The (Few) Things FM Can Learn From FIFA Manager

Before getting into Football Manager, I started playing football management games back with FIFA Manager 06. Later, I played FIFAM 07 and 09, before making the switch to Football Manager- I didn't find FIFAM immersive enough and overall found it way too easy, so I siwtched from FIFAM 09 to FM09 and have been playing FM since- I never looked back.

While I do believe that FM is a FAR superior game, there are a few things that existed in FIFA Manager which I think would work well in FM, or maybe even be better suited to it. Again, I view FM as a far superior game, but today I loaded up FIFAM 09 to conduct this experiment, and these are the things I found in FIFAM that I would like to see implemented in some regard in Football Manager:

1) Player interpreters: In FIFAM, when you sign a player from another country who does not know your language, you have the option of signing an interpreter for him for an extra amout per month on his contract. This could be especially useful for players who have low adaptability and, in FIFAM, did help players settle in easier many times. You can also build a language school in FIFAM, but since FM doesn't focus on building club infrastructure that much, I don't see how that would really fit in, unless it were built by the board with little to no player control.

2) Targeted Trasfers: This is one thing that really frustrates me in FM- the fact that, when offering up a player, you can't really choose who to offer him to. This would be especially useful in situations where a club is interested, unsettles a player, but refuses to make an offer, even when he is offered out. Targeted transfers also are more feasible in that you can target a team who need a player of a position you're offering up, or to a club who may pay more for the player than you'd get otherwise. (NOTE: I could see lots of balance issues with this, i.e. people offering up players to Real Madrid and Man City only, so I guess this would need some balance and tweaking).

3) Dynamic league/team reputations: Many people have mentioned this so I won't beat a dead horse. I also noticed that this will be available in FM11, so I guess it's not worth getting into very much!

4) Youth Camps: In FIFAM, one way to get youth players was to set up youth camps abroad. You could assign a coach to a camp who would train them, and, if you felt ap layer was good enough, you could sign him to your team. It was also balanced in that, if you're playing as, say Tottenham and you build a youth camp in France, but Barcelona also has a youth camp there, better players were harder to get for your team, as they'd go to Barcelona. FM has a FAR superior youth development system to FIFAM, so this is something I believe would add another interesting dynamic to that part of the game.

5) Training Camps: At the beginning of the season (or really whenever there's a break) in FIFAM, you have the option of sending your first team and youth team on training camps which can be held in other cities or countries. Since this is very common in football and I feel the training system in FM is better than in FIFAM, this could be something very interesting to see in future versions of the game.

6) 3D Match: I know that when I chose FIFAM over FM initially, I chose it because of the 3D match (FM didn't even have it yet). I still view FIFAM's 3D match as far superior. It would be nice to see FM have just as nice graphics as FIFAM does, though I don't really expect this. It would be nice, however, to have more audio, especially in-match commentary, which should make the game better. Still, 3D match improvements I view as just sort of "icing on the cake" and I like the improvements to the engine that will be coming up in next year's version.

Of course, there are a few other things- FIFAM has the business side of things and allows players more control over stadium expansion, but I really don't view these as necessary. Would they be interesting? Sure- but I rather like the fact that FM focuses more on the sporting side of management rather than everything that possibly can be done.

Again, FM is a far superior game in my view and, whether these changes come about or not, I don't see myself going back to it. These are just a few things that I liked from FIFAM and that I think could go very well into future versions of FM.

Thoughts?

Number 2 (targeted transfers) used to be available on FM. Not sure why it was removed TBH.

Good suggestions though.

i agree with all of them apart from the school one and football manager will not have graphic like fifa or pro as currently the team is too small to complete with fifa or pro

When I read the title, I thought it was going to be another post about building stadiums, trophy rooms and how many burger vans you have on a match day but this is a very go OP. Very good ideas.

The youth camps and training camps are excellent ideas and something I can see being added in the future. Especially pre-season training camps and pre international tournament training camps when the revamp the international management side of the game.

I hope your idea of targeted transfers gets some kind of implementation. Especially when offering youngsters out on loan. You should have options of only being able to offer him to teams who will actually play them, i.e valuable first team member and not backup for the first team. This would save a lot of time at the beginning of every season. Also if you could offer to clubs in certain divisions only. If I offer a player and 2 clubs come in that will play him and one is in league 2 and the other is in the Championship, obviously im going to choose the better league. At the moment, not only do you need to go through all the offers rejecting the backup offers, you then also need to click the team to find out which league they are in before accepting/rejecting.

Honestly I was about to say the same thing as Robbo.

Arrano, I agree with pretty much everything that you said, especially the youth camps idea.

You must be happy that you've got henry and marquez in new your now

Honestly I was about to say the same thing as Robbo.

Arrano, I agree with pretty much everything that you said, especially the youth camps idea.

