FHM (Franchise Hockey Manager)

[MizzouRah]

Looks like an update is in the works.. enabling player pics and some fixes from the BETA folks. I'm really excited about this game and will definitely pick up the completed version in September or when it's ready.

[Sebastian Palkowski]

Disclaimer for the screenshot above: the game has no real logos and player pics. They are only for demonstration in this screen!

The first update is scheduled for next Monday (if nothing really nasty shows up, then we will release a fix earlier). For the future we shoot for weekly updates. Database updates are scheduled every Wednesday, starting next week.

[chadritt]

Id be curious to see a dynasty with this game if anyone feels like doing one. I think we could learn a lot about it that way.

[Sebastian Palkowski]

Originally Posted by chadritt

Id be curious to see a dynasty with this game if anyone feels like doing one. I think we could learn a lot about it that way.

I don't think it is a good idea so early in the open beta process. New updates (especially the early ones) will have a good chance to not be save compatible as we add new stuff to the db on a regular basis). I don't want people to get frustrated after a while...

[Karim]

As a huge fan of EHM, I've been patiently waiting for a new hockey sim to come along so this is an automatic buy come September.

A couple of things I'm hoping for:

* realistic (i.e., difficult) trading

* realistic amateur drafts (i.e., first round picks that never make it to the NHL, third round picks that end up as All-Stars)

* related to amateur drafts is realistic player development; I like seeing my prospects develop but it would suck if everyone I draft ends up in the HHOF

Good luck to the developers!

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by Sebastian Palkowski

Disclaimer for the screenshot above: the game has no real logos and player pics. They are only for demonstration in this screen!

The first update is scheduled for next Monday (if nothing really nasty shows up, then we will release a fix earlier). For the future we shoot for weekly updates. Database updates are scheduled every Wednesday, starting next week.

Yes sir, sorry about that!

[Sebastian Palkowski]

In case you miss it on our board.

Here is the first update for FHM, Version 0.9.4:

Install instruction: After you downloaded the file just install it over your existing game (you don't need to un-install the old version first!). Make sure to select the correct path to your game if needed.

To check your version just look up the version number on the Game Start Screen (after the update it should be 0.9 BETA Build 4)

Saves from the initial 0.9.0 version are not compatible with this version!

FHM - Update 0.9.4

Changes/Fixes/Additions:

*** 0.9.4 (11 March 2013) ***

Crash fixes:

-crash when autoplaying past July 1
-crash when changing the view from "Regular Season" to "Playoffs" on the Career Stats tab in the player record of certain goalies
-crash immediately after making player a free agent via commissioner mode
-crash when clicking contract tab from player bio after player is set to free agent in comissioner mode
-crash when editing lines after injury replacement returned to minors
-crash when attempting to sort teams by different column on standings screen
-crash when starting new WHL game with Vancouver Giants
-crash when trying to view the Atlantic Hockey Association League home screen
-crash when assistant is asked to set lines with no players dressed
-crash when clicking on NAT category from Free Agent Centre
-crash if user changes the right-side menu on Team Menu-Personnel from "Info" to "Scouting" or "Training"
-crash when clicking Play button if user is unemployed

Other bug fixes:

-neverending overtime when viewing games
-goals in overtime will stop the game but the time keeps running until 0
-award winners are occasionally being displayed in the wrong column of the "Skater Awards" history page.
-incorrect team abbreviations shown during historical play
-player name not shown when viewing unsigned draftee
-teams sending veteran players to junior affiliates
-trading deadline in historical seasons is set to date in 2013 or later
-draft picks can be offered in trade after that draft has occurred
-unable to use in-game view during playoffs
-on the season stats tab of player records for goalies, minutes total is actually showing the number of seconds the goalie has played
-large NHL salaries (DiPietro, Connolly, etc.) reduced to $525k for players who start with AHL teams
-no misconducts being called
-"Last 4 years" section of the player report showing various other 4-year portions of player's career
-junior-aged NHL players can't be returned to CHL teams
-rebound goals not showing up in play-by-play (caused it to appear that goals were being counted as shots in PbP)
-lineup automatically resetting when player returns from injury
-assistant won't set lines after injury-related lineup changes-top bars vanishes after exiting a game
-penalties/game setting displayed inaccurate number
-during contract negotiations, clicking meet demand without asking for a response will change offer to 1-year/$0 salary
-in leagues where the roster rules include lineups with <18 skaters, the Ask Assistant feature won't set the lineup despite the correct number of players being dressed
-AI teams choosing only one position in draft
-possible to initiae trade with yourself using action button on player screen if player is on affiliate
-trade offers can be amended by receiving team and are then auto-accepted
-draft picks cannot be removed from trade offer
-drafted players can be taken again in same draft
-unable to advance after user had last pick of draft
-player repeatedly returned to trade list after user takes him off
-occasionally not possible to move injured players to IR
-goalie playoff games being recorded as individual seasons in player's history

