Goal-kick Panel: July

Yes, Goal-Kick’s very own panel is back! This time it will have a more “FM-ed flavor”, but I hope it will remain enjoyable for all. We have some important guests this month.. Let’s start with 2 admins: FM-View’s Mase and FM Discussion owner, Matt both accepted our invitation. Who doesn’t remember “Dreams of beating Juventus”? Well just to refresh our memories, we also have Tanel here, along with other 2 great writers. Fever-Pitch’s David and G-K’s very own Levo will join the trio to give you an insight of their FM related visions.

Enjoy!

1.Are you satisfied with FM08? Is it an improvement from FM07?

Mase: It was an improvement in terms of the features included and the depth of the game compared to FM07. There are countless things to do on FM now that i don’t have time to fit it all in! The thing is, I’m more of a casual gamer, and i find FM a real chore now. Tactics feature heavily on this version and i just don’t have the time to spend hours at a time tweaking. I yearn for the days when i could sit and play for 2 or 3 hours and get a season done on FM. If i sit for 2/3 hours now, i barely get a few months done to be honest. So i guess, no, I’m not satisfied, but i still think it’s a good game.

Matt: In terms of realism yes it did. However, I think the game became more boring and many flaws of the
game put people off. I don’t really think it was satisfying for me, and I much preferred FM07. Sometimes we have the feeling that realism actually has a negative effect on the game.

David: Yes, after overcoming the hideous new default skin, I found it to be much better in overall terms of gameplay, enjoyability and also in realism. With a whole host of new, albeit not essential, features I am still finding little things that I didn’t know where in the game. I think the longevity of this years version has also impressed me as it is one of the first versions that still has me hooked on it even until now. I can only hope that ‘09 is just as good.

Tanel: I’ve had great games with both. Overall, I got along better with FM07, but I’ve learned to deal with FM08 and have had lot of time to play it, giving me so many great, pathetic emotions. Match engine in FM07 is miles better than in FM08 though and I’m bit sad I couldn’t really play FM07 too much. I didn’t play more than 20 seasons of 07 I think. But I expected more from 08, but as always, lot was still improved.

Levo: Yes, I think that every year FM improves and if you go back to playing 07 or 06 after playing this years edition you will see how different and better FM 08, especially the match engine. I have had some really enjoyable games this season and that can be shown in that fact that I am still playing the games and I still have an active website. I think that it has been more challenging… and the likes of the premier league have become a lot harder to win, which I do like because winning is over-rated.

2. Do you find FM08 to be harder than it’s predecessors? Many people say that it became more of a simulation game, rather than something you can enjoy. Do you agree with this statement?

Mase: Hmm, for me, it is harder depending on how much you put into the game. IF you can afford to sit and really put a lot of effort into the game, you’ll be successful. If, like me, you are pushed for time, and really can’t sit for long periods working on a tactic/team, you won’t be. I wouldn’t really say the game has become harder, but i would say it requires more from the user this time around. Which is a good thing i guess, but it does alienate the more casual FM players among us.

Matt: Yes I agree, I find the game to be more difficult and having to do more than before which makes it more of a simulation than a game. I don’t agree with this, I prefer to have fun, rather than spending 5 hours creating a tactic.

David: Yes, but the difficulty only adds to the realism. If it were as easy as it was in previous versions to win every game and every trophy available I would have lost interest in it a long time ago. I prefer games to be difficult and pose a challenge otherwise I get fed up and resort back to playing other games. As for the people who complain about it, the answer is simple, convert to FIFA or Premier Manager……. Or knuckle down, persevere and fiddle about with players and tactics until you get the correct workings of the game. After you do that, then trust me, it is much more satisfying to play knowing that its down to you and nothing else.

Tanel: Yes, FM08 has been lot harder. In old FMs, you only needed to create one tactic and it won you games for years, even decades… in FM08, it isn’t like that. That, at the beginning, was very frustrating for me, but now I’m used to it. And I don’t agree with that statement… I’ve had so much fun with the game, I’ve enjoyed it. The key in FM08 is to be patient with the game.

Levo: I think that FM looks to become more of a simulation. If you want more of a casual game, their is over titles out there to fit that market. FM is unique in the simulation it gives. But thats what it’s players are looking for to, myself included it is fun to be take your favorite teams to glory and for it to be in as realistic way as possible. I do find it much harder, but only from a tactics point of view, I think because I am so used to the old days of CM and FM being a game where you could pick one or two tactics to fit all at he start of buying the game, that it has been hard to adapt with the changes and to build my tactical skills. But I am getting there!

3. FM09 is only a couple of months away.. Apart from the usual “fix the bugs”, do you have any special wishes for SI’s new release?

