Okay, SI, I have only one gripe with this game

I own the Dutch version of FM 2012.

I have shelled out €50 for this game (standard retail price) and I am very happy to continue to do so whenever you release a new version.

However, I am abhorred by the appearance of ADVERTISING in the game I just paid a healthy sum to acquire. I have been fine with (and actively supporting) your marketing campaign for WarChild, a very noble cause. Obviously I understand you marketing your other games as well, like Football Manager Live, and this very website, on the ingame boarding.

However, in the Dutch version at least, there are also advertisements for "Wehkamp", a mail-order company. And that is where I am forced to draw a line. When I watch commercial television, I'm willing to accept the presence of advertising, after all, I'm not paying the producers any money to watch, and they need to make problems. When I buy a video game, I do not want to see products and companies that are present only because they have offered you some money.

Please rectify this for FM2013.

Much gratitude, PJHoutman88.

To be honest, It's just what you see at real football grounds. The side boards at every ground are covered with advertisements, i didn't even look at it as advertising i just thought... huh, that is realistic and then carried on watching my team.

you are kidding right ? this advertising pays the money to make the game. Without it, it makes is almost impossible.

So you're saying production costs PER GAME are anywhere near €50? And they need advertising to make the game profitable?

yes. the money a company needs to create a game of this scale is quite large infact. What would be your view if the advertising boards were about smoking or alcohol ? Would you still have a gripe about it all ?

Yes, of course I would, what kind of a strange question is that? That would be worse (in a kid's game, especially!). If this game isn't profitable without advertising, what is? After all, almost all the information is cumulative from the last game...

You can disable the ads in preferences (but the default adboards will remain).

you are kidding right ? this advertising pays the money to make the game. Without it, it makes is almost impossible.

So, um, how do games that don't feature in-game advertising hordings ever make it into production?

But if someone makes a graphic pack with Coca Cola and Mastercard ad-boards it's OK? I just don't get it...boards are there as a part of every stadium ov every professional football club. And your problem is that SI makes money of it... why?

you are kidding right ? this advertising pays the money to make the game. Without it, it makes is almost impossible.

Lol just so untrue it boggles the mind.

How did they ever manage to release the game before the match engine was introduced?

Playing the game back then I never seen any advertising in the game when the text commentary was running.

Also I am guessing the sheer volume of copies of the game that they will sell should put a few coins in the jam jar.

you are kidding right ? this advertising pays the money to make the game. Without it, it makes is almost impossible.

Miles has said in another thread the in-game advertising barely covers the lighting cost at SI so it's really marinal stuff

Have no problem with advertising, i think it's implemented quite good so it doesn't jump to your eyes or doesn't distract you anyway. Of course if the problem is fundamental, i'm going to warn you, in this modern world there is ads everywhere, in movies, on tv, on streets and it's quite logically that they are on games too.

This ones easy. If you don't like it then use the text commentary only. It makes the match run quicker too

But if someone makes a graphic pack with Coca Cola and Mastercard ad-boards it's OK? I just don't get it...boards are there as a part of every stadium ov every professional football club. And your problem is that SI makes money of it... why?

Because it's my prerogative to download that graphics pack or not - it's not included within the game as I bought it.

Have no problem with advertising, i think it's implemented quite good so it doesn't jump to your eyes or doesn't distract you anyway. Of course if the problem is fundamental, i'm going to warn you, in this modern world there is ads everywhere, in movies, on tv, on streets and it's quite logically that they are on games too.

There are ads everywhere, but that doesn't mean I have to like them. And indeed, I don't like movies that have product placement, I do not want to see George Clooney drink whatever disgusting tripe he thinks passes as coffee, I do not want to see Sean Connery smoking a manly cigar if he tells us it's a particular brand first. Yes, there are ads in the street, and I can happily walk that street knowing that I neither paid for the street nor the houses in them, so whatever the owner requires to make money is fine. However, I am now the owner of this game, and I do not want ads.

This ones easy. If you don't like it then use the text commentary only. It makes the match run quicker too

So you're saying that I should turn off a full feature of a game I just paid for?

Miles has said in another thread the in-game advertising barely covers the lighting cost at SI so it's really marginal stuff

Which truly begs the question why the decided to do it in the first place...

Because it's my prerogative to download that graphics pack or not - it's not included within the game as I bought it.

There are ads everywhere, but that doesn't mean I have to like them. And indeed, I don't like movies that have product placement, I do not want to see George Clooney drink whatever disgusting tripe he thinks passes as coffee, I do not want to see Sean Connery smoking a manly cigar if he tells us it's a particular brand first. Yes, there are ads in the street, and I can happily walk that street knowing that I neither paid for the street nor the houses in them, so whatever the owner requires to make money is fine. However, I am now the owner of this game, and I do not want ads.

So you're saying that I should turn off a full feature of a game I just paid for?

