Football Manager iPhone released tomorrow

[Marc Vaughan]

Hi,

My 'secret' is finally out (thank God it'd been driving me batty keeping quiet about it) .... Football Manager iPhone is released tomorrow (all territories), first review at:

Football Manager Handheld 2010 Review for iPhone - VideoGamer.com (http://www.videogamer.com/iphone/fm_handheld_2010/review.html)

Have Fun,

Marc

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Cost?

[Samdari]

Great job Marc.

Now, hurry back and get this released for Android.

[Marc Vaughan]

Cost?

I believe its 6.99 (UK Pounds) in England, not certain of the cost in America at present, although I can confirm it'll be released over here tomorrow same as everywhere else.

[flere-imsaho]

Woah. Congrats! Now, if only I had an iPhone....

[Marc Vaughan]

Woah. Congrats! Now, if only I had an iPhone....

Works on an iTouch as well ;)

Its been road tested on the oldest iTouch's fine incidentally works just the same as on the 3gs - just a little slower ;)

[spleen1015]

I don't play FM, but this is cool!

[Marc Vaughan]

My favourite review so far from the ones I've seen:

Review: Football Manager Handheld 2010 Review - ComputerAndVideoGames.com (http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=242372)

[SirFozzie]

(igor mode on)

IT MUST BE MINE!!!

(igor mode off)

[DaddyTorgo]

goddamn you!!!

like i said in my PM to you a while back...that's a system-seller for me quite likely!!!

ohhhh - the fact it works on an itouch is even better - that way i can just replace my MP3 player!!!

ohhhhhhhh....and congrats for getting it out Marc!!!!

[DaddyTorgo]

looks like very good reviews so far Marc!!

damnit - i guess i could put my tax return towards an itouch...

[DaddyTorgo]

what about the ipad Marc?

[Markus Heinsohn]

Congrats Marc!! Best of luck with the release and great sales numbers!

Cheers,
Markus

[Marc Vaughan]

what about the ipad Marc?

No comment at present I'm afraid, time will tell.

I do love my iPad though (and FMH iPhone will work on it ;) ) :D

[terpkristin]

any hope of work productivity just went down the tubes.
thanks.

/tk

[DaddyTorgo]

No comment at present I'm afraid, time will tell.

I do love my iPad though (and FMH iPhone will work on it ;) ) :D

but FMH iPhone will work on it - that's what I was looking for (I assumed as much). Wasn't looking for news about an iPad specific version...perhaps with 3d graphics, but now you've started the rumor-mill ;)

Cheers!!!

[Daimyo]

Awesome! Just last week I was thinking of posting here asking if this was coming!

[JediKooter]

Awesome! Congrats as well!

[Icy]

A must purchase tomorrow, no more internet surfing in my IPhone while in the WC, now it's FM time!

[Drake]

I just found out I can get Football Manager for the PSP Go my kids got me for my birthday.

It's on my "must obtain" list. :)

Thanks for being so versatile with your projects, Marc.

[DaddyTorgo]

i guess i should consider spending some of the tax refund on an itouch to replace my old MP3 player then...

[Northwood_DK]

Congrats Marc

You guys keep impressing

[ShaneTheMaster]

damnit.. i thought it was real football

[Glengoyne]

I'm still very much pro dot.

This is great. Just in time for my Birthday too!

I cannot be stopped! This will be mine.


On another note: This and Wesnoth in the same week. I'll need to sit next to a wall charger.

[Marc Vaughan]

Out now across Australia and Europe - will hit America in a few hours time if anyones still up come midnight :D

[Marc Vaughan]

damnit.. i thought it was real football

Apologies I know the name can be confusing to people here at times.

[terpkristin]

damnit.. i thought it was real football

some would contend it IS real football. ;) :D

the problem i've had with other iterations of FM is that i can't bring myself to spend that much time in front of my computer. i've also got the small gripe that at first, it's really confusing, it's data overload.

i have FMH for my PSP but the PSP manages battery life so poorly, I haven't played it as much as I would like.

Definitely looking forward to this version. :)

/tk

[k0ruptr]

"I LOVE YOU MARC! I'm gonna be non stop playing this on my Ipod Touch.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

I guess we now know why Marc was giving Shawn Sullivan some pointers in his thread on what Apple requires for iPhone/iPad applications. :)

[SegRat]

downloading now.

[Marc Vaughan]

Just to confirm - the games up in the US iTunes store now and you can find it at ....

