Opinion: What Is The Point of FMM?

That may seem a strange question to ask on a FMM fansite and to put it a better way I could ask where does FM Mobile fit into the FM series as a whole but also where should it fit in?

The reason I am asking this question is because of the FMM19 winter update and how they  implemented a system that means you need to rotate your squad far more often to keep players fit. A subsequent update has toned down this issue as by SI’s own admission it was far more extreme than they ever meant it to be. This is of course more realistic as modern managers often rotate the team to keep players fit for important matches but it creates more work and makes the game slower for us when we play. This is on top of a new training system that was added this year that requires much more thought and tinkering with than in previous versions as each player has an individual training regime which needs monitoring to get the best results in terms of attribute growth. This adds a certain amount of increased control but it also creates a time sink. Things such as team selection and training can be left to the AI in the form of your assistant manager but that can be hit and miss in terms of results and getting his to do team selection takes a vital part of a managers job away from you.

As most if not all of you know there are 3 versions of Football Manager released every year with the other 2 being.

• Football Manager: Played exclusively on PC or Laptop it is designed to give the player the full experience of being a football manager. This means it is a very detailed game but also slow to play which is perfect for anyone who wants an in depth simulation.
• Football Manager Touch: This is played on PC, high end tablets and the Nintendo Switch and is essentially a striped down version of the main game with elements removed to make it slightly quicker to play. Even with bits removed it is still a detailed game which isn’t played quickly with probably 10 hours+ needed to play one season.

Ultimately FMM is the most “pick up and play” version of the Football Manager series and is designed to be played quickly and to do that certain amounts of realism are taken away from the game to make it quicker to play. I personally think FMM can be broken into 3 elements, transfers, tactic and matches. We buy in our players, we have a tactic or maybe 2 that we know work and we smash through matches making the odd change as we go to our team selection based on form and fitness. This makes FMM a quick game to play and one that a season can be played in a few hours straight if you wish or you can play for a few minutes over tea break at work.

So how realistic should FMM become? 

As the PC game gets more detailed so that detail filters down to both FMT and then FMM but how much detail do we want in our version of the game?

To answer that question we need to think why we play the version that we do. This is a personal choice and it could be for many reasons such as time available or maybe your phone is the only device you have for playing games. Whatever your reason it will effect how you would like to see the game progress and the amount of realism you want to see added although the game will never reach the level of detail available in the other 2 versions. 

Over my time playing FMM and being involved at Vibe I have noticed that a decent amount of our members are actually older which is something which confused me a little when I first got involved as I expected FMM would have a younger fan base due to it being a simpler and more mobile game. What I didn’t factor in is the reason I play the game and it is a reason I have heard a lot from members of the community.

The reason I play the game is I grew fed up with the amount of detail and time needed to play the pc game or even FMT. I like being able to set up a tactic, buy my team and then crack on through the season making the odd change here and there as I go. It may mean I play a less realistic representation of football management but I have fun and that is what a game is about. A PC player will get fun from all the extra detail and micro management but I’m not interested in that stuff and never really have been. 

That is why I ask the question what is the point in FMM? If the game is going to move more and more into micro management then is it the same game or is it just the same as the other 2 versions but with less options and then what’s the point in buying and playing it. If the game behaves in the same way and starts taking longer to play then why bother playing FMM at all as the game loses its unique selling point compared to the other two versions.

On top of this we need to think when do we play the game. 

As I have already said the game is very “pick up and play” and I would say most people play it in bursts of a few minutes up to an hour or so. It is a game designed to be played on the way to work/school, whilst you have a tea break or simply any point you have a bit of time spare. I’m sure many of us play the game for a few hours sometimes but at least for me that is whilst watching TV and FMM isn’t 100% my focus and some days I might play 2-3 hours and then not play it for a couple of days after that. These short bursts of play mean that any added details or realism need to factor in that people dip in and out of the game. In practice this means we can’t remember everything that has happened in a previous play session and that can mean we could end up having to gambling when it comes to issues such as player fitness. If the game is relatively predictable we can judge these issues by the stage of the season we are in but if they aren’t we need the game to help us with indicators or a graph so that we can quickly and easily get back into a save without trying to second guess what we need to do.

