New Features
As a result of user feedback and continued evolution of the game in general, Sports Interactive have introduced a number of new, and revised, features to Football Manager 2007. These include:
* A new default GUI as a result of user feedback, which is said to be more user-friendly.
* A revamped scouting engine, allowing for more realistic scouting of potential stars, including the ability for scouts to 'learn' from their experience.
* Enhanced media interaction, including the ability to make comments on any player in the world, previously only limited to other managers, in the game.
* An improved youth team system
* Pre-match team talks, along with greatly improved half-time team talks, and
* A hints and tips section which displays when the game is being saved by the user.
Perhaps the most significant new addition, will be the ability to create a feeder club affiliation - allowing big clubs to set up a relationships with a small club and vice versa. This can be used by users managing larger clubs to 'farm' out players to their feeder club to gain the first team experience that they, otherwise, would not get at higher levels.
Other benefits of such an affiliation, include the ability for clubs to play friendlies with feeder clubs as a preference over other teams, and feeder clubs also get first option on players whom the parent club no longer wish to employ.
In recent years, the option of being able to create feeder club affiliations with other teams has been one of the most desired features amongst members of Sports Interactive's popular discussion boards [2]. As has been seen in the past, Sports Interactive's close relationship with its passionate fans has made for the inclusion of new features which may have been included at a later date, or not at all.
The Football Managerä team has taken the fans comments on board and have introduced a host of new features across all formats. Feedback specifically on the Xbox 360ä version resulted in the Sports Interactive team compiling a new user interface to allow players to have a joypad friendly experience whilst still retaining all the depth of the game. Football Manager Handheld also sees an upgrade with more playable leagues, more features and, for the very first time, network play allowing you to compete against your friends on your PSP.
“We are constantly striving for perfection and are on track to deliver our most authentic football experience yet”, commented Miles Jacobson, Studio Director of Sports Interactive. “There will be a new, easy to use default skin, as well as improved hints and tips throughout the game. More in-depth feedback from your assistant manager and coaches, plus interaction with any player worldwide makes this an un-missable and very user friendly experience, and our best football game by a country mile.”
With all-new features, improved gameplay and a depth only seen from Sports Interactive, Football Manager™ 2007 and Football Manager Handheld offers a management simulation that is second to none. To whet the appetite of every Football fan, SEGA and Sports Interactive have unveiled just some of the new features available with more features for all platforms to be announced in the coming months.
Features for Football Manager™ 2007 PC/Mac/Intel Mac/Xbox 360™:
Feeder Clubs - Brand new to Football Managerä 2007, and one of the most requested features on Sports Interactive’s forums has been the addition of feeder clubs to the game. This new addition works in all the ways you would expect it to in real life. You can establish your club as the small team who receives loan players from a larger club or a large club looking for support getting your youngsters match experience by loaning them out. Have the first option on players from clubs, and schedule pre-arranged friendlies each season by simply asking your board for a feeder relationship and choose from the list they compile.
Youth Revamp - A complete revamp of youth teams sees full youth squads for each team that has a youth set-up, thus giving a much better system for the regeneration of players in the long term game.
User Friendly – Football Managerä 2007 gives players a new easier to use default skin, along with hints and tips throughout the game, and an improved tutorial. In addition to better feedback from your assistant manager and scouts as well as lots more media, customisation and multiple row selection, all this adds up to the most user friendly Sports Interactive game ever.
Scouting Revamp - A complete revamp of the scouting system inside the game leads to more information about players and teams being made available to managers, as well as a more realistic methodology for player scouting. This system allows scouts to grow and improve their knowledge-base of the world’s football players.
Player Interaction - You can now talk to any player in the world via the media. Player interaction allows you to tap up other teams stars or see if players will buckle under the pressure. An effective manager must use the media as a motivational tool - why not praise your own players in many different ways or shout at them for loss of form?
Team Talks - For more varied ways to talk to your team, SI have worked hard to deliver vastly improved team talks at half and full time. Not only this, but pre-match team talks will now be making their first appearance in Football Manager - so you can send your team out onto the pitch with a specific briefing.
Football Manager™ 2007 for PC, Mac, Intel Mac and Xbox 360ä are set for release Christmas 2006. Football Manager™ Handheld for PSP will also make the Christmas 2006 launch. For further information go to www.sigames.com or the completely re-vamped www.footballmanager.net website.
Here's some screenshots:
The player interraction looks superb. Being able to tell a young player that he should model his game after another player in the team is awesome
ugh. I could get this for Christmas!