You must be happy that you've got henry and marquez in new your now

Well, I'm happy that I can see them (I already saw Henry once in a doubleheader that featured Tottenham vs. Sporting Lisbon and NYRB vs. Man City), which was cool. Overall, though, I'm not happy that they're playing for NY- I am a transplant from Houston, so you can guess where my loyalties lie!

As far as what Robbo said about the stadiums and buildings, I did like these features in FIFAM, but overall they distracted from the footballing side of things. Since FM focuses greatly on FOOTBALL management, I don't think stadium/building management should be added unless there was pretty much nothing else to add on the footballing side- which there are plenty of things that could be added or tweaked in that regard!

2, 4 and 5 all sound like great features. FM would benefit greatly by implementing these.

Yes building stadiums and what not has no place in Football Manager as far as im concerned. The closest you should be able to get to building a new stadium is asking your board for one, something which is now implemented for FM11.

6) 3D Match: I know that when I chose FIFAM over FM initially, I chose it because of the 3D match (FM didn't even have it yet). I still view FIFAM's 3D match as far superior. It would be nice to see FM have just as nice graphics as FIFAM does,

I hope you're not going to be ridiculed for critizising FM's visuals - clearly TRUE FMers™ play text commentary only. Anyway, do you really think the visuals to be that good? Bright Future, the German independent studio developing FIFA Manager, have to deal with what they're given: FIFA11 will be the first "next-gen" FIFA coming for PC since about... 2004. Everything else during the last few years was an upgrade of a PS2 engine really, a far cry from the real FIFA thing on consoles, and honestly, the 3d match graphics don't look that great at all. I know they do look better with certain lighting and different pitch textures, as in FIFA Man 10 / FIFA 10 ocassionally, but the 09 version very much looked like this in-game, and 10 doesn't look all that prettier. Judging from the screenshots, SI have improved lots in terms of texturing and lighting in particular, so let's see how this pans out. Some screenies honestly look a lot nicer than this already, no matter how less advanced the technology actually might be.

I've never been fond of SI's UI and skin design ever since I applied to FM, which you see much more of due the course of a game, but that is another story for another day.

I hope you're not going to be ridiculed for critizising FM's visuals - clearly TRUE FMers™ play text commentary only. Anyway, do you really think the visuals to be that good? Bright Future, the German independent studio developing FIFA Manager, have to deal with what they're given: FIFA11 will be the first "next-gen" FIFA coming for PC since about... 2004. Everything else during the last few years was an upgrade of a PS2 engine really, a far cry from the real FIFA thing on consoles, and honestly, the 3d match graphics don't look that great at all. I know they do look better with certain lighting and different pitch textures, as in FIFA Man 10 / FIFA 10 ocassionally, but the 09 version very much looked like this in-game, and 10 doesn't look all that prettier. Judging from the screenshots, SI have improved lots in terms of texturing and lighting in particular, so let's see how this pans out. Some screenies honestly look a lot nicer than this already, no matter how less advanced the technology actually might be.

I've never been fond of SI's UI and skin design ever since I applied to FM, which you see much more of due the course of a game, but that is another story for another day.

I did think that FIFAM's match engine looked better- it had more animations and clearer views of the players, even though it wasn't necessarily updated with next-gen graphics.

However, I think the 3D match is probably the least important of the things I listed. And, as I said, I'd rather see in-game commentary and more sounds than a revamp of the graphics. I also like FM because you can use an old computer and still run it- the computer I used to have couldn't run FIFAM's 3D mode.

I've been saying this for the past 5 years shortly before every FM was released, and I will say it now:

More control over finances (investments, sponsorships)

More control over infrastructure (stadiums, training equipment etc)

To those who can't wait to say it's a football team management sim - keep your pants on. You do realize it's a game, right? What are games about? Following real life to the last painful detail or about having fun? Come on, admit it - how many of you, after a few weeks of playing 'holiday' more and more with each season, just to reach the summer transfer window?

I've had a look at the promo vid and for the second year in a row I don't see any reason to buy the new FM except maybe for the slightly improved 3D match graphics. About a year ago I've had a brief encounter with FIFAM (literally about 15 minutes) and found it rather counter-intuitive, but now I'm starting to strongly consider visiting ebay and getting myself a copy.

I've been saying this for the past 5 years shortly before every FM was released, and I will say it now:

More control over finances (investments, sponsorships)

More control over infrastructure (stadiums, training equipment etc)

To those who can't wait to say it's a football team management sim - keep your pants on. You do realize it's a game, right? What are games about? Following real life to the last painful detail or about having fun? Come on, admit it - how many of you, after a few weeks of playing 'holiday' more and more with each season, just to reach the summer transfer window?

I've had a look at the promo vid and for the second year in a row I don't see any reason to buy the new FM except maybe for the slightly improved 3D match graphics. About a year ago I've had a brief encounter with FIFAM (literally about 15 minutes) and found it rather counter-intuitive, but now I'm starting to strongly consider visiting ebay and getting myself a copy.

