Your Chance To Participate In A New Football Phenomenon (Sandbox Simulations)

[Rain Man]

I apologize if the mods think this is soliciting, and I guess it is, but at the same time it's beta testing a new product developed by long-time planeteers, and it's free.

cdcox and I have been developing a new football game for the thoughtful fan, where players build franchises and compete against each other. A description is below.

If you're interested, we're offering the game for free in Year 1 to Chiefsplanet members, with the goal of both giving the system a dry run and also hooking you like Phillip Morris. You can go to www.sandboxsimulations.com to sign up, and use the access code 6Lanier3.

Here's the overview:

Build and manage a full 53-player roster over multiple seasons, as an offseason activity to give you year-round football

Select your personnel to match your offensive and defensive scheme. Every position matters – even your blocking tight end.

Realistic and accurate simulations of league games based on head-to-head matchups against other teams in your league.


This is essentially a new concept in fantasy football that attempts to simulate as closely as possible the management of a real NFL franchise over a multi-year period. Unlike regular fantasy football, every position on the offense and defense contributes to your success or failure. On special teams, the punter, kicker, and kick returners matter.

In Sandbox Football you will build a team – an entire 53-man football team – via an initial draft, and will maintain it year after year in annual rookie drafts, trading periods, and free agency. You compete against teams in your league. In the first year of the game, before the start of the NFL season, you will build your roster by drafting veterans and rookies through separate drafts, and through trades with other teams in the league. Your roster is frozen at the beginning of the NFL season. During the real regular NFL season, you can focus on your traditional fantasy games and perhaps keep on eye on your Sandbox roster as our statistical models build the data on player performances. At the end of the regular NFL season, the Sandbox season begins. There will be 16 games in the season. In real time, the season will run about 8 weeks (2 alternate reality games per week).

Game outcomes will be simulated based on the performance of individual players during the just-completed NFL regular season. The simulations, developed by a PhD statistical expert, estimate how individual players will perform in the context of your alternate reality team competing head-to-head against other teams in the league and with the specific team that you have built. The simulations will consider the offensive and defensive schemes that you select. So you can build your roster to support a power running game or a high-flying passing attack. You can run a 3-4 or 4-3 base defense. You can run nickel formations or four-wide receiver sets. You can rotate your DL to keep them fresh.

The game is more about building a team than playing video games. So this isn't Madden, but you will have the ability to tweak your game plan to take the best advantage of your roster and the weaknesses of your opponent. Injuries are a factor in the game. If a player is unavailable during weeks 3 through 6 in the NFL, he is also unavailable during the same weeks in the alternate reality season. So roster depth matters. The game simulations are based on the most advanced statistics and the latest research regarding what matters in winning an NFL game. But, the outcomes of the games have a random component, just like real NFL games.

The calendar for the alternate reality league year will look something like this:
• Jan to Mid March: Alternate Reality regular season and playoffs.
• Mid-March to the beginning of NFL season: Roster building through trades, veteran draft (first year), free agent drafts (2nd year and beyond), and rookie draft.
• Beginning of NFL season to end of regular NFL season: Alternate reality league is dormant, but the NFL players are generating their performance stats for the up-coming AR league.
• Rinse and repeat.

Copyright Sandbox Simulations, all rights reserved.

We're still finalizing the cost structure, but this won't be an expensive game to play at all. It might range from a few bucks a year to $50 per year, depending on a few factors.

Year 1 will require a couple of days of drafting with rather high intensity, but we've got it set up where you can put your draft list together and do customized and automated drafting if you like.

So...go! Now! Time to get ready for the draft!

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by cdcox

This year the free agent situation will be pretty basic. We'll probably just run a few rounds on the leftovers on veteran draft board. I can add any names that are missing. Next season we'll implement Rain Man's FA system that will be a little more exciting.

Rookie draft will be 7 rounds. Leftovers will go into next year's FA pool.

Are there any breakout rookie FA this year? We can either put them in the rookie draft pool or the FA pool.

I guess I'll see how things break, especially since anyone on a roster from this season's rookie class is likely to be taken due to the late draft date.

But it does seem like the undrafted rookies should be atted to the veteran draft board if able. They're essentially street FAs just like anyone else.

I just can't see how there won't be at least 50 guys on NFL rosters that are going to be free agents - the math doesn't work. We have the same number (or even fewer) eligible teams. All of those teams have at least a few guys that aren't on active rosters anymore. So there's clearly a bunch of guys available that, even if they're just STers on the teams they're on, are going to be more useful than someone like Leonard Weaver, who's been out of football for 2 years.

[topher79]

Some dude named Cruz is a FA.

[DJ's left nut]

Richard Sherman and Brandon Browner went undrafted and I don't think either of them got picked up.

I think adding the FAs to the rookie draft makes sense for right now, until a legitimate FA process is put in place.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Richard Sherman and Brandon Browner went undrafted and I don't think either of them got picked up.

I think adding the FAs to the rookie draft makes sense for right now, until a legitimate FA process is put in place.

Are you talking all free agents, and we just do a consolidated draft? Or just the rookie walk-ons?

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

Are you talking all free agents, and we just do a consolidated draft? Or just the rookie walk-ons?

Dunno what I'm talking; mostly just trying to stir up conversation.

Ultimately I think I would favor all free agents first being placed in the 7 round 'Rookie' draft. That way if you want to use a first rounder on Sherman, you can do so, but at the expense of a high draft pick.

The chaff then gets left out there in the veteran dispersmant draft so guys can fill the dead spots on their roster.

[cdcox]

I was thinking two separate drafts. A rookie only draft and a FA draft using the left over veteran list, with any nominated studs added. Both drafts conducted in the same order based on finish of last season. We could run as many rounds in the vet draft as people want. If you are satisfied with your team just skip your round of the FA draft. I need to program something so you can cut players from your roster.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by cdcox

I was thinking two separate drafts. A rookie only draft and a FA draft using the left over veteran list, with any nominated studs added. Both drafts conducted in the same order based on finish of last season. We could run as many rounds in the vet draft as people want. If you are satisfied with your team just skip your round of the FA draft. I need to program something so you can cut players from your roster.

It just seems like the guys that did well last season are taking it in the shorts there by having to go late on the rookie draft (understandable) AND the veteran draft.

If we did random lottery for the FA draft, I'd be less opposed to it, otherwise I think we really get the short end of it at the back of the draft if you re-set the draft starting at 1 again for the free agency period.

[DJ's left nut]

Hey CD - any idea when draft picks will be assigned?

I have a trade agreement w/ Portland but I'm getting a 4th rounder back in the deal and I can't process the trade without having picks available to be included in deals.

Thankya sir.

[DJ's left nut]

Sadface...

[cdcox]

Working on it right now. Should be running the draft within a week or so.

[Branden Albert's Huge Balls]

So I wonder if we'll see Russell Wilson go in the top 5 now...

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Cassel's Reckoning

So I wonder if we'll see Russell Wilson go in the top 5 now...

He almost has to, doesn't he?

[Rain Man]

I don't recall how many teams I'm still running, but they pretty much all need a quarterback. Luck, Griffin, Wilson, come on down!

[cdcox]

I just cleared a programming hurdle that I had been working on way before Thanksgiving. That took much longer than intended and I'm behind schedule again as a result. But steady progress is being made.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by cdcox

I just cleared a programming hurdle that I had been working on way before Thanksgiving. That took much longer than intended and I'm behind schedule again as a result. But steady progress is being made.

Awesome. Year 2 will be four times better than Year 1 as rivalries are resumed and rebuilding programs begin.