Franchise Hockey 3: Announced

[Grim.Reaper]

Looks like they are accepting pre orders for this and a release in October.....interesting decision to TAKE OUT online league features....I don't play online, but seems to be a kick in the teeth for those that did.

NEW FEATURES IN Franchise Hockey Manager 3: •Officially licensed by the NHL®! Teams will have their real logos, insignias, and uniforms along with the Stanley Cup® Championship and post-season awards!
•All-New 'Path To Glory' Mode: A streamlined and more approachable way to play, with improved game and information flow as well as news from around the world that impacts your experience.
•Generate your GM/Coach, assign your skills as you wish, start low and work your way up - or take the helm of your favorite team and take it to the Stanley Cup® Championship!
•New Role-Based Tactical System: Allows the coach to choose from a variety of pre-set tactics to build their team's "system" and then assign players specific roles that fit into that system.
•Much, much more to be announced soon!

[FC]

The omission of the online features has upset a few people on the OOTP forum. Like you I don't play online so it won't personally affect me. It does seem like quite a coup to get the NHL license in only the 3rd version of the game, especially as they only just got the official MLB license in OOTP16. No more scrambling around looking for good logo images at least. 

I'm hoping that they fix the trading engine as it pretty much ruined FHM2 for me. It was way too easy too prise away opponents future stars with a 1st round pick and a few average prospects/old veterans. Apart from that I was pretty pleased with the progress from FHM1 to FHM2. Hopefully they'll continue the upward curve and it will be approaching the quality of OOTP soon.

[Grim.Reaper]

Time will tell...not a lot of detail available...hope it turns out good

[Grim.Reaper]

They did a Twitch stream last night of a few of the futures.....as expected the biggest feature is the NHL license.  Most other things look like refinements, which is not necessarily a bad thing.

https://www.twitch.tv/ootpdevelopments/v/91032277

[Grim.Reaper]

Let's add this to my pre order list....sure hope the wife doesn't monitor these forums:)  I have so many games pre ordered that I will never have time to play them all, darn sickness!

[Grim.Reaper]

Game delayed by two weeks...release date is now end of October (believe 10/31 since original date was 10/17).  However, for anyone that does pre order you'll get the BETA version on 10/17, which is only 3-days later than originally planned to get the BETA.  Would have liked to receive the BETA on 10/14 since that was a Friday and would have given me the weekend to play, but I guess not too bad considering.  Although it always seems this game has some kind of hiccup getting released each year, so hopefully they work on their planning process for next year:)

[Grim.Reaper]

And they added feature list...

FHM 3 - New Feature List
 
We have just released the current list of new features. This list will be updated throughout the next couple of weeks to reflect changes & improvements made during the last weeks of development

Officially Licensed by the NHL®!
For the first time ever, the game is now officially licensed by the National Hockey League.The NHL® license allows the game to feature NHL® logos and uniforms for all 30 teams.

2016-17 Team Rosters
FHM 3 offers 22 playable leagues for the 2016-17 season, including the National Hockey League, minor leagues in North America, the Canadian major junior leagues, and leagues across multiple levels of European hockey. All included leagues feature real current rosters, based on countless hours of detailed research and work on player ratings.

New Career Mode: Path to glory
Path to glory is a streamlined and more approachable way to play the game, with improved game and information flow, including more news from your league and the rest of the game world. You generate your GM/coach, complete with special skills, and start your career with a lower-level team before working your way up the ranks. Or you can jump right into the pro scene with your favorite club and lead it to glory.
Over the years, you gain experience and improve your skills until retirement beckons, hopefully with a few championships under your belt. You can carry on in your original game world with a new GM/coach or start fresh with a brand-new game.

Sandbox Mode
If you prefer more free-form gameplay, the previous game experience is still available.

International Play
FHM 3 features all the major international tournaments, including qualifying stages, and full international rankings, all the way down to the Group III level, offering the chance to lead non-traditional hockey nations like Australia, South Korea or China to glory.

