Ok, so I bought the original twice (from managames, and then again on Steam when it arrived), and spent a long time unsure whether I'd gain enough from buying the new version despite having followed it for some time.

I'm not very far in yet, and I can't comment at all on the playing side as I'm strictly managing at the moment, but essentially they've kept all the bits that made the original a lot of fun to play, and both added some more features (some improvements to the coaching centre, an entirely new and fun junior section), and maintained all the customisability through modding (although be warned there's no workshop plug and play - some computer competence is pretty helpful). That said, if you don't mind diving through text filles and the like there's actually not much you can't modify, from career length to money to names to pictures to ... yeah, most things.

And of course the big upgrade to the original is the ability to watch the games, and a large amount of very precise tactical tweaks are available in the game should you decide for example that your 7 foot tall opponent keeps coming to the net and destroying you and you want to counter strat it.

Did I need the new version? No, not really. Is it a lot of money compared to my normal purchases? Yes. Do I regret it? No, the developer is very active, very helpful (have had a couple of email convos with him when I lost my original license key and he fixed the problem within 24 hours), and has provided a full database of all the real names via the modding SDK hosted on his site.

This is a really good example of single indie dev done good, caring very much about his game, his community, and supporting those with ideas and preferences that are easy to add into the game. Totally happy supporting this.

Ok, so I bought the original twice (from managames, and then again on Steam when it arrived), and spent a long time unsure whether I'd gain enough from buying the new version despite having followed it for some time. I'm not very far in yet, and I can't comment at all on the playing side as I'm strictly managing at the moment, but essentially they've kept all the bits that made the original a lot of fun to play, and both added some more features (some improvements to the coaching centre, an entirely new and fun junior section), and maintained all the customisability through modding (although be warned there's no workshop plug and play - some computer competence is pretty helpful). That said, if you don't mind diving through text filles and the like there's actually not much you can't modify, from career length to money to names to pictures to ... yeah, most things. And of course the big upgrade to the original is the ability to watch the games, and a large amount of very precise tactical tweaks are available in the game should you decide for example that your 7 foot tall opponent keeps coming to the net and destroying you and you want to counter strat it. Did I need the new version? No, not really. Is it a lot of money compared to my normal purchases? Yes. Do I regret it? No, the developer is very active, very helpful (have had a couple of email convos with him when I lost my original license key and he fixed the problem within 24 hours), and has provided a full database of all the real names via the modding SDK hosted on his site. This is a really good example of single indie dev done good, caring very much about his game, his community, and supporting those with ideas and preferences that are easy to add into the game. Totally happy supporting this.