After months of waiting there's now under a month left to the release of Pro Cycling Manager 2007 - the 7th version of the (Pro) Cycling Manager sequel. At this point, a trailer and several screenshots have been released, and they have left an impression of a game which might not have improved all that much. The reality is different, though.
First of all, I'd like to thank Cyanide for actually letting me spread all the details of the new game. Hopefully, it will end up with you, the readers, being convinced to buy the game. Also, please notice that this preview is based on a beta version of the game. Some features may or may not be in the actual game.
Many of you have correctly noticed that the in-game design hasn't changed a lot. The graphic is pretty much the same, but they have after all worked on adding a lighting and shadowing system. I know it doesn't change a lot, but it's after all an improvement which you notice while playing the game. Other than that you will not find any graphical improvement which is a plus for those of you who had problems with PCM 2006. You will probably be able to run PCM 2007 without having to upgrade your PC first ;)
So what has actually changed? Well, let's return to the 3D-races. If you look closely through the trailer of the game you will notice a new "bar" next to the riders' information box. This is the "form of the day"-box. As in real life every rider can have an off-day just as well as he can have a very good day. That feature has now been implented into PCM 2007. The rider can have different feelings while pedalling, ranging from -5 to +5. As in real life, it does, however, take some time before your rider knows his exact form of the day. Therefore, the first guesses are only guesses. These "guesses" are first represented by an arrow . The next guess is represented by a grey layer with a digit on it. This digit is the one I talked about earlier - it can range from -5 to +5. But as long as it has a grey layer, it's still inaccurate and may differ from the reality. As soon as the layer gets coloured, that's when you know the exact "form of the day"! This process can take some time, but if the rider make more efforts he will know it sooner. It's therefore up to you to decide if it's worth making an extra effort to know his form sooner.
Well, that's only a part of it and of course adds some extra strategy to the in-race game. But that's not all. Observation is the 2nd new addition to the 3D-races. This new feature allows you to observe a rider at another team, letting you know about his energy levels and his form of the day. As with the form of the day-feature there's 5 different levels of observation. The higher level you have, the more you will know about the rider. Once you reach level five you will get refreshed information on the observed rider every 10 seconds. The downsides of observing are that you have to assign one of your own riders to observe another one. While he is doing that he is not allowed to sprint, attack, counter-attack or anything else - he can only observe. Also, if you decide to change the rider who's observing with another one, you will lose one level of observation. This also adds extra strategy to the game. You might even be tricked if you overanalyze his form of the day - who knows, you might even lose a race, because you undervalued an opponent.
That is it for the 3D-races. Luckily for us, they have used a lot of time on the management menus instead. The entire game has been redesigned and is now in light crystal-blue colours. The framework is still the same, though. You still have the top menu bar with the news in the middle -- but they have implented a calendar in the bottom of the screen in which you can see the upcoming races. You also use the calendar to simulate until a certain date. The function doesn't work at the moment, but it will probably be possible to skip an entire year in the final version if that's what you want to. The main change is the redesign as I mentioned before. All screens have been redesigned so they are now built up in a more logical way. It also seems like they have been inspired a lot by Football Manager. For example, it's now possible to sort your squad after "general information", "attributes", "contract", "fitness", etc.. Another idea from Football Manager is the "Records"-screen. We have screamed for it for years, and now it has been implented. You can now see who won Le Tour de France back in 1922 if that's what you want. Or Paris-Roubaix. Or Giro 'd Italia ;) It's a great feature in my opinion - and essential for a management game.
And then there's the transfers part. First of all, Cyanide has decided to say that all contracts start and end on the 15th of October. It's not realistic, but should give a more interesting gameplay. Else than that I think it has been majorly improved. Now, it's no longer about guessing what the rider wants, but getting to agreement. When negotiating a contract you have to reach an agreement on wage, length of contract, team status - and if the rider should have any clauses in his contract. And that's new. A rider can have a relegation clause in his contract, meaning that he will be released from the team if it relegates to the continental tour. You can renew contracts at any time of the year, but they will only be "pre-contracts" which cannot be broken. It's worth saying that the earlier you sign a pre-contract, the more expensive the contract will be. From the 1st of July it's possible to sign pre-contracts with riders who haven't been offered pre contracts by their own teams, and from the 15th of October you can buy riders from other teams who still have contracts. All the above is pretty much like the old game (except for the fact that it's a lot more realistic now). But it's also possible to sack riders now. You will still have to pay the remaining wages and a compensation, though, but since the rider might bring bad morale to the team it can end up as a good deal if you fire him. Another new thing is the "first contact". It's like the enquire-feature in Football Manager. With the first contact-feature you get to know if the rider is interested in your team, and if he is, what status he would require. A shortlist has also been added. When added to the shortlist you get an e-mail everytime the rider does something noticeable.
