FHM 12 and beyond wishlist

[Zeke K]

So, I've yet to see an NHL All-Star Game in FHM11 which is unacceptable.

Firstoff, things that should be in game, then on to my "things I'd like to see" dreams.

As others have said drafts are lackluster as far as features go and should be a core experience. I'll quote myself on something that absolutely NEEDS to be a top priority to bring better usability to the draft, and that is the retention of draft pick origins:

"In the 'Draft Order' listing in drafts its shows what teams own each pick in the draft order.

It currently doesn't differentiate between multiple picks owned by the same team in a round though. A team might have picks 5 and 28 but the in-game displays give us no way to figure which is which. In my games the only real way has been to do a 'force trade' and see if my team gain the proper pick or not, reload and persue the pick of choice.

Traded picks should retain the team they originally belonged when traded. For example: Philadelphia Flyers (BOS) for a pick in the draft shows it currently belong to the Flyers but that draft slot actually represents what would be Boston's pick. That should be done as it would add to trade functionality as well.

Great for drafts (and suggested previously) is another idea. When draft picks for that year are detrmined both in the draft list and in trade listings and pull-down menus overall pick numbers would be clearly indicated. That info is actually more pertinent I'd suggest the trade display would combine both suggestions.

Currently if you add a pick to a trade it gets listed as follows:

NHL Entry Draft 2025 - Calgary - Round: 1

If this pick was traded to them by Vancouver and it is the 18th pick in the upcoming draft; the suggested more useful display would read like this:

NHL Entry Draft 2025 - Calgary (VAN) - Round 1 (18)

Then you don't have to try and figure out/track down what pick you are trading for if Calgary has three first rounders. You also know instantly what number overall the pick is.

Retaining the team traded from information gives you a better fix on pick value if you trade for a powerhouse's pick from next years first round or a team you know will struggle and get you a higher pick. I feel these to be key elements to help us assess trades and the draft.

Particular issues with playing a shortened NHL season specifically... an option for "regular season length" or "compacted schedule" would be great. Shorten the NHL schedule to 42 games and the game creates a standard density of games in a shedule that then ends in December. It'd be more pleasing to me to have a schedule that ends on the same date as a regular NHL schedule it would just be less condensed as far as games played per week.

In a 41 game schedule given all that calendar space there is no need for the schedule grind of an 82 game season with back-to-back games every week.

If that mechanic can't be easily implemented then at least we should have an element in the scheduler that it won't schedule the Olympics at the same time as the Stanley Cup Playoffs. In my game the Conference Finals in the NHL was set to begin yet half the team's players were unavailable, off playing in the Olympics!!

This should never happen! Either an option to schedule the Olympics ourselves or a "NHL Override" safeguard where players in the Stanley Cup Playoffs don't choose the Olympics over playing with their NHL team is needed.

I agree the "chemistry" and "random created drama" element should be an option not a game element. I don't want to be forced to trade a player that I've been working to have a role on my team possibly for years and then have players upset and theoir performance impacted just because of a random in-game mechanic. Sure if people want that 'challenge' let them keep that box checked. Me? I'd love to turn it off as it only provides potential frustration and negatively impacts my gameplay experience.

There is still that oddity of only getting full game options if you take on the GM /Head Coach role but if you want roster and line control but it leaves you without the opportunity to have a Head Coach. Let us just run the whole thing AND hire a Head Coach like we can hire our Assistant Coaches without having to end-around game options.

Trade AI: **ugh**

Even with a "this seems like an even trade" feedback it's near impossible to actually seal the deal on a trade reasonably. You offer a trade to a team and they neverendingly tell you it's "good but not quite". From that point on, for them to actually pull the trigger you eventually need to chip in another pick and another player or rights and you are WAY overpaying at that point for a move of minor players.

Trades of any significant team-building value even when you put a ton on your side of the table are still basically impossible to cement without eventually just forcing trades through. You ask them to 'make it work' on a trade that gives them substantial gains in roles/categories they have weaknesses in and they inevitably come back with "a trade like that will need to involve[list your top three players here]" which is unrealistic and not helpful.

I'm not trying to trade grinders and a pick for 1st line future HHoFers here, I'm offering key players in their reported areas of need in return for players to fill in roles I need, but you simply can never get it done let alone reasonably.

