FML: A Lament

Recently within my gameworld, a discussion began: FML or FM11?

The results were unequivocal; FML was victorious, because playing a person is so much more rewarding than a simulation. The soon to be gone FML always had an advantage of course because of its finite nature, but in spite of this, a general prevailing belief subsisted; FML is a better, more involving game, than FML.

Within SI’s final thread, mistakes were admitted. Yet apologies were wrapped in excuses:

The longer development went on, through alpha, then beta, then release, the feedback given to us was that this wasn’t what you, the customers, wanted from a subscription based game. The game kept moving away from our initial vision, and also from the business model and subscriber numbers we were expecting from what was meant to be a more mainstream online football management game.

Go back a month, ask the typical FML manager what he thought of the game, of the ME. Trawl through the forum posts at the complaints. I would suggest that the game did not move only away from SI’s vision, but the vision of the FML subscriber. There are inherent faults within the game, not from a desire to appease the loyal consumer, but because SI’s vision WAS followed. The wage increases, stadium introduction (we can all name more) might have been acceptable introductions, but their hapzard inclusion upset the economies of the gameworlds, dampening one of the main draws of any football game: the buying and selling of players. Many believed that they were unpaid BETA tested, many had a point.

Another one of the primary failings, SI believed existed, was that people were not happy with losing. A relevant point of course, no one likes to lose. Yet go visit football grounds across the country; how many fans watch the also-rans, the mid-table teams, the relegation fighters and relegated. How many guide the low division teams through the leagues in fml? Satisfaction exists in challenges, in relative success. How many people turn on PES or FIFA and pop it on easy, and rack up the scores? Not many I am guessing.

I would suggest that SI’s directional excuses ignore only fundamental faults within the game of their making. Advertising was good we are told (although I think much more could have been made of it. I am a fantasy football player, yet never saw an advert on a fantasy football game, the perfect medium for FML) Yet advertising came with a flawed game. Retention is as much an issue as advertising, and retaining with numerous holes will always be difficult. There are 8000 subscribers we are told, but they are subscribers in spite of. The game is superb in potential, good in many ways, but with the budget allocated and the best football management game in the world behind it, much more should have been made.

Worse of all, SI have given up. Mistakes, followed mistakes, they were rightly lamented in game and outside. A feedback in game option appeared, and disappeared, foreboding the end. Now look at the posts, and the lack of SI replies. No one knows the position with boxed copies, it is unacceptable. SI planned the end and still took subscriptions. SI have frozen many players (with subscriptions ending at unfortunate times) out of the game. Many loyal consumers do not even get to say goodbye to the game they loved and the friends they made. The rest of us get one season to pack our bags and say goodbye. Our consolation is FM11: a game some own, a game others don’t own for a reason, and a game inferior in many ways to the game SI killed.

This is my lament to SI. For failing again after the reset, for failing to try again and for failing to take on the true feedback of the players. And I am sorry most of all for the complete and utter disregard and disrespect shown to the players frozen out of the game, to those waiting for forum replies, to all those loyal players who have been through the game from start to finish, have volunteered their time to help the game and are not being treated with the decent they deserve.

The development team should have been sacked, not retained, it is they, not the game, nor the views of the consumers, that were flawed.

Goodbye all, may we all met again in a better realised game in the future. If the same people who took Football manager Live to its desolation are in charge, then that will not be FMO.

Recently within my gameworld, a discussion began: FML or FM11?

The results were unequivocal; FML was victorious, because playing a person is so much more rewarding than a simulation. The soon to be gone FML always had an advantage of course because of its finite nature, but in spite of this, a general prevailing belief subsisted; FML is a better, more involving game, than FML.

Within SI’s final thread, mistakes were admitted. Yet apologies were wrapped in excuses:

The longer development went on, through alpha, then beta, then release, the feedback given to us was that this wasn’t what you, the customers, wanted from a subscription based game. The game kept moving away from our initial vision, and also from the business model and subscriber numbers we were expecting from what was meant to be a more mainstream online football management game.

Go back a month, ask the typical FML manager what he thought of the game, of the ME. Trawl through the forum posts at the complaints. I would suggest that the game did not move only away from SI’s vision, but the vision of the FML subscriber. There are inherent faults within the game, not from a desire to appease the loyal consumer, but because SI’s vision WAS followed. The wage increases, stadium introduction (we can all name more) might have been acceptable introductions, but their hapzard inclusion upset the economies of the gameworlds, dampening one of the main draws of any football game: the buying and selling of players. Many believed that they were unpaid BETA tested, many had a point.

Another one of the primary failings, SI believed existed, was that people were not happy with losing. A relevant point of course, no one likes to lose. Yet go visit football grounds across the country; how many fans watch the also-rans, the mid-table teams, the relegation fighters and relegated. How many guide the low division teams through the leagues in fml? Satisfaction exists in challenges, in relative success. How many people turn on PES or FIFA and pop it on easy, and rack up the scores? Not many I am guessing.

