Football Manager Handheld 2012 (iPhone/iTouch/iPad) - Out Tonight

[Marc Vaughan]

Hi,

The iOS version of FMH is released tonight in case anyones waiting ... loads of new features in it including (but not a full list):

* More players than ever before (10% extra)
* Welsh League Added
* New Challenge game mode (start in a pre-canned situation and see if you can retain your job)
* AppleTV support
* Star Players visible for non-human clubs (shows the 3 most 'key' players in each team to make it easier to evaluate a side)
* Facebook integration
* Optional Retina skin (disabled by default on original iPhone4 devices as its slightly more sluggish than SD - so enable it if you want it on those)
* .... lots lots more ....

As with last years game its one app suits all - ie. buy once install onto your iPad, iPhone, iTouch as required.

Hope this helps,

Marc

[DaddyTorgo]

Damn you - I just saw the news on facebook and was about to come over here and blast you for not posting it here yet, but you beat me!

[MizzouRah]

Do you guys play on an Android verison at some point?

pretty please?

[Marc Vaughan]

Oh forgot - the game now goes down to Conference North/South in the English league system tbh.

With regards to Android - at present FMH is iOS/PSP only. I like the Android systems and one day hope to support them as well ... but that day isn't today, sorry.

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by Marc Vaughan

Oh forgot - the game now goes down to Conference North/South in the English league system tbh.

With regards to Android - at present FMH is iOS/PSP only. I like the Android systems and one day hope to support them as well ... but that day isn't today, sorry.

Well damn you!

[SirFozzie]

Grrr! to the no Android version (especially now that I have a Kindle Fire for a tablet)

[lcjjdnh]

Excellent! Can't wait to play. Loved last year's version.

[Marc Vaughan]

Originally Posted by lcjjdnh

Excellent! Can't wait to play. Loved last year's version.

Let me know what you think when you get it

[TroyF]

Purchased it, will start playing it tomorrow night. (I need some sleep)

[Shkspr]

Originally Posted by Marc Vaughan

* Star Players visible for non-human clubs (shows the 3 most 'key' players in each team to make it easier to evaluate a side)

Excellent. I never know which Orcs and Chaos Dwarves to target.

[terpkristin]

As I said on Facebook, I'm now strongly considering getting an iPod Touch for this trip to London (I leave Saturday).

I have my iPhone, but I'll need to use my phone after getting off the plane (not as necessary when I get to London, but I plan on sleeping on the plane anyway on the way there, but on the trip home, I'll definitely need to use my phone when I land)...

Between this and ChronoTrigger, I'm screwed...

/tk

[terpkristin]

What am I missing? I searched for Football Manager and I couldn't find it.

Edit: Nevermind. It didn't show up initially, but if I clicked "See All," it did.

/tk

[rlmayer32]

Less than a week after I retired my 35 season 2011 career. Perfect!

[FrogMan]

Also got it this morning, actually one of the rare app that is a must get the day it comes out for me.

For those who know me, I will not be starting with my usual Luton Town side but with QPR in the EPL in this version of the game. First time starting with anothre side that Luton and first time starting a career in the EPL.

FM

[TroyF]

Really enjoying the pace of the game. One annoyance and one question:

I really like the it in the PC version when you offer a player how it fires you a quick mail saying nobody is interested. I offered a player out and had no feedback for two weeks and then somebody swooped in and made an offer. Not a huge deal, I just really like that feature on the PC game.

Can you do anything with the guys in the reserve teams? Again, not a huge issue, but I had a few in there that were better than my regular team and would love to be able to activate them in some way.

[Marc Vaughan]

Originally Posted by TroyF

I really like the it in the PC version when you offer a player how it fires you a quick mail saying nobody is interested. I offered a player out and had no feedback for two weeks and then somebody swooped in and made an offer. Not a huge deal, I just really like that feature on the PC game.

Noted - will look at adding that in an update.

Can you do anything with the guys in the reserve teams? Again, not a huge issue, but I had a few in there that were better than my regular team and would love to be able to activate them in some way.

The reserve team at present is mainly a 'storage area' for surplus players at most clubs (obviously Spanish teams have active reserves).

You can ask the assistant to automatically try to loan out players placed there which is a handy thing if you're into that sort of thing ..

[DaddyTorgo]

Hey Marc - question/suggestion/whatever you want to call it.

