I'm looking for the best statistical simulation game out there. I'm not interested in the managing aspects of the game (working with a single team, trying to improve them over a season or seasons). Instead, I'm looking for something more along the lines of what APBA/Strat-o-matic (old school) or Diamond Mind/Action PC! games are to baseball. I want to be able to play leagues or tournaments with a set of real players and teams, but also be able to do arbitrary "what if?" modifications. For example, before the start of the season I want to trade Thierry Henry to ManU or Tottenham, just to see what effect that has on their record. Maybe I want to create a European Superleague (different format than the Champions League) with whatever teams I want. Or stick a lowly 3rd Division team into the English Premiere League just to see if they could get a single point. I want the computer to do all the managing, I just want to be able arbitrary changes to the any of the teams or leagues. Basically, I want a game that produces the most accurate results and also allows me to make arbitrary changes to any team. Does such a thing exist? Can any existing football manager programs be used in this way? Thanks, Jeff
Well Football manager you can do it by editing the player database with the editor. So you can put Henry on Blackpool if you wanted. That doesn't mean they won't sell him off for the cash though half way though the season. Question? What fun is to do all that and not actually be playing for a team in the game? Just watching results, wow you must have alot of time to kill.
I've been looking for something like that, too, Jeff, but for MLS players. I'm in a couple of "keeper" strat leagues with some friends and I've wanted to add a soccer league to the mix, mostly just for something to do during MLS's off season. I haven't purchased a soccer computer game for a while, but I was thinking that the EA game might serve this purpose.
Joe and FF, I too have been looking for a similar game for years. Basically, something that will allow you to replay existing leagues or create custom teams and leagues and will allow you to manage games....without all that other crap that seemingly every soccer sim makes you deal with. I don't care about club finances and running training and setting concession prices....I just want to manage games and test out a bunch of what-if scenarios of my own design. I was raised on Strat-o-Matic baseball and it's a game that can never bore you if you have any imagination whatsoever. I am currently testing out the following game: http://www.roogames.co.uk/hg.htm It's somewhat clunky and isn't nearly as limitless and easy to use as SOM's baseball game, but it's something. It's taken some tinkering, but I've figured out how to make a draft league work. The main problem with doing a draft league in this game, though, is that a lot of the game is based on overall team ratings, in addition to players. I don't know how one would go about fairly establishing team attack and defense ratings in a draft league. My guess is that you'd have to give every team the same amount of points, and let the owner allocate it as he wishes between home attack, home defense, away attack and away defense. So then the game becomes how you chose to allocate your team rating resources and how good the individual players are. (I guess?) BTW, the game has the 2001-2004 MLS seasons. Moving on, here's another game that is coming soon.... http://www.matchupsports.com/soccer.html Not sure if I'd trust this game as far as I could throw it, as it seems you just feed the stats into the coputer and it spits out results. I could be wrong though...not much info available. Bottom line....as much as I wish Hal Richman and company at Strat-O-Matic would lend their time-tested talents to some sort of soccer game, I don't see it happening, so we'll have to get by with what minimal choices are out there for those seeking accurate what-if and replay gaming possibilities, rather than the bean-counting, when-to-schedule-a-water-break-at-training type of soccer sims that dominate the market at present. Sirk
Sirk, Thanks for your reply. It looks like the choices are limited but at least you found a couple of options that I hadn't seen before. You are and I are of the same mind when it comes to what makes a good soccer sim. Thanks again! Jeff
I have been looking for a good game along these lines for MLS, European, and International soccer, too. The roogames offering mentioned by Sirk above looks promising, but they are "on holiday" and are not taking any orders for an undisclosed period of time. There used to be a paper/dice based game called Classic Soccer produced by Time Travel Games that had tons of teams, etc. It was a good game, but a little tedious to play using advanced rules. Unfortuantely, I have misplaced my copy in a move -- it is in a box somewhere in my house. Time Travel Games seems to be gone now anyway. I have thought about trying to design my own game with a Fast Action Card system or a dice activated action chart of some sort.