This is a fine balance for the devs and they walk a tightrope because many people who play FMM actually want the detail added or at least think they do. We see requests for things like team talks and press conferences which are very unlikely to be added to the game and if they were would we want to use them or would we pass them onto our assistant manager because they get boring and repetitive quickly.? The same goes for details like player condition. Do we want to have to plan 2,3 or 4 matches ahead to make sure we keep people fit or was it ok before when yes players did get tired as the season went on but it didn’t decimate the whole squad and we would know roughly when the issue would come up as the season progressed.

This is a real grey area and I have no definitive answer probably because there isn’t one as it’s so subjective. I feel FMM has had a nice balance this year with the new training adding a new element whilst the game is still fun and quick to play. I personally would prefer to see a couple of new player roles or tactical options added to the game that give us more freedom instead of essentially having freedom taken from us as we need to play tactics that won’t knacker our team or we need huge squads to meet the demands.

Ultimately I want a game that is quick to play and only needs a few tweaks before each match and maybe mid match, I want a game that is fun to play and gives me enough freedom to play in my own style and imagination, I want fun additions and more options added to the game not more restrictions or micro management.

What I really want is for FMM to remain as FMM.

This is all just my opinion but what do you think?

Why do you play FMM over the other two versions or do you play FMM and another version as well. Let me know in the comments.

Thank you for reading.

[Woody]

What an article!!

For me playing FMM is a release, a place to go when the kids are running around driving me nuts. An escape you could say.

As one of the older member here i dont have the time i used to to play a more "indepth" version of the game. Don't get me wrong there was a time when all i did was play the PC version but FMM is way more fun and accessible.

I for one agree, just a few extra addons like a few tactical adjustments in player instructions and the like would be a great addition.

As you all already know some updates just ruin everything.

Brilliantly written @Foxy.

[Rob]

Really good article and makes a lot of sense.

For me, I think someone hit the nail on the head when they referred to FMM as the ‘arcade’ version of FM. My favourite racing game is Mario Kart, which is fairly unrealistic but bloody good fun. FMM should be the same - it should not be all that real and should allow us to rattle through at our own pace.

If they don’t reverse this stamina issue in a quick fix I won’t update mine; but if they don’t fix it in next year’s version then this year’s incarnation will be the last I ever buy.

FMM let’s my brain wind down. It lets me have some me time, to disappear in to my own little stress-free world for a time. I don’t want it to tax me nor do I want it to change in each update. That is why I love it as it was. 

Edited March 11, 2019 by Rob

[Gunners Rishi]

Honestly, for me it’s different. Cos I only play on the weekends I want as much detail as possible because I need a few weeks to complete a season anyway, I can’t be arsed for pace. I want detail! But FM is too expensive and needs a laptop and I don’t have a high end device for FMT which is really annoying for me, but yh that’s my thoughts, u lot probably think different so yeah...

btw great article mate!

[dixie29]

Superbly Written article !

personally for me as a dad the game has the perfect balance of depth and playability,what I do think the game needs for mobile version particularly this year is a new skin.The Darker skin this year is a major hiccup for me as I think the text is too small and bloody hard to read after 20Mins or so,last year the black text with white skin worked way better.I do overall think they have the best balance of gaming overall for this years series but the skin for me is dreadful and actually had me going back to 18 for game time. 

[Ian]

So much of that really hit the nail on the head for me. I used to play the desktop game and played it on and off for years but then they added all sorts of stuff like press conferences and team talks and in the end I got sick of it. It would just demand far too much time and that’s why I first decided to give the mobile game a go and I’m glad I did as it’s very similar to the original Championship Manager games that I played 20 years ago.

