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Feb 5, 2007

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Saturday, September 22, 2007

SI Myspace
Current mood: angry
Category: Games

Dear all,

Due to the overbearing amount of spam mail and spam ads on our boards that have been nothing but trouble for the last 6 months or so, we've decided that we're no longer going to update this Myspace area.

To get info on SI, FM & our other games for the forseeable future, please check out our websites

www.sigames.com

www.footballmanager.net

We have forums over at sigames.com that you can join if you want to talk to us or other fans of the game, and there are also various FM/SI groups on Facebook if any of you are members over there.

Maybe at some point in the future we'll return to myspace, once they sort out how to stop the spam. But until then, it's bye for now, and we hope you continue to enjoy our games as much as we enjoy making them.

9:34 AM - 4 Comments - 1 Kudos - Add Comment

Friday, July 27, 2007

Football Manager 2008
Current mood: excited
Category: Games

FOOTBALL MANAGER™ 2008 ANNOUNCED WITH A HOST OF ALL NEW FEATURES...

The most realistic representation of the challenging world of football is back and set to hit PC and Macintosh before Christmas 2007

LONDON (July 27th, 2007) – SEGA Europe Ltd. today announced that Football Manager™ 2008 for PC and Apple Macintosh will be in stores before Christmas 2007. Football Manager™ 2008 is the next iteration of the prize-winning Football Manager™ series developed by world respected studio Sports Interactive. The latest version of Football Manager will be fully updated for the new season and will allow players to select their favourite club or international team and guide them to glorious success by putting them through Cup matches, Leagues, European Championships and even major international tournaments, with over 5,000 playable teams from over 50 countries.

Fan feedback on the previous version of Football Manager™ was, as always, taken very seriously by the Sports Interactive team, resulting in over a hundred new features, including a brand new advisory system to help new players through the different aspects of the game. This makes Football Manager™ 2008 the most accessible Football Manager™ yet, without losing any depth for the more experienced player.

"With Football Manager™ 2008 we're once again raising the bar in the sports management genre." commented Miles Jacobson, Studio Director of Sports Interactive. "With dozens of new small features and larger things like a complete revamp of international management and the new match flow system, we're really looking forward to seeing the reaction from people when they get to play it on release."

With all-new features, improved gameplay and a depth only seen from Sports Interactive, Football Managerä 2008 offers a management simulation that is second to none. To whet the appetite of every Football fan, SEGA and Sports Interactive have unveiled the key new features available in Football Manager™ 2008.

New features for Football Managerä 2008 PC/Apple Macintosh

Match Flow – The largest change to match-day in a Sports Interactive game since the introduction of the second match engine. Match flow brings more atmosphere to match-days with match previews, team talks, opposition player instructions, the match itself, half time and post match. These now seamlessly follow on from one another, with no more pausing to make tactical changes, and a mini-radar pitch whilst making those tactical changes to keep you in touch with what's going on in the match

International Management – The international management gameplay has been completely revamped for Football Manager™ 2008, including, but not limited to, media improvements, international retirements, player interaction, international scouting, improved pool selection, captain selection and a separation of international and club morale for players.

Easier to Use – A much cleaner skin, a brand new advisor system to help players through various areas of the game. A new notes and notebook system, better button positioning for simpler navigation and an updated tutorial and manual. Also, coach reports make taking over a new team easier, and the new calendar system lists all important dates throughout the season. These all help to make Football Manager™ 2008 the easiest Sports Interactive game to use yet.

Confidence – Players can now easily tell what the board and supporters think about their performance in the game through the new confidence section. This gives players feedback not just on their current progress in competitions, but also their financial management and signings.

Transfer Centre – A new way of managing all current transfer and loan bids for a players club, both incoming and outgoing, making it easier to compare bids and reject or accept them.

Match Engine Improvements – A greatly improved match engine, once again utilising the footballing brain of former ..:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Republic of Ireland international player Ray Houghton as well as other tools used by real-life managers to make the most accurate simulation of football in a computer game. The ability to change the pitch dimensions at the start of the season to suit players styles of play better has also been added.

