Is FM getting boring or am i getting older?

[TheAssassin1982UK]

Im 27 and have been playing since the original championship manager. I don't get too play as often as when i was younger because of time constraints, but would still say I'm as hooked as ever. I had a little slump when fm09 came out because of the bugs, but now I have no probs with 9.03 patch and took the time to learn more about the tactics and ME and now feel like I'm getting as much enjoyment out of the game as ever. Just about to give Dafuge's challenge a go with FC United, so really going to see how much I've learnt lol.

[ewok01]

Like you I have been playing these games in one shape or another and apart from playing fm2008 more than 2009 and my all time favourite being cm00/01 I hardly play them anymore, find them boring so I would say in my case it is a "getting older thing" I am 45 now and hardly play any computer games anymore.

Cheers

I am 27, I have been playing Football manager since the first release of Championship Manager for Amiga.

I have this feeling that although i buy the game every year, i play less and less. FM2010, i havent touched it for 3 months.

To be honest, some things in the game really make me bored playing this game , i find the game very easy , it's so easy to reach success , and it's all repetitive, same press conferences etc..

However, my question is :

You guys , especially close to my age or over, are you feeling that you are bored of this game ?

If yes, is it because of the lack of enjoyment in the game? or is it you are getting older and you prefer doing other things in life and have no time for FM.

Thanks.

[mark wilson27]

Im thrity and I still constantly play with the game, but I didn't enjoy FM09. I'll play for like six months solid, with the odd break for food and sleep then I won't play for around a fortnight. Then I'll be back playing hard core again

[TheRealMagpies]

It's the accumulation of all the little flaws in the game that does it for me.

Training get's dumbed down because 'it's too complicated' .. then they introduce the slider minefield into tactics.

The TOTAL reliance on an unpayed volunteer from the community to produce reliable, readable and informative documentation with each anual revision.

CM was exciting to play, FM has become a chore.

[Macflyer]

Sometimes it helps to take a break for a couple of years....coming back...and seeing how much the game genre has progressed (or not). I was pleasantly surprised when, during World Cup 2006, I remembered the old days of managing a team on the PC (not CM) and googled for "football manager". The rest is history.

[JawKam]

It sometimes does get boring. Hate those times when a game crashes and I can't reload the game again. I'd stop playing the game until I'm ready to start a new one. FM08 was a disappointment, FM09 despite introducing some new features, it's not as good as FM07 which I had loads of fun

[soldierblue123]

I am older and have played FM (or CM as it was ) since CM1 on the Amiga and I'm still addicted to the game. However, the 2009 version is less fun than previous games. I am hoping FM2010 is the best of the lot. I'll buy the game regardless but I tend to agree that FM2009 is the least fun of the FM series.

[Chao Yang]

I'm turning twenty soon, only been playing the game since FM 05 so a relative newbie compared to most~ I find that my gaming time on FM tends to go on a rollercoaster turn, with a solid one or two months after its initial release filled with endless hours of gaming. Then a lag of a couple of weeks where I don't touch it. Once January transfers go through, another two months of solid gaming, then intermittent games here and there, maybe a solid couple of weeks when I find an interesting database to play around in.

Then summer comes and goes, start playing it again while waiting for the next one to get announced.

My personal record: 4 days of gameplay during two school weeks, haven't matched it since~

Sometimes it does get tedious and slightly boring, I like to take a break away for a couple weeks.

Inevitably I go back to it though~

[Ryan4Rovers]

I loved CM 01/02 and CM 03/04 - FM09 is the first game I've bought since 03/04. It takes a lot longer to run a season, but the agony of defeat and thrill of victory are back up there with CM 01/02 and flashing text goals in the 90th minute, at least for me. Once I figured out which new features to ignore and how to get into my rhythm, I found FM09 to be a lot of fun. It still feels like a totally different game to me than 01/02 or 03/04. I guess I own one text, one 2D, and one 3D version and they're all quite different.

With the girlfriend gone for the summer and a job leaving a few nights free a week, I've got enough time to give to FM09. But in a month or two it will all come crashing down again and I'll be able to play sparingly, if at all, until the holidays.

[Boaxzel]

I have played every CM up top FM came out and played every FM since then. For me FM 07 was the best game mad so far but CM 00/01 and CM 01/02 was fantastic also.

I play FM more now than I did before but I tend to get tired about 3 months before the new release. the problem for me is that it just isnt that interesting playing with Regens and if you start a new game its the same players that you can buy and the same you dont got a chance in hell to get... Anyway I usualy make myself challenges when comming to the end of a FM, that usualy makes it harder and more interesting.

