Current Game State

forgivy · 11-20-2014, 02:23 AM

I wanted to buy this but I was wondering if it is playable/finally a good game. My friend said it was horrible compared to ootp, but that was like 6+ months ago. Please let me know how the game is, along with any major bugs or big problems that I may not like. I am huge into simulating so if things like stats/drafting/scouting doesn't work properly then I would like to know.

Thank You

Sebastian Palkowski · 11-20-2014, 03:34 AM

If you want a OOTP Hockey, FHM is not the right game for you. FHM has nothing to do with OOTP so it will go it's own rout (not saying that FHM will not get inspirations from OOTP, EHM, FM).

If you mostly want to play a modern game and mainly simulate your games, I would give it a try. Look out for FHM sales, from time to time you can get it heavily reduced in price.

AlpineSK · 11-20-2014, 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by forgivy

I wanted to buy this but I was wondering if it is playable/finally a good game. My friend said it was horrible compared to ootp, but that was like 6+ months ago. Please let me know how the game is, along with any major bugs or big problems that I may not like. I am huge into simulating so if things like stats/drafting/scouting doesn't work properly then I would like to know.

Thank You

Everyone has their own opinions on this one. If you ask 50 people you will get 50 responses. Check with your buddy and see when the last time he played the game was. There hasnt been an update since the end of May, so if you trust him and he's played since that update, then do what you like. Personally, I uninstalled it and have not played it since June or so. There's an update that has been in the works for some time now but no one on the Dev end is ready to say when it is being released.

AEWHistory · 11-26-2014, 08:17 PM

From my perspective, this is a solid game that still has a long way to go. I think people have trouble reconciling those two concepts nowadays. It is almost as if the Model T wasn't an amazing car when it was released because there are better cars today! The simple truth is that this is probably the most robust hockey sim currently available, but it is on version 1 whereas OOTP is on version 15 or something like that. I can't help but wonder what OOTP was like in '99. My point is that if you compare apples to apples this game is quite good overall (and yes, that is factoring in that times have changed since '99). OTOH, they clearly bit off more than they could chew in the first version and there are elements of the game that were planned but ended up being scrapped, such as hiring coaches. So there are issues. Will you find yourself wanting more? Probably. But will you get your money's worth? I have more than gotten fair value in time played and enjoyed. I still want more historic stuff added, but I'm pretty happy as is and will buy the next version ASAP.

Of course, with all this said, YMMV....

dmacgreg37 · 11-29-2014, 10:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlpineSK

Everyone has their own opinions on this one. If you ask 50 people you will get 50 responses. Check with your buddy and see when the last time he played the game was. There hasnt been an update since the end of May, so if you trust him and he's played since that update, then do what you like. Personally, I uninstalled it and have not played it since June or so. There's an update that has been in the works for some time now but no one on the Dev end is ready to say when it is being released.

I'm with this person. I haven't played in months, and it's not been on my computer since spring, maybe summer. Even with the next patch, I'm doubtful I'll bother. Hopefully 2015 can see a big improvement.

11-29-2014, 02:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AEWHistory

I can't help but wonder what OOTP was like in '99.

You can download it in OOTP section of the forum.

Jaurxe · 12-01-2014, 01:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dmacgreg37

I'm with this person. I haven't played in months, and it's not been on my computer since spring, maybe summer. Even with the next patch, I'm doubtful I'll bother. Hopefully 2015 can see a big improvement.

Yeah, I've tried playing a few times but it kind of feels like a waste of time when I know a better version will be out soon that will invalidate whatever save game I've got going.

greenOak · 12-15-2014, 09:41 PM

I bought this game early in it's development (early 2013 I believe) and it was completely unplayable. I started playing again around the beginning of the month expecting it to still be awful based on the forum posts, but I have been pleasantly surprised as it is quite good imo. There is still a lot that can be improved upon, but there are no game breaking bugs, the sim engine is reasonable (at least for the NHL), the sim speed is a lot faster, and there are enough gm decisions to keep me happy. While not EHM, FHM will always be compared to it, and to be honest, I think it is significantly better than the vanilla version of EHM07 was. People forget that EHM07 was pretty broken until user mods fixed the sim engine.

Your friend is right that it sucks compared to ootp, but so does every other sports-sim on the market, so that doesn't really matter.

Fred Shero · 12-16-2014, 03:49 PM

If you like historical hockey then get Action PC Sports. Hopefully this game will have running seasons so you can do a franchise type mode.

Markus Heinsohn · 12-18-2014, 08:22 AM

FHM is still version 1, so it cannot have all the features of OOTP, obviously. And since the focus in the future is more toward fun realistic modern gameplay (real leagues), it will probably never have the customization possibilities that OOTP does. But that is fine, it's a different sport and has different fans. We are trying to listen to the fans and over the years build the game that the majority likes and matches the vision of the development team.

Regarding the current state, FHM is stable and perfectly playable. A new match engine for it is in the works (which other developer does that 1 1/2 years after release?) so we'll even improve it more. So, please give it a try, on Steam is a sale going on. We really appreciate your support.

tcblcommish · 12-18-2014, 11:53 AM

People need to stop camparing this game with other games that have been developed in the past unless you compare them with the first release. Ootp was bare bones baseball simulator if I remember correctly and a bunch of things didn't work right as the game was released and grew from that into what it is now. As far as ehm goes, try to remember that this game was a freeware game for a long time and updated like mad and became a very good game when si came into the picture. Fhm is more advanced than those first ehm games and updates and when he moved to si they benefitted from the game core that fm uses. The SIM engine can be used a lot better from soccer to hockey than from baseball to hockey I would think.

