Alright Boyz, Here We Go! The FM2008/WWSM2008 First Impressions Thread

[Coffee Warlord]

It's a mixed back (the board), from what I've heard.

Apparently, a lot of boards have a deathwish, and basically will implode with frightening regularity.

[path12]

My fans are pissed at me right now because during a five game losing streak I haven't changed up my tactics. Apparently I'm too "rigid" or something like that. I do change up my instructions pretty regularly in my 442, I guess they don't take that into account.

Interesting though to get that news item though, it's one I hadn't seen before.

[Critch]

Originally Posted by ice4277

Are you allowed to play SPL games at your home stadium? I think IRL they would make you play at a stadium w/ higher capacity, like Gretna this season.

Yeah, they shouldn't be allowed to play at home with under 6k capacity, as with Gretna. Pretty sure the under-soil heating is a requirement too. Shouldn't cost that much though, Gretna are building a completely new stadium with under-soil heating for 2.5mil pounds.

[Critch]

Can anybody spot the strangeness here?

Spoiler

Arsenal bring on 2 subs in the 60th minute. They then have a player taken off injured in the 67th minute, but don't bring on a sub for him, they don't use their last sub til the 77th minute. So they voluntarily played the last 23 minutes with 10 men

Never seen anything like that before, is it a reported bug?

[Cringer]

Originally Posted by Critch

Yeah, they shouldn't be allowed to play at home with under 6k capacity, as with Gretna. Pretty sure the under-soil heating is a requirement too. Shouldn't cost that much though, Gretna are building a completely new stadium with under-soil heating for 2.5mil pounds.

I am kind of pissed about that then. I wish my team had been forced to upgrade the stadium. I am using $, and the undersoil cost me over 3 million. With a team that took 5 years to get up to $3-4 million, and then started losing it as I upgraded players to compete in the SPL, it was way too much. I wouldn't have cared if it was for seating.

[ice4277]

Originally Posted by Critch

Can anybody spot the strangeness here?

Spoiler

Arsenal bring on 2 subs in the 60th minute. They then have a player taken off injured in the 67th minute, but don't bring on a sub for him, they don't use their last sub til the 77th minute. So they voluntarily played the last 23 minutes with 10 men

Never seen anything like that before, is it a reported bug?

I was going to say it was Chelsea actually scoring 3 times in a match

[NoSkillz]

Originally Posted by Critch

Can anybody spot the strangeness here?

Spoiler

Arsenal bring on 2 subs in the 60th minute. They then have a player taken off injured in the 67th minute, but don't bring on a sub for him, they don't use their last sub til the 77th minute. So they voluntarily played the last 23 minutes with 10 men

Never seen anything like that before, is it a reported bug?

Perhaps they thought the injured player would come back to the game at some point?

[Critch]

Originally Posted by NoSkillz

Perhaps they thought the injured player would come back to the game at some point?

Maybe, but he'd been off for 10 minutes before they used their last substitute so unlikely.

One thing that's not strange is that even in a fake universe with fake players, an Englishman can't get near the Arsenal team.

[daedalus]

Originally Posted by FrogMan

I have posted some skins in here in the past, tried them, but didn't find one I really like. Couldn't get use to Steklo's possession/commentary bar on top of the pitch in the game screen. Found the black-in 2 font too small. Found the Xenon theme too aggressive (I mean bold font everywhere) and some text didn't fit in right because of the big fonts. For some reason, even downloading a modified default skin with different attribute colors didn't work for me. But now I think I have just found my new favorite skin, the one I'll stick on for quite a while.

It's called dDs 2.1 and you can download it here:
http://rapidshare.com/files/79648588/dDs2.1.zip

finally got around to unpacking it and trying it out. nice. less dark than black-in 2 and the font does not seem to have the same problem. quite easy on the eye.

i couldn't get into steklo at all.

[Shepp]

Originally Posted by Critch

Can anybody spot the strangeness here?

