Suggestion: Interaction Improvements/Wishlist

This time last year I created an Interaction Wishlist that asked people to make suggestions to improve interaction in the game. I’ve decided to do it again this year and hopefully build on some of the suggestions made.

A majority of these functions would work with the press conference feature, and make it more interesting. I haven’t played enough of FM09 to know if the press conferences have a major influence on the game itself, but IMO the power of the media and perception/choice of words should play an integral role in how your career pans out.

Pointlessness seems to be the thing that puts people off a lot of the interaction in the game. People get turned off by current interaction because, yes it is repetitive, but also because it seems to have little relevance to game play. I certainly wouldn’t want the game to have too much interaction, where I would be having to submit comments every other click, but what I would like if for it perhaps only happen a few times a season with a more distinct consequence.

Some of these ideas are taken from my previous wishlist and the member who came up with them is displayed in brackets.

Leaving A Club

ATM resignation is frowned upon by the fans in FM, whether you have spent 50 trophy filled seasons or 1 relegation battle with a club, as soon as you resign you become disliked personnel. The ability to justify your decision would give us the chance to explain to the fans and club why we have decided to move on and hopefully maintain relationships with the fans/team.

The introduction of features such as confidence and board interference, mean that we now have reasons (other than boredom) to leave clubs. Recent high profile examples show us that there are times when managers can leave a club at short notice, but for the right reasons and maintain fan respect.

Obviously it could work both ways, and the possible statements would require enough scope to both enhance and destroy our relationships.

Start of Season Press Release

Give the fans an idea of what to expect. The press conference feature already covers this, but from what I can see it doesn’t have as much of an impact as I think necessary. Currently it tells us how players have reacted, but how have the fans and board reacted to our words of wisdom.

Selling your team short might well save your bacon from over expectant fans, but it could just as easily turn the fans against you because of your lack of ambition.

Reasons For Board Request

Rather than just asking for more transfer funds etc I think we should be giving a reason fordoing so, the board could then decide whether you need a player in this position or if the player you propose is worth the gamble.

The ability to ask the board for extra funds for wages in order to keep our star player, holds more weight than simply asking for more funds for wages.

This would also require interaction between your board and staff, which at present is non existent.

End Of Season Board Meeting

A chance to hear what the board have to say for themselves and find out where you are going wrong.

Transfer funds etc are provided by the board, without any interaction regards the previous season. The team may have overachieved and need serious financial input to maintain that level of football in the seasons to come.

Private Player Interaction (phnompenhhandy)

Guiding players through their career and giving them advice is an integral part of RL management. You’re 17 year old wonderkid LW might have caught the eye of Real Madrid, but you don’t think it’s the right time for him to move and want to tell him to earn his stripes with you and you’ll give him the chance to move, but now isn’t the right time. It would add a personal touch to squad development and manager-player relationships.

Staff Interaction (phnompenhhandy)

A one liner from your coaches telling me that Peter Popsmtih hasn’t performed well in training isn’t really good enough, I’d like to ask my staff what’s been happening and ask him to keep an eye on the player in question.

Deadline Day Press Conference

Introduce your players to the press and tell the fans exactly what to expect. Again this could have positive or negative effects, signing a 17 yr old winger you expect to be a star who turns out to be a dud might turn the fans against you and have them questioning your judgement.

Fan Interaction (LFC Lloydy)

The confidence section has seen the supporters emerge as something that actually exists in the game and it would be great if it was expanded further.It could involve you (the manager) releasing statements to the supporters which results in the board getting annoyed with you or the supporters can begin to believe you don't care about them. It might be the case you build up such a relationship with the fans that the board can't sack you even if they wanted. There are many examples IRL of agreements/disagreements between these different parties and it is something that should be replicated in the game.

There are almost limitless ways in which you can increase the interaction between board, manager and supporters and their relationship (and their feuds) with each other. I think it would add a lot to the game and bring the media more to life in the game.

/signed

Some really great ideas here

Good post

I agree, interaction is one area of the game with massive potential.

Bump!

Any chance a mod could change the title of this to Interaction Wishlist? Maybe get a better response then.

Some very good ideas in there mate

I'm hoping some further suggestions get added.

Signing A Player

When you sign a player for say 1.5 million because you think he has good potential a few months later your fans are dissapointed because he has played so few games for the club. Now I did write a big piece on my views on this a couple of months back which if i can find I will link in here. But a brief statment you can release when signing a player that says maybe "Ive signed John Smith because I believe he has potential" The fans then wouldnt expect him to be playing straight away.

However you sign a player for 20 Million and if he isnt starting every game your fans have a right to be agreeved.

