JasonM

Just found out there was a new Front Office Football in development, a few years ago Jim had said he wouldn't develop anymore because he signed a contract with ootp development. But apparently he picked up his project, and has redesigned the UI for a (rd. More) modern game. On top of all that, he released the game last night, so I guess I now know what I'm going to be messing with later today. For the people that don't know, the Front Office Football franchise is generally regarded as the best Gridiron management sim, with 8 having released 7 years ago, and it being the basis of many online leagues that have been running since the 90s. The new version won't feature MP yet, so fof8 will stay relevant for the time being in that regard, but I am still excited to play 9. https://store.steampowered.com/app/2633170/Front_Office_Football_Nine/

Fwiw, it seems to be abandonware, so you can find it on the internet. Honestly surprising no party has bought the rights to the game for a release on GOG.

In more positive news, Ajax is dead last in the Eredivisie after getting trounced 2-5 earlier today and last place Volendam beating Excelsior 2-1. First time in the history of Dutch football that one club is dead last in two divisions (Ajax U21 is last in the first division) This is like one of those freak seasons in Football Manager where Liverpool somehow relegates by falling to 18th, but somehow they're doing even worse than that?

Maybe interesting to people who want to do a more analytical approach to recruiting. This is a YouTuber i've checked out in the past mostly for his methodologies on Front Office Football 8, but he's now decided to show off his methodology on FM24 using Python scripts to help analyze what players fit his schemes the best. He also shares and explains all the stuff he made. It's not a set and forget type of system, and still takes some guesswork into account. But still helps prune and find good scheme fits that helps cut away the chaff.

Honestly, having a great QB and doing the things the Pats did is probably just as hard as being a terrible team that every year hopes they have the next great QB. Brady got more rings than the likes of Romo, Brees, Peyton, Favre, Rivers, and Ryan, Warner combined, all QB's who hover somewhere between being a legit all time great to being amongst the best of the Brady era, all of them in the top 10 of retired QB's in terms of career QBR. But the current issues with the Pats also shows how fucking hard it is to be a football team without that great QB, and I think the biggest fault on the Patriots side is having Belichik be both GM and Head Coach at the same time, where it's obvious that a lot of the work came from the Patriots front office to build those great teams, and not just Belichik. I think Belichik's success is very much connected to Brady's, but they have helped each other achieve the heights they have, on top of great coordinators and scouts that got all the right tools together to turn one of the best QB's into a guy that won six rings for them. That's not something the Falcons, Cowboys, or Chargers can claim, despite having QBs with equal ring winning greatness. Never knew i'd turn into a Patriots apologist, but here I am.

It's only early in the second, but god-damn this is a nasty game. Lamar is great, but the Lions really are making it way too easy on him when even big boi Patrick Ricard can receive for 28 yards. EDIT: Two drives later, it's somehow worse... Did the Lions desecrate an indian burial ground before this weekend? It's honestly one of the most shocking performances i've seen.

Even without tackles, i'd watch and feel bad for everyone trying to stop the likes of Myles Garrett from getting into the backfield every play.

Personally in these games I roll with whatever gets me high charisma so I can get speech checks. Bards are always a very strong choice because they are a phenomenal gadget class, and arguably overpowered in how flexible they can be. Idk about bg3 specifically, but Spellcasters are good fun too, but can struggle early on and in general with how many spells you can get. A sorcerer has high charisma, and a smaller more selective spellbook, so they can be super good to avoid being overwhelmed. There's also stuff like Paladin's, but they can be overly limiting. As unhelpful as it sounds, honestly just go with whatever class appeals to you. You don't have to min max, and from what I read the game isn't dependent on a charisma build, lots of angles to approach situations.

Cagey win against the Titans for the Ravens. Hope Tannehill isn't too badly injured, would be a tough pill for the Titans. Justin Tucker continues being the greatest kicker in the sport with a 6/6 performance.