Mase: Less repetitiveness when it comes to media interactions is a must for me. I get so bored of answering the same questions week-in week-out on FM!! I’d like to see an option to help pay off your club debts. I’ve seen instances where Man United are £200+m in debt, yet have one hell of a hefty transfer budget. If i don’t wish/need to spend it, why not pay off a slice of the debt? I think it’d be a good idea if in manager profiles, along with tactical and coaching preferences, they had one for their strategy in the transfer market. Such as, Wenger liking to bring in and nurture unknown youth, O’Neill preferring home-grown players, hes targeting hidden gems at a bargain, Allardyce going for veterans and the like. Obviously these wouldn’t be all-encompassing but they’d at least bring an element of realism and stop the Villa squad being flooded with south Americans within 2 years, and so on. Though given the increasing role of Chairmen these days I think they certainly need profiles of their own in the next game, including how much they interfere on the pitch and in the transfer market. Satisfying the chairman is the number one priority of today’s hire and fire impatient billionaire era and I feel the game needs to capture that. The owner’s patience should dwindle if you don’t meet his demands, and not just in terms of on-pitch success. You’d have Randy Lerner letting the manager get on with things, Thaksin wanting instant success, Abramovich wanting extravagant buys and so on. It’ll never be perfect but I think it’d help.

Matt: Not really to be honest, All I want from FM is the normal original game which allows us to have fun and play as a manager realistically. As long as they do that, everyone will be happy with FM09. If they fail, I may be one of those guys who dusts off his own CM or FM and gives it another shot..

David: Yes, I would like huge alterations to the interactions between players and other managers. The International Management system still needs a hell of a lot of work on it to make it enjoyable. One minor thing, that I think may just be me who would like to see would be for SI to include a selection of default skins as I personally didnt play ‘08 until somebody had released a custom skin because the default one was an eyesore. Lets face the bug issue, there will always be some, in every single game released, not just in fm and I don’t see every one complaining about those games to the same extent as they do about FM, the guys try their best so we should just keep off their backs.

Tanel: I want to have much bigger interaction with board, fans and staff. Espescially the later, I want my assitnant manager to actually be worth his name. I’d like it if he’d make suggestions to me tactically (what to change), suggest subtstitutions to me etc… like they do irl.

Levo: Not really, I am always confident that SI will do there best to make the best game possible, those guys are really passionate about making the game. It will never be perfect, we wouldn’t be able to moan if it was and we do enjoy are moaning. But I have enjoyed the game since 1999 I can’t see that changing just yet. Maybe a special wish would be to help give some in game support for building tactics and improving the in game help features.

4. Many people stated that they would like to start as something else as a manager. Thy suggest that being able to become a coach or an assistant would add a new dimension to the game. Do you agree with these voices?

Mase: I agree it would add a new dimension, but i would be against this idea. Starting out as a coach would take away a lot of the game’s features, and it would mean Si would have to really work hard to try and implement some new interactive features to make the coaching/assisting side enjoyable. Over the long haul, it is something they could work on to include into the game eventually, but not work hard now in order to release it for FM09. However, if it were included, it’s not a part of FM i think would interest me.

Matt: No, I don’t think so, the point of the game is to manage your team and making the game have more roles the game can lose track of the point. So stay naked! lol

David: No, the game is called Football Manager as a reason. The only thing would possibly like to see is the ability to solely manage maybe the U18’s,. U19’s or U21’s depending on what league your running. I could see that working, obviously to still act as a manager in that aspect though you would need your own budgets and what not which could be used to strengthen your youth team. Imagine how pleasing it would be to buy a 15 or 16 year old and nurture them and then eventually see the manager of your clubs first team call them up to the first team or see your player make his International debut. To me, I would find that more pleasing than winning the EPL with Man Utd or the Champions League with AC Milan.

Tanel: Yes if assistant manager would be like what I suggested above. But that also means revolution with training system I think. I don’t see huge need for it. I’d rather have interaction part improved.

Levo: No… The game is Football Manager, lets keep it football management. It would be so boring to take the other roles and so much needs improving in the management part of it before you could pull that off, SI are no where near that stage. But we do buy the game to become managers of our favourite sides, people might say it is more realistic to take a more laddered approach, but at some point we need to draw a line, if you want that sort of realism go and coach at your local youth leagues and build up to the top that way.

5. What do you think, how will FM09 influence the scene?

Mase: I really have no idea. I think we may see a few new members appear through Google and what ot, but other than that, i just see the same regular faces we’re used to, with the odd one or two deciding to call it a day. Pretty much the same as each year, with sites working hard to produce content. That would be the plan i expect anyway!

Matt: It will make a big difference because all sites have the chance to shine and bring new resources, new ideas, new content and new challenges. Every site can do it, underdogs and the big ones can take a big step up and down.

David: I hope I am wrong, but I think it may not take off for the first few months due to the impending release of FM Live. I can imagine more people opting for that before realising, shit, why am I paying to play this every month when I can play ‘09 in a one off payment. It will also depend on what new features are included, people will be demanding new features and the like so if it is just going to be a re-hash of ‘08 with an updated database then I will be disappointed in it, even though I know I will still play as I am simply addicted to it. But it may not be the same for other people.

Tanel: I don’t see it making too much change. Depends on what they change/add tho. I’m more eagerly waiting for FML to go out public.

Levo: We will have are usual bulk of activity when it comes out and then lose it come this time next year. I think the game doesn’t really influence the scene heavily too much from one edition, it has take a few years before graphics became big news and that has been the latest influence on the game. Personally I do have plans for how I am going to approach FM 09 in terms of the stuff I do online, but that will be top secret. I think that next big thing in terms of community will be FM Live, that may even prove itself to have a bigger and more active community in itself which might spill out into the PC editions community.