The Old World Small Club to Big Club Challenge

Welcome to a project that I have been working on since the early days of FM09 and have finally managed to actually get active. This will run similarly to the other Small to Big Challenges, with one exception, each of the leagues that I will upload and have the challenge run in will be either a recreation of a past nation (USSR) or a possible future nation (Catalunya). I will upload each of the league edits as I create them.

The Possible Countries

The available nations to manage are:

USSR - XML File v2.0 (Discipline & Reserves corrected) - Currently has Crash Dump 31/08/10

Czechoslovakia - XML File v3.0 (Reserves updated)

East Germany - XML File v2.0 (Discipline & Reserves updated)

Those I have planned:

Yugoslavia

Catalunya

Basque Country

West Germany

If anyone wishes for another possible option to be added then all you have to do is ask and I will look into the possibility of adding it to the collection that I am creating.

League Reset Dates:

I have taken these as I have created the leagues, but a couple may be wrong. Please advise me if you find something different. The links on each of these will be save games from the day before the reset.

USSR           -   [url="http://www.filefront.com/16664181/10-06-19%20Soviet.fm"]20th June[/url]
Czechoslovakia -   [url="http://www.filefront.com/16670277/10-06-15%20Czech.fm"]16th June[/url]
East Germany   -   [url="http://www.filefront.com/16671141/10-06-22%20East%20Germany.fm"]23rd June[/url]

League Logos

Czechoslovakia

East Germany - Oberliga & Liga

The Rules - Playing

Load a game with all the available divisions within the nation you selected only (only one nation is allowed).

A large database should be ticked (although you are free to choose a medium or small database option if you wish). Any official SI patch may be used, but no other edited databases can be used for this challenge.

You may also go into 'custom' database and add 'Players from top Division Clubs' within Europe. It is advised that you select ‘Load all Players Based in’ for the country you are in. (This has been proven to provide you with over 50% more players in some countries!)

Attribute masking should be enabled, with no additional players from any nation loaded.

The extra levels of detail that you can change while in the game are up to you, as they shouldn't make a difference.

Add yourself as an unemployed manager, the details are not important at all, as you will not use this man to manage your club.

Go on holiday until the reset date of your chosen nation, this shouldn't take that long, perhaps about an hour. Saving on the day before this date may give you a better choice of teams by reloading the game then going on holiday for one day, I would strongly recommend trying this.

Retire your unemployed manager. Add a new manager, the options are up to you but 'past experience' must be set to the lowest possible which is 'Sunday league footballer'. I have no issue with the chosen nationality of your manager - in fact I would suggest that choosing the nationality that fits your chosen country to manage in would be the fairest option.

Then choose to take over any club which has been promoted to the bottom playable league of your nation.

You must now manage this club to the national top division title, then progress to be champions of Europe. This doesn’t have to occur in the same season, just with the same club. Should you be sacked at any point during the game, you may either re-start the challenge with a new team and a new save game, or you may wish to continue on your current save game, taking over a club at the end of the season under the same rules as before.

There are no restrictions on parent and feeder clubs, and you must be able to scout a player before you buy them - you don’t have to actually scout them, just that the option is available. You may also sign players you can attract to the club via a trial.

The use of any external utilities and editors (Such as Genie Scout, FMRTE or FMM) are prohibited.

The Rules - Posting

Player naming is allowed. (This is a warning for those of you who do not wish to see this)

Discussion of tactics is allowed. (This is another warning for those of you who do not wish to see this)

Please use screenshots for any aspect of your game you wish to share - this is actively encouraged!

When you join the challenge, could you post a screenshot of your manager's profile as soon as you join your club.

Progress of your club should be documented using this thread, we want to hear the story of your club all the way through. Please keep us updated, even if you are doing badly.

At the end of every season, could everyone post some kind of season review, including at least a screenshot of a league table and the clubs transfer page. If you give this a title in bold it makes it a bit easier to pick out.

How to Post a Screenshot

• While in FM, press the 'Prt Sc' button (usually next to F12 on your keyboard).
  

• Open an image editing program such as Paint and paste the image
  

• Save the file as a JPEG
  

• Upload the image to an image hosting website such as Photobucket or Imageshack
  

• Post the direct Url to the image here.
  

The Leagues

A Few More tastes of the leagues I have created, here I have included a screenshot of the clubs in their divisions as it goes through from top to bottom, and then the clubs that are playable for this challenge.

