English Club Edition News

25/8/1999

English Club Edition 1.1 released featuring accurate player skilld for premier league players, and a new front end graphic, to replace the GT Games logo loading screen.

Coming soon :- Accurate squad numbers for Premier League teams.

14/8/1999

Well, after over 2 months in production, Sensible Soccer 98 English Club Edition is now finished and available for download! Featuring every single English club team (except Hartlepool, Torquay and Swansea), and updated graphics, it's sure to be an exciting addition to your copies of Sensible Soccer 98 European Club Edition.

Go to the 'Download' page to download your copy right now!!

We will be updating the patch every weekend with all the latest transfers, and possibly with further graphical improvements, so be sure to check back regularly for updates.

9/8/1999

As you have probably noticed, the new project release date has been set at SATURDAY 14TH AUGUST, meaning that you have less than a week to wait for the greatest games patch in the history of all things ever. That won't be the end of it though. There will be weekly updates, with recent transfers, and more graphical stuff, as well as, possibly, sometime in the future, some better commentary files too.

Team entry is almost complete, although we will have to spend a couple of days updating some of the teams which have been in for a while now, with all the recent transfers, following the summer transfer frenzy!

Meanwhile, why not look at Jarkko's recent graphical genius-nes, on the screenshots page.

4/8/1999

Jarkko continue his excellent work on the new kits, with Newcastle and Arsenal now complete, and others on their way soon. I'd like to apologise for the release date slipping, but, we thought it was better to release a completely finished file, rather than a half finished one, and there is no way we are going to be finished by next Tuesday. We will try to get it done by next Saturday.

23/7/1999

The release date of Sensible Soccer 98 English Club Edition has been put back by one week. We felt that we would be too rushed to get it finished by August 10th and so we have given ourselves an extra week to make things a bit more comfortable. Another recent technical hitch did not help matters.

19/7/1999

Well with the release date looming larger and larger on the horizon, pressure to get this project finished is growing, but it is looking likely that we will hit the deadline, despite encountering our first glitch yesterday. All of the premier league is now done (recent transfers apart), along with most of division one and about half of division 2.

We have also come up with a logo for the project, which I'm sure you can see dotted around these pages.

14/7/1999

Jarkko has been hard at work again, and he tells us that he can make up a brand new animated main menu background using club logos and things, and judging by what he has done so far, we are rather inclined to believe him. He has also completed the kits for Chelsea and Manchester Utd (see the screenshots page) and they look terrific.

On a more sour note, the Webmasters XI have lost to Southampton, despite totally dominatign the game, and being two goals up at one point. For more information, click the WEBMASTERS XI link to the left.

12/7/1999

The Webmasters XI have made another signing. With the SensiSational cup approaching, Phillip Le Marsay and Alex Clark have been scouring the markets for further back up for the front two strikers, and have finally found their man in Jarkko Honkakoski.

"We are pleased to finally end our hunt for another striker. Jarkko will add some style and depth to the squad, but we still may need to hunt around for a few more players if we are to succeed in the SensiSational cup."

The fee paid for Jarkko has not been disclosed.

9/7/1999

I am looking into the possibility of bundling some new commentary files with the rest of the patch. I'll try and get some together this afternoon, and depending on the quality, we'll see what happens.

8/7/1999

Hi there. We'd like to take this opportunity to tell you all that Jarkko Honkakoski has joined the project team as our graphics specialist. He will be working on adding all the logos, sponsors and badges to the kits for the Premier league teams, as well as possibly some other graphical changes, including advertising boards around the stadiums.

He is also going to continue his research into graphical changes that could be made, so stay tuned to this page for more developements.

6/7/1999

Well, me and Alex may be recuiting another person on to the Project team, as Jarkko Honkakoski recently impressed us with his graphical wizardry. He is able to change the team strips in Sensi 98, so that they show the correct badges, logos, sponsors etc, etc. Whilst we have been able to change strips, so that they feature the correct designs, and colours, we had not looked into anything like sponsors logos. So hopefully, we can recruit Jarkko so that he can do them for us, although it would only be for the premiership teams, and maybes a couple of others - after all we are only human!

To be impressed by Jarkkos graphical wizardry, like we were, check out the new picture, in the screenshots page.

On a final note, team entry is going OK, although we have fallen slightly behind. We'll try to get back on track very soon!

1/7/1999

As you've probably noticed, a new page has been added to the project site. The 'Vital Statistics' page really does show the enormity of the task on our hands. Still, progress is constant, and things are going well.

28/6/1999

Well, this is where the work really begins. With no other major commitments to get in our way, we will now try and devote a lot more attention to the update project. We will aim to add at the very least 2 teams a day, so that we can get the project finished by the 3rd August when we will release a Beta version. This is so we can let you have the file while we work on the finishing touches, whilst you can help us out by telling us of any mistakes which we may have made.

The official release date for the final, finished patch, remains at the 10th of August.

21/6/1999

I have little to report this week, except that the Engish Club Edition Banner is now being proudly displayed by several sites, so thanks to all you lovely people who have offered your support. As far as project progress is concerned, things have slowed down slightly, due to the trasnfer frenzy which means we are spending half the time keeping teams which we have entered up to date, and also a serious build up of exams. A couple of teams have been added, taking the toll now up to 28 (only 64 left to go - sigh!) However work will begin in earnest from Thursday onwards, when our exams have finished and we have recovered from our hangovers.
On another note an agreement has been agreed (funny that), to carry on this joint project after the release date, to keep the teams bang up to date with all the transfers, and injuries etc.
Also, I am planning to put the Webmasters XI through their paces, when the patch is finished, and released. I will set up a DIY tournament or cup or something, and I will enter the Webmasters XI as my team in the competition. I will then record all the usual stats (appearances, goals, bookings, MOM awards etc) and publish them on this site. Won't that be fun.