You're one of the few then. A good bunch of people have already said they'll be coming back, based on the dynamic league rep alone.

Of course, there are a few other things- FIFAM has the business side of things and allows players more control over stadium expansion, but I really don't view these as necessary. Would they be interesting? Sure- but I rather like the fact that FM focuses more on the sporting side of management rather than everything that possibly can be done!

TBH as annoying as it is at times I quite like the wait to see if you get a new stadium.

Finances are great and all, that is, if you want to play Director Of Football rather than Football Manager or something, but there isn't much in FIFA Man either. Most of it consists of ridiculous micromanagement boiling down to busywork rather than a challenge (ordering fan articles, aquiring sponsorship deals via three-click-once-a-season-mini-games, adjusting the number of hot dogs stands), just as it has always been in "German" football management games, particularly the "On The Ball" series, which was the brainchild of the lead designer of FIFA Manager. Even though I had been used to these mechanics for almost two decades, there are more reasons why I barely missed anything of it when I switched over to Football Manager - and one of them is that you're adjusting the budget plans and the like, like what, once a season? How often do you get to build stadiums? The sports, squad management and the ever brooding transfer market take the centre stage in both games, matchday in, matchday out.

I think there would be a place for a truly engrossing Director Of Football experience, but FIFA Manager sure ain't that. In fact, I think it's sad that the business side of things is so firmly stuck in the 90s still - if the designers ever get their act together, they may one day be able to come up with an experience that is fully their own, a full-blown business sim inside the realm of sports that doesn't even need to be compared to its rivals anymore. The opposite of the game that appears forever stuck to be perceived as the "lesser" version Football Manager. I can understand the desire for more control over the infrastructure and finances of a club in FM, but this being Football Manager, a game that has always simulated the job of the English team manager, I don't think you can hold a grudge against SI for not bothering. Rather than trying to add control in areas a manager doesn't have control over, they've been trying to deepen the duties that are within reach of this job. Apparently SI don't succeed for everyone. For every thread moaning about Football Manager's rise in complexity, there seem to be people out there that still have time left when they're finished with what they've been appointed for by their clubs.

very good ideas, except for number 6. 2D Classic FTW!

I like them all.

I've been saying this for the past 5 years shortly before every FM was released, and I will say it now:

More control over finances (investments, sponsorships)

More control over infrastructure (stadiums, training equipment etc)

To those who can't wait to say it's a football team management sim - keep your pants on. You do realize it's a game, right? What are games about? Following real life to the last painful detail or about having fun? Come on, admit it - how many of you, after a few weeks of playing 'holiday' more and more with each season, just to reach the summer transfer window?

I've had a look at the promo vid and for the second year in a row I don't see any reason to buy the new FM except maybe for the slightly improved 3D match graphics. About a year ago I've had a brief encounter with FIFAM (literally about 15 minutes) and found it rather counter-intuitive, but now I'm starting to strongly consider visiting ebay and getting myself a copy.

If you want to play the game Football Director, or Football Chairman, design it and sell it. A football manager doesn't do these things. Indeed, the true skill test of the game is having to deal with pressures placed on you from both above (management) and below (players).

I've been saying this for the past 5 years shortly before every FM was released, and I will say it now:

More control over finances (investments, sponsorships)

More control over infrastructure (stadiums, training equipment etc)

To those who can't wait to say it's a football team management sim - keep your pants on. You do realize it's a game, right? What are games about? Following real life to the last painful detail or about having fun? Come on, admit it - how many of you, after a few weeks of playing 'holiday' more and more with each season, just to reach the summer transfer window?

I've had a look at the promo vid and for the second year in a row I don't see any reason to buy the new FM except maybe for the slightly improved 3D match graphics. About a year ago I've had a brief encounter with FIFAM (literally about 15 minutes) and found it rather counter-intuitive, but now I'm starting to strongly consider visiting ebay and getting myself a copy.

DSYoungEsq: I suppose you didn't even read his post.

Riffraff: I agree with you.

To those who can't wait to say it's a football team management sim - keep your pants on. You do realize it's a game, right? What are games about? Following real life to the last painful detail or about having fun? Come on, admit it - how many of you, after a few weeks of playing 'holiday' more and more with each season, just to reach the summer transfer window?

Not me, the only time I holiday is when I'm unemployed & deciding what I want to do next.

I would be very disappointed if SI started bring in features that allowed me to purchase a new stadium, decide how many burger vans I should have or what my ticket pricing policy should be, as the name suggests this game is about football management & it should remain true to its purest ideals. Would you expect to take on the role of Trolly Dolly if you bought Microsoft Flight Simulator?

Try asking Alex Ferguson, where he wants the hotdog stands to be.

Having played FIFAM 08,09 editions i agree totally with views number 4 and 5.

I used to love finding talented kids in countries were you wouldn't expect there to be any talent, i would LOVE to see the youth camps introduced into FM after all the FA are setting there own development center up (forgot what the bloody thing is called) so if the FA and various other footballers (david beckham for example) are setting up youth camps across the globe then maybe it's time to introduce it to FM.