Football Manager US iTunes link (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/football-manager-handheld/id364658388?mt=8)

[SegRat]

Fun game. This will get most of my play time on my iPhone.

[Icy]

Still not available in the Spanish store.

[Marc Vaughan]

Still not available in the Spanish store.

Out Now - Spanish store purchase link: FMH iPhone (http://itunes.apple.com/es/app/fm-2010/id352933624?mt=8)

[Calis]

Well Marc, you've successfully made me dig out my Touch again after having not used in months since getting my Droid.

Can't wait to try this out. Congrats!

[Marc Vaughan]

Oh there's also a FREE manual for the game available as an application here -

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/fmh-manual/id366813662?mt=8

[Ronnie Dobbs2]

Now, hurry back and get this released for Android.

Quoted for plead.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

So is this game comparable to the PSP version of the game?

[Marc Vaughan]

So is this game comparable to the PSP version of the game?

The FMH iPhone game is a ported evolution of the PSP game.

That is the basis for the game was originally the PSP product (the first iPhone game version (ie. prototype) was the PSP game running on the iPhone with swiping simulating the PSP inputs and some 'fake' iPhone buttons at the bottom of the page ;) ).

Once the concept was proven (ie. that the game would work on the iPhone) we designed the look and concept behind how the UI itself would work (I've a huge document me and Chris Rice drew up which literally goes over EVERY page in the game detailing what it'll look like and how it'll operate) ... then came months of coding and creative language as I actually implemented those changes.

During this period for 'time outs' when continual GUI stuff drove me nuts I tweaked and tunes the game engine, ironing out as many glitches reported on the forums as possible.

PS - There are a few features from the PSP game not in the iPhone game, these are either absent for physical (ie. memory/processor) reasons or because it simplified the GUI to leave them out.
Off the top of my head these are - only one nation 'active' at a time (ie. no multiple nations leagues active at once), you can't drag and drop tactical positions, some slmplifcations of tactics and no trading cash between transfer budget and wage budget ... I might have missed some but thats the bulk of them I believe.

[DaddyTorgo]

so were the drag+drop tactical and simplification of tactics due to physical reasons, or GUI reasons? Just from the various FM-facebook communities I've got posting all over my facebook page I've noticed that those are a couple things that people seem to miss.

[Miller Time]

Will it (or has it) been released in Canada? Cannot find it on my iTunes store :(

[Sebastian Palkowski]

Will this be released in Germany?

[Marc Vaughan]

Will this be released in Germany?

Its not available in Germany due to licencing issues there, you can purchase it there using a UK iTunes store voucher (or any other supported store voucher).

[Marc Vaughan]

Will it (or has it) been released in Canada? Cannot find it on my iTunes store :(

Hi,

Its out over there I believe - try this link:

http://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/fm-2010/id352933624?mt=8

[Miller Time]

Sweet!

I was looking under FMH and saw the manual but not the game.

Thanks!

[Daimyo]

Downloaded this morning. The GUI will take some getting used to (feels like more clicks), but I already feel myself getting pulled into the game.

Does it auto-save more frequently than desktop versions to account for the risk of phone calls closing the game?

[Marc Vaughan]

Downloaded this morning. The GUI will take some getting used to (feels like more clicks), but I already feel myself getting pulled into the game.
The GUI might have a few more clicks in some actions but this is intentional to ensure that its easy to use tbh ... and its pretty quick/responsive imho.

Does it auto-save more frequently than desktop versions to account for the risk of phone calls closing the game?

It autosaves when you exit the application (via. any method - quitting or phone interrupt etc.).

HOWEVER please be warned this won't save dynamic progress inside a match (ie. you'll lose the current score in an active match) - this is due to technical issues with doing so - I hope to overcome this at some point for an update though.

[lordscarlet]

Please keep us updated (to the extent you can) as to the financial success of such a venture.

[DanGarion]

Out now across Australia and Europe - will hit America in a few hours time if anyones still up come midnight :D

I'm buying it now, just because you are awesome.

[DanGarion]

Since I know someone will ask without looking at the links it's $9.99 in the US.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Since I know someone will ask without looking at the links it's $9.99 in the US.

You're about 30-some posts too late. :)

[DanGarion]

You're about 30-some posts too late. :)

Um, no I'm not. The only price that was typed in on the 1st page was 6.99 UK, there is no $9.99 listed till I typed it.

[Marc Vaughan]

I'm buying it now, just because you are awesome.

