The Simtropolis FM 2008 Club

[The boy formerly known as Evil Muzz 27]

How many of you play Football Manager 2008? Or indeed any earlier versions? Just out of interest, because I am sure there must be a load of soccer fans here who play it!

For those of you who don't know what I am on about, Football Manager is a series of games by Sega and Sports Interactive, that puts you in the managing role of your favourite football/soccer team. You play matches against the other teams (CPU controlled) and compete in all the competitions, trying to guide your team to success. You can do pretty much anything a real manager can do, sign the latest talents to your club, sell the under-performers, even taunt the other manager before your game. Everything has an effect in this game, ranging from what you say to the players before they play, to declaring you have an interest in a player on another team, it is probably the deepest, most complex game around - in any genre.

So I started this thread so we can share tactics, tranfers and ideas about the game, because as I have found it is very difficult to work out the game on your own, but I am sure that is probably the point.

So please share your ideas, comments and winning ideas here, fellow Managers!

Also, here we will keep a directory of some of the best players to sign, I will kick us off (excuse the pun). Please try and provide only realtively unfound talent or young players who you find quickly develop into the next best thing, I don't need anyone telling us that Iker Casillas is a must signing, we know that already!

Goalkeepers:

Matt Murray
Darren Randolph
Tom Heaton

Defenders



Midfielders

Andrew Driver
Sergio Tejera
Danielle Franceschini
Laryea Kingston

Strikers

Tamas Priskin
Ricardas Beniusis
Anthony Stokes

Feel free to add to this list, and share your opinions on the game, and any other comments!

[penguin007 27]

Hey there Muzz if I can call u that!!! I got the game for chrimbo but havn't played it much yet but once I have Im sure I can add to the list

Good to see some FM fans here in the american dominated forums who would call it football soccer manager!!!

Will

[The boy formerly known as Evil Muzz 27]

Lol, well it is a big step up from 2007, the game is generally a bit more difficult, but if you get your tactics right you can do well. Opposition Instructions are very important. If the player has pace, don't close them down, but if they are creative close them down so they don't get time to think, pacey players will just skin your defenders if you close them down. That's just a hint I found has come in very useful!

Looking forward to some reccomendations from you, and anyone else who plays the game!

[fern244 1]

Im sorry, but i think the Football Manager series is very poor compared to Fifs Manager. Just an opinion, so dont go crazy on me

[DougOZ 0]

no offense...but i also think that the Fifa Manager is better...i have played both games, and that is my opinion

[The_Dalai_Llama 15]

As an ignorant American, I avoid soccer games... but Sports Interactive makes a great text-based baseball sim that I've been playing lately.

[The boy formerly known as Evil Muzz 27]

I'm sure the big names and official logos attract people to FIFA Manager over Football Manager, but just because it isn't official and doesn't use the real names of the competitions doesn't make it a worse game. I have never played FIFA Manager, but I don't feel the need to after playing Football Manager, it's incredibly addictive and a lot of fun.

Llama: It's a similar idea, most of it is text based, reading reports, setting tactics and data, the games are the only visual parts, with the highlights shown as an aerial view of the pitch with little dots running around representing the players. Just out of interest, how would a Baseball sim work? Excuse me for being an ignorant Brit, but isn't their only one tactic in Baseball? Hit the ball as far as you can and run as far as you can? I must be wrong if there is an entire game on the tactical side of it.

[penguin007 27]

thanks for the tip Muzz I havnt bothered using the opposition instructions but from now on I will use them thanks!!

Will

[fern244 1]

No Muzz, i disagree. The people dont get attracted by the big logos and creators, they just know its a better game.

[The boy formerly known as Evil Muzz 27]

Ok, if you're going to deabte it then, how is it a better game?

IGN gave FM 2008 a 9/10. There isn't even a review for FIFA Manager as far as I can see, surely that says something about the game! EA FIFA games are all the same, maybe changing the interface slightly, or making one or two alterations here and there.

Since the last one, FM has changed incredibly, the engine is the same, but the difficulty curve is different, there are new features, and older, defunct ones taken away. EA relies on it's logo to sell products, take SCS for example, it's rubbish in comparison to, say, City Life, but it will outsell the latter because of the EA logo. As I said, I have not had the experience of playing FIFA, but I know people who have played both and have chosen FM over it. Anyone who played FM would realise it is a quality game, and would have no need to try FIFA Manager, it fulfills every requirement and need of the player.

[The_Dalai_Llama 15]

Originally posted by: The boy formerly known as Evil Muzz Llama: It's a similar idea, most of it is text based, reading reports, setting tactics and data, the games are the only visual parts, with the highlights shown as an aerial view of the pitch with little dots running around representing the players. Just out of interest, how would a Baseball sim work? Excuse me for being an ignorant Brit, but isn't their only one tactic in Baseball? Hit the ball as far as you can and run as far as you can? I must be wrong if there is an entire game on the tactical side of it. quote>

 

I've heard of FM and I really do like the text-based sims Sports Interactive have made over the years.  If I was born and raised in Europe, I would be playing FM right now, probably.  But since I'm stateside, I currently own Out of the Park 2006 and there's so much freedom in what you can do.

OOTP works in the same way, actually.  You can make trades, set up different lineups and strategies, and control in-game tactics like base-running and defensive positioning.  Just check the OOTP forums... there's quite a following.

Your view of baseball is partially correct, but baseball is not all about home runs, you know.  Even though the game is more about power than ever, stealing bases and bunting are still a part of baseball and there's so much emphasis on stats in baseball, it's a big part of OOTP.

[The boy formerly known as Evil Muzz 27]

Ah, I see. I suppose there must be more to the game than what I said, afterall, there is more to football than just banging the ball into the net repeatedly!

And about text based sports sims, I agree with you, I like them too, but I have no idea why! When you think about it, reading text and setting up sliders and drop down menus, with the occasional visualisation represented by dots on a field should not be fun at all, but it is incredibly addictive and incredibly fun, half my life is spent as "Murray Rankin, Hearts Manager", worrying about my next transfer, or how we are going to play the next match... It's incredibly... what's the word...? Consuming.