Changes:

-the two "Team Status" fields in player profile renamed to "Team Role" and "Promised Team Role" to avoid confusion
-sped up initial loading of offseason sim screen
-made text readable on offseason sim screen (before it was black on black)
-made sub-line black on manager upper area
-added support for player pictures, centre-aligned pictures < 170 pixels wide
-added "Play" button
-new version of news text file
-new version of injury file

[Doug5984]

Been playing around with the first beta, really enjoying it- I see a lot of promise. Will try to update and put in some more hours this weekend

[samifan24]

Originally Posted by Doug5984

Been playing around with the first beta, really enjoying it- I see a lot of promise. Will try to update and put in some more hours this weekend

Good to hear. Thanks. Looking forward to reading more impressions.

[Maple Leafs]

Anyone playing this now that it's out? I couldn't find a thread.

[Doug5984]

Finally had a chance to mess around with it the other night, played for an hour or so then an unexpected crash during historic play. Will try to fire up normal play pretty soon. I'm more of a quick simmer than an in depth player so I won't catch smaller bugs that are out there. It's got a lot of promise, but some ares need to really be tweaked.

[Honolulu_Blue]

I bought it, but haven't played it yet.

I went to the forums and based on reports from a few weeks ago, there were still some serious issues, especially with respect to trading. I haven't checked back to see if they've been patched up yet or not.

[MizzouRah]

I've been keeping tabs on it.. still seems like it has a long way to go in the way of patches.

[Maple Leafs]

Yeah, I've been playing around with it off and on for the last week or two. Still has a long way to go. Lots of bugs, lots of unrealistic stuff (stats are screwy, way too many trades, etc), and some just plain weird decisions around the menus and interface.

Was hoping I was missing something somewhere and others were having a better time with it.

[nilodor]

I've been having fun with it, but agree that it still needs a fair bit of work to get up to release standards. It's pretty ambitious for a first attempt and they seem to be pretty responsive in fixing it up and improving the whole package. I think it will be pretty solid by the time that the regular season really picks up.

[Bisbo]

I was really looking forward to this game, but it's a real disappointment in it's current state. Very limited strategy (virtually none while a match is being played) and the 'play-by-play' in a live game is awful - no graphics at all, and the commentary only discusses face-offs and shot. Not fun, interesting or challenging at all. I expect it will get better as it incorporates OOTP type features, but as of now, it's unplayable as far as I'm concerned..

I think they might have been better off just focusing on the NHL and a very limited number of feeder leagues to start, rather than the ambitious number of international options in the game.

[The Jackal]

I kind of regret shelling out the money for it already, but I'll probably just keep it in the back pocket gaming-wise until they've released a bunch of patches and it's a solid product.

[claphamsa]

didnt they just push a major patch?

[The Jackal]

I updated it a few days ago, maybe they've done another since then - the real reason I haven't started playing it is because I can't get the logo packs to work and the default ones make it feel fake.

[SlyBelle1]

Looks like competition is already on its way for another Hockey Management sim....

World Hockey Manager 14 • EHM The Blue Line

I purchased FHM the first day it was available for beta testing and to be honest, I haven't spent a ton of time playing around with it. Just never grabbed me even though I love hockey. Something about it just doesn't make it feel immersive to me, plus knowing about all the remaining issues.

Personally, I think they made a mistake knowingly releasing a product that had many existing issues in it....I understand there are pressures to release products, but I am not a fan of this approach. Would have been better off just continuing with the beta title since based on current state, really is still that. It will be tough for me to really play this game since I am fearful of spending a lot of time setting up my management sim and only have it crash after spending all that time. That would frustrate me beyond all belief.

