h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Thought I'd better start a new thread, 'cos once you get me talking about ChampMan, I'm hard to stop. We, too, sat up until many 4am's playing this season's edition (usually choosing vastly obscure Belgian teams after we found managing Villa too easy).

My favourite feature was the random name generator that kicked in for youth players after the first season, which meant at one point I had a Bolton squad featuring the following immortals: Dean Dean, Wayne Carr, Bashiri Beardsley (honest!) and Jay Kay. Brilliant!

B

Nothing to my surprise at signing teenage Welsh striker Neville Southall in about 10 years time.

I remember the days of CM2, when you could play a complete season in a couple of hours. My preferred sides are Everton, Rhyl, Palermo the New York/New Jersey Metrostars and Stoke.

That's nothing - I remember CM1 - the original incarnation, where it was absolutely impossible to win *anything*.

Teams I prefer to manage: Scunthorpe, Villa, Bolton, La Roche (French 2nd), Istra (Croatian 2nd), Alloa (I can't save them) and New England (sign Gazza and you've got it won).

B

Telford are my team! But in RL, they've sold most of their best players. Which is the latest version?

Otto

2001-02 is the latest (red box), although the new one's due out in about a month (another £25 down the drain )

B

I also once won the European Cup Winners Cup with Cowdenbeth on CM2.

I think the new one's out in either september or october, and it's the first CM4, so we'll have the first major changes to the interface since cm3 first came out. Can't wait!

What changes are possible, we have to ask ourselves. Do we actually get to *watch* the matches (or edited highlights for the impatient)?

I don't think my nerves can take that. I nearly broke my monitor when Bolton lost the playoff final on penalties after going 32 matches unbeaten.

B

Quick update on game in progress (if I'm talking to myself, I don't care, frankly)

Currently managing a red-hot Scunthorpe team:

1st Season: Board expectations low; finished 9th
2nd Season: Board expectations low; finished 3rd (promotion)
3rd Season: Board expectations very low; am currently topping the table in mid-January

The reason I posted this, apart from boasting, was to point out that my match against Chesterfield just now was refereed by Tom Jones.

B

I don't see that that's anything to boast about.

It's not unusual...

Should be expecting that, really.

Have just been sacked by Scunthorpe
Promoted from 2nd at end of thrid season. Promptly asked the board for stadium expansion. They said no. I threatened an ultimatum. Chair of the supporters came out in sympathy. Got sacked anyway. Gits...
Am now managing Scarborough in the Conference which is slightly less fulfilling

B

Chesterfield are a way better team then Scunthirpe. My dad's pretty good at CM. better then me. in the 2000-01 game he took Chesterfield to the premiership and won the championship 10 seasons in a row. in the most recent game he's in his 10th season and has had chesterfield relegated to the third division, then he managed to promote them all the way to the premier and is around mid table. and chesterfield are 1 of the hardest teams to manage since they have no money (not even in real life) and the squad isn't all that good in the game with players having high wages.

COME ON YOU SPIRERITES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

spook

Have been managing Forest recently. Started of 18,000,000 in debt, and managed (without board injections or similar), to move the club into the black by the end of 2006. It's amazing what you can get from German teenagers

B

I had CM withdrawal symptoms the other week. My laptop computer blew up and I took it to a repair shop. I hadn't realised that I had left CM01/02 in the drive. While they were inspecting it, I got withdrawal symptoms and got a cheap reissue of CM3 to play on my sister's PC.

I got a new laptop when I found out that my old one was UNREPAIRABLE!

Got the old laptop, which is now just a Compaq paperweight, back from the repair shop (who couldn't repair it). Obviously couldn't open the CD drive, because the whole system was kaputski. Now, CM3 is good, don't get me wrong, but 01/02 has a load of extra features, so I needed to get that CD back, so I prised the cover off the CD draw, but it still wouldn't come out. After 3 screwdrivers, a knife and a monty python keyring, I finally got the draw open by poking it with a pair of tweezers, and have found out that if you recall Nyarko from loan, don't sell Xavier and sign Taribo West and loan Patrick Suffo in from Sheff Utd, you can turn Everton into top 8 material. Bizarre.

Is CM4 out yet?

Master (Saving his £7:50 GAME reward voucher) B

*gives the thread some mouth-to-mouth resucitation*

Update on CM4 from my friend mike:
It was due out in October, but (great this) the programmers forgot about the transfer window and all the new rules. So it is now due out 6 december, and (according to amazon) this is the cover- http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B00005UM1P.02.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

bit of a departure.

And also I have everton in the Champions League in 2014 with a team including the 42 year old Zinedine Zidane, 41 yr old Roberto Carlos, 38 yr old patrick Kluivert and 40 yr old Sol campbell. As you can see, I've got a good youth policy going.

I _do_ actually have a decent youth policy. I tend to sack anyone over the age of 35, or offer them a coaches job. It doesn't make me too popular, but it gives the team a healthy turnover.

Managing Huddersfield at the minute, after starting a new season with Scunthorpe and losing the first 9 games. Beat Bradford in the cup, though.

B

_That's_ the front cover???

It's horrible...

B

I'ma ssuming thy'll be adding something else to it (background? half decent logo?) but that's the image they've got up on amazon as "cover"

And also, I do have a 19 yr old left back with 15 england caps, worth £14 million who came through the youth system, but my only other player under the age of 30 is Wayne Rooney, and I've been playing so long HE'S 28!