Opinion needed from seasoned FMH players

I wanted to seek the opinions of those seasoned FMH players who have played the game from around FMH10 to FMH13 onwards.

I purchased the first ever FMH on iOS and have bought every release since.

However, I am somewhat hesitant on FMH15. For me there just doesn't seem to be enough additional features in this year's version. I feel I would basically be paying £6.99 for a squad update. You had FMH10 which was the first handheld version to appear on mobile devices. FMH11 had multiple leagues. FMH12 had challenges. FMH13 had tactical additions, new menus and in-app purchases. FMH14 had the My Club feature.

What does FMH15 have?

It has a completely redesigned 2D match highlights engine which depending on who you ask, is either great or disappointing. The general message I get is that if you have a device that can handle the processing speed, it's fine. But what if you're someone who tends to watch games with commentary only? Would you suddenly switch back to highlights?

I understand there are new scouting features within the game but again, are these features revolutionary or just evolutionary?

Having read a number of independent reviews from reputable game sites, they seem to agree that whilst FMH15 is a quality football management sim, there aren't enough additional features to make it a worthwhile purchase.

I would be really interested to hear from those who have been playing FMH over the years to see if those reviews are fair and whether they believe FMH15 has had enough of an improvement to make it a must have purchase.

Cheers.

I am not yet a seasoned player. I only started playing the game during 2013, so this will be my 3rd version. But to be honest, I am extremely happy with the upgrade to the Match Engine. For me it adds a completely new level of realism to the actual football itself. Small tactical changes can have a HUGE effect during the match itself. And with extended highlights i get a very real sense of where I can improve my team.

Sure there are lots of other areas they could potentially improve down the line. The threads on here are full of great ideas. But they are bells and whistles. Nice to have.

For me, it's all about the ME. Ultimately, its what happens on the pitch that is most important to a Football Manager.

You should probably check out this debate - http://fmhvibe.co.uk/community/topic/23715-ashez-gives-his-views-on-2015-and-the-series-progression/page-3#entry210558

Nice debate indeed, TX for the link, Dec.

I've read a LOT of mixed feelings about the game and basically people either love or hate the new engine. I've spent dunno how many hours on previous FMHs and I never rushed thru seasons like apparently many on that link do. A season in 2 hours? 2 seasons a day??? Geez that's more like a clicking marathon LOL. To each his own of course but for me none of that. I love tinkering around before I enter my next match, enjoy following it, making adjustments, contemplating what subs and when, making mental notes of the rights and wrongs as I observe the spectacle unfold etc..I enjoy the experience rather than rushing thru it so for me FMH2015 is well worth it. Still plenty on the wish list I'd like to see implemented but loving it so far.

Tho I can imagine it being a big pain in the butt to those who're accustomed to rushing thru their careers. It boils down to the kind of player you are.

First, No New Leagues, never quite understood why if there is such a great network of researchers and we have FM and FMC why can't we have more league options. Yes, I know the typical answers of licences (?) (they are obviously paying for them for the other platforms or is it per platform ?)

Second, according to a tech reply, there is a bug on iOS and Android (?) which prevents the screen to rotate.

Third, small ui issues and options that have been suggested since 2010.

That opening post is spot on and the developers will do well to read it. The game doesn't feel the same any more and I feel let down by this instalment big time. I think the direction the game is going in needs to change or troubled times will probably be ahead. I dont care if people dont like me criticising the game, I paid good money for it and its just a lot slower now and I can't see any new useful features bar the match engine if you like it that is. I seriously think other things were more important to put in, but there we go what do I know...

Yes Dec, thanks for the link. The debate on Vibe seems to have captured a lot of what I was thinking.

I still haven't downloaded FMH15 and I'm not sure there is a justifiable reason for me to purchase it.

If anyone else wants to share their experiences and try and persuade then please feel free to do so.

A season in 2hours? Go play tetris or supermario.. i like the new ME. finaly we "loyal" fans at last get something realistic. Or at least as close to realismn as possible as we had it. Now i only hope they can tweak the ME a little (believe the SI staff know what im talking about) we will have a fantastic ME which they can use in future editions. Its about time they add stuff like new roles, new options as zonal/man marking, pick a playmaker, player personal skill like dribling down the wing often or "argue with judge" so we can form our team in a way u never could on fmh. That would be amazing.