New Role-Based Tactical System
The tactical system has been completely revamped, allowing you to choose from a variety of pre-set tactics to build your team's system and then assign players specific roles that fit into that system. Every game is now a tactical struggle between coaches to win and hold the edge over the other team, while getting the most out of their players.

Rebuilt Injury System
Injuries are now generated directly from in-game events and correspond to specific activities - fights will break noses more than they will sprain ankles. Players are now rated for durability in different parts of their bodies, and serious injuries in one place can leave them more vulnerable to more injuries of the same type later in their career.

Updated Development Process
Player development has received some significant changes, introducing more variability and making player evaluation much more uncertain.

Updated Interface
The well-received FHM 2 interface has been refined even further to make playing the game easier than ever.

Steamworks Support
Adding mods like logo or jersey packs is now easier than ever.

Achievements
Your in-game accomplishments can earn you 50 different achievements that work in both the Steam and non-Steam versions of the game. If you play through Steam, you get a Steam achievement that matches the in-game one.

And Much More
•Star ratings have been rescaled so there's much more diversity within leagues
•More logical penalty calling
•A new game rating system that adds offensive and defensive game scores
•Leagues now have a functioning central scouting organization that you can use to guide your own scouting and drafting
•A more detailed coaching model
•Improved AI throughout the game, for example trade AI, roster AI, in-game AI, contract AI and so on, resulting in a more challenging game play.
•And even more! (To be announced soon)

[JudgeDredd]

I should try and get into FHM2. I think I played 2 pre-season games and then left it. I'm not sure why other than - other games.

[Nefaro]

I may eventually pick up FHM 3.   Passed on 2, after having 1.   

Still haven't really given the new EHM version a run.  I recall loathing the whole Scout thing in it, however.  Seemed such a mess to get them set up.

[Grim.Reaper]

I should try and get into FHM2. I think I played 2 pre-season games and then left it. I'm not sure why other than - other games.

If you like hockey and want to manage/GM teams, really the only game in town that will continue to grow...sure there is EHM, but I don't expect it to grow as much in the future.  But you really do need to like the sport to get most of you mileage out of it, but then again I know nothing about motorsports but yet I have been enjoying those games:)

[JudgeDredd]

I know pretty much nothing about Ice Hockey and what I do know, I learned from Slapshot.

I don't know about positions. And because of that, I don't know what attributes to look for in players. So really, it's a case of fumbling through. Having said that, I knew nothing about baseball and whilst I don't know a lot, I can get by in a game of OOTP by understanding stats, attributes, positions and importance of those.

I did by it knowing I know nothing about it obviously - I just need to spend some time with it to get into it.

[Grim.Reaper]

Yep.....and one thing I have sworn to do this year is learn and fully play Football Manager.....I know nothing about the sport, positions, loan system, etc....but gosh darn it, this is the year I figure it out!   Should be in BETA within the next week or two, and I have of coursed pre ordered:)

[Nefaro]

Yep.....and one thing I have sworn to do this year is learn and fully play Football Manager.....I know nothing about the sport, positions, loan system, etc....but gosh darn it, this is the year I figure it out!   Should be in BETA within the next week or two, and I have of coursed pre ordered:)

Soccer, and Football Manager, is relatively easy to learn. 

[Grim.Reaper]

Yep.....and one thing I have sworn to do this year is learn and fully play Football Manager.....I know nothing about the sport, positions, loan system, etc....but gosh darn it, this is the year I figure it out!   Should be in BETA within the next week or two, and I have of coursed pre ordered:)

Soccer, and Football Manager, is relatively easy to learn.

Not for me....can't wrap my head around tactics, formations, loan system, positions, etc.....probably just like some people that can't figure out Baseball, American Football, and Hockey....just doesn't click with me, but hope to change that this year.  Trying to find a very good strategy guide that will help...

[JudgeDredd]

By the way - didn't FHM2 have the official licence? Edmonton Oilers are in the game and I thought that was a proper team.