Jump to content

Football Manager 2013 Video Blogs: Media


Smurf

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 141
  • Created
  • Last Reply
Miles, you shouldn't have bothered. No really..

These podcasts are progressively getting more and more disappointing by the day. Come Friday it'll just be a 3min segment on what the new case cover looks like.

I disagree Deadline Day and Training are quite features. Competition updates is something they need to confirm as well

Link to post
Share on other sites

Unfortunately, this is one area of the game that is not going in the right direction. Press conferences are tedious and distracting. Their role in the game and the amount of time they take up should be reduced, not expanded.

This is how press conferences should be handled:

Essentially, press conferences should be like team meetings. While the option to engage in the mini-game should be given before and after each match, the player should be given a choice between playing the mini-game and selecting an option to give "platitudes and non-answers." If the second option is taken, the mini-game is ignored with no effect whatsoever (unlike sending an assistant manager). If the player chooses to engage in the mini-game, then the player should be given the option to address specific issues related to the match, opponents or players to achieve a specific effect, essentially replacing the current "talk to press" option.

To make things more interesting, SI can also introduce "questions and controversies," basically broader issues about your team that the media is talking about that could potentially affect player morale, fan confidence and owner confidence over longer periods of time (why isn't Striker A scoring, will Midfielder B move to a bigger club, is Defender C being pushed out by the manager, is Striker D justifying his transfer fee, etc.). Managers would then have a choice of seeing if these stories blow over with minimal effect or using the press conference to address these concerns and end (or if they fail, amplify) their effects. This could also help create more immersion as players could look at the "media" screen to see, in addition to transfer gossip, what storylines and controversies are potentially affecting them AND their opponents, rather than existing in a media vacuum until a reporter throws a question at them during a press conference. This would also create a platform for integrating controversies regarding fan behaviour, financial management, etc.

This would achieve a good balance between reflecting how managers actually deal with the media, providing an actual incentive for players to voluntarily engage in the mini-game and, most importantly, minimizing the amount of repetitive clicking that players must do.

The current system in which players must answer every single inane question with a sincere answer that may have potentially disastrous effects on player morale is unrealistic, time-consuming and immensely irritating.

While I don't mind press conferences, this is definitely the direction I'd like to see SI take in the future. Great post!

Link to post
Share on other sites

Not a fan of this RPG-like aspect of the game to be honest, especially when it's so boring and repetitive.

Game conversation systems are never any good, I can't stand dialogue in computer RPGs (pen and paper with real people is the only way) because it's just spam through the quest text until you can get to the end ... the press conference system is the same sort of deal. I don't think it's a feature that's really possible to do well, a pre-canned list of question/answer doesn't cut it, it's jarring how static it is. But we're not at the point (and may never be) where AI can hold an intelligent conversation, so it's the only option.

Actually if it was a RPG it'd be better, because the buttons would probably be labelled with things like "+1 morale" at the end and it would be clear what the effect of your responses are! I could probably live with the current system if it was turned into a meta-game of picking what boost to your team you wanted, much like training focus is.

Link to post
Share on other sites

[place good post (and bacon) here]

The Hand of God has come down on this issue with a desk-slamming thump. Would love to see things go in this direction too.

Rather than questions every game which will surely be a bit repetitive almost no matter what, a season-on-season engagement with fans, press, club, and other managers through the media would be interesting. As you said: "basically broader issues about your team that the media is talking about that could potentially affect player morale, fan confidence and owner confidence over longer periods of time", informed by "players could look at the "media" screen to see, in addition to transfer gossip, what storylines and controversies are potentially affecting them AND their opponents, rather than existing in a media vacuum until a reporter throws a question at them during a press conference".

