Football Manager 2009 Comments by Martin Korda

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I love football manager

Should be tremendous. Can't wait for those inevitable comedy moments in 3D too!

Doesn't look like an isometric 3D viewpoint. Looks like a regular 3D viewpoint with perspective and stuff.

Immense, had been waiting to hear about FM for a while, was a little disappointed with last years effort due to a few bugs, this sounds like a step in the right direction. Shame nearly every other manager sim that has tried 3d has been rubbish, but if anyone can do it it's SI!

Who cares!! Why no Pro Evo 2009 coverage yet ?? =[

So they wont release a home version due to control interface..but they are making a PSP version. Wii = perfect control interface + more powerful than PSP so why dont they just port that. Or are they oblivious to its sales.

Who cares!! Why no Pro Evo 2009 coverage yet ?? =[

There's actually something about FM09 to report about, because it has changes from last year's version.

rabcg - the PSP version of FM is very different to the PC and Mac version. It's like FM's baby brother. So no control issues, as the features are cut down accordingly.

The Wii is nowhere near powerful enough for the full PC experience, which is what the previous 360 releases have been. And the Wii isn't "handheld", so releasing Football Manager Handheld on it would be a bit odd, let alone our complete lack of experience working on a Nintendo device.

They'd better have a dugout view othewise it's a fail for me from the immersion point of view.

Not that realistically I'd probably ever use it, mind, but it'd be nice to switch to it every now and then to see where 'you' are.

Looks brilliant, but what does this mean for system specs? If it doesn't run on the work laptop on the commuter train I reckon SI would miss quite a few sales..

Who cares!! Why no Pro Evo 2009 coverage yet ?? =[

There's actually something about FM09 to report about, because it has changes from last year's version.

Oh snap

With the press conferences - will they happen after every match? And how many questions will you be fielded in one sitting? Will there be an option to sit them out? like by sending your Assistant to them?

Slightly concerned they could become a chore...?

Like I said on another FM news article - I can't buy it due to my studies. I imagine the 3D match engine will not quite relate to the commentary being shown, though it'll be nice to know what happens on the pitch when the commentary says 'Moukoko' or 'Saivet' shoots!...' and you hear nothing more about it.

It sounds wonderful though, and as soon as I've finished my degree I'm going to buy this and spend ages looking at every single youth international team in the world trying to find the next young gem and putting together a team by not spending more than 5 million a season. As always playing as my team Arsenal I can't not, can I?

I hope in this game Van Persie is actually good, though. He'll have the injury proneness of Robben, but his ability never reflects his talent in FM games, meaning I have to sell one of my favourite players the second I enter the game.

The only other thing I'd like improved is the variety of press interaction with regard to answers to questions - 5 is a good amount, but always issuing a strong statement of my teams ability just so I can fire up Micah Richards before every single damn game is a bit tiresome.

Actually last thing - I've won 7 back to back premierships in a row, but fell out of the League Cup in the third round a few times. T he board really wouldn't give a shit - that should be changed. I've never had my board delighted with me, even when I've won everything in one season. Peter Hill-Wood dosn't give a damn about Arsenal success, so why does he in my game?

@riz23

I'll second that. FM has always been about being able to run on a crap old laptop to keep the addiction going wherever you are. I'm excited again about FM for the first time in ages. The asst manager is a brilliant addition. Some sort of feedaback so that we have some indication of what we're doing right and what we're doing wrong has been needed for ages. Sometimes you stumble upon a good formation or line up but you're not really sure why as there are so many variables. It ended up leaving me frustrated sometimes when things go wrong for no obvious reason and you don't know how to put it right.

This is the only game that matters.

Can't wait.

I can't wait for FM10 then, as 09 will undoubtedly be riddled with bugs, like it was when it switched to 2D for the first time (Champ Manager 4, I think that was). The first iteration of the new technology is always dodgy, but I applaud them making this move forward.

I can't help but expect the 3D engine to suck. I hold out every hope for it to be brilliant, but I just don't see it being all that good, at least not this year - there's far too many things that can happen in a game of football to be covered by 100 player animations.

I'll still buy it of course, because I'm a sucker for SI's games - been playing CM/FM since 98 and I pre-order Fm Live after just 2 weeks of being part of the beta (just hoping a few more people do that - my future gameworld is looking worryingly empty). Even if the 3D engine isn't great it'll still have the 2D and the other new features are enough for me to want to shell out once again.

"Media interaction is also being revamped, with press conferences taking place before and after each match and when starting out at a new club."

Good stuff!

This years version sounds like a definite buy for me (after skipping a game for the first time with the 08 version). However - I would expect to buy after a patch or two... Early in the new year then. (Is that too harsh?).


No console version because of interface? Hey Miles - I'll happily design the mechanics of the GUI for you at a discounted rate Sir ;)


Edit - mistake

The match engine itself will be better than 08's since it is just a further iterative step. It is using the engine from Live.

I agree, though, that the 3d itself might not be worth looking at with only 100 animations but the simulation should be top notch.

Cool, there hasn't been a decent 3D match engine in a footy management game since FIFA Soccer Manager in 1997!

Hooray for the revolution.

I'm convinced this will re-ignite my love affair with FM after last year's effort.

My one concern would be about how good the Assistant Manager's advice will be. Will it scale with knowledge? Will it actually be useful? I'm worried because in the last three or so releases, the best assistants in the world (according to the game) have been unable to recognise a decent player if he ran rings around them.

3D engine? Able to be a women? What the hell is going on?

:(

Yeah what the hell is going on! I want to be transgender.

Riz23 - if your computer isn't powerful enough for 3d, it'll default to the old 2d view...

T4RG4 - next time we're advertising for GUI coders, apply :) We still have a position for an artist (who work on the GUI side of things too) open at the moment if you aren't a coder... Although the issue wasn't just the GUI, but the control method too.

Miles - is the engine going to take a few versions to become brill? When the 2D engine came in, it took two or three versions until it was *great*.

Also, will every match be different? Or will we always see similar goals? I must admit, after being a long term fan this worries me :/.

Shouldnt have laughed when I saw the new Champ Man 3D engine... *doh!*

HardToast: the match engine is the same. 2D/3D, its the same match engine that SI Games have been tweaking and honing since CM4. What is different about this release is a 3D view to display that same match. Therefore in theory you'll see all the variety of goals that happen in FM2008; just with an extra dimension. Whether the graphics and animation can do this justice... we'll have to wait and see :)

Miles - I'm neither a coder, artist or tester nor am I a producer (although I have dabbled with the latter in times of multiple hat wearing) so that leaves the only routine position for which I believe SI do not employ_ever_ and I'm not talking toilet cleaner. The interface on console (not so much the graphical style but the mechanics of operation) is surely a challenge for a game like FM but don't you just love that!? No? Just me then.

Is it such a big issue so as to be the main reason for FM09 not appearing on console? If so that deserves to be resolved surely.


The 3D match engine - "if your computer isn't powerful enough for 3d, it'll default to the old 2d view..."

I cant imagine this not running on a PC available today unless we're talking relatively old PC's? If you can run the match engine without slow down what kind of hit is the 3D match engine causing?

There are some additionally described features of FM 2009:

Description of newly announced Football Manager 2009 featured

Haven't played a CM/FM game in ages (or at least for about 8 years). IMO the games got way too detailed, making managing your team too much of a chore and game progression way too slow. But that new assistant manager feature actually sounds like it might address my issues with the game.

As for the 3D engine, I never had much trouble with just the text but it looks nice.