New Bowl Bound Screenshots

[Danny]

We have released two new screenshots for Bowl Bound College Football. The team budget and offensive formation screens. [url="http://www.greydogsoftware.com/images/bb/screens/budget.jpg"]Budget[/url] [url="http://www.greydogsoftware.com/images/bb/screens/formation.jpg"]Formation[/url] For the full story you can check out the homepage [url="http://www.greydogsoftware.com"]http://www.greydogsoftware.com[/url]

[sharpk]

I love those screen shots. Looks very nice. I have a question regarding the budget screen. What do the different colors under quality mean? Which colors mean good, average, bad, etc. Thanks. Also, are those numbers for total recruits? (i.e. Are there a total of 13 QB's in the entire West region)? Thanks Kevin

[Arlie Rahn]

[QUOTE=sharpk]I love those screen shots. Looks very nice. I have a question regarding the budget screen. What do the different colors under quality mean? Which colors mean good, average, bad, etc. Thanks. Also, are those numbers for total recruits? (i.e. Are there a total of 13 QB's in the entire West region)? Thanks Kevin[/QUOTE] The scale is: Blue - very good green - good yellow - average orange - below ave red - poor The numbers represent "recruitable" players. The total pool is usually around 2500-3000 players for 119 teams.

[rayps23]

great love the easy to read screens.

[jbmagic]

i love the formation screen. it looks like certain formation your coach knows you get a bonus and the ones your coach dont know you get a penalty. but at least you able to use it if you want. what does the numbers in the formation screen mean under in run, out run, short pass, etc? it looks liek they have to add up to 100%. if so can i suggest you put a total on the bottom of each. and any more detail how the formations and plays you pick will work? do we get to pick what we want done in certain downs and situations? when leading? when behind? 1st quarter,2nd, third, 4th, last 2 mins, etc? thanks

[jbmagic]

[QUOTE=Arlie Rahn]The scale is: Blue - very good green - good yellow - average orange - below ave red - poor The numbers represent "recruitable" players. The total pool is usually around 2500-3000 players for 119 teams.[/QUOTE] that scale will change depending what team you choose to play with?

[Arlie Rahn]

[QUOTE=jbmagic]that scale will change depending what team you choose to play with?[/QUOTE] The color scale is always the same. The formation bonuses/penalties will change based on the offense and/or defense philosophy you choose.

[Powerguy]

Detailed AND easy to understand. Who could ask for anything more? Great job, guys.

[MrHaroldG]

[QUOTE=Powerguy]Detailed AND easy to understand. Who could ask for anything more? [/QUOTE] I agree 100% - looking better, Arlie! *salivates*

[btmlltt]

In the budget shot, is the ATH pos athletes that you have to choose which position to play them at? If so, very nice. :D

[Hoos]

[QUOTE]The numbers represent "recruitable" players. The total pool is usually around 2500-3000 players for 119 teams.[/QUOTE] Would you mind explaining what defines a "recruitable" player for a team as opposed to just an ordinary player. Also, what's the average number of players you will recruit in a season? somewhere around 20, right? If I'm in the ballpark that puts the number of players signed by the 119 teams somewhere in the 2300-2400 range assuming every team fills out their scholarships. I'm wondering if that really leaves enough slack for those teams that are not recruiting top talent. If you're at Miami or Texas it won't matter much because you'll probably never be recruiting any 1-star type players. However, if you're at Temple or another perennial doormat school (no offense to Temple fans out there) this could inhibit your ability to recruit (and enjoy the game). You could find your self in the situation that there are no Pennsylvania/Local players left to recruit or you need to recruit a QB and there are literally 3 or 4 players in the country available at that position. I feel like even the kid who held the clipboard for his high school team should be available if for no other reason than to give the people playing the game the feeling that they have options. If I have misinterpreted the quote, please feel free to tell me to go away.

