FM 2012, Too much for a new comer?

I have been playing the FM series for as long as i can remember. Back before it was even FM and it was Champ Man. Im 21 and have roughly 10 years experience of playing this wonderful series.

BUT....... I think now for somebody who has never played this series before in their lives, to jump into fm 12 would be like someone who cant swim jumping in the middle of the atlantic ocean.

For me it's an amazing game sure theres a few things here and there that i would like to see changed but i generally think that if i had never played these type of games before i would be baffled with too much to do.

Im not criticising the game in any way, but i get the impression a lot the people on here that moan about the game dont appreciate how far the game has come over the years and have not truly experienced FM in all its glory.

Would it be a good idea for SI to have a 'dumbed down' version for new comers? im not suggesting a complete different game, just at the start of the game it would be good if it asked what is your experience on FM. Obviously if you've just bought your first ever copy you could have a simplified start if you catch my drift. I see this issue as something that could potentially drive away new consumers within the future as the creators are only going to add more more and more new features. What are your thoughts on this? I dont see the 'How to' being significant as that baffles me and like i said i've roughly 10 years experience.

Just give yourself some time. Delegate some stuff at the start to your Assistant Manager. After a while you will ask for new features.

I think you mis-understood me here. I love every aspect of the game. Its the people that have never played it before that i'am vouching for. I just think there is too much going on for a new comer with training scouting match prep loans transfers contracts. I cope well with all these features as i am aware of them. Whereas a person who hasnt played before would be oblivious leading to them getting pretty pissed off with the game in the long run. You know what i mean?

People who are interested in football management games have usually a good knowledge about football and everything that is part of it. If they are just interested in playing some matches, there are other games available.

I think that's why they included the extended tutorial this year. It walks you through a number of important game functions, (how to offer a contract, accepting and making transfer bids, etc.) and from what I have read is very well done and informative. It's more than just a "How To" section, it is just like a regular game, with the exception of helping you get all settled in.

@ KUBI

I think thats irrelevant really, Its just a tad overwhelming in my opinion. Even people i know that haven't played since '09 are asking me 'why has so much changed' 'whats this, that and this'? As i said im not criticising the game as i love every version as much as the last.

But if the game has not changed since 09, why should they buy FM2012?

Change is good my friend, im all for it. Surely you can agree that it is even the slightest bit overwhelming for a new comer.

@TWINSFAN86

I understand what your saying about the extended tutorial but the last thing anyone wants to do when they buy a new game is sit and read through a long winded section on how to do things that are actually very simple. I know FM is a very time consuming game and in the long run reading through the tutorial section would prob take up 1% of time spent actually gaming. I suppose forums are a godsend as the amount of advice found in here is immense.

Change is good my friend, im all for it. Surely you can agree that it is even the slightest bit overwhelming for a new comer.

@TWINSFAN86

I understand what your saying about the extended tutorial but the last thing anyone wants to do when they buy a new game is sit and read through a long winded section on how to do things that are actually very simple. I know FM is a very time consuming game and in the long run reading through the tutorial section would prob take up 1% of time spent actually gaming. I suppose forums are a godsend as the amount of advice found in here is immense.

And you think it will be quicker going through all this than the tutorial and manual?

I'm still on FM10, but from what I've seen in the blogs and read on here FM12 appears more user friendly. (especially the immediate feedback from team talks combined with the gift of a second go to get it right. )

FM 2012 was my first time with the series. I really like the game, but I made a mistake in trying to start with Manchester City (in the demo). The first division leagues like that are very complicated with registration, rules, and other stuff. Since I love soccer but I don't know much about the "backend" stuff like designated players, contracts, loyalty bonuses, etc., I had a hard time getting over the learning bump to figure out what all that stuff was.

I switched to play Seattle in the MLS and that made my experience loads better. MLS teams are easier to manage but still go through a good chunk of change, so it's fun to play with the money and score a huge upset in the transfer market.

I don't think a dumbed-down version is necessary - the tutorials were very thorough. But I think the game should recommend starting players in a league like the MLS or lower for their first team if the player is unfamiliar with the game and the terminology of soccer contracts.

I have to say that I think FM is a much simpler game than people give it credit for. There's nothing complicated in almost all of the stuff that the game requires of you. Perhaps the most complicated things are tactics and training. To be honest, you can achieve plenty of success without ever touching training. As for tactics, the new wizard makes the whole thing more approachable, and in any case, if you're a football fan you'll not struggle to get your head around tactics. You might struggle to find a tactic that works, but in that you would be joining the ranks of myriad long-term players like myself, who first played CM/FM way back in 1997.

The real problem for a newcomer is finding your way about. There are a lot of screens and a lot of things to click on and a lot of data available. But a lot of these screens and data are not always relevant. So you don't need an instant mastery of everything. And let's not forget that there is a pretty decent tutorial that comes with the game.

Finally, I say let's not underestimate the intelligence of a lot of people drawn to the game. I suspect a lot of newcomers have the mental capacity to get their heads around it.

Why would you even want to ask this question, considering your not a newcomer yourself?

I'm sure there's no harm in asking the question.

I'm sure there's no harm in asking the question.

There's no harm but why add speculation.

If it was too difficult for newcomers, there would be a thread, much like there has been in the past.

First off. @HURSTY2: It was just a thought to be honest mate. And it seems i was kind of correct judging by the response from DANTIG.

@DANTIG: In what way was it made simpler by managing in the MLS? I've never played in the american league before it has never really appealed to me...

@PIGFACEMONKEYMAN: I don't think you can reserve judgement on this having not even purchased the game mate. I appreciated your input but this was mainly a question aimed at Newcomers or people who own FM 12.

Ok, MLS is so hard to manage in though.

I'm from the US and my first version of FM was 2006 (I had tried the demo in both 04 and 05 and gave up). I knew nothing about football, other than I thought it was boring (I don't anymore, huge fan of football). Trying to come to terms with the game of football (rules, contracts, transfers, league rules, player positions and what each does, formations, etc. etc. etc.) and at the same time try to learn a tactics system based only on sliders was a huge undertaking. I spent many hours on these forums getting help from life long football fans from around the world. I found these boards both friendly and helpful to this uneducated American.

With all of that in mind v12 would be a breeze to start with compared to v2006. All of the in-game help to get you to the right button in the gui. Tactics being setup using football terms instead of sliders. Much easier telling someone I want them to be a MC advanced play-maker than having to learn that meant 14 mentality (which would be plus or minus 2 compared to his "link up players" dependent of course on if I was using the "rule of two" for creating tactics) and then coming up with sliders for passing, creativity freedom, etc. etc. Then do that 9 more times for the rest of the outfield positions.

I know many other Americans that never got into FM until the new tactic model was developed. At the game board I frequent based here in the states, many guys would try FM but would end up giving up and saying "the game looks so deep but I just don't know what to do and I am totally overwhelmed". These same guys are now playing the game because of the new tactic builder and help module.

I would have loved it if FM2006 had the current tactics setup and the "how to" help mode, it would have saved me a ton of time and frustration, and made my initial foray into FM much more enjoyable.