Take me from EHM to FHM by answering a few questions.

[rob_lee]

Hello!

I have a few questions.
I see that the game is more or less mainly focused on the NHL and american/canadien ice hockey content. But what i'm most interested in in all of the modern sports games is the national teams. I like to take on a lower national team, create a healthy youth academy and doing all I can for them to make it to the national team or the NHL.
Anyway, that might be a little off-topic from my question. What I missed in Eastside Hockey Manager was the ability to costumize the leagues and national team tournaments.

Will it be possible to create a summit series of Canada - Russia in 2018 for example and set a date so that this 'event' occurs every 10th year?
Will it be possible to change rules and tournament style of the minor national team tournaments like Karjala cup to being a playoff tournament instead of just a group stage? maybe both?
Can I create new tournaments for national teams?
Will I be able to make a European style of NHL by connecting Swedish-, Russian-, Finnish-, German (etc) league into one big league? Adding big cities like Rome and London to the league and higher their attraction to the city, making them able to attract better players? A European style with 82 games + playoffs or perhaps more.
*Additional Question* to the last one. Will I be able to make this european league, connect it with the NHL and have about 60-70 teams in it, with an enourmous schedule, maybe even longer than 1 year. Maybe the league has to take 2 years to complete 1 season. Can I reconstruct the whole NHL system into another type of division and conference style? Edit how the playoffs are played? Maybe by setting the stage of 32 to be a group stage where the teams face each other 3 games each and then advance to the round of 16?

How much can I change? Do I have this total control? Making an entire World Club League is interesting for me.

I haven´t bought the beta yeat, i have been playing EHM still. But These are perhaps the main preferences I have right now.

Also a few side-questions.
Will there be logos for the teams? As I saw on the facebook-page a picture of Modo Hockey in Sweden not having any logo (which they have in EHM), that's my home team :S
Can the players become staff afterwards like in EHM? Like if Daniel Sedin or someone else quits, does he randomly dissapear from the game? Do I need to sign him as staff while he is still an active player or does this function even exist? Is it possible to sign a staff back to become a player?

How long simulation time is there in FHM? Im at year 2046 in EHM now and I find it actually funnier playing when all the "irl" players have retired and the players/staff contains of those who I have raised by myself since they were 15 years old.

If anyone can take their time and answer me by as much fact as they can get about these questions and the response is mostly positive, I will surely buy FHM.

Thanks!

[Alessandro]

If those are your "requests", I find very hard that you will prefer FHM over EHM, at least for now, anyway:

Hello!

I have a few questions.
I see that the game is more or less mainly focused on the NHL and american/canadien ice hockey content.

Unfortunately, it's as you said

But what i'm most interested in in all of the modern sports games is the national teams.

Good start no national teams for FHM 1

What I missed in Eastside Hockey Manager was the ability to costumize the leagues and national team tournaments.

You can create a fictional league now, with club teams, but it's a bit boring as you're all alone in the world.

Will it be possible to create a summit series of Canada - Russia in 2018 for example and set a date so that this 'event' occurs every 10th year?
Will it be possible to change rules and tournament style of the minor national team tournaments like Karjala cup to being a playoff tournament instead of just a group stage? maybe both?
Can I create new tournaments for national teams?
Will I be able to make a European style of NHL by connecting Swedish-, Russian-, Finnish-, German (etc) league into one big league? Adding big cities like Rome and London to the league and higher their attraction to the city, making them able to attract better players? A European style with 82 games + playoffs or perhaps more.

No (no national teams)
No (same)
No (same)
Yes you can technically do that, but it won't work like you said, because your league is the only hockey league in the universe.

I haven´t bought the beta yeat, i have been playing EHM still. But These are perhaps the main preferences I have right now.

I think you'll enjoy EHM more. I am a researcher for FHM (KHL), and will go on with EHM for now.

Will there be logos for the teams? As I saw on the facebook-page a picture of Modo Hockey in Sweden not having any logo (which they have in EHM), that's my home team :S

No, but here you can already download a logo pack

Can the players become staff afterwards like in EHM? Like if Daniel Sedin or someone else quits, does he randomly dissapear from the game? Do I need to sign him as staff while he is still an active player or does this function even exist? Is it possible to sign a staff back to become a player?

