Was FM2007 the most complete,enjoyable and bug free game???

while ive put a hold on my FM2011 game while the transfer/player unhappiness bug gets fixed,im gonna start a new game on one of the previous FM games.while reading a lot of different sites on the net the general feeling is that the 2007 version,after the last patch,was virtually bug free and the most complete including an excellent match engine.me personally didnt spend a lot of time on this version due to real life events etc. so i just wondered what other peoples opinions are on FM 2007,pros and cons etc.

7.0.2 :thup:

Fm07 has always been my favourite of all the series

I took Staines from the BSS to the Premiership only to get sacked when a new board took over. FM2007 doesn't have good memories for me

so how about any pro's and con's?? apart from the old database,no 3d engine?

so how about any pro's and con's?? apart from the old database,no 3d engine?

The only complaints I had with 7.0.2 were that there were a few dodgy regens with obscene physical attributes and the tactics aren't as "strong" as in FM10 (as in you really had to crank the sliders up and down quite a bit to see a noticable effect) - but at least the match-engine was predictable, the game ran quickly and I'd argue it's by far the most stable for long-term games.

fm 08 was my more prefered out of all of them so far, but 11 is my new fav

Note: 7.02

Out of the box, FM07 was a dodgy as most...

FM07 was very much enjoyable, excluding CM, might be the most enjoyable FM version to date.

Was FM2007 the most complete,enjoyable and bug free game???

Yep!Best one ever.

Just curious; but what exactly makes FM07 the best according to you guys?

I prefered 10.3 myself.

Just curious; but what exactly makes FM07 the best according to you guys?

Press conferences can be skipped.

Players are less of little bitches crying over this and that

Far better regens PA wise

Bullet speed , 4 hours to finish a season

Player interaction is bare bone and very functional

No long shot stupidity

Less random results , i mean the better team 7/10 times wins the game

Not a clickfest , do not need 4/5 clicks to start / end game

Players do not lose CA out of the blue like in fm10

It is challenging to find future stars, they don't stand out in their 16

Contracts are CA connected , not the stupidity of PA connected

Back up players will play in B team without crying all the time

Far easier to tutor

No agents

You need players to do your job , a CA 130 that does what asked on the pitch is far better from a CA 170 who does not , in latest additions you only need to sign the best CA possible .

Far less resource use , i can have FM minimised while playing something else or chat on the internet .

I'm more than happy enough with FM11. I really haven't found any major faults with it.

Last year's version was rather bugged at release and I had major problems getting settled in to a game what with the memory leak and an issue I had with play-offs in Scotland. I'm yet to reach the end of a season in my current save, and fingers crossed nothing happens, but I've had no problems really with the game.

What's this unhappiness/transfer bug? Do you mean players getting unhgappy because they're put on a transfer list? Funny that.

I'd really like to know why FM7 was so much better too. I don't recall anything phenomenal.

Press conferences can be skipped.

Players are less of little bitches crying over this and that

Far better regens PA wise

Bullet speed , 4 hours to finish a season

Player interaction is bare bone and very functional

No long shot stupidity

Less random results , i mean the better team 7/10 times wins the game

Not a clickfest , do not need 4/5 clicks to start / end game

Players do not lose CA out of the blue like in fm10

It is challenging to find future stars, they don't stand out in their 16

Contracts are CA connected , not the stupidity of PA connected

Back up players will play in B team without crying all the time

Far easier to tutor

No agents

You need players to do your job , a CA 130 that does what asked on the pitch is far better from a CA 170 who does not , in latest additions you only need to sign the best CA possible .

Far less resource use , i can have FM minimised while playing something else or chat on the internet .

-Just sounds like you don't like press conferences...is hardly a reason why one game is better

-Players are fickle...it's life

-Maybe training is more realistic and you actually need to work at your regens to make them greats

-A quicker game time might please some I guess. I have always stood by my belief that the faster you rush through a season then the mor elikely you are to make mistakes or miss things, i.e. happiness could become a problem because you're failing to notice things you'd notice if you slowed down

-Player interaction is part and parcel of being a manager. People ask for realism and they get realism, then they complain

-Explain long shot stupidity

-Results will be based on reputation in unplayable leagues but based on a number of intricate calculations in detailed leagues. It's been said countless times that the game isn't randomised

-There's more information in the game, hence there needs to be more clicks. Nothing takes forever to find

-You'd only know about CA if you cheat and have it viewable...so not a game function. Do they anyway, or is it just your belief?