Link to post
Share on other sites

The only people who usually think the press module to carry too much weight on what later happens on the pitch are those who go into them, toy with them, and then that is all they ever really fundamentally change and toy around with - not the tactics or anything else they claim to carry too few of a weight. The effects have reportedly toned down throughout years, and the thing is rigged into the player's favor anyways. AI managers screw up press conferences too, and that in major ways, up to the point of just storming out of the thing or denying any answer whatsoever. Furthermore, I have never seen my own striker dropping in morale when the AI judging from media reports successfully put him under pressure, whilst vice versa you can do so quite frequently - which isn't entirelly down to guesswork, but keeping a closer look at how a player reacted previously on his history screen. Furthermore, for any of those to have that "Distastrous effect on team morale" many claim the system can have, you have to do something prolly outright stupid.

Sending the assistant when not feeling like joining the press? Not worrying an iota.

Actually if it was a RPG it'd be better, because the buttons would probably be labelled with things like "+1 morale" at the end and it would be clear what the effect of your responses are!

As shown in the video, the thing isn't meant to be that way. There isn't a specific "right way" of doing things, as the tones do suggest. You are meant to role-play whatever manager you wish - if you want to. I understand that assigning clear-cut effects to each button would allow for more transparency and make some feel more "safe". However, I think those who worry that much about picking individual tones and answers right now might worry a tad too much about the system is trying to convey. In a certain sense, the implementation of similarily "gamey" feedback such as red arrows and green arrows has done more good than harm in some ways, as people treated the thing as a mini-game of how to avoid red arrows at all costs. The idea of "role-playing" your manager character is ace - however it isn't 349879872 more questions being awol, it is the short-term and long-term implications of this that are missing. Miles is talking about how the press wouldn't return anymore favors if you're acting in specific ways, whilst acting differently if you approach them in in different ways. To me it ultimately never made much of a difference - the only thing that really happened was that journalists refused to carry my story of trying to put an opposition player under pressure to where it needed be: the news. Imagine being your character really being judged by both the media as well as clubs, and that having further effects on your career both short-term and long-term, such as clubs trying to be in the spotlight all the time less likely to approach managers not dealing with the press, as a very simple example. Similarily to what is happening now with the implementation of a "club philosophy" by linking always-present tactical attributes and preferences of AI managers with something new, and hopefully not going over the top with it, the basics have always been there.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I don't join in with the press conference hate I'm afraid

They are a key part of football management. I don't actually see them as 'press conferences' as such, more as pre and post-match imterviews which happen at pretty much every pro and semi-pro level of the game.

You can't go through a football management career without ever speaking to the media. Irl if a manager can't be arsed, then his assistant goes instead - just like he does in FM. They can be repetitive but in all seriousness, this is always grossly exaggerated on this forum, they really aren't that repetitive! This is a good expansion of a key part of the game, well done SI.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I don't join in with the press conference hate I'm afraid

They are a key part of football management. I don't actually see them as 'press conferences' as such, more as pre and post-match imterviews which happen at pretty much every pro and semi-pro level of the game.

You can't go through a football management career without ever speaking to the media. Irl if a manager can't be arsed, then his assistant goes instead - just like he does in FM. They can be repetitive but in all seriousness, this is always grossly exaggerated on this forum, they really aren't that repetitive! This is a good expansion of a key part of the game, well done SI.

This is a joke right?

Link to post
Share on other sites

Nope, not at all

How you handle them dictates how repetitive they become

No, how they are presented dictates it. Assmen are rubbish so I have to do the press conferences which are so repetative that I no longer need to read most of the questions, just the length and shape is enough for me to respond automatically and check the "correct" option, without reading them either! It is not an enjoyable experience.

Link to post
Share on other sites

The solution about the tediousness of press conferences is easy IMO.

Instead of few scripted questions and answers it would be enough to have few hundreds or thousands of scripted questions and answers.

It is only a matter of placing development resources where the game really needs them.

Link to post
Share on other sites

To be fair, I don't think anyone is bashing the concept of press conferences, just the implementation. They don't stand up to the immersion levels of other parts of the game, in part due to the lack of variation in them.