14/6/1999

Well, we now have the first 11 names on the WEBMASTERS XI teamsheet, but we still need around another nine people to fill the full squad, so be sure to get your name on the team sheet before it's too late. See the WEBMASTERS XI page for more news.
On another note, more teams have been entered (see TEAM LIST PAGE for full details), and, we are busy designing a new start up screen for the patch. To see what we have come up with so far, have a look at the SCREENSHOTS page.

12/6/1999 (night!)

The Webmasters XI team, as mentioned in the news update this morning, now looks like a distinct possibility. So if you want to feature in this team, which will be added to the English Club Edition patch, as well as at the same time helping to support the project, click on the WEBMASTERS XI link in the menu now for more information. Also - whether you are interested in being in the team or not, still click HERE to cast your vote on the strip which should be used for the team.

12/6/1999

The project is now two weeks old, and the progress made has been phenomenal. With 17 teams now completed, before work was even supposed to have started, it looks as though an early release could be on the cards. Hex editing is getting much simpler with every team entered, and the process is generally becoming much quicker and painless. So far, a fair bit of credit has to go to CRISPIN BOYLAN of SWOS 24/7, whose England SWOS updates have helped to form the basis to most of the teams entered so far.

As I only have one exam next week, you can expect the finished team count to rise a bit over the next few days, especially considering we can now do a team in approximately 15 minutes (excluding research time).

On a final note, there may be a possibility of a 'Webmasters XI' team appearing in the update. It would mean that another third Division team would have to be sacrificed, but it's something we are considering. If you want to appear on this team, all you have to do, is download one of our banners, display it on your webpage (doesn't have to be a Sensi website), in a place where most visitors will see it, and link it back to this page ( http://englishclub.cjb.net )Once you have done this, send either Phillip Marsay or Alex Clark, an E-Mail telling us that you have put the banner on your site, as well as telling us the following so that we can accurately enter your details:
1.) Your name
2.) Your skin colour
3.) Your hair colour and length
4.) Your preferred football position
5.) Your opinion of your footballing prowess.

4/6/1999

Well some good news, and some bad news since the last update. The good news is that we now know everything that we need to know about hex editing, and are ready to start entering some teams. Infact we've already started! Bradford, Watford, Sunderland, Barnsley and Norwich City have all been entered, and updates are complete on Southampton and Middlesbrough. In future, I will not report on here, the teams that have been added, instead you can chart the progress, of the project by clicking on the link, at the top of this news section for a full list of all the teams, and which teams have been entered. This will be updated as and when new teams are completed.
All the new team names have also been entered, but the bad news is that there wasn't enough room to fit all of the teams into the English club menu so most of division three and a couple of division two teams will have to stay under 'Other European Teams'. We are also two teams short, so it seems Swansea and Torquay face the indignity of being axed from the update.
To see how the teams will line up, go to the screenshots page.

2/6/1999

Some very exciting progress has been made, over the last couple of days, particularly with our knowledge of the Sensi 98 data file. We now know how to alter all the necessary player attributes after going through a painstaking process to 'crack the code'.

And, like any good software house, we have had a total change of plans before we even start. We have discovered that it is possible to 'Move teams' from one section of the game to another - eg Make a team in the 'Other European teams' menus appear in the 'English' teams menu. This means, that we will now enter all the teams using a hex editer, which means the following :
* You will be able to access the teams from the same section as the English Premier League teams, when playing DIY's.
* The computer won't muck about with the team line ups.
* You will still have all your custom teams, to edit as you wish (which means you can keep your 'BabesXI' team in).
* The update pack will comprise of only one file rather than two.
* European cup competitions will be slightly adversely affected.

A screenshot of how the teams will appear, will be posted on this page soon, so come back in a day or so, to see that.

This astonishing progress, means that we will be able to start entering the teams, ahead of schedule, although the serious work still won't start till July. Basically, whenever we take a break from revision, we will be hex editing Sensi teams!!!

1/6/1999

Project homepage launched. From the page that you are looking at now, you will be able to get the latest news and updates regarding the progress of the project.

31/5/1999

Project title, and release date set. Project schedule, and timetable determined. Banners created.

Before any of the above could be decided complex discussions had to take place regarding how we were going to enter the teams. After toying with the idea of wiping over the French, German, and Italian leagues, in order to add division 1,2 and 3 teams, we decided instead to leave these leagues alone, and add Division 1, 2 and 3 teams to the custom teams, whilst using a hex editer to update the premier league teams.

Although the previously mentioned strategy would have allowed you lot to select and play the Nationwide leagues, via the club competitions menu (see screenshots section ), we ditched this idea because :

* UEFA cup/Cup Winners Cup/European Cup competitions would have been completely screwed.
* It would have taken us ages
* The leagues to be wiped over, only contain 18 teams. Nationwide leagues have 24.

We also ditched the following strategies :

1) Wiping over 'Other European Teams'
2) Wiping over North America, Asia, Oceania, and Africa national teams.

Pre 24/5/1999

Preliminary talks take place. Basic research into hex editing takes place.