SOme nice ideas there Nomis07, I would like to see more interaction with our own players. For example I know that this year is the first time that we have been able to say that sending a young player out to loan is because 'he will benefit from 1st team football' but I would like to actually explain that personally to the player so that he actually knows why I am doing it and maybe he can interact a little more when he returns so that I can understand where he feels it was beneficial and where it wasn't.

All good ideas in here

I'm liking the suggestions there.

One suggestion, from me, which goes with the Fan Interaction, would be that you can express your unhappiness at their reactions.

For example, if they claim that X is putting in bad performances recently, but you understand and know why this is, then you should be able to ask the fans, or shout at the fans(depends on your characteristics) in your anger to try and make them see sense.

It works for many ways.

Well, It does in my head...

Some great suggestions there Nomis. I have comments and suggestions of my own but it's home time now so they'll have to wait until later....

I'd like to see the board really expanded on. Perhaps each member could have a different personality ala journalists- if this means generating board members for legal reasons then so be it. Some would be demanding, others more placid. Some would want to make a profit, whilst others were more concerned about the team's success and would be willing to give you the money you needed to achieve your goals. You'd get the chance to build relationships with the board members (making comments to the press that please them, achieving targets they set as indiviuals (ie ambitious board members may set higher targets than the chairman, though these targets won't matter nearly as much) , etc.). If most of the board are backing you, then the chairman will be less likely to sack you. On the other hand, if they are calling for your head, then he could end up being swayed into sacking you more easily than he would have been.

Then, of course, comes the board takeover. Suppose two board members are interested in a promotion from within. One has money but a lack of patience, the other is willing to give you a chance but has less to help you reach the side's potential. You can shift supporter support onto one of the candidates via the media, and in doing so the odds are that that candidate will become the new chairman. Do you go for the rich, ambitious guy or the patient board member?

Some great ideas there. Interaction is an area of the game that could become great if it goes into enough detail. At the moment its just lacking a lot of detail, adding some of these features wouldn't do any harm I'm sure

Excellent post there, Nomis. I'd like to add a few considered points / personal bugbears (delete as appropriate)

Interactions with ageing players

It's tragic that you have no way of telling your 35 year old work horse "Thanks for all you've done, but we're not going to renew your contract next season". Aside from dropping unsubtle hints about them being suited to coaching, your only options are to allow their contract to expire then release them, or release them on a free transfer. Both of which makes them unhappy. Hopefully this option will unlock their staff stats (if they are so inclined) or will have the same effect as putting them on the market as a free transfer (without you becoming a disliked personnel)

Interactions with players re. form

I can't understand why all praise and criticism has to be done in public. Public criticism is the nuclear option when it comes to professional footballers.

But more than that - if a player has a run of good performances, why is the 'performing well' interaction option a one way ticket to overconfidence, falling morale and "Thinks he doesn't have to perform well..."? Some players are unhappy at anything less than the highest praise levels; others can't understand why you are praising them for being 'average'.

Praise/criticism should be limited to these options:

Praise Player Y to the media

Praise Player Y at training

Praise Player Y privately

Criticise Player Y privately

Criticise Player Y at training

Criticise Player Y to the media

Players interacting with you re. selection

If you are a manager of low reputation - or you have a 'leader' personality player of higher reputation than yours - I would expect that you would get more approaches from players wanting to play alongside other team members. For example your star striker may come to you saying that he would rather start alongside player X rather than player Y; or a central defender telling you that right back Z isn't fast enough to face opposition player LeftWinger, and you should consider playing SubRightBack instead.

Of course, you don't have to listen to the player's suggestions - this should NOT automatically make them upset.

It would be nice if there was some more distinction between club management and National management in terms of media, manager and player interaction.

When presented with interaction options i would like to see 1 of the following two options given

1) Initial choices given in clear plain English, and then see the transposed results afterwards

2) Increase the number of responses that are available to an individual option, eg with the media we have options 1-5, but not 1a-e -> 5a-e.

Interactions with players re. form

I can't understand why all praise and criticism has to be done in public. Public criticism is the nuclear option when it comes to professional footballers.

Agree entirely. Never understood this.

I would like to see some interaction with clubs with Directors of Football and more board room interaction, director of football interfearence levels could differ so that some would leave you to get on with it others would interfear

o my god please dont put any of this in the game keep it a game not a S.A exam

a good working game would be a good start than all that rubbish

it might feel good to start with but after a few seasons of all that rubbish your soon get peeded off

Start of Season Press Release no

Reasons For Board Request no

End Of Season Board Meeting no

Private Player Interaction no

Staff Interaction no

Deadline Day Press Conference no

Fan Interaction no

no no no no no

So that's 13 for and 1 against

make that 14 for = ]

There is huge potential in this kind of interactions that would do very much for the gameplay itself. The only thing to watch out for is to make it another 'press conferance' which simply isn't great as it is.

