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

On what kind of plays/stats? I have code to prevent this for rushing and most passing plays, but not for sacks and pressures. Could be the code isn't working right but I thought I accounted for this.

Well, according to this play by play:

http://sandboxsimulations.com/index....w_game_pbp/563

Tom Brady passes complete to Kellen Winslow for a gain of 3 yards. PENALTY. Offensive Pass Interference on Kellen Winslow. -10 yards.

Tom Brady (pressured) passes complete to Ahmad Bradshaw for a gain of 17 yards. PENALTY. Offensive Holding on Jeremy Bridges. -10 yards.

Ricky Williams rushes for 5 yards. PENALTY. Offensive Holding on Jeremy Bridges. -10 yards. time out Denver

That's two passes and one rush that shouldn't be in the box score.

There are 36 instances of Tom Brady (pressured) passes or Tom Brady passes in the play by play, so there should be 34 pass attempts in the box score. There are 36.

I've got 31 instances of Ricky Williams rushes or Ahmad Bradshaw rushes or Tom Brady (pressured) scrambles in the play by play, so there should be 30 rush attempts in the box score. There are 31.

I'm running low on sleep so maybe I'm just batshit insane but that doesn't seem right.

[cdcox]

Originally Posted by Cassel's Reckoning

Well, according to this play by play:

http://sandboxsimulations.com/index....w_game_pbp/563



That's two passes and one rush that shouldn't be in the box score.

There are 36 instances of Tom Brady (pressured) passes or Tom Brady passes in the play by play, so there should be 34 pass attempts in the box score. There are 36.

I've got 31 instances of Ricky Williams rushes or Ahmad Bradshaw rushes or Tom Brady (pressured) scrambles in the play by play, so there should be 30 rush attempts in the box score. There are 31.

I'm running low on sleep so maybe I'm just batshit insane but that doesn't seem right.

Thanks, I fixed it and a few other issues with the box scores.

In the above game, Brady had 33 pass attempts: 38 mentions less (3 penalties, one sack, and one scramble under pressure).

[brorth]

I'll call this a vent for feedback's sake.
First, let me say that I love the fact I'm "pissed" about a player's RL performance as it relates to this game. It confirms to me you've tapped in to that competitive drive FF tries to satisfy.
HOW IN THE HELL CAN YOU SLEEP AT NIGHT KNOWING THAT KYLE ARRINGTON - THE NFL LEADER IN INTERCEPTIONS - HAS GIVEN ME A TOTAL OF ONE (1), UNO INTERCEPTION IN 17 WEEKS OF FOOTBALL?!?!?!?!

OK, back to regular programming...

[Branden Albert's Huge Balls]

Originally Posted by cdcox

Thanks, I fixed it and a few other issues with the box scores.

In the above game, Brady had 33 pass attempts: 38 mentions less (3 penalties, one sack, and one scramble under pressure).

Looks like this changed season stats, unless I am mistaken.

[cdcox]

Originally Posted by brorth

I'll call this a vent for feedback's sake.
First, let me say that I love the fact I'm "pissed" about a player's RL performance as it relates to this game. It confirms to me you've tapped in to that competitive drive FF tries to satisfy.
HOW IN THE HELL CAN YOU SLEEP AT NIGHT KNOWING THAT KYLE ARRINGTON - THE NFL LEADER IN INTERCEPTIONS - HAS GIVEN ME A TOTAL OF ONE (1), UNO INTERCEPTION IN 17 WEEKS OF FOOTBALL?!?!?!?!

OK, back to regular programming...

Without going into the mechanics of the game simulator, the parts of this article dealing with interceptions might be illuminating:

http://www.advancednflstats.com/2008...rediction.html

[cdcox]

Originally Posted by Cassel's Reckoning

Looks like this changed season stats, unless I am mistaken.

Yes, slightly.

Penalty yards are no longer included in total yards.
Sack yards are subtracted from passing yards.
And I exluded penalty plays from the season stats, too.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by brorth

I'll call this a vent for feedback's sake.
First, let me say that I love the fact I'm "pissed" about a player's RL performance as it relates to this game. It confirms to me you've tapped in to that competitive drive FF tries to satisfy.
HOW IN THE HELL CAN YOU SLEEP AT NIGHT KNOWING THAT KYLE ARRINGTON - THE NFL LEADER IN INTERCEPTIONS - HAS GIVEN ME A TOTAL OF ONE (1), UNO INTERCEPTION IN 17 WEEKS OF FOOTBALL?!?!?!?!

OK, back to regular programming...

His interceptions are down because Curtis Brown's epic performance has frightened quarterbacks away from downfield passing. 12 interceptions in League 1 for Richmond.

[Branden Albert's Huge Balls]

Kyle Arrington's INTs are down because:

Cedar Rapids has a horrible defense (2nd worst)

Cedar Rapids has a horrible pass rush (4th worst)

Cedar Rapids can't stop the run. (worst YPC, RYPG allowed)

Cedar Rapids can't score. (3rd worst scoring offense)

Seems pretty cut and dry.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by cdcox

Without going into the mechanics of the game simulator, the parts of this article dealing with interceptions might be illuminating:

http://www.advancednflstats.com/2008...rediction.html

When we have a thousand active leagues, it'd be interesting to see if the stats centralize for each player on the real-life number.

Not that I'm going to take the time to do it, of course, but it'd be interesting.

[brorth]

Originally Posted by Cassel's Reckoning

Kyle Arrington's INTs are down because:

Cedar Rapids has a horrible defense (2nd worst)

Cedar Rapids has a horrible pass rush (4th worst)

Cedar Rapids can't stop the run. (worst YPC, RYPG allowed)

Cedar Rapids can't score. (3rd worst scoring offense)

Seems pretty cut and dry.

Corona has a good defense (1st best)

Corona has a good pass rush (1st best)

Corona can stop the run (4.37 YPC, 1329 yds / 78.1 RYPG)

Corona can score (5th best scoring offense)

Not very cut and dry, huh?

[brorth]

Originally Posted by cdcox

Without going into the mechanics of the game simulator, the parts of this article dealing with interceptions might be illuminating:

http://www.advancednflstats.com/2008...rediction.html

You could have just told me I'm stupid!

Rain Man kind of hit my point, Arrington seems to be an anomaly on my team, all the other stats (even for offensive players) really seemed to fall within a reasonable degree of expectation based on real stats.
I don't have anyone who over performed anywhere near how Arrington under performed, so that makes the difference greater in my mind.
I guess my feeling is along the lines of " I just want to help bring attention to what might be parts that can be improved."
I can see an asshole who paid money screaming like an asshole because he spent a draft pick on the NFL interception leader to gross 1 int for 1 yd.

[Branden Albert's Huge Balls]

Originally Posted by brorth

Corona has a good defense (1st best)

Corona has a good pass rush (1st best)

Corona can stop the run (4.37 YPC, 1329 yds / 78.1 RYPG)

Corona can score (5th best scoring offense)

Not very cut and dry, huh?

I thought Kyle Arrington played for Cedar Rapids.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by Cassel's Reckoning

I thought Kyle Arrington played for Cedar Rapids.

You're talking League 1. He's talking League 2.

[Branden Albert's Huge Balls]

Oh, well league 2 is weaksauce anyway.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by Cassel's Reckoning

Oh, well league 2 is weaksauce anyway.

You haven't seen the likes of the Anchorage Eskimos or the Columbia KC Hood Stars, both playoff teams run by yours truly.