Beast_from_East;2573584 said:
Is this like Franchise Mode???
I have never heard of Strat-o-matic, is it like a fantasy football league setup???
No, it is play by play coaching and each game takes between 1 and 1/2 hours.
You get all of the players from the past season on their original teams. If someone wanted they could play the game solo against some outstanding computer managers that the game comes with. Those computer managers are actually set up to mimic the real life play calling tendencies of each team, both on offense and defense.
It is more fun to play the game online head to head, and there are a lot of leagues out there like ours where you begin the league with an initial draft. (Our league has 53 man rosters and 3 man IR) You then have to cut your team down by as many players as you want to draft in the next season's draft.
In terms of the playcalling, it is fairly basic, but because of the matchups it is pretty challenging.
For example, on a running play, I would select run, select the ball carrier, (QB, FB, HB, or a WR on a reverse), and then I would select the hole that I wanted him to run it into. If I select an end run then it is either to the strong side or weak side, if it is an off tackle, then right or left, and a dive play is over the center. This becomes important when the game calls for a comparison between your blocker's rating and the computer "dice roll", or the defensive player's rating and the computer's dice roll. That is why you want to run toward your strongest blockers and the defenses weakest run stoppers. What complicates it, however, is that the defense can choose to blitz linebackers into those gaps, and can even "key" the running back if he chooses the right gap. Stuff like that.
It is a lot of fun.
