Apologies if this isn't the right place for this discussion, but I didn't see a dedicated forum for the Mobile and Touch versions.
Anyway, I wanted to get people's thoughts on FM Mobile and where they expect or hope that version of the game will go.
I read recently that SI are implementing Team Talks into fixtures, which has long been a part of the full game. I personally find this to be a step in the wrong direction because it's out of step with what the mobile version of the game is supposed to be.
FM is basically a spreadsheet, but the UI of the full game, the overlapping complexity of the various stats and attributes give an appearance of "character" which makes interacting with players, staff and press a part of the sense of role-playing.
But the mobile game is not an SRPG or full-fledged simulation - it's a puzzle game. It takes the fundamentals of managing a team from the full game and asks players to connect the dots in a basic simulation of action/reaction: high line matches pacy defenders; inside forward matches narrow formation; casual/relaxed players do not match high pressing; and so on.
So, players in the mobile game are not characters in the same way they behave in the full game; the limited player personality attributes are just pieces of various jigsaw puzzles. Interactions work much the same – opportunities present themselves to affect a player’s morale, for example, which provide a scaling boost to stats (low morale makes attributes lower), and if you pick the wrong option, you get a bad outcome. Very basic stuff.
The thing with Team Talks specifically to provide a boost to morale or focus on the day is that there are already perfectly serviceable aspects like this already – for example, every player’s personal menu (and your pre-match scout report) contains information about their outlook for the next game: “Is excited by the prospect of playing Everton,” “Is complacent about getting a result at Norwich City”, and so on. Factoring this in is a puzzle – who will provide the most efficient stat boost relative to their current ability? Is your complacent first choice worse for this game than your backup option who is hoping to play? Team Talks basically removes this puzzle element by giving you a way to just gee up any player you want to start, irrespective of their attitude, reputation, personality, or whatever.
What I’d like to see instead is more things for players to work out beforehand, because preparation is 90% of what matters in FMM, reaction (in game) only 10%. Where are throw ins, for example? Why not an option to search for personality types in the player menu? New things to work out, and more ways to view the information you need to work them out. There are a few quality of life changes and bugs that deserve more attention, too.
Thoughts? What changes would you like to see?
Anyway, I wanted to get people's thoughts on FM Mobile and where they expect or hope that version of the game will go.
I read recently that SI are implementing Team Talks into fixtures, which has long been a part of the full game. I personally find this to be a step in the wrong direction because it's out of step with what the mobile version of the game is supposed to be.
FM is basically a spreadsheet, but the UI of the full game, the overlapping complexity of the various stats and attributes give an appearance of "character" which makes interacting with players, staff and press a part of the sense of role-playing.
But the mobile game is not an SRPG or full-fledged simulation - it's a puzzle game. It takes the fundamentals of managing a team from the full game and asks players to connect the dots in a basic simulation of action/reaction: high line matches pacy defenders; inside forward matches narrow formation; casual/relaxed players do not match high pressing; and so on.
So, players in the mobile game are not characters in the same way they behave in the full game; the limited player personality attributes are just pieces of various jigsaw puzzles. Interactions work much the same – opportunities present themselves to affect a player’s morale, for example, which provide a scaling boost to stats (low morale makes attributes lower), and if you pick the wrong option, you get a bad outcome. Very basic stuff.
The thing with Team Talks specifically to provide a boost to morale or focus on the day is that there are already perfectly serviceable aspects like this already – for example, every player’s personal menu (and your pre-match scout report) contains information about their outlook for the next game: “Is excited by the prospect of playing Everton,” “Is complacent about getting a result at Norwich City”, and so on. Factoring this in is a puzzle – who will provide the most efficient stat boost relative to their current ability? Is your complacent first choice worse for this game than your backup option who is hoping to play? Team Talks basically removes this puzzle element by giving you a way to just gee up any player you want to start, irrespective of their attitude, reputation, personality, or whatever.
What I’d like to see instead is more things for players to work out beforehand, because preparation is 90% of what matters in FMM, reaction (in game) only 10%. Where are throw ins, for example? Why not an option to search for personality types in the player menu? New things to work out, and more ways to view the information you need to work them out. There are a few quality of life changes and bugs that deserve more attention, too.
Thoughts? What changes would you like to see?
