College Basketball Text Sim?

[rem]

Anyone know any good ones?

[jbmagic]

the best one is FBCB

Fast Break College Basketball

http://www.fbbgames.com/fbcb/index.htm

[84CubsFan]

Originally Posted by jbmagic

the best one is FBCB

Fast Break College Basketball

http://www.fbbgames.com/fbcb/index.htm

Better than Tournament Dreams Championship Basketball? I thought that game was pretty great.

[Tiger Fan]

I have TDCB and really enjoy it. There are rumours that Gary Gorski at GreyDog Software is going to create a college game to compliment his great NBA game. If he does and it is half as good as Total Pro Basketball 2005 it will be an outstanding game.

http://www.greydogsoftware.com/

[Mike D]

Ootp 6

[Jestor]

Originally Posted by 84CubsFan

Better than Tournament Dreams Championship Basketball? I thought that game was pretty great.

TDCB is pretty... but there's too many things that are way out of wack on it for my tastes, namely the abymsal stats engine.

FBCB is the best out there in my opinion.

[Muppetus Galacticus]

I'm not much of a basketball fan but like when OOTP really got me into baseball I'm thinking maybe something like FBCB will peak my interest in this sport. I was considering getting the PS2 college game that I've seen mentioned around here but I guess I just like spreadsheets ahead of 3D

One thing I am wondering though in FBCB is can you play the games out or are they just simmed? I didn't see anything in the screenshots that would answer this.

[marc]

Yes, you can play games out and coach them just like OOTP. I just started playing the trial version that you can play for 3 days and it's sweet I'm almost positive I'm going to buy it.

[sixto]

With apologies to those who would be hurt by such a comment, I have come to the unfortunate conclusion that Tournament Dreams sucks ass.

There is no way to make your team better. My players never trend better as they age - in fact, they always get worse. Conference records are always bunched around the .500 mark for all teams in a conference because every team with an equal "prestige" rating gets equally prestigious recruits. Coaches - who are often more important than talent at the collegiate level - might as well not be part of the game.

You set your 3-pointer slider to take lots of threes, and your team takes 8. You set it to take no threes at all, and they take 24. Tell them to run and they stall. In my opinion, Cactus League College Basketball was both more fun and provided more realistic results.

Sorry to the people who worked hard on the game, but it just isn't any good.

[spleen1015]

FBCB is definitely the better of the 2 games. It doesn't look like much when you first get a hold of it, but just wait...

[Sweed]

I agree with the others, FBCB is the best. And yes I also own TDCB.

FBCB is hands down the best game I've played when it comes to coaching the game myself. It simply "feels" like a real game from fatigue to strategy used against my opponent. The ratings work together to make each player seem like an individual from slashing scorers to standstill jumpshooters to defensive wizzards. It is just all so well done. This game is right at the top of the list of games I would reccomend to someone else to try.

One more comment on coaching of games and how IMHO it is the best. I also have Total Pro Basketball 2005 and have found it, like many others, to be another great basketball game. However in TPB I let my computer coach run the games so I can't compare FBCB to TPB with regard to in game coaching. I would guess though the TPB in game play would be similar to FBCB with regard to a realistic feeling game.

But if you're looking for a college game then FBCB is the one to get.

[Big Six]

I've had a lot of fun with Tournament Dreams, but I haven't had it long enough to observe some of the problems some of you guys have mentioned. I have, however, been a little frustrated with the same things Sixto mentioned.

I had the same experience with some of the strategy settings. I had a team with several guys who were money from outside, so I set the slider to make them look for the three as often as possible. One game they took only 2. I told myself, "I suppose the other team's terrific defense denied them the outside shot," and went on from there. When this kept happening, I decided it was more of an AI-related problem.

I've had a lot of fun with the recruiting phase of the game, though, so I've kept it on my hard drive. I just downloaded FBCB, and I'm gonna give the 3-day trial a good workout. I'll let y'all know what I think after I've played it.

P.S. Cool J.J. Redick and Roman Gabriel avatars, guys.

[84CubsFan]

Hmm, I'll definitely have to give FBCB a try then. I totally agree with a lot of the TDCB problems that you guys mention. Most annoying aspect for me is that because of the way the engine works, all good teams end up looking exactly the same (like Dean Smith NC teams, to be exact).

But I do enjoy the recruiting aspect of TDCB (though it has its problems, too). Is there recruiting and career play in FBCB?

[jbmagic]

Originally Posted by 84CubsFan

Hmm, I'll definitely have to give FBCB a try then. I totally agree with a lot of the TDCB problems that you guys mention. Most annoying aspect for me is that because of the way the engine works, all good teams end up looking exactly the same (like Dean Smith NC teams, to be exact).

