I'm suffering from a mental overload right now. I got my copy of Worldwide Soccer Manager 2005 tonight, and promptly installed it and downloaded the patch. All is running smoothly, at least regarding the software itself. A relative soccer "newbie" like me is having a hard time keeping up! There are so many options, so many ratings, and so much information to track, I hardly know where to start.
In my first dry-run of a coaching career, I decided to start out unemployed, instead of picking a team up front (you can start out by picking a team to manage right away, if you like). I played for an hour, simulated 6 months of the season, and still didn't have a job! Great. I'm a good enough failure in real life without having to simulate being a failure in a darn video game. However, after starting a new season managing Hartlepool, it might be better off if I just stayed unemployed!
Thankfully, this game comes with an honest-to-goodness 70 page manual. That sounds like a lot, but hey, I have a lot to learn. I need to read through that sucker before embarking on my new career, so I can at least know where to begin. Interestingly enough, my copy of FIFA 2005 for the Xbox, also a complex game (no where near the level of WWSM, though), came with a paltry 14 page manual. Two of the pages were for notes, and three pages consisted of credits! As a matter of fact, if I added all of the manual pages together for all of my EA games, I probaby wouldn't have a cumulative total of 70 pages of instruction and information. Kudos to SI for at least giving me somewhere to start...
I don't want to sound like I'm disappointed. I love to bury myself in sports games that detail the managerial side of a particular sport, so this is perfect for me. I've played similar games before (Baseball Mogul, Out of the Park Baseball, etc.), but those games focused on baseball, a subject with which I'm MUCH more familiar. I actually planned on using this game as a teaching tool to some degree, anyway, so it will help me be a more intelligent fan of the EPL. I guess I'm getting my money's worth!
Like it or not, I'll keep you posted... At the very least, I might lose weight from the stress of trying to figure this game out, so this will be a productive use of time on all accounts.
5 comments:
Hey Jason,
After my level of success lately in video games, it might be time to break out some of those Reader Rabbit titles, so I can finally "win" something! :-)
Kevin
LOL - I started the same way you did and it took me about a years worth of sims before I said screw that and started over and picked a team. I assume our reps (being from different Columbus cities) is enought to scare off nearly everyone!
Best of luck with the game and the Blog!
Thanks for the tips, Dave!
JC - I guess an American trying to break in managing an English club isn't going to work very well! I couldn't even get hired by the MLS, however! This game must be too realistic... :)
Kevin
Kevin,
As the resident HUFC nut and lower league knowledge base, if you need any formation or squad advice give me a whistle. Your assistant should be Martin Scott, unless you've sacked him...he'll be ok at running training and should be good at developing young talent.
If it helps, though we play 4-4-2 in real life Pools might be better off using a 4-3-1-2 with Boyd dropping in behind Porter and Williams...
Hey Adam,
Thanks for the starting points. I still have Martin on the staff, although I can't remember his role. The funny thing is, I was just toying with the idea of a 4-3-1-2, given my personnel. Either that was a lucky guess, or I'm starting to catch on... :-)
Even funnier, to show how much this game has a grip on me already, I was thinking of the formation change while visiting my in-laws in Akron today for New Year's! I haven't touched the game since Thursday night, but I'm often thinking about it, and reading the manual, of course. I'll be back at it tonight.
Kevin
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