Hello vibe and welcome to this piece brought to you by myself and @Ashez. Both of us have played the series for over a decade now so feel like we are well placed to offer ideas about what the game needs added to it or improved on... And we have tried to take inspiration from real life where necessary.
Bold - Me
Normal - Ash
I'll be the first to admit it's dangerous to start thinking about FMM 2020 right now as it's months away at this point, however with the Premier League ending and the various other competitions coming to a close this month I think it's only natural to think of the year ahead. The buzz word of FMM since the winter update has been "realism" which is why @samhardy and myself have undertaken the task of looking at the present, the past and the future of real life football to find 10 features FMM 2020 needs! We tried to keep our expectations in check and realistic for a game like FMM but in one or two cases we reached for the moon as it's the hope that kills you, so sit back and relax as the article is about to begin!
1) Structured Club Mode
Before this article got to the writing phrase we had a list of ten so it's likely not a good thing I'm instantly going rogue and changing items on the fly, however this section was originally reserved for the need of stats but I think that drum has been beaten enough by me. With that in mind I'd like to put forward the idea of a structured club mode. As it stands the owner of the club in FMM has no real impact and with no director of football or unique people to answer to we can do as we please which I do appreciate, however I think a separate mode where you have more specific targets to meet could be a worthwhile distraction. The requests of a Director Of Football (DoF) mode has been heard before but I think expanding it to a full structure and including an owner could be the way to go. The owner would dictate certain things like budget, style of play and targets which the DoF would also influence and in some cases they might even make your transfers. What if your owner suddenly changes your DoF and you have to scramble to meet a new philosophy or fight to keep your job as he has his own men he fancies for the position. The challenge mode shows to an extent these things could be implemented while other things could also be changed a little to have the desired effect, for example what if Sugar Daddy was in fact a new owner coming in? Bringing with him his own philosophy and targets to meet, the place on the board unlockable could also be edited so it means you've earned the owners trust and he'll accept you instead of having a DoF. This idea has a lot of potential as a side and more challenging mode in my opinion, the base game would be like a "free for all mode" with this being the "storymode", obviously I've not developed the idea a lot here but it's food for thought.
2) Referee Stats, Personalities, and Histories
This has been discussed in the past but I find it a very viable and potentially interesting addition to the game which would add a uniqueness to each match. For example in real life some referees are known for letting more go than others while some are more dramatic. I'm thinking on the next opponent preview screen we could get information on the referee like card count, penalty awards, advantages given, experience at said level and so on so we could edit things as needed in an attempt to get an advantage, say for example one ref is card happy so you'd lower your tackling or play less aggressive players while a ref who lets more go could see you ramp up the aggression. With this blanket case referees we currently have we face the same risks of aggression week in week out but having kinder and more difficult referees could be a nice addition, especially As this is something I assume SI have looked at as I've found red cards in continental competitions like the Champions League more frequent than in domestic games.
3) A Bug Free Release... Or Certainly A Lot Less Bugs Come Release Day
Probably the most unrealistic out of everything covered in this article as FMM has more bugs than the Amazon Rainforest, but it has to go down as the most important. There is no point in adding anything new, updating the interface or AI intelligence etc, if the game is still going to be a bug filled mess come release and for the months to follow. I don't know how the testing works for this game or if there is any at all, but what can't continue is for the customers who pay to play the game to find more bugs than people who are employed to develop and test it in the first place. Bugs are essentially a new feature in themselves at this point and you just need to look at members here who deliberately hold off starting a proper save for months until the worst of the bugs have been half-heartedly "fixed" in a patch. We haven't had a good release in the series since 2013 which says it all as for anyone who has played the series for years will remember that as the last great game in it.
