Football management on your Mac We have always been big supporters of Championship Manager here at MacGold. It is also regarded as the premier management game on the PC where there are a number of alternatives. Here on the Mac it is number one in a field of one. But that's OK because it is the best. Isn't it? Until now that question didn't matter because there was no other game but CM. If you wanted football management on the Mac it was realistic, stat-heavy and without graphics. But we CM fans didn't mind because we loved the detail and didn't need fancy graphics. Well, this month a new CM, version 4 is due out on the Mac (and PC). And it includes graphics (admittedly only 2D top view), so have we been missing out not having graphics? Most of us would say not. But then as Mac users we've never had the choice. And if they are superfluous why has CM4 got graphics? These would be academic questions if it we not for the fact that Championship Manager 4 is going to get competition on the Mac, in the shape of Player Manager 2003, brought to the Mac by VPL, another British company. Although neither game is yet ready YOU can make comparisons yourself as both games have had demos for the Mac released in the last week. Unfortunately for those of us with modem connections the size of the downloads is quite large. The Player Manager demo is 66 Mb in size. Champ Manager is well known, and despite the new 2D engine, we suspect the other changes will not be huge (you gotta be crazy to completely rework a winning formula). So what about Player manager 2003? What will it be like? Most of us know that it has a 3D game engine so in graphics quality it will steal a lead over Champ Manager, but will it have enough detail to keep the fanatics happy? Until the full version is ready for review we take this opportunity to reprint the publisher's PR, which gives an admirably detailed foretaste of what we can expect from PM2003 on the Mac. The game is packed with features that make it the most realistic football management game available today. Features like youth teams, reserve squads, agents and tactics design make it possible for you to create a team that will be remembered for years. Whether you want to take control of a footballing super power like Manchester United, Juventus or Arsenal or start from the depths of Football Conference it is up to you to nurture and build your team. Player Manager is probably the only management game in which the MATCH DAY actually matters. Win or lose, you learn about the players individually and as members of the team. The new 3D game engine, especially developed for management game, not only brings the skills and physical attributes of the player to the pitch but also his personality stats. The personality stats have a very visible effect on the performance of each player as you WATCH the action on the pitch. For example, you can see that a player, though he has excellent stats tries to get rid of the ball as soon as he can because of lack of confidence. You can see the player is not performing to expectations. Is it because you are playing him out of position or is he tired or is it because his moral is low? As a manager it is your job to get the best out of what you have by paying attention to every aspect of management. You can talk to players individually when necessary and to build up their confidence, raise their moral, encourage and discipline them. Player Manager is a very tactical game. You may have to tune or totally change your tactics during the game as the opposition exploit your weaknesses. Any player selected for each position on the pitch merits close attention to all the stats. The only way to succeed is to make the best use of your current players and strengthen your squad when you can with the players you need. Every part of this vast game needs to be attended to at least in the initial stages. Player Manager provides a powerful Search engine to find the best player for each position in your squad but also the best replacements from the 44000 players available in the game. Introduction Player Manager is probably the only management game in which the MATCH DAY actually matters. Win or lose, you learn about the players individually and as members of the team. The new 3D game engine, especially developed for management game, not only brings the skills and physical attributes of the player to the pitch but also his personality stats. The personality stats have a very visible effect on the performance of each player as you WATCH the action on the pitch. For example, you can see that a player, though he has excellent stats tries to get rid of the ball as soon as he can because of lack of confidence. You can see the player is not performing to expectations. Is it because you are playing him out of position or is he tired or is it because his moral is low? As a manager it is your job to get the best out of what you have by paying attention to every aspect of management. You can talk to players individually when necessary and to build up their confidence, raise their moral, encourage and discipline them. Player Manager is a very tactical game. You may have to tune or totally change your tactics during the game as the opposition exploit your weaknesses. Any player selected for each position on the pitch merits close attention to all the stats. The only way to succeed is to make the best use of your current players and strengthen your squad when you can