USSR: The Leagues - Challenge Clubs

Czechoslovakia: The Leagues - Challenge Clubs

East Germany: The Leagues - Challenge Clubs

Hope you all have some fun with these leagues. And the best of luck to you all.

Thanks as always to Dafuge & iacovone for parts of the opening post.

Lokomotiv Liski have today welcomed Blake as their new manager following promotion to the Soviet Lower Conference B. The Russian club has no other staff and Blake has joined on a two year deal with hopes to make them a successful club of the USSR. It looks set to be an interesting challenge for the Australian manager.

Manager Profile

Welcome aboard Dees, I shall be joining you shortly. I am just deciding on a club.

I'll take part in this. Go up against Blake. Downloading it now so I'll post my club and profile soon.

I might give this a shot later, been struggling to start a game that i enjoy, so might as well try this

FK Glestum Klaipeda have announced Jono Newton as their new manager in the Lower Conference E. The former Lithuanian Club have a full squad of players, but no other staff to back him in his challenge to avoid relegation with the club expected to come dead last. The board will give me 2k in wages to attempt to avoid relegation, I believe I can definitely avoid relegation.

Surely having your nationality as Lithuanian would be the equivalent of managing in England and having your nationality as Cornish ?

Surely having your nationality as Lithuanian would be the equivalent of managing in England and having your nationality as Cornish ?

Exactly, but it also means my players who are all "Lithuanian" can understand me, The clubs Stadium's are still all in their original nations which means the Regens are also from there.

you've finally managed to launch this challenge then - congrats. it's great to see all that work pay off. very tempted to try this too... With regrads to the other countries, how long before they're complete, roughly?

Just holidaying now, my internet sucks, so its probably quicker holidaying than downloading that file haha. Will edit or update again when im ready.

Tartu FC Santos decide to appoint Estonian manager Kalju Mägi as their new boss. Tartu FC Santos are newly promoted meaning Kalju has a tough job on his hands. They are expected to finish 19th out of 20, and the Start of season expectations show that Tartu will need to avoid relegation.

Well Rlips, I have Czechslovakia's structure completed, but I still need to change the nation on the teams, it also requires having a few teams still under one that you have left behind so Champions League etc can still work.

Czechoslovakia has now been added to the List, and I am almost done completing the East German League.

So everyone knows I am running only a one season holiday to test each of these, but I am also going to attempt to get them all up as Version 1's and then go back a little later and chance the cities and maybe the players as well into the particular nations so that they actually play correctly. Will see how much work it takes.

ooh the czech one is up.... just when i was dabbling in the USSR. How many leagues in the Czech one? that's the one i was tempted to try the most... that or Yugoslavia....

There are four levels, Superliga, Championship, Div 1, Div 2 A & Div 2 B.

And now the East German leagues are playable as well, only 111 total clubs in the Eastern section of Germany, but I have managed to create an Oberliga, Liga & Liga 2 North & South. I hope everyone enjoys these, this is about where I stop for now I think. I may do some more after the Stanley Cup final, but until then we have three leagues.

Great Idea LLR and I may just give it a go soon.

FK Valmieras have appointed Brendon Hedger as their new manager. The Latvian club is predicted to come at the lower end of Soviet Lower Conference B and the season expectations for Hedger is to avoid relegation. However, a 26K transfer budget and 120K p/a wage budget has been made. Hedger signed a 2 year deal so he will be hoping to show his managerial abilities in that period of time.

First competitive game and i lose 6-1 to Smorgon. It's going to be a looooooong season

Des, the East German XML file won't download....

2 wins in the preseason and a few new signings. Let go of about 5 players and signed in 5. Got 2 cup matches now before I start with the league.

Des, the East German XML file won't download....

Hmm it did for me, strange...I will try to load an Alternate version tonight.

I remember the early stages of this project, I spent about 4 hours on Saturday afternoon recording all of the teams reps. Seems like an age ago!

I remember the early stages of this project, I spent about 4 hours on Saturday afternoon recording all of the teams reps. Seems like an age ago!

