Pro Cycling Manager

[Archibald]

Haven't seen anything on here about it, but does anyone have/play this?
I grabbed it after a bit of fun faffing about on the Tour's free online game back in july and am finding this somewhat addictive...

Thoughts?

 

[Indurain]

Yeah, played nearly everyone of them since 1999. Really awesome game, especially in the last couple of years. The online part of the game is awesome also, when you can avoid the cheats. Playing the game feels like your in the peleton without the sweat, blood and tears. Still love it, even now. Just don't get the time to play it as often as I'd like.

 

[sherer]

have been playing the 08 game not got the latest on yet. really enjoying that version so far.

Is the new version better ? In the 08 version breaks never stay away so you always know what is going to happen in each race which is my only real gripe with it

 

[Indurain]

Breaks do stay away in the 08 game (from the beginning), especially in the smaller races. Not as much in the tours, but you can do it. The secret is picking the right break, saving power and energy for the end, so in other words go easy until the pack starts lifting the tempo and then try and match.
Rainy cold days are a good time to break too, as is the day before a timetrial.

Okay, they perhaps don't stay away as much as they should, but it's pretty realistic.

Much easier to stay away if attack on the last climb or thereabouts.

 

[sherer]

i've had one or two stay away but never when I was in them.

I also get annoyed when a break starts and everyone flies off until the red bar is totally then and then you find everyone else in the attacks again !! How can they have more red bar left and why don't they work together to make the break work ?

TTs can be a bit annoying as you don't have enough energy to complete the distance the two bars are never even so you always have to go slow at one bit to match the bars up.

Still enjoy it and play it every night so far. On my second season with Astana, just signed Thor Husvold which is great for the classics and Haussler too but his stats aren't as great as real life

 

[El Loto]

The trick with time trials is to start of slow then really romp home in the last 3rd. You make great time gains and you're riders will punch above their tt stat.

 

[sherer]

The trick with time trials is to start of slow then really romp home in the last 3rd. You make great time gains and you're riders will punch above their tt stat.

that's what I have been doing but I think they could work that a bit better. In one TT i had to get passed by the guy behind me then romp away at the end and came in the top three but I find it strange the computer riders are constant and it is an area the game could improve on.

One other thing I want to do is talk to the other riders. If i get in a break I might just want the KOM points and give up a stage win or sprint points but i can't do that, or ask other teams for help chasing down a break or something

 

[cromagnon]

must...resist...temptation...

 

[Kristian]

It is a good game, but pretty much the same as the last version. Hope we see some changes next year, one thing I don't like is the waiting time when you simulate.

 

[Archibald]

sherer, I discovered on the shorter TT's you can start above and the bars do even out. The ITT's I can work, but the TTT is a different matter...

I'm struggling with some commands and with keeping the team in a group. Had a few times that I've selected 'relay' only for them to sit behind the arrowhead while gaining no time on a breakaway... or having a rider in the front of the peloton who then won't counter an attack because his counterattack button suddenly goes out...
Co-ordinating that final sprint is still something i'm trying to suss out
frustrating yet addictive at the same time...

 

[Indurain]

For the sprints, I have my sprinter behind a lead out man, and him behind another leadout (right click and choose to follow (I think that's the word). I then get the first guy to get behind one of they nobodies in the front who are in the line driving the pace. It is too hard getting behind a sprinter and besides you want to sprint first, otherwise it is very hard to win. By the time you get close enough to sprint you should be about 3 or 4 from the front. Then sprint with your first guy for a short while, set off with your 2nd and then your sprinter with about 1.2km to go (=120metres). It is still hard to win, and you need to be in good form, but the secret is being very close to the front and sprinting first.

With the timetrials it is about having both bars finish at the same time (for flat) In prologues you can time it to finish just before the line as your momentum will carry you over. If you have a mountain tt, then you want to save plenty for it and go hard up it, but it is experimentation on how much time to lose on the flats vs how hard to climb.