with the players you need. Every part of this vast game needs to be attended to at least in the initial stages. Player Manager provides a powerful Search engine to find the best player for each position in your squad but also the best replacements from the 44000 players available in the game. Players There are 44000 players in the game. Every club has First Team, Reserves and Youth squad with free movement between the three squads. Stats Every player has a unique mixture of Skill stats, Physical attributes and hidden personality stats. There are also Data stats like Moral, Fatigue etc. which vary from day to day and effect the playerÕs performance on the pitch. Agent Every player has an agent. He can have a lot of influence on the player. Bad agents can unsettle a player while a good agent will nurture the careers of the players he represents. Agents of players from the rest of the world also approach the manager making extravagant claims regarding their players. The manager can sign them on or give the player on offer a trial. Dealing with agents can be a long and painful experience. Fan Rating Fans have their own favourites and the players they love to hate. Their ratings are fickle and can unsettle an inexperienced player. Player Talk Manager can talk to players individually. The purpose of Player Talk is to manage players on a ONE TO ONE basis. A player who is not pulling his weight or has become complacent or has lost form or needs moral boost, requires the manager to act and do so as soon as possible. There are 4 options namely Read Riot Act, Tell Home Truths, Have Heart To Heart and Praise. Under each option there is a multiple choice to give the manager the opportunity to choose the right emphasis. Player Talk is also used to discipline players. The Manager can fine a player up to 2 weeks wages and also change his Club Role. If a playerÕs role is to be down graded, say from Key Player to a Squad player, the manager might say some words of comfort to calm him down a bit. Club Role Every player has a club role like Key Player, 1st team player, Squad Player etc. The players and their agents do make your life miserable if you donÕt honour the contract to the letter. Drop in morale, Transfer request, AWOL, etc. invariably follow such a breach. This can severely effect your freedom to manage the club, experiment with the Squad selection and encourage young players. Buy/Loan Players There are 3 ways of looking for a player to buy:- Player Search Š Search List displays players from the top 2 divisions of all the major football playing countries in Europe. Scouts - You can send scouts any part of the world to look for players and they will report on their find. These players become part of the Search List. Any player who has really caught the scoutÕs attention will be brought to your attention by e-mail. Agents - PlayersÕ agents will approach you with extravagant claims. You can buy or offer players a trial. The players have a definite view on wanting to join your club. It very much depends on your reputation and the reputation of the club whether good players can be lured to join your club. Squad Selection/Player Search SELECT SQUAD uses a unique and powerful SEARCH engine to find the best player for each position on the pitch in your squad based on the parameters you think you need for a player in each of the 11 positions on the pitch. Having selected the parameters, you then decide the relative importance of each parameter you selected to the most important parameter. For instance you may decide that shooting is most important parameter for a Forward. Then decide on the importance of the other parameters which may be pace, aerial, control, composure etc.. You set the importance or priority of each selected parameter relative to shooting making sure for purpose of clarity that the settings are different. Once this table has been created for each position, you can go to Player Search and see if you can buy or loan a better player from thousands of players available at a price you can afford (Your players are displayed in the Search List and are clearly identified). You can Store the tables for each position on the pitch and Restore it at any time. As you change or tune your tactics, acquire experience from watching the games, identify your weaknesses, emphasise your strength, the tables will be modified and tuned. They can be saved when required. Your squad is arranged in order of merit with most suitable player at the top. DonÕt be surprised to see a forward or a midfielder in top positions competing for position of Central Defender. Injuries are inevitable. The squad can be rejigged quickly and effectively using the tables. Tactics Designer The modern game of football is very tactical and the game engine reflects the tactical aspects really well. 10 formations are supplied. You can create your own tactics and give each player individual Tactical instructions. The Instructions are: Make Forward or Backward run or both depending on which team has the ball. Pass to a player or in path of a player making a Run. Play Long Ball. Stay in position. Distribute ball. Close Down OPPOSITION player with the ball. Take them ON. Mainly for wingers to get past defenders rather than pass. Free Role. Player looks for space in his area of operation to make effective contribution. Tactics designer and Select Squad are inter dependent and the manager must pay close attention to both and the