Well I've played each edition for quite a few years and for me the 2013 version was a waste of money - there was nothing new worth having and presumably it was because the developers were working on the first Android version that year. However, the 2014 version with the redesigned interface was great, the best one of the lot. Though I will say the board were MUCH more ruthless. This year the board are ridiculously intolerant. The layout is the same, but there are some new bits and pieces like the trophy room, multiple clubs bidding on your players and player form. The big change though is the new match engine. Now we all know that the previous engine was not realistic in terms of tactics. There was always a best tactical option that, once you had the right players for it, only required tweaking if losing in big games. Last year we got proper wingers back again so that was good. Team form though, was always paramount. Teams in form score from the first shot on goal, just before half time, on the 66-70th minute and at the end. Trying to defend against a big computer team was pointless because the tactics were simply mush. So to the match engine this year. Putting the delays aside - and they don't both me at all on an iPad 4, it feels very hard to score enough, the tactics are supposed to be different so you can't use super tactics, but they still don't feel very realistic. I haven't played enough yet to confirm this, but when you set your very good quality team to attack a poor quality opposition and you don't create any chances in the last 20 minutes, something is very wrong. Player strengths appear to have been downgraded again so that they are less relevant. Again, this is speculation - I would like to hear SI explain what the new engine does, how it does it and what you need to be aware of. Unfortunately they have never done this for the previous engine, as I imagine that would expose how unrealistic it was. I would say have a look at the new game, it's certainly going to take some playing and in the first instance that's a good thing as it makes it fresh. If it just turns out to be frustrating and pointless though, it will have failed. Whether you think it's good value or not will come down to how you get on with the game engine because the other changes are on a par with 2013. I will also say that there has never been enough feedback and never enough tactical options from the game engine. There aren't any more in this one, it just works differently, and presumably all the daft bugs from the 2D highlights have been addressed.

Its not 'simple' to explain what a match engine does really - the intent is that all such things simulate a game of football and give realistic results.

The 'old' engine used a more 'RPG' approach to simulation, dice rolling effectively behind the scenes with a 2d map based upon that being displayed to the user - the new one uses more real-world physics and less dice/approximation (which is why the 2d is so much better imho).

This was a real relief to hear! Means my guess on how the game engine was accurate. Well done with the new engine Marc. Looking forward to the upcoming patches to solve different set of bugs

ingame. Feel like this is an engine you can use for many edition in the future giving you guys the opportunity to focus on adding better future add ons in game instead

In reply to the original question, for me the new match engine is bigger than any of the changes you mentioned in previous versions. I've played every version of FMH as well as playing the PC games since the original CM. I was starting to tire of the FMH games as I was frustrated by the lack of feedback as to what went right or wrong in matches. It felt like I was simply doing the same thing over and over each game and just juggling squad members to cover for injuries. I was zipping through games because nothing I did seemed to have much effect and I was getting no concrete feedback on whether changes I made were having a positive or negative effect.

Now the game feels so much more worthwhile because each match is like a strategic battle where you can see what is going right or wrong on the pitch. It has transformed the game for me and once again I'm hooked after a few years where my interest was on the wain. You can see where you're weak or where you're being overun or how much you're dominating the opposition from a series of realistic looking highlights. They're also pretty exciting to watch and quite tense.

The new match engine is worth the price alone. Easily the biggest change the series has experienced since the very first FMH. It's like the game had forgotten that amongst all the transfers and injuries and squad stuff it's still the matches that should be the highlight. Now they most certainly are and I love it.

Lillywhite Dean,

I would suggest you buy the new game. I too was skeptical of the new Match Engine, but I think it has to be seen to be believed.

In any case, I know you are a big fan of the series and should support Marc and the team with a purchase if you want them to continue making these games.

Vote with your wallet.

Thanks all for your replies.

Well I decided to purchase the game. I was determined not to.. a kind of protest at the perceived lack of new additions to the game. I was also influenced by the number of independent reviews that had given the game a disappointing rating. However, having spent most of last week in bed with cold/flu like symptoms, I decided to purchase the game to try and take my mind off being sick...

I'm glad that I did.

The new match engine is sensational. It really has elevated the game to a new level. It feels like a proper game of football is being played in front of me. Yes the games take longer (I have my settings on extended highlights and slow speed) but the experience is all the more deeper and richer for it. I'm halfway through my first season and I have found little in the way of predictability in any of the matches played.

There are some things that I'm not so sure about. I have found the revamped menu's to be a little disappointing on the iPhone 5 but it could be that I just have to get used to them. I also think that with an enhanced match engine, a set of enhanced match tactics are needed to fully appreciate the level of detail invested in the match engine. But it's without doubt the best FMH so far. I found that with previous titles, I would hit a point of broedom due its lack of depth and continuous predictability. I would crave for something deeper and more challenging but I could never dedicate myself to the desktop version as I just don't have the time. With FMH15, I feel there's more of a happy medium. My matches can last around 12 minutes but I enjoy that. I feel that I'm having to pay closer attention to what is the core element of the game. This is so refreshing compared to how I used to play matches (highlights off, speed to very fast, and just whizz through the season). Every match is now its own strategic battle.