Yet again i used to love sending my team out to european/african training camps for two weeks to gradually increase there fitness & stamina levels, like you said it's a common thing in football that teams go abroad to prepare for the season ahead so this also would be a very good idea it's just a question of getting the numbers to back your views and opinions and hopefully SI will introduce then.

I've been saying this for the past 5 years shortly before every FM was released, and I will say it now:

More control over finances (investments, sponsorships)

More control over infrastructure (stadiums, training equipment etc)

To those who can't wait to say it's a football team management sim - keep your pants on. You do realize it's a game, right? What are games about? Following real life to the last painful detail or about having fun? Come on, admit it - how many of you, after a few weeks of playing 'holiday' more and more with each season, just to reach the summer transfer window?

I've had a look at the promo vid and for the second year in a row I don't see any reason to buy the new FM except maybe for the slightly improved 3D match graphics. About a year ago I've had a brief encounter with FIFAM (literally about 15 minutes) and found it rather counter-intuitive, but now I'm starting to strongly consider visiting ebay and getting myself a copy.

In case you haven't read the people at SI. of late have stated they are creating a "simulation" not a game. it's been stated in publicity about fm11, so your not at odds with us but the views of SI

One thing I forgot to mention:

If I remember correctly, in FIFA Manager you could request that old players retire. I would like to see this as I have a couple players on my team who are 35 years old and barely get playing time, so I'd like to ask them if they can just retire. I want them to retire with my team, so I'll re-sign them as long as I can, but still, it would be nice if I had the option of asking them.

One thing I forgot to mention:

If I remember correctly, in FIFA Manager you could request that old players retire. I would like to see this as I have a couple players on my team who are 35 years old and barely get playing time, so I'd like to ask them if they can just retire. I want them to retire with my team, so I'll re-sign them as long as I can, but still, it would be nice if I had the option of asking them.

I'd like to see this as well. Maybe it is something that could be added to the new player conversational/interaction feature in FM11 in the future.

I'd like to see this as well. Maybe it is something that could be added to the new player conversational/interaction feature in FM11 in the future.

Agreed- and of the thing I've mentioned, this would probably be easiest to integrate.

Consider this: in FM right now, you can ask a retiring player to reconsider, but you still cannot ask a non-retiring old player to hang up his boots.

I'd like to see this as well. Maybe it is something that could be added to the new player conversational/interaction feature in FM11 in the future.

yeah, it would be good to say "I think its best you retire but i would like you to take up a coaching role within the club"

To be honest i think the 3d match view is perfect in FM for what its supposed to do.... Fifa manager's view might look prettier, but the match engine thats underneath it is a complete and utter joke in my opinion... Besides, we wouldnt want "I can't play FM on my pc anymore" people spamming the forums right? .

I like the youth idea though (Something like the FML Youth Academies would be great)

1. Good suggestion, i always wonder how the hell my players settle in so well when they cant even speak english ...

2. Targetted Transfers is a great idea and is a good way of filtering out rival teams or specifically choosing teams you feel will aid the players growth the best. I like this alot... SI!!!!

3. Dynamic League rep is confirmed for FM2011, so nothing to worry about there

4/5. Training camps!!! I have wanted this for a while!!! The club i support (Reading fc) went to a camp in Slovinia before their pre-season games. This helped them alot and gets the players back into the right fitness and mindset for competitive matches. It also increases realism choosing where you club goes as you can base it around real life and where you club are travelling to! I would also like the option to start with a blank pre-season, so i can arrange camps and fixtures myself. I like having tactical freedom

6. 3D, each year si improve their 3D match engine and this year is exactly the same, they have upped the graphics and the smoothness of the engine. So hopefully you should see some small pleasent improvements.

I think what you said about fifa's stadium expansion freedom is fun, yet unrealistic, the board will employ a company to build the stadium... not the manager

Seriously though, if SI read this and made these 6 small improvements go into the game, i would be a very very happy man... although i doubt they will take notice untill another few games have gone by haha!

Great thread!

Andy

I have never player or seen any FIFA M game so I am happy to read this. It makes me think if these are the only better points of Fifa compare to FM then we can expect a lot more years of success for SI...

Anyway back to the point, I am not sure these ideas would bring any plus tbh. I think SI perfectly know their competitors and might have discussed these already. And I assume there are much more important priorities to develop or improve before that.

However, let's take a closer look.

1) Player interpreters : not really necessary for me : you have the adaptation rating, the coach report for the player ability to adapt, the languages spoken, so you can expect how he will adapt and choose to deal with it or not. Also, an adding fee for this would add some unfair competition to smaller clubs (though they could just lower the level of players targeted to compensate)

2) Targeted tranfers : not necessary, as you already can choose who to offer players : all interested clubs will make an offer, then you can decline any offer you don't want (exclude rivals, only choose sugar daddies or whatever you call them). If you wish to offer the player to other club from the "interested" list, there would be no point as there would still be not interested to make any offer. Even though they would have a need in the specific position. And they can be interested and still make no offer because they don't have the money for the player fair value, or the money you ask for the player. In that case offering the player to unsettling clubs won't change anything, and they still will receive your RFP.

