View Full Version : Football Manager Live Beta
I get to beta test FML! Anyone else get drawn? I just played my first match online. Lots of fun. This is going to be enormous.
SirFozzie
06-25-2007, 10:15 AM
I get to beta test FML! Anyone else get drawn? I just played my first match online. Lots of fun. This is going to be enormous.
....
WE ALL KEEL YOU NOW!
GoldenEagle
06-25-2007, 10:21 AM
Details, man, details.
Well, I signed in this morning and created a team. I asked it to auto-populate my team. I haven't done much tinkering with signing new players, but I will later. There are some familiar names on my team, though, like Frankie Hejduk. Anyway, once my team was set, I got a notification that someone created a tournament, so I joined it. After about 5 minutes, it was full with 8 teams. The draw was made and I had my first fixture scheduled. Basically, there was then just a deadline for when the match had to be completed. I was able to issue a challenge to the manager of the team I was paired with and we entered the match.
From there it was just like a regular FM match. 2D display, all that. I was able to chat with the other manager and stuff as the game was going on. Another manager dropped in to watch the match until it was well out of reach. I won 5-1 and qualified for the next round of the tournament. Then I logged out. I'll go back in a bit and see if I can play my next round game yet.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y257/Gorgonian14/fml1.jpg
GoldenEagle
06-25-2007, 10:47 AM
John Wolyniec is a striker for the Red Bulls.
MrBug708
06-25-2007, 10:51 AM
Do you have a lineup of your team?
Yes, and he scored a hat trick for me in that match. It's clear that this game is using a real players database right now.
I'm back online now and there are still 2 matches that have to be played in the first round of this competition. I have no idea about anything regarding leagues, yet. Maybe that will be added later. I'm not sure.
In the time I've been typing this message, I got an in-game email about some random team's injury woes:
Injury worries at <Junior:user#121>'s <J&B United:team#121> continue to grow with the news that <Tchô:player#2107518> will be out until late tonight or early tomorrow morning with a gashed arm.
Following <Tchô:player#2107518>'s injury in the match against <Angus Smith:user#217>'s <Cardiff Rangers:team#217>, <J&B United:team#121> currently find themselves with no fewer than 6 players on the casualty list.
Obviously there is some mark-up stuff that gets copy-pasted, but you get the idea. Lots of fun so far.
Here is what happens when you approach an unsigned player:
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y257/Gorgonian14/fml2.jpg
<Fayetteville FC:team#421> have made a bid of £775 for commanding Croatian goalkeeper <Ivan Turina:player#104090>, starting a 24 hour wage auction which ends tomorrow afternoon at 16:56.
You have entered a maximum bid of £775 for <Turina:player#104090>.
FBPro
06-25-2007, 11:08 AM
I'm hoping to have an acceptance email when I return home.
No beta for me you lucky bastard! :)
Looking forward to know more about it, but i must admit i would prefer a world setup more based in real life but with fake teams, like hattrick. For what i have read so far, there is not a league system, with local and international games, with a ladder from the lower divisions to the top etc, but that the users need to setup their own leagues and the different leagues are not interconnected.
Flasch186
06-25-2007, 11:42 AM
Screw SI, I have to worry about running the English National team....I haave no time to worry about some ridiculous little company called SI.
moriarty
06-25-2007, 12:06 PM
No beta for me you lucky bastard! :)
Looking forward to know more about it, but i must admit i would prefer a world setup more based in real life but with fake teams, like hattrick. For what i have read so far, there is not a league system, with local and international games, with a ladder from the lower divisions to the top etc, but that the users need to setup their own leagues and the different leagues are not interconnected.
I agree with this. i was hoping for a real world setup ... basically the FM2007 db + teams/structure. Even if each group had to fill up the teams in their division. This whole weekly contract thing looks like it takes some getting used to as well.
Marc Vaughan
06-25-2007, 10:35 PM
Looking forward to know more about it, but i must admit i would prefer a world setup more based in real life but with fake teams, like hattrick. For what i have read so far, there is not a league system, with local and international games, with a ladder from the lower divisions to the top etc, but that the users need to setup their own leagues and the different leagues are not interconnected
The inherant problem with 'real world' MMO models for sports is that most people want to be their favourite team and unfortunately that tends to mean lots of worlds with only a few active teams in them.
