Strat-O-Matic News http://www.strat-o-matic.com © 2014 Strat-O-Matic Media, LLC Summer 2014 New this Summer Your NFL Challenge: from Strat-O-Matic Super Seattle D vs. Football Strat-O-Matic Pro Football 2014 2013 NFL season Sensational Denver O 1974 NFL season Seattle’s dominant defense ruled the National Football League in 2013, but otherwise 1956 NFL season offense will explode on gamers’ table-tops and computer screens, because the rest of the ETA: Early August NFL shattered records for most points, touchdowns and yards. (see Page 3 for more details) Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, LeSean McCoy, Josh Gordon, Andrew Luck, Pierre Garcon and numerous other quarterbacks, runners and receivers set league and franchise records. Strat-O-Matic College Football 2014 But pay close attention during the fireworks show. Gamers will thrill to the possibility with 2013 NCAA season of winning any game — two-thirds of all 2013 games were within one score in the fourth ETA: Late August quarter. (see Page 2 for more details) Manning and his Denver Broncos set the pace: 55 TD passes, a record 5,447 yards passing, a record five Broncos with 10 TDs or more and the first NFL team to score 600 points (606). Denver is just the peak. Not far below, nine passers topped 4,000 yards. Brees also topped Hockey 5,000, for a record fourth time. Strat-O-Matic Hockey 2014 Eleven teams topped 400 points. Three —Cincinnati, New England and New Orleans — 2013-14 NHL season were 8-0 at home. 1989-90 NHL season Thirteen runners and 24 receivers topped 1,000 yards, led by McCoy’s 1,607 running and 1954-55 NHL season Gordon’s 1,646 receiving. Gordon’s consecutive 200-plus receiving days was an NFL first. ETA: Late September Five receivers had at least 100 catches, with Garcon’s Washington-record 113 on top. (see Page 5 for more details) And yet it was young Nick Foles, directing new coach Chip Kelly’s up-tempo offense that set a Philadelpia record for yards, who had the league’s best passer rating, not Manning. Only the 1965 Chargers of the defunct American Football League had a tandem -- John Hadl Basketball and Paul Lowe -- to be No. 1 in passing and rushing the same season, until Foles and McCoy Strat-O-Matic Basketball 2014 did it this year. 2012-13 NBA season More heroics from the NFL’s exciting crop of young quarterbacks: Indianapolis’ Andrew 1967-68 NBA season (Windows only) Luck became the first QB in history to pass for more than 8,000 yards his first two seasons. 1968-69 ABA season (Windows only) Seattle’s Russell Wilson became the third in NFL history to pass for more than 50 touchdowns ETA: Cards-Late September (52) his first two years. Windows-Late October There’s more to get fired up about: Philip Rivers’ spectacular comeback in San Diego. Kansas City’s rebound from two wins to 11 with the electrifying Jamaal Charles, who scored (see Pages 4 for more details) five touchdowns in a game. Jimmy Graham’s 16 TD catches. The WR tandem of Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery, whose combined 2,700 receiving yards help make Chicago the Like us on Facebook; follow us on Twitter second-best offense. On defense, Seattle yielded a remarkably low 14 points per game for a Strat-O-Matic Games @StratOMatic season like this. Indy’s Robert Mathis had 19.5 sacks and St. Louis’ Robert Quinn had 19. In other words, this has to be one of the most exciting sets of pro football teams and The go-to places for Strat-O-Matic players Strat-O-Matic gamers have ever enjoyed. announcements and unique discounts. By Popular Demand, New All-Time Greats Leagues Start Now — see Page 6 Strat-O-Matic News, Summer 2014 Page 2 New Windows Football Features Game Replay for Football, Too Strat-O-Matic is heightening the an- as sometimes this information could be From the Help file: “You could auto-play ticipation of its gamers who play Strat-O- cleared too quickly by your opponent. an entire season and then click the individual Matic Pro Football 2014. It will happen Other mid-game improvements involve games in the calendar to reveal the outcome during play-calling with the Pass Rush variable sack yardage (more yards on long of your team’s games one-by-one instead of Matchup feature, and even after games are passes and fewer yards on shorter passes) having their record and all the game scores done, through Game Replay. and pass-interference yardage. displayed up front. Revealing the scores Necessary to play the soon-to-be-released For those who love to play with cards of games this way can be fun, and it allows 2013, 1974 and 1956 NFL seasons, the new and dice but want the computer to do the excitement to grow as the season’s games are version of the Windows