You've proved me wrong SI!

I have been playing FMH since the very first and have always enjoyed them.

However, last year and this year, I have been less happy with the development of FMH. Last year, we saw a change of style, graphics, menus, button layout etc. Unfortunately not all was to the better. The game now feels more sluggish in sliding (especially during matches), the color mixing looks terrible and the button layout is not logical nor intuitive.

As others has noticed on the fmvibe link Dec provided, the game has slowed down a lot. Actually it has slowed down so much, that it is annoying and doesn't enhance gaming experience.

I did a speed test on FMH13, FMH14 and FMH15 on an iPad 3 (yes, I know its an older one but nevertheless it shows what I'm talking about).

Conditions for test:

1 league: England, down to VSS/VSN (BSN/BSS)

Team: one of the Community Shield teams.

Match view: Commentary only

Match speed: very fast

Match highlights: key (for FMH15)

3 substitutions: 20th, 60th 80th

Timer starts when 'go to match' is pressed and end when match ends

FMH15:

Man City

5:27:13

FMH14:

Man Utd

2:00:38

FMH13:

Man City

1:33:96

I think it says it all. With FMH15, they have introduced 3 pre-match screens, which takes forever to go past because sliding works so poorly. They have introduced a half-time score loading screen and also a loading screen whenever you do a substitution. It all takes time and it really decreases my gaming experience. I really want to like and play FMH, but the slowness is such a big factor, that I prefer playing FMH13.

@Marc: What is the main reason for going from doing result calculations after a match (FMH13) to them during a match? It really does feel it slows the game down significantly.

Any chance the match engine preference can be implemented so it can be changed during a save?

Plenty of moaning on fmhvibe I see! I think people are forgetting that the old match engine was getting constant criticism for being dumb and unrealistic. SIG have obviously spent a lot of time addressing this and have come up with something that feels more PC like. I'm quite happy with it.

These have always been done the same way since the live league tables went into the game - please do bear in mind when they're displayed at half-time etc. it isn't actually processing them then, its showing them so you aren't staring at a static page while the match sets up the next half / events / whatever.

Marc: A slightly different question from me.

What exactly is being processed at the start of a match / half-time / whenever a tactical change is made?

I understand that tactical changes affect the match (obviously) but surely those changes must be present in every single calculation performed during the match in real time as the match unfolds? If I change formation at half time, for example, what calculation or process needs to be performed before the second half can kick off?

With FMH15, they have introduced 3 pre-match screens, which takes forever to go past because sliding works so poorly.

On that particular screen, sliding does not work at all. You just have to wait for the screens to slide by themselves and wait for the game to be ready to play. It's just giving you something to look at while the match is prepared.

Marc, it would be better though, if it were possible to slide those screens, as it would at least give the user something to do while waiting, and one screen might be more useful/interesting than the others. And, on the formation screen, players names are truncated way too early. Players with only moderately long names are shorted with an ellipsis when there is plenty of space.

FMH2015 is a slower game on older devices - this isn't something we've hidden, if you feel the slower speed harms your enjoyment of the game then please go into preferences from the start screen and switch to the old match engine (from FMH14) which will bring it back to the speed from last year.

This isn't down to the splash pages at the start (or similar things) - its because of the match engine which is processing while they're displayed.

(you will need to start a new save game)

How do you switch to the old ME? I'm not seeing this option anywhere. Is it available on ipad?

Never mind I found it. Not to hijack the thread or anything but does changing to the original ME affect how your tactics work? Or will results be the same, just faster?

Never mind I found it. Not to hijack the thread or anything but does changing to the original ME affect how your tactics work? Or will results be the same, just faster?

The game is using a different method to calculate everything, and both methods include some randomness. So I'm not sure what kind of answer you're expecting to this question.

You could run a match, get a result, reload your game, run the same match using the same match engine, and get a totally different result. So how can you test if two different match engines can give the same result? It's impossible.

If there were a faster way of making the exact same calculations, don't you think that would be the default method?

The game is using a different method to calculate everything, and both methods include some randomness. So I'm not sure what kind of answer you're expecting to this question.

You could run a match, get a result, reload your game, run the same match using the same match engine, and get a totally different result. So how can you test if two different match engines can give the same result? It's impossible.

If there were a faster way of making the exact same calculations, don't you think that would be the default method?

I think you’re misunderstanding the question. I just wanted to know if you will get similar results with the different match engines. I think after looking at various people’s posts in forums, you get very different outcomes depending on which ME you choose to use. People have found that some tactics work well with the old ME, but badly with the new ME. So it looks like it will affect how your tactics work. As for your comment about making calculations, I have no idea what you’re on about.