The lengths you will go to for realism and immersion

[Brother Ben]

As a proponent of the LLM/LLaMa way of doing things which focuses on realism I'm really interested in what others do to fully immerse themselves in the game.

My main one I suppose is that I will only buy players within a certain distance of my club (using Birthplace, current club etc) to keep the moves realistic.

Outside of the game in terms of immersion when starting a new game I mainly use a random team picker to give me a club so I like do a Google Street View walk around of the area to get me in the mood. I also like to read up whatever history of the club I can find on Wikipedia etc

I've even been known to get a beer local to the area I'm managing in and maybe even play a little bit of local music.

Maybe I'm crazy I don't know but hopefully there are some of you out there who do similar things!

Edited June 16, 2021 by Brother Ben

[BuzzR]

I'm playing LLM in England 99,99% of the time, as I am fascinated by the English Football Pyramid and the immense number of levels & teams it has. I am amazed to find teams with 120+ years of history and I just love reading about them,

37 minutes ago, Brother Ben said:

I like do a Google Street View walk around of the area to get me in the mood. I also like to read up whatever history of the club I can find on Wikipedia etc

I've also find myself doing this. I am also checking out the opposition town & stadium when " travelling " to away games. Sometimes this has a bittersweet feeling - as I would have loved to grow up supporting a small team in an idyllic small English town.

Sometimes I look up players pictures online for those in my team that do not have and you know, put a face to them 

I've recently discovered The Dafuge Challenge and The Youth Academy Challenge and I'm trying to play one of them. 

 

[Grifty]

I admit to throwing the odd play off final game if I think my team is progressing a bit too far up quickly.

I also do the Google Street View and Wiki check up on clubs I've managed.

[bigmattb28]

I like to keep things as realistic as possible, no Sunday league rep manager starting at a high rep league / club. Also only like to join a new club if it is in a realistic distance to the last, so no going from South Africa to Malaysia unless I've become a top manager that you would expect to make such a move.

Also second the street view / wiki comments, I always do this for any clubs I don't already know about

[Platinum]

One thing i do is I dont approach it as if it's a game; particularly when it comes to player interactions. So I wont game the player interactions so that I get a positive reaction. Instead I'll say and react how I think I would in real life. Another example is I would run the club how I would in real life so for example if a player has continuously poor training ratings even after talking to them them then I will often drop and eventually sell them because that's not the club culture that I want.

I'll make sure I'm not the only person involved in contracts, and transfers at the club as that doesnt happen no matter what level your managing at (unless your somehow the manager and owner or using custom amateur leagues where it would be more flexible). E.g. if my team has a DoF then I'll make sure that the DoF is in charge of negotiations (however I will give him transfer targets which are based on the players found from the DoFs suggestions and players my scouts have found). If my team doesnt have a DoF then as we get bigger I will get a DoF as its pretty ridiculous for even a semi-big club to have the manager be in charge of training, matches and also every aspect of transfers and contracts.

I also put the club chairman/ceo/president in charge of firing and hiring the DoF. A manager will never be having contract negotiations with a DoF in real life.

Edited June 16, 2021 by francis#17

[donnghia]

12 hours ago, francis#17 said:

One thing i do is I dont approach it as if it's a game; particularly when it comes to player interactions. So I wont game the player interactions so that I get a positive reaction. Instead I'll say and react how I think I would in real life. Another example is I would run the club how I would in real life so for example if a player has continuously poor training ratings even after talking to them them then I will often drop and eventually sell them because that's not the club culture that I want.

I'll make sure I'm not the only person involved in contracts, and transfers at the club as that doesnt happen no matter what level your managing at (unless your somehow the manager and owner or using custom amateur leagues where it would be more flexible). E.g. if my team has a DoF then I'll make sure that the DoF is in charge of negotiations (however I will give him transfer targets which are based on the players found from the DoFs suggestions and players my scouts have found). If my team doesnt have a DoF then as we get bigger I will get a DoF as its pretty ridiculous for even a semi-big club to have the manager be in charge of training, matches and also every aspect of transfers and contracts.

I also put the club chairman/ceo/president in charge of firing and hiring the DoF. A manager will never be having contract negotiations with a DoF in real life.

Sir Alex will, I think ! 

President is the only position where Chairman should appoint !

[kentonizking]

I took my girlfriend on holiday to Coalville 

[Platinum]

11 hours ago, donnghia said:

Sir Alex will, I think ! 

President is the only position where Chairman should appoint !

I dont think Sir Alex was actually negotiating the contract as in choosing the specific number for the goal bonus etc. I think he would have told them what is and isnt acceptable though. E.g. maximum salary.

