LMA Manager series
Encyclopedia
LMA Manager was a football management
video game series developed and published by Codemasters
. Developed primarily for consoles, the franchise differs from the PC-based Football Manager
and Championship Manager series
by focusing on visual details such as a fully 3D match engine, although still maintaining the realism and level of detail craved by fans of the genre - a unique combination when the series was first released.
The series has different titles in different regions: LMA Manager in the UK (named after the League Managers Association
), BDFL Manager in Germany (Bund Deutscher Fußball-Lehrer, basically the German equivalent of the LMA), Manager de Liga in Spain, Football Manager Campionato in Italy, and FC Manager - La Passion du Foot in France since the 2006 edition (the French edition of the series was previously named Roger Lemerre - La Sélection des Champions after the former coach of the French national team
).
. The in-match action is presented by former footballer turned BBC
analyst Alan Hansen
. Sometimes this version gets caught in between the retro style of the original game, and the 2002 version. Although practically the same as the 2002 version, this contains some differences in the in-match play, and is famed for wingers cutting inside to shoot from ridiculous angles, and goalkeepers who tend to tip shots just inside the far post, making this an often frustrating game. There are also a few mistakes on the game, such as Birmingham City's Bryan Hughes
being 29, instead of his proper age at the time, which was 24. It is also occasional for defenders to pick up the ball in their own penalty box, and proceed to kick it out like a keeper, as well as people scoring from their kick-off.
A slight difference from the original is the length of gameplay - this version finishing after 30 seasons in football management while the previous version finished after 50 seasons.
The first PlayStation 2
incarnation went under the same name when released in April 2002. A significant update from PS1, it allowed players to manage in one of six European leagues, all of which were processed by the game simultaneously (the top two divisions in Italy
, Spain
, Germany and France
were added, in addition to the existing top four divisions in England and Scotland). On the PS2, matches played out in full in a 3D match environment, followed by post-match highlights voiced by famous BBC presenter Gary Lineker
alongside the returning Hansen. The game play advanced in this game from the 2001 version, in particular the in-match style. Players tend to shoot early, from around thirty yards, rather than enter into the penalty area.
, alongside the PS2 release. The version added no additional leagues and contained minor enhancements from the previous game. However it is widely considered the greatest LMA Manager game of the series with many votes on the Codemasters
forum in approval.
and analysed by Lineker and Hansen as before. New 'Fantasy Team' mode (replacing the 'Challenge Mode' in earlier games) whereby users could build up a team from scratch using a preallocated budget, based loosely on the popular fantasy football
game. Once the user had compiled a squad and selected a team name, stadium and kit, the newly-created club would compete in one of the leagues in the game. Another new feature in this version was the option (on Xbox only) of issuing tactical instructions to your team via the Xbox Communicator headset during a match.
The game had its downsides also. If a player in your team improved over a season, his wage would reflect his improvement in the following season, even if there is no contract renewal. When managing a smaller club these non-negotiated wage rises of a squad the size of twenty for example, can put your budgets in the red and result in having to offload your best players, which can be very frustrating.
and Portuguese leagues and English Football Conference
division, the first new playable leagues to be added since 2002. Another unique feature was the option to download a mid-season player roster update via Xbox Live
or the PlayStation online service
. PS2 owners with access to an EyeToy
camera could take a photo of themselves, which would appear on various newspaper articles seen in the game (for example, a celebration photo after winning a trophy, or an unhappy image after being sacked by their club).
, and contained various photos and video clips of the club. However, the game itself was unchanged from of LMA, allowing players to manage any club, not just Manchester United.
, and the first developed externally (by Kuju
rather than Codemasters). The change of platform required a redesigned interface, with the straightforward joypad-based navigation of PS2 replaced by a mouse-driven control system more similar to a graphical user interface
such as Microsoft Windows
. Each screen the user progressed to was housed on a separate window, which made finding one's way from section to section rather awkward.
Content-wise, the PC version contained the same playable leagues, 3D match engine and transfer system as the console version, although there were extra non-playable countries added from around the world to bolster the transfer market.
and Portuguese leagues, as well as further enhancements to the 3D match, transfer market and player training setup (including playable 3D Training Matches for the first time). In keeping with the series' visual roots, a new option allowed players to create a 3D model of their manager, who could be seen pacing along the touchlines during a match or featuring in one of the new video headlines (introducing a new transfer signing to the press, for example) included in the game world's TV station.
