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!

[Branden Albert's Huge Balls]

Originally Posted by cdcox

We may not do this perfectly in year 1, but that is the plan.

I can see people complaining about results already.

I HAVE PLAYER X AND X WHY IS MY X SO LOUSY?

[JD10367]

Reading this thread makes me want to fire up my mid-90s Mac and play some...

TOM LANDRY STRATEGY FOOTBALL!!

[Chiefs=Good]

Im in if its not too late.

[cdcox]

Okay the Internet Explorer issue looks to be fixed. I used a online site to generate the menu and their html was way non-standard. Apparently IE is very picky. It still runs like crap on that browser, but at least it should work if you are forced to use it. Let me know if other issues crop up on IE and I'll get them fixed.

Next is email notification option.

BTW, League 2 has 3 slots left. We'll start a third league if there is enough interest.

[cdcox]

Originally Posted by DaFace

I think you should make the logo bigger.

So far I've focused on function over design. We'll eventually get the place looking spiffy.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by DaFace

I think you should make the logo bigger.

We discovered a loophole where it didn't cost more to make it bigger, so we maxed it out. It greatly lowers our cost per logo-square-inch.

[DMAC]

Will Safari (iOS) handle this ok?

iOS is all I have at home. Looks like the rookie draft page works...although i can only look at one page of players.

Veteran draft page shows no players. Im assuming it doesnt appear this way with chrome @ work.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by DMAC

Will Safari (iOS) handle this ok?

iOS is all I have at home. Looks like the rookie draft page works...although i can only look at one page of players.

Veteran draft page shows no players. Im assuming it doesnt appear this way with chrome @ work.

I'm on Chrome and it works perfectly for me. Hopefully you'll see the same thing. In the long run, though, we'll want it to work on Safari, too.

[noa]

Further questions about scoring. First, on offensive linemen: I'm not familiar with actual OL statistics other than sacks given up, but what is more valuable, an OL who plays for a team with a top tier running game, or an OL who plays for a team that gives up few sacks and produces lots of passing yards?
As for defense, is there a way to factor in the fact that some CBs are thrown at very little because their coverage is so good? Or is it better to skew towards CBs who are going to produce real stats, like tackles and INTs?

[Bo's Pelini]

Whens the draft?

[cdcox]

Originally Posted by noa

Further questions about scoring. First, on offensive linemen: I'm not familiar with actual OL statistics other than sacks given up, but what is more valuable, an OL who plays for a team with a top tier running game, or an OL who plays for a team that gives up few sacks and produces lots of passing yards?
As for defense, is there a way to factor in the fact that some CBs are thrown at very little because their coverage is so good? Or is it better to skew towards CBs who are going to produce real stats, like tackles and INTs?

If you plan to run a lot, you want OL that are generally considered to be good run blockers. If you plan to pass a lot, you want good pass blockers. If you plan a balanced attack, you want OL that does a reasonable job at both. Focus on individual linemen rather than the team's running ability.

I'm certainly not going to use an irrelevant stat like tackles to judge defensive backs. A shutdown corner who doesn't get thrown at much will be a great guy to have.

People will be better off if they don't worry about the scoring and just draft good football players.

[cdcox]

Originally Posted by Bo's Pelini

Whens the draft?

If you are in league 1 it will say on your draft pages. The time will display correctly if you set your time zone under account management.

If you are in league 2 your draft will start 24 hours after the league is full.

[cdcox]

Originally Posted by DMAC

Will Safari (iOS) handle this ok?

iOS is all I have at home. Looks like the rookie draft page works...although i can only look at one page of players.

Veteran draft page shows no players. Im assuming it doesnt appear this way with chrome @ work.

hmmm. I don't have Safari installed on my computer. I'll check into it in a day or two.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by cdcox

If you plan to run a lot, you want OL that are generally considered to be good run blockers. If you plan to pass a lot, you want good pass blockers. If you plan a balanced attack, you want OL that does a reasonable job at both. Focus on individual linemen rather than the team's running ability.

I'm certainly not going to use an irrelevant stat like tackles to judge defensive backs. A shutdown corner who doesn't get thrown at much will be a great guy to have.

People will be better off if they don't worry about the scoring and just draft good football players.

This is a good point. The simulation system isn't going to be something like, "Peyton Manning is worth X points and Matt Cassel is worth Y points". It's going to be more complex and will take into account the combined strengths of all the players around these guys as well as your philosophy. If you're going to have a run-first team, the difference between Manning and Cassel will be smaller. If you're going to have a pass-first team, you're going to want to draft linemen who are good pass protectors. And none of those things are going to be measured by gross stats like number of receptions or number of tackles. It's more about productivity when the opportunity arises.

[noa]

Originally Posted by cdcox

If you plan to run a lot, you want OL that are generally considered to be good run blockers. If you plan to pass a lot, you want good pass blockers. If you plan a balanced attack, you want OL that does a reasonable job at both. Focus on individual linemen rather than the team's running ability.

I'm certainly not going to use an irrelevant stat like tackles to judge defensive backs. A shutdown corner who doesn't get thrown at much will be a great guy to have.

People will be better off if they don't worry about the scoring and just draft good football players.

This is very helpful. Thanks much.