[Platinum]

11 hours ago, donnghia said:

Sir Alex will, I think ! 

President is the only position where Chairman should appoint !

For Arsenal for example the director of the club should be I charge of hiring the DoFand this is possible in the game. It wouldnt be the owner Stan Kreonke. 

[s0ni42]

I take game very seriously as well. I usually start each year with a big 5 club and get them near top before shifting somewhere more obscure for journeyman save for back half of the cycle. If time remaining I’ll do an international manager deal to bridge final few weeks/months. 
 

one thing consistent with all, is the extensive research I’ll do on club, country, etc. Wiki a lot of course, but YouTube videos are great to get feel for game day atmosphere 

[Speedyol]

I also like LLM or lower league management. I found these online and figured that I already followed most of them before I heard about the term "LLM" in the first place. I guess you also use these guidelines?

• -Start as Sunday league Manager with 0 licences, managing in the lowest division of a nation.
• -Only use tactics I have created on my own. (dont copy anyone else ect)
• -Don’t use the Player- or Staff search in the game. (Players scouted/shortlist page allowed)
• -Only sign players that are recommended by my scouts. Can scout players from Teams you have played against and players mentioned in inbox/news of any kind.
• -Only sign backroom staff through an advert, not staff search.
• -The usage of FM-Tools (like Genie Scout) is not allowed.
• -No rage quits after you lose a game! In LLM losing means losing!
• -Don’t use exploits in the game (corner exploits, Man marking exploits or Alter tranfer fee for example)
• -Keep my signings realistic, for example I don’t sign a squad of French free agents with an English non-league side.
• -Use attribute masking to make scouting harder.

I like to make a end point goal for every "save" too. A goal that when completed ends the game. for instance to win Scotland, Wales, Ireland, North Ireland and England top leagues.

[mikcheck]

4 horas atrás, Speedyol disse:

• -Only sign players that are recommended by my scouts. Can scout players from Teams you have played against and players mentioned in inbox/news of any kind.

Curious because I do this too, I think it's funnier and harder. Using player search is too easy to find good players, IMO

[Tony Wright 747]

I have never used player search in 18 years of playing,  I too agree it is far less realistic

[IbrahimAliMaher]

Having worked my way up from LLM to the top of the pyramid, before every CL game I play now I make sure to play the CL anthem to remind myself how much effort it's taken to get here and not take it for granted. Has an impact on my results too, one season I forgot and we tanked massively in the CL!

[IbrahimAliMaher]

17 hours ago, Tony Wright 747 said:

I have never used player search in 18 years of playing,  I too agree it is far less realistic

I mostly agree, however on my FM19 game it's 2032 and there are hardly any newgens for specific roles (i.e. ball winning MF, ball playing CB) so I need to find players with the correct attributes and retrain them for those roles.

[KingCanary]

Out of interest why is 'player search' considered unrealistic?

I get it at the very lowest levels but once you're getting into professional levels then services like Wyscout are readily available to provide databases of players.

[XaW]

2 minutes ago, KingCanary said:

Out of interest why is 'player search' considered unrealistic?

I get it at the very lowest levels but once you're getting into professional levels then services like Wyscout are readily available to provide databases of players.

For me it's because the manager don't use those tools, the scouts do. So all suggestions should come from scout reports, agents, perhaps players you play against, or other staff/player suggestions. That's how I do, whenever I do a realism save.

[GIMN]

I rarely play LLM, but I often "roleplay" - this usually takes the form of me choosing a former player as my manager profile. 

• Build tactics based on the manager - for example, currently playing as Villa legend, Ian Taylor:
  • Most success in a 3-5-2 (won the League Cup), so that is my primary formation
  • Played as a BBM, so I always use a player that operates in a similar role (BBM, RPM, VOL)
  • Don't try and replicate the tactics, but just use it as a starting point
• Use a "Little Black Book" of contacts for staffing hires - can only directly approach:
  • Players/Coaches that the manager played alongside/under
  • Alumni from the current club
  • Any staff I've worked with previously during this career
  • Otherwise jobs have to be filled via Job Centre
• Prioritise personality, tactical preferences & reputation over attributes when hiring
  • At least 2 tactical preferences (style, mentality, pressing, formation) must match my tactical set-up
  • Tactical preferences & personality act as a kind of "job interview"
  • Reputation is used as the indicator of quality
• Only sign scouted/recommended players.  These need to be fully scouted, unless:
  • Another team bids on them
  • It's transfer deadline day
  • They are a player I've managed previously during this career

[Brother Ben]

On 20/06/2021 at 12:28, Speedyol said:

I also like LLM or lower league management. I found these online and figured that I already followed most of them before I heard about the term "LLM" in the first place. I guess you also use these guidelines?

