SI Staff Miles Jacobson Posted March 26, 2015 SI Staff Share Posted March 26, 2015 For a brief golden age between 2004 and 2007, ice hockey fans across the globe could test their management credentials from the comfort of their own homes with the Eastside Hockey Manager series. The game, developed by management simulation specialist Sports Interactive and published by SEGA, appeared in three incarnations over the course of that period and developed a small, but enthusiastic global following. The trouble was, in those days before mass digital distribution, reaching that small, but dedicated audience proved increasingly difficult and uneconomic so, reluctantly, SEGA and SI shelved the game in January 2007. However, throughout the intervening years EHM has been kept alive by a dedicated section of the SI crew and now, thanks to the emergence of Steam’s Early Access programme, the game that was loved by so many hockey fans is making a dramatic return. Eastside Hockey Manager: Early Access offers fans the most realistic, in-depth and immersive simulation of hockey management available, giving them the chance to manage club or country in any one of the world’s top hockey-playing nations. EHM: EA allows you to take full control of your roster – you decide who to sign, who to trade and who to draft. You assemble the perfect coaching team and then, with everything in place, you can choose to either employ a head coach to guide your team from behind the bench, or take control of the coaching duties yourself. Whichever you choose, you’ll follow the action ‘live’ through the ultra-realistic ‘top down’ 2D match engine. You’ve always known that you have what it takes to lead your franchise to hockey glory, haven’t you? Now, thanks to the re-emergence of Eastside Hockey Manager you have the chance to prove it all over again. Eastside Hockey Manager: Early Access will be available from 6:00pm (GMT) today (26th March 2015) through Steam Early Access: http://store.steampowered.com/app/301120/ Eastside Hockey Manager: Early Access – Key Features - Contemporary League Structures EHM: EA includes 11 playable leagues (with more planned to be added during early access), each one featuring the up-to-date structure and rules from the current season. - Dynamic 2D Game Engine Follow the action through the top-down game engine, which incorporates state-of-the-art physics modelling (including realistic deflections and shot-blocking) and convincing player AI. There’s even a zoom mode for those who want to get closer to the action. - Lifelike Trade Negotiations Managers can gauge interest to trade proposals from their opposite numbers as well as getting feedback from their own assistant. Each team has their own needs and some are ready to offload prospects for that key veteran that makes them a true contender whilst others can be looking to move high-wage veterans in order to rebuild through the draft. - Intuitive User Interface The centralized navigation bar makes management easier and more intuitive with all key management controls incorporated into the main menu bar. - Improved Player Progression Players develop and age naturally, while the role-based attribute modelling makes players more realistic and more varied. - International Management EHM EA: includes 13 international tournaments for senior and U20 national teams, with tournaments hosted in a variety of nations and cities. - Database Import The database format allows the importing of user-generated up-to-date rosters and even historical starting databases (created for earlier versions of EHM). - And Much, Much More… The intuitive tutorial system takes users through the early stages, there’s an option to hide all visible attributes in the game for added challenge, a nation overview screen to view all the top leagues, clubs and players for each country, player/non-player profiles, option to start the game with a fantasy draft, up-to-date ‘all-star’ game formats with skills competitions and many, many other features. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Philip Rolfe Posted March 26, 2015 Administrators Share Posted March 26, 2015 Best day ever. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Federico Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 Ah! Can't believe it! Really happy for the news! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SI Staff Marc Duffy Posted March 26, 2015 SI Staff Share Posted March 26, 2015 Eastsiiiddeeeee Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleon Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 Brilliant news. Never understood hockey but I used to love playing this before. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonno-Blood Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 OH MY GOD. BEST DAY EVER. anti-caps Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Bladesman Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 Great news. Congrats and good luck to all involved! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
smetana Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 This is a glorious day, indeed. Cheers, SI, here's hoping it works out this time around! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SI Staff Riz Remes Posted March 26, 2015 SI Staff Share Posted March 26, 2015 It's good to be back ! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
smetana Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 It's good to be back ! Riz, of all people, I figure you're the happiest today. Really looking forward to helping out any way I can with this project. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonno-Blood Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 It's good to be back ! Hey Riz, just seen the interview with EHM The Blueline - really appreciate the work you've put in to bring this back. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RTHerringbone Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 I had a copy in around 2005 and remember the disappointment when it was shelved. Look forward to having a look at this later; nice work everyone involved Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gambit Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 Cheers SI! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbfinch Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 As I tweeted, being a Leaf fan, the only hockey-related news I've been more excited about this season* was the David Clarkson trade. I still dip into EHM07 from time-to-time (to the point where I actually set-up a Windows partition on my Mac to allow myself to play it, as I could never get the Mac version to work) even though I know sooner or later, it gets to a point where it crashes when I try and continue. Even if this new version never gets real life data, just having a good hockey management game (sorry, FHM) has me super excited to get home tonight and give it a whirl. * - you know, until the Leafs win the draft lottery, then it'll have to make do with the third most excited I've been this hockey season Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Hook Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 Yes!!! The secret project! Glad to see this return Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
monty99 Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 great news EHM is back i still play EHM 2007 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
James B Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 Price? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
