FM2009 just doesn't "grab" me like previous versions.

[Jimbokav1971]

For the first time since I started playing FM all them years ago, I have recently gone months without playing a single game of FM.

It's not because the game is carp, (it's not).

It's not because the game is too hard, (it isn't).

It's not because I am carp at the game, (although I have been known to be).

It's not because I haven't got time, (because I am able to play other games).

It's weird, but although I miss FM, I still don't feel the desire to crank it back up again. I'm typing this for example instead of loading it back up and giving it another go and I am wondeing why?

Now my lack of success can't be blamed as the reason for my lack of satisfaction with the game. I've never been that good at the game and my "journey" has always been far more important to me than anything that my teams have won.

I have always managed in a style that has seen me be overly loyal to my players and often keep certain players on for far longer than was maybe prudent. As a result I have achieved such milestones in the past as 4 different defenders scoring over 100 goals and even a GK scoring over 100 goals and I was one of the more vocal supporters of the FM legend that was "Super Kyle".

I was a regular contributor in both the Dafuge and Gundo threads and also frequented the LLM forum.

So what has changed that has led me here?

Well I was VERY unhappy with the new authentication process, (did I hear this morning that someone has just dispensed with a similar system due to the number of complaints they received last year). (Think it was The Sims). Either way though, I can't still have the himp about that can I? and even if I do, would it really affect my enjoyment of my current game?

The only other thing that really bothered me was the speed with which the game progresses, (significantly slower than previous versions), but is that really the issue?

Obviously the 3D match engine was a major introduction, but I quite liked that if I'm honest, (and of course if I don't like it then I can simply turn it off).

So I am curious to know if I am alone in that my desire to play the game has dwindled so much. If you had told me a year ago that I would have stopped playing completely then I would have thought you mad.

[phnompenhandy]

The authentication issue was a total 'mare for me, but once I was up and running I fell in love with fM09 big-time. The 3D was the real mouth-waterer.

My guess is that you're just getting older and maybe more settled in non-FM life. It would likely be a natural life-change with any of the editions of FM. I often think that when fans nostalgise about previous versions of CM/FM they're saying more about their life-priorities at the time than about the relative merits of the games themselves.

[swash]

For me and I know plenty of other people who feel the same, there is a great danger that the more authentic SI try and make the game, in a strange way it will also become less playable for a lot of die hards.

Put at the most simple level, loading up FM or CM as was years ago was fun, now it feels more like a chore or a second job and if I'm already a bit knackered, I just can't face it.

[TigerJoe]

For the first time since I started playing FM all them years ago, I have recently gone months without playing a single game of FM.

It's not because the game is carp, (it's not).

It's not because the game is too hard, (it isn't).

It's not because I am carp at the game, (although I have been known to be).

It's not because I haven't got time, (because I am able to play other games).

It's weird, but although I miss FM, I still don't feel the desire to crank it back up again. I'm typing this for example instead of loading it back up and giving it another go and I am wondeing why?

Now my lack of success can't be blamed as the reason for my lack of satisfaction with the game. I've never been that good at the game and my "journey" has always been far more important to me than anything that my teams have won.

I have always managed in a style that has seen me be overly loyal to my players and often keep certain players on for far longer than was maybe prudent. As a result I have achieved such milestones in the past as 4 different defenders scoring over 100 goals and even a GK scoring over 100 goals and I was one of the more vocal supporters of the FM legend that was "Super Kyle".

I was a regular contributor in both the Dafuge and Gundo threads and also frequented the LLM forum.

So what has changed that has led me here?

Well I was VERY unhappy with the new authentication process, (did I hear this morning that someone has just dispensed with a similar system due to the number of complaints they received last year). (Think it was The Sims). Either way though, I can't still have the himp about that can I? and even if I do, would it really affect my enjoyment of my current game?

The only other thing that really bothered me was the speed with which the game progresses, (significantly slower than previous versions), but is that really the issue?

Obviously the 3D match engine was a major introduction, but I quite liked that if I'm honest, (and of course if I don't like it then I can simply turn it off).

So I am curious to know if I am alone in that my desire to play the game has dwindled so much. If you had told me a year ago that I would have stopped playing completely then I would have thought you mad.

I completely agree with you. I've only played 3 games where I've completed over 1 season with a team.

[David86]

for me FM09 is more difficult in a time consuming sort of way and i just can't be bothered to spend that much time on it so i stick to FM07

[chopper99]

Hello again Jimbo.