-Challenge is good isn't it? I've not had a problem finding great players to improve my team...in fact I find a few too many who want to sign

-Why wouldn't contracts be based on potential. Would clubs sign a player they don't think has any chance of improvement or won't find his best? They might consider him lazy

-I haven't had a player cry for not being picked to be fair. Try keeping them in the first team and selcting them to be available for reserves

-Agents are a great addition and a part of football in the real world. Again this is a case of FM becoming more realistic and reflecting the football world of real life. Making your life more diffiuclt are they? Welcome to being a manager

-I've found players to be a mix. I have a great left winger in my squad that has some very patchy form. It's almost as if he can't be bothered sometimes...so I guess CA and willingness to perform have some crossover

-The game is bigger and better. It is only natural that it should require more resources to run. I do lots of things...internet, music players...while running FM with no noticeable decrease

I didn't realy need to answer that to be fair, but your thoughts seemed vague and I felt like having my say. I'm inclined to believe you just don't like a challenge and FM07 was undoubtedly less complex and easier to progress in. There were less of the hurdles that real life managers need to face. There seems to be a lot of hate for FM11 when I think it's an outstanding contribution to the series.

I'm sure I enjoyed FM07. I can't really recall what I did or who I played but I do know that I'm a firm believer that the FM series has certainly improved over time. I enjoy every year, even if I struggle to get in to the game sometimes.

The thing about press conferences and agents is that they're not fun. No matter how much Miles states that it's a simulation, not a game, Football Manager is a video game because it tries to entertain.

To me, press conferences are so repetitive and a minefield that I throw my assistant (Phelan) out there - he doesn't do anything wrong, but in essence that feature is now "hidden" from my view - it's realistic, but it's no fun. In addition, agents are asking for horrific fees - unrealistic but even if they did ask for realistic figures, it's simply no fun.

It is difficult to use press conferences, player interactions and agents to your advantage, too. It's definitely possible but get it wrong and sooner or later you will get a transfer request - no questions asked. It's like playing Russian Roulette with only one empty chamber.

None of these features are "fun". They are "realistic" but not really "fun". Nobody jumps off their seat when they see an agent screen or "I had better leave before I say something I regret". It's not fun. Football Manager is a video game first and foremost, not a simulation.

FM 11 is great, but I personally feel FM 2007 was the best one I've played (I only started with FM05). The game's complexity was far more manageable for both players and the AI. I appreciate all the effort SI put in to make this game more close to reality but the underlying mechanics of the game engine and AI just can't cope with it. Whereas this was not a problem in FM2007.

You could play that game forever and you'd always have decent competition by the AI, there would always be brilliant players to sign (regens were MUCH better, maybe too good) and generally the game felt more responsive and enjoyable. That being said, I've tried going back to FM2007 and I must say that even if I enjoy booting it up every now-and-then it feels antiquated. Teams and transfers notwithstanding it just feels old. Many of the improvements in later games really add a lot to the FM universe, even in the impact isn't quite the desired one. Take the media for example, which will sprout transfer rumors regularly and become a good source for scouting, especially if you're low on money. Or the incremental in increase in coaches or other staff as the club becomes richer/more reputable which was impossible in FM2007.

Or the incremental in increase in coaches or other staff as the club becomes richer/more reputable which was impossible in FM2007.

While it's impossible for scouts (or possible for the rare "will accept coach/scout roles" staff), I believe 7.0.2 had a bug in it that allowed you to have as many assistant managers as required as long as they accepted coach AND assistant manager contracts. Sign them as coaches and then immediately "promote" them to assistant managers - essentially giving you as large a coaching staff as required.

