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Football Manager DLC?


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I was reading about some of the downloadable content that was going to be sold for the game I am anticipating at least as much as FM10, Dragon Age: Origins, and started wondering what sort of DLC FM could offer.

DLC can be a cheap and nasty product which only exists to take money from those who are gullible or obsessed with completeness, but it can also give gamers the rare chance to influence the actual content of their game, and to focus on the things they truly want.

I think FM could have two types of DLC: edit: [and note that I am not saying these are GOOD ideas - in the same way that I don't think a lot of existing DLC is all that good - but it's just thinking about IF FM had DLC, what could it be]

Make existing features optional, for a discount

This would probably have to be restricted to the digital download rather than retail, and obviously could not involve features which would affect the gameplay (sorry, no removing press conferences).

Wouldn't it be interesting if, for a small discount, you could choose to leave out:

- Some leagues. While a big game world is good, some leagues are only active for people in those regions, or those wanting to show off a brand new computer. I know I've never used half of them. Why not make them optional, with a small discount for each you leave behind?

- 3D engine and/or sound. I rarely use the former and don't use the latter. Why waste bandwidth and HD space, and why not save a bit more money?

- The editor. Some will use it all the time, some won't touch it. Let the buyer decide.

Obviously those discounts would have to be small, since you're really paying for the core game, but it would give a bit more of a sense of control, and perhaps the small discount would even make the difference in somebody purchasing it. Better to have them buy direct from SI than give the retail stores their cut.

Extra features

Some bonuses which again don't unbalance the core game, but offer extras for a small charge.

- Scenarios. I originally thought about following the rise of a great team, but that would be impractical in the sense of the research required for a big enough database to make it practical. However, what about self-contained competitions like a World Cup? The player data is around from previous versions, you'll only need a small number of teams and players, and it would provide a great new way of playing FM - only a handful of matches and speedy loading even on an old computer.

- Skins. Perhaps even licenced club-themed ones?

- Season update. I know this is something that is often suggested, but usually at the expense of a new version. Why not offer both? For instance, I'm still playing FM07. The new features of the last two versions did not justify a whole new purchase for me. Offer a completely up-to-date database that starts in the next season for a smaller fee, and I would have considered it. It's not only a way of making money from people who would not otherwise have bought anything, but also provides an incentive to keep offering enough in each new version to get people to upgrade.

It's really just throwing theories out there, but I thought it would be an interesting topic. Thoughts?

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Well, it comes off as a thinly veiled pop at FM10 and people with decent machines from what I can see, but fwiw I think it's a dreadful idea with the exception of extra features.

Many of us run lots of leagues because they add to the game, whereas they offer nothing when dormant, and it has nothing to do with showing off our PC's.:thup:

The 3D engine is hardly a minority option. Polls during FM09 showed that 90% of us were using 3D. Overhwelming majority and hardly a reason to make it an optional addon.

The editor is tiny. Hard drive space in this day and age is almost irrelevant. The drives I've just stuck in my machine for a RAID0 Windows 7 build amount to 1TB at less than £100.

Extra features like club skins, sure? If SI stood a chance of getting the licenses.

The extra feature I'd like to see is a yesteryear database allowing us to load up a database from 5 10 or 15 years ago.:thup:

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I will give you my answers point by point on this one:

1) leave out leagues: Why? one of the best thing about the game is that you can customise your game build however you want it for each seperate save my porgramme files 2009 folder is only 1.79 gigs of space. That's not huge for a modern game, Civ 4 complete is 8.71 gigs.

2) 3d and sound: That would be SI/Sega shooting themselves in the foot. I know you are arguing fo them to be optional downloads, but people are lazy and they would lose customers just by having these as extra downloads (even for free)

3) the editor: Same as no. 2) plus the editor is tiny its only taking 20.1 megs of space on my computer.

Frankly making core selling points of the game optional (the depth of the game is the single biggest USP FM has) would, in my not very humble opinion (might as well be honest), lose far more customers than gain them for Sega/SI.

4) scenarios: Jumping in straight at a world cup, to use your example, as a scenario will work for FIFA pro evo as they are pretty much pick up put down types of games, I can't see it working for FM (which is a really immersive game). You can also set it up (kind of) by holidayingf until a month before and just buping off the incumbent manager. The season update thing off CM is one of the things I wouldn't have used (even if the game was playable).

5) skins: sortitoutsi or fmbase will sort you out for them there.

6) post edition updates: as number 5.

Just because I haven't agreed with anything you've said doesn't mean I'm trying to flame you, it just means I'm very disagreeable at 2:47a.m.

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Well, it comes off as a thinly veiled pop at FM10 and people with decent machines from what I can see,

Then you are reading something into that certainly isn't there.

but fwiw I think it's a dreadful idea with the exception of extra features.

Many of us run lots of leagues because they add to the game, whereas they offer nothing when dormant, and it has nothing to do with showing off our PC's.:thup:

The 3D engine is hardly a minority option. Polls during FM09 showed that 90% of us were using 3D. Overhwelming majority and hardly a reason to make it an optional addon.