How come when I'm in pre-match and I tap "action", once I tap an action, say "clear team" I'm then bumped back out to the team screen where I have to tap action and "pick squad" again if I want the game to pick it for me?

I would imagine (although I clearly don't have any stats to back this up), that many folks use both - or at least that the number who use both outnumbers the # of folks who just use "clear squad" (as most of the folks picking their own squads will likely just swap in and out a few players rather than clearing the whole thing).

Loving the game BTW.

[RainMaker]

How deep is this compared to the PC version?

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

How deep is this compared to the PC version?

It's definitely not as-deep, much more of a quick-pickup and play type style, as you'd expect. Let me summarize:

1) The number of attributes is trimmed-down
2) No media/player interaction
3) No team talks/HT talks/sideline shoults/tactical adjustments
4) Less detailed coach reports

That being said - there are definitely things that are still there - preferred roles for players, defining player tactical roles (complete forward, poacher, target man, etc.), limited team tactical instructions (mentality, passing style, tackling style, pressing, offside trap, counter attack, men behind ball), training schedules, budget adjustment, league & player statistics, 2d match view (or text-only), simplified scouting, board confidence.

All in all, I really really like it (says the guy who has not paid for any other ipad games at all). It definitely feels worth the money, and although it's not as-deep as the PC version it's not-as-deep in a good way (if that makes sense). It's really easy to just keep tap-tapping on continue-clear team-suggest team and rip through a bunch of matches in a relatively short period of time.

So it feels "smaller/simpler" but IMO in the right way. The world does not feel as massive...I don't get news about players in the Russian league that then causes me to go off reading news about it or whatever, but I don't WANT that in an iPad game that should be a quicker-play, so it works well.

[Marc Vaughan]

Just to refine DT's comments a little (although what he said is largely very accurate and correct there are a couple of points which might be misunderstood by people):

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

1) The number of attributes is trimmed-down

The game actually shares its database with the PC game, for display purposes some attributes are 'combined' together for screen space purposes - ie. the match engine uses acceleration and pace seperately, but they're displayed as a combined value (Pace) because there isn't space to show both on the screen.

2) No media/player interaction

There is some media/player interation - but its rarer than in the PC game, for instance there isn't a 'Press Conference' before and after every match; just occassional questions when appropriate.

Its most noticable 'up front' if you play the challenges as the put you in the middle of an on-going situation.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by Marc Vaughan

Just to refine DT's comments a little (although what he said is largely very accurate and correct there are a couple of points which might be misunderstood by people):


The game actually shares its database with the PC game, for display purposes some attributes are 'combined' together for screen space purposes - ie. the match engine uses acceleration and pace seperately, but they're displayed as a combined value (Pace) because there isn't space to show both on the screen.


There is some media/player interation - but its rarer than in the PC game, for instance there isn't a 'Press Conference' before and after every match; just occassional questions when appropriate.

Its most noticable 'up front' if you play the challenges as the put you in the middle of an on-going situation.

Really? The attributes are combined-displayed like that? I was hoping that's the case -- that's fucking awesome! Love that!!

And yeah - I shouldn't have said "No media/player interaction" I should have been more specific about press conferences/ability to praise players at will, etc.

[MizzouRah]

ANDRIOD!

[Shkspr]

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

ANDRIOD!

Sadly, no. I made that mistake, too, but apparently "non-human" clubs are just AI-controlled. They don't actually field robot players in the game...


...the bastards.

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by Shkspr

Sadly, no. I made that mistake, too, but apparently "non-human" clubs are just AI-controlled. They don't actually field robot players in the game...


...the bastards.

[SegRat]

There is no way to continue my career from 2011?

[MrBug708]

I dont think FM has ever allowed previous versions to be continued

[Marc Vaughan]

Originally Posted by SegRat

There is no way to continue my career from 2011?

Sorry but no - quite a few of the in game competition formats have changed as have the internals of various parts of the game and new things were added ...

Even if I spent the time required to try and make things compatible I'd never be able to guarantee it for all the possible permutations of leagues, dates etc. which could be out there.

[SegRat]

That sucks. I hate to give up all the progress I have in now.

[Marc Vaughan]

Originally Posted by SegRat

That sucks. I hate to give up all the progress I have in now.

Entirely up to you - I know how you feel, perhaps play that game to completion then upgrade?