Thank you for replying to my post , now this is my take :

--Players are fickle...it's life

Life sometimes sucks , games do not have to

-Maybe training is more realistic and you actually need to work at your regens to make them greats

Sure but i have youth facilities "20" and all i get in fm10 is PA 75 guys ... you can say "sure this happens" but after 10 seasons the best PA i got from my academy was a lousy 159 , thanks but no , in fm07 i know that in 10 years i will get at least 3 +170 ones.

-A quicker game time might please some I guess. I have always stood by my belief that the faster you rush through a season then the mor elikely you are to make mistakes or miss things, i.e. happiness could become a problem because you're failing to notice things you'd notice if you slowed down

It 's a game, i dont care making mistakes or losing things, this is what differentiates games and real life , i am mostly a RPG player and i never do all the quests

-Player interaction is part and parcel of being a manager. People ask for realism and they get realism, then they complain

Sure but i don't like it , in fm07 i had the option to never use it in latest additions it is mandatory that either you or the assman goes

-Explain long shot stupidity

Too many long shots that translate into goals , or not , my players keep on shooting no mater the setting, in 07 "rarely" did means rarely"

-Results will be based on reputation in unplayable leagues but based on a number of intricate calculations in detailed leagues. It's been said countless times that the game isn't randomised

Sorry for being rude , nothing personal but this is a big load of ******** , i have replay games like 40 or more times while checking tactics and many of them with same conditions (formations, weather , tactics) the results vary so yes it is random , very very random.

-There's more information in the game, hence there needs to be more clicks. Nothing takes forever to find

Well , i don't like more information , where is my option to leave it out ? SI can do far better than forcing their new modules down our throats .

-You'd only know about CA if you cheat and have it viewable...so not a game function. Do they anyway, or is it just your belief?

Yes they do , i am playing with injuries OFF ( edited to never happen and last for 0 days in the editor) and my 26 year old full back lost 4 points of CA between September and December, he was in rotation playing like 60% of the games. In fm07 only "burnt our" youngsters below 19 will start losing CA (but very rapid) after too many 1st team appearances . Yes i am using 3rd party software , i am SP so there is no cheating.

-Challenge is good isn't it? I've not had a problem finding great players to improve my team...in fact I find a few too many who want to sign

since fm10 i don't have to use scouts anymore , future stars start at CA between 100 and 120 all the others far lower , also they will ask for higher wage ...so easy signing someone at the age of 16 without having to pay much to their club (you know as their 1st professional contract)

-Why wouldn't contracts be based on potential. Would clubs sign a player they don't think has any chance of improvement or won't find his best? They might consider him lazy

Because when i am signing a 17 year old that will probably spend the next 2 years playing in the U21 championship i don't wanna pay him as much as my back up 26 year old and it isn't right either , 26 year olds are having normal lives and expenses, some have kids.. 17 year olds still live with their parents .

-I haven't had a player cry for not being picked to be fair. Try keeping them in the first team and selcting them to be available for reserves

This is cheesy and gamey , sure i can also put a player on transfer for 0€ and reject all offers ; thing is that when i have a B team in Division 2 i will sign up players to man it , you know D2 quality stuff that will never make it in my 1st squad , back up in B teams are okay in fm07 in fm10 they simply do not understand why they were brought

-Agents are a great addition and a part of football in the real world. Again this is a case of FM becoming more realistic and reflecting the football world of real life. Making your life more diffiuclt are they? Welcome to being a manager

Again, where is my option to leave the new module out ? i am playing the game since 99 and you are hardly qualified to welcome me in anything ; making life more difficult sucks and makes game slower . Realistic and reflecting would be to get electrocuted every time someone shoots you in Black Ops game , you think it is a good idea?

-I've found players to be a mix. I have a great left winger in my squad that has some very patchy form. It's almost as if he can't be bothered sometimes...so I guess CA and willingness to perform have some crossover

Using 3rd party software has it's charms , always giving me a chuckle when the CA 87 guy comes from the bench and scores a goal or gives an assist, well in new additions CA 87 guys are useless in the top leagues.

-The game is bigger and better. It is only natural that it should require more resources to run. I do lots of things...internet, music players...while running FM with no noticeable decrease

Well , fm10 does slow down mine, i guess my PC is too old (2008 build)

I'm inclined to believe you just don't like a challenge and FM07 was undoubtedly less complex and easier to progress in. There were less of the hurdles that real life managers need to face. There seems to be a lot of hate for FM11 when I think it's an outstanding contribution to the series.