As you see in the forums, there is a lot of going back and forth between supporters and upset customers, which doesn't make it a desirable place to discuss the game. Since the developers released the product, I personally think the upset people have every reason to voice their opinions. The supporters defend it by saying it is only version 1, its a small company, they have a proven track record with OOTP, all games have bugs, they will patch it, etc......all that might be true, but when you charge a customer the full price for a game, they could care less about all that stuff. They expect a reasonably working game for their money.

In the end, I really do hope it turns out to be a great hockey sim but I am skeptical it will remotely reach that level until at least version #2 comes out.....hopefully they survive the onslaught of negativity until then. And hopefully some of this new competition does not pass them by.....

[chadritt]

I really can't wait to hear this game is good. I can't play most text sims since I have a mac and I love hockey but I haven't heard enough to make me willing to buy this yet.

[Sebastian Palkowski]

The 1.0.0 patch was about the 20th patch we released since Open Beta started ... and it was the worst. Believe me, nobody was more frustrated about it then me. We did our best and released 1.0.3 quickly, it should fix the most glaring problems. We already work on the next update, which will concentrate on more fixing, tweaking and some cosmetic changes. I don't care if FHM is Version 1 or Version 10, it has to be a stable foundation for the future and we will continue to work hard on it until we reach the goal.

[SlyBelle1]

Originally Posted by Sebastian Palkowski

The 1.0.0 patch was about the 20th patch we released since Open Beta started ... and it was the worst. Believe me, nobody was more frustrated about it then me. We did our best and released 1.0.3 quickly, it should fix the most glaring problems. We already work on the next update, which will concentrate on more fixing, tweaking and some cosmetic changes. I don't care if FHM is Version 1 or Version 10, it has to be a stable foundation for the future and we will continue to work hard on it until we reach the goal.

I do hope you succeed in the end....I absolutely love hockey and playing a management sim for hockey is my dream come true.

[The Jackal]

Originally Posted by SlyBelle1

I do hope you succeed in the end....I absolutely love hockey and playing a management sim for hockey is my dream come true.

Ditto. I fondly remember online EHM leagues but that was a long time ago, and FM has taken over my sports sim life since then.

[Young Drachma]

Yeah I just hope it's stable by the time I have time to really play it. I'm just happy to have a hockey sim again and in OOTP form, is pretty okay with me. We'll get there...I'm just glad they're patching constantly.

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by SlyBelle1

Looks like competition is already on its way for another Hockey Management sim....

World Hockey Manager 14 • EHM The Blue Line

My first thought was "Dan Ryazansky is back?"

Looks like "nope."

[Maple Leafs]

Originally Posted by Bisbo

I think they might have been better off just focusing on the NHL and a very limited number of feeder leagues to start, rather than the ambitious number of international options in the game.

This seems like it could be said about pretty much every OOTP Dev release. I will never get my head around why being able to play a career as the manager of some beer league in Uzbekistan seems like it's a priority over getting the sport's main league locked down and solid.

[Maple Leafs]

Originally Posted by Sebastian Palkowski

The 1.0.0 patch was about the 20th patch we released since Open Beta started ... and it was the worst. Believe me, nobody was more frustrated about it then me. We did our best and released 1.0.3 quickly, it should fix the most glaring problems. We already work on the next update, which will concentrate on more fixing, tweaking and some cosmetic changes. I don't care if FHM is Version 1 or Version 10, it has to be a stable foundation for the future and we will continue to work hard on it until we reach the goal.

I sincerely wish you luck, because I'd love to see more solid sports sims. Your PR folks were kind enough to send along a review copy, but I'll be holding off on writing anything for now.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by SackAttack

My first thought was "Dan Ryazansky is back?"

Looks like "nope."

DAN RYANZANSKY!!!

OH SNAP!!!

I used to play the shit outa WoSoMan back in my pre-FM days.

[SackAttack]

Likewise. I remember playing it on my brick of a laptop in my Mizzou days. It's still on that laptop, but given that said machine was running, like, Windows 98? Even if I could recover the install, I don't think I could play it on Windows 7!

[Mike Lowe]

Game was patched again yesterday...I haven't bought it yet because although it looks like it has potential, lots of bugs were happening...understandable I guess.

Any new impressions anyone would like to share?

[jbergey22]

Originally Posted by Mike Lowe

Game was patched again yesterday...I haven't bought it yet because although it looks like it has potential, lots of bugs were happening...understandable I guess.