[Coasterkoa]

Just playing FM by it self generally doesn't hold my interest as long as it used to. I find myself setting up a game only to not even start it, simply because I don't have the interest in that particular game. However, there are so many things I enjoy about FM being that there isn't just one way to play it. A quick hop over to the CSE forums gives a whole new way to enjoy the game beyond simply taking control of a team and then bringing them as high as possible. Though this year's incarnation has pretty much destroyed league swapping (which is a huge part of the game for me), there are long ways around it, and many other ways to enjoy the sign-ups.

Even just fooling around with the editor affords me a heck of a lot of fun.

I didn't play a true FM game for about 4 months, and then just one day decided to start Dafuge's challenge since I hadn't done it this year (ala CSE forums), and my interested has been rekindled in recent weeks.

Writing a story in the stories forum is another good way to ensure you enjoy FM for much longer. Granted this means you have to enjoy writing, or at least updating everyone on your progress, but it certainly holds interest much longer if you flesh out a story piece by piece.

When you get tired of playing one way, skip on to another. Its a beautiful thing in FM.

Oh, and give FML a try too! Much more addicting than FM in my opinion.

[gmcker]

I've been playing since the second version, but have found myself unable to do long career games. Part of this used to be the hardware made a season very long, but now I find after a few seasons I get bored. But then I go Editor crazy - usually give the Big Four low reps or promote my team (Forest) but remove all the players so have to build a team from scratch and survive the first season. Or else I holiday between transfer windows and see how my team does, and tinker.

Part of the reason if because each team largely plays the same - the real variation only comes in over a period of time - tinkering chairman selling a player every now and again etc. Replace some players, change tactics and your team is suddenly very much like the last team you had.

[jackripper]

26 years old and i lost interest so i decided to download Gaz's update and got me right back into it

[x42bn6]

Both? .

[JackDavies]

Going along with what alot of others have said, my fm playing comes along in waves

Ill hardcore play a save say for 3 months, putting a lot of hours into it. The not play fm for another 3 months

[lee50_11]

I am 35 going on 36 soon and i have played football management games since the 'original' football manager was released way back in 1982 and it doesn`t look like i`ll be putting these games on the shelf any time soon.

that's good to hear hopefully when i'm your age i'll feel the same, i'm 20 at the moment so still loving the FM games ever since i started playing them

[djosey]

More or less the same story as the original poster, i'm 24 now and although i used to play regularly when i was 15-20, now it's more like one interesting save, but i rarely last more than two-three seasons, then nothing for a few months/years till a get a new version or lots of free time.

As for the reason, well combination of the game being much more detailed and taking much longer to play (i'm more interested in building teams than playing matches) and, since i started working, no time to get into a game.

[r0x0r]

Sums it up nicely for me as well, the fact it has no sound and can be played while multi tasking gives it the appeal for me.

It only has no sound because everyone loads it up, goes to preferences and turns off sounds :-p

Sometimes I fear SI could invest in an award winning soundtrack and no-one would even realise.

[celebritykiller]

I'm 26 and have bought every CM/FM since CM 93.

While I'd say in recent years my game playtime has dropped (FM 2007 & 2008 being the least played of all versions), FM 2009 just hit the right spot (despite the irritating bugs here and there).

I think for years I've struggled with the tactics side of the game (since CM4) and have relied on downloaded tactics which has made everything hit and miss. This year it's finally begun to click and the love is re-ignited.

Suppose being a City fan helped as well

[djvandyke]

I’m 28, also played since CM2 and a bit fed up with it. For every improvement in the game we get boring mundane nonsense like the repetitive press conferences and the tactical side of FM is just pretentious garbage that has little to do with reality. Maybe we should apply for grumpy old men.

[SnakeXe]

I'm 21, played since CM2, and FM09 was the hardest to get in to of any of the games. I can't go back to FM07 or 08 because I miss features from 09 (and hate the regens on 08)

Don't know why, I just don't like 09, and can't get into a game

[kipfizh]

Thought I'd add my two cents to this - I think there's a huge difference between getting bored and not having the time, although one does affect the other.

I'm 28, and I used to play loads - my old saves lasted 10-15 seasons without a problem. As time went on, I had less and less time to devote to playing, and my FM07 save, for example, lasted nearly three seasons until I bought FM09. That's less than three seasons in two years.