trident Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 Welcome back!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spikey Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 This is great news! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ginnes Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 Happy Days Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SI Staff Phillip Foose Posted March 26, 2015 SI Staff Share Posted March 26, 2015 Great to see the first game I ever worked on when I joined SI in 2002 making a come back. Congratulations to Riz, and the others who've helped out. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 Brilliant, brilliant news Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gambit Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 Can we get some screenshots posted before 6pm? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RTHerringbone Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 Can we get some screenshots posted before 6pm? If you are on Twitter, follow this account to see a few screens: https://twitter.com/ehmtheblueline Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Philip Rolfe Posted March 26, 2015 Administrators Share Posted March 26, 2015 Can we get some screenshots posted before 6pm? There's plenty here https://www.facebook.com/eastsidehockeymanager?fref=photo&sk=photos Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cactuar Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 Can't wait to get on and give this a try. Will be a bit strange not playing EHM 07 anymore though. Will have to backup my 07 saves for a nostalgic rainy day. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gambit Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 If you are on Twitter, follow this account to see a few screens: https://twitter.com/ehmtheblueline Nice. Thanks and thanks Phillip Rolfe for the facebook link Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
duff33 Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 Was over the moon when I heard this was coming back Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
nezzy Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 best day ever! can't wait for 5pm to bolt off home and soon as 6pm hits.....BOOM! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abjekt Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 Really got into hockey in the late 90s and then fully lapsed until last year when I started going to watch my local team (the mighty Streatham Redskins) and had been reading up about this game for a good while, thinking it was a shame I'd missed out. And now, it's a shame no longer. Hooray, etc. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hluraven Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 Holy mother of God! I still play EHM07, one of the best games of all time and way ahead of its' time. Happy to help in any way I can with this one, any chance of a Floorball sim Riz! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hluraven Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 Really got into hockey in the late 90s and then fully lapsed until last year when I started going to watch my local team (the mighty Streatham Redskins) and had been reading up about this game for a good while, thinking it was a shame I'd missed out. And now, it's a shame no longer.Hooray, etc. This must be the first time that back to back posts in the SI boards have been from Streatham fans! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSkillzMB Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 My goodness, this has completely made my day. Yes, I'm happy to be able to play Eastside again but as part of the original research team, I'm just SO delighted for Riz. This is your "baby" and getting to do what you love once again has to be incredibly satisfying. Well played, SI. Best of luck with the launch and it will be an instant buy for me. - Matt Bosela Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
EHMfans Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 Great news! Can't wait! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raymondo316 Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 WOW this is great news Id all but given up hope on ever seeing another EHM game Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Da Beezer Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 Figured it was a joke when I saw it on Twitter. Awesome news! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
trident Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 Author: archibalduk of EHM The Blue Line (Community Forums) Review of Eastside Hockey Manager: Early Access - "Well worth the eight year wait" More than eight years after the Eastside Hockey Manager series was put on indefinite hold, the undisputed king of ice hockey management is back. A lot has changed since EHM 2007 was released in September 2006; not least the rise of the likes of Steam and social media. These platforms make niche games cheaper to launch and easier to market. Indeed, Eastside Hockey Manager: Early Access (or EHM:EA for short) is being released exclusively on Steam and is likely to be heavily marketed using platforms such as Twitter and hockey forums such as The Blue Line and HFBoards. Against this background maybe, just maybe, the game will become a more viable project than it was before. This new iteration is being released as an Early Access game. The game will be continuously developed over the coming months with regular updates being pushed to users via Steam. To call it a beta version would be grossly unfair and inaccurate. The game is highly polished. It’s simply that the game will be developed whilst we play. The thinking behind this approach is to test the waters. If the game generates enough sales then it will return as an annual release. If not, then it won’t. --- See full review here -> http://gmgames.org/eastside-hockey-manager-ehm-version-1/review/ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PenS66 Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 I can't believe this. Is it the 1st of April already? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RTHerringbone Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 Here's a decent summary of "Early Access", for anybody like me who didn't know what it was: http://store.steampowered.com/earlyaccessfaq/?snr=1_200_200_Early+Access Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garethw87 Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 It's good to be back ! RIZ YOU SNEAKY DOG! All them times you promised us EHM wasn't dead! I could cry I'm so happy that is is back! THANK YOU SI! (SORRY FOR ALL THE BAD NAMES I CALLED YOU IN THE PAST! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purple Nine Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 I can't believe this. Is it the 1st of April already? Yeah my thoughts exactly, they should have waited for April 1st and then break the news Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Archibalduk Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 Eastsiiiddeeeee It must be about 8 years since I've seen somebody post that!! I'm so excited to see the game back again! I never thought this day would come. It feels just like the good old days again. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jellocanary Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 Yes. Omg yes. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjotr04 Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 So long hours... ...minutes even... ...must stay focused... F5 F5 F5! How is it not 6pm yet? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garethw87 Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 It must be about 8 years since I've seen somebody post that!!I'm so excited to see the game back again! I never thought this day would come. It feels just like the good old days again. 6pm feels like 8 years away again!! Many thanks to you Archi without TBL EHM might have never come back! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PenS66 Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 Oh my god, I just realized that 6pm GMT is 7pm here in Germany. That's when my football practice starts. The RAGE!!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMO Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 Congratulations. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hambl Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 Anyone know if it'll be available for download on Mac? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stonedroses Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 Is the swiss League playable? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vegard_R Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 Are regens as basic as they were in the last EHM? Or are they more FM-esque? I really want the next Gretzky to come from a sub-tropical nation once in a blue moon. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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