The editor is tiny. Hard drive space in this day and age is almost irrelevant. The drives I've just stuck in my machine for a RAID0 Windows 7 build amount to 1TB at less than £100.

Yep, and they were just far-fetched ideas. I don't think it would happen, but it's more a case of "If FM had DLC, what would it be?".. My fault for writing from the perspective of one advocating the ideas without clarifying that I did not myself particularly endorse them.

The extra feature I'd like to see is a yesteryear database allowing us to load up a database from 5 10 or 15 years ago.:thup:

I wonder how much work that would entail. They would have the basic info from old versions, but I can't recall how many attributes and features in the DB are around now that weren't then. It could be a hell of a lot of work for a relatively small market. That's why I thought of a smaller scale.

4) scenarios: Jumping in straight at a world cup, to use your example, as a scenario will work for FIFA pro evo as they are pretty much pick up put down types of games, I can't see it working for FM (which is a really immersive game). You can also set it up (kind of) by holidayingf until a month before and just buping off the incumbent manager. The season update thing off CM is one of the things I wouldn't have used (even if the game was playable).

But what about World Cups from the past? I would have thought it would be interesting to, say, try to better Australia's run at the last world cup. Particularly for those who focus heaviy on tactics, rather than the "franchise" aspect of the game, I thought a contained set of matches would be an interesting challenge.

Just because I haven't agreed with anything you've said doesn't mean I'm trying to flame you, it just means I'm very disagreeable at 2:47a.m.

Nor do I take it as such. I personally don't think that many of them are good ideas from a consumer, let alone a business perspective. The only one I really want is scenarios. I just thought it would be interesting to imagine FM using the business practices of other games.

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DLC, or Downloadable Content.

Basicly after a game is released some times theres a patch released that adds extra content to the game, if its a shooting game you might get a couple guns, or a new map.

If its a strategy game you might get a new faction, or a range of new units.

and so on and so forth.

Some companies give them away for free.. as a thank you to the customers.

Relic recently added "Last Stand" to Dawn of War 2 for free, it pits you and 2 other human players against 20 waves of AI controlled enemies and you have to survive while upgrading your unit inbetween missions.

Valve also released a whole new campaign for Left4Dead... for the PC players it was free... but for the xbox players they had to pay money because microsoft dont allow free downloads.

Some companies want to make money from them though and charge you money for the content... anything from a couple of quid to over 20 quid.

Oblivion had some released fairly quickly, and they wanted you to pay a couple of quid to put armour on your horse... (that is all, it didnt even make the horse harder to kill... it was purely eye candy).

All in all the last thing FM10 needs is charged DLC.

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DLC can also act as an expansion pack of sorts - Fallout 3 has had five, some quite good, some poor. The Oblivion horse armour is certainly an example of DLC that doesn't seem particularly desirable or useful - but to be fair, nobody forces people to pay for it, and if some are willing to, good luck to them.

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QUOTE from Indi75: "The 3D engine is hardly a minority option. Polls during FM09 showed that 90% of us were using 3D. Overhwelming majority and hardly a reason to make it an optional addon."

I'd like to see statistical evidence that 90% of people use 3D. I think this is simply untrue, CAMRAD has had many followers. 90% of the polled population may use 3D but this is not indicative of the true percentage across FM players. If I had to hazard a guess, I would think that no where near 90% of players use 3D.

Sorry, slightly off the point.

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QUOTE from Indi75: "The 3D engine is hardly a minority option. Polls during FM09 showed that 90% of us were using 3D. Overhwelming majority and hardly a reason to make it an optional addon."

I'd like to see statistical evidence that 90% of people use 3D. I think this is simply untrue, CAMRAD has had many followers. 90% of the polled population may use 3D but this is not indicative of the true percentage across FM players. If I had to hazard a guess, I would think that no where near 90% of players use 3D.

Sorry, slightly off the point.

Looking at the recent polls in this forum it looks more like 60-70%.

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it's a £30 game and i don't see a point in DLC because for the £30 quid you get a lot of features and leagues and gameplay for you money. I remember years ago you had to by foreign leagues as seperate games each costing around 20-30 quid a pop so therefore i see no point in DLC and am against the idea

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Err.... what is DLC ? Coz i'm keep thinking Defender (Left/Centre) :D

Glad I'm not the only one who first thought of that (although I knew it was downloadable content after reading the first post, thanks to the Fallout 3 add-ons). :p

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Glad I'm not the only one who first thought of that (although I knew it was downloadable content after reading the first post, thanks to the Fallout 3 add-ons). :p

Me too :thup:. I was scratching my head trying to think of a good DLC before i came into the thread, now my thoughts have benn renderred useless :(

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I detest downloadable content for additional fees. The Sims 3 (among others) does this and it makes me wonder why I paid for an incomplete game. Say no, SI!

Exactly! If you can put it in the game, put it in originally! I agree, say no to DLC!

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