Awards re-write – An overhaul of the awards system inside the game which is not only more accurate now, but also includes new awards such as the European golden boot, and a "best eleven", which shows the all-time (in game) best eleven for all teams and nations.

Finances revamp – To reflect the changes in modern day football, Sports Interactive have updated the finance area of Football Manager™ 2008 to better reflect the ever changing football world, with more information available to the manager too, including, but not limited to, corporate match day income, season ticket news, investment funds, improved sponsorships, collective win bonuses, and the ability to move around funds from the wage budget and transfer budget (and vice versa) at any point to help you in your quest for the ideal squad.

Fan days – The board can now arrange fan days to boost ailing attendances, or for matches that are likely to attract a low crowd, with a long term affect to attendances if all goes well.

Expanded media – More media and feedback than ever before, plus more detail in existing media, and a new competition news section to find out what major things are going on in all league competitions

Regenerated player photo's – All in game generated players now have pictures using FaceGen technology to give each player more personality, and the ability for the players to be seen to grow up in front of your eyes as the game is going on.

Faster – Saving and loading is now significantly faster, with network gaming faster and smoother to play, as well as tactical changes and match reports being quicker than ever before.

Football Managerä 2008 for PC (XP & Vista) and Apple Macintosh (OS10.3.9 and above) is set for release before Christmas 2007. For further information please go to www.sigames.com or the completely re-vamped www.footballmanager.net website. For all SEGA assets please visit www.sega-press.com .

- ends -

About SEGA Europe Ltd.:

SEGA Europe Ltd. is the European Distribution arm of Tokyo, Japan-based SEGA Corporation, and a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment both inside and outside the home. The company develops and distributes interactive entertainment software products for a variety of hardware platforms including PC, wireless devices, and those manufactured by Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. SEGA Europe's web site is located at www.sega-europe.com.

About Sports Interactive:

Sports Interactive (SI), is the world's leading developer of football management simulations through it's Football Manager series of games Founded in 1994 and based in the Old Street area of London, SI has a full-time staff of 44 and employs the services of more than 1,500 part-time researchers across the globe. The company's games have enjoyed an unparalleled history of commercial and critical success, with nine of its creations among the UK's Top 20 fastest-selling PC games of all time, and 4 in the UK's top 20 best selling PC games of all time. Sports Interactive became a wholly owned subsidiary of Sega in 2006. Further information on the company and its games is available from the SI website, www.sigames.com.

..> ..>

What is the actual release date of FM2008/Worldwide Soccer Manager on PC/Mac?	The game will be released before Xmas 2007. We cannot be more specific than that until the game is in manufacture.
Why no mention of Football Manager Handheld or Football Manager on Xbox 360?	Those announcements will come later in the year.
Why are there no match engine screenshots?	The match screen isn't finished yet. When it is, there will be shots of it.
What are there no screenshots of non-UK teams?	For licensing reasons. They will come later.
Why are all the screenshots in English?	All the text is written in English, and then translated, so the non-English language text isn't in the game yet.
Will other information be given out about the game before release?	Yes – there are going to be blogs and pod casts that will give more information and more depth of information about the announced new features, and some of the smaller unannounced ones.
Why is the game only being released on XP/Vista for PC?	To ensure Vista compliance, some things had to be changed that could cause problems with older operating systems. As the makers of those systems no longer offer support for them, neither do we.
What are the new features in the game?	You can find what we've announced so far by reading the press release at www.sigames.com/fm08new
Is the game being released in ?	If the game was released officially in your country last year, then it will be this year. We are trying to get more digital download opportunities for people based in countries where it's not sold at retail.
Where can I buy WWSM08 in America?	You will be able to get the boxed game from amazon.com, like last year

Screenshots are available now at www.sigames.com

5:57 AM - 62 Comments - 35 Kudos - Add Comment

Thursday, July 19, 2007

We're back
Current mood: confused

So, we got a bit sick of all the spam on here, and jumped over to Facebook for a while (and are still there), but the spam seems to have died down a bit now, so we're going to come back here and blog and stuff, and monitor how it goes for a while before deciding whether to jump ship entirely or not.

