PowerPlay Magazine

This calendar year has been difficult not only for PPM, but probably also for many of you. Nonetheless, the boys from PPM team, boys who keep this game alive have always been here for you, the managers and fans of this great manager game. I have talked to one of the founding members of the whole project, Ivan who you know under the nickname of  tuttle, about how 2012 has been, about how the next year will be, but also about the the most beautiful holiday of the year. Ladies and gentlemen, make yourself comfortable, the coolest Christmas article in the history of PP magazine is coming your way - the interview with  tuttle.

Ivan, 2012 has not been an easy year...

For us, 2012 has been vitally important. Since we started this project, trends on the internet have changed dramatically. The image of the games themselves is now in the forefront. The people who are on the internet used to play differently, they had other preferences, so we had to react to this somehow. We realized that manager games as such are stagnant. That includes the biggest games on the market who lost hundreds of thousands of players, the medium ones, where we are, all the way down to the smallest ones. It is probably due to the fact that people who are on the internet do not have the time for sophisticated kind of entertainment where they have to think a lot and plan ahead. No, they all want everything fast. So there was a choice before us. We either put all our efforts into the next sport here on PPM with the risk of losing a lot of users and therefore also funding for further development of the game or we try to create a different game which we can offer to people to get the money needed to finish other things. And that's what we did. We did it to get the money needed to develop other sports.

Probably the biggest change was the new design, which was introduced in May.

We wanted to give the manager games another chance, so we invested a lot of money and time into redesign. That really was a year of hard work, which really cost a lot of money, which is quite hard to imagine for a lot of people. A lot of people think that it was something that could be done if two people work on it for two or three weeks. Nothing could be further from the truth and that's why I would like to set things right. Apart from the mascots, which I think are very nice and made specially for us, the whole design is much more modern and prettier.

However, right after the launched or even several weeks after that, the managers did not hide their dissatisfaction.

Unfortunately you're right. The old design was good enough for managers who already played the game. But the fact is, that higher percentage of new managers stay in the game when compared with the old design, which is a sign of success. And because of the current trend, the manager games don't grow very fast, but we are one of those who at least maintain their numbers which is pretty good. Anyhow, we decided that if we are to fund the next sport from something, the only chance is via a different game and that's why the Duels came into being.

What's the story behind these "clicking" duel games?

In the beginnig we analyzed what's popular on the current market and what the people want. We had a very good experience with sports games and so we designated our managers as our target group and we went with the sports theme. There are not many tennis games and that's why we first created Tennis Duel. But the people wanted cars so then we created Racing Duel. The games basically allow you to play them intensively once you are playing. That's what's missing on PPM, because that is a much more long term game. You can be online all the time, but there is no action apart from some time spand during the day or the week. But in the duels you play all the time. On the other hand, it is true that these games are simpler and the player doesn't need to think that hard. There is a certain way it's played and there are also some tactical elements, but much less compared to PPM. But it seems that's what people like. For instance also the funding there and on PPM is completely different and all the money that these projects make are invested into the development of handball.

A lot of people were complaining after the launch of the Duels that instead of working on them, you could have been working more intensively on handball...

It is true that some people complained about that, but it also true that handball was being developed simultaneously with the Duels. Our team has grown quite a bit and so we could afford to divide the work so that part of the team was working on handball and another part on other things. But the team is still not huge enough to create a game from day to day.

What else is new in the PPM programming studio?

We are shortly before the hockey live broadcast which is on a completely different level compared to the current one. But of course I expect that a lot of people will again be complaining because that seems to be like some kind of a cult these days. But nobody can see how much work is behind all that. Of course I know that it won't be perfect, because since the development started a lot of time has passed and some things could have been done differently. But now it is too late to change that. But that doesn't matter because in any case it will be much more interesting and thrilling than now. There will be a lot of new things there, but the biggest attraction is the ice rink with moving players. I thik and hope that the managers will like it, even though the version we put out will be something like a beta and there are still a lot of things to be done yet. The plays are very difficult to create and we don't have that many of them, but we will add new ones and it will be really nice. All of this is only for hockey, not to give a wrong impression. I am not sure when and if something like this will be done for soccer because it is really complicated stuff.