Link to post
Share on other sites

The only people who usually think the press module to carry too much weight on what later happens on the pitch are those who go into them, toy with them, and then that is all they ever really fundamentally change and toy around with - not the tactics or anything else they claim to carry too few of a weight. The effects have reportedly toned down throughout years, and the thing is rigged into the player's favor anyways.

certainly not my case, quite the opposite actually. For a player with a bit of experience it's kind of easy to identify the 'correct' answer in press conferences in less than a second. Same goes for teamtalks (win - don't get complacent; draw/loss - not happy). I'm not complaining that bad handling of media interaction and teamtalks make my team lose regardless of tactics. I'm saying that 'good' handling of those features (which is both simple and boring to master) make my team WIN regardless of tactics. And I don't like that very much.

not sure how you can say that effects have reportedly toned down, feels exactly the opposite to me and I did play a lot of FM these years.

Link to post
Share on other sites

certainly not my case, quite the opposite actually. For a player with a bit of experience it's kind of easy to identify the 'correct' answer in press conferences in less than a second. Same goes for teamtalks

Yep you are right, that is just the reason why press conferences are extremely tedious.

Sometimes, often I would say, you know the question and the relative answer even before the press conference commences.

Link to post
Share on other sites

The people who make the game and code that part have said on numerous occasions it has been toned down, i really dont see any reason for them to say this if its not true.

I reckon my biggest issue is probably with the super-powerful teamtalks, which is not the theme discussed in this blog really.

I think it's fair to say that teamtalks' effects haven't been toned down throughout the years?

Link to post
Share on other sites

I reckon my biggest issue is probably with the super-powerful teamtalks, which is not the theme discussed in this blog really.

I think it's fair to say that teamtalks' effects haven't been toned down throughout the years?

No its not fair, because its not true. Team talk effects have been greatly reduced over the past few years, its also worth noting that the effects of a team talk last 10-15 minutes at the most after they have been delivered.

The effects off all the media and team talks has been reduce since they came into the game, most noteably on the team talks.

Link to post
Share on other sites

The biggest BORE! ever in the whole game being the dreadful press conferences and looks like the trend will continue, sorry Miles well I'm not really when I say this but the only improvement to this latest offerings is don't waste any more time on this repetitive option in the game.

Link to post
Share on other sites

If you dont plike press conferences. big woop.. send your Assist or go play fifa..

Lol, smartest reply ever :D Not like "let's see how to improve it" no, "go playing another game"! ahahah! Fantastic :D

Like going to eat pizza, if you don't like a topping over it don't ask for removing it or another pizza, no... go eating to another pizzeria! No, better, go eating chinese! ahah! clever! well done mate, well done! :D

Link to post
Share on other sites

No, how they are presented dictates it. Assmen are rubbish so I have to do the press conferences which are so repetative that I no longer need to read most of the questions, just the length and shape is enough for me to respond automatically and check the "correct" option, without reading them either! It is not an enjoyable experience.

Your ass man is 'rubbish' is he? Well appoint a better one then! The point is that dealing with the media is a vital part of any manager's job so in this simulation of football management, it is an integral part and needs to stay

I'm not saying it can't be better, it obviouly could but the repetitiveness of it is both overstated and avoidable. If you keep giving neutral responses then they are going to keep asking you the same question, as they want an answer! That would happen irl, is perfectly realistic and understandable.

Also, there is no 'correct' answer. Some answers obviously work better than others in similar situations, but what answer does what is highly dependent on what team you have, what players are in that team and what their attributes are.

Some of the sh*te I see spouted on this forum is beyond belief!

Link to post
Share on other sites

The point is that dealing with the media is a vital part of any manager's job so in this simulation of football management, it is an integral part and needs to stay

I agree, but the format needs to change since its neither fun nor particularly realistic. Most top level managers have PR people who help train them to give innocuous answers much like politicians, and as such, most press conferences are ignored unless a manager intentionally says something provocative. In most cases, press conferences are posted on a club's web site where only the most dedicated fans watch them... players, in particularly, usually only hear about a given comment if the broader media latches onto it and decides to make a story over it.

Obviously, the press conference itself is a repetitive task for real life managers, but it's significance is minimal unless they choose to make it otherwise. The point of a game is to emphasize the entertaining tasks and minimize/streamline the tedious tasks. Getting to work in one piece is another important part of being a manager, but we don't need a "Streets of London" mini-game to see if you safely get to the training ground each morning.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Your ass man is 'rubbish' is he? Well appoint a better one then!

