Development and direction

Cyber-Ball Manager is in active development. The main management systems are being joined into one working game while I continue with the interface, balance, reliability and all the other things that become obvious five minutes after something goes live.

These guides explain the parts that are settled enough to explain. They are not a claim that every idea is finished, polished, or even behaving itself yet.

The first job was to build the things a club needs: teams, players, schedules, competitions, training, tactics, transfers, finances, facilities, staff and somewhere for the managers to talk.

Making a screen is the easy bit. Making all those screens affect one another is where the game starts, so I would rather finish complete loops than produce a magnificent collection of buttons that do not matter.

• If a manager makes a choice, something should happen.
• Depth is good. Requiring three spreadsheets and a minor degree is less good.
• The future setting should change the game, not just provide shiny backgrounds.
• The world should keep moving without taking control away from managers.
• Player feedback should help decide what needs fixing, balancing or explaining.

I will keep working on matches, competition history, club development, player careers, balance and presentation. Some decisions will stay open until there has been enough actual play to make a sensible choice. Guessing early is easy; removing a bad system later is rather less fun.

I am not going to turn every idea into a release-date promise. The newsletter will cover the larger milestones. Discord is the better place for regular discussion, questions and feedback.