Never attack first, even in the mountains. Always follow other wheels unless you get a green spurt of course. I also find that if you stop attacking if your heart rate goes too far over 180 and then pedal, then attack again until it gets to 180, etc this can help conserve your red, especially in the mountains or on a hill. But on the flats you can do it, but just make sure you still have a wheel to follow when you attack again. Attacking down or over hills is also very effective. Playing on hard and extreme gives you the most realistic results. Can be very hard to win.

You can adjust names, teams, stats and annual contracts etc. just do a search for pro cycling manager editors.

Awesome and addictive game. Doesn't help my training though.

 

[craig1985]

Santiago Botero won the Tour in the 2005 version. And in the final TT in the Tour of Germany, Jaschke smashed everyone to pieces. Clearly the game knew something we didn't.

In the Giro as Discovery Channel, not only did I win stage 11 with Savoldelli, like he did in real life, but on stage 12 and going up the Passo San Pellegrino, 5 of my riders who were on the front, somehow dropped the peloton and built up a 22 minute lead and stayed away to the finish to which Pavel Padrnos outsprinted everybody to the line.

 

[Archibald]

For the sprints, I have my sprinter behind a lead out man, and him behind another leadout (right click and choose to follow (I think that's the word). I then get the first guy to get behind one of they nobodies in the front who are in the line driving the pace. It is too hard getting behind a sprinter and besides you want to sprint first, otherwise it is very hard to win. By the time you get close enough to sprint you should be about 3 or 4 from the front. Then sprint with your first guy for a short while, set off with your 2nd and then your sprinter with about 1.2km to go (=120metres). It is still hard to win, and you need to be in good form, but the secret is being very close to the front and sprinting first.

With the timetrials it is about having both bars finish at the same time (for flat) In prologues you can time it to finish just before the line as your momentum will carry you over. If you have a mountain tt, then you want to save plenty for it and go hard up it, but it is experimentation on how much time to lose on the flats vs how hard to climb.

Never attack first, even in the mountains. Always follow other wheels unless you get a green spurt of course. I also find that if you stop attacking if your heart rate goes too far over 180 and then pedal, then attack again until it gets to 180, etc this can help conserve your red, especially in the mountains or on a hill. But on the flats you can do it, but just make sure you still have a wheel to follow when you attack again. Attacking down or over hills is also very effective. Playing on hard and extreme gives you the most realistic results. Can be very hard to win.

You can adjust names, teams, stats and annual contracts etc. just do a search for pro cycling manager editors.

Awesome and addictive game. Doesn't help my training though.

I've managed to co-ordinate a train at the end of a stage, but keep finding that my riders are not up far enough to be effective. i've tried attacking at about 3-4kms to go and trying to hang on or just following off someone as soon as they go then trying to sprint over them - both have given me mixed success.
i've attacked off some long breakaways, but the best effort was to be caught inside the final sprint for a 6th or 7th...

so much seems to be in the timing of counterattacks... wish i could set it so that if a certain rider goes, then mine counters, so i can not get caught out while checking something else...

 

[sherer]

pcmdaily is a great site for picking up tips. Could barely make top 20 until I went on there.

Hope to get the 09 version in Oct

 

[Archibald]

checked out pcm daily - best discovery was that you can do stuff with the game paused!!
that alone has made a massive difference, despite missing the hurly burly of trying to do it all while the race flows (which is more realistic considering you're in the role of a dS in the team car barking orders)...

 

[Laszlo]

I like creating a rider in my own image; then editting and giving him (me) maximum points in everything. Sadly, the game doesn't seem to like this and crashes on me all the time. bah !

 

[CrueTrue]

Yeah, played nearly everyone of them since 1999. Really awesome game, especially in the last couple of years. The online part of the game is awesome also, when you can avoid the cheats. Playing the game feels like your in the peleton without the sweat, blood and tears. Still love it, even now. Just don't get the time to play it as often as I'd like.

Since 1999? Funny since the first game didn't come out until 2001