Hi all
I used to be a regular visitor to this site but a series of finishing uni, getting a job, buying a house and getting married in the last few years have seen me stop cycling and put an end to my care free computer gaming days. Added to that my laptop broke a couple of years ago and I've never had the free money or inclination to replace it.
Anyway, I am now looking at getting a new laptop and am looking for a game to play on it. Given the limited time I will have I will only really be able to focus on one. My 3 go to games of old were pcm, football manager and total war.
What I'm after is a bit of a low down on the current game. How has it improved in the last 2-3 editions. Would you choose it over my other two options and why?
Obviously I've been having a look around the forum but thought I'd ask for your opinions also. I'm pleased to see the pcm databases are still going strong
Cheers
*Admin mode off*
Honestly if you've only got time for one game i would not reccomend PCM. Both FM and Total War (whichever one, probably Rome 2) are more complete, less buggy and better value in the long run.
Not saying PCM14 is bad, it's just not as good as other games. PCM14 is, for me, the best PCM yet (at least i've had the most fun with it, and that's kind of the point). But if i could only play one game for the next 6 months i'd chose FM or Total War over it every single time
*Admin mode on*
However you could buy PCM through the site and give us some support. And obvously PCM is the graetsetes gaem evarr
It obviously depends on your interests. FM is a football game and I enjoy it the most, but after a year the teams and players are out of date and you've got to buy the newest one. Total War on the other hand has infinite replayability especially with mods and expansions and stuff like that. PCM is fun, but I always find myself going back to the older versions.
To be honest PCM was probably my third choice anyway. Just thought i'd ask as i did enjoy playing the game even with all of it's bugs and issues. I also enjoyed coming on here every now and again for some cycling chat
It does appear from looking around the site that it still has the same issues it had when I used to play it in that the developers have spent lots of time developing the 3d engine and graphics of the game but have done nothing to improve the actual management side of it. At the end of the day it is a management sim and so the management aspect should be the most important part of the game.
My issue was that there was never any personality in the game. You managed a team of robots who simply did as they were told. If you only selected Alberto Contador for crappy little 1 day races in the middle of nowhere, he would just do it. None of the other teams seem to have any recognisable race or recruitment tactics and so the game tended to become a bit samey after a while, which is a shame.
Maybe the developers should spend a year or two concentrating on the management side of the game because it has the potential to be a great game. I'm sure 99% of regular players would accept a stall on graphical improvment for an improvement in the management and realism side of the game.
But then again i suppose they are banking on the Tour bringing in a number of casual cycling fans who will be more impressed with the graphics of the game rather then the mechanics, which is why they release it each year to coinside with the Tour in real life.
Oh well, maybe i'll pop back in the new cycling season for a bit of general cycling chat. I'll leave you all in peace. Keep up the good work with the databases as, to be honest, they are what really make the game playable to real cycling fans.