Any new impressions anyone would like to share?

Haven't been very impressed by the customer service on this game. It takes a dedicated crew to fix the mess that came out and while they are trying Im not sensing a dedicated effort. I wish Markus and Andreas would have stepped up and helped them out so they didnt over promise and under deliver.

[Marc Vaughan]

Originally Posted by jbergey22

Haven't been very impressed by the customer service on this game. It takes a dedicated crew to fix the mess that came out and while they are trying Im not sensing a dedicated effort. I wish Markus and Andreas would have stepped up and helped them out so they didnt over promise and under deliver.

I think they've been putting in a very dedicated effort myself - I've been impressed with their work rate and things will only get better as they gain more experience writing sims - people tend to underestimate the value of experience with developing such games imho.

[Young Drachma]

I'm going to dive back in again and see how far I can get, I've never been able to get especially far. So long as it can run a stable number of seasons, I'll be satisfied. OOTP has raised our expectations high, these guys came into an established platform and the expectations were probably too high for them. I will admit that team OOTP didn't exactly handle PR well, but that's NEVER been their strong suit.

So you know, in the end, it's not that big a deal. They'll surely do better next year and if fewer people pre-order or buy it out of the gate, that'll probably make them more patient while they work on perfecting it or at least, making sure basic functionality works.

Lest we all remember the pre-SI days of OOTP weren't exactly a picnic either and hell, the past few years until fairly recently were pretty screwed up. These are very, very small companies with big fanbases, so they have a lot to do and they're still far more communicative than a major or indie studio would ever be.

I have faith it'll get better and I'd prefer to pay for a flawed finished product over some kind of "kickstarter" at the promise of a game a year from now.

[Jon]

My issue is this idea that we should be happy paying 40 bucks for a game still in development. They over promised and under delivered, and tr fanboys don't like the complaints.

[Young Drachma]

Originally Posted by Jon

My issue is this idea that we should be happy paying 40 bucks for a game still in development. They over promised and under delivered, and tr fanboys don't like the complaints.

Nah, people have a legitimate gripe I believe.

[Young Drachma]

Ok, the game is a lemon. Several patches in and I've never been able to sim very far without it crashing. Tried it again this afternoon in a "well, let's just sim 50 years and see if it works" situation and it's still just as bad as it was when I first fired it up after purchase months ago. Menus are clunky, sometimes you load a league up and the menus don't even work. Restart and it can't get past a year or two.

I'm in the camp with the folks who said it should've never been released like this. I'm really forgiving about things I don't care about like play by play errors and even weird scoring things, but...when all I want is a Mogul-esque scoring engine to tell stories with and it can't even do that competently months after release, well...that's a problem.

Hopefully they let next year's version bake a long time before releasing it and give people with a valid code for this year some sort of break on next year's price for essentially doing a paid beta of the thing for them this year.

[jbergey22]

Originally Posted by Marc Vaughan

I think they've been putting in a very dedicated effort myself - I've been impressed with their work rate and things will only get better as they gain more experience writing sims - people tend to underestimate the value of experience with developing such games imho.

I am sure it is a daunting task and I take that into consideration. The problem is that I purchased this 8 months ago. I don't expect perfection but I would like the game to at least be stable enough to not crash at this point so I could make other suggestions on how to improve it such as tactics, gameflow, and AI. Right now they are still trying to keep it from crashing so a lot us havent even attempted to play it and offer up suggestions on the other aspect of what makes these games so fun.

I have purchased pretty much every simulation from FOF, GDS, OOTPB, WS, SIGames and nothing else released as been even remotely close to the frustrating experience this game as been.

It would just be nice if Markus and Andreas helped them out to get the game to a state where it doesnt crash.

I just downloaded the latest patch and even the launch screen is messed up after install. It opens up with half of the screen off the screen. Simple enough fix as I can just pull it where I want it but this is something that probably should have been fixed by now.

[Marc Vaughan]

Originally Posted by jbergey22

I just downloaded the latest patch and even the launch screen is messed up after install. It opens up with half of the screen off the screen. Simple enough fix as I can just pull it where I want it but this is something that probably should have been fixed by now.