4) Pitch Designer
This suggestion would add some much needed personality into the game. We've seen some groundsmen in real life have field days with how they cut and design the pitches, Leicester's created different patterns every game just a couple of seasons ago, so why can't we do the same? It could go further than just looks and variations of the pitch when watching the matches. When preparing for a cup match against a team from a much higher division than yours, it would be nice to have the choice to not cut the grass or water the pitch beforehand, which would give your team much more of a chance against an opponent playing slick possession football. Also why not add an option where you can contact the local farmer and get the cattle on the pitch the week before welcoming Manchester City to the Globe Arena as Morecambe manager? This not only would give your team a better chance of causing an upset but would make you as the manager feel more in control of the outcome of the match than the limited tactical instructions the game currently has!
5) Foreign Objects Easter Eggs
This one is a little bit of a stretch and for fun but I've always loved the Easter eggs in FMM like the on pitch brawl but one area the game ignores completely is foreign objects on the field which I think would make an ace Easter egg. Obviously I don't want to promote things like streakers or idiots running on the pitch as that can be pretty scary in today's climate but that doesn't mean there aren't more fun or safe options. For example how cool would it be on pitch view to see a wave of colour take over the pitch as your fans pitch invade to celebrate promotion or a trophy like they do in real life? Or how about something as innocent as a wild animal interrupting the field of play as we've seen cats, dogs, squirrels, birds and various other animals disrupt games plenty of times and it would make a sweet Easter egg on rare occasions. What if you're under fan pressure and a little drone or aircraft flies above the pitch with a banner? Or worst of the worst you get defeated by the football bouncing off a beach ball and finding the net! Yes these are silly but I whole heartedly find them charming which would add some much needed personality to the game.
6) Goal Music
Following on from Ash's previous point a part of FMM that could do with major improvement would be the matchday experience. Picture the scene - Messi's regen has just put your Bayern side 16-0 up with 10 minutes to go against some amateur outfit in the German 15th tier. As the ball hits the net you hear the crowd go wild and FMM blasts out Song 2 by Blur for the 16th time in a couple of minutes. For added realism you could get the fans on side by letting them choose the goal music, or SI could make more tracks available to unlock as you journey through your save. After all, FMM is the most realistic managerial simulation out there, so why is this key part of modern day football over looked by the developers? No goal will be "just another goal" in all these 1K challenges we see with goal music, and I would ensure you that it wouldn't get annoying in the slightest.
7) FMM Virtual Reality
Virtual Reality is a pretty new development in gaming and things like PSVR don't come cheap, however there are plenty of cheaper cardboard alternatives like Google Cardboard and the unrelated Nintendo Labo headset. These headsets are designed for phones and tablets which are obviously the format of choice for SI and FMM. VR in football is becoming normalised with channels like Sky using VR to show exactly what players and officials see on the pitch and as FMM is meant to be a game of realism where we're the manager it's a perfect fit! Literally putting us in the managers shoes! Obviously the view point of the game would have to change as no manager dictates from a hot air balloon above the ground which would give us a brand new view point and game to understand. To sell the feature SI could add sound effects linking to the previous feature as imagine hearing the roar of the crowd behind you and the dots moving in front of you. Whilst the view point change would take some getting used to it would be a revelation tactically as you'd see alot more at ground level and you could even look to your left or right to see your physio and assistant holding the stats so you have the whole picture. You can't get more realistic than this lads, it's the future.
8. Dressing Room Politics
Another key aspect of the modern day game. This season, Norwich City painted the away dressing room pink in a bid to reduce testosterone levels in away players. It worked as they won the title much to Bobby's delight. Now personally I think SI need to take this into account for future FMM games. Not just that, we've seen all sorts of "politics" in the dressing room over the years. From making sure the opposition's showers are cold to not having the heater on. I think we should have similar options to tamper with the opposition in game. This coupled with the earlier pitch suggestion could really make your home ground a fortress, and could make for some interesting news items. "Klopp hopes cold showers at Fleetwood hasn't given players pneumonia". It could also build up some great rivalries between sets of players. Has to be considered.