I feel differently , you know there was a military drill in some country where the soldiers / officers were bombarded with data , research proved that the more data you have the most probable is to make the wrong decision , it has nothing to do with complexity it has to do with SI not giving me any options to leave modules out of my game .

For sure we have different views on how the series are going and only the future will show who is right and who is wrong , good that you are enjoying your game and as for me maybe next season .

For me the unrewarding slider-fest that was FM2007 was the worst version of any SI FM/CM game past or present with the exception of the awful CM4/93-94's extravaganza!. It was only made playable by wwfans efforts, it almost lost me to the game series for ever. I spent 2 years mostly playing either FM06 or CM0102 as a result. This is all my opinion and I know a lot of Forum members love FM07 but I cant see the attraction myself.

While I consider 07 as the best FM of all time, believe me: it's not bug free at all (even after two patches). And just a small lesson of history, mate: that game taken straight from the store shelf was so bad I sold it after couple of weeks. Then somewhere in February bought it again and still happily playing from time to time.

Anyway, I'm pretty impressed with the new one and propably won't go back ever again. I'm sure transfer issues which are my main complaint will get fixed soon.

Isn't it amazing what nostalgia can do? As mentioned above 7.02 was phenomenal and a great game, but 7.0 was as bugged if not more than all the others (apart from 8.0).

Also try as I might and as much as I loved 7.02, I just can't get back into the old versions, too many good bits have been added.

But for anyone who thinks 7 was perfection out of the box, you've just got your rose tinted glasses on.

I prefered 10.3 myself.

Me too.

I probably had my longest save on FM07 but this will soon be beaten by one of my FM10 saves.

FM07 was great at the time but I honestly think FM10 is more complete and bug free.

Thank you for replying to my post , now this is my take :

Life sometimes sucks , games do not have to

Sure but i have youth facilities "20" and all i get in fm10 is PA 75 guys ... you can say "sure this happens" but after 10 seasons the best PA i got from my academy was a lousy 159 , thanks but no , in fm07 i know that in 10 years i will get at least 3 +170 ones.

It 's a game, i dont care making mistakes or losing things, this is what differentiates games and real life , i am mostly a RPG player and i never do all the quests

Sure but i don't like it , in fm07 i had the option to never use it in latest additions it is mandatory that either you or the assman goes

Too many long shots that translate into goals , or not , my players keep on shooting no mater the setting, in 07 "rarely" did means rarely"

Sorry for being rude , nothing personal but this is a big load of ******** , i have replay games like 40 or more times while checking tactics and many of them with same conditions (formations, weather , tactics) the results vary so yes it is random , very very random.

Well , i don't like more information , where is my option to leave it out ? SI can do far better than forcing their new modules down our throats .

Yes they do , i am playing with injuries OFF ( edited to never happen and last for 0 days in the editor) and my 26 year old full back lost 4 points of CA between September and December, he was in rotation playing like 60% of the games. In fm07 only "burnt our" youngsters below 19 will start losing CA (but very rapid) after too many 1st team appearances . Yes i am using 3rd party software , i am SP so there is no cheating.

since fm10 i don't have to use scouts anymore , future stars start at CA between 100 and 120 all the others far lower , also they will ask for higher wage ...so easy signing someone at the age of 16 without having to pay much to their club (you know as their 1st professional contract)

Because when i am signing a 17 year old that will probably spend the next 2 years playing in the U21 championship i don't wanna pay him as much as my back up 26 year old and it isn't right either , 26 year olds are having normal lives and expenses, some have kids.. 17 year olds still live with their parents .

This is cheesy and gamey , sure i can also put a player on transfer for 0€ and reject all offers ; thing is that when i have a B team in Division 2 i will sign up players to man it , you know D2 quality stuff that will never make it in my 1st squad , back up in B teams are okay in fm07 in fm10 they simply do not understand why they were brought

Again, where is my option to leave the new module out ? i am playing the game since 99 and you are hardly qualified to welcome me in anything ; making life more difficult sucks and makes game slower . Realistic and reflecting would be to get electrocuted every time someone shoots you in Black Ops game , you think it is a good idea?

