Football Manager Live

[Yohan4Cabaye]

This is the infamous Tom Hardy, and I like many here are absolutely gutted FML shut down, it was the best game ever.

[Bradley21]

It was, pity people like you cheated and made people cancel their subs

[Abz Khan]

Hahahaha, there were some true legends created on that game

[Efe Cinar]

[Efe Cinar]

I've just traded FM12 on Steam. I'll break my oath and play FM for the first time since FML died.

[Abz Khan]

Was just browsing the SI website and I saw this http://www.sigames.com/games/title/FMO

Is it coming back in a new concept? I really do hope so
Maybe just maybe....?

[Kriss]

Asian market it says there so don't get too excited

[Abz Khan]

Asian market it says there so don't get too excited

Maybe Europe in the near future, if its a success?

[Efe Cinar]

Some screenshots from the last day of GW Miller, mostly from the World Cup: http://steamcommunity.com/id/silphat...=shortcut_6976

And two old clips I made for my dear players, Jankovic and Iniesta.




Did I say I ****ing miss this game?!

[Ackter]

Maybe Europe in the near future, if its a success?

If its a success then obviously they'll look elsewhere too, but it won't be in the near future.

[Tactational]

Wow, this thread really picking up.

Would love to see the game come back, it wouldn't really need any developers - just give us ME updates as they come through the FM beta, or maybe even buy out the UFL guys and integrate their ideas if they would do that, and give them the job of coding/managing everything but the ME? They have the direction that FML never had, and definitely have the passion and ethos to make it succeed.

There wouldn't need to be many gameworlds, one that holds maybe 2000 managers (or whatever the demand is, really) but I'd put in more players as it was much easier to compete as a new manager in a half-full world because you could start off with a team that challenged and would play to your tactics reasonably well.

If it isn't profitable, ask the forums if a price increase would be taken, I would've happily paid double myself, and others on here said they would've too. And even after that if it isn't profitable, just use it as testing, there were many things in FML that I would still love to see in FM. Not so much the youth academies and stadiums, but more the little things that made it so much easier and more fun to use. If making a great game even better comes at a small cost, surely it has to be worth it?

[Ackter]

500 manager GWs were by far the most successful over time.

[Tactational]

Was never part of a smaller gameworld, were they in the really early pre-release beta?

[Ackter]

Yeah, GWs 2 and 3 were both 500ers (GW1 was split into two).

Everyone pretty much knew everyone else, and because of the lower amount of managers, everybody's teams were, on average, a lot better than in 1000ers.

The main difference between a 500 manager GW and a 1000 manager GW is that in the 1000er, thousands more rubbish footballers are imported in to the database. It always means there's massive gaps between the different levels of teams and new starters had virtually no chance.

In a 500er you could restart and be competitive again within a month.

[Tactational]

Yeah, new starters in a full and established world would've taken a good half a year to get to grips with the game and get only a decent team going. Which was a bit expensive and not particularly fun. I was lucky that my bedding in was done in beta so when I started paying I knew what I was doing and didn't get stuck at the bottom.

With a fantasy database though you could easily control the amount of players and the overall level, at least compared to a gameworld with real players, so having a large gameworld shouldn't be a problem in that respect?

[Abz Khan]

The community aspect was the best

[Erimus1876]

Sadly I never got to experience FML. Sounds like those who did loved it.

I do think there will one day be another online football manager game, wether by SI or by some other company. Online gaming is the future imho and with football being one of the worlds most popular sports, its inevitable someome will tap into that market and create a MMO football manager type game, hopefully a massive one world game incorporating every league imaginable with 1000's of subscribers. I think that would be more lucrative and much more fun than having many different smaller gameworlds running simultaneously. Imagine the presteige of being the one and only manager of the online version of Manchester United or Real Madrid

Maybe SI are testing the waters with this Asian release?

[Chris Ritchie]

To me, the issue with FML was that we ask for FM to be as realistic as possible. I can see why you'd have to remove a huge amount of realism to create something like FML, but that takes the essence of FM away for me. If I wanted to play Fantasy Football, I'd do so and it wouldn't be the same drain on my time and wallet than FML would be.

[Tactational]

I always found that people associated FML and FM too closely. They were different games with completely different feels. I wouldn't really compare FML to fantasy football though really...

[Bababui]

I was a FML beta tester and I was very disappointed that FML didnt try to replicate real seasons of the sport. Instead, it allowed those with the most free time to finagle a way to dominate the gaming worlds.