I can completely understand where you're coming from, it was exactly the same for me for a long while with FM09. Like you I couldn't quite put my finger on what the problem was, as in terms of time I had to play the game, nothing had changed since FM08. I liked most of the new features, and loved the 3D view, but simply couldn't seem to get really into the game like I normally had.

At first I thought this was down to the tactical side of the game, something I'd always been decent at and had fun with. But, for some reason that again I can't quite figure out, the tactics in this version had me baffled. Apart from the removal of arrows they on the face of it hadn't changed a great deal, but for some reason I couldn't get to grips with the tactics for quite some time, which obviously led me to frustration and at that point the game become more of a chore than it was fun.
But I doubt this is the problem for you, knowing a bit about how you play the game I doubt a poor choice of tactic would put you off, probably quite the opposite.

The second thing that I think dampened my enthusiasm was something that you've already touched upon; game speed. The game still runs reasonably smoothly on my PC (which I admit is four years old and still only has one processor), but not as smooth as '08 and as a consequesnce it seems to take me a lot longer to get through a season. I know this is down to the fact that I probably need a new machine, I accept that, and can therefore accept that this is no fault of the games. But I currently don't have the spare cash for a new PC, so I have to make do, and I think the extra time it take me to get through a season really stopped me getting into the game for a while.

Thankfully now I've got past all that, I've managed to get to grips with tactics and accept that my seasons now simply take longer (I've only managed 3 seasons with Sunderland so far since I started playing the game properly). Because of that I'm now enjoying the game a lot.

So for me it wasn't so much that I couldn't get into the game, it just took me a lot longer than it has done in the past.

[nymanr]

Feel the same way as the OP.
I do well but i still can't get that "can't wait to get home to play FM" feeling again.
The longterm goals and achievements have been the "fun" part for me and i just find it to slow/hard for me to get to those 15-20 seasons in one club. So far i have managed 2 sesons with Newcastle and i won the premier League in my second season. But that doesn't matter as it took me 3 weeks to finish those 2 seasons. (Too long)
Just feel thers too many pointless "interactions" in the game that slow the gameplay down to a crawl.

To be fair i could have finished the 2 seasons in two weeks had i not been away for a while or if i would have continued my save on a laptop, but feel the processing gets even slower that way so don't want that.

[Management]

My problem is trying to find a club i can stick with.
in 07 & 08 it was Red Star Belgrade but this year I couldn't do it...
I have found satisfaction so far with Villa though but time will tell..

[hamilton162]

That exactly the opposite to me ironically. I find that this year's game is the most addictive in years and i can't stop playing it For the first time i am addicted to a version of FM. Maybe it is the 3D, maybe because i am taking on challenges, but i find that for some reason, it is addictive and by far the best version of FM that SI has ever produced

[dz47]

I feel similarly, but i have only been playing since FM07. Back then it felt totally revolutionary to me in terms of football games. Living in Australia, the game obviously isn't as well known as in europe etc, so I was getting my 'fix' by probably doing what many others did, playing football games like FIFA or pro EVO etc. It was only when i decided that a dedicated football management game would be more fun that I searched on the net and 'discovered' FM. So like i said, leaping from FIFA to FM 07 felt like something really special in terms of playing a realistic and challenging football game. I had fun playing at both lower leagues, top teams, obscure countries etc etc. I played multiple seasons, career games etc etc. I became a tactics nut and even bought a few books on football tactics. i fiddled around with the database, made a custom team, custom logos, kits etc. basically i got absorbed into pretty much anything and everything i could FM wise. in short I spent a very pleasantly unhealthy amount of my spare time on the game. Then out came 08, and i did similar, but probably a bit less. This year, i have struggled to get past one season with any team, and have not even bothered starting a career game because i just know i won't stick to it. Like most of you above, i still really think 09 is a great game; i like the 3d (even though if given a choice i would rather SI had added depth in other key areas instead; ie player interaction, training etc), and most of the features are fine. In summary i can see that the game is moving forward, its just that its not really 'exciting' me like it used to. Now maybe this is because, even though its a new version, its no longer 'new and shiny' like 07 was when i 'discovered' it. Having written this i think i could summarise my sentiment by saying FM09 is still a great game that is still developing, and is the only computer game i now play. But even though the game continues to develop, it is not really developing significantly enough in the ways i would prefer (ie a more well rounded football management sim where all facets of real life management such as man management, interaction etc are equally important and where 90% of the focus isn't on building a squad and developing tactics), or in a way that manages to give me that 'special' feeling any more.
Anyway that's my thoughts. Gotta go play FM now!!!