Awww thanks .... blushes ;)

[flere-imsaho]

Sports Interactive: Causing Sleep Deprivation since 1993 (I think).

[Marmel]

Is the 25 year limit on a career normal? That seems short for this type of game.

[DanGarion]

Is the 25 year limit on a career normal? That seems short for this type of game.

Hey look who's slumming it up here... ;)

[Ronnie Dobbs2]

I would say that FM moves much more slowly that most other sims, and that I personally only get to about 25 years after more than a year of playing.

[Marmel]

Hey look who's slumming it up here... ;)

I should have used an alias. :p

[Calis]

Yeah I've played a bunch of CM/FM and not sure I've ever gone 25 years so that's no big deal, especially on a mobile platform. Although I think I will go through seasons much quicker here as it seems very quick going from game to game.

I'm enjoying it so far. Started at lowest English division as always. Only annoyance is the difficulty in comparing stats for players and such. You almost have to jot notes down unless I'm missing something. Probably comes down to screen real estate I imagine, but it is my biggest problem.

Overall early impressions are positive.

[Raiders Army]

Does anyone know how this runs on a 3G iPhone?

[SegRat]

Does anyone know how this runs on a 3G iPhone?
It runs just fine on my 3g iphone.

[Landshark44]

ok, i'll buy it....

what league should i get in? is there one that has a lot of FOFC'ers in it?

[Icy]

Purchased it today but have had no time to play it, hopefully tomorrow.

[Raiders Army]

It runs just fine on my 3g iphone.

Thanks. Some apps run a bit slow. Buying now.

[DaddyTorgo]

ok, i'll buy it....

what league should i get in? is there one that has a lot of FOFC'ers in it?

single-player, not multiplayer (maybe that's in the future?)

[Mac Howard]

No comment at present I'm afraid, time will tell.

I do love my iPad though (and FMH iPhone will work on it ;) ) :D

But the iphone game presumably works on the ipad - you must have checked that out ;)

Can't believe you won't be using that extra screen real estate soon. There must be a lot of compromises that will no longer be necessary on the ipad.

[Marc Vaughan]

Yeah the game works fine on an iPad, there's a photo of it running on this one posted on the sigames.com forums actually as proof :)

[Mac Howard]

Yeah the game works fine on an iPad, there's a photo of it running on this one posted on the sigames.com forums actually as proof :)

Quoting myself:

Can't believe you won't be using that extra screen real estate soon.

No comment? ;) :)

[Marc Vaughan]

Quoting myself:
No comment? ;) :)

Yeah you're right ... "No comment" ;)

Sorry Mac - but you know I can't talk about what we might or might not plan for the future ....

[DaddyTorgo]

we all know that Marc.

We just like speculating, and giving you "market feedback" as it were as far as what users might like to see and all.

[INDalltheway]

This is awesome! First day purchase for sure. If you ever need help with beta testing the mobile version, I would be more than happy to help!

[SirFozzie]

Well, the good news is that FM Ipod version got a mention on Kotaku.

The bad news is, the commenters are a barely literate bunch of knuckle draggers.

The iPhone Game That Will Wreck Marriages - Football Manager Handheld 2010 - Kotaku (http://kotaku.com/5516673/the-iphone-game-that-will-wreck-marriages)

[Cringer]

Yeah you're right ... "No comment" ;)

Sorry Mac - but you know I can't talk about what we might or might not plan for the future ....

Most iPhone games are supposed to be easily ported over to Palm's webOS. Just letting you know.

[Cringer]

Well, the good news is that FM Ipod version got a mention on Kotaku.

The bad news is, the commenters are a barely literate bunch of knuckle draggers.

The iPhone Game That Will Wreck Marriages - Football Manager Handheld 2010 - Kotaku (http://kotaku.com/5516673/the-iphone-game-that-will-wreck-marriages)

Ok, what do 3D, higher end games cost for the iPhone, something like N.O.V.A.? Because $9.99 is not a ton for FM IMO, seems about right to me, though $7.99 would be kickass.

[Daimyo]

Ok, what do 3D, higher end games cost for the iPhone, something like N.O.V.A.? Because $9.99 is not a ton for FM IMO, seems about right to me, though $7.99 would be kickass.

iPhone gaming is a weird market as far as prices go... people have been conditioned to expect games to sell for <$5 no matter how high the quality. I've played some excellent iPhone games that cost $8-10 that would have easily sold for $40 for PSP or DS and you still see people whining about the cost. Its like people have forgotten 30 years of gaming pricing overnight.