This game provided the most complex transfer processes yet, with the ability to swap players and give instalments. However, the game limits you to only having four transfers made via contract clauses (i.e. 10% sell on clause or £75,000 to be transferred after fifteen appearances). Using contract clauses, you can usually pick the player up for a cheaper transfer fee than what you would if you didn't use a contract clause, but after you've used all four and try to use another, it will say that the club who the player currently plays for cannot afford to let him go. Once you sell anyone you have used with a contract clause, you may then buy a player using another contract clause.
After the third-party conversion of LMA Professional Manager 2005, a second PC version was being developed by Codemasters themselves and was scheduled for release in Spring 2006 alongside the first seventh-generation
iteration on Xbox 360
. However, these versions' development slipped back, making LMA Manager 2007 a tri-format release.
, with transfer updates available for download on the PC version. Like other versions of the PC, it uses a graphical user interface like LMA 2005. The lack of subsequent titles, and the fact that the PC version of LMA 2007 will not run on operating systems past Windows Vista
due to its use of a StarForce DRM
, and its limited availability on 7th generation games consoles
, as of 2009 the LMA series became effectively defunct.
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
video game series developed and published by Codemasters
Codemasters
The Codemasters Software Company Limited, or Codemasters is a British video game developer founded by Richard and David Darling in 1986...
. Developed primarily for consoles, the franchise differs from the PC-based Football Manager
Football Manager
Football Manager is a series of football management simulation games developed by Sports Interactive and published by Sega. The game began its life in 1992 as Championship Manager; however, following the break-up of their partnership with original publishers Eidos Interactive, Sports Interactive...
and Championship Manager series
Championship Manager series
The Championship Manager series is a series of British football-management simulation computer games, the first of which was released in 1992.The Championship Manager brand and game was conceived by two brothers: Paul and Oliver Collyer...
by focusing on visual details such as a fully 3D match engine, although still maintaining the realism and level of detail craved by fans of the genre - a unique combination when the series was first released.
The series has different titles in different regions: LMA Manager in the UK (named after the League Managers Association
League Managers Association
The League Managers Association is the organisation which collectively represents all Premiership and Football League managers in English football...
), BDFL Manager in Germany (Bund Deutscher Fußball-Lehrer, basically the German equivalent of the LMA), Manager de Liga in Spain, Football Manager Campionato in Italy, and FC Manager - La Passion du Foot in France since the 2006 edition (the French edition of the series was previously named Roger Lemerre - La Sélection des Champions after the former coach of the French national team
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
).
LMA Manager 2001
The second LMA game was released - also on PlayStation - in March 2001. Two versions were released, one for the English leagues as before, and another specifically covering the Scottish Premier and Football LeaguesScottish football league system
The Scottish football league system is a series of generally unconnected leagues for Scottish football clubs. The Scottish system is more complicated than many other national league systems, consisting of two completely separate systems of leagues and clubs, senior football and junior football...
. The in-match action is presented by former footballer turned BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
analyst Alan Hansen
Alan Hansen
Alan David Hansen is a Scottish former football player and BBC television football pundit. He played as a central defender for Partick Thistle, Liverpool and Scotland...
. Sometimes this version gets caught in between the retro style of the original game, and the 2002 version. Although practically the same as the 2002 version, this contains some differences in the in-match play, and is famed for wingers cutting inside to shoot from ridiculous angles, and goalkeepers who tend to tip shots just inside the far post, making this an often frustrating game. There are also a few mistakes on the game, such as Birmingham City's Bryan Hughes
Bryan Hughes
Bryan Hughes is an English professional footballer who is currently playing for English League Two side Accrington Stanley. He notably played in the Premier League for Birmingham City, Charlton Athletic and Hull City...
being 29, instead of his proper age at the time, which was 24. It is also occasional for defenders to pick up the ball in their own penalty box, and proceed to kick it out like a keeper, as well as people scoring from their kick-off.
A slight difference from the original is the length of gameplay - this version finishing after 30 seasons in football management while the previous version finished after 50 seasons.