[ricki.bertolino]

That exactly the opposite to me ironically. I find that this year's game is the most addictive in years and i can't stop playing it For the first time i am addicted to a version of FM. Maybe it is the 3D, maybe because i am taking on challenges, but i find that for some reason, it is addictive and by far the best version of FM that SI has ever produced

Same here. I didn't play FM07 and FM08 as much as I'm playing FM09. Since I played for a long time, I was getting bored with the older versions and I felt like I was getting old for the game.

FM09 brought back the addiction I had when I was a kid. I already played a long term game (10 seasons) until 9.3.0 came out, and since then I started a LLM game in Italy and I'm loving it. I'm in my third season (only one promotion achieved so far), but I'm always thinking to my game when I'm not busy at work.

[macdyne73]

Same here. I didn't play FM07 and FM08 as much as I'm playing FM09. Since I played for a long time, I was getting bored with the older versions and I felt like I was getting old for the game.

FM09 brought back the addiction I had when I was a kid. I already played a long term game (10 seasons) until 9.3.0 came out, and since then I started a LLM game in Italy and I'm loving it. I'm in my third season (only one promotion achieved so far), but I'm always thinking to my game when I'm not busy at work.

Same here. I just can't stop playing it. Right now I'm doing the San Marino double challenge and it's addictive as heck. Also, for the 1st time ever I'm dabbling in modifying the db and using player retain files to enrich my footballing world. Can't wait for FM10.

Having said all that, if SI could optimize the game further and make processing run faster I'm sure more people will have the motivation to play it.

[LeChuck]

The authentication issue was a total 'mare for me, but once I was up and running I fell in love with fM09 big-time. The 3D was the real mouth-waterer.

My guess is that you're just getting older and maybe more settled in non-FM life. It would likely be a natural life-change with any of the editions of FM. I often think that when fans nostalgise about previous versions of CM/FM they're saying more about their life-priorities at the time than about the relative merits of the games themselves.

Nice summary there.

I definitely find things like press conferences/team talks/opposition instructions etc. a chore, they're all far too superficial to feel like I'm actually in control.

There's plenty of scope for making the game more realistic without adding extra 'chores' onto the game (namely opposition tactics, AI transfer dealings etc). I'm a bit worried that I won't have time to play this game properly if all these little things keep getting added on.

[crouchaldinho]

Another thread summing up how I feel at the moment.

I absolutely love FM. In the past, I have often spent way too much time playing it when I should have been studying or spending time with my wife.

But I'm really struggling to get the same enjoyment out of FM09. The game just makes me grumpy and frustrated. Not because I'm playing poorly either. More because I'm frustrated at how slow it is, how long it all takes and how some of it feels like a step back from FM08.

Over the weekend, I gave FM09 another chance after a couple of weeks away from the game. I decided to 'turn off' all of the things that were winding me up. Basically, off went 3D and back came 2D classic. And off went those awful press conferences.

I felt like I was starting to get hooked again but eventually the same grumpy feeling came back. Why does everything have to take so long?

Unlike a lot of people, I actually enjoy the complexity of the tactics. It's the media and the team talks that wind me up. At their worst, they feel like a multiple choice game with 'right' or 'wrong' answers. The press conferences are absolutely awful, with no real reaction from the players to make you believe in them. The team talks, well, I just find them baffling (probably my own fault). LeChuck sums it up nicely above when he describes press conferences and team talks as a chore and far too superficial. Both seem like a step back from FM08.

Having turned off press conferences and 3D due to not liking them/finding things going too slowly, I have realised that I might as well just have continued playing 08.

FM has always been the only computer game that I play. I'm not really into video games at all. So it is a sad day for me to fall out of love with the game as I absolutely love FM.

C.

[DLH]

Having turned off press conferences and 3D due to not liking them/finding things going too slowly, I have realised that I might as well just have continued playing 08.

C.

How do you turn off press conferences?

I am definitely on the list of people that are finding press conferences detract from my enjoyment of this great game. I am hopeful that SI will find ways to speed a season along for FM2010. The increased amount of time (from the 2008 version) that playing through a season takes is my only major complaint.

