Arlie Rahn

No release date has been set yet. I'll let people know once I get closer.

Not dead, just not a whole lot of updates for the public.

I wanted to give an update tonight. I've been working a great deal on the engine and personal trait issues of late. My goal is really differentiate "3.5/5.0" type players. I'm implementing a new process that will put gamers in situations where there will be real decisions made between a 2.5 and 3.0 receiver (again, using BBCF ratings for this update). Let's say that the 2.5 guy has advantages in running routes and beating jam coverage and the 3.0 guy is a little more inconsistent, but has good speed. There are many situations where the right call would be to use the 2.5-rated guy over the 3.0 guy. These type of decisions are where my efforts are right now. This has involved numerous adjustment to engine logic and a new way of showing this type of information to you guys in a user-friendly manner. Here's an outline on what I am working on: Sim engine work involving some additional features Offseason interface work and logic adjustments draft screen adjustments and some changes based on testing I still haven't gotten much new to the beta team so I want to be sure that no one is expecting the game in the next month or so. As I get through September, I should have a better idea on possible release dates. I won't give an actual date until I feel real good with that commitment, but I also don't want people thinking this game is vaporware or that it's going to be done in two weeks. So, I will do more to let you guys see how things are going and keep you as up to date as possible.

Guys, I'm getting my floors replaced this week so my CPU access is spotty. I have an update nearly ready for the forums and will post it a little later in the week.

BTW, expect more of these in this thread the next few days. That was a great response and I'd like to get more thoughts from you guys.

Great ideas guys. I think I will start with the wizard and have the option to change it after the wizard creates it. I also like the sliders idea. The tough thing new is setting up the options to where it's enough to control the team, but not too many to where you have to spend hours setting it up.

I'm pluggin along and things are going well. I do need to get better at keeping this thread up to date. Sometimes I get tunnel-visioned on the game and forget about this forum Any rate, I could use some feedback. I'm looking at the gameplan portion and wanted to see what you guys thought about some different ideas I've been throwing around: 1. Have a full "grid" of settings like BBCF for setting play call preferences. You set your type percentages and then have a group of plays you list in that type grouping. 2. Have a "wizard" that allows you to set a type of offense and tendencies, then it updates the internal plays and %s based on your personnel. What do you guys think of this combo idea and how would you like to see this done?

Hands is more important for pass blocking, but it impacts how an OL uses his hands to keep DL off their shoulder and getting leverage. It's not a major impact, but it does impact their ability to pass block. There's a lesser impact on run blocking, which involves more strength and acceleration.

Here's the general setup for the coaches phase the offseason: Week1: - GM gets an email for each potential new job opening with offers (can be turned off in MP) - If user accepts, he switches teams Week 2: - Job expectation email: Email includes things like expectations, salary cap info, latest record, top players, … - Update college stats (or import from BBCF) and setup draft cards without combine or full scouting reports. - Initially set season budget: Salary is Set in Stone by league, but signing bonus money, FA budget, scouting money, coaches money, training staff and others set by owner. Coach can then move money around as they seem fit. [Question 1]What do you guys think about allowing an increased budget for increasing expectations? IE, owner expects a .500 record. You change the expectations to "Make the playoffs" and he gives you an additional bump to signing bonus money and staff salaries. But, if you fall short, you get a bigger negative for your performance (maybe even get fired). I don't think this would be something used in MP, but it might be fun for SP. [Question 2]What's your thoughts on using a slider to focus on players for scouting? I don't like the idea of hiring a ton of scouts as I think it gets exploited in SP and is a nuisance in MP. Instead, it would be a system similar to BBCF where you set your positional focus on draft scouting. Weeks 3-5: - Offer positions to assistants. They accept or reject based on preference. - Final week, if you have no coach, you will get 2-3 emails from different coaches to fill the spot. They will want a little over market, but offer a wide set of options for your system. This will prevent users from being stuck with a bad coach. It's also grouped in with the same week as setting the final budget, so it won't be an extra week for MP. - Like said above, the final week will be where users set their final budget.

The first issue is going to be on the setup of the offseason leading up to the draft. I'd like to let you guys what I am currently doing and see if you like the order or feel that maybe I am missing something. I am trying to keep multiplayer leagues in mind, but I think you lose some realism if you separate the RFA/UFA/draft into three distinct stages. So, I am going to have some overlap with these areas, but I don't want it to be a bear to manage. I'll go through more of the particulars this weekend, but I wanted to give everyone a primer to start thinking about what they would like here.

Hey guys, I've decided to start a developer diary to give people a chance to check in on the progress of the game as well as answer some design/strategy questions I have in the process. Now, I am not going to spell out every feature in the game as there will still be a few surprises, but I do think this diary could be very useful. I am now at the point in the development where I have to go in certain directions with the game. When I look back on BBCF, there were certain items that I made "50-50" type decisions on that I now wished I would have gotten more feedback on during the development. I toyed with the idea of setting up a Beta team for this, but I think that leads towards "game fatigue" if there is nothing to test. So, I will try this diary (Adam seemed to really enjoy it for his games). When I need some feedback, I will post a topic on the forum for you guys to check into in addition to commenting on it in the diary. Often, I will make a poll with the item. However, I will not always go 100% with the results of a poll, it's more to get a general handle on the interest/feelings on a certain issue. All that said, your feedback is greatly appreciated and will have a large impact on the final product. Finally, I want to thank everyone for their interest in the game and willingness to spend their free time interacting with me on this game. As a developer, there are few things that are more humbling than seeing a set of fans willing to take their time (that could be spent working/with family/doing other things) and helping you with your game. I will shoot for atleast weekly update, but I may go through periods of daily topics when I get into certain stretches in development.