Which truly begs the question why the decided to do it in the first place...

I get pissed off with advertisements popping in places they shouldn't. Or at least where I feel like they shouldn't. It's like buying a coat and finding the shops catalogue in the pocket once you've got it home. I am cynical as fcuk though.

Personally, the ad boards in FM don't bother me and never have - Just ads realism in my opinion. I can understand your frustration, however.

Pretty sure you can remove the ads from the game, if you dislike them that much.

I just look it as more money for SI = more money for development = better game

You can remove them if you dislike them quite easily in preferences or by editing some files in the data folder hardly a major issue IMO makes the game more realistic.

I would think the advertising helps keep the game price down

If you watch major films then its becoming a major feature in those also for the same reasons

GIven that you can opt-out, I don't see the problem.

People really do get annoyed and worked up over the strangest things. Really? An advertising board in a game? My god it must be keeping you awake at night just thinking about it! Please have a word with yourself! I almost thought that it was a joke after reading the first post, but then had the misfortune of reading further and nope you really are in a HUGE tizz over this! lol! Sorry I am trying not to be disrespectful, really I am not, but please lets get some perspective here! Its an advertising board (that is very, very tiny!) in a game that yes you bought (I almost heard you thumping the desk whilst typing that part! "I have right's damn it!"), but I shall repeat....its an advertising board in a game. Thankyou though you have made my evening!

agreed.. what an anal thing to get annoyed at ... advertising boards are a part of the game irl... so why not make them so in the game and making them real adverts for real paying companies is damn fine business for si ... and i applaud them.. why not

but I shall repeat....its an advertising board in a game.

If that's your argument, surely, nothing on this entire board is worth discussing because it's just a game. "My goalkeeper scores three own goals a match, oh well, it's just a game, get over it."

GIven that you can opt-out, I don't see the problem.

If you don't see the problem then you obviously don't have the problem. The problem is that there is no point for this game to include advertisements of real companies and I for one, would not enjoy seeing Coca-Cola advertising boards come up whenever I play a game. If it were parodies, such as in GTA, I wouldn't mind as much, but this is an actual, real company (which already imposes itself on me when I walk down the street or turn on a television), and it can't leave me alone even when I'm taking a break from the "real world".

As for those saying "Advertising happens in the game irl" so does match fixing. Has that been implemented?

no... but SI are a profit making organisation and have spotted and implemented a way to make more profit without impacting on the end user in any aggressive manner and moreover in a way that stays true to the mantra of making the most realistic simulation possible.

But as said earlier in the thread, according to Miles Jacobson, the advertising fees are marginal.

Real football managers see adverts at their stadia.

FM aims to be the most accurate football management sim...

You want SI to reduce realism to appeal to your sense of entitlement?

I don't want to hazard a guess at the cost of making FM but the staff alone are paid a wage and that is an awful lot of money combined at the end of a year. 50E would do nothing to cover this alone, you would probably need to sell millions at that price and it doesn't cost that much everywhere. Then you have production costs, advertising, research, startegy and likely some more. How far do you think 50E is going to get?

But as said earlier in the thread, according to Miles Jacobson, the advertising fees are marginal.

May be marginal in the grand scheme of things but it's still in accounting terms a positive contribution. And while Miles says it barely covers the lighting bill what is the cost of the lighting bill to put it into perspective. It could also be an area that with bigger sponsors could see the revenue increased via.

And finally with PC gaming being so infested with piracy it makes sure that every copy out there be it legit or pirated contributes a bit

If that's your argument, surely, nothing on this entire board is worth discussing because it's just a game. "My goalkeeper scores three own goals a match, oh well, it's just a game, get over it."

If you don't see the problem then you obviously don't have the problem. The problem is that there is no point for this game to include advertisements of real companies and I for one, would not enjoy seeing Coca-Cola advertising boards come up whenever I play a game. If it were parodies, such as in GTA, I wouldn't mind as much, but this is an actual, real company (which already imposes itself on me when I walk down the street or turn on a television), and it can't leave me alone even when I'm taking a break from the "real world".

As for those saying "Advertising happens in the game irl" so does match fixing. Has that been implemented?

Seriously, your argument is based on your disapproval of that particular company "Wehkamp", and your sour attitude towards SI just because they are making a few extra dollars from the ads.

You probably would have no problem with the ads if SI did not get any money for them. (But you'll probably deny this claim for the sake of your argument)

They're not in any way hindering the gaming experience but actually improving it and getting paid a bit for it.

guess the thread starter hasn't seen St.James Park. and how Mike Ashley's sportsdirect advert is pasted all over the place.

If SI pockets abit of extra cash to improve FM versions yearly. why not? They are really working hard and the only problem i have with SI is their inability to see major bugs which are quite obvious.

They are intelligent sophisticated people but tend to overlook details which are right infront of them.