In FML you can have highly complex leagues, cups and suchlike including 'repeating' competitions (ie. season after season etc.).
There is also the concept of promotion/relegation and indeed continental competitions via. the formation of 'federations' (which encompass a series of leagues/cups) ... you can then have competitions which take in the cream of each federation into inter federation cups.
PS> Also bear in mind that FML is relatively 'new' to the beta phase and as such is still far from feature complete - there are lots of things 'planned' and indeed more which the current beta testers will suggest which isn't present yet.
Sedgeford United - "The local yokels"
FML Beta World
Position 91st (was 15th until a very very very bad day today :()
Marc Vaughan
06-25-2007, 10:37 PM
I agree with this. i was hoping for a real world setup ... basically the FM2007 db + teams/structure. Even if each group had to fill up the teams in their division. This whole weekly contract thing looks like it takes some getting used to as well.
I've found after a short while you get used to it and just accept it as it is set out, same as the 'weekly wages' getting paid out each day - it seems 'odd' initially, but then you realise its not meant to be real and just enjoy things as they are ... they're setup as is for gameplay reasons - simple as that.
Marc Vaughan
06-25-2007, 10:38 PM
(oh and for the new beta players who are wondering where the federations are - Ov's still tinkering with the codebase and deciding on the structure which they'll take in the beta)
Young Drachma
06-25-2007, 10:38 PM
I like the fake team setup idea a lot better and now, I'm actually interested. It'd be great if this element would someday make it to FM, because some of us really just want to control a team in all of her fictional grandeur or create a custom league and right now, that's my biggest gripe is that it takes forever to edit using the editor and of course, with WWSM, it's like you're a second-class gamer using an otherwise first class product.
I won't buy WWSM again, I'll just import FM in the future, now that I know.
moriarty
06-26-2007, 08:54 AM
I've found after a short while you get used to it and just accept it as it is set out, same as the 'weekly wages' getting paid out each day - it seems 'odd' initially, but then you realise its not meant to be real and just enjoy things as they are ... they're setup as is for gameplay reasons - simple as that.
That's cool as I'm sure I'll adjust. I'll give it a shot when it gets released.
Today there are "Federations" we can join. There are four domestic federations that we can join. They are:
Extreme Football Association
Weekend Football Association
Nighttime Football Association
Daytime Football Association
They have set it up so that your team can join an association that puts you with others that generally play when you play (though your games are not restricted to those times). The extreme is for those nuts that live on there.
Each of them has a max of 100 teams right now, but none of them have close to that many. For instance as of now, the Extreme Assoc. has 66 teams. I joined the Nighttime Assoc. since I am 6 hours or so behind most of the players and I would only be playing after work once school starts back. We have 29 teams so far.
Inside these federations, leagues and competitions can be created by the leader(s). I imagine it is like the FA in England. So there could be the tiered leagues and the FA Cup, etc.
It costs 100k per game year (a month) to be a member, but revenue greater than that is generated so it is financially beneficial (at least it appears to be) to join a federation.
There is also a tab for "Super" federations (as opposed to the domestic ones) which I would imagine is like UEFA and the like.
This is very encouraging. I really like what I see now.
astrosfan64
06-28-2007, 11:21 AM
(oh and for the new beta players who are wondering where the federations are - Ov's still tinkering with the codebase and deciding on the structure which they'll take in the beta)
Me beta, Me beta, Me beta - let some more FOFC people in. Please!
:)
SirFozzie
06-28-2007, 11:30 AM
Agreed! MORE FOFC BETA!
DaddyTorgo
06-28-2007, 11:33 AM
I like the fake team setup idea a lot better and now, I'm actually interested. It'd be great if this element would someday make it to FM, because some of us really just want to control a team in all of her fictional grandeur or create a custom league and right now, that's my biggest gripe is that it takes forever to edit using the editor and of course, with WWSM, it's like you're a second-class gamer using an otherwise first class product.