3) DLR : yeah

4) Abroad youth camps : it is already possible, using another way : just develop your scounting ability (feeder clubs, foreign scouts, and so on)

5) Abroad training camp : would you like to read a line saying "the squad is back from holiday, now they have been sent for 10 days to city Y for a training camp" ? Would that little line change your life ? If so, why not. In the meantime, it wouldn't make a big difference for me. Maybe a little bit more realistic, but also the recognition to copy their competitor, and thus the risk to declare war and be copied back with no limit (I don't know if SI takes such strategic issue into consideration though^).

6) Improve 3D : yeah why not but as point 3, already on progress. I am sure they give their best here. Anyway I am already fulfilled with the current 3D option (which IMO adds a lot to only commentaries or 2D options).

7) Retirement request : well it looks to be already implemented as well somehow : just go to player interaction and tell the player he would do a great coach or scout. He will understand, and he will let you know his plans regarding his short term career. You don't need to express specifically retirement to get your answer and in some way it is also a more polite way to find out .

FM is a simulation game, not an arcade game...

1, rarely see that IRL, a good suggestion nevertheless.

2, they removed it I think, I like that feature.

3, they are implementing it for FM11.

4 & 5, good idea

6, I agree, the graphic are quite poor, they should have pick 573 as their publisher, 573 have a full Japanese League & national team license + UCL & Europa League license + better graphics...

The one thing I'd really like on the management side of things is the better graphics/engine simply so I can tell better when my players are getting burned horribly or making a tremendous play without all the guess work. Would make it so much better to know if that new guy you brought on is a diamond or just a rock in the rough without needing to see goals/assists/mistakes stats.

That being said I do like the Director/Chairman idea as well, but as people have said, this is a manager sim, not a financial sim, so I'm fine not having that here. Besides managing your squad is more then enough on your hands. Hell, if I start a new game I usually spend the first 10-20 hours of play time sorting out my staff and making new acquisitions without even progressing the game clock 1 month.

I must respond to a few specific points made:

As for my point #3, I know it's coming up in FM11, and i mentioned this. I just put it up there for the sake of prudence.

One user mentioned that #1 isn't seen much IRL- I do remember, actually, that Roman Pavlyuchenko, having language problems at Tottenham, had an interpreter. I remember reading about his language problems articles mentioned that the club had an interpreter for him. These articles were all in 2008/2009, so I can't find them now, but this is probably one of many examples of it happening IRL. As for the adaptibility rating, I think it would be good if it were implemented so the players with a LOW adapatibility rating would be given interpreters, and maybe it could show up in the player advice screen like "Player X hasn't adapted well to his new surroundings, maybe you should hire an interpreter."

As far as the abroad training camps, one user mentioned: "would you like to read a line saying "the squad is back from holiday, now they have been sent for 10 days to city Y for a training camp" ? Would that little line change your life ? If so, why not. In the meantime, it wouldn't make a big difference for me. Maybe a little bit more realistic, but also the recognition to copy their competitor, and thus the risk to declare war and be copied back with no limit"

Let me say this- I don't think it wouldn't make a huge difference, but it happens often IRL. For example, my favorite club, Athletic Bilbao, holds camps in Isla Canela every year- in the game it doesn't even say where my team trains. Actually, in FIFA Manager, different camps had different effects on the team's overall training- for example, a camp in Norway would have a lower effect on aerobic fitness, while a camp on a Spanish island may make players a bit more complacent, while a camp in England may not necessarily be a good place for players to expand their creativity. In the game, the MANAGER could choose the place to hold the camp (if they decided to hold a camp at all), and I think this would be realistic in that regard. Again, I also think it would be easily integrated into the existing FM setup. I don't believe SI should completely rip this idea off, but it is something they can learn from and look into.

I've caught a lot of flak for brining up the graphics. I need to drive home, again (maybe I wasn't clear enough in this in the OP) I DO NOT THINK THIS IS A HUGELY IMPORTANT ASPECT OF THE GAME. Actually, I prefer FMs match engine as it shuts out less players from a good part of the game. Still, though, improvements can be made. As I alluded to in the OP, I like the improvements upcoming in FM11, but I wouldn't be totally opposed to a total revamp of the 3D engine in FM12 or 13.