It's not always an option though, is it? Assistants can do other things. At lower levels, you might not even be able to afford to fire him. At higher levels, you might not be able to find an assistant of similar ability for a sensible wage and compensation.

The point is that dealing with the media is a vital part of any manager's job so in this simulation of football management, it is an integral part and needs to stay

Effectively, you are telling him to find an assistant manager who is (only?) good at media-handling so he can ignore press conferences. Then you are going on about realism. Who hires an assistant manager based on his press conferences, which is about 1% of his time spent working? There's nothing realistic about that.

It doesn't really matter if it is vital to a manager's job or not. Going to the bathroom is vital to a manager's career but nobody (hopefully) is going to argue for the inclusion of this feature into the game. It doesn't matter whether it's realistic or not. Honest. Look at the feedback to being able to control what your Director of Football can do.

I'm not saying it can't be better, it obviouly could but the repetitiveness of it is both overstated and avoidable. If you keep giving neutral responses then they are going to keep asking you the same question, as they want an answer! That would happen irl, is perfectly realistic and understandable.

Why do you think they are giving the same neutral responses? Because it's the safest and because it's repetitive! If it wasn't repetitive to begin with, users would be less likely to be hitting the most neutral options repeatedly.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Just a quick question for all those who hate the press conferences. How do you think real managers feel about them?

Press questions are (for the most part) blame and obvious. Even if there's a scandal the questions themselves can be guessed at before hand. In fact there's a position called a Press Officer who actually does exactly that and tells players/managers what questions to avoid being honest with and what are okay prior to the conference starting. My god...it's almost as if they know the questions and have pre planned replies prepared! SI, how dare you be so realistic!

I'm hoping that the scope of the questions/topics looked at has/will be grown but I have no issues with doing them either way.

Link to post
Share on other sites

most press conferences are ignored unless a manager intentionally says something provocative. In most cases, press conferences are posted on a club's web site where only the most dedicated fans watch them... players, in particularly, usually only hear about a given comment if the broader media latches onto it and decides to make a story over it.

i dont know how it works in other cities or area's but up here every press conference our manager gives is on the back page of our local paper, they are not limited to the clubs website. So every player can see what the manager has said to the local press on a daily basis.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Just a quick question for all those who hate the press conferences. How do you think real managers feel about them?

Press questions are (for the most part) blame and obvious. Even if there's a scandal the questions themselves can be guessed at before hand. In fact there's a position called a Press Officer who actually does exactly that and tells players/managers what questions to avoid being honest with and what are okay prior to the conference starting. My god...it's almost as if they know the questions and have pre planned replies prepared! SI, how dare you be so realistic!

I'm hoping that the scope of the questions/topics looked at has/will be grown but I have no issues with doing them either way.

I can't see the point here. Should we play and live boring and tedious things only because it's realistic? What's the meaning of a game then? Why don't you manage a real football team? Do you prefer realism in press conferences and not in the match itself, with players skating, hitting woodworks 5 times per match, going for butterflies instead of tackling the opponent?

And are press conferences so realistic as you say they are? After a couple of season i don't even bother reading the questions for giving my answers, is this realistic? I'm sorry, i can't see how this may be an improvement. Changing tones on same answers. Every damn match. Just a waste of time. Give me an option to turn them off. Game over.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I can't see the point here. Should we play and live boring and tedious things only because it's realistic? What's the meaning of the game then? Why don't you manage a real football team? Do you prefer realism in press conferences and not in the match itself, with players skating, hitting woodworks 5 times per match, going for butterflies instead of tackling the opponent?

So what's your point? A game that aims to be a simulation of managing a football club should exclude all the stuff that managers and/or users don't like? Up until FM13 there was no reason to argue for more wages as a manager, does that mean SI should have left it out?

You're trying to act as if I said everything in the game was fine. The game still needs developing and growth with plenty of issues (ME being the main bug bare for me) but a press conference is a major part of the footballing world (IRL) and as such deserves to be included in a football manager game. The fact it gets very repetitive and boring for most users shouldn't discount its place in the game.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Just a quick question for all those who hate the press conferences. How do you think real managers feel about them?