Lastly I'll say I always appreciate you continuing to have a mac version. However... to say it is either tested or really supported?? At this point that assertion is clearly innacurate.

On my MacBook Pro I get ZERO running color commentary text in 2d mode, just flashing notifications of goals scored (I can see the files with the dialogue are still there but they simply don't work and it seems nobody has noticed and/or cared). I get no NHL All Star game. I've let that slide as I won a Steam cert that I bought this years version with, but I'd guess others might be a little more upset with that lack of functionality.

I don't expect there to be a full-time mac specific guy in a tight crew, but if you're going to continue making it avaialble there should be SOMEONE with basic overlapping knowledge that does in house testing of the Mac version before it goes up on Steam for people to pay 45 bucks for.

As is FHM 11 especially as a yearly title feels a lot more like a 14.99 entry to me tbh and that pains me given how much time I've put into this game. I'm a long-time user and even an EHM tester, so I know something about the game's history and the slim but dedicated and hardworking crew behind it... but were people without that nostalgia for the game and niche love for hockey sims tand compared it's offering for it's price to other games on Steam? The price is way out of whack.

In the era of amazing free-to-plays and indies at the $29 mark or less that give days of gameplay and are mindblowing transformative gameplay experiences. II mean $45 for a step-above-text sport sim when you can get Elden Ring's latest or Baldurs Gate 3 for around the same price is kind of madness. I understand the limited demand, the small team and the needing money to drive the project forward year to year but damn, $45 bucks for FHM is a big ask of your users and should be reconsidered for FHM 12 would I hope.

I love this game and respect the dev crew but there are many changes that can and should be made if they want to show they are still interested in making this game all it can be.

[Sebastian Palkowski]

Thanks for your feedback. I want to correct one false thing from it:

The Mac version is absolutly the same as the Windows version, there is no difference at all.

In your case, text commentary is limited in 2D (again, the same on Mac and Windows) as we thought it would go to fast in 2D mode (so not really readable). We might look into it again if people think that is not the case.

Originally Posted by Zeke K

Lastly I'll say I always appreciate you continuing to have a mac version. However... to say it is either tested or really supported?? At this point that assertion is clearly innacurate.

On my MacBook Pro I get ZERO running color commentary text in 2d mode, just flashing notifications of goals scored (I can see the files with the dialogue are still there but they simply don't work and it seems nobody has noticed and/or cared). I get no NHL All Star game. I've let that slide as I won a Steam cert that I bought this years version with, but I'd guess others might be a little more upset with that lack of functionality.

I don't expect there to be a full-time mac specific guy in a tight crew, but if you're going to continue making it avaialble there should be SOMEONE with basic overlapping knowledge that does in house testing of the Mac version before it goes up on Steam for people to pay 45 bucks for.

[PabloSanok]

1. European Senior Leagues – Custom/Standard Mode

- Add different European contract options like e.g. release after relegation
- Ability to offer Semi-Professional Contract -> Player will develop less, will have lower contract, cause he have family to feed and need earn more elsewhere
- Ability to loan player for a given period of time
- Ability to connect chosen team as Second Team (“Farm Team”) in relegation league/different country league e.g. some ICEHL/Alps Hockey League teams got their second team in Italian/Slovenian Leagues
- Add something like Club Reputation for European Leagues Clubs or possibility to have Division Value aside of League Value

2.European Junior Leagues – Custom/Standard Mode

- Ability to connect Junior Leagues to Promotion/Relegation Leagues linked to given clubs (U20/U18/U16 etc.). As also add European Junior Contracts option. Current workaround with changing farm league to junior league has its limitation. If team is promoted/relegated farm
team is delinked. Other thing is no ability to offer a contract for players in farm teams as mentioned in above point. As also obligation not honor contracts of farm team.
- Ability to add junior leagues with league value below 0.30
- Ability for newly created juniors to join junior teams in custom mode at the same times as in normal mode

3.Farm Teams – Custom/Standard Mode

- Ability to edit 3rd and 4th Farm Team if available in edit team screen
- Ability to offer contract for a farm team player when playing as parent club. Currently if I add Farm League after Game is Created I am not able to offer such contract even if I set correct linkage between farm and parent club
- Ability to connect multi structure farm teams e.g. AHL to NHL as also ECHL