I often hear people wanting press conferences and team talks added into the mobile game and I personally can’t see why anyone would want such changes. I hope the next update improves the fitness thing so I can go back to really enjoying the game again. I’ve done a season on this update and it was an experience and fun in a way but I don’t think I’ll be able to enjoy the game for long if this is a permanent change.

[LenTheWelsh]

Like others have said, fantastically written and you’ve got it all spot on imho. Also, I don’t think it’s fair that people push it towards more detailed because they can’t afford/don’t have hardware to run FMT or full PC version.

 

I got addicted to management games when I bought the first Champ Manager and bought ever version on PC up to FM13 but I got bored because it just took too long to do anything. I switch the FMM (or FMH) in 2014 and loved it straight away as it reminded me of those great early days on CM. Great for plug and play tactics and smashing through the seasons. I’ll play for 5-6 hours sometimes especially on  the weekend when final score or the snooker is on tv.

[Mr Tree]

43 minutes ago, 1759 said:

So much of that really hit the nail on the head for me. I used to play the desktop game and played it on and off for years but then they added all sorts of stuff like press conferences and team talks and in the end I got sick of it. It would just demand far too much time and that’s why I first decided to give the mobile game a go and I’m glad I did as it’s very similar to the original Championship Manager games that I played 20 years ago.

Yep, similar boat here, although more of a coincidence really in that Life "got in the way" just as Football Manager was going OTT, so it was an easy thing to drop, and then I thought I'd give FMM a go a few years later and was pleasantly surprised to find it pitched at the right level (for me). Think I've only played FMM17 and now 19.

I do agree with comments that have been made in counterpoint to stuff I've raised on here, about fun over realism. End of the day it's a game and I like making my team win. I just think that some of the insane careers that we've seen, 2k challenges, little teams going unbeaten in the top flight, etc, might have been indicators that it had leaned a little too far into being easy and silly, where quite a few people would prefer a little bit (but not a lot!) more of a challenge.

I understand why some have been irritated by the fitness change - it looks to have been a touch overcooked, and if it's making seasons more laborious, SI should take that feedback on board. I'm sure that's not their intention. 

Oh, answering the question - mainly, I find it a great time-killer for my commute, and then (because of addictiveness) it serves well in various other little scenarios

[Jack]

Great article. One of the best I’ve read here.

For me it’s about playing time and difficulty level. I’ve tried all three versions FM offers. I started playing the full FM game with a few friends when I was 13/14. I don’t think we ever rattled through an entire season. Overwhelming - even back then when the game was a lot more simple. I also tried the full version on Xbox 360. Again it was just a little too much. More recently I gave FM Touch a chance (when it was first released). I just became overwhelmed with that aswell, it wasn’t at all enjoyable. But what kicked off my FM addiction was when I picked up FM Handheld on the PSP. Game changer. I rattled off countless seasons - I was merely a casual gamer; no idea about any meta’s, not wanting to break records or do any specific challenges. I just had fun with it mainly due to the pace of the game and the amount of change that happens which keeps it fresh. That’s always stuck with me. The speed you can play at combined with the relaxed difficulty makes the game fun.

I find that every year a fair few people get frustrated that we don’t always get a load of updates to the game. But I believe less is more. The game was designed to be a simpler version of FM. FMM19, pre Winter update, is by far my favourite of the series. It’s not until you go back and play FMM16, 17 & 18 (or beyond if capable) that you realise how much it has actually improved. The difficulty level has remained consistent, the time to complete seasons has remained consistent and we have so much more detail and more features compared to previous versions in years gone by.

I believe FMM is a game aimed at the casual players. I’m nearly 26, my life is completely different to when I started playing FM Handheld games & I don’t think I’d consider myself a casual player anymore, however I’ve come to accept the game for what it is and try to make the most of it. I feel the Winter update, with the fitness issues, completely takes away from everything I believe the game is designed for. You have to succumb to metas of player rotation, conditioning and planning to ultimately be successful. It’s time consuming. It’s not fun. It certainly isn’t realistic and it’s a big reason why I’ll oppose anyone here with the view that some are simply overreacting. It’s incredibly damaging to the enjoyment of the core player base of the game.