I don't have a problem with it but can understand why people would. It's pretty ignorant telling people they're sad and petty for having a problem with it.

I'm pretty sure I read somewhere a year or so ago that the advertisement money they get goes to their charities aka Warchild anyway? So your doing a bit of charity work when you play? Nice eh.

Well I can understand his disgruntlement partially. The advert you see is for a mailorder/postorder company, which used to be aimed at women

And tbh, I haven't seen this advert every match yet, I think it depends whether you play home or away.

On the other hand, adverts are a part of the football world, so why not in FM

The only thing that matters here is that advertising is at almost all footy grounds anyway. As a seeker of the ultimate management sim, I am happy to see the advertising billboards in the stadiums.

You are overreacting big time. Try....ignoring it? Talk about pedantic..

Wow, I absolutely never thought about this, and I never even imagined anyone would!

It doesn't even cross my mind to say: "I don't think people who are making my favourite game should earn more money!" If anything, I thing they deserve more! And if they can get it for such a small and not-at-all-anoying thing as those few tiny banners on the pitch, than I'm more than happy for them!

I'm sorry but this is a crazy thread . If you have problems playing a game with advertisement, you should have played the DEMO version first ! The demo version is for free .... Then you would have seen this game had advertisement on the 3d pitch..

I can't remember the last time I even looked at the boards at the side of the pitch. I'm usually too focussed on other stuff like, y'know, watching the game itself. I really don't udnerstand the complaint here at all. How is this a problem? If every screen had an advert somewhere then I'd understand as that's intrusive and annoying. But this?

Seriously, your argument is based on your disapproval of that particular company "Wehkamp", and your sour attitude towards SI just because they are making a few extra dollars from the ads.

You probably would have no problem with the ads if SI did not get any money for them. (But you'll probably deny this claim for the sake of your argument)

They're not in any way hindering the gaming experience but actually improving it and getting paid a bit for it.

Agreed, I don't really like companies that get their wares from companies that are known to exploit children, but that isn't as much of an argument since none of you know the company. Why would I not mind the adverts if SI got no money for it? That would be even more ridiculous. What you seem to misunderstand, and what I don't like, is that the real world, rather than reality is being introduced into FM. They're different concepts.

I'm pretty sure I read somewhere a year or so ago that the advertisement money they get goes to their charities aka Warchild anyway? So your doing a bit of charity work when you play? Nice eh.

Does it? If it does, I don't mind as much. Any source for that?

The only thing that matters here is that advertising is at almost all footy grounds anyway. As a seeker of the ultimate management sim, I am happy to see the advertising billboards in the stadiums.

You are overreacting big time. Try....ignoring it? Talk about pedantic..

They already had those - advertising their own games (FM Live, FM Handheld), this site and WarChild. There was no need to include real companies in what should be a place to escape real life?

I'm sorry but this is a crazy thread . If you have problems playing a game with advertisement, you should have played the DEMO version first ! The demo version is for free .... Then you would have seen this game had advertisement on the 3d pitch..

I'm not even sure what you're talking about. I have been playing FM for years, and I've never minded the ad boards in the 3D pitch (or the 2D pitch, in fact)

i can understand peoples desire not to have obvious product placement in the game they buy. if you could remove it at a tick of a box though, would that be less attractive to potential advertisers?

if Miles said the ingame advertising barely covers the lighting bill, that may be true. I'd bet that the price of the right to advertise is merely small because SI want to be affiliated with these companies.

the long term marketing-game would surely suggest that to be affiliated with certain large companies will yield more income later on down the line so i would expect the percentage of income that originated from the advertising to increase with time.

i personally dont mind either way. and i suppose, if people dont like the advertising, they have a choice. buy the game, or dont buy the game. no one is being forced to do anything.

As long as the adverts stick to being ones which are in keeping with what is expected at a football ground, then this only adds to the experience in my mind. Only if erectile disfunction pills and porn sites started appearing would I really find fault.

If that's your argument, surely, nothing on this entire board is worth discussing because it's just a game. "My goalkeeper scores three own goals a match, oh well, it's just a game, get over it."

It wasn't an argument, I didn't see this as a worthy debate, just felt compelled to comment on such a hilarious issue! I don't believe that makes me ignorant either, simply commenting that your issue (in my mind at least) is an over the top reaction to such a small, small issue, that cannot effect your enjoyment of the game surely??! But hey it obviously is to you (a huge issue), so fair play, can't even begin to imagine the other things in your daily life that wind you up! Pity. Oh and for the record a goalie scoring three own goals in a game would have the potential to wind up many a player I'm sure, comparing that to this.....? Hmmmm I believe if we are now having a debate you have decided the outcome right there. There is a part of me that still actually believes that this is a send up, and you are happily sitting back enjoying the replies you are receiving chuckling to yourself!