There is, in my view, a misconception that the decline in active members in gameworlds is due to the introduction of stadiums. There is increasing unrest on the forums and in the Shearer gameworld over the number of managers around. A lack of managers is a lack of options, lack of players to buy, lack of managers to sell to. Anyone reading this blog will know that I went on AT LENGTH about a deeper pyramid which is exactly what stadiums introduces.
Numerous times on this blog I've expressed concern on the life of gameworlds and stadiums or not, they were always going to become inactive.
In the podcast with Jordan he said the PvP (player V player) is an issue if you have different teams at different levels, I mean who wants to join a gameworld that's 10 seasons old with some mega rich clubs in it. Again just to labour the same point, AGAIN this isn't an issue if say the new members are competing with one another or with clubs that maybe only a season in themselves.
Why are they leaving? Thats the big question isn't it, I think a lot of the problem is one of making the game work on a massive level. Managers don't get form and how it works, it's fine in say FM09, 50 games a season and a user gets that for the first ten or some games the team just wasn't clicking it's part of football. However in FM Live users can be playing a thousand games a season and be playing anything from a conference team to a Premier League standard team, it's hardly surprising it's a bit random.
In my opinion there is another misconception, AI, I hear this phrase a lot 'I hate playing AI', dig a little deeper though and I think you'll find it fairly easy to get the manager to rephrase the statement to 'I hate playing the AI as I perceive I lose more to it'.
Even though I'm a mod of the game I'm still a manager, I'm totally convinced it's easier to progress in an old gameworld. Would I like to join an old gameworld? Not really as I'd be forced to play well established teams, now if I could join a gameworld the same time as say 200 other managers and only have to play them heck no problem!
If I was confident that the gameworld would still exist in five seasons and another 200 managers would be joining every season so having a long term strategy would pay off, well I'd move tomorrow.
Play, win rub it in, heck who came up with that, from minnows to giants that's the game they want to play, every single FM09 player I've met have ALL played the 'Torquay to Premiership game'. It's just a hunch I haven't got access to all the marketing data but that's what customers want to play if you ask me.
So what am I suggesting, stop opening so many worlds and change the FA's from the 20 team Leagues one month seasons to a phased eight team league approach ala SFA Active Leagues.
2 comments:
Nice Post,
it's spooky as myself and a friend have just been lamenting the seemingly inexorable slide towards complete GW inactivity that Lineker is currently going through.
While I don't wish to preach doom and gloom, I don't think that the game has a sustainable model. What would fix it? I don't know. I'm not sure if it's fixable at all.
Wait, that IS doom and gloom! :S
Good post Jakswan.
I've just finished my first season, in Shearer and thoroughly enjoyed it. Was a bit daunted at first, and was expecting to be rubbish and up against lots of experienced managers. But in reality, it wasnt that bad. I finished 5th in the league, so am now into the play offs. Yes, I am a small fish in a big pond, and there are lots of massive fish in there, but theres also plenty of other small fish to compete against. I'm happy with my start, have now assembled a decent first team and a quite promising reserve team (i have a couple of potential, in my eyes, future stars) and all is good. I'm more than happy to play the "build things up over a few seasons" game, rather than go for instant success or bail out.
Having said that, the number of accounts that are being deactivated and managers that are leaving is a little worrying... but SI should just stop opening new gamerworlds until the existing ones are filled up again. I speak from the experience of being a newbie who joined an existing world - I didnt feel disadvantaged, i had a good idea what i was getting into, and taking a slower approach has paid off so far.
As for playing against AI, i almost prefer it... whilst the banter and pitting of wits against a real person is superb, playing the AI seems to give me the advantage. I find it easier to get a result, as the AI doesnt seem to change tactics etc very often.
Getting new players into the game is another concern. I know of a couple of long-term FM/CM(as it was) players who I'm sure would love FML but aren't willing to pay the subscription fees at the levels they currently are, especially when you consider for example, FM09 is £10 brand new (certainly at my teams club shop).
Anyway, thats just my random thoughts as a new comer to the game.
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