effect the two items have on each other. Training The Training has been designed with two aims. To prepare players to play multiple roles i.e. play well in more than one position on the pitch. To develop playersÕ potential to the full, specially the young players. It not only develops the skills and attributes in their specialist field but also prepares them to widen their horizons. A defender with good shooting stats, and pace can be trained to be an attacking midfielder. The main items of training are:- Keeping Movement Š Mainly effects Pace, Agility and Stamina. Distribution Š Mainly effects Passing, Vision and Dribbling. Finishing Š Mainly effects Shooting, Aerial and Composure. Strength Š Power, Stamina and Dribbling. Teamwork Š Can effect all stats. Intercept Š Mainly effects Tackling and Aerial Rest For each type of player other options such as Train as Midfielder, Train on right etc. options are available. Practice Match Practice Match is available in TRAINING as an option. Your First Team plays against your Reserve Team. It has three important uses: * Try out New Tactics before using it in real matches. * Get players familiar with current Tactics * Keep a close eye on the Reserves to see if any player is showing promise. Finances Good financial control is necessary for club (Peter Ridsdale take note - Ed.). The finance screen presents the vital financial information graphically. Two graphs are displayed. One shows the projected balance to the end of the season and the other graph shows the balance to date. You can move the cursor to any point on the graph to display details of income and expenditure in that week. The graphical display gives you clear warnings as to how generous you can be in the transfer market or with player wages. Team News In nearly all management games, you get engrossed in your own club affairs and become isolated as to what is happening in the domestic league, in Europe or the world at large. Player Manager keeps you up to date in the world of football. Every menu displays HEADLINE news. Team News gives all the important news of all the clubs in your league as well in Europe and rest of the World. E-Mail Staff, board, players and agents use E-Mail to communicate with the Manager. Agents let you know very quickly if a certain player is unhappy playing in his current position and forcefully remind you about the contract clauses. The Physio, Coaches, Scouts keep you updated with the player status. You are also informed of anything outstanding i.e. scoring a goal, Man of the Match, Injuries, bid by another club etc. about the players you have shown interest in as well as the unwelcome interest being shown in your own players by rivals. General information such as Cup ties, match postponed is also given. The manager must read his e-mails regularly. Pre Match There are two Pre Match screens. The first one sets the scene for the match. It gives details of encounters in the past, comments about Referee and most important what consequences the results will have for the club. The second screen shows the line up of both sides. Watch Game The match is played using a sophisticated 3D engine, especially developed for management game. There are 8 camera views to choose from with Zoom facility. The further you zoom out, more of the pitch you can see. Use keys 1 and 2 to cycle through the available camera views and keys + and Š for Zoom. There is a choice of 3 speeds at which the game is played, Normal (Default), X2 and X4. Use F key to change the speed. You can press U key at any time. The Watch game will freeze and the rest of the match will be played in the memory until the half time or full time or an injury or suspension. If you use H key, the game will be played in memory. If there is a goal, highlight of the goal will be shown. Use < and > keys to adjust the volume of In Game sound effects. Goals Round Up Every MATCH DAY, you can see the goals highlights of every match played in your division. In Cup competitions, you can see the highlights of every match in which team from your division is involved.' So we football managers are in for a treat if PM2003 lives up to its billing! Will it be as good as CM4 or better? We must wait until both are released. No doubt gamers will take up cudgels on behalf of one game or the other. But perhaps the truth is it doesn't matter. As long as both give a reasonable simulation we'll all enjoy playing both. After all, a change is as good as a rest. Plus, on the Mac, Championship Manager has suffered from its players' database not being kept up to date. Currently, it is a year out of date. If PM2003 release regular updates to its database then players like myself may begin the unexpected trasnsition from CM4 to PM2003. Download the PM2003 demo here. If you have difficulty it may be worth switching to your FTP program like 'Fetch" Download the CM4 demo here. It's busy as you may expect and so you may have to try several times. Regular customers of MacGold Direct can pre-order their Player Manager 2003 now for our discounted price of £25.95, including VAT and free UK delivery. Or you can pre-order Championship Manager 4 now for our discounted price of £29.95, including VAT and free UK delivery. (RRP is £34.99 plus delivery). Of course, we don't charge your card until we send you the games! Notify me when both games are released on the Mac in the UK. Back to the Features.

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