• -Start as Sunday league Manager with 0 licences, managing in the lowest division of a nation.
• -Only use tactics I have created on my own. (dont copy anyone else ect)
• -Don’t use the Player- or Staff search in the game. (Players scouted/shortlist page allowed)
• -Only sign players that are recommended by my scouts. Can scout players from Teams you have played against and players mentioned in inbox/news of any kind.
• -Only sign backroom staff through an advert, not staff search.
• -The usage of FM-Tools (like Genie Scout) is not allowed.
• -No rage quits after you lose a game! In LLM losing means losing!
• -Don’t use exploits in the game (corner exploits, Man marking exploits or Alter tranfer fee for example)
• -Keep my signings realistic, for example I don’t sign a squad of French free agents with an English non-league side.
• -Use attribute masking to make scouting harder.

I like to make a end point goal for every "save" too. A goal that when completed ends the game. for instance to win Scotland, Wales, Ireland, North Ireland and England top leagues.

very much so, that's pretty much the guidelines right there. 

Pretty simple things but they do make the game more of a challenge there's a larger overview of the guidelines/ethos here - https://www.the9llamas.com/llama-guidelinesethos

[Brother Ben]

27 minutes ago, Geoff Newman said:

 

• Use a "Little Black Book" of contacts for staffing hires - can only directly approach:
  • Players/Coaches that the manager played alongside/under
  • Alumni from the current club
  • Any staff I've worked with previously during this career
  • Otherwise jobs have to be filled via Job Centre
•  

Please tell me its an actual little black book ! 

I've been known to often scribble tactics in a notebook when I'm at work and things come into my head

Edited June 21, 2021 by Brother Ben

[GIMN]

5 hours ago, Brother Ben said:

Please tell me its an actual little black book ! 

I've been known to often scribble tactics in a notebook when I'm at work and things come into my head

Sadly, I won't risk it...if I lost the book I'd probably break down and cry - it usually takes me the best part of 2-3 hours to build the shortlist, scouring through transfermarkt.com, team season wiki pages, old versions of FM, etc...

[GIMN]

On 20/06/2021 at 12:28, Speedyol said:

• -Use attribute masking to make scouting harder.

Do people really play with attribute masking off?  It kind of feels like a pretty core component of the game.

[Grifty]

11 hours ago, Geoff Newman said:

Do people really play with attribute masking off?  It kind of feels like a pretty core component of the game.

I like it because of the excitement you see on an 17 year old with what looks to be amazing stats dwindles once you count him and he's actually rubbish and at the lower end of the brackets.

[Peter Morgan]

Only a couple of little things, but for my Ponte Preta career on FM20 I made my manager be fluent in Portuguese (because he had learnt it so he could manage in Brazil), and the currency I use in-game is the Brazilian Real (because why would I be dealing in pound sterling whilst managing in Brazil?). Adds to the realism slightly - ha!

[DIESEL.be]

Lots of interesting info here. I'm a big sucker for realism but new to FM and football in general (apart from a spill in FM14 or 15 I believe) so I'm still learning all the basics in the game. For my main save I'd like to take a club in the Serie D and use as much realism as I can; most of the things mentioned here (like scouting and acquiring staff member). I'd like to add contract negotiations to the manager or the DoF; I'm just scared they'd do a very ****** job at it.

[IbrahimAliMaher]

16 hours ago, DIESEL.be said:

I'd like to add contract negotiations to the manager or the DoF; I'm just scared they'd do a very ****** job at it.

This is too much like self sabotage for me, given they do ridiculous things like giving your best youth prospect a £3m release fee clause. My DoF just decided to retire, I'm over the moon 

[DIESEL.be]

On 23/06/2021 at 12:48, IbrahimAliMaher said:

This is too much like self sabotage for me, given they do ridiculous things like giving your best youth prospect a £3m release fee clause. My DoF just decided to retire, I'm over the moon 

Hehe yeah,

I'm honestly just going to do it all by myself. It would be neat those functions actually worked as they should, I mean if the DoF has 20 negotiating he shouldn't do dumb clauses like your DoF did. 

[Platinum]

15 minutes ago, DIESEL.be said:

Hehe yeah,

I'm honestly just going to do it all by myself. It would be neat those functions actually worked as they should, I mean if the DoF has 20 negotiating he shouldn't do dumb clauses like your DoF did. 

My DoF has been working fine so far but Im a semi pro team