Challenges The Nation Locke Challenge

[Ashez]

The Nation Locke Challenge

Today i bring to Vibe a challenge of tremendous difficulty which will question every aspect of your FMM ability and it's called, "The Nation Locke." 

When i'm struggling for ideas i often look at challenges popular with other games to see if that can ignite any inspiration and in this case i was once again inspired by the Pokemon Community. In this community there are various "locke" challenges which limit the way the games are played in a way that makes them more challenging, in this instance i've been inspired by the "Wedlocke challenge". I'm not going to go into these challenges as they're not relevant but i wanted to reference where the idea came from, if they happen to interest you i'd suggest using Google. 

The Challenge

The Wedlocke sees you having to pair two pokemon together by gender but i've twisted this concept for FMM, in my version you will be paring players by nation. When starting this challenge the first thing you need to do is pair up every position on the pitch in a sensible manner, for example you could pair the right sided center back with the right sided fullback. 

GK
RCB + RB
LCB + LB
RCM + RM
LCM + LM
ST + ST

GK
RB + LB
CB + CB
CM + CM
LM + RM 
ST + ST

GK
RB + RM
LB + LM
CB + CM
CB + CM
ST + ST

The players can be paired in any way you see fit as long as they make sense like the pairings above, you can not pair a striker with a center back for example, the pairings have to play next to each other. Due to needing to be in solid pairs any formation with a "lone" or "triple" formation can not be used. So a 442 is fine but a 4231 is not (I will be lenient and allow an AML paired with a LCM etc). 

Once you've worked out your pairs will you need to assign them an unique nation each. This nation is the nationality of that pair and is a free for all apart from the goalkeeper who must be of the nation of the league you're playing in, so if you play in Spain your keeper must be Spanish. 

Playing as Barcelona:

GK - Spanish
RCB + RB - English
LCB + LB - Brazilian
RCM + RM - Welsh
LCM + LM - Scottish
ST + ST - Belgium

You now have to build this starting eleven plus back ups, so you need to build double of the above. In the example above you'd have two Spanish goalkeepers, two English right backs, two English CB, two German left backs, two German center backs and so on. 

GK - Spanish - Valdes + De Gea
RCB + RB - English - Terry + Cahill and Johnson + Clyne
LCB + LB - Brazilian - Silva + Luiz and Sandro + Jorge 
RCM + RM - Welsh - Allen + Ramsey and Bale + Wilson
LCM + LM - Scottish - Brown + Fletcher and Naismith + Morrison 
ST + ST - Belgian - Lukaku + Benteke and Origi + Batshuayi

You now need to create your pairs and to do this you take one player from each position of that nation, so for England you'd take one of your right backs and pair him with your center back resulting in a Clyne and Terry partnership. 

XI One

De Gea
Clyne Terry Silva Sandro
Bale Ramsey Brown Naismith
Lukaku Benteke

XI Two

Valdes
Johnson Cahill Luiz Jorge
Wilson Allen Fletcher Morrison
Origi Batshuayi

Once your pairs have been made they are locked together. At this point these players can only play if the other member of the pair also plays. For example Terry can only play if Clyne does, if Clyne is unavailable and Johnson has to play then Terry isn't able to play either and Cahill will take his place.

Examples:

1. All four are fit - You can select which pair plays but it has to be one of the pairs. 
2. Clyne is suspended/injured - Terry also must be dropped
3. Clyne is unfit but able to proceed to match - Up to you if you risk Clyne and Terry or if you drop the pair. 
4. If you can't build a pair for a certain match, say Clyne and Cahill are injured you can play Terry and Johnson, this is however a last resort. 

You can rotate the pairs as you see fit but only these pairs can play in these positions. Even if the Brazilian left side of your defense (LB/LCB) can play on the right side they are not allowed to, that right side is for your English players only. 

Substitutions

Due to the way substitutes work in football (only three, pain in the arse to select them etc) you can use them however you want. The only rule with substitutes is you can only swap nationality for nationality. So you can swap Allen for Ramsey but you can not sub Allen on for Brown. If your English central defender is injured and you don't have an English player on the bench it's tough luck, you'll continue with ten men. 

Longer Term Thinking
Replacing Pairs

When it comes to replacing a pair it's a case of starting from scratch. If you want to replace Clyne you'd need to replace Terry as well. You can also sell off the four and change nationality as long as it's not to one already in use. However you won't be able to ever go back to that nationality. If you sell off your English players and swap them for Dutch, you'll never again be able to have an English set, even in a different position. You'd also need to pair up your new Dutch players and so on. 