I would suggest that SI’s directional excuses ignore only fundamental faults within the game of their making. Advertising was good we are told (although I think much more could have been made of it. I am a fantasy football player, yet never saw an advert on a fantasy football game, the perfect medium for FML) Yet advertising came with a flawed game. Retention is as much an issue as advertising, and retaining with numerous holes will always be difficult. There are 8000 subscribers we are told, but they are subscribers in spite of. The game is superb in potential, good in many ways, but with the budget allocated and the best football management game in the world behind it, much more should have been made.

Worse of all, SI have given up. Mistakes, followed mistakes, they were rightly lamented in game and outside. A feedback in game option appeared, and disappeared, foreboding the end. Now look at the posts, and the lack of SI replies. No one knows the position with boxed copies, it is unacceptable. SI planned the end and still took subscriptions. SI have frozen many players (with subscriptions ending at unfortunate times) out of the game. Many loyal consumers do not even get to say goodbye to the game they loved and the friends they made. The rest of us get one season to pack our bags and say goodbye. Our consolation is FM11: a game some own, a game others don’t own for a reason, and a game inferior in many ways to the game SI killed.

This is my lament to SI. For failing again after the reset, for failing to try again and for failing to take on the true feedback of the players. And I am sorry most of all for the complete and utter disregard and disrespect shown to the players frozen out of the game, to those waiting for forum replies, to all those loyal players who have been through the game from start to finish, have volunteered their time to help the game and are not being treated with the decent they deserve.

The development team should have been sacked, not retained, it is they, not the game, nor the views of the consumers, that were flawed.

Goodbye all, may we all met again in a better realised game in the future. If the same people who took Football manager Live to its desolation are in charge, then that will not be FMO.

Lot of valid points.

On the plus side, they did give me a free copy of Rome: Total War Gold for playing. So I find it within myself to forgive somewhat

My reason for it's failure comes down to one point:

There just weren't enough good players to go around.

Recently within my gameworld, a discussion began: FML or FM11?

The results were unequivocal; FML was victorious, because playing a person is so much more rewarding than a simulation. The soon to be gone FML always had an advantage of course because of its finite nature, but in spite of this, a general prevailing belief subsisted; FML is a better, more involving game, than FML.

Not for me it isn't. I'd much rather play a football management simulation than play against other managers. The idea of FML never really appealed to me.

i got bored of FML very quickly mostly because it was pointless, most of your games would be against AI managers because people were not online so it was no different to playing normal FM at your own speed. Great idea, but unfortunately there are not enough dedicated people to make it really work.

i played fml during the beta testing and found it fun but then stopped playing because for me it got more boring each time they added restrictions to transfers and found when the real game worlds launched it never had same atmosphere and fun in the chat and was ending up playing to many ai matches

I play both equally as much and love them both. FML has more of a hum vs. human challenge to it and for me there was much more gratification when doing well at FML.

However.....FM is great as well because you get to your real players without the weird attributes. In FML the game vastly overates some players because it has to to keep the gameworld balanced, but it is nice to play FM someitmes where not everyone has 19 pace and accelration.

It is very sad that FML is going to be gone right away. It was a great product they built and it is too bad it didn't catch on with more FM players.

I quit FML for personal reasons, cos I couldnt devote much time... Back then it was absolutely superb... You need the correct mix actually to play the game... And, I played in quite a few GW's Beta and Live.. I always found out, that immaterial of what strategy you followed within 2-3 seasons you always do well in a GW... Thats because people leave and join new GWs for whatever reasons.. This in my opinion remained the biggest flaw.. I can see why SI did it.. Add to that, they started adding newer features, which always created a shakeup of the economy.. like when the stadiums and the youth academy were launched... the big teams, which were following a particular strategy had to do a major overhaul to stay afloat... then came newer skills, and changes in the existing.. these changes were too often too soon... and that might have led to players quitting GW's... which led to the failure...

Having said that, until the moment I quit, I was having a ball.. I spent on an average about 12-16 hours daily.. (I am not kidding !!!) It was one of the best games I've ever played... The community was brilliant, and apart from playing against real people, you could have intelligent chat with people, crack a joke and enjoy the company... My experience with MMOs are limited.. Maybe if there was an option of side quests of some sort, FML would have been much more interesting.. Afterall thats why, WOW was so successful.. Apart from the main game, being brilliant, they had superb side quests also.. The problem is how do you put forth an interesting side quest in a football management game ??

I am cetain that FML existed for 1 reason & 1 reason alone and that was to give SI a billion times more data and testing the transition to the 3D ME then they could ever have had with beta testers. They never seemed serious about making FML a success, constantly meddling where meddling wasnt needed, its a shame as the game had so much potential it just never delivered