But I do enjoy the recruiting aspect of TDCB (though it has its problems, too). Is there recruiting and career play in FBCB?

yes

try the demo, its fully function and you can try it for 3 days

[Jestor]

Originally Posted by 84CubsFan

Hmm, I'll definitely have to give FBCB a try then. I totally agree with a lot of the TDCB problems that you guys mention. Most annoying aspect for me is that because of the way the engine works, all good teams end up looking exactly the same (like Dean Smith NC teams, to be exact).

But I do enjoy the recruiting aspect of TDCB (though it has its problems, too). Is there recruiting and career play in FBCB?

Yep and the recruiting in FBCB makes a hell of a lot more sense in my opinion. I actually have a sense of how I'm doing with the recruits there rather than that the lost in the woods feeling TDCB's recruiting gave me.

[Gary Gorski]

Originally Posted by Sweed

One more comment on coaching of games and how IMHO it is the best. I also have Total Pro Basketball 2005 and have found it, like many others, to be another great basketball game. However in TPB I let my computer coach run the games so I can't compare FBCB to TPB with regard to in game coaching. I would guess though the TPB in game play would be similar to FBCB with regard to a realistic feeling game.

Actually the in game play is quite different between the two partly because of features and partly because of nature of the sport.

TPB offers a 2D representation of what is going on along with a text PBP so you can really follow the action and see for yourself who is playing poor defense or who is helping alot to affect shots or get more blocks. Also TPB offers you coaching options like the ability to call a specific play for a player out of a time out.

In terms of coaching options I don't know for sure what FBCB offers but TPB gives you the ability to coach by setting your defense, your offense sets, your tempo, your pressure and the ability to set each defensive matchup as well as work the officials for calls. However there's not as much "coaching" done in a pro game vs. a college game. In college its much more involved with the myriad of defenses and offenses to run and styles of play whereas in the pro game its more about getting the best players on the floor and letting them do their thing. Not that there isn't strategy involved in coaching in TPB because there certainly is, especially with who you matchup against who but there are no options/sliders to tell your team to shoot alot of threes this game and barely any the next time or to run a diamond press etc... - those things just aren't done to that degree on the pro level - players all have a game they are comfortable playing and that's how they play.

However you can be sure that if I do put my efforts into a college hoops sim that it will take the best things in TPB and be expanded upon to give the best and most accurate coaching experience possible. As for whats out there now for college sims I think that both TDCB and FBCB do certain things very well and lack in others - try the demos and see what you like better (or go pro and pickup TPB )

[Sweed]

Originally Posted by Gary Gorski

Actually the in game play is quite different between the two partly because of features and partly because of nature of the sport.

TPB offers a 2D representation of what is going on along with a text PBP so you can really follow the action and see for yourself who is playing poor defense or who is helping alot to affect shots or get more blocks. Also TPB offers you coaching options like the ability to call a specific play for a player out of a time out.

In terms of coaching options I don't know for sure what FBCB offers but TPB gives you the ability to coach by setting your defense, your offense sets, your tempo, your pressure and the ability to set each defensive matchup as well as work the officials for calls. However there's not as much "coaching" done in a pro game vs. a college game. In college its much more involved with the myriad of defenses and offenses to run and styles of play whereas in the pro game its more about getting the best players on the floor and letting them do their thing. Not that there isn't strategy involved in coaching in TPB because there certainly is, especially with who you matchup against who but there are no options/sliders to tell your team to shoot alot of threes this game and barely any the next time or to run a diamond press etc... - those things just aren't done to that degree on the pro level - players all have a game they are comfortable playing and that's how they play.

However you can be sure that if I do put my efforts into a college hoops sim that it will take the best things in TPB and be expanded upon to give the best and most accurate coaching experience possible. As for whats out there now for college sims I think that both TDCB and FBCB do certain things very well and lack in others - try the demos and see what you like better (or go pro and pickup TPB )

Gary, I totally agree with you on the fact that there are differences with the in game play due to the reasons you list here. I am talking more about the "feeling" you get from both games that make for a realistic exerience. Now, since you have done such a great job of making it possible for me to let the coach I hired run my team in tpb there hasn't really been a reason for me to do it myself. I'm just guessing that if I did decide to do it myself it wouldn't take anything away from that "realistic" experience that the game already gives me.

[lynchjm24]

Is there a 'real' roster set for FBCB?

[twins15]

Just downloaded the trial for FBCB, and it has been very fun for me thus far. I am defininitely thinking about buying the game.