I think press conferences may be more popular if they weren't wuite as frequent, greater variation in interaction may help avoid repetitive and boring intereaction.

Add all of these great ideas, and also have the ingame option to turn them all off, just incase it does get too much.

p.s I'd like to see the interaction in training improved also, plus the inclusion of beeing able to instruct players to play one-two's.

I think something like these should be put into the game, very good ideas.

Especially when in my opinion morale/ happiness/mental stats are ever more important they should be able to be fine tweaked some how.

Taking over at a new club

Maybe covered by Nomis07 (Leaving A Club), but when you take over at a club in mid season, you could only accept to become there manager if they promise not to sell your star player(s) during the next transfer window, otherwise you would resign immediately.

More interaction with the manger of a Nation

Now you can select withdraw, only 45 minutes and nothing, but you can't give a reason. I did this with one player of mine, withdrawn him twice, I had a injury crises on my hand and I couldn't afford that player to be travelling and missing my games. But after two times, he never got a call up again, while before it was a regular starter for his nation.

Signed.

Manager Interaction

How about more variance in your comments to opposing managers as well as an advancement in your relationship with them one way or another. Instead of Doesn't think highly of you and Feels the two of you could be friends.

..Signed

i also think other ideas the other users have added are good too

Excellent ideas, interaction is something I'd love to see improved.

I agree with all the suggestions put forward, also with what Nomis said about press conferences perhaps being rarer, to keep them interesting.

also with what Nomis said about press conferences perhaps being rarer, to keep them interesting.

How often, or infrequently, do you suggest though ?

League matches :- just vs Rivals, 1st game of season, last 3-5 if in possible promotion spot ?

Cup matches :- drawn vs minnow/giant, final 8/16 draws ?

Player Signing :- Big Name/fee signings only,Include future prospects, rumours only during windows ?

Jobs :- 1st Job, leave/join any club, linked vacancy rumours ?

All the press conferences should be optional, but I like the idea of talking privately to players, and why you are asking for more funds.

I'd like to have an update each year on how well your feeder clubs are doing, in particular how profitable your commercial link up is.

Also, if you reject the boards offer of a new contract, you should be able to tell them why.

Wanting a new challenge, lack of ambition fro the board, wages offered are way too low, etc...

Deadline Day Press Conference

Introduce your players to the press and tell the fans exactly what to expect. Again this could have positive or negative effects, signing a 17 yr old winger you expect to be a star who turns out to be a dud might turn the fans against you and have them questioning your judgement.

More definitely needs to be made of deadline day, it's a much bigger part of the season that in used to be and would love to see more last minute transfers going through (and possibly some failed ones that don't quite make it). Currently the managers always seem to have their transfers tied up quite early, particularly in January.

Exactly what I was looking for here;

I have a player who's upset and thinks he deserves to be playing more football. He's extremely unsettled and is "considering his options". Currently, all I can do is sit and do nothing about it. Maybe he'll eventually come out and say it to the press, maybe not. It would be better if I could interact with him of my own accord through the player interaction screen. If it's apparent to me that he's unhappy, why can't I do anything about it?

In this instance, I know for a fact I plan on playing him more in the near future. I'd like to be able to approach him at the club and reassure him by saying, "You will play more football in the next couple of weeks, I promise." Obviously, if I then don't play him, he could become even more angry with me, but when I do he could be relieved and happier.

Other instances would play out the same way as when the player approaches the media themselves. This option, however, I feel would give good man managers the ability to nip any problems in the bud. It'd be good to also have an option that allows me to say, "Please be patient a bit longer. Another player is currently in very good form and is the only reason you're not playing currently. Rotation could happen in the future."

Thanks. I really hope my suggestion and many other interaction options here are taken into considerations, as, IMO, it could and should be a much more important part of the game. I almost feel like the only times I can influence my players is during the actual matches in FM09. (Clearly a bit of hyperbole for effect. )

Keep up the good work, SI.

What annoys me most about the current system is that you have no chance of explaining comments if they do not have the desired effect.

Would like to see mroe interaction with the board during the season - a simple yes/no for extra transfer funds is far too basic, especially if you've got a cash happy owner.

Interactions with players re. form

I can't understand why all praise and criticism has to be done in public. Public criticism is the nuclear option when it comes to professional footballers.

This is a part of the game that FMH is ahead of FMPC. When commenting on a players form you can do it privately or via the media, and this can have different effects.

Some players prefer the pressue put on them by having your comments put in the media, but some others, to put it shortly, don't.

This could be covered by the personality section, having an unambitious personality could make the player think that you are putting unessary pressure on him by commenting in the media, or a driven player could buck up his game when told to improve in the press.