game has a dozen hours-saving stat keeping, a vastly improved progressively revealed.” enhancements for solo players and leagues, Manual Dice Entry feature permits manual and for conventional play, auto-play and entries in 21 additional areas of the game, LEAGUE-FRIENDLY NetPlay. such as the Long Gain / Short Gain charts, Game Replay, a popular feature already variable punts and sacks, injuries and much For years now, it has become customary in Strat-O-Matic Windows baseball, is the more. for Strat-O-Matic to answer requests from showcase new feature for pro football. It’s Finally, the computer-coach logic has league commissioners to allow more and especially attractive to review games that been improved for run-keying and for spik- more customization for league preferences. have been auto-played or played on a league ing the ball. This time, a new Lock/Unlock League option in the League Menu allows the member’s computer. But it can also be commissioner of the league to lock the enjoyed as a way to savor special games, or AN EASY WAY TO ADD league with a PIN code. This can be used to assist the memory when doing post-game SUSPENSE to make sure all league members are playing write-ups. by the same rules, because the commissioner For football, as the Help file explains, can lock out certain game options. “The Game Replay draws a drive chart type Ever run a cluster of auto-play games to Further, SOM has added support for animation to let you visualize play results.” complete a week or a season, but wanted to the new Blogger API. And it has improved Now you can see how the star of the game review special games without the spoiler of the Schedule Generator to produce partial got his scores and yards and how the winning knowing who won and the new standings results when circumstances require some rally was accomplished. in advance? Welcome to the new Hide manual entries – no longer will you have to Standings and Game Scores option in start over if your schedule requirements have League Manager. GAME ACTION details the Generator cannot handle. When a play involves a pass rush, Which QB Will Make Your appreciate the new Pass Rush Matchup, which displays a dialog that shows who has the advantage on matchups from your Team National Champion? Offensive and Defensive Rating Cards. The The last, memorable year of the BCS soon will be ready for you to replay, conference- display involves up to six matchups. It shows style or tournament style on your computer. The 2013 NCAA season was remarkable for Pass Rush ratings after adjustments have been spectacular quarterback play, producing a Heisman Trophy winner and a cluster of high made for blitzing linebackers, offensive and National Football League draft choices. defensive formation chart adjustments, rule It took an undefeated season for a team to break the Southeastern Conference’s run of adjustments like employing the shot gun, etc. It shows blockers’ Pass Block ratings next to seven straight national championships, but Florida State did just that with Heisman-Trophy each opposing pass rusher. And it shows the winning freshman QB Jameis Winston and a slew of high-NFL draft picks. To finish the job, percentage of time a sack will occur when the Seminoles had to end Auburn’s thrill-a-week Cinderella season of fairy-tale comebacks a matchup is invoked by rule. This feature and a dramatic rise from one of its worst seasons just a year before. helps expose the underlying game engine Still, the SEC had Auburn and six other teams in the nation’s Top-25 and had the more clearly, allowing you to make better in- previous year’s Heisman winner, Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel, who left for the NFL after game decisions. a sophomore season with 70% completions, 46 touchdowns and nearly 5,000 yards passing While your game is in progress, admire and running. Alabama (A.J. McCarron), LSU (Zack Mettenberger) and Georgia (Aaron the wisdom of your play-calling (or Murray) also put quarterbacks in the NFL. hold your head) with the improved Play With Strat-O-Matic, you can replay a memorable NCAA season, thrill to what-if replays Percentage Display. That info no longer that could rewrite the conference standings, or create your own national playoff. The nation’s clears immediately after the “Snap the ball” top 25 had 14 teams with at least 11 wins and five more with 10. It also had four teams from button has been clicked, but remains on outside the power conferences elevated by quarterbacks drafted high in the NFL: Central screen until the play finishes animating and/ Florida’s Blake Bortles (68% completions, 25 TDp, 6 run TD, 9 INT), 12-1 Louisville’s or the dice stop rolling on the screen.