[Barkeep49]

So I'm new to the iPad. Do people play this and the normal version? What's the appeal?

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by Barkeep49

So I'm new to the iPad. Do people play this and the normal version? What's the appeal?

I've been known to play them both simultaneously. Literally. I'll have my ipad game up and running and be in a match, and be in-match on the PC version.

Enjoy your new iPad.

The appeal is portability. It's also easier to zip through gametime in the iPad version it seems to me. Less inbox-materials that can like...draw your attention away (in a positive sense).

Good depth though.

I very much enjoy the iPad version.

[Marc Vaughan]

Originally Posted by Barkeep49

So I'm new to the iPad. Do people play this and the normal version? What's the appeal?

FMH is aimed at being a realistic management sim - but its primary appeal is directed at people who are either on the move a lot and don't have space to pack/open a laptop (ie. commuting on the bus for instance) or the time required to dedicate to the PC version of the sim (due to life circumstances such as wife, kids etc.).

The depth of the sim is around the same as you'd have found on our PC games about a decade ago - its fairly indepth (approximately 25,000 real players, loads of available leagues to play in etc.) but paced so you can blast through a season in an evening if you get into playing .... something which simply isn't possible on the PC game today really.

PS - the game is continually supported after release and I try and put out roughly an update per month after release until I start work on the next years version, update 2 for this years iteration is now in submission at apple and work on update 3 has started (you can follow progress of the updates on the FMH area of the sigames.com forum).

[Barkeep49]

Thanks Marc for the overview.

So given that it has the depth of about a decade ago does it have the approachability of the current versions? I had tried a few demos of CM/FM along the way and it wasn't until 3D was introduced that I was finally able to get into it and understand what was happening and why on the pitch.

[Marc Vaughan]

Originally Posted by Barkeep49

So given that it has the depth of about a decade ago does it have the approachability of the current versions? I had tried a few demos of CM/FM along the way and it wasn't until 3D was introduced that I was finally able to get into it and understand what was happening and why on the pitch.

Its very approachable in presentation imho - its designed to be as easy to learn from a UI perspective as possible, however it doesn't contain a 3d view of the match at present - so if you're expecting that I'm afraid you might be disappointed.

(if you want a taster then I'd suggest picking up last years version which is discounted now and seeing what you think to that?).

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by Marc Vaughan

Its very approachable in presentation imho - its designed to be as easy to learn from a UI perspective as possible, however it doesn't contain a 3d view of the match at present - so if you're expecting that I'm afraid you might be disappointed.

(if you want a taster then I'd suggest picking up last years version which is discounted now and seeing what you think to that?).

At present?

Interesting...very very interesting.

[Barkeep49]

Originally Posted by Marc Vaughan

Its very approachable in presentation imho - its designed to be as easy to learn from a UI perspective as possible, however it doesn't contain a 3d view of the match at present - so if you're expecting that I'm afraid you might be disappointed.

(if you want a taster then I'd suggest picking up last years version which is discounted now and seeing what you think to that?).

Well since I got into 10 I've watched a lot more Football, both in the game and on TV, so I think the overhead view might not be a DQ for me anymore. Alright I guess I'm going to take the plunge.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by Barkeep49

Well since I got into 10 I've watched a lot more Football, both in the game and on TV, so I think the overhead view might not be a DQ for me anymore. Alright I guess I'm going to take the plunge.

You won't be sorry!!

[Marc Vaughan]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

At present?

Interesting...very very interesting.

Please DONT read too much into that - a 3d match engine in FMH is at least a few years away .... just bear in mind I tend to plan my games around 5 years in advance roughly so I know where things are 'heading' ...

[Barkeep49]

Why does FM want my location?

[Marc Vaughan]

Originally Posted by Barkeep49

Why does FM want my location?

Theres a feature in the app where it can guide you to real-life stadiums using a devices GPS, if you say 'No' then thats disabled - won't hurt the actual game at all (and if you aren't using this feature then it doesn't actually poll GPS at all to preserve battery life anyway).

[portnoise]

Add me to the list of people who would happily pay for an Android version!

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by Marc Vaughan

Please DONT read too much into that - a 3d match engine in FMH is at least a few years away .... just bear in mind I tend to plan my games around 5 years in advance roughly so I know where things are 'heading' ...

But I LOVE reading too much into your comments.

Interesting...very very interesting!

Hehe