Wednesday 5 August 2009

FM Live 1.3 The Blogs and all that

First off Jordan and Millie have a new Podcast on Gameworld One, it's now episode 28!

I haven't yet listened to it but will be after I type this, kind of be interesting to see their thoughts.

Let me just start by saying there is something left unsaid about this game and the match engine / database. Every player is different, talk to Managers in GW's about their players and they'll give you chapter and verse about what they can and cannot do.

To have a database like this and a Match Engine (although not perfect) is pretty dam fine achievement if you ask me.

So lets hit 1.3, the blogs that were posted recently and the main new features coming.

AI Teams
What exactly SI end up doing with these I don't know, when I first heard about them I thought they'd be just awful but oddly add one heck of a lot. I think the main thing I've noticed is that managers do chat about them e.g. 'they were tough to beat', in a weird way the actually bring the Gameworld together.
I'd suggest at least having a record on the AI teams profile page along the lines of biggest defeat to and date. For now their great to just try and pitch where say your U19 team is and keeping players fit.

Tokens
Wow so not convinced, this is an effort by SI to give hardcore managers something to do, but these tokens can't be used to improve your team. One of the big downers that the game has is that progression is very much time related, so if you take my StJohn team as an example with no trading or DYM comps I'm left waiting for four months to progress. There isn't a whole lot I can do to accelerate that other than just wait.

I'm not being negative about it, heck I've enjoyed my time in Division One, the Championship and the struggle for survival in the Premiership, how I would love to do something to maybe change four month's to three or two.

It has to be like this as otherwise casual managers would get left behind. Also this progression is very narrow, crudely as a new team within a season your going to end up an income of £5m and the end game gives you £11m.

In footballing terms thats like..... well here are the 2007 figures:-
1 Real Madrid - £192.7million
2 Barcelona - £171million
3 Juventus - £165.8million
4 Manchester United - £160million
5 Milan - £157.5million
6 Chelsea - £145.8million
7 Internazionale - £136.3million
8 Bayern Munich - £135million
9 Arsenal - £126.9million
10 Liverpool - £116.1million

So in FM Live you start as Liverpool and can be as big as Real Madrid :) Actually thinking about it it's more like Totenham to Fulham.

So there isn't really that much progression anyway, so with Gameworlds being so flat catering for the casual manager is vital.

Wow that was a long ramble to get to a point but had to identify the problem. Tokens then are a way of trying to keep the hardcore manager happy. They are by definition though pretty meaningless, so I'm not sure their ever going to be that desirable anyway.

Mmmm I seem to be waffling, basic point AI Teams, good, Tokens, not so much.

There getting late now so will write so more tomorrow.

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