Where do you stand with handball development at the moment?

That is hard to judge. It depends how you look at it. I think we are about two thirds down the way. However, now there will be more people working on handball. We will change our team a little bit so there will be enough experts and I think the process will be move along quite a bit.

So when can the managers expect a new sport?

I am still convinced that we will launch the beta version in spring. To be more concrete I mean the period between March and April. It is really hard to talk about it now because a lot of things can happen that can influence it. But it will certainly be done well and the managers can look forward to a lot of new things. For example there will be 2 games a day and therefore there can be more tournaments.

What will be different in handball compared to hockey and soccer?

There will certainly be some improvements in things which we have considered as important. We have focused on things that people were complaining about the most. For example the fact that there is only one game a day, which we changed. There are some things which we have improved, but in essence it is similar to hockey and soccer. However, I think it will be a little bit better.

Some time has passed since the official launch of the PPM shop. How do you see it now? Was it worth the effort?

To be honest, I wouldn't do it again if I had another chance. Not that the things are not being sold, but there is too much work behind it compared to the number of people who actually buy these things. The main problem, I think, is that we went for total quality. We have quality shirts with high density which are basically impossible to wear down in two years. They are all made of quality material and embroidery. For instance one flag on a polo-shirt takes about an hour to embroider, which is unlike any regular clothes store. This is done for us by one company exactly according to our requirements. Who saw and got these polo-shirts, wears them still. Unfortunately, they are a bit expensive. It is logical that they cannot cost 10 Euros when the elements such as flags and nicks are embroidered several hours. That's the reality, but the managers can't see that in the shop. There are a lot of companies on the internet who sell all sorts of shirts for great prices. But when you order them, you get them and you find out that everything is imprinted and it comes off after some time. That's not our case, however, because the quality of our apparel is really the best. Unfortunately, we cannot show that to the managers. The people who bought the first shirts still have them, they don't buy any more because they still have the old ones and they don't need to. And people who don't have them yet, think that they are too expensive and they will rather buy a cheaper shirt somewhere else but with lower quality. That's because they haven't seen ours and they cannot compare it.

Which products are the most popular ones?

Polo-shirts are the most sold ones a those are the ones I am talking about. The T-shirts are also great, of course, but the polo-shirts are the main product and that's where we put the greatest emphasis on quality.

Can the managers expect some new stuff?

The only thing that we could add would be shirts of our Duel games, because people quite like them.

What is the furthest country where you sent your merchandise?

There were several orders from Argentina and we also had an order from Brazil and China. But the postage is very expensive there, more expensive than the order itself. I don't remember it exactly, but the polo-shirt cost a little more than 20 Euros and the postage almost 25. The company that is running the shop was quite surprised about it.

What are the plans of the company for the next calendar year?

As I have mentioned, the composition of our team will change a little bit because we need some reinforcements. We will have a new graphic artist, new people for theoretical development and programmers. We would like to enter the new year more professionally, especially regarding organization of some things.

What can the managers look forward to in 2013?

The biggest news which wasn't published yet, is that we plan to launch a brand new version of soccer or hockey server. The biggest disadvantage of PPM is, that the people who join the game after three or four years are demotivated and the game is not the same for them. We would like to do something like "hockey 2" or "soccer 2", that means new server where everyone will start from scratch and it will be very similar to the current one. The biggest issues will be dealt with and some smaller details which people complain about will also be addressed. For example I can tell you that we would like to have 2 games a day. But all of this is very complicated and it's still only a plan at the moment.

And new features in Duels?

Of course we will create more "clicking" games. Currently we are planning Boxing Duel for January, so the fans of this rough sport can look forward to that.