I don't care how real managers feel about them. It's part of their job and they get paid a handsome salary for it. I'm just a bloke sat at home playing a video game, so your argument falls flat right there.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Lol, smartest reply ever :D Not like "let's see how to improve it" no, "go playing another game"! ahahah! Fantastic :D

Like going to eat pizza, if you don't like a topping over it don't ask for removing it or another pizza, no... go eating to another pizzeria! No, better, go eating chinese! ahah! clever! well done mate, well done! :D

there is no pleasing the press conference haters.. why even bother..

they say the same thing every year

One thing iv noticed very clearly over the years.. that FM players know 1 thing well.. and thats whine if they dont like something.. (one of the reasons i took a half year break from this forum)

Link to post
Share on other sites

I don't care how real managers feel about them. It's part of their job and they get paid a handsome salary for it. I'm just a bloke sat at home playing a video game, so your argument falls flat right there.

Then find another game that's entire concept isn't to have you play out a real manager's experience. Or buy an older version of FM that doesn't have them in it.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Not exclude mate, but considering complaints here, it seems it's something that the most of players don't like at all. So why keeping up with it?

I haven't asked to remove them off, because i reckon there is people who likes PC and i think everybody's point of view must be taken in consideration and respected. But you should respect mine as i respect yours. I don't like PC, in my opinion it's a big, frustrating, boring and silly waste of time. I feel forced to attend them tho, because i can't trust on my Ass Man whatever his skills, and i don't want he to destroy the morale of my team. Why do i have to be forced to do something i dont like/want to do? This is not real life man, it's a game, may i have the freedom to do what i want at least in a game? lol

I repeat again and again and again... we're talking about everything here, but Football. Real football i mean. How many times have you seen the pitch in all these video blogs so far? I can tell you. Two.

there is no pleasing the press conference haters.. why even bother..

they say the same thing every year

One thing iv noticed very clearly over the years.. that FM players know 1 thing well.. and thats whine if they dont like something.. (one of the reasons i took a half year break from this forum)

Yeah, next time i will show all my happiness when i dont like something, because i dont want you to take another break :brock:

Link to post
Share on other sites

Because if they got rid of it you'd have a 1000 page thread from the people that enjoy the press conferences and demand them to be back.

Reality is, press conferences are part of football. It's how managers psychologically talks about their opponents, and even their own team.

Take a look at Jose Mourinho, he slammed his team before the Man City game, saying he had no team and that he needs new players as the current crop aren't good enough. Now they are slowly climbing the table and winning again.

Press conferences are needed in the game.

If you don't like them, then set your assistant to attend.

I always set my assistant to attend press conferences, simply because I don't like that element of the game. But I do keep an eye on what he is saying and if I think it's not right, perhaps slamming a players poor performance undeservedly I would go talk to that player and say "You played ok out there" or something along those lines. Just to keep the troops happy.

If I think the Assistant is not doing a good job with press conferences I'll go find another Assistant Manager to take his place.

Link to post
Share on other sites

The problem Frederico is that people who dislike something are always more vocal then those that like it. That goes for everything, not just press conferences in FM.

So there will always be a lot of posts that are against something then for something and that makes it look like there' a lot of people complaining when there are almost certainly more that either like or at least don't mind the feature.

Personally I don't really care for press conferences, but I'd still give them a try in the demo to see what happens. I'll probably end up playing FMC anyway and so press conferences won't be an issue for me.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Not exclude mate, but considering complaints here, it seems it's something that the most of players don't like at all. So why keeping up with it?

I haven't asked to remove them off, because i reckon there is people who likes PC and i think everybody's point of view must be taken in consideration and respected. But you should respect mine as i respect yours. I don't like PC, in my opinion it's a big, frustrating, boring and silly waste of time. I feel forced to attend them tho, because i can't trust on my Ass Man whatever his skills, and i don't want he to destroy the morale of my team. Why do i have to be forced to do something i dont like/want to do? This is not real life man, it's a game, may i have the freedom to do what i want at least in a game? lol

Which is the real issue with the conferences and not the fact they're in the game.