As far as the abroad training camps, one user mentioned: "would you like to read a line saying "the squad is back from holiday, now they have been sent for 10 days to city Y for a training camp" ? Would that little line change your life ? If so, why not. In the meantime, it wouldn't make a big difference for me. Maybe a little bit more realistic, but also the recognition to copy their competitor, and thus the risk to declare war and be copied back with no limit"

Let me say this- I don't think it wouldn't make a huge difference, but it happens often IRL. For example, my favorite club, Athletic Bilbao, holds camps in Isla Canela every year- in the game it doesn't even say where my team trains. Actually, in FIFA Manager, different camps had different effects on the team's overall training- for example, a camp in Norway would have a lower effect on aerobic fitness, while a camp on a Spanish island may make players a bit more complacent, while a camp in England may not necessarily be a good place for players to expand their creativity. In the game, the MANAGER could choose the place to hold the camp (if they decided to hold a camp at all), and I think this would be realistic in that regard. Again, I also think it would be easily integrated into the existing FM setup. I don't believe SI should completely rip this idea off, but it is something they can learn from and look into.

Kind of like the training camps in Cycling Manager (disclaimer: CM is a terrible game don't waste money on it). You could go to different types of camps that focused on different areas. Like he said, an English camp might be good with discipline stats like positioning but poor for creativity, while a Brazilian camp might be good for technique and creativity.

If done right I really like the idea of global training camps for preseason and such. But they would have to be done right so it's not just a stupid line of text, at the same time you don't want them to have to much of an impact as all teams might not be able to afford them. Or maybe you just want to spend more time playing friendly's then at a training camp because you brought on a number of new players and you need the team to mesh again. Something as simple as actual training camps instead of just plain training every day would add a fair bit more depth. Seems more interesting then player agents imo to be honest, not to mention a lot easier to implement.

6) 3D Match: I know that when I chose FIFAM over FM initially, I chose it because of the 3D match (FM didn't even have it yet). I still view FIFAM's 3D match as far superior. It would be nice to see FM have just as nice graphics as FIFAM does, though I don't really expect this. It would be nice, however, to have more audio, especially in-match commentary, which should make the game better. Still, 3D match improvements I view as just sort of "icing on the cake" and I like the improvements to the engine that will be coming up in next year's version.

Although I'm happy enough with the 3D match engine in FM, along with the improvements I know are coming, I would say it's more for technical reasons that this game doesn't and perhaps shouldn't, feature something similar to FIFA games. FIFA concentrates more on the graphics than the data processing.

I'll be happy with "vocal" commentary, but only of Ron Atkinson is hired for the one liners

The only problem with vocal commentary though, is it usually gets repetitive.

The only problem with vocal commentary though, is it usually gets repetitive.

Yes... but not as much as watching and waiting for the 3-4 lines of text to pass when someone gets carded... how about speeding up that uselessness SI.

FM can learn Potential-Talent System from FIFAM too...

Although I'm happy enough with the 3D match engine in FM, along with the improvements I know are coming, I would say it's more for technical reasons that this game doesn't and perhaps shouldn't, feature something similar to FIFA games. FIFA concentrates more on the graphics than the data processing.

Not really convinced, myself... The 3D graphics are merely acceptable yet the graphics requirements are very high for this standard. 128 Mb of video memory with a video card around ATI Radeon 9800 standard is staggering - did you know you could probably play Unreal Tournament 2003 in full quality at at least 25-30 fps with that? SI can definitely optimise things in this area and definitely get more bang for their buck in terms of graphics (although probably not get as far as Unreal Tournament 2003 full quality standard - it's not necessary).

1) Player interpreters: In FIFAM, when you sign a player from another country who does not know your language, you have the option of signing an interpreter for him for an extra amout per month on his contract. This could be especially useful for players who have low adaptability and, in FIFAM, did help players settle in easier many times. You can also build a language school in FIFAM, but since FM doesn't focus on building club infrastructure that much, I don't see how that would really fit in, unless it were built by the board with little to no player control.

That would be quite a nice feature. However, would there be any reason not to hire them, especially if you have plenty of wage budget spare? For example, would they remove the incentive for players to learn the language, and therefore stop them integrating with their team mates as well as they could do? Could the player fall out with his interpreter?

2) Targeted Trasfers: This is one thing that really frustrates me in FM- the fact that, when offering up a player, you can't really choose who to offer him to. This would be especially useful in situations where a club is interested, unsettles a player, but refuses to make an offer, even when he is offered out. Targeted transfers also are more feasible in that you can target a team who need a player of a position you're offering up, or to a club who may pay more for the player than you'd get otherwise. (NOTE: I could see lots of balance issues with this, i.e. people offering up players to Real Madrid and Man City only, so I guess this would need some balance and tweaking).

I think simply fixing the current offering out system would do this just as well, to be frank. I mean, if you offer to every club bar your rivals, three of whom want or have a use for the player, those three players should respond the same as if the player was offered just to those three clubs.

4) Youth Camps: In FIFAM, one way to get youth players was to set up youth camps abroad. You could assign a coach to a camp who would train them, and, if you felt ap layer was good enough, you could sign him to your team. It was also balanced in that, if you're playing as, say Tottenham and you build a youth camp in France, but Barcelona also has a youth camp there, better players were harder to get for your team, as they'd go to Barcelona. FM has a FAR superior youth development system to FIFAM, so this is something I believe would add another interesting dynamic to that part of the game.

