FHM 11

[KnightAttack]

In historical mode, is there a way to have real NHL players in the draft for only a season or two, and then migrate to computer generated players? For example, I'd love to start a historical game after the 1993-94 season, and wouldn't mind if the 94 and even 95 draft classes were "real", but after that I want computer generated draft classes and to deviate from real history.

Not in Historical mode, no. The closest thing you could do would be to start a Custom game and import the '93 teams, and play - but you'd have ai generated classes from the beginning.

 

[mrhockey193195]

Not in Historical mode, no. The closest thing you could do would be to start a Custom game and import the '93 teams, and play - but you'd have ai generated classes from the beginning.

Would I be able to set the in-game date to 1994 in custom mode?

 

[Sebastian Palkowski]

Would I be able to set the in-game date to 1994 in custom mode?

Yes, you can choose any startyear you want in custom games in FHM 10. You could also use historical finances if you wish.

 

[abo9]

These games are wild at times. This is FHM9 with a start in 2022 believe - am now in 2025 and the following trade just went through

 

[CasusBelli]

These games are wild at times. This is FHM9 with a start in 2022 believe - am now in 2025 and the following trade just went through
View attachment 842361

I usually start in 1926 as NYR (their first year in the league). I love getting clever with trades to land a team featuring Richard, Mosienko Schmidt, Pratt, Lach, Max Bentley, Syd Howe, Quackenbush, Brimsek and a few others. I don't know how many of those names mean much to you (other than Richard), but it'd be the equivalent of having McDavid, MacKinnon, Matthews, Panarin, Kucherov, Pasta, Makar, Fox and this year's Bob on the same team.

Trading is 90% of the fun. Also seeing some nobodies become superstars and some actual superstars becoming relative nobodies is entertaining (e.g., in another game I played, Bure never put up more than 20 goals per season, and Bobby Hull never developed into more than a third liner; meanwhile, Bobby Orr reached 200 points a few times, and Beliveau reached 120+ several times). I also love that coaching makes a huge difference in development (Laster Patrick at the start followed by Frank Selke proved incredible for the first set of players I mentioned).

I realize I might be going off on a tangent, but I just love FHM 10 (and its predecessors), even if it means passing on some generational / amazing talents because they're locker room poison.

 

[CasusBelli]

@KnightAttack I'm guessing you're "Jeff" from the OOTP forum. As I'm not registered there, I thought I'd mention a few things:
1. Frequent crashes (all games) when starting in 1909 (things stabilize after the first year or two)
2. Awards are a little screwy: the left panel still shows previous winners, often before the award even exists (e.g., Maurice Rocket Richard award, among others, shows Nels Stewart as the winner for about 15 seasons, even though: 1) the award didn't exist, and 2) Stewart wasn't the leading scorer that year.
3. It's a bit confusing when starting in 1909 to have so many effectually free agents shown under Minor Leagues -> Free Agents through the top menu, but not having them visible in the Free Agent Center through Transactions. I effectually bought out my entire Habs roster and replaced it with Minor Leagues -> Free Agents players with 3.5+ potential that didn't show up in the Free Agent Center. Examples of players include Punch Broadbent, Joe Simpson, Leo Reise, Joe Malone.

EDIT: Also wanted to point out that Fog of War doesn't quite work, as I can still see the player ratings in Profile (attached). This is all in FHM10.

 

[Captain34]

@KnightAttack I'm guessing you're "Jeff" from the OOTP forum. As I'm not registered there, I thought I'd mention a few things:
1. Frequent crashes (all games) when starting in 1909 (things stabilize after the first year or two)
2. Awards are a little screwy: the left panel still shows previous winners, often before the award even exists (e.g., Maurice Rocket Richard award, among others, shows Nels Stewart as the winner for about 15 seasons, even though: 1) the award didn't exist, and 2) Stewart wasn't the leading scorer that year.
3. It's a bit confusing when starting in 1909 to have so many effectually free agents shown under Minor Leagues -> Free Agents through the top menu, but not having them visible in the Free Agent Center through Transactions. I effectually bought out my entire Habs roster and replaced it with Minor Leagues -> Free Agents players with 3.5+ potential that didn't show up in the Free Agent Center. Examples of players include Punch Broadbent, Joe Simpson, Leo Reise, Joe Malone.

EDIT: Also wanted to point out that Fog of War doesn't quite work, as I can still see the player ratings in Profile (attached). This is all in FHM10.

Hello friend, I suggest you raise your concerns on the OOTP forum, which I see that you are a part of. It's likelier that you will get a response there and quicker. The developers are pretty good in this regard.

