Customizable...

[jrmorgan56]

Since no one has had anything to say for a while...

I am really hoping that PPH will be customizable, in terms of fictional leagues, names, logos, etc., like OOTP5.

[Dvdmanny]

Actually I just kind of assumed that we would be able to do this, if we can't I'm going to be really upset. The ability to create my own league is the sole purpose of me purchasing this game. I have sooooo many league ideas and teams in my head that I'm getting a little too anxious

[Joe Canadian]

One of the reasons I continue to buy OOTP, is for the ability to create new and original fictional leagues. While I enjoy doing this for a basketball league, for me it would amazing to have this ability in a hockey sim.

As soon as I buy PPH, the first thing I'll do is create a league that mimics the real life Newfoundland Hockey Association. I'll also re-create the WHA, and create a all-Canadian hockey league. The possibilities are endless.

Just thinking about this has made me more excited about the game .

[HalfManHalfAmazing]

I would like to volunteer now to help you with the WHA league, we could do variable years. I have a lot of interest in the history of hockey so it would be nice to be able to play with the Cleveland Barons and California Golden Seals (Who were NHL teams not WHA teams) as well as the Houston Aeros, and own personal favorite team, the Denver Spurs (Both WHA teams).

So anyway point being:

Here's the leagues i am VERY down helping and doing myself custom rosters for:

1)QMJHL
2)WHA
3)Pre 1980's NHL
4)Original 6 NHL rosters
5)European leagues
6)Olympic rosters

Now you've got ME even more excited.

[Joe Canadian]

HMHA, I was really talking about fictional rosters using those leagues... just to re-start them present day. But you bring up a great idea, I'd love to run the WHA from its beginning to its demise!

But I would really like to see expansion in PPH, in order to run leagues like the WHA, and NHL properly an expansion feature would be a must. Thoughts?

[HalfManHalfAmazing]

I would love to see the ability to integrate historical events into the league because this is a league that expands often throughout it's history.

IE-Expands from Original six, teams move cities, the NHL takes over the WHA franchises which it views financially viable (Why not Houston?).

I would also like to see the ability to run farm teams, and to simultaneously run leagues (Like the QMJHL) which aren't feeder teams for the NHL but which basically provide incredible players (Mainly Butterfly goaltenders)

PS Did you get my PM?

[EagleEye_0]

One thing to consider is that it looks like Riz's hockey game for SI is most likely going to focus on the world of hockey similiar to how CM does for soccer. Therefore, imo, it would be best to work on mostly just the NHL level for now since if that is done well, you would have a large part of the market. And no offense to the developer of Powerplay hockey, but I seriously doubt they could complete with SI's version of hockey in the sense of other leagues besides the NHL for this version. SI games just has too much experience and resourses with that type of game.

[HalfManHalfAmazing]

Ironic that you mention SI since I have been playing CM4 lately (Lately meaning 24 hours a day, almost literally since it came out) and that's where I got the idea for multiple leagues being run at once. No offense, but if the PPH developers involve people from the area (Such as people that have been playing hockey more than half their life, ahem) in the development process, the game could be a LOT better than a game developed by Europeans.

[HalfManHalfAmazing]

Especially because EHM was frankly a piece of GARBAGE. It was unplayable. If the current SI incarnate is ANYTHING like EHM, sucks for SI, sucks REAL bad.

[Joe Canadian]

I diasagree, EHM is a really good sim. Was it lacking in areas? Obviously, but for a sim that was basiclly coded on someones spare time, it was pretty good. And it really doesn't matter what country the developers come from, you've got to remember that OOTP is made by someone from Germany... and OOTP rocks. There are many europeans that love hockey as much as any North American.

EHM:FE is going to be a multi league sim, like CM. I love the idea of that, however I think what the market needs right now is a "single league" hockey sim (like OOTP, FOF).

[EagleEye_0]

I agree completely Steve

[chrisj]

Hockey has been played in Europe almost as long as it has in Canada... so you can't complain about the game because it was developed by Europeans. And, as Steve mentioned, Markus lives in Germany, where baseball isn't exactly the number one sport, and he has done a fine job with OOTP.

I agree with what Steve said about how good EHM is too.

[HalfManHalfAmazing]

I diasagree, EHM is a really good sim. Was it lacking in areas? Obviously, but for a sim that was basiclly coded on someones spare time, it was pretty good.

I guess we can agree to disagree because I completely disagree. EHM is a mess, and lacking in some areas is a HUGE compliment for a game that is unplayable. I read what you wrote and I thought to myself "You know, maybe I was wrong" so I picked up EHM again and whaddya know, still horrendous. It was unplayable again and I deleted it after 5 minutes. Aside from the fact that the game has a terrible UI, the draft system is basically unplayable as there is no way to sim until the next draft pick.

