to the screen, and covered the numbers and bars with a solid color. In the roster view, i only see if players are poor (0-15), fair (16-30), average (31-49), good (50-66), very good (67-83), or excellent (>84), but the exact number is blocked out. thus, for example i have no idea if a player is 50 or 66.


Now, there's a cheat -- if you click on the player and open the player card, the overall and current ratings are still shown, as are the numerical values for the bars. i don't think i can edit the game to not show that, as they are not regulated by the bmp files.



I found two workarounds -- 1) i only open the player cards to negotiate their contract, and i quickly move the right side of the player card out of the screen so i don't see the numerical values, and 2) hire HC/OC/DC with scouting bars < 20, so even if i happen to see those values, they will not be accurate.



i can also search for players based on bars using the Recommend Player, but i don't have access to values (only ranked list based on my poor scout).


this changes completely the dynamics of player scouting and roster building, and has reinvigorated my interest in the sim. to build my roster, i have to become familiar with player past stats + current combines, which replicates the NFL procedures more closely.



this creates additional challenges as numerical ratings are what matters for the game, not past stats. yes, past stats are correlated to ratings, but with large fluctuations due to player usage, game plan, supporting personnel, offensive/defensive style, etc, just like in the NFL. yes, current combines are correlated with ratings and specific bars, but in a less direct way as having access to the bars themselves. for example, if I see a 43 DE that has had a few seasons with 20 sacks/30 hurries/20 qb knocks and 40-dash=4.60s, I know he has an excellent chance of being a very good pass rusher at the top end, even if my poor scout only says good.



I recommend this mode to anyone looking for a challenge, and specially for people interested in the player personnel scouting aspects.

[tzach]

here's a link to my beautifully-edited elements.bmp file. i'm sure some of the modders out there could do a much better job and make it look nice.

elements2 — imgbb.com

you need to save it as a bmp file (not png), rename it from elements2.bmp to elements.bmp and put it in the directory C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Front Office Football 8\pictures

make sure you back up the original elements.bmp file in case you want to restore the standard file.