None of this is in the game, unfortunately

How long simulation time is there in FHM? Im at year 2046 in EHM now and I find it actually funnier playing when all the "irl" players have retired and the players/staff contains of those who I have raised by myself since they were 15 years old.

I don't get this question

[rob_lee]

Wow, thanks for the quick response!

"How long simulation time is there in FHM? Im at year 2046 in EHM now and I find it actually funnier playing when all the "irl" players have retired and the players/staff contains of those who I have raised by myself since they were 15 years old."
I mean, can you play for as long as you want or is there a time limit? Like if 2030 is the last year, then the game is over? In EHM you can play as long as you want, year 3000 if you can reach it.

[Alessandro]

Yes, in FHM it's the same
So, what are your impressions?

[nino33]

I see that the game is more or less mainly focused on the NHL and american/canadien ice hockey content

Unfortunately, it's as you said

I disagree. There are fewer North American Leagues in FHM than EHM, and there are now (even in beta) more non-North American Leagues in FHM than EHM. There are currently 6 North American Leagues in FHM and 13 non-North American Leagues (and more will be added!), and the draft/league rules, AI, etc doesn't work any better in the NHL than it does in any League overseas (you'd think it would if there was an NHL focus)

You can create a fictional league now, with club teams, but it's a bit boring as you're all alone in the world.

That's just because it's a beta feature that was only just released on August 3rd

As Jeff noted a couple days ago (full thread http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/board/f ... -mode.html)

"The basic format of custom leagues will, for this version, always be a top-level league accompanied by a minor league, replacing the NHL and AHL. Eventually, we'd like to allow different levels of custom league, but that would be a major project that we're not going to have time to tackle this year. The rest of the hockey world will continue to operate as it normally does (note that this isn't currently active in the most recently released update), so you'll get a regular supply of players from lower levels.
You'll have the option of choosing to use real players, or fictional ones; either way, the league will start with a draft of the available players to fill team rosters."



IMO the issues/bugs that need fixing and need for improved gameplay have nothing to do with allegations of an "NHL focus" or a fantasy/fictional mode where you're "all alone in the world"

[Alessandro]

If you weren't from North America you'd see an American focus from 50 miles. It's not a critic, just how things are done. And well, to be honest, it makes some sense since the biggest league in the world is the NHL anyway.
If it wasn't like that, then why:
- the game uses dollars
- sizes are imperials
- games are avay vs home
- etc.

What you said about custom leagues is true, but in any case your custom league will be the top level, so what the user requested is not something can be done here since you're basically creating an NHL/AHL fictional league with other leagues being a "separated entity"

[archibalduk]

I can't say I feel the game is skewed in favour of the North American leagues. I think it's all been pretty fair. Yes, the CBA is in there, but as is the Euro transfer system, loans and promotion/relegation. Even the British 2 week notice system is in the pipeline. In fact, I think many of the Euro leagues are in a better state than some of the NA leagues. Take for example the Canadian Major Juniors which don't even have the correct age rules.

I agree the use of Dollars and imperial measurements are irritating for non-North Americans, but I can appreciate that it's the natural starting point. North America is going to be a big market for them, particularly as they have an existing baseball fan base with which they'll want to engage. I'm sure OOTP will add currency and metric options eventually. But ultimately if they're having to work on roster and trade AI with only 10 days until release, I can appreciate why currency/metric/etc hasn't made it into the game yet. But I think that's the wider issue of releasing the game too soon or taking on too many modes at a cost of basic game features and the UI.

Once the trading/transfer issues are worked out, I'll be pretty happy with my area of Euro leagues considering we're at version 1. I can't say I feel the UK leagues have suffered because of any perceived favouring of the NA leagues. What's stopping me from enjoying the game is mostly due to the user interface and not the quality of the Euro leagues.

Regarding the fictional leagues - can't the nationality be set to whatever you want? Or is it always locked to USA/Canada? I thought it was the former, but I don't know for sure because I have no interest in fictional leagues.