What will be different in 2013 compared to the previous year?

I really can't say what will be different. In any case, I would like it to be different in that the people will realize that the work of others is not only so that they can have fun on the internet and complain about everything they see and log in every day despite that. I think in these times any kind of entertainment that one can get will be precious.

How will you spend Christmas?

This Christmas will be quite complicated for me because a young member of our family died and I am the Godfather of his kids, so I took over the responsibility and care for them. In any case, the whole family will be together.

What will happen with the PPM office during the most beautiful holidays of the year?

We work both from home and from the office. We will spend less time in the office during the holiday period, but we will, of course, continue working from home. It is arranged so that everyone works both from home and from the office.

Do guys from the office have some kind of "Christmas party"?

Of course we have something like that. This year we will continue in that tradition and we will get together before Christmas. We used to go to the same place for years, but it went bankrupt a few weeks ago. We were very satisfied with it, there was also bowling and pool tables, so I am really disappointed we cannot go there any more.

If you find a new tablet under the Christmas tree, will PPM be the first website you go to?

(laughs) I don't think I will get one. Probably the first site I'd go to, would be gmail.

What is your favorite Christmas memory from your childhood?

That's hard to say. When I was a kid, things were a lot different and people had different values. But I remember that once I got a hockey stick and I was so happy for it, that I used to sleep with it.

Do you have a secret dream, a present that you always wanted to find under the Christmas tree, but it didn't happen?

As far as material things go, then I don't think there is something like that. But if it was possible, I would really be happy for at least a week when only good things would be happening.

Finally we have a few questions to reveal some private information about the co-founder of this project.

Mead or mulled wine?  tuttle: mulled wine.

Live or artificial Christmas tree?  tuttle: live.

A carp in a tub or fillets in a freezer?  tuttle: carp in a tub.

Old Czechoslovak classics or new American Christmas comedy?  tuttle: good old classics.

Tea with family at a fireplace or family stroll in the evening snow?  tuttle: stroll with the family.

Would you like to say something to the managers?

I would like to thank from the bottom of my heart to all people who helped us in any way during the year. Whether it was by nice words, work or anything positive. We appreciate it very much, because it is an unusual thing in these times. I would also like to thank all players who remained loyal to us for the whole year. I hope they will all stay with us also in the next calendar year. We will continue doing our best to make everyone happy and satisfied. To all who had a year, I wish that they continue doing well, and to those who weren't so lucky, I wish that things turn around for them.

We have a big Christmas competition for great prizes! You can join by fulfilling the conditions listed below.

Send an original reason why you like PPM until midnight CET of December 31, 2012 to editorialteamPPM@gmail.com. The text must be in English and it cannot be longer than 3 sentences. The jury made up of the Slovak editorial team and PPM office members will select the three most original ones whose authors will win the following prizes:

1st place: PPM T-shirt + 100 credits

2nd place: 50 credits

3rd place: 10 credits

The subject of the mail should be "Christmas competition" and don't forget to mention your nick on PPM in the e-mail. The competition is open for managers of all countries outside Slovakia and Czech Republic (managers from these two countries have their separate competition). We are looking forward to your creations! The winners will be published in PP Magazine in January. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us on the e-mail address listed above or by a private message on PPM ( wewe883).

Dear managers, the Christmas surprise of the Slovak PP Magazine is drawing to an end. Today is Christmas Eve and whether you read these lines at eight in the morning, at noon or shortly before midnight, in the name of the whole Slovak editorial team I would like to wish you all beautiful holidays in the company of your loved ones, good luck in your private and professional lives and may all your secret dreams come true. Finally, I would like to thank all who have contributed to the PP magazine in any way in 2012. The editors, the readers, the editors-in-chief. We have voluntarily given our best efforts and I hope that this interview is a symbol of our great efforts. In the name of the whole PPM team I would like to thank you for your attention and wish you all the best!