9. The Option To Buy Players With Pork, And Alternative Currencies
FMM does a good job handling currency as you can set it to whatever you're used to, however why can we only trade in money or players? That might sound like a stupid question but in real life players have been traded for various things, going back just 21 years you could buy a player with Pork.....Yes as in pig meat. In the transfer window of 1998 Ion Radu was transferred for 500 kg of pork which was valued at around £1750, the record transfer that year was Denílson de Oliveir from Sao Paulo to Real Betis for £21.5 million and a £100m player would cost around 29 million kgs or 630,000 pigs! Real life has fascinating oddities and FMM should too, you could easily link this to the first suggestion of this article to take advantage of whatever resource your owner has, come on who doesn't reckon Mike Ashley hasn't tried to sign a player for a few hundred boxes of Reebok Classics.....As we've seen stranger things have happened.
10) Banning Players From Travelling Into Space, And Extra Contract Clause Options
In 1999, Sunderland signed midfielder Stefan Schwartz from Valencia for a then large sum of £4M. When it came to contract negotiations, one of the clauses in the Swede's deal was that he was banned from travelling into space whilst contracted to the Black Cats. Now I can already sense the shock running through you reading this that this or similar options aren't included in the game already. It would be dangerous for any of your players to partake in such activities. Injuries could come of it so we should really have the option to ban them from doing so. Also what about some other clause options? It would be nice to ban your winger from going to KFC. Or it could go the other way to benefit the player as well! If he's not happy with a low signing on fee you could cushion the blow with a £25 gift voucher to the local curry house that sponsor the club. Why not? More options = happy FMM players.
That brings us to the end! We hope that you've all enjoyed reading. As we all know, SI pride themselves on FMM being the most realistic managerial simulation available, as proven recently by an image posted by @Mr Tree showing Kevin Nolan being named France manager.
That's why we feel we've put forward some solid realistic suggestions for @Marc Vaughan and SI to consider. Let us know which ones are your favourites, and any other potential suggestions you have.
And remember this was absolutely a joint effort so any praise or brutal criticism you want to send my way please send it to @Ashez as well.
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10 Things FMM Needs - Based On Real Life
Hello vibe and welcome to this piece brought to you by myself and @Ashez. Both of us have played the series for over a decade now so feel like we are well placed to offer ideas about what the game needs added to it or improved on... And we have tried to take inspiration from real life where necessary.
Bold - Me
Normal - Ash
I'll be the first to admit it's dangerous to start thinking about FMM 2020 right now as it's months away at this point, however with the Premier League ending and the various other competitions coming to a close this month I think it's only natural to think of the year ahead. The buzz word of FMM since the winter update has been "realism" which is why @samhardy and myself have undertaken the task of looking at the present, the past and the future of real life football to find 10 features FMM 2020 needs! We tried to keep our expectations in check and realistic for a game like FMM but in one or two cases we reached for the moon as it's the hope that kills you, so sit back and relax as the article is about to begin!
1) Structured Club Mode
Before this article got to the writing phrase we had a list of ten so it's likely not a good thing I'm instantly going rogue and changing items on the fly, however this section was originally reserved for the need of stats but I think that drum has been beaten enough by me. With that in mind I'd like to put forward the idea of a structured club mode. As it stands the owner of the club in FMM has no real impact and with no director of football or unique people to answer to we can do as we please which I do appreciate, however I think a separate mode where you have more specific targets to meet could be a worthwhile distraction. The requests of a Director Of Football (DoF) mode has been heard before but I think expanding it to a full structure and including an owner could be the way to go. The owner would dictate certain things like budget, style of play and targets which the DoF would also influence and in some cases they might even make your transfers. What if your owner suddenly changes your DoF and you have to scramble to meet a new philosophy or fight to keep your job as he has his own men he fancies for the position. The challenge mode shows to an extent these things could be implemented while other things could also be changed a little to have the desired effect, for example what if Sugar Daddy was in fact a new owner coming in? Bringing with him his own philosophy and targets to meet, the place on the board unlockable could also be edited so it means you've earned the owners trust and he'll accept you instead of having a DoF. This idea has a lot of potential as a side and more challenging mode in my opinion, the base game would be like a "free for all mode" with this being the "storymode", obviously I've not developed the idea a lot here but it's food for thought.
