Jump to content
Search In
  • More options...
Find results that contain...
Find results in...

Series Title Challenge Review - A New FMH Rival?

Dec

By Dec,
in Series & Older Games

 Share

Recommended Posts

Posted

TC-Banner.png

 

Football Manager Handheld 2015 is no doubt the king of micro-Football Management  simulators and while Top Eleven and Championship Manager try to rival yet their user base is fractional and their attempts look more like knock-off Indie attempts rather than a full fledged rival. Enter Title Challenge.  Their tag line promises  'Back to Basics Football Management', while FMH gets more complex; their new match engine makes the game slower and harder much to some fans' dismay. We were lucky enough to get an advanced preview of the new game that tries to crack the market dominated by Football Manager Handheld and ask if it can rival Sports Interactive's hugely popular title.

 

User Interface

First impressions of Title Challenge are very positive, the user interface is beautiful and much better than Football Manager Handheld. The simplistic logos, kits and the use of opacity makes it shine and with especially intriguing part is the football quotes and very nicely vectored images upon the loading screen are a nice touch and upon any news they provide life and colour to the game without being too overpowering.

 the side bar the layout is easy to navigate and quick to pick up. The . Nothing seems like more than 2 clicks away or a simple drag and drop in which helps with the speed; something that rivals Championship Manager and Top Eleven have struggled with. It is very classy and looks like a professional game that displays numbers in the same manner as FMH - not too amateur and childish but still appealing for all. The vertical layout is interesting too, with most using their device this way it makes sense for a quick dip in and dip out without having to modify the layout. A horizontal layout would be nice to display more information on the screen at the home screen etc... yet for a basic Football Management simulator this does a great job.

03-home.png

 

The Database

It is worth noting though, as expected with new titles that aren't on a big budget licenses are not gained for this game. While all team names are real there are no real player names however the game is clever. Using the players' first name and initial of their surname makes it obvious who is who so it is easy to sort out. There is an editor that gives this ability to fix names, though it is yet to be seen if a user could patch the game then upload their database to the public; in which would be very helpful and in a similar manner to PES.

The database is very primitive too, only loading players from a maximum of 5 nations (the only ones that are available - England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain with no other players available. This is quite basic and where the game really lacks of the Handheld version. Instead of 6000 players from all over the world and giving the ability to scout is very limited and given that this is a fun part of Football Manager Handheld where youngsters from other leagues that aren't huge is a letdown. Also the fact that users can only play in 5 leagues is quite disappointing and if they included the likes of Russia, Greece and USA in which aren't playable in FMH this could be a huge advantage in the war against Sports Interactive.

 

 

Transfer Market

Title Challenge is certainly an interesting game, it is very much focused upon the pick up and play aspect that FMH is used to. The features are very stripped back but this is not really a negative and it can be very fun to dip in and dip out of. This can cause it to be addictive but FMH creates a game world where you want to go back and play it more, this doesn't feel the case in Title Challenge just yet. With a simple 3 outcome bidding system - the player goes for their value, they don't want to come to the club or the club don't want to sell, is basic and is perhaps the greatest miss compared to Football Manager Handheld. A more dynamic transfer system of bidding would go a long way and this theme of taking the features a step further seems to be a trend throughout the game. There is no doubt Title Challenge has all the potential but with FMH so far advanced after years of refining it is no surprise that the game isn't at the mark upon release of the first version.  However unlike the other rivals it shows glimmers of potential and promise. What is there is a well crafted game, the ability to take money out of your budget and upgrade your stadium or scouting in which impacts your game; stadium gives you more money, scouting means you can get a scout report faster, and a finance chart gives the game an untapped market that is simplistic but very fun and useful for all the budding managers out there.