This concept will likely never really work because you need to have paying customers willing to finish in the bottom of the table and be relegated. And everyone cant be Barca or Man U. FootieManager is a decent experience and probably the best of the online footie sims..although very expensive for what it offers.

[JadaX]

Well that's how online games work -- the more time you spend online the greater the chance you have of success...this was not a fault with FML.

FML was great in every way (yes yes, there were small issues but I'm talking big picture) except for the fact that new players could not compete with older players. I played in 4 servers over the time FML was live. 1 I would join on the day the server was released and 1 after a while - I always found it very tough going with the team I joined later (4-5 seasons in).

IMO the reason the game failed ultimately is because the devs couldn't figure out a way to make this work.

[Bababui]

It was the fault of FML. Its goofy system of friendlies and tournaments took away from the real footballing experience. It also alienated a large majority of customers who have to work for a living and cant be online too often. If they had tried to replicate the English pyramid using fictional teams (so people wouldnt be obsessed about being a Man U or Liverpool) the game might have been far more successful IMO.

[Tactational]

Are we talking about the same FML? Most of the league tiers were based on the English system, and all teams were fictional. Although I agree that no-one would pay to be bottom of the table each and every season, if it was easier at the bottom to actually make your way up, that wouldn't have had to be a problem.

There was also no need to be online a lot to do well, and as the game went by they made it even easier for the casual user. You couldn't just leave it for months and win everything anyway, of course not, being online more will have an advantage as any MMO, but it certainly was possible as they put the features in place for the casual user.

[DraganBC]

I really mised FML GW Levein

[DraganBC]

is there a way to play UFL ( beta,Invitation ) ?

[JadaX]

Exactly - I logged in when I got home from classes, stayed on for 30-40mins then logged in before I slept (again 30-45mins) and I was always top4 in the Premier League of my Fed.

Though I think this had to do with the fact that I joined the server when it came out and a got a good pic of players (youth/some older) and went youth.

The biggest thing I feel sad about is that the new scouting system never say the day of light....I really liked it and I think it would have made things interesting. Oh well, atleast I got to play with it on Miller.

[mark77]

It's been a whole year nearly since it got switched off. Well, truthfully, this time a year ago it had practically had the stuffing knocked out of it anyway. So want this to come back one day.

I gather the two main costs were servers and licences. I'm sure we'd all settle for the fantasy gameworld set up, and isn't cloud technology the must-have now to reduce server costs and increase stability? Double cost savings - open for business????

[Andyh21]

Yeh i definately will be getting it when it gets released...signed up with the forum etc there...

Maybe fill the gap of FML now

Yep just took a look at UFL hence signed up, given this was first mentioned in August Im glad I havent had to stress waiting till at least now until its release. However I will do now lol

[tottenhamfmo7]

FML was a good game, I just didn't have time for it really.. Generally I play FM in big 'stints' so I won't play for a week, then suddenly play 5 hours straight.. Rather than playing a bit every other day or something, which I think is what FML required.. So it just didn't fit in with my lifestyle, plus I found it pretty confusing as well!

[Abz Khan]

It's been a whole year nearly since it got switched off. Well, truthfully, this time a year ago it had practically had the stuffing knocked out of it anyway. So want this to come back one day.

I gather the two main costs were servers and licences. I'm sure we'd all settle for the fantasy gameworld set up, and isn't cloud technology the must-have now to reduce server costs and increase stability? Double cost savings - open for business????

I'd defo settle for Fantasy Players if the major cost was lisences Also, SI has so many servers which cost so much, if they only had a couple for the people that actually played the game, that would be cost-effective?

[monty99]

I'd defo settle for Fantasy Players if the major cost was lisences Also, SI has so many servers which cost so much, if they only had a couple for the people that actually played the game, that would be cost-effective?

agree with that i would defo sign up again, if they just did fantasy players


thing was people signed up to play expecting to win all the time, the minute they started losing they left in a huff

[Abz Khan]

thing was people signed up to play expecting to win all the time, the minute they started losing they left in a huff

True

[Tactational]

thing was people signed up to play expecting to win all the time, the minute they started losing they left in a huff

I disagree tbh, I don't think it was simply losing that made the newcomers leave so quickly. I always thought it was the scammers running riot and there simply not being any achievable goals when starting off in an experienced world.

If you joined an experienced world, you'd find that only a few others came in with you, there was no real competition at the bottom, and no-one or nothing there to guide you up to a level where you can challenge.

It's easy to forget how hard the game was to get around when we first started. The wizard and manual were good for what they were designed for, but neither really gave an idea of how to rise up the ladder.