A couple of things to mention though - some people who been moaning about us not responding to comments. We don't. We respond to emails through the system - the comments bit is for everyone to talk about the game, and whilst we do read it, we don't have time to reply to all.

There have also been a few emails and comments about a Summer data update/patch - we do winter data updates and patches on the PC/Mac game, not Summer ones. There will be a new FM before the end of the year, and that will have new features and new data in it, the same as we have done since data downloads because easier with broadband.

8:44 AM - 8 Comments - 3 Kudos - Add Comment

Saturday, June 09, 2007

Today (Sunday) only - Another way to win a space in the FML beta test
Category: Games

100 spaces up for grabs.

http://notw.typepad.com/gadgits/2007/06/index.html

4:47 PM - 1 Comments - 1 Kudos - Add Comment

Monday, June 04, 2007

Win a space in the FML beta test
Current mood: excited
Category: Games

The FML beta test will be starting in the next couple of weeks. Those who've registered their interest at www.footballmanagerlive.net already have a chance to get in there, but, as promised at the time of the announcement, there will be other ways to get into the beta test via magazines and websites, many of which have already run.

I've just been alerted to one that will be happening this Friday to win one of 25 places on the test (out of the 1,000 total places available). You can find more details at http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=77293 - you will need to be registered as a Eurogamer to take part, but that doesn't take long, and there is a Football Manager / SI group on Eurogamers too, which acts a bit like a Myspace for gamers.

As I get more details of other competitions this week, I will post them up here - expect something quite big this coming weekend in a UK national newspaper... ;o)

6:55 AM - 9 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Friday, April 20, 2007

Football Manager Live
Current mood: excited
Category: Games

'BACK OF THE NET' AS FOOTBALL MANAGER™ LIVE IS REVEALED'

Sports Interactive announce brand new massively multiplayer online football management game

LONDON (April 20th, 2007) –SEGA® Europe Ltd today announced the future release of Football Manager™ Live, a brand new massively multiplayer online game from acclaimed developers Sports Interactive. Scheduled for release in Spring 2008, Football Manager Live has its roots set in the best-selling and award-winning Football Manager™ series, but has been designed specifically as a massively multiplayer online game.

Football Manager Live is a brand new concept in football management and allows you to build a club from scratch to compete against friends and rivals online for the ultimate in Football Manager bragging rights. It's the definitive test of football management skills, allowing you to set-up mini-leagues amongst your friends, bid in player auctions and compete in live matches 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Matches take place in real-time with a range of tactical options for managers to control as they follow all the action via the realistic 2D match engine. In addition, the in-game chat option means managers can exchange comments on the virtual touchline, whilst other aspiring managers can view their competitors and learn their tactics.

Away from the stadium, users will need to control their club in a host of different ways. This ranges from the basics of choosing your club name, colours, badge and pitch size; right through to the nitty-gritty of balancing the finances and improving their squad by buying and selling players using an auction style transfer system.

The game is the brainchild of Sports Interactive co-founder, Oliver Collyer and is designed for a whole new audience of football gamers, as well as existing Sports Interactive fans.

"With Football Manager Live, we're ripping up the script that says how online football management games should work" says Oliver Collyer. "We're creating something that is fun, challenging and sociable."

"Imagine a cross between Football Manager, fantasy sports and auctions sites and you are part of the way to understanding Football Manager Live" commented Miles Jacobson, Managing Director of Sports Interactive. "It's great to be able to announce the game, and we can't wait to see the reaction to the beta when it launches next month."

Football Manager Live is due for release in spring 2008, with a beta test set to launch in May 2007. To find out more about participating in the test and to receive updates on Football Manager Live visit the official websites at www.footballmanagerlive.com or www.sigames.com

..> ..> ..>..>

What is Football Manager Live?