As I believe difficulty level is important one thing I’ll also mention is that I get really frustrated reading people say that FMM is “too easy” - if you want to play a more difficult game then buy FM Touch. FMM is literally designed to be a simpler version of the full PC game. ‘Arcade’ as an earlier post states (absolutely spot on). Obviously a simpler version is going to be less difficult than the full game. There’s literally an entire other game dedicated to those who don’t have PC’s who want to play a more difficult version of FMM. I just can’t understand the logic behind complaining about FMM’s difficulty level when there’s a clear alternative. For the casuals (the segment FMM aims for) FMM is well balanced. Or I should say was well balanced before the fitness update. 

TL;DR: The point of FMM is to be a simpler and faster version of FM. I think it truly achieves that.

 

Edited March 11, 2019 by Jack

[SSolas]

I totally agree with your article. I actually find myself enjoying the tweaks in the winter update. 

For me, the game makes me happy. The realism, the organising & seeing the results of your decisions. 

[Mr Tree]

@Jacki agree with a lot there, but - I don't understand "go and buy FMT". I don't have that option, I don't have an appropriate device for that. So I don't think that is a "solution", exactly.

But yes, it should focus on being a fun option (based on real-life football) for the casual gamer. And I appreciate that's become less fun with the recent update, so no doubt they'll rectify that.

[Guppy McFicklestein]

I wonder if SI would ever put the effort into this for FMM 20 or beyond, but I'd love to see two options in the start game menu that I think would solve all this and also make for some interesting new FMM challenges:

1. Realistic, with the stamina change, this year's training, possible team talks and more advanced player roles and tactics

2. A "Quick Play" mode, which has simpler training, higher stamina and lower injuries, and possibly even a quick play button which skips in-game play entirely

 

I think that could please a lot of people

Edited March 11, 2019 by Guppy McFicklestein

[Jack]

11 minutes ago, Mr Tree said:

@Jacki agree with a lot there, but - I don't understand "go and buy FMT". I don't have that option, I don't have an appropriate device for that. So I don't think that is a "solution", exactly.

But yes, it should focus on being a fun option (based on real-life football) for the casual gamer. And I appreciate that's become less fun with the recent update, so no doubt they'll rectify that.

I think the luxury of being able to download FMT on to my own tablet probably means I take it for granted. To be honest your point is completely fair which can’t really be argued against. I hope they make FMT more viable and available to more players, as unlikely as that may be, in the future.

I do think there should be some more acceptance as to what FMM is. Definitely not in your case, but maybe in the case of people demanding higher levels of difficulty. If it is the only FM game you can play, due to whatever circumstances, there should also be the realisation that there’s a clear reason why; because there’s a lot less to it compared to the others. As much as I wouldn’t mind certain areas of the game to be more challenging I’m accepting of what it is; the most simple FM game on the market. A big reason why it’s so fun. 

Edited March 11, 2019 by Jack

[FuddledFox]

Wow I wasn’t quite expecting such a reaction to this collection of thoughts I decided to jot down but it’s great that many of you seem to have enjoyed what I wrote 😁

The whole FMM vs FMT debate is a tricky one because FMM is a far more accessible game because it’s believed 36% of the world population own a smart phone and a huge proportion of those people wouldn’t necessarily have the means to buy a high end device that could play FMT.

That said though there has to be a distinction between the 2 games and although it’s a shame for anyone that wants more detail but can’t play FMT for whatever reason the simple truth is that FMT is the PC game just more slimlined and FMM will never be that. This is because the game needs to be able to be played on a huge range of devices from the cheapest and oldest smartphone,iPod or tablet right up to state of the art devices and that means a lot of compromises are needed.