Using 3rd party software has it's charms , always giving me a chuckle when the CA 87 guy comes from the bench and scores a goal or gives an assist, well in new additions CA 87 guys are useless in the top leagues.

Well , fm10 does slow down mine, i guess my PC is too old (2008 build)

I feel differently , you know there was a military drill in some country where the soldiers / officers were bombarded with data , research proved that the more data you have the most probable is to make the wrong decision , it has nothing to do with complexity it has to do with SI not giving me any options to leave modules out of my game .

For sure we have different views on how the series are going and only the future will show who is right and who is wrong , good that you are enjoying your game and as for me maybe next season .

One of the great things about the FM series is that you are pretty much free to play as you choose. You obviously prefer to use a 3rd party editor and to turn off injuries altogether and do not regard that as 'cheating'. I think most people would think it is cheating, even those that routinely do it.

To be fair, I doubt there are many games around that allow you to pick and choose which parts of the game you want to play with - it's pretty much a case of this is the game and either you like it and play it or you don't like it and don't play it.

If you prefer FM07, that's your choice but I don't think you can suggest it's a better game than FM10/11 just because you can't 'cheat' your way round it as well. I don't think SI regard their newer features as 'modules', they are integral parts of the game (most of which, incidentally, come from this community).

FM07 not only best FM, but the best game ever. good times, I remember actually having so much fun playing it.

As far as I can remember 7.0 was buggy as hell and I stopped playing it... started again on 7.2 it was the best and most enjoyable FM there has ever been in my opinion. I have to say though, if the next patch or two on FM11 can sort out the match engine, transfer probs and a few other small things I can see myself enjoying this one even more!

10.3 is my favourite.

These FM07 comparison threads always appear. I feel that this is because 07 was the last year that the series was an arcade game, whereas now it is a definitely a management simulation. I, and the majority of SI's customers (I imagine) prefer the sim, a lot of the people complaining or reminiscing in this thread prefer an arcade game. It's all personal preference but I am very happy with the direction the FM series has moved. Each iteration has been an improvement on the last, some more than others.

Not if you try to play a standard 4-4-2 and hope you could win with that tactic. But it was indeed a good game. At least after the second patch...

While it's impossible for scouts (or possible for the rare "will accept coach/scout roles" staff), I believe 7.0.2 had a bug in it that allowed you to have as many assistant managers as required as long as they accepted coach AND assistant manager contracts. Sign them as coaches and then immediately "promote" them to assistant managers - essentially giving you as large a coaching staff as required.

That was 08 or 09. Doesn't work in FM07, though I believe you can have two assistants rather than one.

The major bug with 7.0.2 was the ability to accept your own transfer bid if you viewed them after making them.

The only two bugs I can remember for 7.0.0 were the insane amount of red cards for violent conduct, and Wayne Rooney's everlasting suspension. I wasn't posting at the time though (check the join date) so I may have simply not noticed them. Still, most of the bugs I noticed with 10.0.0 weren't complained about much/at all on here.

10.3 just shades it from 7.2.

I've said elsewhere that ideally I'd have 7.2 with 10.3 match engine/3d.

All additions so far have been heinously buggy to the extent you can't really play them until the 3rd patch. 7.0 & 7.1 had lunatic refs, mad chairmen, constant enquiries about players day after day (which mad chairmen would sell) and so on.

I couldn't seriously go back to 7.2 now, great as it was in it's day, because of match engine annoyances.

FM8 was never playable.

I'm on FM10 for now, but I doubt FM11 will ever be acceptable with the new features and "real time" logic as it is. This series could effectively stop at FM10 for me.

One of the great things about the FM series is that you are pretty much free to play as you choose. You obviously prefer to use a 3rd party editor and to turn off injuries altogether and do not regard that as 'cheating'. I think most people would think it is cheating, even those that routinely do it.

To be fair, I doubt there are many games around that allow you to pick and choose which parts of the game you want to play with - it's pretty much a case of this is the game and either you like it and play it or you don't like it and don't play it.