2) Referee Stats, Personalities, and Histories
This has been discussed in the past but I find it a very viable and potentially interesting addition to the game which would add a uniqueness to each match. For example in real life some referees are known for letting more go than others while some are more dramatic. I'm thinking on the next opponent preview screen we could get information on the referee like card count, penalty awards, advantages given, experience at said level and so on so we could edit things as needed in an attempt to get an advantage, say for example one ref is card happy so you'd lower your tackling or play less aggressive players while a ref who lets more go could see you ramp up the aggression. With this blanket case referees we currently have we face the same risks of aggression week in week out but having kinder and more difficult referees could be a nice addition, especially As this is something I assume SI have looked at as I've found red cards in continental competitions like the Champions League more frequent than in domestic games.
3) A Bug Free Release... Or Certainly A Lot Less Bugs Come Release Day
Probably the most unrealistic out of everything covered in this article as FMM has more bugs than the Amazon Rainforest, but it has to go down as the most important. There is no point in adding anything new, updating the interface or AI intelligence etc, if the game is still going to be a bug filled mess come release and for the months to follow. I don't know how the testing works for this game or if there is any at all, but what can't continue is for the customers who pay to play the game to find more bugs than people who are employed to develop and test it in the first place. Bugs are essentially a new feature in themselves at this point and you just need to look at members here who deliberately hold off starting a proper save for months until the worst of the bugs have been half-heartedly "fixed" in a patch. We haven't had a good release in the series since 2013 which says it all as for anyone who has played the series for years will remember that as the last great game in it.
4) Pitch Designer
This suggestion would add some much needed personality into the game. We've seen some groundsmen in real life have field days with how they cut and design the pitches, Leicester's created different patterns every game just a couple of seasons ago, so why can't we do the same? It could go further than just looks and variations of the pitch when watching the matches. When preparing for a cup match against a team from a much higher division than yours, it would be nice to have the choice to not cut the grass or water the pitch beforehand, which would give your team much more of a chance against an opponent playing slick possession football. Also why not add an option where you can contact the local farmer and get the cattle on the pitch the week before welcoming Manchester City to the Globe Arena as Morecambe manager? This not only would give your team a better chance of causing an upset but would make you as the manager feel more in control of the outcome of the match than the limited tactical instructions the game currently has!
5) Foreign Objects Easter Eggs
This one is a little bit of a stretch and for fun but I've always loved the Easter eggs in FMM like the on pitch brawl but one area the game ignores completely is foreign objects on the field which I think would make an ace Easter egg. Obviously I don't want to promote things like streakers or idiots running on the pitch as that can be pretty scary in today's climate but that doesn't mean there aren't more fun or safe options. For example how cool would it be on pitch view to see a wave of colour take over the pitch as your fans pitch invade to celebrate promotion or a trophy like they do in real life? Or how about something as innocent as a wild animal interrupting the field of play as we've seen cats, dogs, squirrels, birds and various other animals disrupt games plenty of times and it would make a sweet Easter egg on rare occasions. What if you're under fan pressure and a little drone or aircraft flies above the pitch with a banner? Or worst of the worst you get defeated by the football bouncing off a beach ball and finding the net! Yes these are silly but I whole heartedly find them charming which would add some much needed personality to the game.
6) Goal Music
Following on from Ash's previous point a part of FMM that could do with major improvement would be the matchday experience. Picture the scene - Messi's regen has just put your Bayern side 16-0 up with 10 minutes to go against some amateur outfit in the German 15th tier. As the ball hits the net you hear the crowd go wild and FMM blasts out Song 2 by Blur for the 16th time in a couple of minutes. For added realism you could get the fans on side by letting them choose the goal music, or SI could make more tracks available to unlock as you journey through your save. After all, FMM is the most realistic managerial simulation out there, so why is this key part of modern day football over looked by the developers? No goal will be "just another goal" in all these 1K challenges we see with goal music, and I would ensure you that it wouldn't get annoying in the slightest.
