Which single aspect/feature of the game is most critical to you?

Part of why I think that not everyone is always pleased about each new release of FM is that the game has so many different components that different users find different parts of the game more important than others. While some parts of the game are improved over time, other parts might not change as much, leading the people who value those parts to be dissatisfied. I can say for myself that I am disappointed that SI have not added more leagues and countries in the past few years, because the ability to play in a variety of leagues is probably the most critical part to me, while I do not care as much about the match engine as long as there are no massive bugs.

I know that most people enjoy multiple parts of the game, but in thinking about your answer to the poll question, think about which part of the game, if it did not work as well, would make you the most likely to stop playing the game. Also try to complete this sentence. Football Manager separates itself from other games because I can do ____________. Here are some explanations of the choices so that we are all on the same page.

Tactics/Match Engine: The most important thing to you is that the match engine is a good representation of a game of football. It is also critical to you that the tactical system gives you the options that you want to control your team during the game. You may notice bugs in the match engine very easily and your belief is that the main priority for the game is to fix those bugs and to offer more options for tactics.

Database Quality: The most important thing to you is that the game database covers a large number of players and teams and the quality and integrity of the game is very strong to you. It is critical to you that researchers are doing a good consistent job and you may spend a fair bit of time in the Data Issues forum. You may also go edit players if you feel that the database is not accurate enough for you.

Playing in a Single League: You only play or load one particular league, like your domestic league. It does not matter to you if other leagues do not function properly as long as you can manage in your league of choice. You may only play one save per version of FM and you have a very narrow interest in the scope of the game.

Playing in Multiple Leagues: You like to play in multiple leagues, including ones that you may not have any connection with or any experience in. It is important to you that you can pick any league available in the game and play it without experiencing major bugs. You may believe that SI should focus on adding as many leagues as possible in the game.

Transfer System: It is important that you can have realistic transfers in your games. You would like to be able to buy players at reasonable prices and sell players that you want to get rid of. It may also be important to you that the AI interacts properly with other AI teams and is a decent competitor in the market for players. You may wish that SI add more transfer options and features and make sure parts of the system, like negotiations work particularly well.

Player Development: You like to develop the players that you have and not only craft stars, but players that really function well in your team. Training is important to you and you would like to have more options for this part of the game in the future. You may also like to find young players, either buying them or bringing them through the youth system. It is important to you that you have control over player growth and they progress reasonably.

Long-Term Playability: You like to play a game far into the future. It is important to you that the game does a good job of simulating things far into the future in terms of regens, long-term financials, and realistic league movement and behavior of the AI teams. You like some of the features that are available as time goes on, including building up the team facilities and may want more rewarding features as you stay at a club over time.

International Management: You like to manage international teams more than club teams. It is important to you that there are enough features for international management to make it its own game. Regen creation on a national level may be very important to you. You may want more features and expansion in this area in the future. You may also wish that it was more convenient to manage some of the smaller countries that may not have a playable league in the game.

Network Games/Multiplayer: A large number of the games you play are over a network or hotseat style. If the game did not have this as an available feature, you would not have nearly the same interest level as you do now.

Editor: You like using the editor yourself, either to change current data or to create your own teams and players or to move teams around. You may also like to use the editor to create holiday games, experiments, or sign-ups. If you particularly enjoy creating new graphics or editing the visual side of the game, you may also select this option. In the future you may want a more powerful editor with the ability to customize more aspects of the game than are possible now.

I chose player development!

Long term games, because regens are so damn good! they should start with low stats, like 13-16 in his best stats, but I got some regens that already have 20 in some! thats not funny :S

Good poll, I've chosen player development and training, although long-term playability came a close second. I usually only have one save at a time which can go on for decades. But the ability to nurture young talent and train them in specific areas is important and should be concentrated on in future releases. More detailed player development and more ways to affect their development could be included, like having them train with the seniors or you taking the coaching session instead of a youth coach. Training should also have an overhaul like tactics did, with more options, and a bigger reward for concentrating on it. Even with the best training I doubt I would see a significant enough improvement in players to bother with setting up a training schedule.

Tactics over everything else by a longshot.

I watch Everton every week home and away and come home with ideas in my head of how to use the likes of Cahill and Fellaini in FM09. My head is just buzzing with various scenarios, plays, tactics and i want to be able to implement these into FM. Baines crossing to the back post and Cahill rising tallest to nod it in.

In previous versions it's been lacking something, but FM09 has the best tactics functionality yet.

Long term playability for me, there's nothing better than getting into a good long-running game with a realistically developing game world.

Other choices would be player development and transfer system.

Long term games for me too, theres nothing worse than getting a couple of months into a game and then getting bored. Thats why I have to think carefully about the team I join.

Long termability for me, being able to take a rag tag team and helping it become a world beater, no matter how long it takes

Tactics and Long term playability are about equal for me.

Great to know that only five people besides me have the same priority as one of my top two.