Why don't Americans like text-sims?

[SidVish]

Re: Why don't Americans like text-sims?

What I was really referring to is that there is this assumption that more age = more text sims, where we both said we're the opposite of the stereotype.

Ah ok got it. My bad.

[Purplepower_NC]

Re: Why don't Americans like text-sims?

Well...I'am 49 and play both. To have a good game and just relax, or if I have some friends over, we will get out the PS3 and play a game of NCAA/Madden/Show...whatever is the need be. However I don't ever expect those games to come close to being a realist game. You just have to hope you can react in the game with your stick skills.

If I want to get down to business, and looking to get some realist gameplay in I will get out the text based games. Most of the time...these are solo, or an online league. You don't have to hope your game skills are better...but you have to hope your knowledge of the game is. You have to know gameplans, pitching staffs, and any other thing that a manager/GM is required to know...or at least have an ideal of.

So...to answer the question....I think it is just a matter of what the player is looking to get out of the game.

[raz77]

Re: Why don't Americans like text-sims?

I really like to see the players playing in 3D. Its the same for me with strategy or RPG games. Seeing "John Doe ran it back for a 70 yard touchdown!" doesn't do it for me. I want to see him juke, break tackles, and out run defenders. To me the ideal gaming experience would be matrix like, total immersion. Playing something that is 99% text is about as far away from that as you can get without not having a game at all.

[LanteriX]

Re: Why don't Americans like text-sims?

I enjoy text sims way more than playing games these days. I get much more of a feeling of accomplishment by building a team and gameplanning and managing them to victory, than I do by controlling my players' every move.

I mean, when you play video games long enough, it gets to the point where you can win with anybody and make players perform well outside their actual abilities based on "stick skills" alone.

I much prefer an OOTP or FM league/network game where you're testing your managing abilities against other humans. I feel that's more of a true accomplishment than simply dedicating your time to becoming good on the sticks as you're required to be a thinker and constantly be able to adjust. I mean, sure, when you play a sports game against another human your abilities come through, but that's just it. It's more you than your team. I.E., take an MLB the Show league for example. I've played in plenty of leagues where you can get an exceptionally talented player, give them the worst team on the game, and have them destroy average players playing with elite teams. It's just not realistic.

I'm trying to think of a better way to explain my thought process here, but I'm sure you can pick up the gist of it.

[Brandwin]

I like both and there is room for both. I just wish there was a deeper football text sim.

There has been plenty of times that I took over a team in NCAA and simmed the games and only did the recruiting. Text sims are like doing the offseason stuff but 10x deeper.


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[notque]

Re: Why don't Americans like text-sims?

I like both and there is room for both. I just wish there was a deeper football text sim.

There has been plenty of times that I took over a team in NCAA and simmed the games and only did the recruiting. Text sims are like doing the offseason stuff but 10x deeper.


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Sent from the depths of the sea but I'm heading back to the block

A deeper one than http://deeproute.com ?

In what way?

Most people say if anything there's too much to do in our sim.

[ImTellinTim]

Re: Why don't Americans like text-sims?

If I want to get down to business, and looking to get some realist gameplay in I will get out the text based games. Most of the time...these are solo, or an online league. You don't have to hope your game skills are better...but you have to hope your knowledge of the game is. You have to know gameplans, pitching staffs, and any other thing that a manager/GM is required to know...or at least have an ideal of.

I enjoy text sims way more than playing games these days. I get much more of a feeling of accomplishment by building a team and gameplanning and managing them to victory, than I do by controlling my players' every move.

I mean, when you play video games long enough, it gets to the point where you can win with anybody and make players perform well outside their actual abilities based on "stick skills" alone.

I much prefer an OOTP or FM league/network game where you're testing your managing abilities against other humans. I feel that's more of a true accomplishment than simply dedicating your time to becoming good on the sticks as you're required to be a thinker and constantly be able to adjust. I mean, sure, when you play a sports game against another human your abilities come through, but that's just it. It's more you than your team. I.E., take an MLB the Show league for example. I've played in plenty of leagues where you can get an exceptionally talented player, give them the worst team on the game, and have them destroy average players playing with elite teams. It's just not realistic.

I'm trying to think of a better way to explain my thought process here, but I'm sure you can pick up the gist of it.

My feelings exactly. No game where I have direct control over my players will ever give me the same enjoyment as the cerebral challenge FM offers me. Never again I say. Sure I'll enjoy some exhibitions of the live play games. But until a live game can offer me the same challenge, I will always favor "text" sims.

The closest is The Show (which I'll probably play a season of), but if I win the World Series on that game, I will shrug my shoulders. When I win a Premier League title on FM, I want to run out on the sidewalks downtown and spread the word of my great triumph.