10-search.png

 

Tactics

Tactically the game is primitive but actually fun, each player has a role; though there should be more such as Playmaker and Winger instead of just attacker, and this allows depth without having to spend a while changing tactics. It is much easier to adapt to and get stuck in with matches due to this and make changes on the fly in matches. However matches feel like they can hardly be manipulated and if losing a mentality and passing style option would go a long way - even if they are just simple sliders from Very Defensive to Very Attacking and Long Ball to Short. The introduction of this would make the game feel more tactically in depth without being as confusing as FMH is to new players and with the simple player roles it can still lead to crafting the perfect team that the user wants and they can play how the user envisages due to this. On the game side it is tough to see how fit a player is, while you get notified when a player is exhausted a rotation policy isn't needed in the game that much. As football is a squad game morale and fatigue would be a huge positive as until a player is exhausted or injured the same starting XI can start the majority of games and be comfortable meaning small squads can easily achieve glory, freeing up room for the best players early on. Displaying morale and making it a bigger influence would be a huge step though this is available on the profile yet the absence of fatigue is a big gap from realism.

05-tactics1.png

 

Players

Players are very simplistic too, while a star rating is reminiscent to genre-defining game LMA Manager in which they rated all players by a bar system with no depth besides from this it can be hard to grasp how well a player plays in what role. It would be great if some attributes could be implemented even if it was several and role specific. Knowing your striker has 99 shooting would be a lot more beneficial when comparing to another player on the market if they have the same star rating and would help improve the squad; and the realism, when you look to delve into the market or if you want to rotate your team but don't know if the players are similar in traits and ability.

Growth is done automatically via training and you get alerted to good performing and poor performing players as well as when they have gone up a star rating, this really suits the nature of the game and doesn't overcomplicate the game at all. The news item rarely appears so is a perfect balance between speed and practicality.

07-player.png

 

Miscellaneous

Title Challenge certainly has potential but at the moment it can be more likened to a BETA with only a league structure and no cup competitions, fixtures in rounds and not on days; therefore no hectic Christmas period, and no friendlies the game is a simple run through and win the league/get promoted and rinse and repeat. While this appeal is great for quick players those who strive to win the Champions League with a League 2 side will find this frustratingly not possible. The exclusion of this will be highly disappointing due to it being popular in the Football Manager Handheld series however being a first release it is understandable and could be classed more as a BETA than a full release. It will be something that will be sorely missed and a massive disadvantage if it won't be included in the near future.

 

While there is also no 2D pitch to visualise the commentary is sharp and concise and still fun, the speed means it isn't a huge loss there is no visualisation and with a limited tactical set there isn't a need to analyse players as much. The back to basics commentary style provides nostalgia while being fun and entertaining and this more than makes up for the lack of a 2D pitch as you read through the text almost every second.

06-match.png

 

Final Opinions

Overall Title Challenge is an impressive game, while one could argue it is not yet complete and lacks in depth where FMH has an abundance of it. Yet if you want a more casual Football Management game then this could be perfect for you. The speed is faster than Football Manager Handheld by a long way yet it is still well designed and with enough depth to make it feel appealing. There is plenty of potential with Title Challenge that is for sure, with a few years work and refinement as Sport Interactive's product as had this could be a major player in the market and perhaps a much needed rival for the London based company's game.

12-loading2.png

 

Information

iOS Devices - Out Soon

http://www.titlechallenge.com/

 

With thanks to the team for allowing us this preview of the game

1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Posted

Interesting for sure but do I need another footy sim in my life right now? Unfortunately I'm struggling with the one I have and I think I'd be more likely to cut my ties all together than jump to another version.

I can't see myself jumping ship or wanting to try it though, the wrong names would bug me for sure and as it offers nothing new that I want like new leagues I can't see why I'd try it. My favourite thing about FMH is finding my own players so trying to do this in leagues already on FMH but with fake names doesn't get me excited.

Hopefully this becomes popular enough that it kicks SI into life so they save this series instead of treating it the way they do currently, as they say a keeper needs a worthy substitute to stay on top of his game and all that.

0
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Posted
Hi I'm Paul, the main developer of Title Challenge. I just wanted to say thanks to Dec for the honest review, he raises lots of good points.
 
Dec asked the question: "There is an editor that gives this ability to fix names, though it is yet to be seen if a user could patch the game then upload their database to the public."
 
