TSN Efforts? Remembering the 70s or Refreshing the 80s?

[Semper Gumby]

Does anyone know what, if any, plans TSN may have to either refresh the 80s player pool or adding another format, e.g., the 70s?

Any clues as to whether TSN can provide the same functional upgrades that it seems to have applied to the current year versions?

It would be nice to see other team's stories and highlights as you can (I think) in the CDROM format.

Just a thought

[DOUGGRAY]

I really doubt TSN will do anything with the 80s. The revenue for it isnt strong at all compared to 200X and ATG.

Overall, profit from SOM isnt very strong compared to the ultimate fantasy games so any attention we get will be always limited. ATG and 200x will get it first.


I guess the [i:7b6fe54a88]Beggers cant be choosers [/i:7b6fe54a88] saying fits us ;)

[AdamKatz]

I think a "remembering the 90s" or even remembering 95-05 would be the best ideas. This format is more fun than the 200x formats. period. The problem is that anyone under 30 does not remember half these players. In ATG they are all familiar names, but Im 35, I think I am on the young side for this site and I dont remember over half the AL players in rememberign the 80s. and I dont mean just the .75 players

Not to make light of it, but I assume they have done all the hard work already. How long would it take to set up more "remembering" games? they already have the cards and the program.

[DOUGGRAY]

I would love a remember the 90s theme!!

But yes it would take a while to build each card with 5 diferent years on it. Yes it would take resources TSN doesnt have.

I have been to their office twice in NYC, this would take them time and resources. Also the ATG and 200x crew wouldnt be happy because most of them hate this format and they do not want to see TSN working on a new version of it. TSN does not want to piss off those bread and butter guys.

[Semper Gumby]

Penn,

Once a 200x game is launched, what else do the SoM and TSN guys do?

As for the ATG upgrades, didn't that community raise a stink to get a new engine and player cards?

SoM has produced the cards / code already so the incremental cost would be programming labor / testing.

I mean it ain't like we are implementing a SAP package here with nine (9) different global instances.

If anything, I'd love to see some of the information functionality provided to this game such as highlights. The CDROM has many of these options that are great just to follow the events.

Otherwise, capitalism would say that TSN should maximize its profits by fully leveraging its employs to address its client base.

Perhaps I could visit these guys during my working days in NYC -

[DOUGGRAY]

[i:97e0ffd74a]Otherwise, capitalism would say that TSN should maximize its profits by fully leveraging its employs to address its client base. [/i:97e0ffd74a]

Here is the thing, TSN is actually a sports publication company. The online fantasy stuff ( ultimate and SOM) generate I think only 20-25% of revenues. Ultimate takes a big chunk of that, so SOM is maybe 5-10% of the revenue total (200x,ATG and 80s combined)

I think those are the numbers, I could be way off too I cant remember the details of discussions.

The last time I was there, there was not a development team for SOM at all actually the Ultimate development teams works on SOM in between getting the ultimate seasons ready. Bernie is probably the key figure in this and he is now back at the company. Larry pushed hard to keep focus on SOM but he is gone, Bernie is back so maybe there is still passion and focus.

Also from my point of view Hal Richmond gets a pretty good chunk of SOM profits so in the end this game doesnt make the profits required to have resources allocated to it. Larry once told me it was simply [i:97e0ffd74a]a labour of love for baseball [/i:97e0ffd74a] that keeps this going.

This is my point of view and not TSNs so take it for what its worth. Im just trying to give everyone insight to the environment and why you most likely will not get a new version.

Heck I probably logged more SOM support hours over the past year then a tech support person at TSN did :D

[Semper Gumby]

Penn,

I don't disagree with your "inside baseball" observations about TSN's resource constraints, corporate priorities, or profit motives.

I'll accept them as true.

Perhaps Hal Richman and his company need to be motivated to leverage its intellectual property. :lol:

If you are a publisher (Hal and TSN are esstentially publishers) who wants to make more money you'd think hard about exploiting your marginal cost opportunities. For example, about 70% of the total cost of a book is incurred up to the production of the first copy – additional copies are very cheap. Getting it on the internet and licensing it (granting paid access) drives a publisher's cost down to the ground - just ask the music companies and Napster.

So, Hal and company might be tempted to port that old card data into a modular game engine to increase profit making.

Again, you can't blame the TSN community for wanting other upgrades - we'll never know unless we ask TSN and Hal.

[visick]

Here's my solution if TSN/Strat/Hal Richmond isn't going to do anything...

In the PC Gaming world, quite often the source code is released to the community. ie. Quake, Half-Life just to name a few. Modifications are then made BY the actual players of these games.

Why can't Stratomatic/TSN release the code for Strat? I'm sure legally there is a problem, but it probably could be worked out. There could be a programmer or 2 out there that could tweak the code to benefit everyone. If Strat/TSN doesn't have the time or resources to do it, others probably do.

[DOUGGRAY]

Its a Stratomatic issue and not a TSN one. Hal doesnt want anything out there to hurt is line of revenue from selling individual season decks of cards and a new version of the game each year.

Sadly, they are not a company that likes to think outside of the box, heck they hated the whole CD-ROM idea to start. I approached them with a complete online solution that allows for people like us to build our own leagues (with any selection of player cards) for a period based membership fee.

[Semper Gumby]

Penn,

You created a great draft engine and spent countless uppaid hours doing it.

Some other individual is running www.diamonddope.com and has SoM's permission to provide some statistical information with caveats.

There are a few innovations that TSN hasn't sponsored that the community embraced on its own.

I see the Netplay leagues are up and running now.

Again, you can't get what you don't ask for - perhaps TSN can provide the community with the "art of the possible" and the engage to determine level of interest in building it.

You're right - maybe the market for the 80s is too small. However, it has survived longer than many (including myself) gave it when it launched.