Pocket GM 2: Football Sim

January 27, 2023

I'm not a fan of annual releases without big changes, so I've moved away from a yearly release cycle. To make this make sense, I've renamed Pocket GM 21 to Pocket GM 2. This is then more obviously the prequel to the latest version - recently released as Pocket GM 3. Icon and game graphics updated to align to name change.

January 15, 2023

50% off with the release of the sequel, Pocket GM 3 Football.

December 6, 2021

Can it get any better? Yes. Yes it can. You wanted flexible contracts and that's what you've got...along with some other bug fixes and improvements. Contracts: - Front and backweighting of contracts now possible - Franchise tagging available for expired contracts - Max contract length increased to 7 years - Extending contracts allowed before final contract year - Restructuring contracts to increase current year cap space - General UI Improvements - Minimum salary increased to 700k - Free agent contract demands reduced to 1 year during season - Unused cap space now rolls over to following season (upto 10%) Achievement Bug Fixes: - Def Scheme achievements wasn't always recognised - Last to First achievement wasn't always recognised Other: - Added QB Rating to player stats - You can now hold down buttons when selecting holiday length - Top free agents should no longer go unsigned through pre-season free agency - Tweak to fantasy points calculation for QBs

August 29, 2021

Thought you'd completed it? Think again! You've now got 64 achievements to attain. - Can you be the winningest franchise ever, draft stars to knock GOATs off their perch and win the title with every team and scheme? Oh and there's also some more bug fixes to reduce injury length a tad and stop the AI making silly decisions. Full details in release notes.

August 9, 2021

By popular demand, I present to you a more immersive Draft Day, fairer trades and more active AI Teams. Be sure to join the PocketGM subreddit to have your say on what comes next. Draft Day Changes: - 'Upcoming Picks' tab added to highlight team needs/strengths - 'Shortlist' tab removed and replaced with toggle on 'Available Players' tab - AI will now send trade offers when you are on the clock Other: - Revamped pick and player values, giving greater weight to high picks and top players - Added additional validation to stop AI teams going over, and staying over, the cap - AI teams now add top players to IR and sign replacements in Free Agency - Player demands now reduce through Free Agency, dependant on greed - Rookie contract % guaranteed reduced - Tweaked OLine impact on match engine, resulting in better players making Bowls

July 2, 2021

I continue to develop this game based on the feedback on subreddit - for the gamers, not for the money! V1.4.1: Fixed bug in match engine causing winning team to punt away instead of running down the clock. V1.4.0: Extended season to 17 games. Introduced pool of developing college players. Option to start game in pre-season. Bug fixes. V1.4.0 Detail: Key Changes... - Regular season now 17 games. Comes into effect in new season. - Introduced new ‘World’ tab hosting hundred of college players who will develop (or not) over time. New cohorts introduced each season, with players representing college states and declaring at any stage through college. Snapshot of future draft quality seen from ‘World’ screen. - Start Date: You can now start season at point of Free Agency or on Draft Day. This works for custom rosters too, removing recently drafted players. Other Changes: * 'Schedule’ now moved on to team pages and you can now see AI team schedules here * Introduced ‘Messages’ section for future release. * Hall of Fame can now be filtered to User Team only. * Hiring a new scout will now update player scouting. * Tweaked player attribution for random rosters on startup * Tweaked AI free agency approach (should further reduce top quality players left unsigned) * Updated speed range/allocation by position...so no more super quick Centers! Small impact on player ratings may be seen * Added college to player cards on the career tab * Added a lot more names and weighted by real-life frequency (i.e. you'll see more common names more regularly) * Pro Bowl selection criteria of OLine and Kickers improved * Small increase in frequency of top Kickers/Punters in draft * Improved logic at end of OT where time expires instead of FG kicked

June 21, 2021

Season Extended: - Regular season now 17 games. Comes into effect in new season. College Pool: - Introduced new ‘World’ tab hosting hundred of college players who will develop (or not) over time. New cohorts introduced each season, with players representing college states and declaring at any stage through college. Snapshot of future draft quality seen from ‘World’ screen. - Start Date: You can now start season at point of Free Agency or on Draft Day. This works for custom rosters too, removing recently drafted players.
 Other: * 'Schedule’ now moved on to team pages and you can now see AI team schedules here * Introduced ‘Messages’ section for future release. * Hall of Fame can now be filtered to User Team only. * Hiring a new scout will now update player scouting. * Tweaked player attribution for random rosters on startup * Tweaked AI free agency approach (should further reduce top quality players left unsigned) * Updated speed range/allocation by position...so no more super quick Centers! Small impact on player ratings may be seen * Added college to player cards on the career tab * Added a lot more names and weighted by real-life frequency (i.e. you'll see more common names more regularly) * Pro Bowl selection criteria of OLine and Kickers improved * Small increase in frequency of top Kickers/Punters in draft * Improved logic at end of OT where time expires instead of FG kicked

May 2, 2021

I've only gone and made things quicker! Gameplay Speed - It's not a glamorous one, but I've spent some time under the hood and optimising some functions and architecture so it should run a lot quicker, particularly when many seasons in Match Engine - Improved logic when losing in OT - Increased home-field advantage in playoffs Bug Fixes - Can no longer add players to a trade multiple times - Stopped owners firing you if successful season - Closed loophole where players accept reduced contract if moved out of position - Stopped players looking to leave to 'win a championship'...when you've just won a championship

March 18, 2021

NEW FEATURES - Difficulty sliders (injuries/scouting etc), Owner Goals and Team Changes Difficulty Sliders - In-game menu now gives you the opportunity to customise your gameplay, with options around scout accuracy, injury frequency, roster limits, rookie rating visibility and non-user player development speeds GM Reputation - Introduced a reputation system for GMs (visible in GM screen and in new Season Summary screen) - Reputation level influences the teams that are interested if you look to switch teams Owner Goals - Each season, your owner will set a season goal - this is non-negotiable - Performance against this goal (and performance over previous seasons) will determine owner interest in keeping you another season Changing Teams - At the end of the season, GM reputation and legacy score will change based on performance - Choose whether you wish to stay with your existing team or join a new team - Not all teams will be available - only those who have recently underperformed Season Summary Screen - Redesigned page to incorporate some of the above, in addition to summary of number of players receiving awards Bug Fixes - Fixed bug allowing team with final draft pick having unlimited picks of UDFA

February 20, 2021

NEW FEATURE: You can now change player positions. Move your Offensive Guard to Center, Wide Receiver to Running Back, or even QB to Punter. You've got more flexibility than ever! The detail... Changing Player Positions: - Added player adaptability stat on player cards - Introduced ability to move players to new position when reordering roster - Team and player rating will be impacted by player skill/adaptability - Adaptability will increase after every game played out of position Matchday: - Improved game logic when tied at end of game - Improved kick success logic. More impact from player rating Other Features: - Increased Hall Of Fame threshold from 500 to 750 to reduce number qualifying - Introduced games played stat into player stats screen - Increased namelist to include Patreons Bug Fixes: - Fixed bug causing AI to offer trades which user could not accept - Fixed bug causing released player to appear on old team in career stats - Fixed bug causing cost to release retiring player - Fixed bug causing teams having negative picks