[leedsunited87]

I really enjoy FM and can easily do 2/3 seasons some days when I'm not working. Very easy to use and the detail has got better over time. I like the new training methods and tactics is easy to use. I'd love the idea of DOF put in at some point as many clubs use these. Overall though brilliant gameplay, 10 out of 10 for me

Edited March 12, 2019 by leedsunited87

[madmonk]

I play it almost every day. Like the fact that I don't have to manage all aspect of the game. I prefer scouting gems, buying, selling and of course the match and competition. I do not like training and contract negotiations, and I am glad I can let my assistant handle that. I do wish I can influence how the assistant will handle them. For example, determine who I wish to renew or not renew instead of him deciding, or even focus training to suit my team needs rather than training a role which I do not use in my tactics.

Overall, I still enjoy the game very much and I wish there won't be too much a change. Slight improvements here and there is fine.

[Baddar]

I don't spend enough time at my PC to bother with the full version any more, but I do have a tablet capable of running Touch (Samsung Tab S4). The £20 price point is a bit high though considering the reviews it usually gets, and as far as I know it doesn't drop in price at all, unlike the full version. 

Because of that, I stick with FMM. I downloaded it on release but I still haven't started a proper game yet. I planned on doing so after the winter update but have held off due to the issues mentioned. 

Let's hope all is sorted in the next 8 weeks or so. I have a very long flight to Vegas and would like FMM to keep me occupied! 

[macmole]

I remember playing a version way back on the commodore Amiga but it was CM97/98 that got me hooked on the game. The mobile version is the closest the game is to that version and I find it really enjoyable. I didn’t care much for the training and just leave that to my assistant, I just want it to be a simple pick up and play game with tweaks here and there by me to improve my squad and tactics. I do worry that it will become to much like the full version and become too much of a time suck.  I bought FM touch last year, it was worth trying but needed too much time. 

I do think what we pay for this game is a bargain for what we get from it, and long may that continue

[stevieg1980]

It is a very well written piece. 

My wonder is when it comes to age. How many of us of a certain age (I'm 38) are looking for the most up to date version of a CM 01/02 without the need for the use of a laptop or the limitations that the CM 01/02 brings. 

As amazing the work the guys do on the CM 01/02 forum I've fell away with the game and the updates due to the engine. Things like the protected contracts and limitations on loan players started to grate on me and when I came across FMM I haven't looked back. The new additions of having to watch the fitness of your players and the training schemes to fit around one player are invaluable tools that add to the series. 

 

[FuddledFox]

5 minutes ago, stevieg1980 said:

My wonder is when it comes to age. How many of us of a certain age (I'm 38) are looking for the most up to date version of a CM 01/02 without the need for the use of a laptop or the limitations that the CM 01/02 brings. 

Yes me.

I grew up playing Champ Man and to me FMM is the closest we can get to that experience and I hope it remains that way.

I touched on this a year and bit ago in this article.

 

[Ashez]

Nice article

I've been with FMH/M as a series since the start and it's interesting to think how my habits have changed over the years. Back on the PSP I remember smashing seasons out daily, I remember doing that on even 2013 on my Ipod but that basically stopped happening around 2015. It's no secret I fell out of love with the game between 2014 and 2018 but 2019 had brought me back in. Back in the day I'd try to play seasonally, which changed to half seasonally and now I'm basically down to playing a few months at a time if that. 

Sure growing up has impacted my free time and my gaming habits but my biggest frustration with FMM is the time investment needed, especially as it's got longer and longer with each release. I'm happy to waste my own time on the game like the other day I spent 45mins on transfers, but the actual playing of FMM seems to drag so much. 

On short saves the time investment doesn't bother me as much but when I know I'm looking at 50-60 hours for a 10-12 year save I struggle to be interested, especially when SI bullshit can wreck the save at any point. 

I didn't think it at the time but this recent FM rebrand to the purple with FMM following could be a worrying sign, us as fans want FMM to be it's own special experience while the powers that be obviously want them tightly connected. However FMT instantly puts a ceiling on what FMM can even be which is another worry, especially when FMM appears to want to change anything to say oh look this is new. 

