It's been a while since I did anything remotely resembling an article, so I'm somewhat nervous to be starting something with the scope I have in mind. First some background to the how, why and what. I've been a technology journalist for two years now, testing several smartphones in the process. We test these phones using various benchmarks and I always like to add my personal benchmarking tool: Football Manager. It's remarkable how different devices cope with the EME, even when they're supposed to have similar SoC (system on a chip, the processor). I find it useful to take this performance into consideration when writing my reviews, as they show how a device will cope with heavy-duty apps and it will generally give me an idea of what to expect when multitasking, playing games, etc.
Since I've seen many people ask what kind of device they need to be able to play this game without limitations or annoyances, I thought it might be a good idea to share my knowledge and combine it with this forum's. The idea was born: a comprehensive guide on as many devices as possible.
Since I'm quite busy writing lots of different things, including a personal blog, I decided to keep it simple: a template that people can fill in, while adding a few comments and thoughts on the performance of their device. If enough people fill these out, we will get an accurate overview on the best devices to play FMM on, while eliminating as much of the personal bias as possible (bias because not everyone has access to multiple devices to compare performance).
If everyone here chips in, we'll be done in no time. I'll try to keep this OP in shape (updating every couple of days when there are new entries), but feel free to remind me if I space out for a couple of days. I'll start this thread off with some top devices: the OnePlus 3 and the new Huawei Mate 9. The template can be found at the bottom, if you're not sure of your phone's specs, GSMArena has a comprehensive database where you can check.
SoC: Qualcomm MSM8974AC Snapdragon 801 - Quad-core 2.5 GHz Krait 400 GPU: Adreno 330 General loading speed (continuing the game, starting a new game,...): 6/10 EME game speed: 9/10 Time it takes for a full game: Depends on what happens in the game EME loading a game/processing tactics: 7/10 (2-4 seconds) Battery drain: horrendous - dead in 2 hours or so General comments: Booting the app takes some time however once it's loaded it's absolutely fine.
OnePlus 3 (recorded times to follow)
SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon 820, Quad-core (2x2.15 GHz Kryo & 2x1.6 GHz Kryo) GPU: Adreno 530 General loading speed (continuing the game, starting a new game,...): 9/10 EME game speed: 8/10 Time it takes for a full game: EME loading a game/processing tactics: 8/10 Battery drain: Very heavy (0% after approximately 2-3 hours) General comments: While the game runs very smooth, I can't shake the feeling that the visuals of the engine (the view of the pitch) is worse than last year's game. Visuals are shaky, the flashing text almost never comes out, leading me to think that the Adreno 530 can't quite keep up with demand. Game has to be played at 'very fast' to get the actions really going.
Huawei Mate 9
Coming soon
iPad Mini 2 (recorded times to follow)
SoC: Apple A7 Dual-core 1.3 GHz Cyclone (ARM v8-based) GPU: PowerVR G6430 (quad-core graphics) General loading speed (continuing the game, starting a new game,...): 10/10 EME game speed: 10/10 Time it takes for a full game: EME loading a game/processing tactics: 10/10 Battery drain: Light (0% after approximately 6-7 hours) General comments: The prototype of how the game should be played. Unfortunately, the screen is too big for my taste, making it difficult to play with my thumbs. Putting it down and using index fingers works, but that's not usually the way I do it.
Template:
Device Name
SoC: GPU: General loading speed (continuing the game, starting a new game,...): x/10 EME game speed: x/10 Time it takes for a full game: ->I suggest starting the second you push the 'yes' button that takes you to the game, right up until you press 'continue' to take you back out of the match. EME loading a game/processing tactics: x/10 Battery drain: General comments:
Closing notes
I hope as many people as possible join in, so we can share our experiences and help people get the best device possible and their money's worth. Feel free to suggest other parameters as well!
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Greetings to all,
It's been a while since I did anything remotely resembling an article, so I'm somewhat nervous to be starting something with the scope I have in mind. First some background to the how, why and what. I've been a technology journalist for two years now, testing several smartphones in the process. We test these phones using various benchmarks and I always like to add my personal benchmarking tool: Football Manager. It's remarkable how different devices cope with the EME, even when they're supposed to have similar SoC (system on a chip, the processor). I find it useful to take this performance into consideration when writing my reviews, as they show how a device will cope with heavy-duty apps and it will generally give me an idea of what to expect when multitasking, playing games, etc.
Since I've seen many people ask what kind of device they need to be able to play this game without limitations or annoyances, I thought it might be a good idea to share my knowledge and combine it with this forum's. The idea was born: a comprehensive guide on as many devices as possible.
Since I'm quite busy writing lots of different things, including a personal blog, I decided to keep it simple: a template that people can fill in, while adding a few comments and thoughts on the performance of their device. If enough people fill these out, we will get an accurate overview on the best devices to play FMM on, while eliminating as much of the personal bias as possible (bias because not everyone has access to multiple devices to compare performance).
If everyone here chips in, we'll be done in no time. I'll try to keep this OP in shape (updating every couple of days when there are new entries), but feel free to remind me if I space out for a couple of days. I'll start this thread off with some top devices: the OnePlus 3 and the new Huawei Mate 9. The template can be found at the bottom, if you're not sure of your phone's specs, GSMArena has a comprehensive database where you can check.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Device Name: One Plus One
SoC: Qualcomm MSM8974AC Snapdragon 801 - Quad-core 2.5 GHz Krait 400
GPU: Adreno 330
General loading speed (continuing the game, starting a new game,...): 6/10
EME game speed: 9/10
Time it takes for a full game: Depends on what happens in the game
EME loading a game/processing tactics: 7/10 (2-4 seconds)
Battery drain: horrendous - dead in 2 hours or so
General comments: Booting the app takes some time however once it's loaded it's absolutely fine.
OnePlus 3 (recorded times to follow)
SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon 820, Quad-core (2x2.15 GHz Kryo & 2x1.6 GHz Kryo)
GPU: Adreno 530
General loading speed (continuing the game, starting a new game,...): 9/10
EME game speed: 8/10
Time it takes for a full game:
EME loading a game/processing tactics: 8/10
Battery drain: Very heavy (0% after approximately 2-3 hours)
General comments: While the game runs very smooth, I can't shake the feeling that the visuals of the engine (the view of the pitch) is worse than last year's game. Visuals are shaky, the flashing text almost never comes out, leading me to think that the Adreno 530 can't quite keep up with demand. Game has to be played at 'very fast' to get the actions really going.
Huawei Mate 9
Coming soon
iPad Mini 2 (recorded times to follow)
SoC: Apple A7 Dual-core 1.3 GHz Cyclone (ARM v8-based)
GPU: PowerVR G6430 (quad-core graphics)
General loading speed (continuing the game, starting a new game,...): 10/10
EME game speed: 10/10
Time it takes for a full game:
EME loading a game/processing tactics: 10/10
Battery drain: Light (0% after approximately 6-7 hours)
General comments: The prototype of how the game should be played. Unfortunately, the screen is too big for my taste, making it difficult to play with my thumbs. Putting it down and using index fingers works, but that's not usually the way I do it.
Template:
Device Name
SoC:
GPU:
General loading speed (continuing the game, starting a new game,...): x/10
EME game speed: x/10
Time it takes for a full game: ->I suggest starting the second you push the 'yes' button that takes you to the game, right up until you press 'continue' to take you back out of the match.
EME loading a game/processing tactics: x/10
Battery drain:
General comments:
Closing notes
I hope as many people as possible join in, so we can share our experiences and help people get the best device possible and their money's worth. Feel free to suggest other parameters as well!
Edited by JensLink to comment
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