[BlackCats101]

Re: Why don't Americans like text-sims?

As a Brit in my 20s and a fanatical soccer fan I've played the FM series for many years.

However I've really got into American football in the last five years and would love to play an equivalent that could encapsulate the feeling of the sport as well as FM does for our football.

If it were ever to be created and open to a modding community able to replicate the pro or college football universe with FM levels of detail, I'd probably never leave the house again.

[Tolstoy]

Re: Why don't Americans like text-sims?

As a Brit in my 20s and a fanatical soccer fan I've played the FM series for many years.

However I've really got into American football in the last five years and would love to play an equivalent that could encapsulate the feeling of the sport as well as FM does for our football.

If it were ever to be created and open to a modding community able to replicate the pro or college football universe with FM levels of detail, I'd probably never leave the house again.

I wholeheartedly agree. It's almost to the point where I can't play FM anymore; the depth of that game only makes the lack of a quality american football simulation much more glaring.

Even if the game just used dots for the players it would still be an incredible game - just like in FM where I can tell if my striker's having a bad game, I'd love to be able to pull my starting quarterback because I've seen make several bad decisions. Especially if the game had a formation and play-editor as deep as FM's tactics creator then yeah, I'd never leave the house either.

[mikehi619]

Re: Why don't Americans like text-sims?

Football mogul and baseball mogul are 2 of my favorite games i like starting with a early team in the nfl and working my way up through the years signing and draftin good people stayin away from busts lol

[McLite]

Re: Why don't Americans like text-sims?

I love text sims. In fact this site is basically made up of OS'ers and all we do is play OOTP, FOF, and BBCF.

http://www.simgamingnetwork.com/

At first I wasn't into them...now I love them. I still play NCAA, 2kHoops, and other sports title but this is far more competitive and immersing.

[yankeesgiants]

Re: Why don't Americans like text-sims?

If you enjoyed playing board games as a kid (Pursue The Pennant, Strat-O-Matic, APBA, etc) text sims are the next logical step. I cant recall any soccer board games as kid but APBA had a horse racing board game where you could fantasy matchup Citation vs Secretariat on muddy track or grass etc. APBA also did Bowling and Golf board games as well.

[kcarr]

Re: Why don't Americans like text-sims?

I'm really tired of people saying that if someone doesn't like something it's because it's "too hard for them" or they don't understand.

I don't know that it is so much a matter of games like that being too hard for a lot of people but rather more of a matter of them being too in depth and therefore too slow for a lot of people too really enjoy them

[jjoe]

Re: Why don't Americans like text-sims?

I don't know that it is so much a matter of games like that being too hard for a lot of people but rather more of a matter of them being too in depth and therefore too slow for a lot of people too really enjoy them

Quite the opposite. For Madden, NCAA, all of the video games, they lack the ability to retain my interest. Think about it..after playing it for a few weeks, I'm ready for the next game because it gets boring. Same cut scenes. Same animations. Always have bugs that can't be patched. Always waiting for next year and the promise the game will be fixed and perfect. Never happens. But text sims get played for years and the lasting power is greater. Thus, SOM, APBA, etc. have been around over 40 years and retain a loyal following, even if the game is not updated annually.

I play videogames, but they never hold my interest like text games. The best for football is ACtion Pc football, by far.

[LordTC]

Re: Why don't Americans like text-sims?

European Football plays better.

In my experience European Football plays far better as a management game than American Football. Several factors:

1. Relegation system -> Chance to bring a team from complete obscurity to the top level, and then win there.

2. No drafts -> Easier for online setups when players don't have to list all their pick preferences in order in order to do a non-live draft (this also gets annoying if you can't control positions well enough).

3. Better roster size -> Roughly 50 people make an entire team including all the reserve team and youth sides, the first team squad is typically 18-25 players. With 53 players on a squad in football (75 during the camps), finding the perfect setup tries the patience.

4. Better positional work -> The engine for FM has been debugged by the 2d and 3d visual modes over many years, all of the positions work more or less the way they are supposed to, even in user created formations. Most football sims limit your playbook and don't let you use a play creator (the ones that do generally have plays that are completely broken (cause defensive mixups, or some from of unblockable blitz).

5. Less stats in Football -> In FM there are a few basic stats to get right, but it's not like in American Football, most games that try and force reasonable stats on total yards, rushing yards, passing yards for the league, for the top teams and for the top players generally do so by unrealistic nerfs. FM isn't as stats centric as games like OOTP, and it finds success there, putting together a super-team will result in inflated performances as long as morale stays good.