I do only buy every other game though, for two reasons - 1) If I bought it every year I'd never get far enough into a save to make it worthwhile, and 2) The jump in quality in two years is huge. For everyone who thinks old versions are better, I'd disagree - I always see a big step forward.

I think, much like others here, that we have times of getting into the game, and times of drifting away. We all know the feeling of having to get back to our save when we're addicted, but after circumstances mean you can't play for a while, you can easily slip into months away.

I'm in one of those gaps now, and part of it is getting to know my squad again. I play the game with fictional players, to test my scouting skills and not let me see superstars named on the forums (and because I run the Bandits experiment which demands I use scouting tools to see the real data, including stars of the future - it'd be unfair to take that into my own game).

But the downside is that because all the players are fictional, you can lose track of them after a few weeks away. I can never remember which players I was planning on blooding soon, which I'd lost patience with, etc. Every time I come back to the game, the same players get another chance, I might forget that although X looks great, he's a diving idiot who has no composure in front of goal. Or I forget that Y tends to do a great job as a supersub.

Because I forget all this, it makes stepping back into the game difficult at time. Perhaps I should use player notes...

[spankie]

I'm 39 and have played CM/FM ever since CM93 on the Amiga with a couple of years rest where I luckily missed the CM4 fun and games.

Usually I play for a few months after release and then the game tends to lose it's hold on me and I leave it for a few months before getting back to it, but for some reason with FM09 I stopped playing it for a few months and haven't really got back into it.

I do have the bug to play again and I hope that by not playing FM09 I'll keep playing FM10 for longer and hopefully finish dafuge's challenge with it.

[chopper99]

I'm 29 and although the amount of time I spend playing FM has decreased it's not because I'm bored of it. Like others I have a full time job, fiancee and baby to occupy my time so don't really have tme for computer games. That's why FM is still the only one I play, I can jump on there while the missus is watching telly or feeding the baby and when I'm working from home I can have it running in the background.

So no, I haven't outgrown it. I just have more things that need my attention these days.

[Mr_knutsen]

I am 27, I have been playing Football manager since the first release of Championship Manager for Amiga.

I have this feeling that although i buy the game every year, i play less and less. FM2010, i havent touched it for 3 months.

To be honest, some things in the game really make me bored playing this game , i find the game very easy , it's so easy to reach success , and it's all repetitive, same press conferences etc..

However, my question is :

You guys , especially close to my age or over, are you feeling that you are bored of this game ?

If yes, is it because of the lack of enjoyment in the game? or is it you are getting older and you prefer doing other things in life and have no time for FM.

Thanks.

Hi

I'm 28 and have also played since the beginning and still having fun.

One of the main reasons I think is because I do not play it alone most of the time. Me and a friend has played it together since CM3. Much more competion, much more swearing and much more fun.

For FM08 and FM 09 we have been three guys playing. We are playin 1-3 evenings a month.

On FM09 we started with Stoke, Hull and WBA. We started the save on release day with a lot of problems registering (I hope somebody have learned) and are still playing.

On FM10 we will start with the teams promoted from league 1 to the *******hip. And I guess we will start friday the 30th.

So my point is find a friend with no life and play together :-)

[JimbobWWFC]

On FM10 we will start with the teams promoted from league 1 to the *******hip.

Why the stars here?

[Ferrari312]

I'm 26 so not much younger than you, although I'm a relative newcomer to the game (I started with CM4). I personally find days/weeks where I just can't be bothered to play, but then some nights when I really get into it, and get through two or three months gameplay in one night (which is a lot for me since I like to load a lot of leagues, as deep as they'll go)

I don't see an overall trend of my interest waning though, I'll see how I feel in another year or two!

[Mr_knutsen]

Why the stars here?

I used a not so nice nickname for the championship

[JimbobWWFC]

I used a not so nice nickname for the championship

Haha ok fair enough!

I am welcome to receiving PMs, as I am intrigued to what you called it.

And why?

[Beardeye]

Im 27, and had not played any management game for about 10 yrs. Got FM09 for xmas and became highly addicted to it. more than some of the other vices in my life!!

However as i hadnt played for so many yrs i really struggled with the tactics as the game had developed so much. i ended up breaking my laptop (well hard drive) in frustration, despite being top of the EPL with Norwich.

I have now downloaded CM01/02 as i just want a 'plug and play' game experience like i had 10 yrs ago- just buying players w/o worrying too much about tactics.

also my girlfriend HATES FM! although as someone mentioned above, she does get to watch come dine with me and four weddings while i silently play away.

