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Re: Online Football (Soccer) Manager Game – Hattrick, Managerzone, Itsagoal

Cronus — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 13:52:02 -0000

When I posted 4 months ago, Itsagoal had 2,400 managers. Now its only 1,800 left. It seems users do not share Junglist_grans views :p

Re: Online Football (Soccer) Manager Game – Hattrick, Managerzone, Itsagoal

Cronus — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 13:41:31 -0000

The top teams in Itsagoal DO NOT face doing a "leeds". Finances are far too easy at that stage. Even totally incompetent managers who have taken over a top team will not manage to drag it down.

The situation is totally different in SoccerProject. Finances are tougher for those on the top than for newbees.

Re: Online Football (Soccer) Manager Game – Hattrick, Managerzone, Itsagoal

Cronus — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 02:35:19 -0000

Sure it happens in most forums but its a different thing when a ban in a forum affects playing rights in a game and you lose what you have paid for without a refund.

You say that player numbers are being adressed, but that is by people who only moderate the game (the bosses are absent). I think the move giving subscribers a second account shows how little understanding these people have of what it takes to make a game successful. And even if they had, they do not have the proper access to do it. They are merely players of the game.

Re: Online Football (Soccer) Manager Game – Hattrick, Managerzone, Itsagoal

Cronus — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 08:04:51 -0000

Sorry, I misread you. I don't play the game anymore. I left on my own account though, this isn't some revenge for a ban. I never even got a forum ban while I played.

Re: Online Football (Soccer) Manager Game – Hattrick, Managerzone, Itsagoal

Cronus — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 08:02:02 -0000

I have played Itsagoal and I write from experience.

Maybe we are talking past eachother, my issue isn't with forum bans at all. But if you have been around the forums in itsagoal you know that managers do not necessarily only get a forum ban from whats written in the forums, they can get a total game ban. I gave an example earlier in the thread but as that post was censored here I unfortunately can't do it again, I think that is viewed as too personal info.

The finacial side in Itsagoal might be challenging up to a certain level, but when you have built a decent stadium it is no challenge anymore. The balance isn't right, its too hard for small clubs and too easy once you have a big club. This is just one of the problems the game suffers from. The financial side is far better in a game like Soccerproject, where you as a top club have to work hard all the time to stay afloat and it isn't too hard to climb up as a smaller club.

My opinion is that itsagoal suffers from not enough testing, not enough thorough work and unwillingness to change direction when something clearly doesn't work. If this had been different from the start the game might not have been on the brink of being put down. Since I posted 4 weeks ago the manager numbers have dropped by around 300 which is a lot for so few users. I wonder how much longer they can keep it going.

I guess we have to agree to disagree.

Cheers,

Re: Online Football (Soccer) Manager Game – Hattrick, Managerzone, Itsagoal

Cronus — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 05:59:43 -0000

"It is the only game that has held my interest as I am constantly challenged and there are games most days unlike in other online games (Hattrick for example) which makes you want to log in daily."

Games most days isn't unique to Itsagoal. SoccerProject has the same. I am mystified as to how you can be constantly challenged, the game has 4,400 clubs but only about 2,400 managers. Which means that almost half the clubs are vacant! Apart from that, the level of divs below the prem are very poor. The divisional structure of the game is a huge failure, which results in boredom until one reaches the prem.

"Yes there are issues with bugs but these are all known and fully explained within the help files and forums and most managers are more than willing to help new starters learn about the game and settle in."

How do you know that all bugs are known? Only those which can be visable to the managers would be known by others than the developers. It doesn't give much trust for the game when even those are left unfixed year after year. Furthermore, a new manager won't see it like you do. One shouldn't have to search through the forums or PM other managers to use the transfer market as it should work. Like with the incorrect message "Your bid must be higher than your previous bid". Or what about your bid mysteriously falling out, and later you discover that this bug happens if you withdraw and bid again.

"The launch of the 2nd accounts has benefitted the game as there are more active managers which makes playing games a lot more interesting. The 2nd accounts are also very well policed which prevents cheating, unlike in most other games where it goes unnoticed and give a lot of managers an unfair advantage."

LOL. The total number of managers have DROPPED since the subscribers got a second club to play around with. Despite the prop up of total manager numbers this caused. The subscribers get benefits from having a second club of course, double the chance in the SC. Another club to try out game strategies with (thats what a game like this is about) and double the chance in the Super Cup. And another club to explore "game secrets" with. But the majority of users in Itsagoal isn't the subscribers, so the move failed miserably.

"All games also have an issue with vacant or bots teams but at least the bots in itsagoal.com are competitive unlike in say Hattrick where you will regularly win games 8-0, 9-0 etc which is totally unrealistic."

It isn't the score in the easy games which makes a game competitive. It doesn't matter if an easily won game comes out as 2-0 or 8-0. Its about the level of the opponents you regulary meet in the competitive games. It isn't rare for teams to go unbeaten season after season in itsagoal in the league at the very top level. That simply doesn't happen in Soccerproject for example.

"On the forum bans, pretty much every manager who has been banned deserves to be banned. They are given plenty of notice about swearing, promoting other games, trying to provide links to other games/sites etc etc. I'm happy with the way the forums works and the managers on itsagoal.com are the most interesting, entertaining managers that I have encountered on any site."

Well, Itsagoal has banned managers from the game on account of whats written in the forums. Whats up with that? The forum doesn't have anything to do with the game. Its enough to get on the wrong side of an arrogant moderator (plenty of those) and you are marked. And how can you say every one deserved to be banned?

I am not surprised the game isn't more popular, afterall the owners have given up on it already. Believe me, the difference is huge to a game where the developers communicate with the users and actually do work with the game! And where criticism in the forums isn't met with arrogance , or newbees aren't met with witty comments and a know-it-all attitude.

Re: Online Football (Soccer) Manager Game – Hattrick, Managerzone, Itsagoal

Cronus — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 04:14:51 -0000

You can not beat them when it comes to bugs either :) It is a game where the developers have not bothered to do much for years. Not surprisingly, this is reflected when it comes to the number of managers as well. Even after allowing subscribers to have a second club and by that inflating manager numbers, there are not more than around 2,700 managers.

Re: Online Football (Soccer) Manager Game – Hattrick, Managerzone, Itsagoal

Cronus — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 08:21:14 -0000

Not true. Several managers have been banned on account of what is written in the forums and that alone. They do not get any refund on subscriptions when that happens either.

I post an example here, but it got removed for some kind of reason.