Zombie, run! 5k Review

Early 2007, I think. Yeah, early 2007; the last time I did any real cardio and the last time I was in P.E class. To say I was fit then would be stretching the truth as far as possible. Sure, I dabbled with the gym in my first year of University and yeah, there have been occasions where I had to run, but try as I might I have not managed to make myself “fit” despite multiple attempts.

I’m pleased to announce to my unfit body and BigMac filled arteries that I have found my saving grace; a fitness plan, a compelling story and a game rolled into one: Zombie, Run! 5k.

Background

Zombie, run! was originally released after a successful kickstarter campaign as an app offering a story between your lady gaga songs, with the ability to build up a base using supplies you collected on your run avoiding zombies. Whilst it is claimed you can utilize this app without any running experience, the developers Six to Start released Zombie, run! 5k as a “couch to 5k” trainer for those in need of a little guidance.

The Facts

The app requires a few additional items to make it useful. Don’t sweat (yet), you just need some music stored on your phone (Android users can’t use Google Play Music or Spotify, likewise Apple can’t use Spotify either) and some headphones. The phone can make use of either the accelometer or GPS in order to determine your speed, so treadmill junkies are accommodated, but as an added bonus for GPS users, your runs are tracked and mapped according to the route you took.

As you imagine, this app is designed to build you to the point of been able to run 5k, so to progress you must complete workouts in a linear fashion.  After selecting the run, you are prompting to choose your music playlist to listen to and what method of tracking you want to use. After this simple step, you’re ready to go. Characters from the game-world introduce themselves and prompt you as to when to do your drills and when not to. The exercises were created by professionals, so you’re not following some randoms rubbish workout, and delivered to you with the idea of being completed 3 times a week. As the run takes place, your music is faded out for the delivery of instructions and story; you are also notified as to when the run is completed. However, if you feel like you have extra to give, you can carry on the run and it will be tracked.

After completing a run, it is logged on your phone as completed and the next run is made available. You are given the option of registering on the Zombie, run! website to use their run tracker. Here, you can view your route, day of completion, calories and other interesting information such as average pace and when/where you completed a section of the story. You can enable sharing of these runs, so your friends can give you a kick in the arse if you don’t do a run or share their congratulations with you when you do a good run.

The Opinion

As I mentioned in the blurb at the beginning, I was an unfit and unmotivated individual who couldn’t get fit. Zombie, Run! 5k interested me greatly as it combined a few elements that, in my brain anyway, seems like a fantastic idea; a story, a game and a way of getting fit. I’m so pleased to say that, as of writing, I have just completed my 1^st workout in Week 3 of the programme. Before undertaking the run, I commented to my significant other that the run looked half impossible and I’d struggle. 5.8Kms in 46 minutes later and I was tired but feeling fantastic; not once did I feel like giving up and I was majorly surprised at my new found stamina…at week 3!

To back up slightly, my first run extremely difficult. It was actually not part of the workout regimen, rather the introductory story-driven episode from the main app, ported over to give the user a bit of understanding of the game-world. I tried to run as much as I could during this, but the story was delivered after the music and my choices of 8 minute songs were…to say the least…foolish. The next day was hell; aches and pains in muscles I didn’t know existed as well as the inability to stand. But once the regime kicked in, the problems from my first run didn’t occur again. The delivery of instructions within music is fantastic, as one can just run and not worry about the length of song.

The story makes you smile or, when they suggest a zombie is behind you, does actually give you a bit of motivation to crack on a bit. The characters are interesting and you can sense there is a real story behind the people you meet that I can’t wait to flesh out once I’m finished with the regiment. A slight complaint would be that sometimes the voices are a bit quiet, but that could (and probably is) down to the quality of my headphones).

In terms of functionality, the app has worked brilliantly. Using GPS, it has successfully tracked all but one of my runs, with that run mapped wrongly. Co-incidentally, that occurred when I actually paused my run, so I suppose that was the culprit. The app has never crashed on me, and all my progress has been successfully saved. I have had trouble uploading my runs to the website, but it is fixed by just logging out and re-logging in. The app is very simple to use as well, which is always a plus! There is no base building in this app which is a big downer for me, as I’m a sucker for this sort of stuff, but as it is training you to actually do missions for the base, I can see why this was done. Heck, more motivation to use the main app!

Referring back to uploading of the runs to the website, it is a great feature that has had me looking at my runs and picking out points where I can pick up the pace. It also lets you see your average pace which is very nifty. I have made use of sharing my runs with selected people and it’s a very nice feature and another motivator.

The Final Verdict

A common word I've used is “motivator”. And if this lazy writer is using that word, then it must be a damn good motivator. I’m not ready to run marathons, or even 5km, but with this app I have the best chance to. The biggest piece of praise I can give is that I wish I had found this app earlier in life; I really feel that it is going to improve my health, fitness and make it enjoyable. I’m only on week 3, but even getting to that stage is a fantastic testament to this app and I really hope that anyone who needs to get fit will give this a chance.