[nino33]

If you weren't from North America you'd see an American focus from 50 miles. It's not a critic, just how things are done. And well, to be honest, it makes some sense since the biggest league in the world is the NHL anyway.

Perhaps the issue is not my bias but yours. But my issue is not with your attacks on me, but on the developers...it seems to me you allege developer bias while noting their decision "makes sense" (i.e. it's a sound business decision); it's like you literally need them to "not make sense" to satisfy you. The facts don't support your extreme conclusion of bias IMO

Canada has been a metric country for decades but I don't see the use of imperial measurement as an issue connected to nationalism.
Do you really think FHM will always have only imperial as an option? Do you really think that FHM will always have only dollars as an option?
You think these are serious issues? Worthy of alleging developer bias during the beta because it's not yet included?
You describe the game as "boring as hell" but you want them to focus more on things like adding metric measurement and using other currencies? You really can't see the fact that the current game is essentially unplayable has everything to do with your wants not being addressed yet?

IMO there's LOTS that needs work on the game, but I don't think there's ANY substance to your claim of bias

[nino33]

If anyone can take their time and answer me by as much fact as they can get about these questions

You might be interested in looking at these "Game Systems" threads about FHM http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/board/f ... index.html (Jeff's not done writing these descriptions/explanations and so more should be added before release)

[Alessandro]

If you weren't from North America you'd see an American focus from 50 miles. It's not a critic, just how things are done. And well, to be honest, it makes some sense since the biggest league in the world is the NHL anyway.

Perhaps the issue is not my bias but yours. But my issue is not with your attacks on me, but on the developers...it seems to me you allege developer bias while noting their decision "makes sense" (i.e. it's a sound business decision); it's like you literally need them to "not make sense" to satisfy you. The facts don't support your extreme conclusion of bias IMO

Canada has been a metric country for decades but I don't see the use of imperial measurement as an issue connected to nationalism.
Do you really think FHM will always have only imperial as an option? Do you really think that FHM will always have only dollars as an option?
You think these are serious issues? Worthy of alleging developer bias during the beta because it's not yet included?
You describe the game as "boring as hell" but you want them to focus more on things like adding metric measurement and using other currencies? You really can't see the fact that the current game is essentially unplayable has everything to do with your wants not being addressed yet?

IMO there's LOTS that needs work on the game, but I don't think there's ANY substance to your claim of bias

I think you misread my post or perhaps I exagerated in writing. I never claimed they should address this stuff, I just said that I thought there is a very light bias towards North America, and I also said that it's normal because NA is going to be their prime market

[rob_lee]

Thanks for your answers guys, I didn´t think anyone would be kind enough to answer all of those that fast
I have checked in to the links you have posted and now I have much more information.

So far I think I should wait a little while, I don´t know really. I want to transfer to FHM because it's going to get updates and things will get better, but I'm not sure the starting stage is right for me.
I was thinking that some of my questions would get a negative answer, like the "World Club League" etc. But I was surprised by the absolute "no" to national teams National teams is like the top for me, it's the goal of the career, Olympic Gold over Stanley Cup, a final step to prove which nation has had it all right and shows which nation is the ice hockey leader no matter the standard of their pro league.

Imagine if you're playing to win the stanley cup, but the game "ends" at the semi finals
I really need this function. I will surely stay updated and eventually buy FHM, but I will have to wait for the national teams, it's the soul of sports games!

Thanks again for the awesome answers!

[archibalduk]

National teams are planned for FHM 15. So hopefully in a year's time you should be able to win Olympic Gold!

[dave1927p]

Hopefully in FHM2015 when national play is added they will also add Country rankings. I always enjoying building a hockey program from insignificant to being a force to reckon with or at least a competator.

I would love to build Great Britains hockey program to be a top 5 in the world , and at the same time making their premier league build reputation.


rob_lee, we are actually quite lucky to be most likely getting national play in the second version. OOTP has gone through 14 versions and it still isn't in their game. In fact, how ootp was programmed originally was the reason they've kept it out...they handcuffed themselves. Lucky for us they learned from those mistakes for FHM.