4.Tournaments - Custom/Standard Mode

- Gaining season score points for participating in club tournaments e.g. Winning Champions League -> 1 season score point.
- Torunament will pick teams to chosen groups on basis of seeded pots. from best to worst team.
- Ability to add to tournament team from chosen place in a league e.g. 10th place, not only top teams
- Ability to create international tournaments with promotion/relegation structure in custom games (make user pay if he make a mistake of not having enough players)
- When creating new tournament - it will take highest financial points/budget teams on 1st tournament season just after creating a game

5.Custom Mode

- Ability to add Leagues in Opening Custom Game Menu without new players
- Ability to add promo/rel leagues during game
- Ability to preview custom leagues during "in the making" before game (some table with league values etc.)
- Ability to modify league values on 1st July (even slightly e.g. 0.01 point per two/three seasons)
- Ability to bulk upload list of players which should be generated in given years for given team with set stats e.g. I would like that in 2010 Connor McDavid will generate at the age of 13years even though current season is e.g. 1982
- Ability to mass delete players/staff ability to delete leagues
- Ability to edit league player age in custom game creation screen
- Ability to create u15 junior league together with draft age e.g.12-14. Currently it seems I cannot create junior structure in custom game to have proper potential players in age 12-14 as game creates them at the age of 14/15. My aim is to have e.g. WHL draft players which played in younger junior level not from newly created players
- ability to enter value with decimal places to rookie draft nationalities option
- Ability to edit Team Founded Year

6. Standard Mode

- Ability to add promo/relegation league in choose playable league screen which league value can be adjusted by players
- Ability to modify Draft Nationalities in Normal Mode
- Add couple more of playable leagues as Alps Hockey League/Slovenian International League/Italian League/Kazakhstan League/Slovenian National League
- Ability to apply to play in different close leagues as ICEHL. Real World expansions. Sth like ootp
- Ability to edit number of teams in different real leagues

7. Standard Mode/Custom Mode

- Ability to modify number of junior players should play in Given match(e.g.2 players below 21 years old should play in given match)
- Ability to enter the same team to two or more leagues e.g. ICEHL + Italian League
- Ability to import/export team from one league to another. e.g after one season I would like to transfer my team from Italian League to ICEHL
- Ability to automatically divide teams to different divisions on the base of geographic coordinates in promo/rel mode
- Ability to upload newly created/modified players from .csv
- Add possibility to have junior teams in senior league e.g. Slovakia U20 in 2nd Slovakian League
- Ability to edit regions
- Ability to switch players in edit player screen
- Abilitty to edit line chemistry (if it's hard maybe ability to edit those only for newly created players?)
- Ability to build Junior/Training facilities to boost juniors/seniors development
- Ability to add referee ability screen and make it editable
- Ability to edit rest of staff preferences e.g. (line matching tendency, goalkeeper handling, favor veterans, innovation, loyalty)
- Ability to add staff
- Ability to turn the player into staff
- Ability to add derby name to the rivalry
- Ability to edit league minimum salary
- Ability to sign player as a coach/scout etc.
-ability to change team id so farm teams would automatically change for those team too

Don't know if this is already available but also ability to develop potential abiltity of new junior players through successes on international or Club Competittions area by given country/club

[Tigers3360]

First and formost this game has grown and I always appreciate the efforts put forth by the creators of this game. Not enough credit goes to the hard work you put in and it is appreciated. That said here are a few things I'd like to see added to the next version.

- In Custom Games allow finances to start before 1917 you have it in historical why not custom, it seems like there are features that are available in Historic/Standard that are not in custom and that's severely limiting on some of the fun I'd like to be able to do.

- Allow for League deactivation/reactivation - I have a dream of doing every minor league that existed but when you get to the end of said league you can't deactivate it right now only make it a 2 team league striped down as far as possible

- Allow For more than 1 league to be the farm system for the NHL, I was trying to run the IHL(1929-1936 version) and CAHL and it only recognizes one leagues teams for the NHL clubs to have as a farm system. While current day that's only the AHL that wasn't the case up until the early 2000's when the IHL folded

- More sandbox like features like OOTPB has allowing us to be able to create whatever vision we'd like in our worlds of custom games

- An easier Logo/Jersey editor like in OOTPB where you can choose the logo/uniform set within the game not having to adjust names and filepaths

[redtiger7]

An option to turn team harmony off