As a side note, I am considering blogging about my running experience, so for those on the bench about buying this app, I might convince you yet!

Zombie, Run! 5K is available on Android 4.0 & iOS. 

Football Manager 2014: 5 additions to make it amazing

I type this blog post as the most successful manager Inter Milan has ever had. No really, 5 Champions League trophies, 7 Seire A and bucket loads of meaningless trophies were brought to the Giuseppe Meazza under my guidance. It is with this fantastic and utterly ridiculous record as the manager of the Nerazzurri that got me thinking; what is it that Sports Interactive need to add to FM 14 to get me to put down money for their next title and not have me manage Inter until I'm 90. Henceforth, my brains output:

1. Improved Media Interaction

How many people go to every Press Conference that is thrown at them? I actually go to the majority, and the lack of variation in the questions along with the restrict answers you can give really do suck. Indeed, you can add additional comments, but unfortunately me calling Conte a Cunt never seems to be picked up by the gathering of vultures. It is obviously difficult to encode a level of interaction beyond what SI have already done, but I feel that leaving the Media Interaction as it is would be a terrible mistake. It's currently bland, unimportant and a chore. 

Ways to improve, you ask? Well, Sports Interactive seem to enjoy integrating Twitter and Facebook to FM, how about your players Tweeting things they shouldn't, perhaps with the option of allowing these tweets to appear organically through your connected account. That would be quite a novel feature. Having players speak out a bit more, with these going to your news feed with the option to comment on what they are saying would be great; gives them some personality! Finally, how about the game can make some logical deductions about the words your putting in the additional comment section. Surely, the game can pick out "Conte" and refer it to the manager, and "Cunt" as a swear word and have the media shocked by my horrific language? 

2. Managerial Progression

New game, pick past experience and club; boom. Off you go. It's lovely that you can do this, and heck, you can choose to be unemployed and Joe Public and see if you can't end up managing Manchester United one day. However, you are always restricted to managing the first team. How about we spice things up and allow you to learn the ropes as a Youth Team or Reserve manager. Hear me out.

So you make a new game and choose your past experience. No club. Your greeted with the job screen and Swansea have a vacancy going in their U19s as the Manager. You apply and get greeted with a response saying you've been offered the job. Bravo! Now, this is where it gets interesting. Your managerial stats are poor, and you can be sent off for your coaching degrees. Whilst you are earning them, you are given the objective of winning the U19 league. Alongside this, you can recommend players from your youth team to the manager, as well as players you play against, to help you progress through the club. A couple of coaching degrees with a good finish in the U19 League could see you moving to another club, or progressing up to Assistant Manager of the main team. Same job, but you also manage the reserves and could perhaps suggest  formations/pick the teams of the main squad. And when he gets the sack...win a couple of matches as the care taker boss and get the main job. Or drop down a league and finally get your managerial hands wet. 

I think that would be awesome.

3. Job Interviews

Yep. No more applying and getting told you got the job of laughed at. The idea occurred to me when I read that Brenden Rodgers produced some massive dossier outlining his plan for Liverpool. Now, I'm not asking for the player to write a 200 page report on how hes going to be the one Chelsea manager that lasts longer then 2 years. Here is what I'm thinking.

You get told you have an interview. When you go in, you have a little bit of information about the chairman/board. What kind of Willingness, Commitment to the Club etc. Think the agents rating for their stuff, but apply it to fundamental concepts of club ownership. So, they ask you about how things went at previous jobs. What you did when a player got sent off. Things like that. They also say where they think the club is, and you can choose options agreeing of saying they are too optimistic/pessimistic. You can say you can take them further. Win the League in 2 seasons. When they interview is over, you sit on your toes and wait and see. If you don't get it, they tell you why but if you get it, and you promised the league, it tides over... 

4. Improve the match engine

I'm sick and tired of my defenders passing around to each other and the poacher pops in and scores. Or the 10 crosses 10 goals crap.

5. Steam Workshop Integration

Nothing against the sites that offer fantastic mods. I feel that, with Steam being compulsory, SI could take the system for adding modifications to the game that Steam offers and add it to FM14. For the user, it means no longer googling for the correct names, kits etc and having it all one click away in the Workshop. Whilst is is by no means critical, this little touch would probably improve quite a few FM players lives.

Conclusion

So there you have it. 5 things I have thought of that, if added to FM14, would really improve the base game for me and probably make it so I lose my job, GF and life. I don't think they are too optimistic of ideas, and hopefully I'm not going into too much of a simulation mode here, but the level of immersion would be fantastic. Leave a comment or pop a PM on CM forums if you got anything to say and thanks for reading!