 

[KnightAttack]

@KnightAttack I'm guessing you're "Jeff" from the OOTP forum. As I'm not registered there, I thought I'd mention a few things:
1. Frequent crashes (all games) when starting in 1909 (things stabilize after the first year or two)
2. Awards are a little screwy: the left panel still shows previous winners, often before the award even exists (e.g., Maurice Rocket Richard award, among others, shows Nels Stewart as the winner for about 15 seasons, even though: 1) the award didn't exist, and 2) Stewart wasn't the leading scorer that year.
3. It's a bit confusing when starting in 1909 to have so many effectually free agents shown under Minor Leagues -> Free Agents through the top menu, but not having them visible in the Free Agent Center through Transactions. I effectually bought out my entire Habs roster and replaced it with Minor Leagues -> Free Agents players with 3.5+ potential that didn't show up in the Free Agent Center. Examples of players include Punch Broadbent, Joe Simpson, Leo Reise, Joe Malone.

EDIT: Also wanted to point out that Fog of War doesn't quite work, as I can still see the player ratings in Profile (attached). This is all in FHM10.

No, I'm not Jeff. I'm Adam - the Community Manager. I did pass your message onto Jeff though and we'll look into a few things.

We may need some more details on the crashes if we're not able to replicate what you're seeing though. Most of our test games have been fine (not to mention my own personal games) but we'll see if we can track down a cause as well.

 

[CasusBelli]

Just curious: are historical games easier than regular ones, even if you don’t look at “real stats”? To what extent, in other words, are the players listed in “historical notes” slam dunks? I’ve had mixed outcomes with them, but I’ve also never gotten passed 1991, so I’m wondering if things get substantially tougher once we get to the present day and there are no more historical notes. I mostly rely on star ratings and scouting notes for decision-making anyway. Rule of thumb: trade 28+ year olds and decent prospects for prospects with 3+ stars. Sometimes things pan out; sometimes not, but in the end, this seems to work more often than not. @KnightAttack

 

[KnightAttack]

Just curious: are historical games easier than regular ones, even if you don’t look at “real stats”? To what extent, in other words, are the players listed in “historical notes” slam dunks? I’ve had mixed outcomes with them, but I’ve also never gotten passed 1991, so I’m wondering if things get substantially tougher once we get to the present day and there are no more historical notes. I mostly rely on star ratings and scouting notes for decision-making anyway. Rule of thumb: trade 28+ year olds and decent prospects for prospects with 3+ stars. Sometimes things pan out; sometimes not, but in the end, this seems to work more often than not. @KnightAttack

Apologies for the delay in reply @CasusBelli.

I guess the short answer is; it depends what you're looking for. If you're Historical is playing with past players, so stats are fairly well known - star ratings established/names people recognize. But you're dealing with the confines of a different system and no salary cap, little Free Agency, etc.

What I always find interesting is the guys who rise up in the development engine who you don't expect. I think it was last year we were doing a Jets playthrough in the 90s and we added a defenceman who had maybe a 'Cup of Coffee' (as Jeff would like to say) in the NHL but was mostly a minor leaguer. He can up during injuries and just played incredible. We were dealing with a cap crunch, so we moved him, but he maintained his excellent play and was a top 30 defender for the next few years. That to me is the fun of historical....but everyone is going to be different!

Right now we're playing our stream game and we're in the 1920s, so learning more about some older players is also a really fun - especially when we have out imposed limit of only French/Maritime players to keep it mostly historically accurate with the Canadiens.

 

[Paul4587]

What are the chances we see a release before the season starts this year? Or is November pretty much the norm now?

 

[Smirnov2Chistov]

I wonder how much you can 'break' the game by using Historical mode and loading up with all the greats lol

 

[Sebastian Palkowski]

What are the chances we see a release before the season starts this year? Or is November pretty much the norm now?

The biggest challenge for us every year is to get the needed NHL paper work done. Unfortunately that always takes much longer than we like and we will not be able to release around NHL Opening Night. But it will be a bit earlier than the last 2 years at least this year.

My ideal release date would be a few days before NHL Opening Night (maybe late September), basically like most other sport titles (except FM) do it.

 

[KnightAttack]

What are the chances we see a release before the season starts this year? Or is November pretty much the norm now?

If you had missed it, FHM11 launches later this week. Maybe time for a title update?

 

[Captain34]

This is the only game where I have bought every single iteration. If you are a hockey fan, I highly suggest you check it out.

 

[erikhamren]

I have tried HLM, EHM and EA but i always go with FHM at the end of the day, its the best one.

 

[Captain34]

I have tried HLM, EHM and EA but i always go with FHM at the end of the day, its the best one.

Agreed. In terms of how in-depth the game is...FHM is the best. HLM is enjoyable too I find.

 

[erikhamren]

Agreed. In terms of how in-depth the game is...FHM is the best. HLM is enjoyable too I find.