[Arlie Rahn]

[QUOTE=Hoos]Would you mind explaining what defines a "recruitable" player for a team as opposed to just an ordinary player.[/QUOTE] Someone included in the overall sortable pool of recruits (roughly 2700 players). It does not included regional walk-ons not in the main pool. [QUOTE]Also, what's the average number of players you will recruit in a season? somewhere around 20, right?[/QUOTE] Each starts out with around 75 total players (with 60 scholarships). So, if you figure an equal number leave each season, you are at around 19-20 players and 15 scholarships. [QUOTE]If I'm in the ballpark that puts the number of players signed by the 119 teams somewhere in the 2300-2400 range assuming every team fills out their scholarships.[/QUOTE] It's closer to 1800-2000 for scholarships, but the game creates around 2700. [QUOTE]I'm wondering if that really leaves enough slack for those teams that are not recruiting top talent. If you're at Miami or Texas it won't matter much because you'll probably never be recruiting any 1-star type players. However, if you're at Temple or another perennial doormat school (no offense to Temple fans out there) this could inhibit your ability to recruit (and enjoy the game). You could find your self in the situation that there are no Pennsylvania/Local players left to recruit or you need to recruit a QB and there are literally 3 or 4 players in the country available at that position. I feel like even the kid who held the clipboard for his high school team should be available if for no other reason than to give the people playing the game the feeling that they have options. If I have misinterpreted the quote, please feel free to tell me to go away.[/QUOTE] I think that's a fair concern and something we will certainly look at in BETA. But, at this point, having 2700 players seems like enough to have each team able to fill its scholarships.

[slingblade73]

I am going to get a nerdboner if I can sort all 3000 players by each and every category. Please, Please.

[Ragin Cajun]

Looks good Arlie.

[Mr T Jobs To Me]

screens look good, i think this game definitely looks like it's going the right way. I don't understand how formation bonuses or penalties are coming into play though. Is it just a way of saying "they practice this formation more, so they'll be more effective running plays out of it" or is it something else entirely?

[Danny]

[QUOTE=Mr T Jobs To Me]Is it just a way of saying "they practice this formation more, so they'll be more effective running plays out of it" or is it something else entirely?[/QUOTE] Arlie can give a better answer, but that sounds about right.

[Arlie Rahn]

Yeah, both you hit it pretty close to straight on.

[ortonius]

Arlie, this looks fantastic. OOTP may take a backseat for a while when this comes out. I love the little touches like the "Camp Progression" area and the schedule in tabs at the bottom of the budget screen. In both screens there is an "online" button. What is that for??? :p

[cody8200]

These screens look great. Everything is very easy on the eyes. I like that.

[Miral]

I go away for two weeks and there's new pretty pictures to see! I do enjoy the layout immensely. Very easy on the eyes, and unlike TPF it doesn't have that "spreadsheet" appearance. Can't wait to get a screenie showing the page with the actual recruits :) I still don't understand the "13 recruits" for QBs, is that the ones your scouts have picked out as suitable for the school's system, or ones that are considered good enough to go after?

[Munster]

Recruiting Motivations Arlie, about how many and what types of factors will influences recruits' decision on which college to attend? Through my career, I have extensive first-hand knowledge of why kids make their choices. So the thing that burned me out with The College Years was this component. The parameters by which the athletes settled on a college were limited and unrealistic. The academics factor was especially brutal. Not only was it tedious, it was far, far, far overrated as a factor. There are dozens of reasons why players pick a school and, believe me, what majors are offered and what the school's academic rep is are almost always way down the list. (Similarly, I found the hoops a game player had to jump through to keep kids' GPAs up were also tedious. Far too much time had to be spent in TCY screwing around with this stuff for every player on the roster.) So I am concerned that Bowl Bound be much more realistic in this regard, as recruiting can potentially be the most fun of the whole game.

[Tim Plum]

Munster, with your first hand experience what factors do you think should be in BBCF and how much weight should they carry?