5) Training Camps: At the beginning of the season (or really whenever there's a break) in FIFAM, you have the option of sending your first team and youth team on training camps which can be held in other cities or countries. Since this is very common in football and I feel the training system in FM is better than in FIFAM, this could be something very interesting to see in future versions of the game.

I'm going to tackle these together, and not bother with Dynamic League Reputation. Training Camps- good idea, especially in winter for nations that have a winter break. Obviously, should be heavily reliant on the club's finances. I can't see Norwich's players heading off to Dubai during the international break.

As for youth camps: do any clubs actually do this? I can't think of any. If they did, it would be a great feature.

6) 3D Match: I know that when I chose FIFAM over FM initially, I chose it because of the 3D match (FM didn't even have it yet). I still view FIFAM's 3D match as far superior. It would be nice to see FM have just as nice graphics as FIFAM does, though I don't really expect this. It would be nice, however, to have more audio, especially in-match commentary, which should make the game better. Still, 3D match improvements I view as just sort of "icing on the cake" and I like the improvements to the engine that will be coming up in next year's version.

I agree that it would be nice- in fact, ideally I'd like FM to have better graphics than FIFAM does- but I don't think it's at all practical ATM. One of the appeals of FM is that it can be played on practically any computer. Even when FM09 introduced the 3D ME, many complained that it was too spec-heavy. So, whilst I'd love completely realistic graphics, I won't mind them not being introduced (especially as I also couldn't run them!).

Vocal commentary- I really hope not. Firstly, that would probably lead to a significant price hike, as a commentator for each language would need to be hired. Secondly, it would be very irritating, so I probably wouldn't use it, meaning the price increase wouldn't lead to me buying a better product. How do I know it would be irritating? Well, the text commentary is very repetitive. Other audio commentaries are very repetitive, and irritate me. It stands to reason that FM's audio commentary would be very repetitive, and I would get irritated by a repetitive audio commentary.

4/5. Training camps!!! I have wanted this for a while!!! The club i support (Reading fc) went to a camp in Slovinia before their pre-season games. This helped them alot and gets the players back into the right fitness and mindset for competitive matches. It also increases realism choosing where you club goes as you can base it around real life and where you club are travelling to! I would also like the option to start with a blank pre-season, so i can arrange camps and fixtures myself. I like having tactical freedom

We went on tour of Slovenia, that's slightly different to a training camp (where matches wouldn't be played).

To set up a blank pre-season, simply cancel all friendlies. Those that you cannot cancel are due to feeder club agreements or as part of a transfer.

I would be very disappointed if SI started bring in features that allowed me to purchase a new stadium, [...]

Then you might be disappointed with FM2011, because from the one screen that's currently available one can deduce that you can ask the board to a) expand your stadium, b) build a new one or c) buy one. I'm very happy about this, mind you, but it's strictly speaking not for a manager to choose. Then again, it's probably more reasonable to now be able to go to the board with this issue, instead of waiting and being kept in the dark about any expansion plans the board may have. The other alternative would have been to improve the game's AI, but that's a whole other story because it could also use some finetuning in the player acquisition system.

On topic: what Fifa Manager offers is an illusion of more control, but the novelty wears off fast. Since the issue with stadiums has been addressed already with the announcement of FM2011, there is nothing that could tempt me to change. As if Fifa could have tempted me otherwise, because there's just too much SI is doing right.

Naturally, there are quite a few possible improvements and some of those I'd enjoy to see are in your list. Because somebody has spoken about holidaying earlier, I'll make one example: while I do absolutely not use the holiday-feature during the season, there are some season breaks when nothing exciting is happening and clicking on continue time and again for a couple of weeks of the off- and pre-season are just tedious. That being said, if I have nothing better to do, like arranging transfers for example, then I'll likely holiday for a few weeks until it's time to start the season. For me, this part of the year is just too boring to keep enduring it and that's why I'd like more entertainment at that time: allow for a more realistic pre-season preparation like training camps and fill the quiet spots of the year with other jobs.

Some good suggestions by the OP, I like any player interaction and more in depth control of training etc. I'm not so fussed about prettier match egine myself, I only watch 9 or 10 matches using the ME to hone my tactics, then its commentry only all the way. Its nice to see a thread thats talks about FIFA M features without saying the FM needs managers to buy cars, houses, work on his relationship (WTF was that all about??) and new stadiums etc.

To be honest i think the 3d match view is perfect in FM for what its supposed to do.... Fifa manager's view might look prettier, but the match engine thats underneath it is a complete and utter joke in my opinion... Besides, we wouldnt want "I can't play FM on my pc anymore" people spamming the forums right? .

I like the youth idea though (Something like the FML Youth Academies would be great)

FM uses a 2.5D Isometric view ...