Target

I'm not going to set any targets as i don't feel this challenge needs any. If you do feel you want something extra i'd suggest aiming for a league title or the Champions league, you could even say it's completed once you've won everything available. 

Rules

1, Everything above
2. No unlockables or use of the editors. 
3. All transfers must be done within the first window. 
4. You can only have these players in your squad (22 man squad)
5. No reloading matches - You may reload the first window to get deals done if need be but you can't reload matches.
6. Your keeper must be the nationality of the league you're playing in

Advice

1, Demote and transfer list everyone you don't intend to keep day one. 
2. Play as a rich club, an empty reserve team is a bonus. (makes step one easier)
3. Use something to plan out a potential squad - Personally i use a pen and paper. Use this to keep track of where you are, who's signed and how much money you have left. 
4. Load multiple leagues

Closing Statement

This is one of the hardest and most complicated challenges i've ever created. This challenge will test you in many areas including

1. Tactic building - 442 is a tough one!
2. Squad building
3. Ability to adapt to a team adjusting and players available
4. Money management
5. Concentration
6. Ability to keep your job

I'm personally playing this right now and it's a blast, i can confirm it's mind bogglingly hard to build the squad but it's also some of the most fun i've had with 2016. 

That's it for my Nation Locke! 

I understand this is a confusing challenge so any questions just ask! It's better to be safe than sorry so ask away! 

My attempt will be posted in the coming days  

Thank you for viewing, i look forward to seeing your views, questions and opinions on the challenge. 

[pipaz4]

Wow, this seems like a very difficult challenge, i might give it a try later.

[Ashez]

It's worth the reward IMO, I love building squads though. 

[daan27]

What would happen if Clyne and Johnson were both unavailable/injured?

[Ashez]

13 minutes ago, daan27 said:

What would happen if Clyne and Johnson were both unavailable/injured?

You just have to make do. I knew I'd forget something like that so great question. I've played a season so far and only had that issue for one match. There isn't much you can do apart from play a random player in that position, it's not worth adding a third spare to each area for just in case etc. 

That's just another occasion where the rules have to be bent slightly to continue :).

[Ashez]

Sure, seems a logical partnership :). However in that case you'd have to label your strikers as LST and RST. So your left sided player could only play as the left sided striker. 

[Taff]

Sound very intriguing Ashez, I'm also fond of building squads and this sound tough as hell but a lot of fun as well 

[Ashez]

Cheers, I had hoped to have my attempt started (as in posting) by now but no PC ATM. 

To avoid any similarities my save is with Real Madrid :). Mainly because I was testing if the challenge was possible at all tbh lol. 

[Taff]

Well I look forward to seeing how you get on

[Ashez]

I decided to reveal my team just in case lol. I'd avoid a reserve team tbh, made it a pain in the Arse! 

[Taff]

If I was going to use my attacking 442 formation could I make the IF/Left and W/Right the same nationality and then make my CM pair the same or would it have to be RCM/W and LCM/IF?

Plus if I'm playing in England obviously have to have an English Keeper would that then mean I can't use English players anywhere else?

Edited March 18, 2016 by Taff

[Taff]

I'm just setting up a Man City team and it's tougher than you think.

But I am getting there

[Taff]

Could be a good option it's just getting a Spanish keeper main reason I went with City was the fact they had Hart already (plus a good budget)

[Taff]

Do the results count if it's before the end of the transfer window because I haven't completed my team and the season starts on the 17th August so should I just get through these games and go from September 1st for real

[Ashez]

6 hours ago, Taff said:

If I was going to use my attacking 442 formation could I make the IF/Left and W/Right the same nationality and then make my CM pair the same or would it have to be RCM/W and LCM/IF?

Plus if I'm playing in England obviously have to have an English Keeper would that then mean I can't use English players anywhere else?

Yes AML - LCM etc is fine. 

Yes your keepers will be your only English pair. It's a unique nation per pair/position :). 

5 hours ago, Taff said:

Do the results count if it's before the end of the transfer window because I haven't completed my team and the season starts on the 17th August so should I just get through these games and go from September 1st for real

Of course they count, it's not like they can be ignored lol. Any match played counts and can't be reloaded but all 22 players have to be set before the close of the window, as after that point you'll be unable to complete each set I assume.

to do this you have to be working on multiple deals at once, using the budget you have while also spending your sales before they're confirmed etc. You can't do one player at a time, you'll have no chance. 

[Taff]

Ok I need to start again ?

[Ashez]

I hope the delay in my response isn't to blame for that, if so I apologise. 

