Football Manager Handheld 2014 - Out now (iOS and Android)

[Marc Vaughan]

Hi,

The official release date for the game is finally out - will be released on thursday.

Formal PR Blurb:

FOOTBALL MANAGEMENT’S BACK IN HAND

The world’s greatest portable handheld football management simulation returns offering more depth, a greater challenge and a whole new game mode

November 13th 2013

SEGA and Sports Interactive are proud to present Football Manager Handheld 2014, the latest in the best-selling series for iOS and Android devices which allows managers to take control of their favourite club and lead them to glory wherever and whenever they want.

While this year’s release still offers the same blend of ‘snackable’ action and unrivalled depth of gameplay as fans have come to expect, experienced players will notice a vast number of improvements and additions, all of which add up to make this the most compelling handheld football management game to date.

The most obvious change is how the game looks and feels - FMH 2014 boasts an improved user interface and graphics throughout, along with an all-new home screen and news system (tablets and HD Android phones only). Managers can navigate through every aspect of their career more easily than before, with new pop-up and drop-down controls allowing them to make those all-important decisions quickly and simply.

It’s not just how the game looks that’s changed, though, as there have been countless changes ‘under the hood’ too. Managers can now set up their squads and prepare for matches in far greater detail than ever before, employing new control mechanics to make match preparation more detailed and thorough than previously possible. Managers can now create and set new formations and change a player’s position or switch players easily with new touch controls.

Perhaps the most striking innovation within FMH 2014 is the introduction of My Club Mode, an all-new feature which allows managers to create their own club from scratch and compete in any league they choose. Everything can be customised, from the club name to the kit colours and even the composition of the squad – build a squad of family and friends, have a new challenge with a random squad or simply put yourself into your favourite team. It’s entirely up to you.

Other improvements and enhancements include:

- More realistic transfers

FMH 2014’s transfer system is the most lifelike and in-depth in the series to date, truly reflecting the real world. Improved AI means that your managerial counterparts now make more intelligent and realistic transfer bids and squad management decisions – all of which adds to the challenge.


- Player progress tracking

Managers can now keep track of their players’ key stats throughout the season. Clear graphs show if a player is excelling or struggling in specific areas, while major benchmarks are clearly labelled to help the manager decide which members of their squad deserve a place on the next team sheet.

- Improved media and player interaction

Interaction with players, staff and media is the best it’s ever been in FMH14. Can you keep the media happy without upsetting the board, the fans or your squad?

- More extensive analysis

Just like in real life, managers now have access to a wealth of analytical data, both before and after matches.

- Detailed manager history

Managers can now easily look back on the highs and lows of their career, with a detailed account of their managerial records and the achievements they have celebrated along the way.

- Cloud Save (iOS only)

The introduction of Apple’s revolutionary cloud save technology means that managers can now continue a single career on multiple iOS devices. So, no matter where you are or whether you’ve got an iPad, iPhone or iPod to hand, you’ll always be able to load up FMH 2014 and play that next big match.

- Multiple nation set-up (New to Android)

Android users now have the ability to choose multiple nations when starting a new game (on selected devices). This allows a manager to move between leagues in various countries during his or her career, rather than being confined to a single territory.

Football Manager Handheld 2014 is available from midnight tonight through iTunes (local time per territory) and at midnight GMT through Google Play. For further information, go to Football Manager 2014.

Hope this helps,

Marc

[samifan24]

Woohoo! My six year old Mac is too slow to play FM anymore but my forthcoming new iPad Air won't be. This is great news!

[Marc Vaughan]

Originally Posted by samifan24

Woohoo! My six year old Mac is too slow to play FM anymore but my forthcoming new iPad Air won't be. This is great news!

It plays awesomely on the iPad Air - I'm 9 seasons into my current 'test' game with Eastbourne Borough at present

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by Marc Vaughan

Hi,

The official release date for the game is finally out - will be released on thursday, I'll update this post tomorrow with details of the new features and suchlike when I'm allowed to.

Hope this helps,

Marc

Tease!

[Eaglesfan27]

Great news!