You can export your edited database via email. Open that email on another device running Title Challenge, tap on the attachment, select 'Open in Title Challenge' and it will automatically import and be ready for you to create a new game.
 
Alternatively, if the the database file was hosted on a file sharing app (e.g. Dropbox) you could just tap on the file in there and it will automatically import.
 
"Only a league structure and no cup competitions"
 
This is obviously a fair criticism. All I will say is, if you think the game is too shallow or easy to blast through. Try taking a League Two club and winning the Premier League – I can guarantee you will not find this easy!
 
There are many different strategies to take...
– Do you invest in your training to improve your squad?
– Do you sell off your best players to raise funds?
– Do you invest in your scouting to find excellent trainers?
– Do you increase your stadium capacity to attract better players?
 
These are all decisions you have to make in order to grow your club.
 
I've also designed the computer managed teams to be pretty smart. You can play the game well into 30+ seasons and winning the Premier League is still difficult!
 
Anyway, I could go on for ages :)
 
Any questions feel free to get in touch with feedback or questions. Leave a comment on this thread or
Email: paul@kyan.com
Twitter: @TitleChallenge
 
It's been 18 months of hard work, but it feels great to get it into the hands of gamers.
 
Cheers,
Paul.
5
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Posted

Thank you very much for the detailed response, it is always nice to hear back from the developers. I am really glad you can export edited databases out. That is great news.

 

I wasn't questioning the difficulty in the game with only a league structure however with management games for me it is about bettering real life and the only way you can do that is by the Champions League and FA Cup. Winning the treble or aiming for European glory with a lower league team for me is something I would love to see as I feel it would give it another dimension. Obviously your game is designed to be quick so this can slow it down but I feel it would be worth it. Football is no longer about just domestic competition but also European too and as a Chelsea fan I love to test my mettle with not only City and United but also Barcelona and Bayern Munich too. Though for others they may just want to rise up the leagues so I can see the advantages in both, yet I feel adding Europe and other cups would prolong a career life.

 

Congratulations on the great game,

Dec

0
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Posted

Yeah I fully agree with you and it was a very tough decision to leave them out.

 

Really it came down to wanting to get the game released into the hands of gamers. Until people could play it, I wasn't even sure if there would be a demand for it! Luckily so far the response has been amazing!

 

I also wanted to keep the initial feature set small, but very highly polished. For example, at the moment no-one is reporting any bugs or crashes which I'm so pleased about. All the features in the game have been very carefully considered and thoroughly tested. Having said that, I'm sure the bug reports will come soon!

 

There are lots of features that could be added to the game. I thought, rather than trying to get all of those in at the first attempt, it would be really good if I could get it released and then listen to all the feedback and use this to decide what to work on.

 

At the moment, we've had a lot of people asking for an Android version. Some people asking for a native iPad layout. Others want more leagues to be added.

 

So yeah keep the ideas coming, I'm definitely listening :)

0
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Posted

Can't wait for the Android version.

Then I can buy the game an give you some feedback but overall from what I have seen an read. It seems very polished an has the potential to be up there with FMH for download.

I have played a lot of football manager simulators for mobiles an this one definitely take my interest.

JMP

0
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Posted

I should add if anyone wants to edit the data on their computer it's pretty easy...

 

– Use the email export function in the database editor
– Open the email on your computer and download the .tcd attachment
– Rename the .tcd file to .zip and extract it
– Inside there is a .json file that is plain text and can be opened in any text editor
 
The text is all on one line, which is obviously not the easiest to read or edit. But you could copy and paste it into this online editor: 
 
 
Once you've pasted it in, just hit the 'format' button and it should all be much easier to read.
 
Just be careful not to break the structure of the json or will likely cause crashes in the game!
 
Once you're done editing, just do the reverse:
 
– Zip the json file up
– Rename it to .tcd
– Email it to yourself and open the email on your iPhone (or put it on Dropbox)
– Tap on the attachment and choose 'Open in Title Challenge'
– It will automatically import.
 
Hope this helps :)
0
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
 Share
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...