In general, the press is also more active now. Riders can go to the press if they are dissatisfied with something, for example if the leader of your team is not the leader in the races (f.e. Tour de France). They can also go to the press and complain if their contract has not been renewed. The rider might also avoid the press and go directly to you to hear whether or not he's a part of your plans for the next season. And who knows - it might even end up on the frontpage of the new newspaper which have been implented. I don't know how it works or if it will be in the final game, but a test screen for it has been added to the beta.
Last, but not least, there's of course the pre-race tactics and the after-report, the feedback. With the pre-race tactics you can choose how each rider should behave on the stage. First of all you have to set the roles of each rider, f.e. "team mate", "leader", "free role", etc.. Then you can choose if the rider should go for breakaways, chase down breakaways, chase down breakaways if there's a dangerous man in it, etc., etc.. After the race you will get a "feedback"-page which will tell whether or not each rider fulfilled his task.
I've probably forgot something, and some features might not be implented yet, but all-in-all a lot will change. I hope to make a follow-up on this article whenever the new beta is out. Until then I'm sure the above will keep you fed for a while. And again, please keep in mind that the article is based on a beta tests. More or less features may or may not be added. Anything is possible ;)
Great stuff Crue True, sounds great. Any news on minimum seetings needed to play the game, because my graphics card only just plays this game (it doesn't have shaders!!!)?
They also play a role in the 3D-races. In the betas, if you have set a rider to do something specific you won't be able to control him during the race. He will stick intetirely to the orders you have given him before the race.
CrueTrue, my guess was that when you would observe some person. You will react on the riders behaviour and his style of riding. Like you are riding on one certain person at a important mountain, to be able to win or loose a jersey. When i read your story, it does sound to me it's totally not like this, which i hoped! Could you confirm this?
Blackfog: I'm not quite sure of what you mean. I know I said that you wouldn't be able to attack while observing, but I forgot to say that there's one exception: If the rider you are observing attacks, you can counter-attack him.
Oke Crue, i will explain myself better now. I thought that the "observe" option was a option that you would be able to get information of the rider you are pointed at, BUT especially would get his wheel and try to hold it to a certain level of your energy bar.
That you will be able to select a person to concentrate fully on. Like Di Luca would concentrate fully to held the wheel of Simoni, while setting a higher pace (if your energy bar would be set high enough). If Schleck would attack from the back of the group, you ain't able to react, because your rider is giving his energy to held the wheel of Simoni. If Simoni would counter the attack which Schleck made. Then you would be able to choose to follow Simoni with a counter or get back at your own pace.. To get slowly back at the wheel of the leaders. When you are able to select one certain person again to ride on. *hope i have explained it now*
I hope they selected this to be in the game, but i don't think it will be.. Anyway it's a great tactical point at mountains.. And in Sprints..!
Blackfog: Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but as far as I have seen, it's not the way it works. Usually, you set a team mate to observate an opponent - he will then ride next to the guy you are observing.
But I like your idea. It's just not the way it works.
I have asked Cyanide if I can make some kind of story, based on a four day tour. If I am allowed to do that I will focus on the two new functions so you can see how it really works.
Stilettos are typically the highest of all the heels,sometimes up to eight inches and they can be difficult to walk in because cheap men clothing online
the heels are thin and provide very little surface for stability. The word "stilettos" means small metal dagger. Good quality sexy drape dress stilettos have leather uppers with padded insoles to cushion the balls of the feet. Women in Spain, France and Italy wore what might be considered stilettos in the 16th century. Stilettos are often worn with knee length or shorter dresses, skirts and for the most cheap women shoes online daring women, shorts.
