Ice Hockey Manager 0.3 review
DownloadIce Hockey Manager is a hockey simulator which has the ultimate goal of creating a game that offers the most realistic simulation exp
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Ice Hockey Manager is a hockey simulator which has the ultimate goal of creating a game that offers the most realistic simulation experience possible. Our focus is more on substance than style.
While we want the game to be intuitive, we aren't looking to compete with the flashy 3D graphics you might see in games from EA or Sega. They've pretty much cornered the market when it comes to pretty graphics.
We're more interested in games that challenge your mind and not your hand-eye coordination. We plan to take hockey simulators (and perhaps sports simulators in general) to places they've never gone before, The way we see it, the possibilities are limitless, much like real life hockey.
While IHM may not have photorealistic facial features for every player model in the NHL we do strive to create a game that really does make you feel like you are at the helm of your own hockey franchise.
We first started developing IHM in late 2001 and the development team consisted of two members, Bernhard von Gunten and Arik Dasen. The first real release of the game was version 0.1.1 in January of 2002. The game was playable but still very basic, more intended as a framework for future development. In July of 2002, version 0.1.2 was released with many updates to the game but after this release the project essentially went on hiatus until September/October of 2004.
Up until that time the project hadn't garnered much interest from the open source community, either the project was too localized to Swiss-style hockey or it perhaps just didn't get the exposure needed to get people to jump onboard, whatever the reason, IHM seemed to be more of a labor of love than a project that perpetuated itself. Fortunately, in October 2004, development kicked back into gear and all sorts of new and exciting features started to take shape. Some of these features include computer AI, multiplayer-support, trading/transfers, sponsoring/finances, full season/playoffs simulation, etc.
And the IHM team is currently working towards version 0.3, which has been dubbed a "Preview Release" to demonstrate a fully-operational playable game. Will this Preview Release set any kind of standard as far as hockey simulators are concerned? No, not yet. In fact, many elements within the game are still rather simplified, such as in-game simulation (which will begin development post-0.2), but we hope the Preview Release will compel other open source developers to help out with the project as there is still a lot to be done before IHM can be considered a complete game.
This website is intended to both introduce you to the game as well as to encourage you to participate and/or contribute to this project in some way. Whether you are a Java developer, a graphic artist, a beta tester, or something else entirely, we want to hear from you. IHM can't build itself, and while we have invested many hours into the game's development we still have our limitations as to what we can achieve, both in time and resources. So if you think you can help out in some way, please let us know. Ideally, you should be a fan of hockey, but that's about the only prerequisite.
Here are some key features of "Ice Hockey Manager":
Game controller, based on a game calendar.
Multiuser framework
League framework (Swiss style leagues implemented, including playoffs and relegations).
Teams, with statistics and informations.
Players with attributes, statistics, contracts and informations.
Simulated matches with generated plays and "radio" output.
Training
Injuries
Contracts framework
Sponsoring framework, based on contracts
Financial framework
Real Impacts (on teams & players)
Transfers (Swiss style)
Infrastructure framework (Arena implemented)
Prospects
Assistants
and more ...
Technical stuff:
Written in 100% pure Java
Running under Linux and Windows and every other Java 1.5 platform
Swing GUI
More than 200 java classes
More than 30'000 lines of code
Requirements:
Java 1.4.2 or later
What's New in This Release:
General:
IHM is now able to support multiple match engines and match presentations
A lot of small changes
Game:
Improved sponsoring (sponsors xml, new types and negotiations)
Improved infrastructure (better support of multiple infrastructures, condition lowers)
Improved arena infrastructure (created arena categories with seats, comfort & conditions)
Improved accounting/bookings
GUI:
Improved panel for sponsoring
Created panel for arena infrastructure, including arena categories dialog
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