This thread must be interesting for the marketing team at SI!! (and if u r listening an option to take tactics out of the game for those who want to achieve success by buying/selling would be magnificent. i.e hire a competent ass man to do all tactics (wishful thinking i know).

[LFC Lloydy]

After playing FM for what seemed to be non-stop about 18 months ago I have played less and less, part of it has been because I have less time to play but it is also because I just didn't feel the urge to play it anymore. I have found though that FM is at its best when you have taken a break from it for a few weeks or months, it is like you are discovering the magic of it all over again. I have also realised that too much of a good thing can be bad for you, I was playing the game far too much and ended up taking it far too seriously.

Recently I have started playing the game again after a break of a few months and I am loving it just as much as ever.

[Wixy_geez]

i regularly go through phases of playing every spare minute i have and then go months not thinking about playing at all

[nirsilgi]

I think that as long as this game keeps improving and adding new cool stuff, I won't get bored.

I am 32 and I'm playing the game for 16 years now, FM2008 was the first game I didn't but in the last 11 years, that's because the demo didn't give me the usual excitement. But that all changed with FM 2009. I'm having a very long run now, the longest since they changed from CM to FM, that is because of the 3D and some other minor features they added.

Looking at 2010 now, I'm getting the usual excitement chills I get every year around this time

The key thing for me is keep inventing and adding new stuff. And of course retain that feeling that only this game has when you play it.

[Cush]

I'm 12 and what is this?

[TomHAVFC]

You're getting old.

[Cerritos]

I'm 56, and ... damn, I forgot what I was going to say!

[TomHAVFC]

I'm 12 and what is this?

7th December 1976 ring any bells?

[Antigol]

The problem is that you just make a tactic and play because you can't do your own tactics, just pick "442" "532" and that's it. There is no point in buying players if when you go to a press conference you say "My team will do their best" and then you win 4-0 but if you say "my team is the best" you lose 1-3. The match engine donesn't have any logic so it is obvious you'll get bored once and since you can't personalise your tactics, you aren't part of the game.

[Antigol]

Btw I've played FM/CM since CM1 CM2 CM3 and this game is just for stupids "Choose --> 442 or 532 " Ok I choose 532 Next Next Next Next I won 4-0 . why? i don't know.

[pyewackett]

I'm 12 and what is this?

You're getting old.

Haha That sure did make me chuckle.

[dave byrd]

i regularly go through phases of playing every spare minute i have and then go months not thinking about playing at all

Same here but when i haven't played for months i know that if i play for 5 minutes i'll be hooked again and then i'll be on it again for weeks at a time, like now!

I'm 32. Played every game since the Amiga days but FM2009 is the one i've played the most so no, not getting boring at all for me.

[El Serrano]

I love this thread! I find it amazing that people (myself included) have been playing FM and CM for so long and still play it today. It obviously shows what a class game it really is and I can't think of too many other games with such a rich pedigree (one or two but not many).

Of course the novelty value of the game has been lost, refound and probably lost again over the years. I think key events such as the advent of the PC and some time later the refranchising under the FM name did a lot to give the game a boost and as things became more and more detailed we began to delve into the realism of it all. However, it is going through a period of "sameness" at the moment and it is easy to feel as though most of the elements of the game have been explored. I think this goes hand in hand with technology and advances in technology which in the PC market have not been the same as they were 10 years ago.

Yes we are getting older (I'm 32 and have also played since the very first edition on Amiga), but as early adopters we carry the game with us and I don't think it will ever stop being a part of my life. I'm married and soon to have kids and I'm sure I will have less time for console games etc... but I will never completely stop playing a bit of FM every now and again. I'm sure at some point in the future a new major leap forward will be made by these brilliant guys at SI as they continue to remodel and our interest will reignite.

Keep the faith, play when you have the time and desire to and I'm sure you will continue to enjoy it.

[naxself]

I don't think I've played CM/FM as long as others in this thread but I feel like there is a sort of FM-fatigue. Really, I think I'm looking for a new challenge and FM10 is the first time I've been excited since FM07 for one reason: the new data editor. I'm extremely excited for that. I think FM10 will hold my interest a lot longer than FM08 or FM09 have (though, to be fair, FM09 makes me very happy).

[Steve1977beyond]

Played footy manager games since 80's and have to say that FM09 was the release that I played the least - just couldnt get into it.

I decided to try and give it a go despite the 2d being too jittery. Started a new game with Real Madrid and everything's there...but it just doesent feel right

The 3D version of the 2D seems like the players are sliding about and it's impossible to detect how high the ball is. If I watch it from an elevated view I can't see much detail in the kits.