[Munster]

Well, I’m sure I’ll think of more, but here’s what comes to mind. As for how to “rank” them...that would not be the correct approach. Each kid has different priorities and the “rankings” should be different (and somewhat explicit in the game) for each kid. That said, program prestige is usually a “biggie” for everyone. Program Prestige (historical – but with a little “bonus” for most recent year success) Quality of visit experience (attractiveness of campus, happiness/chemistry of current players, charisma of coaches, weather the day of the visit, did team win their game the weekend of the visit?) Head coach reputation (stability, length of tenure at school, success) “Favorite team” (kids, usually in-state, grow up rooting for a school and want to play there) How many players a school sends to NFL “Charisma” of coach who recruited him and his position coach Players from same high school currently/formerly on team Parents (complex to reproduce in a game, but some parents weigh heavily in the decision, others not so much; parents tend to be more influenced by the charisma of the recruiting coach) Chance to play early Timeliness of school interest and scholly offer (earlier is better; see below regarding camps and unofficial visits) Location (closer to home the better for 90% of players, but some just want to get away and many of the very elite players – maybe the national top 50 – will go anywhere) Facilities (weight room, dorms, stadium, attendance, enthusiasm of fans) Academics (more important only to a small minority of top students; can be a “tiebreaker” for some others; availability of a certain major may play a small role now and then, but is too tedious in a game to bother with) Player’s personality (some want to be stroked with daily text messages; others are low key and want the soft-sell) “X-Factor” (some kids know what they want, some don’t; each recruit in game could have an X-factor indicating how much he is “open” to influence – this would allow some surprises in choices) Finally, I would add these things: 1. The recruit-“coach” communication should be much stronger and more revealing/detailed than in TCY. Granted, some recruits mislead recruiters a little bit and/or are less forthcoming about their feelings than others, but by and large, a recruiter usually knows a level of a recruit’s interest and what “turns him on.” TCY was very much a guessing a game, and a lot of time and resources were wasted on players who continually gave “mixed messages” and had zero intention of accepting a scholarship. Coaches should have a strong sense of what kids’ 3 or 4 top priorities are in making a college choice in most cases – though there are some “curveballs” to make it interesting. Recruiters also know who else is recruiting the kid, who the leader(s) is, and some sense of how much of a chance his school still has of getting him. 2. There should be an ability early in the recruiting process to “paper the walls” with ride offers. As I write this (July 24) – just to use on example – the U. of North Carolina has nearly 70 scholly offers sitting there for recruits who haven’t even begun their senior year in high school. Other schools have only a dozen or two out at this point. For the kids, it’s first come-first serve. If they want to go to the school, they’d better accept the ride before another player(s) at his position does, or the offer may be withdrawn. 3. Continuing with that thought, recruiting is an earlier-than-ever process. Recruiting begins in earnest in a player’s JUNIOR year, not senior year. Many programs (especially the better ones) already have a handful of verbal commitments from rising seniors by July 1 (some earlier) and more coming all the time. In order to “scoop” other programs, schools will make an early (summer) scholarship offer to kids based not only on what they saw of them as juniors, but by inviting them to summer camps at their school (many offers are made to kids after the camps) and by inviting/encouraging kids to take UNOFFICIAL visits (which happens all the time) at the kids’ expense. The advantages of these early offers include impressing the kid by being the first (or one of) to offer and beating other schools to the punch before they offer based on senior year performance. The disadvantages are: more margin for error since kid is being evaluated before his senior year, and more risk that a kid will de-commit and/or not qualify academically. (De-commits happen with maybe 1 in every 30 or 40 commitments.) It is not only the best recruits who commit over the summer, it is often the “sleepers” who do – kids ID’d as prospects early by certain colleges who want to get their commitment before other schools discover how good they are. However, once the new season starts, then it is the better players who commit first, by and large – though some string it out to the very end. A master’s thesis could be written on this topic, but these are my initial thoughts on your question.

[Tim Plum]

Good stuff. Thanks for detailing your thoughts so completely.