If I've said it once I've said it one million times and that's that I want FMM stat based, give us arcade gameplay and realistic stats, then it's the best of both worlds, it will also keep the gameplay fun and unique. I don't want to micromanage my football club but I'd be happy being able to click and play with stats instead of guess work, the game is giving us all these new features yet it's not giving us the tools to use them. The most disappointing element of FMM is it's lack of stats in match and for players, stats would be quicker than these repetitive visuals and would give us information in a glance at how things are going. Who out there can give a 100% reason why they won or lost a match? The current visuals and stats don't offer any insight at all, hell I wanted detailed information on one my tactics and I had to do it by hand as the game doesn't value this information yet it's fine to tell me my players play too much?

It's like the focus of FMM is set to "how to annoy with realism" instead of how to actually improve the game, this new reputation system is a great example as while it's cool and realistic it sucks so much fun out of the game. 

Edited March 12, 2019 by Ashez

[lol2309]

I would like to give my opinion having a lot of you being as many said « older » people who are looking for a better and newer version of CM. Personnally, I’ve never actually known CM and what i am looking for when playing is a really realistic play. I already played before the update with 2 teams switching between a first team squad including big names like Neymar or Pogba and a younger team with players like Havertz or Vinicius. Afterwards, these youngsters would get « promoted » to that first team and new young prospects would join the club. And I found it too easy throughout the seasons as I would constantly win everything. This last update made my game so much more enjoyable as I felt that switching the squads did have an effect on the overall gameplay.

Some may answer my comment saying play the Pc version or either FMT but i don’t have such a device to be able to run either of these games and my only option is FMM. That brings me to this comment:

On 11/03/2019 at 17:25, Guppy McFicklestein said:

I wonder if SI would ever put the effort into this for FMM 20 or beyond, but I'd love to see two options in the start game menu that I think would solve all this and also make for some interesting new FMM challenges:

1. Realistic, with the stamina change, this year's training, possible team talks and more advanced player roles and tactics

2. A "Quick Play" mode, which has simpler training, higher stamina and lower injuries, and possibly even a quick play button which skips in-game play entirely

 

I think that could please a lot of people

This for me is the perfect option hoping that the developers would be open to such an idea because this could fit both of the demands of the community.

[DutchTony]

It all started for me with CM97/98 and to this day it is without question my favourite game on any platform ever. I would play with a mate of mine for at least 24 hours a session. I remember one of the longest sessions lasted for 3 nights and 2 days straight. Back then the game was nowhere near as detailed as it is now. That is why i like the mobile version of the game as it is the closest I'll get to the CM version. Working full time and having kids I don't have anywhere near enough time to play the full game and to be honest i wouldn't want to with the amount of detail in the game these days. For me it is a game and only a game. I don't want it to be realistic. I don't want to keep rotating my squad, i don't want stupid last minute goals against me every game when I've battered the opponent from minute 1 to minute 90. My biggest gripe in recent years is this - I'm using a tactic (that i usually find in this forum) that destoys my opponents and I'm doing fantastic, then SI bring out an update that kills the tactic and for the rest of the year everyone is back on the tactics forum looking for another tactic that will achieve the same results. (Billys Mega Tactic for example) For the love of god why would SI crush tactics like that?? If i thought the game was too easy or unrealistic i would simply not use an awesome tactic like that. But to take that decision away from me a few months after i have bought the game is discusting. My advice to the developers would be - Keep it simple and eliminate all the bugs. Stop adding new things into the game when the old things still have bugs. Even after updates there's still bugs then the next year a new version comes out with added extras with more bugs. Rinse and repeat... Like most adults with children, wives, jobs and responsibilities etc - I have enough real life stress. When i get a few minutes/hours I want to escape into a game i love and have fun. I don't want additional stress playing a bloody game.

[Marc Vaughan]

Interesting write up and definitely something to discuss - my own personal aim with FMM has always been to find the sort of level of detail and balance we've had in the earlier days of our games, feeling realistic but fast and more fun arguably than our current PC products.