Yea maybe i need to try HLM some more. Only have 1 hour in game lol

 

[WreckingCrew]

Thread should be updated to FHM 11

I've been a longtime EHM fan, since like 2008, it's still my best "background" game that I can play a little bit every day while I'm watching or doing other things and just slowly clicking through a day at a time. As much as I love it, there are just several issues that have plagued the game for years and with Riz getting no support or time to really work on it, basically sitting in perpetual purgatory, I'm seriously considering getting FHM 11. Just wondering how it compares? It seems to have come a long way over the years and might take some time to adjust to the learning curve or UI. I really enjoy drafting my players and trying to build a team that way (especially enjoy getting late round steals)

 

[Paul4587]

Thread should be updated to FHM 11

I've been a longtime EHM fan, since like 2008, it's still my best "background" game that I can play a little bit every day while I'm watching or doing other things and just slowly clicking through a day at a time. As much as I love it, there are just several issues that have plagued the game for years and with Riz getting no support or time to really work on it, basically sitting in perpetual purgatory, I'm seriously considering getting FHM 11. Just wondering how it compares? It seems to have come a long way over the years and might take some time to adjust to the learning curve or UI. I really enjoy drafting my players and trying to build a team that way (especially enjoy getting late round steals)

FHM is a much more realistic and in depth sim at this point - especially when it comes to player development, ageing and player production. I think it surpassed EHM a few iterations ago - probably around FHM6 or 7.

The one thing EHM has over FHM is all of the mods and pre game editors that make it easy to mass edit players and teams. Arguably EHM has a better scouting and drafting system also although that depends on preference.

My biggest gripe with FHM11 so far is that it’s basically FHM10 with a roster update. There are a few nice new features but a lot of the historical issues haven’t really been addressed. That being said it’s still absolutely worth it to get the game.

 

[WreckingCrew]

FHM is a much more realistic and in depth sim at this point - especially when it comes to player development, ageing and player production. I think it surpassed EHM a few iterations ago - probably around FHM6 or 7.

The one thing EHM has over FHM is all of the mods and pre game editors that make it easy to mass edit players and teams. Arguably EHM has a better scouting and drafting system also although that depends on preference.

My biggest gripe with FHM11 so far is that it’s basically FHM10 with a roster update. There are a few nice new features but a lot of the historical issues haven’t really been addressed. That being said it’s still absolutely worth it to get the game.

Seems my current game of EHM is crashing July 1-2, 2027, so I guess this would be as good of a time as any to dive in. Kind of wondering if I should go for FHM10 ($19.99) instead of 11 ($40.49) to make sure I like it before delving into the newest version

 

[Paul4587]

Seems my current game of EHM is crashing July 1-2, 2027, so I guess this would be as good of a time as any to dive in. Kind of wondering if I should go for FHM10 ($19.99) instead of 11 ($40.49) to make sure I like it before delving into the newest version

Depends how bad you want the updated rosters. If you are all good only having 23-24 and historical at your disposal I would go for 10. If you want everything updated for 24-25 I would go for 11.

Edit: 10 is definitely more playable currently as there are a few issues with 11 around AI waiver logic and trading etc. Those will no doubt be fixed in an update but if you want something to play right now I would go 10.

 

[alko]

As usual, you should be patient. At least wait for the first, or second Big Update.

 

[KnightAttack]

My biggest gripe with FHM11 so far is that it’s basically FHM10 with a roster update. There are a few nice new features but a lot of the historical issues haven’t really been addressed. That being said it’s still absolutely worth it to get the game.

FHM11 has a lot more than a roster update - and there's a big list on our Forums if you're looking for specifics - but it's also got some things that are more niche (like playable historical AHL and Custom Game International Tournaments) that won't be everyone's go-to things. There's lots new though.

That being said, what's the Historical stuff? Feel free to send me a message here, on Discord, our Forums, or whatever works best for you.

 

[Paul4587]

FHM11 has a lot more than a roster update - and there's a big list on our Forums if you're looking for specifics - but it's also got some things that are more niche (like playable historical AHL and Custom Game International Tournaments) that won't be everyone's go-to things. There's lots new though.

That being said, what's the Historical stuff? Feel free to send me a message here, on Discord, our Forums, or whatever works best for you.

Personally I prefer playing in the modern day NHL so the historical updates don't quite do it enough for me. There are definitely new features but feel like there are older things that have needed tweaking/refining for a while, most are related to the AI.

A few of the bigger ones are below:
- The game undervalues defensive dmen with loads ending up on waivers. Tanev, Slavin, McCabe, Pelech etc are all examples of quality defensemen who are more defensive minded who can be had for cheap in trades or found on waivers.
- AI squeezes out superstars in free agency in favor of paying 3rd/4th liners who end up in the minors $5m+ per year. A few seasons into the game if you wait until September you can get 3.5*+ player for a fraction of what they were asking for on 1 July. Meanwhile there always seem to be lower end $5m players who are sent down the moment they sign.
- AI makes incredibly questionable choices on special teams and is fixated on using players in their natural positon on the PP instead of just loading up units with the top 5 offensive players. Marner and Nylander for example both play RW so often one ends up on PP2. Players with an offensive tactical role rated 13 will end up on top units over high end offensive players who are assigned a two way or defensive role.
- The MVP only ever goes to 5* players and has a huge bias for McDavid, whether he has an MVP caliber season or not. I don't think I've ever seen anyone under 4.5* be nominated.

It's a great game and I will continue to buy it every year but for those who play modern NHL and strive for realism I don't think it's made many strides since about FHM8.