[ortonius]

Munster, I wanted you to know I enjoyed your first post earlier in this thread, but this last post was excellent. In my opinion, you have great insight and viewpoints on recruiting. Just out of curiousity, what is your link to recruiting? (you had mentioned kids and their choices earlier) I'm looking forward to more of your ideas and insights. Chip [QUOTE=Munster]Well, I’m sure I’ll think of more, but here’s what comes to mind. As for how to “rank” them...that would not be the correct approach. Each kid has different priorities and the “rankings” should be different (and somewhat explicit in the game) for each kid. That said, program prestige is usually a “biggie” for everyone. Program Prestige (historical – but with a little “bonus” for most recent year success) Quality of visit experience (attractiveness of campus, happiness/chemistry of current players, charisma of coaches, weather the day of the visit, did team win their game the weekend of the visit?) Head coach reputation (stability, length of tenure at school, success) “Favorite team” (kids, usually in-state, grow up rooting for a school and want to play there) How many players a school sends to NFL “Charisma” of coach who recruited him and his position coach Players from same high school currently/formerly on team Parents (complex to reproduce in a game, but some parents weigh heavily in the decision, others not so much; parents tend to be more influenced by the charisma of the recruiting coach) Chance to play early Timeliness of school interest and scholly offer (earlier is better; see below regarding camps and unofficial visits) Location (closer to home the better for 90% of players, but some just want to get away and many of the very elite players – maybe the national top 50 – will go anywhere) Facilities (weight room, dorms, stadium, attendance, enthusiasm of fans) Academics (more important only to a small minority of top students; can be a “tiebreaker” for some others; availability of a certain major may play a small role now and then, but is too tedious in a game to bother with) Player’s personality (some want to be stroked with daily text messages; others are low key and want the soft-sell) “X-Factor” (some kids know what they want, some don’t; each recruit in game could have an X-factor indicating how much he is “open” to influence – this would allow some surprises in choices) Finally, I would add these things: 1. The recruit-“coach” communication should be much stronger and more revealing/detailed than in TCY. Granted, some recruits mislead recruiters a little bit and/or are less forthcoming about their feelings than others, but by and large, a recruiter usually knows a level of a recruit’s interest and what “turns him on.” TCY was very much a guessing a game, and a lot of time and resources were wasted on players who continually gave “mixed messages” and had zero intention of accepting a scholarship. Coaches should have a strong sense of what kids’ 3 or 4 top priorities are in making a college choice in most cases – though there are some “curveballs” to make it interesting. Recruiters also know who else is recruiting the kid, who the leader(s) is, and some sense of how much of a chance his school still has of getting him. 2. There should be an ability early in the recruiting process to “paper the walls” with ride offers. As I write this (July 24) – just to use on example – the U. of North Carolina has nearly 70 scholly offers sitting there for recruits who haven’t even begun their senior year in high school. Other schools have only a dozen or two out at this point. For the kids, it’s first come-first serve. If they want to go to the school, they’d better accept the ride before another player(s) at his position does, or the offer may be withdrawn. 3. Continuing with that thought, recruiting is an earlier-than-ever process. Recruiting begins in earnest in a player’s JUNIOR year, not senior year. Many programs (especially the better ones) already have a handful of verbal commitments from rising seniors by July 1 (some earlier) and more coming all the time. In order to “scoop” other programs, schools will make an early (summer) scholarship offer to kids based not only on what they saw of them as juniors, but by inviting them to summer camps at their school (many offers are made to kids after the camps) and by inviting/encouraging kids to take UNOFFICIAL visits (which happens all the time) at the kids’ expense. The advantages of these early offers include impressing the kid by being the first (or one of) to offer and beating other schools to the punch before they offer based on senior year performance. The disadvantages are: more margin for error since kid is being evaluated before his senior year, and more risk that a kid will de-commit and/or not qualify academically. (De-commits happen with maybe 1 in every 30 or 40 commitments.) It is not only the best recruits who commit over the summer, it is often the “sleepers” who do – kids ID’d as prospects early by certain colleges who want to get their commitment before other schools discover how good they are. However, once the new season starts, then it is the better players who commit first, by and large – though some string it out to the very end. A master’s thesis could be written on this topic, but these are my initial thoughts on your question.[/QUOTE]