7) FMM Virtual Reality
Virtual Reality is a pretty new development in gaming and things like PSVR don't come cheap, however there are plenty of cheaper cardboard alternatives like Google Cardboard and the unrelated Nintendo Labo headset. These headsets are designed for phones and tablets which are obviously the format of choice for SI and FMM. VR in football is becoming normalised with channels like Sky using VR to show exactly what players and officials see on the pitch and as FMM is meant to be a game of realism where we're the manager it's a perfect fit! Literally putting us in the managers shoes! Obviously the view point of the game would have to change as no manager dictates from a hot air balloon above the ground which would give us a brand new view point and game to understand. To sell the feature SI could add sound effects linking to the previous feature as imagine hearing the roar of the crowd behind you and the dots moving in front of you. Whilst the view point change would take some getting used to it would be a revelation tactically as you'd see alot more at ground level and you could even look to your left or right to see your physio and assistant holding the stats so you have the whole picture. You can't get more realistic than this lads, it's the future.
8. Dressing Room Politics
Another key aspect of the modern day game. This season, Norwich City painted the away dressing room pink in a bid to reduce testosterone levels in away players. It worked as they won the title much to Bobby's delight. Now personally I think SI need to take this into account for future FMM games. Not just that, we've seen all sorts of "politics" in the dressing room over the years. From making sure the opposition's showers are cold to not having the heater on. I think we should have similar options to tamper with the opposition in game. This coupled with the earlier pitch suggestion could really make your home ground a fortress, and could make for some interesting news items. "Klopp hopes cold showers at Fleetwood hasn't given players pneumonia". It could also build up some great rivalries between sets of players. Has to be considered.
9. The Option To Buy Players With Pork, And Alternative Currencies
FMM does a good job handling currency as you can set it to whatever you're used to, however why can we only trade in money or players? That might sound like a stupid question but in real life players have been traded for various things, going back just 21 years you could buy a player with Pork.....Yes as in pig meat. In the transfer window of 1998 Ion Radu was transferred for 500 kg of pork which was valued at around £1750, the record transfer that year was Denílson de Oliveir from Sao Paulo to Real Betis for £21.5 million and a £100m player would cost around 29 million kgs or 630,000 pigs! Real life has fascinating oddities and FMM should too, you could easily link this to the first suggestion of this article to take advantage of whatever resource your owner has, come on who doesn't reckon Mike Ashley hasn't tried to sign a player for a few hundred boxes of Reebok Classics.....As we've seen stranger things have happened.
10) Banning Players From Travelling Into Space, And Extra Contract Clause Options
In 1999, Sunderland signed midfielder Stefan Schwartz from Valencia for a then large sum of £4M. When it came to contract negotiations, one of the clauses in the Swede's deal was that he was banned from travelling into space whilst contracted to the Black Cats. Now I can already sense the shock running through you reading this that this or similar options aren't included in the game already. It would be dangerous for any of your players to partake in such activities. Injuries could come of it so we should really have the option to ban them from doing so. Also what about some other clause options? It would be nice to ban your winger from going to KFC. Or it could go the other way to benefit the player as well! If he's not happy with a low signing on fee you could cushion the blow with a £25 gift voucher to the local curry house that sponsor the club. Why not? More options = happy FMM players.
That brings us to the end! We hope that you've all enjoyed reading. As we all know, SI pride themselves on FMM being the most realistic managerial simulation available, as proven recently by an image posted by @Mr Tree showing Kevin Nolan being named France manager.
That's why we feel we've put forward some solid realistic suggestions for @Marc Vaughan and SI to consider. Let us know which ones are your favourites, and any other potential suggestions you have.
And remember this was absolutely a joint effort so any praise or brutal criticism you want to send my way please send it to @Ashez as well.
Thanks for reading!
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