Any chance of you indicating what system you have in terms of operating system, the resolution you're using and whether you have anything semi-unusual like 'large fonts' enabled? (it obviously isn't my game - but if I can ascertain a reasonable 'bet' as to your issue I'll talk to Sebastian and see if we can get it sorted).

(a common issue with some games is relying on the system for layout and fonts and suchlike and not testing with 'large fonts' enabled - its one of the reasons my games do all their own rendering and avoid relying on the system ... simply put doing so increased the possible permutations for testing far too heavily)

[jbergey22]

Originally Posted by Marc Vaughan

Any chance of you indicating what system you have in terms of operating system, the resolution you're using and whether you have anything semi-unusual like 'large fonts' enabled? (it obviously isn't my game - but if I can ascertain a reasonable 'bet' as to your issue I'll talk to Sebastian and see if we can get it sorted).

(a common issue with some games is relying on the system for layout and fonts and suchlike and not testing with 'large fonts' enabled - its one of the reasons my games do all their own rendering and avoid relying on the system ... simply put doing so increased the possible permutations for testing far too heavily)

Thanks Marc,

The system this game is installed on has Windows 7 OS. Intel Core i7. 8GB Ram. Nothing unusual as far as settings although I do have a monitor attached to this laptop so I am using dual screens.

[RomaGoth]

I have been along for the ride with FHM since it was first announced. Did a lot of beta testing on it as well, and to be honest it is not looking good right now.

The game was released way, way, way too early. Probably should not have released it all this year and just went for a release next fall with the beginning of the 2014-15 NHL season. My sentiments are along the same lines as others on the OOTP forums in that when you pay full price for a game you expect something that is at least moderately playable. A game that crashes constantly over 3 months after release has no business being on the market.

I have no doubts that the dev team will get it all figured out and future versions will be much better, but this was a disaster of a start for them.

[nilodor]

Originally Posted by RomaGoth

I have been along for the ride with FHM since it was first announced. Did a lot of beta testing on it as well, and to be honest it is not looking good right now.

The game was released way, way, way too early. Probably should not have released it all this year and just went for a release next fall with the beginning of the 2014-15 NHL season. My sentiments are along the same lines as others on the OOTP forums in that when you pay full price for a game you expect something that is at least moderately playable. A game that crashes constantly over 3 months after release has no business being on the market.

I have no doubts that the dev team will get it all figured out and future versions will be much better, but this was a disaster of a start for them.

It's too bad they went for the release in September come hell or high water approach. It seems like other games have been successful following the paid alpha/beta at some discounted rate then you get the full game when it's ready approach. If they went for the latter they could still be in beta now and I think the tune of the forums would be a lot different. It's too bad because the game has many good things in it. It's just a bit of a hot mess.

[SirFozzie]

Major patch/changes out

Version 1.6.2 Game Update Now Available - OOTP Developments Forums

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

Major patch/changes out

Version 1.6.2 Game Update Now Available - OOTP Developments Forums

Thanks for the update, Foz.

I bought this back in September or October and I totally forgot it even existed.

[Mike Lowe]

Sounds like one more patch is in the works as well. I really want to get this game, but man as much as I enjoy these guys' games, this one looked rough...putting it mildly.

If it gets sorted out, I'll likely give it a shot.

[claphamsa]

yes, please let us know if this makes it playable.

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by Mike Lowe

Sounds like one more patch is in the works as well. I really want to get this game, but man as much as I enjoy these guys' games, this one looked rough...putting it mildly.

If it gets sorted out, I'll likely give it a shot.

Me too...

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

Me too...

Me three. Would love a solid hockey career sim.

I had SI's game way back when, but I don't even think I could find my info/find an installation file.
Freeware EHM is solid and still fun, but last I checked there were hoops to jump through to get it to work on more recent versions of Windows I thought?

We need to be kept appraised.

[johnnyshaka]

Sounds like there are still a few rather annoying issues like getting fired over and over again during a single season even when "Can't Be Fired" is selected. Also, hiring head coaches was setup but apparently wasn't supposed to be implemented for this release but was enabled for whatever reason so that messes things up, too.

I don't think I'm going to invest any time in this patch either but I'll continue to scan the forums to see how they plan to deal with the latest issues.

[Mike Lowe]

Originally Posted by johnnyshaka

Sounds like there are still a few rather annoying issues like getting fired over and over again during a single season

Wow, this game is so NHL! That's an impressive feature