[markprior22]

Awesome...it plays on android tablets too right?

[samifan24]

Originally Posted by Marc Vaughan

It plays awesomely on the iPad Air - I'm 9 seasons into my current 'test' game with Eastbourne Borough at present

Outstanding news. Now I just have to order mine...

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Vita as well?

[Marc Vaughan]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Vita as well?

Sorry the Vita version is nothing to do with me and is 'Classic' not Football Manager Handheld, you'll have to wait for a release date for that to be announced I don't know the full details with regards to that projects schedule.

[Marc Vaughan]

One thing not mentioned in the PR blurb is that the game now has a 'large database' option which adds 15-20% additional players into the game when enabled.

[gstelmack]

Nitpick / I-hate-marketing warning:

The introduction of Apple’s revolutionary cloud save technology

Oh please. Not picking on you, but pretty much every platform has cloud save these days. Apple has nothing revolutionary here.

[DaddyTorgo]

I want details on the improved AI.

[Marc Vaughan]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

I want details on the improved AI.

Yes I was tempted to post some of the source code here ... but I'm a good boy I resisted it

More seriously - as usual each iteration I try and tweak and improve the games AI.

The most 'noticable' changes will be seen around the transfer system where 'bidding wars' will be far more common (and now have their own themed news items), opposing clubs are also far more agile with contract renewals (protecting against bosman signings) and suchlike.

[saldana]

Marc, how big of a screen do you think is realistically needed to play this on...will my 5" Galaxy S4 be too small? is this more for tablets in mind?

[Marc Vaughan]

Originally Posted by saldana

Marc, how big of a screen do you think is realistically needed to play this on...will my 5" Galaxy S4 be too small? is this more for tablets in mind?

I expect it'll be fine on that - it'll use the 'tablet' skin because yours is an uber high resolution device, but QA have been testing using the S4 and other devices without any problems.

The game is designed to be as playable as possible on any mobile device - if you have any issues let me know and I'll obviously look into them asap.

(to give you an idea I play a lot on my iPhone5 which has a far smaller screen)

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by Marc Vaughan

Yes I was tempted to post some of the source code here ... but I'm a good boy I resisted it

More seriously - as usual each iteration I try and tweak and improve the games AI.

The most 'noticable' changes will be seen around the transfer system where 'bidding wars' will be far more common (and now have their own themed news items), opposing clubs are also far more agile with contract renewals (protecting against bosman signings) and suchlike.

That's music to my ears. What about financials - I was pretty easily able to build a ridiculous transfer kitty and go after ridiculously expensive guys early in my last game.

And connected to that - player happiness? Unhappy players demanding to get out of town?

[Marc Vaughan]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

That's music to my ears. What about financials - I was pretty easily able to build a ridiculous transfer kitty and go after ridiculously expensive guys early in my last game.

You can still 'trade' up sporadically - but its far harder to spot young talent and make a profit than it was previously*.

To give an idea of things - its still very possible to take a club from the bottom divisions to the top - however its more of a challenge now, in my current Eastbourne Borough game I'm 10 seasons in and have only just reached the Premiership.

And connected to that - player happiness? Unhappy players demanding to get out of town?

You'll find better youngsters are generally a little more ambitious and less inclined to sit at a smaller club in this version - you can often get them to renew a contract ... but at the cost of a 'big club release clause' ...


*If you play 4-5 games though obviously you might have a 'feeling' regarding which youngsters might come good ... which helps

[flere-imsaho]

Aarrgghh....

I just started FMC with FM2014, mainly because I didn't find FMH13 (while otherwise still a great game) quite immersive enough. But now, with the changes???

Thanks for providing yet another horrible conundrum, Marc!

[kmbgolf]

I purchased 2013 by mistake and then bought 2014 anything I can do about that

[Marc Vaughan]

Originally Posted by kmbgolf

I purchased 2013 by mistake and then bought 2014 anything I can do about that

I'm afraid probably not - try contacting SEGA/Google/Apple and pleading? (sorry I'm not involved in direct store decisions).