[The Smudge]

At the minute im raging with the game having lost 4-3 after being 3-1 and the winning goal in the 93 min being the stupidist thing i have ever seen since the last thing on fm . Though still it isn't this that bothers me about fm 09 as ******** things happened in all the past games aswell. FM 09 to me just lacks something and I am exactly the same as you Jimbo. I played fm 07 and 08 for thousands of hours and thst just when I had xfire on to count. FM 09 I have hardly played except the first few days finally after teh activation farce and basically the last couple of days. Unthinkable to me when I bought it considering teh features added. It just seems to lack something the spark the other games had.

[jayahr]

How do you turn off press conferences?

I am definitely on the list of people that are finding press conferences detract from my enjoyment of this great game. I am hopeful that SI will find ways to speed a season along for FM2010. The increased amount of time (from the 2008 version) that playing through a season takes is my only major complaint.

You cannot turn them off entirely. Unfortunately
What you can do is send your assistant every time a PC is arranged. It saves you time and from boredom. Yet, your assman will likely screw it up and there will be a negative effect on your team.

The press conferences disaster was just so predictable in every respect...

[crouchaldinho]

You can go to 'team settings' and set the assistant manager to deal with them. Then you can ultimately ignore them until your assistant makes a total balls up and says something crazy which demotivates your squad!

[DLH]

You cannot turn them off entirely. Unfortunately
What you can do is send your assistant every time a PC is arranged. It saves you time and from boredom. Yet, your assman will likely screw it up and there will be a negative effect on your team.

The press conferences disaster was just so predictable in every respect...

Thanks, I wasn't aware of anyway to disable press conferences. I almost always send my assistant as well, however he is prone to say some stupid things on occasion.

As a player that derives the most satisfaction and enjoyment from building a squad into title contenders over the course of several seasons, anything that increases the length of time it takes to play a season such as the mind-numbing press conferences is a step in the wrong direction. I would love for SI to add an option to disable press conferences entirely in 2010. From our lips to SI's ears.

[crouchaldinho]

Thanks, I wasn't aware of anyway to disable press conferences.

When I said 'turn off', I meant going to the team settings and ticking the box that instructs your assistant to take charge of them. They are effectively 'off' because you don't get asked to attend or anything. You just get the feedback from your assistant's interview.

[DLH]

When I said 'turn off', I meant going to the team settings and ticking the box that instructs your assistant to take charge of them. They are effectively 'off' because you don't get asked to attend or anything. You just get the feedback from your assistant's interview.

Ahha. I have not tried that option. That would definitely help speed things up. Thanks.

[George Graham returns]

For me and I know plenty of other people who feel the same, there is a great danger that the more authentic SI try and make the game, in a strange way it will also become less playable for a lot of die hards.

Put at the most simple level, loading up FM or CM as was years ago was fun, now it feels more like a chore or a second job and if I'm already a bit knackered, I just can't face it.

Agree- the game isnt fun anymore, the 3D is largely superfluous eye candy that adds nothing but actually highlight flaws in the match engine.

Press conferences show that SI have learnt nothing from the previous poor implementation of the media- resulting in a module that is ignored by many.

Seriously guys have you forgotten a game (whether its a simulation or not) should be FUN to play and not a chore- it seems you have and the tactical changes for FM10 should have happened this year, as the game has needed it for a couple of years.

Fingers crossed CM09 delivers on its promise and INNOVATION- as the FM series is looking tired and stale now.

[robin_trott_hoof]

I took several months off playing this version, pretty soon after the week of release until just after the final patch came out. Ditching the 3D made a lot of difference to me.

I guess the main problem is that the game hasn't greatly evolved in recent years so each new version is essentially the one before with a few tweaks and a few issues ironed out - it continues to evolve, but nowhere near the pace of old. Probably because there aren't a great deal of areas in which to progress.

I found the time consuming issue really problematic (and still do) and really hope it has peaked here because any more will kill the game for me. The game is also quite sterile with very little personality, but as far as I can see that can only be amended with pointless gimmicks.

One of the other issues I've found is that the game has a mini identity crisis in which the search for realism is vital, but that the demand for some of the more 'fun' (in theory) aspects such as media, tycoons, team talks and feeder clubs have crept into the game. But these are largely superficial, occasionally unrealistic and make a limited amount of impact on the actual play.

Maybe for long-term players it will have to be a case of take an extended break from the game and take it from there - the rolling treadmill of each new game needing new tactics and a new patch is obviously necessary, but that doesn't often equate with fun. The result for me is that I'm glad that I'm now into FM09, but I'm also glad that I can spend a long time away from it too.