It's a massively multiplayer football management game, using the Football Manager match engine. The main game has been written from the ground up, whilst it utilises some of the features from its older brother.

Imagine a cross between Football Manager, fantasy sports and an auction room and you'll get the basic idea.

Up to 1,000 managers can play against each other to try and be the No 1 manager in their particular gameworld. There will be many gameworlds and the exact number of players in each will be subject to balancing - we'll be working on that during the first stage of the beta-testing process.

Who is making the game?

The game is being led by Oliver Collyer, co-founder of Sports Interactive, who - having left the studio a few years ago to go travelling - came back with the idea of making a mainstream, massively multiplayer football management game.

When will it be released?

What do I need to play FML?

Use of a PC or a Mac and an internet connection.

It's likely that we'll look at other platforms in the future.

What type of internet connection and speed is recommended to enable the game to run smoothly?

Any broadband connection should be fine – we haven't tested the game on older modem connections yet, but will do so during beta testing.

..> ..> ..>..>

Why has SI decided to make a separate massively multiplayer game?	There are lots of reasons – initially it was because Oliver Collyer (co-founder of Sports Interactive) wanted to make the game, having got back from travelling with a creative itch. As development has continued, we've looked into the area a lot and believe there to be a big hole in the market, which we intend to fill. On top of this, there are many people who have played our games over the years that have felt the hardcore nature of the series is too much for them, or they simply didn't have the time to play the game anymore as circumstances for them had changed. With Football Manager Live, people will have the opportunity to play as often, or as little, as they want.
How much will it cost to play?	We have not finalised the business model yet. However, we see the game as a money-saving device – it is likely to cost the price of a few pints per month to play, but because people will be staying in more often to play the game they will save money in the long run!
What methods of payment will be available?	The plan is to accept every major credit and debit card, alongside a number of other payment platforms for those that do not have cards.
What languages will it be in?	Initially, the game will only be available in English. Over the coming years it will be released in as many languages as possible. It's not just about translating the game itself, which is easy; it's also about adding local support for each language we add. We're being sensible and will be trying to walk before we can run.
What happens when everyone wants to be one particular team, like Watford or Everton?	No-one will be able to be Watford or Everton. You don't play as a set real-world team; you make your own team and pick a squad, much like a fantasy sports game.
How do you choose your initial squad?	All players in the database have wage demands and you have a set wage budget at the start, so you pick your players according to that budget. The whole FML database is available to you when you start the game, although once a player joins a team in a gameworld they are no longer available to everyone else. In that way we can stop multiple teams having the same players.
What happens when all the best players are taken up? Doesn't that mean new users joining a gameworld are disadvantaged?	Not really. Because there are so many players available in the database and users start with relatively small wage budgets, it means that all the best players can't be snapped up immediately. And while we don't want to go into too many details now, we have an effective system in place to ensure that there are still good players available for all.
Is there a transfer system?	As manager, you have the ability to buy and sell players as well as loan them out to other teams. With all transfer auctions, the selling team selects a minimum price they would accept for the player, along with an instant-buy amount. They also select an end date for the auction and other teams are then free to make bids right up 'til the auction ends. With free transfers and general wage auctions, teams bid for players and the one who offers them the most wages per day gets the players. With all transfer activity, you need to ensure that you remain within the constraints of your club finances and beware of gazumping.
How does the league table work with 1,000 teams in each gameworld?	In the main gameworld rankings, it's not a case of three points for a win; you are awarded points for winning (or losing points for losing) based on a lot of different factors including, but not limited to, the position of the two teams, whether the game has been played home or away and the size of the win. There are all sorts of clever bits in there to ensure that teams that play hundreds of games a month don't get a "levelling" advantage over those that play a couple of games a day, so it's possible for any team to do well, not just those that play the most games.
Do all of the teams have to play one another?	No, not at all. You can play friendlies against any team who happens to be online, or you can join or set up competitions.
How do competitions work?	For the most part, competitions will be user generated. They are very easy to set up, with lots of parameters available. You can have cup or league competitions, or a combination of the two, set how many points for a win (those points are separate to actual rankings points) and also define what rank of team can enter said competitions. There are deadlines by when each match has to be played to ensure that the competitions don't go on for ever. There may well be some official organised competitions inside the gameworld too, but if there are any, they will be optional.
When can matches be played?	24 hours a day, seven days a week! With competitions, there are deadlines to play the fixtures, but that doesn't mean you have to play them at those times – as long as you've played them by the deadline, all is good. The only limit to when a match can be played is whether there are other users online in your gameworld at the same time as you.
What happens if I don't see my competition opponent online by the deadline for the match to be played?	This is taken care of, but it's not something we want to announce publicly yet.
Can I challenge my friends to matches?	If you are in the same gameworld, then yes, you can. And if you aren't in the same gameworld, it will be easy to move into another one, although you'll need to pick your squad again. Once in the same gameworld, you can play against them day and night.
When will the beta test start?	It is due to start mid May and will initially be limited to 1,000 people.
How can I take part in the beta test?	There will be spaces on the beta test available to our community. For more information on these spots, keep an eye on www.footballmanagerlive.com for updates. There will also be a few spaces on the beta test available as competition prizes on a few websites, as well as a few UK-based magazines and newspapers over the coming weeks. Please be aware that the initial beta test is only going to be for 1,000 people. It is likely that there will be more spaces as we ramp up the beta testing closer to release, so keep an eye out on www.footballmanagerlive.com for more details.
Will I only be able to play FML on my home computer?	No – the game will be easy to install on as many machines as you want. Even if you're on holiday and fancy a quick match, it'll be quick and easy to install in an internet café and access your account in the game.
What features of FM are incorporated into FML?	Tactics and the match engine are straight from Football Manager. Other features from Football Manager will be in Football Manager Live where appropriate, but they are likely to be adapted specifically for the game as it's a different game with a different feel better suited to a massively multiplayer game.
Will there be any connectivity with Football Manager?	You will be able to import tactics from Football Manager. There are other areas we are looking into as well which may be importable.
Does this game mean that current online modes will be dropped from other SI titles?	No! FML is a separate game, and we will continue to improve the online play in the PC, Mac, Xbox 360 & PSP versions of the Football Manager series.
Where can I read more info about the game?	This section, which will be on our websites, will have any press commentary, news stories, and previews added to it on a regular basis. </TD>