But even other things just don't feel right and it seems kinda daunting.

Whereas Im loving my 2008 version

I reckon 2009 hasnt clicked for some people (including me) is because of the problems in setting it up. Maybe. That's certainly the case for me.

[digi7al]

I am 30 and although fm09 was definately the best in the cm/fm series and i have also played every one since cm1 but alas i did get bored/lost interest and im not sure why or which happened and for what reason, i think i have lost some interest in certain games and as i age i am definately becoming more critical in general of the standards i expect from my games and perhaps minor refreshments of a series are not enough to satisfy my lust for genuine innovation or originality, in all honesty out of every game i have played this year and i can honestly say that is 90% of all mainstream titles on 360,ps3,wii and pc aswell as some psp and ds titles (I work in a game store and have a slight obsession and an understanding wife, might i add) i have only really enjoyed and wanted to complete 4 games, Flower on ps3, Trials hd on 360 arcade, Batman Arkham asylum on 360 and so good i got it on pc too and finally street fighter 4 on ps3 the other what i would call usual main stays such as pro evo 09 or call of duty world at war fm09 etc from last year came and went very quick, is it age or is it lack of creativity/progression by certain developers/publishing houses, i dont know but it is worrying as i love gaming as whole and dont want to lose it.

[Callumth]

A friend of mine confided in me recently that FM was the main reason behind the fact that he is a window-cleaner. He says he has no regrets.

[digi7al]

In all honesty i can attribute cm and or my lack of will power to a fairly hefty extent, my subpar performance/attendance during school. During the 90's i would play after 10pm at night after everyone went to bed, the pc was down stairs you see and i was strictly limited (So my parents thought) and would play until 5am in the morning 5 days a week, all school night at 5am i had to go to bed a/ to get at least some sleep for school and b/ because my step dad worked morning shifts and got up at 6am every weekday, sad but true

[fuzzrab]

30 mins - 1 hr of FM per night, gives me 5-6 games played whilst my wife watches television. No way could I (or would I be allowed to) play a game like Final Fantasy or Metal Gear Solid, in 30min segments. FM is pretty much perfect as far as adult computer games go.

This comment pretty much sum it up for me, as i suspect it does for pretty every other married guy. Back when i was single (about 10 years ago) i would play Cm for about 6-8 hours per night when it was a worknight. When i had the day off the next day i would usually play through the night and all of my day off. Now i usually play it when the missus is watching Coronation Street and Eastenders and all those other repetitive, boring and depressing shows.

I'm married, it's a given.

Never a truer word spoken. LOL.

[Moaner]

I've never played it at work, I just don't have the time. It has been tempting at times but I am highly professional

My tutor at College installed FM07 on his Registry laptop.

I used to tell him who to sign and he loved me for it....

....and when the tech guy found the game on the laptop he blamed me!

[TheGulls]

I am 27, I have been playing Football manager since the first release of Championship Manager for Amiga.

I have this feeling that although i buy the game every year, i play less and less. FM2010, i havent touched it for 3 months.

To be honest, some things in the game really make me bored playing this game , i find the game very easy , it's so easy to reach success , and it's all repetitive, same press conferences etc..

However, my question is :

You guys , especially close to my age or over, are you feeling that you are bored of this game ?

If yes, is it because of the lack of enjoyment in the game? or is it you are getting older and you prefer doing other things in life and have no time for FM.

Thanks.

I don't really think age comes in to it, I'm 33 and have been playing the game since the very first version but as I now have other priorites in life such as family etc. FM is used less than ever (2-3 hours per evening), but its my game of choice as I know that I will always go back to it, unlike other games that I do get bored with a lot quicker.

Look at what bores you and see if you can alter this yourself, for instance;

1 - If the game is too easy, why not start with a very low reputation non league team or a bankrupt team.

2 - Send your assistant to the press conferences. (Or wait for FM2010 as press conferences are having a makeover)

3 - Change the look of your FM version by downloading one of the many cool user created skins - sometimes a different look can reignite interest (Worked for me) and there are some really cool skins out there.

4 - Have a go on CM2010, I guarantee you will appreciate FM a lot more after playing that.

5 - Look at how many hours you play on FM and ask yourself can you see yourself spending this much time on any other game - If not then as you have a lot less time generally then FM would be the best choice so at least you are getting value for money.

I did get bored of FM2009 and went back to FM2008 but it wont stop me buying FM2010.