LMA Manager 2002
LMA 2002 was the final version in the series to be released on PlayStation, launched in October 2001. Although chiefly just an update from the 2001 version, the game did prove to be quite a stepping stone from the LMA of old and the LMA seen today. The transition to PlayStation 2 was a remarkable one.The first PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
incarnation went under the same name when released in April 2002. A significant update from PS1, it allowed players to manage in one of six European leagues, all of which were processed by the game simultaneously (the top two divisions in Italy
Italian football league system
The Italian football league system is a series of interconnected leagues and national tournaments, set up by the Italian Football Federation , for football clubs in Italy with one club hailing from San Marino.-History:...
, Spain
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
, Germany and France
Football in France
Football is the most popular sport in France. The Fédération Française de Football is the national governing bodyand is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the game of association football in the country, both professional and amateur...
were added, in addition to the existing top four divisions in England and Scotland). On the PS2, matches played out in full in a 3D match environment, followed by post-match highlights voiced by famous BBC presenter Gary Lineker
Gary Lineker
Gary Winston Lineker, OBE , is a former English footballer, who played as a striker. He is a sports broadcaster for the BBC, Al Jazeera Sports and Eredivisie Live...
alongside the returning Hansen. The game play advanced in this game from the 2001 version, in particular the in-match style. Players tend to shoot early, from around thirty yards, rather than enter into the penalty area.
LMA Manager 2003
Released in November 2002, this was the first edition to be released on XboxXbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
, alongside the PS2 release. The version added no additional leagues and contained minor enhancements from the previous game. However it is widely considered the greatest LMA Manager game of the series with many votes on the Codemasters
Codemasters
The Codemasters Software Company Limited, or Codemasters is a British video game developer founded by Richard and David Darling in 1986...
forum in approval.
LMA Manager 2004
The next in the series was released in March 2004 on PS2 and Xbox, and added a variety of enhancements to the match, as well as new commentary in the post-match highlights voiced by renowned commentator Barry DaviesBarry Davies
Barry George Davies MBE is a British sports commentator. He has covered a wide range of sports in a long career, primarily for the BBC.-Broadcasting career:...
and analysed by Lineker and Hansen as before. New 'Fantasy Team' mode (replacing the 'Challenge Mode' in earlier games) whereby users could build up a team from scratch using a preallocated budget, based loosely on the popular fantasy football
Fantasy football (soccer)
Fantasy football is a game in which participants assemble an imaginary team of real life footballers and score points based on those players' actual statistical performance or their perceived contribution on the field of play. Usually players are selected from one specific division in a particular...
game. Once the user had compiled a squad and selected a team name, stadium and kit, the newly-created club would compete in one of the leagues in the game. Another new feature in this version was the option (on Xbox only) of issuing tactical instructions to your team via the Xbox Communicator headset during a match.
The game had its downsides also. If a player in your team improved over a season, his wage would reflect his improvement in the following season, even if there is no contract renewal. When managing a smaller club these non-negotiated wage rises of a squad the size of twenty for example, can put your budgets in the red and result in having to offload your best players, which can be very frustrating.
LMA Manager 2005
LMA 2005 was released on PS2 and Xbox in October 2004, and chief amongst the enhancements was the addition of the DutchDutch football league system
The Dutch football league consists of two fully professional leagues one semi-professional level and seven levels of amateur football leagues, the highest of which is called Hoofdklasse...
and Portuguese leagues and English Football Conference
Football Conference
The Football Conference is a football league in England which consists of three divisions called Conference National, Conference North, and Conference South. Some Football Conference clubs are fully professional, such as Luton Town, but most of them are semi-professional...
division, the first new playable leagues to be added since 2002. Another unique feature was the option to download a mid-season player roster update via Xbox Live
Xbox Live
Xbox Live is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft Corporation. It is currently the only online gaming service on consoles that charges users a fee to play multiplayer gaming. It was first made available to the Xbox system in 2002...
or the PlayStation online service
Central Station (online gaming service)
Central Station was the main portal by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe for PAL regions in the PlayStation 2 era.The service allowed users to view new game releases, change account details, read the latest PlayStation-related news and enter online events for the PS2 and PSP consoles.Central...