I'm so disappointed in this news. One of the most regressive actions I've seen from any major western entity regarding their stance on LGBTQ+ treatment and support. https://www.outsports.com/2023/10/9/23907582/nhl-gay-lgbtq-pride-tape-drag-queen-national-anthem-player-boycott

So frustrating to watch. They're not even playing bad, just failing to be consistent. So many drops that caused good drives to stall, and if they lose the choice to go for it rather than kick it at the end of the first half will be ultra painful. Also full beans to the Steelers defense for in turn showing up when it was needed. Edit: And the now the Steelers get the TD. Edit2: Ravens today with the 'how to fuck up winning momentum' masterclass. GG to the Steelers.

Somewhere Daniel Jones is still getting sacked.

The Bears always finds ways to disappoint

Having spent the past years hoping Marquise Brown would put it together, seeing Zay Flowers be everything and much more this early in his career is such an amazing experience. Lamar has been cooking, even against this phenomenal Browns defense. Also Mark Andrews is a beast.

Fair fucking beans to Matt Gay for kicking 4 bombs from beyond 50, but that no-call on the DPI was absolutely beyond frustrating to see happen. But Ravens also bottled it late in the fourth, so it's basically galactic equilibrium. Gah, sucks though.

I keep forgetting Joe Flacco is still active. Basically dropped off my radar the moment he left the Ravens EDIT: Sucks for Minshew that he gives up the Safety on a stupid from the punt returner. But as a Ravens fan I am happy that this means the game is all but won now, real cagey and sloppy game saved by Lamar being a crazy human slinky. EDIT2: Called it too early, Colts get one more try. And now it's tied, oh boy.

Carson Wentz is right there available for them, surely he'd be preferable to what they got now?

All these Ravens errors are doing my head in.

I am on the fence about trying it again. I mostly completed the game one time already, and at the time felt that it was a good fun experience but not one that I will be jumping at to do again. But there's also the fact that I still think the concept is absolutely cool, and I have heard good things about Phantom Liberty that it has given me a slight itch to try again. But I know that it will still probably feel like a mostly hollow-ish world that is very skin deep and lacks a true personality, and I don't think that will change for me on another run through.

Lamar with 2TD's on 230+ passing yards with game left to play. So this is what he can do with a good receiver crew and a new OC.

So basically all those same malicious people would have to do is set up a script that sets up a Windows or Linux VM, which proceeds to install a copy of the unity game, and then deletes the VM afterwards... Then automate that process to run ad nauseum. It fixes nothing because the people that would be petty enough to spite a company like that would already go through some length to make it happen. The whole thing reeks, and I honestly doubt it sees the light of day. Mainly concerning the retroactive changing of terms and conditions, because by their claims they could effectively charge the developers of a 10 year old game for installs because back then they in good faith used Unity because they wouldn't be charged. It'd effectively be a decades long Bait and Switch, there's no way that would hold up. Both small and mid level developers are also apparently lining up a class action lawsuit over that whole thing. On top of this shit sandwich, multiple executives including Riccitiello himself have been selling their shares in the days leading up to this announcement.

Honestly, a more experienced team would've probably blown away today's Ravens team. They don't feel like a team that have put 25 on the board. And the Texans' inexperience have kept them from being a threat down the stretch.

Is there anybody in your social circle we can contact to check in on you? You sound like you either need a hug or a beer for doing this to yourself, or both.

So despite the moaning about the impossibility of the task, the teams have found a way to actually complete the task? Honestly impressive for F1 teams, although I assume they all found some dodgy financial construction to attain the result.

I think I played Crew 2 when it was on a free weekend or a beta, and I thought it was alright. At the time definitely felt like its scope went a bit too far beyond its quality, with all the different types of content feeling very light on actual depth and being thrown in just for the "this might be cool"-factor. I would assume that between then and now they have improved it a lot. I tried picking Forza Horizon 5 back up the other day, and I just kind of felt lost. I have so many cars, most of which I have never driven because the game hands them out like candy, and there's not an easy way to filter out all the races that I finished 2 years ago, so the map is a clutter of all sorts of icons.