FMH on Ipad - Yay or Nay (3 pros/3 cons) for a potential new gamer

[Babak G]

Have been a regular FM player since the old days under the old brand. Dont get as much time on that due to the whole amount of time needed + project nature of starting a save, so was thinking of exploring this. But I cant imagine going back to the days of playing CM 2001/2 which is what some people have said. So what are 3 pros/3 cons of indulging myself?

[RichardMagpies]

Pros:

It's portable

Quick and easy to pick up and play whenever you want

30 seasons is a very long time in-game, i've played 5 seasons and my play time's approx 2 days.

Cons:

The price is quite steep, but worth it.

The iPad version doesn't have an editor.

There's still a few bugs in the game, and the match engine isn't too good.

[Babak G]

Can you play text only commentary?

Can you edit competition names, etc like you do on the PC by adding config files?

[rafafloripa]

Can you play text only commentary?

Can you edit competition names, etc like you do on the PC by adding config files?

Text only yes, editing no.

[Lillywhite Dean]

Pros

1. Portable. Having FM on the go is probably the best thing about the series. My commute to work is so much better since playing FMH.

2. Fast. Getting through a season is somewhat quicker than its desktop bigger brother. Still has an amazing amount of depth for a streamlined title.

3. Well supported by updates from the developers. Any bugs are usually ironed out, the game often receives improvements, and the developers are happy to engage with the FM community answering questions and taking on feedback.

Cons

1. If you’re a huge fan of the desktop version then you might feel that the game is lacking something extra i.e. more player/media interaction, in-depth tactics or staff management. However, the game is supposed to be a lite edition of the desktop version.

2. The match engine. In terms of the highlights vs text commentary – I think SI has found the right balance. However, the match engine can be a little erratic at times and I wish there was more variation in the actual highlights (same goals, incidents etc).

3. Too easy. Not everyone will agree but in my first career, I have taken a Blue Square South side all the way to the Championship winning back-to-back titles and two trophies.

[Babak G]

Thank you Dean!

[Marc Vaughan]

Pros

1. Its fast to play

2. Its less 'intense' than the PC game, you can play it without feeling if you miss something it might destroy your season

3. Its still realistic

Cons

1. If you're expecting the full 'PC' game you might miss the morass of data the provides.

2. No 3d view if you're into that side of things (sorry but with only two developers on the game its a bit beyond our practical scope at present).

3. Its 'less intense' than the PC game so some people might feel that its too shallow for them.

[Jugster]

If you limit it to 3 then you get fairly generalised comments, so here's 8 instead

Pros

1. It's quick and fun to play with a touch-screen interface

2. You can sign fantastic players for your lower league club on the way to greatness

3. Lots of challenges with different types of boards, finances and expectations

4. Manage international teams as well

5. Rewards and unlockables for success

6. You can improve your club's training faciltiies and ground capacity as you succeed

7. Players develop as they mature and deteriorate as they age

8. Players have more character in this year's version and can need more managing

Cons

1. Game engine isn't weighted for player skills enough

2. Opposing teams are not penalised for injured players and people out of position enough

3. Scouting is a waste of time

4. No interaction with other managers

5. No match reports

6. Players have hidden stats that are hard to get to know

7. Search engine isn't flexible enough and results can't be sorted by player attributes

8. Match highlights are repetitive and scripted - stick to the text commentary

[Lillywhite Dean]

Cons

1. Game engine isn't weighted for player skills enough

2. Opposing teams are not penalised for injured players and people out of position enough

3. Scouting is a waste of time

4. No interaction with other managers

5. No match reports

6. Players have hidden stats that are hard to get to know

7. Search engine isn't flexible enough and results can't be sorted by player attributes

8. Match highlights are repetitive and scripted - stick to the text commentary

I definitely agree with number two on the cons list. I have seen so many instances where opposition players have started the game with a low match fitness rating only to have lasted the whole match without getting an injury and played an absolute blinder too. Its also frustrating to see opposition players playing out of position and not affecting their tactics.

With regards to the match engine - are you saying that if you keep it on text only, the game is not as scripted as having match highlights?

[Marc Vaughan]

I definitely agree with number two on the cons list. I have seen so many instances where opposition players have started the game with a low match fitness rating only to have lasted the whole match without getting an injury and played an absolute blinder too. Its also frustrating to see opposition players playing out of position and not affecting their tactics.

Just to confirm something - the match engine doesn't bias for or against humans .... however humans often underestimate the level at which a player can be effective in the right role, for instance a tired midfielder (say 85% at match start) can still be effective so long as you don't ask him to run around madly (ie. Box to Box midfielder) ... in a more leisurely role (say playmaker) he might be a very useful player still despite not being fully fit.

With regards to the match engine - are you saying that if you keep it on text only, the game is not as scripted as having match highlights?

To try and explain things - the match view is not scripted, it attempts to model what happens in the match.

The game plays out the same regardless of what view you're watching and is not affected at all by the format you watch it in (although peoples reactions to a match CAN be affected by the mode they're viewing in, some people will be more impulsive when watching their strikers miss in 2d than they might on text etc.).

[Jugster]

We're not talking about players who are tired, it's ones with injury signs on them from the start. My main beef is with players who start in Red positions and play there the whole game and yet can perform well. When three out of four players in a midfield unit are either injured or playing out of position they really shouldn't be able to do anything.

As for the match engine, i didn't mean there was any difference in the outcome, I meant that the action clips didn't have infinite variety, you can see set routines being played out to describe the action. Shots in off the post, or through the goalkeeper look the same time and time again. Some people like the highlights, I don't have an issue with that, I just don't find they add anything so i turn them off, which makes the game faster as well.

[Marc Vaughan]

We're not talking about players who are tired, it's ones with injury signs on them from the start.

If they're players with 'green injury' signs then they show they're not at full fitness - ie. it could well be that they are indeed just tired or have a knock or two, nothing serious.

(check their profiles - it doesn't mean they're hopping on one leg at that stage, at worst they're back in training and in the last stages of recovering from a serious injury)