If I was paying at least a fiver a month with no real prospect of proper progress, I wouldn't sit there for six months wasting £30, would you? And when you're in a rut like that, it doesn't then take a lot to make you quit, like a ridiculous loss perhaps.

It is way too easy to say that it wouldn't work because people didn't like losing. Imo it is short-sightedness like that which cost the game really.

[Erimus1876]

Sounds like a MMO fm-type game would only be fully workable if it was free to play. Lets face it, who's going to pay a monthly fee when they're losing all the time and constantly hovering near the bottom? It doesn't suprise me now why FML failed.

If SI, or any other games company for that matter, produced an online management game in the future they have to take into consideration that in football there has to be a LOT of losers (ie only one person can win the league, or a cup for example, while the rest struggle to achieve anything meanigful).

I think the only way an online FM-type game will be workable is if its free to play. Free to play games don't have the same impact on a persons pysche when they're losing more often than not as they do when they're having to pay for the priveledge. A free FML with income gained from in-game advertising for example may be the only way something like this could work in future.

[DirtyJoe]

Maybe already mentioned.

A great game, but the first problem was resetting the GW's after a year of game play. (it lost me) Players like myself had spent a year (IRL) building a team, club for a long term approach. I finally made it to division one and being one of the most wealthiest clubs with the strong youth academy. But did not want to start again.

[Tactational]

I do agree with making FML with an FTP structure, I think it would suit well.

I would have it so that there were board expectations, with rewards for success. It wouldn't necessarily have to be winning the treble, but just simply doing better than expected in the league/cup, etc.

You could have an "investment" income, which would go up or down each season based on how well you did the season before. The "base investment" amount would be something like 20% of the prize money for the position and rounds you're expected to finish in, with 20% then taken off all of the prize money payouts so it evens out in the long run.

Although this would seem harsh on the new members, the amount lost for doing badly would be very small at their level and not much too worry about. But you could always have "the board" send them an official news item where they gently encourage you to get a mentor (community position - a bit like UFL's idea of mentors) to help rescue the season.

But then again, I would've had the whole economy overhauled, it was way too easy to dominate financially. :P

[Tactational]

Maybe already mentioned.

A great game, but the first problem was resetting the GW's after a year of game play. (it lost me) Players like myself had spent a year (IRL) building a team, club for a long term approach. I finally made it to division one and being one of the most wealthiest clubs with the strong youth academy. But did not want to start again.

I'd say there were many, many problems before that forced them into the reset. I would say they should have given people some sort of reward for their loyalty and work on the team, but they gave us about 5 months free play didn't they?

[The Godfather]

Really miss this screen... Please bring it back!

[mark77]

Nearly a whole year now....

Just found my very last email from FML sent on 20th May..

Clinical Icelandic striker Sigmundur Jóhannsson has left English manager Mark's flamboyant Stoat United after his 1 season contract expired this morning at 05:36 and he is now a free agent.

Must have been minutes before the servers went off.

I reckon as many people as possible should post here over the 19th/20th which is mainly when the big switch-off was last year. Just to show how much we miss it and want it back. A BRING BACK FML weekender!!!!!!!!!

[NickMegarity]

Nearly a whole year now....

Just found my very last email from FML sent on 20th May..

Clinical Icelandic striker Sigmundur Jóhannsson has left English manager Mark's flamboyant Stoat United after his 1 season contract expired this morning at 05:36 and he is now a free agent.

Must have been minutes before the servers went off.

I reckon as many people as possible should post here over the 19th/20th which is mainly when the big switch-off was last year. Just to show how much we miss it and want it back. A BRING BACK FML weekender!!!!!!!!!

i very much doubt no matter how many replies you get , that FML will ever grace our screens again , SI have moved their resources over to FMO & i think until that is finished they wont do anything for the market FML was aimed at

[Abz Khan]

Hopefully FMO will be a instant success and it will persuade SI to move FMO to the European market soon and maybe it will be better than FML because of the Koreans

[Luis L]

Ah, FML, sometimes I miss it too




And it had some nice bugs too:

[Kriss]

Admit it Lopes, it's me and my scintillating wit that you really miss

[Martin White]

Admit it Lopes, it's me and my scintillating wit that you really miss

In part this is what appealled to alot of people the social aspect of the game rather than the underlying game itself


Somewhere to hang out where everybody knows your name

[Luis L]

Admit it Lopes, it's me and my scintillating wit that you really miss

Indeed Chris! Hope you are well my friend!

[HHUK]

I'd love this to happen with a free to play model. I'm sure there could be a compromise between subscription and F2P.