I managed to do all mine in a straight swoop with no reloading, I did save often to cover myself if needed though lol. I don't normally agree with it but when my transfers took me close to 2 hours I think some protection is fair as it only impacts the window and after that normal rules return (no reloading etc). 

One idea could be work out a buying price for your targets, how much you have and what you can get back from sales. In this way you can priorities who you bring in first and not waste days testing bids as you can bid knowing you'll have the player a day after or whatever. I didn't do this but I have plenty of times in the past, it does help keeping notes when you're squad building etc.

Just remembered I posted this somewhat relating guide, could help. 

http://vibe.community/forums/topic/26583-theme-team-building-guide/#comment-244555

[Taff]

11 hours ago, Ashez said:

I hope the delay in my response isn't to blame for that, if so I apologise. 

I managed to do all mine in a straight swoop with no reloading, I did save often to cover myself if needed though lol. I don't normally agree with it but when my transfers took me close to 2 hours I think some protection is fair as it only impacts the window and after that normal rules return (no reloading etc). 

One idea could be work out a buying price for your targets, how much you have and what you can get back from sales. In this way you can priorities who you bring in first and not waste days testing bids as you can bid knowing you'll have the player a day after or whatever. I didn't do this but I have plenty of times in the past, it does help keeping notes when you're squad building etc.

Just remembered I posted this somewhat relating guide, could help. 

http://vibe.community/forums/topic/26583-theme-team-building-guide/#comment-244555

No your delay has nothing to do with it Ashez honestly, I was just taking too much time with bids but you'll be happy to hear that I have done it got my squad and I'll run a season with it and create a post in stories so you can keep track 

[Taff]

11 minutes ago, Risheek said:

I am looking forward. I have my team done and have started the Seasons!

Look forward to seeing it.

Another question I get the whole pair thing but its the substitutes who are making me unsure so here's my pairs

Gk - Butland/Hart

CD - Mangala & Heurtaux/Lucas & Lejeune

RB/LB - Santon & Regini/D'Ambrosio & Antonelli

CM - De Bruyne & Praet/Witsel & Dembele 

RW/LW - Narsingh & Promes/Toornstra & John

ST - Aguero & Carrillo/Di Santo & Pratto

Now when it comes to subs can I swap my French CD for any of the two who are playing as they stay the same nation or can I only swap one player for another i.e. Lucas can only swap with Mangala or vice versa 

[Ashez]

Subs is just nation for nation to make it more practical, so your French lad can play in either French position but only off the bench. 

[Taff]

That's what i was hoping as it means that I can swap pretty much any position as my Italian RB/LB's can play either side and so on

Cheers ASHEZ you VIBE LEGEND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

[Taff]

OK found the first major issue here.

Two of my French CD are injured but both are from different pairs and I can't start the game with either one playing and I can't drop one as they won't let me play with 10 men?

What do I do?????

[Ashez]

As I said in the OP as a last resort you can break the pairs to get the matches played. 

[Taff]

1 hour ago, Ashez said:

As I said in the OP as a last resort you can break the pairs to get the matches played. 

OH OK I must have missed that bit, that's OK then I'd hate to have to break the rules or worse start again, but If one of my other CD's gets injured in game then I'll follow what you said and just play with 10 men 

[Ashez]

It's an issue you can't really get around. Signing extra players for just in case is an unneeded ball ache and saying the challenge failed due to injury luck in that manor wouldn't be fair (tip maybe don't use IT) Etc. 

So yeah as a last resort the rules can be bent slightly, otherwise normal rules apply. If the game will allow a player to start he has to, even if he is 30% or whatever lol (happened to me a few times). 

[Mikee1984]

Very interesting and very challenging by the sound of it, i like the whole nation per position concept. Will be giving it a go very soon going to try my luck in the Italian league with juventus I think.

[Ashez]

Cheers, good luck if you try it  

[Mikee1984]

Quick question, one of my players David villa want to retire does that mean when he does I'd have to get rid of his partner in this case my best player Alvaro Morata ?

[Taff]

I'd assume so but you wouldn't have to change the nationality unless you got rid of all your players from that position 

That being said him retiring is out of your hands so not sure there

[Taff]

OK now I have a question what do I do if three (THREE) of my CD's are injured I look at two possible options

1. I change my formation so that I have 1 CD and move a third player to either the ST or CM position meaning I have 3 of the same nationality in one position.

2. Move one of my Italian CB's into the CD position and break up the national pair's

I've saved my game and have gone with option 1 at the moment and moved a third Belgian into a DM role but I can start over from this point if this is the wrong option 

Oh and I've had to split my Dutch pairs as one of each is also out injured (5 injured players)

Edited March 22, 2016 by Taff