[DaddyTorgo]

Mentioned to someone who had been wanting to get into the game that the iPhone version was out yesterday - he said he was going to go right home and buy it.

Thought it might be a good..."starter version" of the game for him, before getting him to try to dive in to the full version.

Come to think of it - i should probably also do the same for my father...

[Cringer]

iPhone gaming is a weird market as far as prices go... people have been conditioned to expect games to sell for <$5 no matter how high the quality. I've played some excellent iPhone games that cost $8-10 that would have easily sold for $40 for PSP or DS and you still see people whining about the cost. Its like people have forgotten 30 years of gaming pricing overnight.

N.O.V.A. just came out for webOS and it runs $6.99. I just checked because I had kind of assumed it was $9.99 since it was such an anticipated game to be ported over. I know Need for Speed, Sims 3, and the X-Plane games are all $9.99 on webOS. $9.99 seems perfectly fair for something with a heavy depth to it like FM.

[DaddyTorgo]

9.99 is fine. people will just always bitch about the price of anything.

[Daimyo]

I agree. I feel like $9.99 is an amazing deal for something like FM2010, Inotia 2, Civ Revolutions, etc, etc. Its just weird to me that so many people complain at those prices when they feel like absolute steals to me.

[Glengoyne]

All right, I've only put in about 15 or 20 minutes of gameplay, but I've got a question. Looking at the manual, it seems that you can set the in-game interface to full pitch, zoom, or commentary only. In the two games I played through...I seemed to only get the full pitch and or zoom view on successful goals. Can/should I be able to see more...I don't need to see the full match, but more highlights or extended play would help. Am I doing something wrong, or do I just need to slow the commentary down to the point that I can try to follow the flow and get a feel for my team?

[Calis]

Slow the commentary down I believe. You should see highlights for any potential goal situation, not just successful ones.

I didn't mess with any options though, I just assume there isn't the more expanded view options in this version.

[Mac Howard]

Yeah you're right ... "No comment" ;)

Sorry Mac - but you know I can't talk about what we might or might not plan for the future ....

Of course.

But speaking generally, from what I see of the ipad, unlike the iphone, there doesn't seem to be any reason why an ipad game should be any less sophisticated than the PC/Mac game. Except perhaps the pricing regime. If the ipad follows the iphone way in pricing it could be difficult to justify the sort of development costs currently involved in PC/Mac games.

But is that correct - that an ipad game could/should be the equal of a PC/Mac game? have you seen enough of the ipad yet to get some understanding of the limits to its capabilities?

[Eaglesfan27]

Yeah the game works fine on an iPad, there's a photo of it running on this one posted on the sigames.com forums actually as proof :)

Cool. Wife just told me today to hold off on buying a nook this weekend as she is thinking about buying me an iPad, and this would be app #1 on it if she did :)

[Marc Vaughan]

It runs just fine on my 3g iphone.

It was designed to work on ANY (even 1st gen) devices, the 3g is basically the 'optimal' device for it with the 1st gen devices being the minimum spec (it works but some things like the player scouting will be a little slow to process) and the 3gs is ninja quick.

[stevew]

Get this out for WebOS and I'd buy it.

[Groundhog]

How big's the install, anyone?

[Marc Vaughan]

How big's the install, anyone?

I've kept everything as compact and compressed as possible - its around 27.9Mb for download I believe.

[Cringer]

Get this out for WebOS and I'd buy it.

That's what I want. Easy port.

[SegRat]

Now we just need Jim to release Front Office Football Iphone!!!!

[Marc Vaughan]

Now we just need Jim to release Front Office Football Iphone!!!!

If Jim's reading this I'd be happy to help him with advice on how to approach it .. but hopefully he knows that already :D

[terpkristin]

Joystiq gave it a nod, though it admits it's for the sports sim fan: iPhone It In: Football Manager 2010 -- Joystiq (http://www.joystiq.com/2010/04/19/iphone-it-in-football-manager-2010/)

I picked it up but at the same time picked up Sword & Poker and well....my free time hasn't been the same since.

/tk

[Marc Vaughan]

I picked it up but at the same time picked up Sword & Poker and well....my free time hasn't been the same since.

You just had to mention Sword and Poker, I looked into it on the strength of your recommendation and ended up buying it last night ... cool llittle app imho :D

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

You just had to mention Sword and Poker, I looked into it on the strength of your recommendation and ended up buying it last night ... cool llittle app imho :D

+1. I picked it up as well.