The Sandbox Suggestion Box ("Sandgestion Box")

[rageeumr]

Originally Posted by Alex Smith HATER

This is a brilliant idea, and I'd love it.

Thirded.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by AustinChief

So, I've been thinking about the way games have to be read in play by play mode. That is going to be a pretty serious limitation to getting a more widespread audience for the product. If it is at all possible, it would be much much much cooler if you could have a "game cast." It actually wouldn't be that hard to do using HTML5 canvas and some rudimentary icons. You wouldn't even need to program in time delays(which can be a pain) instead just make the user click "forward/back" through the plays and watch them unfold on the canvas.

Would definitely make the game experience more exciting and suspenseful.

Can you draw a picture of that so I can visualize it?

[cdcox]

Originally Posted by AustinChief

So, I've been thinking about the way games have to be read in play by play mode. That is going to be a pretty serious limitation to getting a more widespread audience for the product. If it is at all possible, it would be much much much cooler if you could have a "game cast." It actually wouldn't be that hard to do using HTML5 canvas and some rudimentary icons. You wouldn't even need to program in time delays(which can be a pain) instead just make the user click "forward/back" through the plays and watch them unfold on the canvas.

Would definitely make the game experience more exciting and suspenseful.

The HTML5 canvas part isn't that big of a deal. But now you have 22 bodies that you need to track in a very specific way during a play. Instead of maybe 10 that you only had to track in a general way. The simulation that you need to do to support an animation is probably 5 to 10 times more detailed than the one you need to run to support a text based simulation. So 5000 lines of code for a text based simulation becomes 30,000, plus the animation code. It can be done, but it isn't at all trivial.

[AustinChief]

Originally Posted by cdcox

The HTML5 canvas part isn't that big of a deal. But now you have 22 bodies that you need to track in a very specific way during a play. Instead of maybe 10 that you only had to track in a general way. The simulation that you need to do to support an animation is probably 5 to 10 times more detailed than the one you need to run to support a text based simulation. So 5000 lines of code for a text based simulation becomes 30,000, plus the animation code. It can be done, but it isn't at all trivial.

Ah I think you are taking it far too far... I am talking something simple to start. Imagine that the ONLY data you had was what was already in the play by play that we read. Just take THAT data (and you would need the positional data if you wanted to be even more specific, for example on a QB sack it'd be cool to show which side it came from... but certainly not a dealbreaker) and with the simple play by play info you could create very crude animations of each play. RainMan may be right, I may have to draw this out to explain how simple I mean it to be. I am not even talking about showing all the players on the field or anything close to that. Just a simple animation of what we already read.

[cdcox]

Originally Posted by AustinChief

Ah I think you are taking it far too far... I am talking something simple to start. Imagine that the ONLY data you had was what was already in the play by play that we read. Just take THAT data (and you would need the positional data if you wanted to be even more specific, for example on a QB sack it'd be cool to show which side it came from... but certainly not a dealbreaker) and with the simple play by play info you could create very crude animations of each play. RainMan may be right, I may have to draw this out to explain how simple I mean it to be. I am not even talking about showing all the players on the field or anything close to that. Just a simple animation of what we already read.

Ah, I see. Yeah, that is doable and I can see how that would add quite a bit to the experience. I was thinking along the lines of showing a play book animation of the whole play. Good idea.

[AustinChief]

Originally Posted by cdcox

Ah, I see. Yeah, that is doable and I can see how that would add quite a bit to the experience. I was thinking along the lines of showing a play book animation of the whole play. Good idea.

Sweet! So we should expect it to be working sometime in the next few simulations?

[DJ's left nut]

Maybe someone's already commented on this, but the 'league rosters' page has been installed and it's a pretty nice touch.

Thanks, CD.

[cdcox]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Maybe someone's already commented on this, but the 'league rosters' page has been installed and it's a pretty nice touch.

Thanks, CD.

I have a few additional minor improvements that will be unvailed at the rookie draft including...

a trade block.

[cdcox]

If I were doing Sandbox full time, then yes. But sales hasn't generated a plug nickel yet, so Sandbox only gets my crumbs.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by cdcox

If I were doing Sandbox full time, then yes. But sales hasn't generated a plug nickel yet, so Sandbox only gets my crumbs.

I'm regretting my commission-only employment agreement, but I'm still building momentum.

[brorth]

So, how cool would it be if there was a Sandbox fantasy League? With all the statistical data being compiled, surely there's enough info.

I love the ownership aspect from year to year, but wouldn't it be cool to have a gambling challenge or fantasy with less commitment (week to week or new fantasy draft each sandbox season)?

Fantasy fantasy football...

[Rasputin]

Originally Posted by brorth

So, how cool would it be if there was a Sandbox fantasy League? With all the statistical data being compiled, surely there's enough info.

I love the ownership aspect from year to year, but wouldn't it be cool to have a gambling challenge or fantasy with less commitment (week to week or new fantasy draft each sandbox season)?

Fantasy fantasy football...

I suggest go play fantasy football then.


I like this way it is and able to keep the players you want to build your team with. I may not like all the players on my team as a new owner but I can work out deals, make trades, and tank the season just to get higher draft picks not that I would do that.

[brorth]

Originally Posted by KC Tattoo

I suggest go play fantasy football then.


I like this way it is and able to keep the players you want to build your team with. I may not like all the players on my team as a new owner but I can work out deals, make trades, and tank the season just to get higher draft picks not that I would do that.

Wait, you're saying you wouldn't want a fantasy league based on the Sandbox stats because team owners might tank their Sandbox season to draft a player in their Sandbox fantasy league?

MIND=BLOWN.

[Fansy the Famous Bard]

Originally Posted by brorth

So, how cool would it be if there was a Sandbox fantasy League? With all the statistical data being compiled, surely there's enough info.

I love the ownership aspect from year to year, but wouldn't it be cool to have a gambling challenge or fantasy with less commitment (week to week or new fantasy draft each sandbox season)?

Fantasy fantasy football...

[DJ's left nut]

Any more movement on the backup/sub-package questions?

By way of real world example, I'm about to get proper rogered by the Seahawks moving Irvin to the SLB spot and I've failed miserably in all attempts to secure a replacement DE4. Now I could make due by going after a DE3 in FA and moving Irvin down to DE in pass-rushing situations, but there's no way to do that short of making him purely a backup and putting him in at DE with a passing down bias.

At that point, however, I lose the ability to have him as an attacking SLB during neutral downs because I can't have someone listed as a backup that's a starter (or backup) anywhere else.