If you prefer FM07, that's your choice but I don't think you can suggest it's a better game than FM10/11 just because you can't 'cheat' your way round it as well. I don't think SI regard their newer features as 'modules', they are integral parts of the game (most of which, incidentally, come from this community).

Injuries can be removed in all fm releases with the editor , it means no injuries either for your team or the AI teams EVER , this ensures that good young players will develop fast and reach their potential ,this keeps the game going when you are playing in Poland or Romania.

There is no cheating in single player .

Yes there are many games where i can chose how to play em , for example Paradox or Stardock games (to name few Devs) have all their files in .doc format so i can easily edit them, in a previous game i even edited AI to make better choices .

There are editors for 10 and there will be for 11 ,i can make simple editors too if needed . I think you got it all wrong and your attempt to finger point that "cheaters love fm07" is pretty bad .

fm 08 was my more prefered out of all of them so far, but 11 is my new fav

Basically, what I was going to say.

These FM07 comparison threads always appear. I feel that this is because 07 was the last year that the series was an arcade game, whereas now it is a definitely a management simulation. I, and the majority of SI's customers (I imagine) prefer the sim, a lot of the people complaining or reminiscing in this thread prefer an arcade game. It's all personal preference but I am very happy with the direction the FM series has moved. Each iteration has been an improvement on the last, some more than others.

I don't think any of the FMs have been like an arcade game.

In fact, if you wanted to go down that route, FM is probably becoming more like an arcade game in recent years with things like the creators, wizards, 3D animations, one-click player interaction/press conferences, the star ratings, more feedback etc.

However, I don't think FM has ever been anything like an arcade game; it has always been a management simulation. To be honest, and to refute your point somewhat, I found FM10 to be more accessible than FM07.

Injuries can be removed in all fm releases with the editor , it means no injuries either for your team or the AI teams EVER , this ensures that good young players will develop fast and reach their potential ,this keeps the game going when you are playing in Poland or Romania.

There is no cheating in single player .

Yes there are many games where i can chose how to play em , for example Paradox or Stardock games (to name few Devs) have all their files in .doc format so i can easily edit them, in a previous game i even edited AI to make better choices .

There are editors for 10 and there will be for 11 ,i can make simple editors too if needed . I think you got it all wrong and your attempt to finger point that "cheaters love fm07" is pretty bad .

That isn't what I said, and it wasn't my intended implication.

You can say there is no cheating in single player if you like - I don't agree but as I said you can play however you like and if you don't like it don't play it.

Although I have to admit I've had some great times on FM2007, It was far from perfect. With 7.0.2 I had the feeling the difficulty had gone down quite a bit, which among other factors was the reason you could do well while cruising through the seasons, since you didn't really have to change your tactics once you found one that worked. I think it's match engine was better than the current one, and the game was a lot smoother.

On the downside, targetmen where overpowered (find a 16+ jumping guy in lower leagues and he'll get an average rating close to 8, even if he has 1 on all other attributes) and ironically, almost all regens seemed to lack in the jumping department. I remember having to resort to using a 14 jumping target man in the championship...

My advice would be to go back to FM 2007. Either you find yourself having a lot of fun, or you'll rekindle your love for all the features that have been added over the last couple of years.

As much as I'd like to get into FM 07 like in the good olden days, I don't think I could go back. I'd simply miss some things that later FMs added.

On the downside, targetmen where overpowered (find a 16+ jumping guy in lower leagues and he'll get an average rating close to 8, even if he has 1 on all other attributes) and ironically, almost all regens seemed to lack in the jumping department. I remember having to resort to using a 14 jumping target man in the championship...

I agree with this, not that many people would believe me as i have no proof but i beat chelsea with liverpool 8-0 in the F.A. Cup. All i did was play a 4-3-3 with Crouch up front set to a target man and told my players to give the ball to his head and he would win it every time. We got most of our goals through flick-ons from Crouch as my other two strikers raced away to score with ease.

I also remember a brilliant bug in the ME where a player would shoot and the ball would be going wide only for it to move sideways and go in the goal!