My name is Pete Reece, born and bred in the UK.
I started playing Soccersim many years ago up, probably in the mid to late 90's right up to it's demise. I was introduced to the game by a colleague at work, and soon found it to be very addictive! In all there were three of us that really got involved in the game. We did try to recruit other players at the time, but found the response varied to the gameplay. I guess you could compare it to Marmite, you either love it or hate it!
I stumbled across Managersim purely by accident whilst searching for online footy sims I can play while my wife watches her crap soap's, to be honest I was stunned to find that SS still lives on, and has done so for quite a while.
What struck me the most, was how many names I recognised that still played the game, I guess it has a kind of cult following amongst it's players. And how it still struggles to attract new blood, an issue I remember from back in the day.
I have been online for nearly two weeks now and feel the game is still unique to anything else on the market. Maybe it's because you have to wait for the game ticks that keeps you interested, rather than everything else on the market, where you have total control when the game ticks over. Is this why some love the game, and others dislike it? for me it's a game of strategy and patience, something I can go to for half hour, or and hour a day when relaxing at home.
Part of me is reluctant to get too attached to my team, as last time it was painful when the server finally had the plug pulled. Watching hours of dedication, building a small team in Greece, that was capable of challenging some of the big boys in Europe, just disappear of the face of the earth was frustrating.
However, it was totally understandable why it happened, everyone likes a free game, but someone has to bare the brunt with costs to run it. There was a pay per play introduced, which I was happy to join, but this seemed to push the periphery players away. As I have mentioned the game is very Marmite, people either love it or hate it. From my experience around thirteen people I know tried it, and only 3 continued to play and enjoy.
I have already stared to feel the buzz, and getting stuck into, and enjoying, building a small club ready to take on the world. I now work at another company, with a large core group of staff who love football, and online games, mainly Xbox though, but I will push them in the direction of Managersim, to see if we can find some more cult members to join the community.
*For all of you that don't know what Marmite is, well it's a crappy meat based paste thing with a unique taste, that totally splits the UK when it comes to like, or dislike!
A: Yes, I was managing Bari in Challenge C or D, I don't remember.
B: I think I'm recognized as a fair manager.
C: New graphics obviously, the core of the game is good.
Grégory PARISOT 46, France !
A. I used to play the game in the "good old days" - when I was young - but my memory is so bad I don't really remember all the teams I managed. I do remember going to Switzerland and turning a tiny ground into an 80,000+ stadium with Young Boys Bern, the main reason for choosing them - apart from the small stadium and thus cheap construction costs - was the fact that they played at the Wankdorf Stadium, which as a teenager always made me laugh. To be honest, to this day it still makes me smile.
B. Currently I am managing Blackburn in the game, the club I actually support in real life, despite the fact that the Jack Walker legacy has been completely dismantled and somehow we've become a joke of a club. It's a pretty sad state of affairs and if there was life after death - which there isn't, sorry to all the believers - Jack Walker would be turning in his grave, luckily though he won't be able to see any of the fiasco that is taking place. With regards to Blackburn in the game, we have yet to sink to the real clubs plight, but if the board let me stay long enough I am sure that I can create a situation that is similar!
C. Looking forward to the future of ManagerSim I'm not sure I can really comment too heavily until I see what Berhan comes up with. Personally I'd like the game to remain playable via a website as well as an app. I'm old skool, I'm not really an app user and try to spend as little time as possible on my phone. Why use a tiny screen when you can use a laptop or a desktop? Going forward I think the important things are to significantly increase the number of managers in the game as well as making sure there is a working match engine that compliments the game. I fear that if this is not slick and doesn't really relate to tactical decisions made pre-match the game may struggle, especially if we move to a pay to play model as for me the yearly cost would need to be similar or less than the current market leader which has to be football manager. Many a week has disappeared in my life due to that game, but nowhere near as much as the time I've spend on iRacing!
D. James Prentice, UK