2:05 AM - 21 Comments - 15 Kudos - Add Comment

Friday, March 30, 2007

It's a mystery....
Current mood: naughty
Category: Games

3:42 AM - 44 Comments - 22 Kudos - Add Comment

Friday, February 23, 2007

New game announcement - Football Manager Quiz mobile
Current mood: chipper
Category: Games

We are very happy to today announce the release of Football Manager Quiz for mobile phones :)

What is FM Quiz mobile?

Football Manager Quiz mobile is an expanded mobile phone version of the quiz game that we released last year in the UK as a pub quiz machine, with lots of different modes, 3 difficulty settings and over 1,000 questions for each countries league

Why have Sports Interactive made the game?

We made the game in conjunction with Liverpool's Playbox Games as we want our games to be played by everyone – we have a very loyal and hardcore following for our Football Manager games, and the quiz game will help expand our second strand of gaming.

What is the second strand of gaming?

The second strand of games are more mass market than the Football Manager PC/Mac/X360 game. They are meant to be more accessible to give new users a chance to play a Sports Interactive title, aswell as some users who feel they don't have the time anymore to put into the "main" game. Football Manager Handheld was our first foray into a "second strand" and it's become very popular both critically and sales wise, so we've decided to expand on this area some more. It doesn't affect in any way the development of any of our other titles.

How does the game work?

The main mode of the game involves you playing against the computer.

Firstly you'll need to choose your team from the top division from one of the playable countries, and proceed to the match.

The game takes place on a pitch divided up into a sort of grid, with various areas for defence, midfield and attack. You start the game in midfield with possession of the ball, and in order to move forward and keep possession, you need to answer football quiz questions correctly.

