FM09 - Better Instruction Manual Please

Simple... as the title says really...

The current manual is pretty much useless in my opinion. It is, of course, ok for a starting point. However, it comes unstuck as soon as you start any kind of in-depth/advanced FM game.

The tactics section should be twice the size (at least), with everything properly and exactly defined, so that even the most stupid person can manage to make a half decent tactic. Don't get me wrong - I don't want to be given the magic tactic that wins every time, but I think everything should defined in detail. Why not get people like WWFan and Cleon from the tactics thread involved - I find their definitions to be very clear and they are already helping the majority of the FM community to succeed at Football Manager.

Things like tutoring - which I have been recently struggling to understand - should be made clear in the manual. As it is, I can find about a sentence regarding this topic. The difference between the various options has escaped me entirely.

I just think that the whole manual should be like a constant reference guide, or a bible, for the game. Everytime I get a problem, I should be able to consult it and thus think of something new to try to attempt to solve the issues of my team.

As it is, over the last two FM releases I have assembled my own 'FM bible'. Each time I come across tactical problems, personality problems, tutor problems etc., I note them down.

I am not looking for the manual to be a guide to how to win the game - I am looking for it to be a decent reference that will give me a fair chance of applying real life principles to the game.

If it wasn't for this community, I think a lot of people wouldn't have any idea what they were doing. The manual is no help and even if you know football inside out, the myriad in-game options are sometimes hard to decipher.

Opinions?

C.

I remember when FM was CM they used to publish a manual that you could buy that talked you through some of the features and tactics and why you should use them.

I beleive that the instruction manual should just tell you the features, I think if you want to know how to play the game then you are looking for a manual.

I should have mentioned this in the post above but the other area that needs elucidating in the manual is media and team talks. Some of the options are quite frankly confusing and although I get the general idea right most of the time, occasionally I think I am selecting an option that will do the opposite to what it actually does, e.g. selecting an option which I believe will reduce pressure when it actually increases it.

Again, the manual is no help at all. What we need is not the answer but to be given the a good chance of applying the right answer in the right situation. My idea of what some of the options should do in real life differ to how they operate in the game - in my opinion. If I could at least see where FM is coming from, that would always give me a fighting chance.

Again, there are people on the tactics forum who are already helping the community. Why not help the FM community by writing a decent manual.

C.

C.

Originally posted by ralphieconq:

I remember when FM was CM they used to publish a manual that you could buy that talked you through some of the features and tactics and why you should use them.

I beleive that the instruction manual should just tell you the features, I think if you want to know how to play the game then you are looking for a manual.

I think perhaps you are right to an extent.

However, you must agree that the way certain real life aspects of the game are represented in FM needs to be explained in the manual.

My recent problem has revolved around the tutor feature. This is a good example of the kind of problem that the manual does not help. The only way I have found out what the functions do is through trial and error, and also reading other people's posts on this forum. The manual should at least make a mention of how this feature works.

Think about the amount of threads on here dealing with certain subjects over and over again. They could be avoided with a decent manual that explained functions in a clear and detailed way.

I do see what you mean - where do you draw the line between a instruction manual and a 'full game guide'. However, I think that the instruction manual should be exactly that - a manual to instruct you regarding the game! If it only details the features, then it is not an instruction manual. Personally, I'm not looking for a strategy guide or a hints and tips guide or whatever. I just want a more detailed instruction manual for the game.

C.

I guess the question is: where do they stop?

It'll either be too detailed for most people to read or not detailed enough for the stupid people (your word, not mine ).

I think the problem is bigger for people who are new to the game. I've played since 00/01 so I only tend to read up on the new features.

Perhaps a tactics and training manual or something? Additional revenue to SI, plus handy for those who want it. Or, even better, a freebie download.

Absolutely. However, I think a tutorial would be better. I'm in the process of creating some mock-ups that would show and example of a tutorial in FM - I know we have the Advisor at the moment - but that's very basic, helps in terms of knowing what to click, but not how to win games. A bit more advice on the tactical side of things is definetley the right way to go. Some people don't have access to a forum like we do.

Not going to happen in the near future. I remember someone posted about the FM 08 manual re tactics in the 'First Impressions' thread when it was released. Someone with an SI logo in their name basically responded by saying figuring out what the sliders etc. do is considered part of the gaming experience (or words to that effect).

I would be surprised if the game ever came with a manual that gives all the ins and outs.