[It's a brilliant game - but is it a mobile game?]

2 hours ago, Pete1234 said:

So you would rely way more on the other "characters" in the game for the info, and you would make more decisions on personalities and player types (as in real life) than on columns of numbers. This would create more of a narrative approach than a stats approach as you would have to work out which coaches and scouts are best and which need to be moved on.

 

Yeah, I get what you’re saying. Personally I like the numbers because you can make finer judgements between players but I can see how it might not appeal.

I think with the team dynamic/team mood we already are seeing that part of the game evolve. I know for myself that a player’s personality becomes a big part of whether I decide to buy someone. Pressing the personality and seeing the pop-up of all their character traits was a revelation when it first came out! 

But yeah perhaps that could be presented in a more accessible way.

I also think that’s another area where you could make the game harder for those who want it. An option that only reveals the full list of characteristics when the player has played x number of games for the club. So you only see the most dominant characteristic before you buy them (and whatever hints you can get from the scout report) and their full personality gets revealed over time. 

 

[It's a brilliant game - but is it a mobile game?]

Aw man, I wish you could get historic databases. It would be an awesome addition.

[It's a brilliant game - but is it a mobile game?]

Options to change the look and make it brighter for you to view it better are good ideas.

But I couldn’t disagree more with all of the rest of your suggestions (and I’m just as much of an old fart. I remember playing Toms’s Football Manager version on the Acorn Electron! 👴)

FMM is a game without levels. You’re dropped in at the deep end and you have to figure the game out for yourself. Other games lead players through a series of levels to give them knowledge of how to play. The fact you can do whatever you want in as many varying ways as FMM provides is one of its strengths.

As you say, it still appeals to the casual player as they load up a big club and knock out a successful season and then move on to another game altogether. An over simplified version of FMM would only appeal to the those kinds of players.

The players who get to the point where FMM becomes easy are the ones you want to stick around. They are the ones who are likely to make FMM their main game and come back for the next version. They are also the annoying ones who come on to the forums demanding changes to the game to try and make it better. 😁

They move on to doing challenges and find ways to make the game harder. This is the one area I think FMM could stand out out from its big brother. Bring options into the game you can turn on to make it harder. E.g., Limited transfers, unable to break the wage budget, etc. and a way to make your own challenges—whether player, manager or club based.

In my opinion the reason FMM has struggled in recent years is when people find they no longer have time for the full FM version they look for something less involved. Unfortunately this player base gets split between FMT and FMM. (And presumably the console version but I’ve never played it.) It’s also now split between Apple Arcade and Netflix.

Personally I think FMM hits the sweet spot better than FMT. FMM23/FMM24 have been the best versions I’ve played. But the subscription model is a big turn off. And it will mean the hardcore FMM community will probably get smaller than bigger. (I’ve just cancelled Netflix so I’m back to FMM23 for a few months at least.)

But then if FMM would have stopped being developed without Netflix then it’s a no brainer really.

 

[Manager Titles.]

6 hours ago, Marc Vaughan said:

Ok most have motivational advantages and disadvantages if you click on the title on your manager profile it'll take you to a page which shows which players are positively and negatively affected by the title.

With entertainer it'll make some players more enthusiastic about joining you and raise their creativity somewhat, this can lead to over elaboration at times (think Arsenal under Wenger searching for that perfect goal) - but that can be rectified somewhat by using tactical instructions and ensuring that the players you want to shoot are suitably selfish ...

(at some point if you're interested I'll try and knock up a post detailing all the titles and their effects etc. -  but most things should be somewhat visible through comments on the player profiles and the actual list of players affected by the titles etc.)

I don’t exactly know what the desired effect is but my squad harmony was an A after winning the the National League. Then as soon as I got the entertainer tag it went to an E. I feel like to win the players back over I have to change my tactics to play in a way I don’t want to.  

I’m hoping we get promoted again this season and maybe pick up the Promotion Specialist to maybe balance it out again.😬

[Manager Titles.]

I won the league and gained the Entertainer tag and 14 of my squad immediately complained about my tactics! 😁 All of their morale dropped.

[New leagues and features FMM24?]

31 minutes ago, Marc Vaughan said:

Any ideas how we could do that - I'm open to the concept somewhat ..

I know you pop over to FMMVibe sometimes. They’d probably give you more ideas than you’d want about incorporating challenges. 😂

But you already have the scenario system in place so maybe incorporating the more popular kind of challenges. Getting a player to score a 1000 goals in a career? Win every trophy in the England (or any country) . Take a team from the lowest league to the top in x seasons.

I suppose if you really wanted to push the boat out then the ability to build your own in-game challenges from a range of options. E.g. Set a number of seasons. Set a number of must win trophies. Limit transfers you can make per window. Unable to spend over the wage budget.. etc.. you could really build up the options year on year.

 

[New leagues and features FMM24?]

To be fair though, FMM23 is a brilliant game to play and I expect FMM24 will be too.  But if you buy the game year on year it’s never going to be anything other than a football manager game which you’ve already become good at.

You have to turn to the challenges you find on FMMVibe to find a fresh way to play. I wish FMM would tap into that idea a bit more. 
 

I hope it appeals to the average Netflix casual user so that it has a long term future. But it’s always felt more like a game you turn to once you no longer can commit the time it takes to play FM.

 

[FMM now stuck behind a Netflix subscription!?]

Anyone calling for 3D isn’t speaking for me. I love the 2D - not looking for that to change. I watch real football for the 3D experience.

[New leagues and features FMM24?]

22 minutes ago, Marc Vaughan said:

Yes team-talks are entirely optional as always (incidentally if you leave them on and just 'continue' through them then they do the neutral one which is exactly what occurs when they're turned off btw - the idea is that they shouldn't be intensive at all because you only really need to do them if you have a strong feeling about what you're seeing on the pitch really and want to praise or abuse the team or an individual).

Cool, thanks Marc. I did like the fact that having them off in FMM23 didn’t feel like it impacted my career at all. But yeah it cut down on button clicks too.

[New leagues and features FMM24?]

I hope the team talks can still be turned off 🙏 Speeding through a few matches in FMM is its strength and the team talks feel like a chore for me.