Aside from actually finding a better assistant manager (shock!), it wouldn't be a bad idea if SI allowed us to tell the assistant what type of replies we want him to make if he takes the conferences.

You're right, it is a game but I can't stand it when I'm playing a racing game and the car I use has under/oversteer but since that's realistic to driving a car it's in there.

Link to post
Share on other sites

You can take actions for solve under/oversteering issues, you can't for press conferences. It's like having oversteering all the career long :)

Again, i'm not asking for removing them off, but since it's a game i think it would have been fair to have the chance to skip them. I can skip transfers day deadline, can't i press conferences? Mm.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Well i think we exposed our point of view. However, this won't change things.

Let's see what kind of new conference will be shown on the next video blog. Maybe shareholders meeting? Oh my.. i hope i haven't gave them a new idea for the next release ahahah! :D

Luckily im not Sir Alex Ferguson nor a Premier League manager, so that i don't have to attend any PC. I'm only Mr. No One who plays Football Manager sitted on a comfortable chair after a day of tiring work, in his real life.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Try rereading what I posted.

The user is allowed to skip them when a real manager isn't, hence the suspension of reality for those who don't want to deal with the questions.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Basically, media outlets pay money to broadcast the game, and report on them. And part of these deals are that press conferences are held, so they can be shown/broadcast etc. on the likes of Match of the Day.

BBC pay £170m a season to have the right of a press conference with teams so they can be shown on TV later that day.

It's part of the sponsorships with the clubs.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Try rereading what I posted.

The user is allowed to skip them when a real manager isn't, hence the suspension of reality for those who don't want to deal with the questions.

I didn't even see your post before I posted my post.

I was replying to the question of skipping press conferences altogether, the way I understood it, Federico, was asking for them to be removed and not even have the Ass Man attend.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I didn't even see your post before I posted my post.

I was replying to the question of skipping press conferences altogether, the way I understood it, Federico, was asking for them to be removed and not even have the Ass Man attend.

I have never asked them to be removed. I think it was a good idea to give us an option to turn them off, considering the amount of people not liking it.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I didn't even see your post before I posted my post.

I was replying to the question of skipping press conferences altogether, the way I understood it, Federico, was asking for them to be removed and not even have the Ass Man attend.

My bad, Eugene.

Link to post
Share on other sites

The problem Frederico is that people who dislike something are always more vocal then those that like it. That goes for everything, not just press conferences in FM.So there will always be a lot of posts that are against something then for something and that makes it look like there' a lot of people complaining when there are almost certainly more that either like or at least don't mind the feature.

Personally I don't really care for press conferences, but I'd still give them a try in the demo to see what happens. I'll probably end up playing FMC anyway and so press conferences won't be an issue for me.

Sorry, even though we share similar sentiments regarding Press Conferences, I couldn't let this slip by without letting you know that you are mistaken. I offer you Religions.

Link to post
Share on other sites

I still don't think the majority of people who are against press conferences are actually against the concept of them, or the concept of dealing with the media. They're against the way press conferences are implemented- they are currently dull, free of choice and repetitive, and that looks set to continue. Picking from the same stock five responses to the same dozen or so question, even with "tones", does not let you create a personality for your manager. From what is shown in the video, the tone system does not appear to have any major effect on the reporting.

Skipping PCs risks letting your Assistant Manager upset the team with stupid comments that are just as unrealistic- if you're sending an Ass Man in the first place, their brief is always going to be "don't say anything controversial, sit on the fence".

Press conferences are not a bad idea for inclusion in the game, and there have been other propositions for how they could be incorporated in a more immersive and less shallow fashion (see Post #23). Even giving more variation in terms of responses would be a start- what difference is there between me saying "I would say we have an excellent chance" passionaltely or assertively? Why can I not say "We are going to absolutely tear them apart!", or "Look, we are going to win. Next question.", and have it reported as such?

Link to post
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...