Quote:
Originally Posted by One Post Wonder
It's unfortunate about FOF.
It has been the best American Football text sim on the market for the last what, 10 years? At any period during that time, including even now, Jim could take that franchise, develop the hell out of it, maybe bring on some help, and run away with that genre in the same way that OOTP has run away with Baseball and Football Manager has run away with soccer. No competitor seriously expects to catch those two franchises anymore.
But FOF won't be one of those stories. Jim hasn't put in that kind of time, and it looks like he won't in the future. He's kept everything pretty much the same and it doesn't seem like he's got much passion for it anymore to me. In a couple of years, some other developer is going to surpass him, FOF will gradually peter out, and Jim will have missed out on a big chance to make a real career out of being an indy game developer.
It reminds me of Baseball Mogul, which was once the leader in text-based baseball, and Ancient Domains of Mystery, which was once the leader in Roguelike Role playing games (Thomas Biskup, the ADOM dev, was viewed almost like a God in his heyday). I'm not a dev of that level and I don't know what the financial situations of those devs are like... maybe they don't need the money and don't care about the recognition. But unless they're millionaires and doing what they love, they have got to be, or will be, kicking themselves for letting their opportunities slip away.
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I just checked out Ancient Domains of Mystery and wow, it appears to me that this game was head of its time. I love RPGs and I'm surprised I totally missed that game.
Back to your post...
You posted -
"It has been the best American Football text sim on the market for the last what, 10 years? At any period during that time, including even now, Jim could take that franchise, develop the hell out of it, maybe bring on some help, and run away with that genre in the same way that OOTP has run away with Baseball and Football Manager has run away with soccer. No competitor seriously expects to catch those two franchises anymore."
I totally agree and I don't want to turn this thread into as a "let's bash Jim" thread, but what I will say is what you posted right there (esp the underlined part), IN MY OPINION, is where Pride got in the way and he just couldn't let anyone touch his baby/creation. I guess, in a way, you can't blame him; it IS HIS game/creation. If he doesn't want a better, much more dynamic and immersive American Football sim, he doesn't have to. He choose the Path he has walked with FOF. And yes, FOF will go down in PC 'txt'/sports management games as one of the best all-time. If not the entire length of its run, at least the first 4 or 5 editions it will. Towards the end (if it's truly the end for FOF with FOF 8), Front Office Football, while maintaining a great sim engine in regards to stats and in-game plays, etc., it's fallen flat and has become nothing more than a repeats of previous years - which isn't good news for those who prefer a Dynamic and/or Immersive style of gameplay. And NO.....I am NOT referring to 'Madden NFL' style graphics when I speak of or mention "Dynamic and Immersive" style of game; I could give two craps about that. 'OOTP Style' of Game and its UI' does me JUST FINE!!!