A new update with a tweaked 'condition/fitness' is coming out imminently as the first update of it was unfortunately flawed - the intent of that side of things is not to make you micromanage but to encourage some team rotation and a need for paying some attention to such things when you're playing a LOT of matches close together.

I generally find this takes next to no time for me and I approach it in one of two ways:
(1) Save different team selections, one for 'important' matches and another for secondary matches, then load them as required.
(2) Even lazier, just clear the team and hit 'select team' then tweak a couple around where the assistant manager and myself disagree about player placement.

Neither takes a huge amount of effort or slow the game down that much.

PS - Any player over 90% is fine to field, above 96% is optimal ... if they start below 90% then its likely they might be slightly off the pace from their normal level of performance and perhaps may need substituting towards the end of the match depending on their role and your teams setup (if you're into heavy pressing then be warned tired players can't press effectively and you might leak goals if you don't tweak things towards the end of a match).

[Baddar]

Whilst I think FMM is detailed enough for what it is, I do think it could be a bit more difficult, whilst still holding on to the "pick up and play" feel. It doesn't need to be "pick up and win". Obviously, it needs to be implemented properly and not just opponents turning on God mode whenever they feel like it. 

I hear 2019 is harder than 2018 but I suspect players who've picked FMM up every year still find it easy. 

In my one full season as Man Utd on 2018, I won the treble, and only missed out on the League Cup in the semi's. I'd played FM on pc before but it was my first FMM game, and I was using tactics I'd chosen myself, not custom ones found here. Of course, I was one of the bigger teams but it all felt too easy. I'm hoping 2019 proves more difficult when I settle into a game. 

For its price you can't really go wrong, and despite not starting a proper game on 2019 yet, I'll undoubtedly pick up 2020 as well. I do hope the right balance is found between, as I say, picking it up and playing, and not being able to win everything straight away just because you're a bigger team. 

This might all be complete rubbish as I've not dominated on FMM 2019 yet, but from the careers I've seen posted here, it does still seem quite easy for the more experienced FM player. 

[NezumiStark]

With all due respect, it's quite simple, really: don't play it if you don't like it anymore. FMM being the easiest to "pick up and play" doesn't mean that it shouldn't be improved to something that's more and more realistic. I myself only recently noticed the changes regarding player stamina therefore making it more necessary to rotate players. And for me, that's good. I mean, who'd want to play the same players week in week out? I'm also hard pressed for time to play the game as often as I would like because of  the demands of my "real life job". But all the tweaking and adjusting and all the thinking needed behind it makes the game all the more challenging, and thus, more rewarding when my club gets that hard fought W every game. If you want instant gratification maybe you ought to play something like PES mobile instead. Cheers, mate!

[Nucleus]

It seems to me that a lot of people can’t read properly

[Lillywhite Dean]

I want FMM to be Football Manager ‘lite’.

But I also want FMM to be realistic in the areas of football management that it represents.

You can still have a pick up and play version of FMM whilst retaining realistic elements of the game. These things are not mutually exclusive.

Obviously people play FMM for different reasons so I can understand SI’s desire to find a balance. But I don’t think it's wrong to say that SI should keep most areas of FMM on the stricter end of the realism scale. After all, it is a strategy and management game. These things are supposed to be challenging and that's largely why people are drawn to it.

I tend to play FMM on my commute to and from work, whenever my girlfriend watches something rubbish on TV (which is a lot) and when I have a couple hours spare in the evening. I'm quite a heavy player of FMM but this usually peters out after 7-8 months as I find the difficulty level on the easy side.

Edited March 14, 2019 by Lillywhite Dean

[Rob]

1 hour ago, Lillywhite Dean said:

These things are supposed to be challenging and that's largely why people are drawn to it.

Don’t mix opinion with fact.

[Lillywhite Dean]

5 minutes ago, Rob said:

Don’t mix opinion with fact.

People are drawn to FMM because it's a football strategy game. Strategy games are, by their design, challenging.

Edited March 14, 2019 by Lillywhite Dean