I won't buy WWSM again, I'll just import FM in the future, now that I know.
did fictional players get removed from FM? couple versions back you could generate a whole new fictional DB to play with...i only used it once, but it was there, dunno why it would be removed...
moriarty
06-28-2007, 11:33 AM
Screw that ... we want a FOFC beta Association.
DaddyTorgo
06-28-2007, 11:36 AM
me me me!!! beta beta betaaaa!!!!!
and yes i know i could have applied and all that but...eh...i just didn't.
Anguscl
06-28-2007, 12:43 PM
If we have now entered into the beta begging portion of this thread, I would like to throw my name into the ring with the rest.
MrBug708
06-28-2007, 12:45 PM
Second it :)
Do you have a lineup of your team?
I missed this question earlier. This is my current team. I'm in the middle of major surgery on it. Still pretty weak, but I'm starting to shore up some weaknesses, slowly.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y257/Gorgonian14/fmlineup.jpg
MrBug708
06-28-2007, 05:36 PM
I see that the wages in in pounds, is there any way to change it to dollars?
I have not found it yet if there is. The other stats are alterable to imperial units, though.
Today the Nighttime Federation started qualification for the different divisions of the Association. It appears it will be several 16 team divisions set up like this:
a 16 team "premier" division
2 16 team "second tier" divisions
2 or 3 16 team "third tier" divisions
of course with promotion and relegations between the tiers.
The Qualifications are 4 groups of 20 teams. Teams play each other twice in their groups. Top 4 teams will be in the premier division. Teams 5-12 will be in the Second tier divisions. The remainder will be in the bottom tier. Kind of cool.
In other words, today has been a disaster results-wise for my team. Though I did manage to pull out a win in my second qualification match finally. Winless in my last 9 before that. I'm about to play some more of them now.
Passacaglia
06-29-2007, 02:14 PM
Okay, I'm getting pumped about this. Now I just need to figure out what I'm actually doing when I play Football Manager (instead of just relying on FM Scout).
Sgran
06-29-2007, 02:32 PM
Can you give us an idea of how long all of this is taking?
The time scale is basically one month real time = one year game time.
GoDukes
06-29-2007, 03:24 PM
I wish I could tinker with this!
Truthfully, I'm not all that impressed with the match engine right now. It is a completely new match engine, and it obviously has a few problems. Some of the discussions I've read on the beta forums about it have me a little concerned. I have faith that it will be improved, but I would personally prefer to just use the past engine or use an enhancement of that.
Young Drachma
06-29-2007, 03:36 PM
Screw that ... we want a FOFC beta Association.
+1
Young Drachma
06-29-2007, 04:03 PM
did fictional players get removed from FM? couple versions back you could generate a whole new fictional DB to play with...i only used it once, but it was there, dunno why it would be removed...
I mean, specifically, a fictional league so you could edit an entire league and all of that. It's doable now, but it has to be based on the parameters of another league. You can't start one entirely from scratch.
And as is, the WWSM editor is pretty tedious. But I guess, at least it exists.
Marc Vaughan
06-30-2007, 09:44 AM
Truthfully, I'm not all that impressed with the match engine right now. It is a completely new match engine, and it obviously has a few problems. Some of the discussions I've read on the beta forums about it have me a little concerned. I have faith that it will be improved, but I would personally prefer to just use the past engine or use an enhancement of that.
Part of the reason we're using the 'new' match engine is purely because FML is a great opportunity to test it "human vs human" in a manner which had never previously been available ....
Yes there will be 'teething issues' but in the end we'll be left with a match engine which is much better for it - for both games :D
(sorry but a lot of people seem to forget that the FML 'BETA' is a beta testing opportunity - not a final product, yes its fun to play ... but its a long long way from being a completed product at present - we have faith in our games which is why we've made this an 'open' beta (in that people can post what they like about their experiences, not that everyone can jump into it) ... but please do bear in mind it isn't meant to be the finished product yet.)
