The news and media section has steadily been expanded upon, but it’s probably the player’s intelligence on the football pitch that had grown most over the last couple of months of dev. This is a very complex and significant area of the game and now that the player database is almost complete we’ve been able to concentrate on teams playing like their real life counterparts. Man Utd V Arsenal are tight affairs and lower league teams raise their game for those big FA Cup games, it’s been very rewarding for us and we are very positive about this area.
2. Are you keeping up with the latest transfers and behind-the-scenes moves?
Of course and not just for the game, as a Liverpool fan I’m hoping that Rafa’s Revolution will bring in some quality players. On the game front we work with the BGS’s research team (the people responsible for the PC version of CM5) and they supply us with updated data on a weekly basis that includes the latest player transfers and contract renewals, manager sackings etc.
3. It seems you're going for a more user-friendly feel with this game than we saw in CM4, and yet the tactics engine - with its Andy Gray arrows - seems quite complex. How are you marrying the need to be populist and the need to be in-depth?
As a manager fine tuning those tactics to get the most out of your players is something you’ll learn over a period of time. There are no shortcuts in football management even Mourinho spent his managerial apprenticeship learning the game from working under the likes of Sir Bobby Robson. That said, because we’re bringing Champ Man to a new audience we have to make the game ‘pick up and play’ friendly, so there are plenty of default formations and tactics to choose from, which will get you started. Then as you gain experience you have the option to tweak these tactics or even create new ones which will turn you from a good manager into potentially a great manager. That said if you get it totally wrong you’ll probably just get the sack waiting for Cambridge to give you a second chance.
4. Are you adding anything new for the PS2 version of the game?
Training has been completely redesigned for the console version. We’ve got a selection of pre-designed training plans and we’ve made it more straight forward for the user to set up their own training plans that suit their team and individual players. Training drills that affect key statistics can be quickly chosen via drop down menus and their effects are visually represented. We’ve also added a live minute by minute match report that details the match as it unfolds.
5. What do you think of other PS2 management titles? They seem quite lightweight compared to previous versions of Champ Man - have you learned anything from the likes of Premier Manager?
Agreed, the other PS2 Football Management games have never been as in depth as Championship Manager on the PC so we had a lot to live up. Obviously we looked at the competition, but we’re Champ Man players at heart so this is the game that we wanted to create.
6. How is the player database coming along? How many teams and players have you got in the game, and have you had to cut back for the PS2 version?
The database is up to date with the latest transfers, so Morientes is playing for Liverpool and Robbie Savage is not playing for Birmingham. Obviously we haven’t got the same amount of memory to work with as a PC, but we’re doing pretty well. We’ve got 2430 clubs and mangers from around the world, just under 52000 players, 146 nations of which 24 are playable.
7. How do you deal with media in CM5 - it was becoming a large part of CM5, but surely PS2 will lack the hard drive space for thousands of media comments?
We’ve got over 6000 news and media phrases to draw from. If the PS2 did have a hard drive then yes it would make things easier and would allow for greater variety, but what we’ve got is comprehensive and covers all aspects as football related news.
8. Do you think there have to be key differences between a console sim and a PC sim? Do users expect a different experience, or is it a case of merely having to present things differently?
We identified the biggest differences on console as being the control of the game and working with TV resolutions. We’ve designed what we feel to be a very intuitive control system that works very well with the Dual Shock and we’re also supporting the PS2 remote control so you can play the game whilst relaxing on the sofa. Getting all of the stats and information to fit on the TV screen whilst keeping the look and feel of the Champ Man brand has taken a lot of design work, but we’ve done it. The game needs to be just as playable on a 14’’ portable as it does on a 32’’ widescreen, so we’ve allowed the user to expand the game screen to full extents of the TV borders and offer 3 sizes of font. If the user chooses a large font then the screen will dynamically reposition the screen layout to be suit the available space.
9. Can you tell us a little about player stats in the game? How are you seeking to make players as realistic as possible for the PS2 version? Will the game reflect differing player personalities as well as skills?
It’s a fairly complex system, but in a nutshell, each player has a variety of stats that affect his technical, mentality, physical and temperament attributes. These attributes then go to make up that players personality which then affects the way he trains, plays, gets on with other players and the manager, how greedy he is when it comes to contract negotiations and how he reacts to praise and criticism etc etc.
10. Will the 2D match engine be altered at all for the PS2 version? How is this working at the moment - has it thrown up any surprises while calculating matches?
This is without doubt is the most complex area of the game and one which is also very important. There is a full array of default tactics, team instructions, player instruction, duties and runs and feeds that will allow the user to set up their team as desired and then tinker with them when you’re getting beat in the second half away from home in a midweek cup game. The user will also be able to save a selection of customised tactics as part of their save game.
http://www.championshipmanager.co.uk
Released: April 2005
Formats: PS2 and Xbox