And it really doesn't matter what country the developers come from, you've got to remember that OOTP is made by someone from Germany... and OOTP rocks.

Once again I guess we will have to agree to disagree as I think that it does matter what country you are from. Look at the MLS in Championship Manager. The rules are HORRIBLY botched, in OOTP because it's not attempting to be a financial management sim I will forgive it's VERY lacking contractual aspect with the players, and because the game is such a basic baseball game it's missing a lot of nuances. In the same sense, most of the English players are VASTLY over rated because it's developers know them intimately. OOTP is a great game, but I wouldn't call it a baseball lovers game, I would call it a baseball simulator, it doesn't for ME (This is just my opinion) feel like baseball, it's just a good sports sim. EHM will now be developed in London from everything I was able to discern from the website, and that isn't a country which embraces hockey whatever. And a love of hockey I think is secondary to a knowledge of the NHL and it's MANY contractual intricacies and especially rules intricacies which cannot just be gleaned from reading about the rules, you have to be a student of hockey, there are still PLENTY of rules in the NHL which make no sense to me and I played college hockey and have followed the NHL religiously for 15 years.

I agree with what Steve said about how good EHM is too.

I would question how many of you have ever played Championship Manager? Compared to OOTP and TDCB, EHM only looks like a sub par job, but compared to CM EHM is literally unplayable. I would HIGHLY advise checking out CM as it would appear none of you have checked it out.

[chrisj]

Originally posted by HalfManHalfAmazing
I would question how many of you have ever played Championship Manager? Compared to OOTP and TDCB, EHM only looks like a sub par job, but compared to CM EHM is literally unplayable. I would HIGHLY advise checking out CM as it would appear none of you have checked it out.

I've played CM3 (not 4 yet) and I will agree - CM is superior to the other games you mentioned, and vastly superior to EHM. Of course EHM was done in Riz's spare time over a few years while he was in school. He's now working on the game fulltime, and has been for sometime. He also has the support of all of SI, so if he encouters any problems he has a good support staff to ask for help. Also, I'm sure you'll be happy to know then that EHM:FE is based on CM.

And yes, the game is being developed in London, but Riz isn't from there, he's from... Finland?(I think?). Hockey has a quite a bit more of a following there.

One final thing - I believe SI has researchers who follow each league in detail in order to make sure that the game has any rule differences in full for each league (if that makes any sense...?).

[Ryan W.]

PPH will be in the same mold as OOTP, which means fully customizable logos, photos, league sizes, etc. I also plan to let players create their own fictional universe if they so choose.

As far as PPH being a world league sim (ala EHM:FE or CM), it will not do that this time around. It will be a one league sim with full minor leagues as well.

[chrisj]

Good to hear Ryan. For me atleast, that's what I was hoping PPH would be.

[Joe Canadian]

I don't think it's fair to compare EHM and CM. CM is developed by a team of individuals who work on the game full time. Plus its had many editions and time to build apon. EHM was made as a hobby. Does the present version of EHM compare to CM, obviously not. But EHM did its job... remember you got it for FREE.

And thanks for the update Ryan!

[HalfManHalfAmazing]

Does the present version of EHM compare to CM, obviously not

I don't think that it compares to any other sim game. Can you name a sim game that you feel EHM is superior to? It's the worst sim game I've ever played. (And I've played horse racing manager which is a BAD sim).

It will be a one league sim with full minor leagues as well.

When you say full minor leagues, how full are we talking? Will the QMJHL be represented in the minors or not?

But EHM did its job... remember you got it for FREE.

I would disagree that it did its job, but I DO concur that it was free so I'm not complaining as much as saying, man that was crap how can we make PPH 10x the game that EHM was?

[Joe Canadian]

Well we can agree to disagree, but I think alot of people would agree that EHM was a fairly decent game. It certainly wasn't the worst sim ever.

Regarding minors... the QMJHL is not a minor league. The AHL and ECHL are the minor leagues to the NHL. The QMJHL is a junior league, like OHL, WHL, US College, Swedish Elite, etc. These leagues are feeder leagues, they hold prospects that get drafted in the NHL. I would think that these leagues will have a presence in the league, ie. players get drafted from them and can be sent down before they turn 20(usually only occurs with players on CHL teams). However when Ryan spoke of minors I would think he meant the AHL & ECHL.

[Ryan W.]

For minors I was referring to AHL and ECHL teams for the most part. If there is time, I may make a generic juniors feeder league.