Answer a question wrong and the opposition gain possession and proceed

to attack your goal.

There are lots of different subjects to choose from on your route to goal, choosing the right subject could be the difference between getting a shooting opportunity and losing possession.

Once you have the ball to your strikers you'll be in a goal scoring position, get the next question right and the screen changes to an on

the pitch action view. You will then get a choice of places to place "the shot". If you get it right, you score a goal!

If you get a question wrong, then the computer team wins the ball, and you have to get a further question correct to win the ball back.

How many languages is the game in?

5 – English, French, Italian, German & Spanish

How many countries leagues does the game feature?

Each language has one league each, so the game features top divisions in England, France, Italy, Germany and Spain, with 1,000 or more questions for each league.

What are the different game modes?

Match – the basic mode as discussed above. A one off game against the computer, with a time limit, with the idea being that you score more goals than the opposition!

League – A whole season playing each computer team home and away,

Quickfire - 3 minutes of quickfire questions, the idea being to get the top score of questions correct.

Quizmaster – for those who want to do quizzes with their mates, a mode that just keeps firing out questions and telling you the answer if you get it wrong.

What handsets will the game work on?

At the time of writing (drumroll please….)

alcatel ot565

Benqsiemens e71, e81, ef61, el71, m81, s68, s82

LG c1100, c3300, c3310, c3320, f2400, kg220, kg225, kg800, s5200, u300, u310, u8110, u8120, u8130, u8138, u8150, u8180, u8330, u8360, u8380, u880, u890, u900

Motorola a1000, a835, a925, c385, c390, c650, c975, c980, e1, e1000, e1070, e398, e550, e770, k1, l6, l7, u6, v1050, v1075, v1100, v180, v220, v3, v300, v360, v3x, v3xx, v500, v525, v547, v550, v6, v600, v620, v80, v975, v980, z3

Nokia 2610, 2650, 3100, 3210, 3200, 3220, 3230, 3300, 3650, 3660, 5100, 5140, 5140i, 5300, 5500, 6020, 6021, 6030, 6060, 6070, 6080, 6085, 6101, 6103, 6100, 6111, 6125, 6131, 6136, 6170, 6220, 6230i, 6233, 6234, 6260, 6270, 6280, 6288, 6300, 6600, 6610, 6610i, 6630, 6670, 6680, 6800, 6810, 6822, 7200, 7210, 7250, 7250i, 7260, 7270, 7370, 7373, 7390, 7600, 7610, 7650, 8800, e50, e60, e61, e70, n70, n73, n80, n90, n91, n92, n93, n95

panasonic vs3, x701

Sagem myc52, myv55, myv56, myv65, myv75, myv76, myv85, myx400, myx500, myx52, myx600, myx7, myx700, myx800, myz5

Samsung d500, d600, d800, d830, d900, e250, e310, e330, e350, e360, e370, e380, e530, e600, e630, e700, e710, e720, e770, e800, e810, e820, e860, e900, p510, x450, x460, x480, x640, x660, x680, x820, z105, z107, z130, z140, z150, z300, z400, z500, z510, z520, z540, z560, z720, zv10, zv30, zv40, zv50, zv60

sendo sv663

sharp 550sh, 703sh, 770sh, 802sh, 902sh, 903sh, gx10, gx15, gx17, gx20, gx25, gx29, gx30, gx40, tm100

Siemens c65, c72, c75, cl75, cx65, cx70, cx75, m65, m75, me75, s55, s65, s75, sk65, sl65, sl75, sx1

Sony Ericsson f500, j300, k300, k310, k500, k508, k510, k550, k600, k610, k700, k750, k790, k800, m600, p990, s700, v600, v630, v800, w200, w300, w550, w600, w610, w710, w800, w810, w850, w880, w900, z1010, z520, z530, z550, z710, z800

toshiba ts803, ts921

This list will be added to as versions for other handsets become available.

What phone operators is the game coming out on?

The game is available through all key operators in the UK,