Paid:
Visual Elements (Kits, stadium styles, sponsors, boots)
Big Tournaments £1-£5 to enter leagues lasting a month with bigger prize money

Free:
Friendlies, quick tournaments.

That way, heavy players can play in leagues and pay a cheaper subscription, free players can hop on and play while everybody may want to purchase cheap kit upgrades. Add a few "classic challenge" packs where you face real life teams from various eras. As long as there's cheap regular content there should be money coming in.

Hell, even take it as far as TF2 and just give everyone hats. Just bring it back.

[Kriss]

Indeed Chris! Hope you are well my friend!

Well, extremely bored a lot of the time but okay otherwise, I keep saying I'll catch up with people and never get round to it

I really will soon though.

[AidanOK]

Even though I quit a good while before FML was shutdown, I'd like to see it back too, with IN GAME PURCHASES.. this would solve a lot of the problems.

[Abz Khan]

Yeah although in game purchases would let they guys that are hardcore pull away too easily but something like in game advertising would be a good way of generating money

[Stolidshark]

God i miss this game I think I have tried almost every other game out there and nothing compares

[Blue Nose Bear]

Hardly touched FM since FML went down. Wish the game would have succeeded

[laBOMBA]

What sucked for me is that SI announced they were cancelling FM Live on my birthday!

[Hank Moody]

FM Live really was the best FM I ever played. Right now I would do anything to bring it back

[Barside]

Hardly touched FM since FML went down. Wish the game would have succeeded

I don't think it ever had a chance, the marketing was almost non-existent & the only people who would be interested were those who already played FM so SI were asking a large proportion of their potential market to choose between the two titles.

This is my personally opinion but I also think the idea of not being able to edit or cheat your way to success put a lot of people off.

[Lawlore]

I don't think it ever had a chance, the marketing was almost non-existent & the only people who would be interested were those who already played FM so SI were asking a large proportion of their potential market to choose between the two titles.

That's a pretty good point. I know I didn't play a lot of FM all the time FML was around. And, if/when UFL ever sees the light of day as a release, the same will almost certainly be true.

[Ackter]

I basically stopped playing FM as soon as FML was released, and then started playing it again once it ended.

I did play it occasionally in between, but never for long.

[Barside]

If I'm brutally honest the concept of an online football management sim is flawed from the get-go.

Something like Xpert11 works because it is ridiculously simple & requires very little investment in terms of time whereas FML is the type of title that offers a greater reward for a greater investment of your time.

The other major drawback is that everyone hates losing, as I never tried FML I do not know if this was the case but I'd imagine that a large percentage of people who did not renew their subscriptions were those who spent most of their time getting their rear end handed to them on a consistent basis.

For an MMO to be successful it either needs to be inexpensive, quick & simple or if the annual subscription costs far exceed the cost of a single offline title the success of your character/team needs to be less intertwined with the success or failure of other members on the server, unfortunately football needs winners & losers which will slowly but inevitably kill the repeat buyer market.

I wish SI every success with their South Korean project but I honestly do not see it being financial viable after 18 months unless their partners in South Korea are subsidising it because of projected commercial benefits in other areas of its business.

[SpooneyDM]

I miss FMLive

What a great game, flawed but so very great to play.

IF and it is a big if, it comes back it would probably be best as free to play, they are so dominant now in the mmo market, the question would be whether a FTP model can work with FM, without it becoming a pay to win game.

[Kriss]

The other major drawback is that everyone hates losing, as I never tried FML I do not know if this was the case but I'd imagine that a large percentage of people who did not renew their subscriptions were those who spent most of their time getting their rear end handed to them on a consistent basis.

For an MMO to be successful it either needs to be inexpensive, quick & simple or if the annual subscription costs far exceed the cost of a single offline title the success of your character/team needs to be less intertwined with the success or failure of other members on the server, unfortunately football needs winners & losers which will slowly but inevitably kill the repeat buyer market.

Spot on, though so many denied it this was the intrinsic flaw.

It was in fact a game built for Llamas

[Barside]

We're one of the select group who could deal with perennial carpness although oddly enough despite Matt's best efforts I think the LLama take up was quite low, at the time we had two very vibrant clan games on the go & couldn't be convinced to invest another couple of nights to FML.

It didn't take a huge leap to envisage how things would & did turn out.

[Kriss]

It didn't take a huge leap to envisage how things would & did turn out.

We're one of the select group who could deal with perennial carpness although oddly enough despite Matt's best efforts I think the LLama take up was quite low, at the time we had two very vibrant clan games on the go & couldn't be convinced to invest another couple of nights to FML.