. PS2 owners with access to an EyeToy
EyeToy
The EyeToy is a color digital camera device, similar to a webcam, for the PlayStation 2. The technology uses computer vision and Gesture recognition to process images taken by the camera...
camera could take a photo of themselves, which would appear on various newspaper articles seen in the game (for example, a celebration photo after winning a trophy, or an unhappy image after being sacked by their club).
Manchester United Manager 2005
At the same time as the normal version of LMA 2005, a special themed edition was also released on PS2 and Xbox, entitled Manchester United Manager. As the name suggests, this version was tailored around Manchester UnitedManchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
, and contained various photos and video clips of the club. However, the game itself was unchanged from of LMA, allowing players to manage any club, not just Manchester United.
LMA Professional Manager 2005
Released alongside LMA 2005 and Manchester United Manager, this version was notable for two reasons - it was the first game in the series to be released on PCIBM PC compatible
IBM PC compatible computers are those generally similar to the original IBM PC, XT, and AT. Such computers used to be referred to as PC clones, or IBM clones since they almost exactly duplicated all the significant features of the PC architecture, facilitated by various manufacturers' ability to...
, and the first developed externally (by Kuju
Kuju Entertainment
Kuju Entertainment is an English computer and video game corporation consisting of three studios, two of which are located in the UK: Zoë Mode , Headstrong Games , and one in the Czech Republic: Vatra games...
rather than Codemasters). The change of platform required a redesigned interface, with the straightforward joypad-based navigation of PS2 replaced by a mouse-driven control system more similar to a graphical user interface
Graphical user interface
In computing, a graphical user interface is a type of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices with images rather than text commands. GUIs can be used in computers, hand-held devices such as MP3 players, portable media players or gaming devices, household appliances and...
such as Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
. Each screen the user progressed to was housed on a separate window, which made finding one's way from section to section rather awkward.
Content-wise, the PC version contained the same playable leagues, 3D match engine and transfer system as the console version, although there were extra non-playable countries added from around the world to bolster the transfer market.
LMA Manager 2006
In November 2005, LMA 2006 was released on PS2 and Xbox, with a further three playable divisions included from DutchDutch football league system
The Dutch football league consists of two fully professional leagues one semi-professional level and seven levels of amateur football leagues, the highest of which is called Hoofdklasse...
and Portuguese leagues, as well as further enhancements to the 3D match, transfer market and player training setup (including playable 3D Training Matches for the first time). In keeping with the series' visual roots, a new option allowed players to create a 3D model of their manager, who could be seen pacing along the touchlines during a match or featuring in one of the new video headlines (introducing a new transfer signing to the press, for example) included in the game world's TV station.
This game provided the most complex transfer processes yet, with the ability to swap players and give instalments. However, the game limits you to only having four transfers made via contract clauses (i.e. 10% sell on clause or £75,000 to be transferred after fifteen appearances). Using contract clauses, you can usually pick the player up for a cheaper transfer fee than what you would if you didn't use a contract clause, but after you've used all four and try to use another, it will say that the club who the player currently plays for cannot afford to let him go. Once you sell anyone you have used with a contract clause, you may then buy a player using another contract clause.
After the third-party conversion of LMA Professional Manager 2005, a second PC version was being developed by Codemasters themselves and was scheduled for release in Spring 2006 alongside the first seventh-generation
History of video game consoles (seventh generation)
In the history of video games, the seventh generation of consoles is the current generation , and includes consoles released since late by Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony...
iteration on Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
. However, these versions' development slipped back, making LMA Manager 2007 a tri-format release.
LMA Manager 2007
This was released on 22 September 2006 on PS2, PC-DVD, and Xbox 360Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
, with transfer updates available for download on the PC version. Like other versions of the PC, it uses a graphical user interface like LMA 2005. The lack of subsequent titles, and the fact that the PC version of LMA 2007 will not run on operating systems past Windows Vista
Windows Vista
Windows Vista is an operating system released in several variations developed by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, tablet PCs, and media center PCs...
due to its use of a StarForce DRM
StarForce
StarForce is a software copy protection mechanism developed by Protection Technology, which claims that products protected with StarForce are difficult to reverse engineer.- Product families :Currently known official versions of StarForce include:...
, and its limited availability on 7th generation games consoles
History of video game consoles (seventh generation)
In the history of video games, the seventh generation of consoles is the current generation , and includes consoles released since late by Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony...
, as of 2009 the LMA series became effectively defunct.