You would not believe how much easier it is to sort clubs in the new editor, splitting nations is not easy, but adding nations together is amazingly easy

Just played my first cup game. Very frustrating. Had a goal disallowed early on. They then opened the scoring but I managed to equalise 3 minutes later. It only took 6 minutes though for them to take the lead again. I had numerous chances to score but I just couldn't put it in the back of the net. I was shouting at the game, I was so frustrating. I had brought my reserve striker on in the 73rd minute. He continued to lose time and a goal in the 90th minute saved me after the sub that I brought on scored. It hit the crossbar, then onto the line, then the post back up onto the crossbar again before falling in. We went into extra time and it was looking like heading into penalties but again the sub deliveried scoring a late winner. One of my new signings got injured though which is the only blow.

Sounds like its been a reasonable start for you there Hedger, I am currently having a play on my Big Euro game as I head towards the Stadium named after me, so close I want that at least before I run from that game, though I will probably alternate.

Looking forward to seeing how your story goes here.

I might do a career update as well with this in the career updates forum.

I might do a career update as well with this in the career updates forum.

Go for it, in fact I would quite welcome it.

1 match ban for 2 yellow cards plus a one match ban for every additional yellow card. How hard are you trying to make it. I already have 1 player banned before the league games have even started.

1 match ban for 2 yellow cards plus a one match ban for every additional yellow card. How hard are you trying to make it. I already have 1 player banned before the league games have even started.

Oh Crap, I knew there was something I was supposed to edit...I will go fix that up...Its the default setting for a league...*shakes head*

Well it's a bit late for me to restart it now.

Well it's a bit late for me to restart it now.

Sorry dude If it has a serious effect you can always try again...

Well for everyone's notice I have corrected the Discipline rules in all the leagues that are uploaded, I have added Reserve & U19s as well. I am now holidaying some games to upload as well using the latest versions.

And I finally won a game but my bloody game crashed after that. I'm really ****ed off.

Crap...stupid crashes

My game keeps crashing on the 31st August.

Any idea what happens on 31st August? Is it the European Champions League group stage draw date?

I'm just trying to figure out whats causing it.

Not really sure actually.

Ok, i will try and figure it out. Sounds like about right and maybe my attempt at removing some of the nations is causing issues with one of them not having enough to cover their required spots in the Champs League...Its going to take me 24 hours to figure out the issue...sorry dude.

No problem. I will play another one of my save games.

Any idea what happens on 31st August? Is it the European Champions League group stage draw date?

I'm just trying to figure out whats causing it.

Thought it was just mine crashing.

Its not the group draw, as im on 30th of august now and they have already been done.

I cant see anything thats going on on that day, other than International friendlies maybe

Have decided to try the Czechoslovakia one, as the USSR one crashes.

Jarek Slanina was announced as the new manager of SK Aqua Turkianske Teplice, also known as Turk.Teplice. They are predicted to avoid relegation and get a 12th place finish. £6k has been made available for transfers, and £7.25k for wages.

Thought it was just mine crashing.

Its not the group draw, as im on 30th of august now and they have already been done.

I cant see anything thats going on on that day, other than International friendlies maybe

That may mean it is the international games...

Well I just went past there and there are no draws of any kind on that date, and the only thing I can think of is possibly the close of the transfer window, but not sure why that would make it crash...I may have to make enquiries over on the Editors forum.

Shouldn't there no longer be a Slovakian team if there is Czechoslovakia?

Shouldn't there no longer be a Slovakian team if there is Czechoslovakia?

I believe I already mentioned this, but if you remove the nations it gives huge errors, so I have just moved the actual clubs, if I can figure out a solution in the future I will move all the cities and players across so that Slovakia (Or in the USSR case all the other nations) disappear. Right now it is impossible though...

Where is the orginal thread of your ambitious project>? and what happend to the final outcome?

Where is the orginal thread of your ambitious project>? and what happend to the final outcome?

If you search this forum for Old World you should be able to find it. On FM09 it was just too much work with moving everything around and caused a lot of crash dumps. I did create a database, but it didn't run as well as it could've...

Enjoying the Czech one more than the USSR one, probably because of the crashing haha.

Signed 8 new players, but its a shame there is no u-19 or reserves to put crappy players into.

5th in the League after 7 matches, out of the Czechoslovak Cup, but into the 3rd round of the Pilsner Cup.

Damn the Version 3 I put up 2 days ago includes a Reserves and U19s...

Glad you are enjoying it, I am still investigating the crash dump, but I couldn't find anything happening on August 31st so that makes it harder.