After some internal discussion, we feel that it is time to start instituting a general code of conduct for the dog pound at GDS. Now, I don't think anything here is going to be unreasonable, but we want to make sure this forum accommodates as many people that wish to join the different discussions as possible without fear of flames or massive insults. People who do not follow these clear guidelines will face penalties ranging from warnings to account suspensions (and even terminations in serious situations). So, with that in mind, here are some aspects that we feel make up a general code of conduct posters in the GDS forums need to adhere to: 1. Do not flame people in threads. Seems simple and this item alone helps make each topic much more interesting and will generate better overall discussions. 2. Do not use personal attacks and insults. Resorting to this tactic when you disagree is a quick way to turn people off to your comments and make yourself somewhat irrelevant in discussions. Try to focus on making your point, not marginalizing yourself. 3. Be respectful. This single act can make the time you spend at the GDS forums much more enjoyable for yourself and others around you. Again, we are not trying to be some kind of censor police, but we are trying to promote a family-friendly environment where people can feel comfortable engaging in respectful conversation on a large number of topics. There are a great many members that post here who have very interesting thoughts/opinions and we would like to have a fun place for you guys to visit. However, everyone needs to understand that this is a company forum and things said here reflect on GDS and each of our members. So, we have a responsibility to make sure these discussions do not put our company or our great fan base in a negative light. Thanks again to all of you who choose to participate in our forums under these guidelines and we hope that you continue to enjoy your visits to the GDS community. Arlie Rahn CEO Grey Dog Software

First, thanks for your interest in the pro game. I'm setting up this forum to start collecting ideas (in addition to my design) to use with the upcoming Bowl Bound Pro Football (BBPF) game. Next, the game is still early in development and I will start providing a "developer's journal" once I get a little further. In the mean time, keep those ideas coming! Thanks, Arlie

I'm pleased to announce that by popular demand we've been able to put together a package so that people will be able to purchase the game via PayPal. If you would like details on how to do this, please contact Grey Dog Software's CEO Arlie Rahn (arlie@greydogsoftware.com). We would like to make it clear that at the moment this option is only meant for people who cannot purchase the game by any of the regular methods. Due to the extra processing that this option involves, there may be a waiting period between your payment reaching us and a license being issued. Therefore, if you can pay via the preferred method of credit card (where the license is issued is almost instantly) we strongly advise that you use that option."

This is a summary thread for all the BBCF reviews we've posted and discussions on them: Game Chronicles (9.1/10): http://www.greydogsoftware.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12202 Sports Gaming Network (91/100): http://www.greydogsoftware.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11380 PC Football.net (9.95/10): http://www.greydogsoftware.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11381 Operation Sports (9/10): http://www.greydogsoftware.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10259 About.com (4.5/5): http://compsimgames.about.com/od/gamereviews/gr/bbcollegefootba.htm Gamenikki (8/10): http://www.gamenikki.com/g3/reviews/pc/Display.php?id=15 Computer Games Mag (3/5): Date: 5/1/2005

Here are the major skills that impact a player's performance at a given position. Some other skills may still play more of a minor role, but this will give you a better idea. Skills are listed in order of overall importance (but may change based on situation): QB Football skills (passing): pass accuracy, arm strength, pass touch Football skills (running): running Other skills (passing): instincts, agility, intelligence Other skills (scrambling/running): speed, agility, acceleration, instincts RB Football skills: running, hands, route running Other skills: speed, strength, agility, acceleration, instincts FB Football skills: running, run block, hands, route running Other skills: strength, aggressiveness, instincts, speed, agility, acceleration WR Football skills: hands, route running, run block, running (end around) Other skills: speed, acceleration, instincts, strength, agility, aggressiveness, jumping TE Football skills: hands, route running, run block, pass block Other skills: strength, speed, acceleration, aggressiveness, instincts, agility, jumping OL Football skills: run block, pass block, hands Other skills: strength, aggressiveness, agility, instincts, acceleration DE Football skills: pass rush, point of attack, tackling Other skills: strength, aggressiveness, agility, speed, instincts, acceleration DT Football skills: point of attack, pass rush, tackling Other skills: strength, aggressiveness, agility, instincts, acceleration, speed ILB Football skills: tackling, point of attack, pass rush, coverage Other skills: aggressiveness, strength, speed, instincts, agility, acceleration, intelligence OLB Football skills: tackling, pass rush, coverage, point of attack Other skills: aggressiveness, speed, strength, instincts, agility, acceleration CB Football skills: coverage, tackling, hands Other skills: speed, acceleration, agility, aggressiveness, instincts, strength FS Football skills: coverage, tackling, hands Other skills: speed, agility, instincts, aggressiveness, acceleration, strength, intelligence SS Football skills: tackling, coverage, hands Other skills: speed, aggressiveness, agility, instincts, acceleration, strength, intelligence

Yeah, my bad. It's fixed now.

You can also replace the bowl logos by using /graphics/bowls/[bowlname].jpg. Just remember to replace any spaces with "_". So, if you wanted a logo to represent the orange bowl, you would call the file orange_bowl.jpg. I attached an example of out GDCS bowl logo to get you an idea of the dimensions.

Finally, here is what all aspects of the above look when combined in the game.

We will provide a set of fields to be used (one snowy, another muddy, one for artificial turf and a normal grass one). Based on the weather and/or dome for the site, we will load one of the fields in the game. Here's an example of the normal grass field.

center logo. This needs to be a transparent gif as it will lay over the field

Right endzone

Here's an example of the left endzone.

I have attached some examples of the customized field art and logos. People can customize the end zones by putting in files called [teamabbr]left.jpg and [teamabbr]right.jpg in the graphics\Endzones\ folder. They can replace the logo (a transparent gif) by storing a file called [teamabbr]logo.gif in the graphics\Fieldlogo\ folder.