FM has a slightly restricted animation count for each players range of possible movements ...

Doubling or tripling the current animation count for a player would give more fluid and realistic movement around the pitch by the players, the tricky part for SI is achieving this without significantly increasing memory overheads.

A fully 3D match engine would allow us to select an individual player or the ball as the point of focus.

With a fully 3D match engine we would then be able to pan, rotate and zoom around or at the point of focus.

With this level of 3D engine, you could select the ball as the focus, and get a 'balls eye view' on a 30yd screamer ... that would be sublime imho (You don't even get this IRL with EPL games on TV, despite the 6-8 cameras they have around the pitch).

With the ME speed slowed down, it would also afford the opportunity to watch your tactical instructions unfold with a much clearer view, and with a much wider range of viewing angles too giving you a clearer idea of where they are working, and where they aren't.

FM uses a 2.5D Isometric view ...

Hate to be a stick in the mud FM is 3D, the proof of this is being able to switch to multiple angles around the pitch.

Also to be a stick in the Mud there is no such a thing as half a dimension So it would be 2D or 3D

I would love to see improved graphics for FM and that is what SI say they are going for and since they have made amazing games. I would be one to trust them.

I do really like the training camps idea, but won't it just become a cheat to gain a 20% or so ever improvement for the richer clubs?? I would prefer to see merchadising tours for clubs to other coutries to raise your fan base!!

Hate to be a stick in the mud FM is 3D' date=' the proof of this is being able to switch to multiple angles around the pitch.

Also to be a stick in the Mud there is no such a thing as half a dimension So it would be 2D or 3D

I would love to see improved graphics for FM and that is what SI say they are going for and since they have made amazing games. I would be one to trust them.

I do really like the training camps idea, but won't it just become a cheat to gain a 20% or so ever improvement for the richer clubs?? I would prefer to see merchadising tours for clubs to other coutries to raise your fan base!![/quote']

2.5D does exist - it's used to describe games that are either not rendered in 3D but use substantial graphics techniques in 2D to give the impression of 3D (i.e. backgrounds scroll slower in a side-scrolling game), or uses 3D for some elements (like the background) but the game is largely 2D. Football Manager isn't 2.5D - it's 3D.

good ideas what about introducing a footballs next star idea

2.5D does exist - it's used to describe games that are either not rendered in 3D but use substantial graphics techniques in 2D to give the impression of 3D (i.e. backgrounds scroll slower in a side-scrolling game), or uses 3D for some elements (like the background) but the game is largely 2D. Football Manager isn't 2.5D - it's 3D.

Actually it doesn't it the physical realm, which is what i was on about! As you can't have half a length dimension:p or width or depth. You must of missed my safty wink!

What i like in Fifa Manager is that you have the option to extend the contract. For example, if i buy an old player in FM i'll give him 1 year contract and if i want to keep him one more year i have to negociate a new contract. In Fifa Manager i can buy that player with a one year contract with the option to extend one more year. Just activate the option and the contract is extended one more year.

I always thought that the youth camp and the dynamic leagues would be a great idea.

The youth camp would be a great addition to the feeder club system, where you could in essence create a new team that recruits and develops youngsters, as well as generating newgens, in different countries. Like the GH academy in the game now but owned by you.

And we all know that dynamic league and country reps will add a whole new dimension to the game, as long as it is balanced correctly. You wouldn't want Malta or Costa Rica be the top league in the world in the first 5 years or something.

Hate to be a stick in the mud FM is 3D' date=' the proof of this is being able to switch to multiple angles around the pitch.

Also to be a stick in the Mud there is no such a thing as half a dimension So it would be 2D or 3D

[/quote']

But the view is largely unchanged whichever 'angle option' you use to veiw it.

You cannot Zoom, Rotate or change the elevation of these fixed view points ... therefore we do not have access to a full 3d environment.

An isometric view is common in RPG and RTS style games (Diablo1/2, C&C, DoW, Baldurs Gate all used this type of view) in this view a 2d view is represented as 3d by using a fixed unalaterable point of view from above and slightly behind whatever was being viewed.

This is exactly what we get in FM .... hence FM is a 2.5d isometric game, and not 3d.

But the view is largely unchanged whichever 'angle option' you use to veiw it.

You cannot Zoom, Rotate or change the elevation of these fixed view points ... therefore we do not have access to a full 3d environment.

An isometric view is common in RPG and RTS style games (Diablo1/2, C&C, DoW, Baldurs Gate all used this type of view) in this view a 2d view is represented as 3d by using a fixed unalaterable point of view from above and slightly behind whatever was being viewed.

This is exactly what we get in FM .... hence FM is a 2.5d isometric game, and not 3d.

I consider it a 3D game because it's rendered in 3D and has no "tweaks" to give the illusion of 3D. The match itself is also in 3D - the ball has true elevation, for example. It just happens to have only one camera angle. If modern-day PES or FIFA had only one camera angle, you'd still call it a 3D game.