Marc Vaughan
06-30-2007, 09:47 AM
+1
Federations in case you aren't aware are likely be be potentially user created in the future and according to their popularity and team success will "negotiate" media rights etc. on a season to season basis .... at the moment the only ones present are SI ones, but that is liable to change.
(also coming are the 'inter-federation' competitions which are planned to be a bit like the European competitions in real-world soccer ... basically there's a lot more to come in FML, wait and see :D)
Part of the reason we're using the 'new' match engine is purely because FML is a great opportunity to test it "human vs human" in a manner which had never previously been available ....
Yes there will be 'teething issues' but in the end we'll be left with a match engine which is much better for it - for both games :D
(sorry but a lot of people seem to forget that the FML 'BETA' is a beta testing opportunity - not a final product, yes its fun to play ... but its a long long way from being a completed product at present - we have faith in our games which is why we've made this an 'open' beta (in that people can post what they like about their experiences, not that everyone can jump into it) ... but please do bear in mind it isn't meant to be the finished product yet.)
I understand all of that of course. I guess it just seems like there is plenty of other stuff to be testing and working the kinks out of before making a whole new match engine. You guys know what you can handle at once, though, so that's fine.
I would say phase one of building my team is complete. I have decent talent at all positions with adequate backup.
I'm fairly consistently ranked in the 100-200th in the world range. I've been as high as 94th I think. I haven't done a whole lot as far as trying to make money. Just been trying to find good players for cheap. I'm ranked 170th right now. There are 592 teams in the world.
Here is my current team:
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y257/Gorgonian14/fmteam2.jpg
I'm not terribly comfortable with the WB position. I don't think this a pure defender role. I would be a bit more comfortable with DR and DL players over the WB players I have, but they are both fairly skilled and do their jobs. It is just something that makes me uncomfortable.
I think the next thing I need to do is make the background transparent on my logo!
I think I need to acquire a better keeper.
Marc Vaughan
07-03-2007, 06:37 PM
Hi Matt - have I played your team yet? - I'm presuming you're in the 'Nighttime Federation' ....
My team is 'Sedgeford United' named after the village I grew up in ...
PS> I had Tininho in the alpha game he was pretty good and passable as a ML if you get shohrt as well as playing in a defensive position ..
PPS> If you ever need players on loan msg me - I've quite a large squad ...
astrosfan64
07-03-2007, 07:01 PM
Hi Matt - have I played your team yet? - I'm presuming you're in the 'Nighttime Federation' ....
My team is 'Sedgeford United' named after the village I grew up in ...
PS> I had Tininho in the alpha game he was pretty good and passable as a ML if you get shohrt as well as playing in a defensive position ..
PPS> If you ever need players on loan msg me - I've quite a large squad ...
MeBeta MeBeta MeBeta come on Marc, help the FOFC out.
I'll keep begging because I'm not to proud.
SirFozzie
07-03-2007, 07:03 PM
Me first! Come on Marc! :D
Hi Matt - have I played your team yet? - I'm presuming you're in the 'Nighttime Federation' ....
My team is 'Sedgeford United' named after the village I grew up in ...
PS> I had Tininho in the alpha game he was pretty good and passable as a ML if you get shohrt as well as playing in a defensive position ..
PPS> If you ever need players on loan msg me - I've quite a large squad ...
No we haven't played. I snuck in and watched you playing the second half of a match a few days ago, though. Your opponent was not present so we exchanged pleasantries or something.
Yeah I signed Tininho on a free (or $1) yesterday. I had a short term need at his position. He is probably surplus now, obviously.
I'm sure you remember the chat we had in the lobby today. I was the fruitcake that was rambling about team ratings and volatility. I made the post in the beta forum with my thoughts on that.
Marc Vaughan
07-03-2007, 08:47 PM
Heh - ahhh that was you yeah that was quite a memorable conversation :D
I thought you were falling asleep :)
Started a dynasty after restarting the game from scratch. Follow along as I jump into the game (armed with a little more knowledge about how things work) and you can find out whatever you want to know about Football Manager Live from the inside. (Questions welcome)
http://www.operationsports.com/fofc/showthread.php?t=59623
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