Would only have worked even for us if there had been a game world which was Llamas only

[Abz Khan]

I play FM now a bit but it is nothing like FML The community aspect was what it was all about The 8pm Quizzes every Wednesday

[Ackter]

I got told off for swearing too much during one of the quizzes I ran

[Mustang Shooting Stars]

Collyer (s), give us a wave, Collyer (s), Collyer (s) give us a wave...

Best game ever. Happy days. Would play it again in a heartbeat.

Hi to all, particularly the old Papin and Sanchez chaps.

[Lefos]

pleaseeeeeeee back FML !!!!!!

[Bradley21]

Love how this thread is still going even after all this time, just shows how many people really loved this game

[jmb0386]

Although i was off and on with FM Live i do miss it.

when you play on normal fm its always against the computer and sometimes can be borin, but fm live, i loved the whole community side of it.

nothin better than receivin praise of other managers for winning the Xtreme Champions league or whatever it was haha

[Stretch112]

I literally just signed up to the forum now to say how much I miss it.

So much fun, loved negotiating with other real people, or finding some gems in the auction.

Above all the banter was great.

Such a shame they closed it down. FM after that just isn't the same for me.

Also I hate to say it but I doubt I'll fork out money for another FM game, the subscription to FM Live was worth it. But since it closed I been playing FM11 and just though meh.

[Abz Khan]

The banter was indeed quality

[Puskas_007]

Still not over Kyle Academies were sick

It will never be over! Bring it back!

[selcuk.fenerbahce]

bringing fm live back would be an amazing gift to all fm lovers. come on si , do it for your lovers...

[jp_footy]

bringing fm live back would be an amazing gift to all fm lovers. come on si , do it for your lovers...

The game was 80% good. With the necessary changes it would be hugely successful.

[GoDi]

FML coming back would be great, I still miss it, I played like 4 hours a day since beta, to the bitter end.

[Ackter]

The game was 80% good. With the necessary changes it would be hugely successful.

That other 20% being a new rule change where even the teams who lose actually win?

[amor]

I ever think is impossible in Internet MMO ERA that a fantastic game like FML can shout down ... the question is only have the right way for him... i think there are lot of ideas to have a infinity live for FML ... one only i have ever think is that every manager in game have the same budjet ever like "FANTACALCIO" ... whit that every managers change his attention to the tactical,management,trainings...aspects and not about try make more money whit market players (sometimes in no legal mode...multyaccounts..etc..) that was one of the best probles for the game because i have not security about others managers fair play... Same budjets give me security i have the same possibility of all others managers and the difference is make bye our own choice...the % i choice spend for my def/mid/att...(number team players max same for everyone too..)... my tactis and formations... my trainings... my football ideas are what can make difference and i can have 10 seasons whit no good results but i know my possibility are the same others have and i can re-try infinity to create the right amalgam to win vs others teams... this permise that peoples can think is not important escape and re-create new account/team/GW ... At end i think ... example: 25 players max, 100M budjet max ever and... good fun for You !!! show me how you choice spend your money that is the same of mine... which fantastic formation and instructions you think to do to try win your opponents... which training choice you'll do to have best response by your players.... the istant instructions in the match ... form/condition/formations management choices ... and others and others possibility and choices for have a great/onest battle for all the managers.... all but NO the possibility this GAME becomes only a money race for managers not very FML lovers but peoples want to show something to others and have not problems to use some dirty ways game leave possibility have... LIKE "FANTACALCIO" ( i don't know wich is right word in english..) ... is the right way to have a FML ... live ps: really i have a lot of ideas to have a great product about football manager MMO ... ever in my life i have had passion to organize situation and rules about football games ... by Subbuteo to all most iportants computer/console games in history ... and ever i see peoples,friends and others like all very much ... Onest and simly rules and some ingenious idea is all we need to have a great MMO about football (in this storic moment is no possible there is no one ..) Thanks,bye

[mintchip]

Listen to the fans SI, bring FML back!!!! It was such a different game to standard FM, and the difference was fantastic! I loved the community and genuinely looked forward to coming home and play it, like the the good old days of CM3!!!!

[Ackter]

They did listen to the fans - very few of us actually wanted to play it, unfortunately.

[Ncfc_king]

Bring it back!

[Kriss]

This thread is now closing as it doesn't actually belong in this forum, there's already a thread for those who want to reminisce or indulge in some wishful thinking http://community.sigames.com/showthr.../268164-Coping