This game isn't that bad though I have to admit that I find the game tedious and honestly, I find it boring after a short time and anxiously await the next version but I really wish people would stop comparing games that have had time to develop and polish.

I'm not a huge fan of the current game but am a fan of where they are going.

11-20-2014, 02:23 AM	#1
forgivy Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Alton, IL Posts: 23	Current Game State I wanted to buy this but I was wondering if it is playable/finally a good game. My friend said it was horrible compared to ootp, but that was like 6+ months ago. Please let me know how the game is, along with any major bugs or big problems that I may not like. I am huge into simulating so if things like stats/drafting/scouting doesn't work properly then I would like to know. Thank You

11-20-2014, 03:34 AM	#2
Sebastian Palkowski Developer Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Hamburg, Germany Posts: 5,117	If you want a OOTP Hockey, FHM is not the right game for you. FHM has nothing to do with OOTP so it will go it's own rout (not saying that FHM will not get inspirations from OOTP, EHM, FM). If you mostly want to play a modern game and mainly simulate your games, I would give it a try. Look out for FHM sales, from time to time you can get it heavily reduced in price. __________________ Buy Franchise Hockey Manager 10

11-26-2014, 08:17 PM	#4
AEWHistory Minors (Double A) Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Trenton, NJ Posts: 159	From my perspective, this is a solid game that still has a long way to go. I think people have trouble reconciling those two concepts nowadays. It is almost as if the Model T wasn't an amazing car when it was released because there are better cars today! The simple truth is that this is probably the most robust hockey sim currently available, but it is on version 1 whereas OOTP is on version 15 or something like that. I can't help but wonder what OOTP was like in '99. My point is that if you compare apples to apples this game is quite good overall (and yes, that is factoring in that times have changed since '99). OTOH, they clearly bit off more than they could chew in the first version and there are elements of the game that were planned but ended up being scrapped, such as hiring coaches. So there are issues. Will you find yourself wanting more? Probably. But will you get your money's worth? I have more than gotten fair value in time played and enjoyed. I still want more historic stuff added, but I'm pretty happy as is and will buy the next version ASAP. Of course, with all this said, YMMV.... __________________ Colorado Rockies/New Jersey Devils fan since '81-'82... became a fan when the Rockies announced they were planning to move to NJ.

12-15-2014, 09:41 PM	#8
greenOak Minors (Triple A) Join Date: Aug 2014 Posts: 203	I bought this game early in it's development (early 2013 I believe) and it was completely unplayable. I started playing again around the beginning of the month expecting it to still be awful based on the forum posts, but I have been pleasantly surprised as it is quite good imo. There is still a lot that can be improved upon, but there are no game breaking bugs, the sim engine is reasonable (at least for the NHL), the sim speed is a lot faster, and there are enough gm decisions to keep me happy. While not EHM, FHM will always be compared to it, and to be honest, I think it is significantly better than the vanilla version of EHM07 was. People forget that EHM07 was pretty broken until user mods fixed the sim engine. Your friend is right that it sucks compared to ootp, but so does every other sports-sim on the market, so that doesn't really matter. Last edited by greenOak; 12-15-2014 at 09:49 PM.

12-18-2014, 08:22 AM	#10
Markus Heinsohn Developer OOTP Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Germany Posts: 24,739	FHM is still version 1, so it cannot have all the features of OOTP, obviously. And since the focus in the future is more toward fun realistic modern gameplay (real leagues), it will probably never have the customization possibilities that OOTP does. But that is fine, it's a different sport and has different fans. We are trying to listen to the fans and over the years build the game that the majority likes and matches the vision of the development team. Regarding the current state, FHM is stable and perfectly playable. A new match engine for it is in the works (which other developer does that 1 1/2 years after release?) so we'll even improve it more. So, please give it a try, on Steam is a sale going on. We really appreciate your support. __________________ Buy Out of the Park Baseball 25 now! Download OOTP Go 25 for iOS Download OOTP Go 25 for Android

12-16-2014, 03:49 PM	#9
Fred Shero Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Sep 2013 Posts: 41	If you like historical hockey then get Action PC Sports. Hopefully this game will have running seasons so you can do a franchise type mode.

12-18-2014, 11:53 AM	#11
tcblcommish Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Canada Posts: 3,435	People need to stop camparing this game with other games that have been developed in the past unless you compare them with the first release. Ootp was bare bones baseball simulator if I remember correctly and a bunch of things didn't work right as the game was released and grew from that into what it is now. As far as ehm goes, try to remember that this game was a freeware game for a long time and updated like mad and became a very good game when si came into the picture. Fhm is more advanced than those first ehm games and updates and when he moved to si they benefitted from the game core that fm uses. The SIM engine can be used a lot better from soccer to hockey than from baseball to hockey I would think. This game isn't that bad though I have to admit that I find the game tedious and honestly, I find it boring after a short time and anxiously await the next version but I really wish people would stop comparing games that have had time to develop and polish. I'm not a huge fan of the current game but am a fan of where they are going. Last edited by tcblcommish; 12-18-2014 at 11:54 AM.