Spoiler

Arsenal bring on 2 subs in the 60th minute. They then have a player taken off injured in the 67th minute, but don't bring on a sub for him, they don't use their last sub til the 77th minute. So they voluntarily played the last 23 minutes with 10 men

Never seen anything like that before, is it a reported bug?

I've seen this issue posted over at the SI board already. This is one of the issues that I mentioned a couple of pages back that is really keeping me from starting any serious leagues.

[DaddyTorgo]

idk...how often does that really happen? I think you just hafta sorta...suspend-disbelief and move past it.

not to say it's fine and shouldn't be fixed...but to me something like that isn't like...enough to make me not play the game.

It's a game, it's not perfect.

[Coffee Warlord]

So...what exactly is "Concerned about the lack of managerial discipline" mean when you have a squad discipline rating of 18, are in the lower half in the league for yellow cards, and have had only 1 person given sent off all season?

[wbatl1]

Originally Posted by Coffee Warlord

So...what exactly is "Concerned about the lack of managerial discipline" mean when you have a squad discipline rating of 18, are in the lower half in the league for yellow cards, and have had only 1 person given sent off all season?

Did you get it after choosing not to fine a player? That is when I got it, and I guess one of my "professional" players took exception to the fact that I didn't think the sending off deserved a fine. I don't know enough about it/haven't seen it enough to know the causes...

[Coffee Warlord]

I think that may be the case, yeah.

Seems a bit...odd. I never fine for reds, and this has never come up before.

[Shepp]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

idk...how often does that really happen? I think you just hafta sorta...suspend-disbelief and move past it.

not to say it's fine and shouldn't be fixed...but to me something like that isn't like...enough to make me not play the game.

It's a game, it's not perfect.

I'm not expecting perfection but I do expect a solid simulation. I don't think that its to harsh to say that a side plays a man short after an injury hurts the integrity the game. Not to mention this problem hasn't been in previous versions.

[FrogMan]

Anybody knows if there's any downside with using the "compress savegame file" option? Or otherwise, any pros for not using the option?

I'm asking because I used to never have this ticked on in previous version but saw that it was on a day or two ago. Compressed savegame in November of 2008 was 43 Mb or about. I unticked the box and saved the file under another name and boom, the thing jumped to a whopping 187 Mb or so.

I'm not sure I saw a significant difference between loading/saving time but I'm wondering if there's less of a chance of my savegame becoming corrupted if I save it uncompressed vs compressed. I mean, it's not like I really need the disk space or anything, so while it's a big difference, 187 vs 43 is pretty much a non issue here...

FM

[FrogMan]

Originally Posted by Shepp

I'm not expecting perfection but I do expect a solid simulation. I don't think that its to harsh to say that a side plays a man short after an injury hurts the integrity the game. Not to mention this problem hasn't been in previous versions.

to each his own but I agree with DaddyTorgo. I mean, it's not as if it's happening every time there's an injury on the computer controlled team, is it? It would probably kill the game if it did, but the rest of the whole gaming experience is just too good for me to pass it up and wait for the next patch...

Speaking of which, there's only been a beta patch so far, right? Will there only be one more and that's it? Anybody from SI care to comment?

FM

[cartman]

Not subbing for a player that has been taken off is actually pretty common, especially if there is only one sub remaining. Many times a coach would rather spend time trying to get the player fixed up and sent back out rather than use their final sub, if there is even a slight chance the player can get back onto the pitch.

[Passacaglia]

I think the compressed save game needs to be unchecked if you want to use the saved game for any utilities.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by cartman

Not subbing for a player that has been taken off is actually pretty common, especially if there is only one sub remaining. Many times a coach would rather spend time trying to get the player fixed up and sent back out rather than use their final sub, if there is even a slight chance the player can get back onto the pitch.

yep. I assumed everyone was aware of this. And in that game you're up 3-1...so you have a little "cushion" as it were. And nothing shows...they could have dropped players back to cover for the injured player and just stalled...we have no idea

[path12]

Originally Posted by FrogMan

Speaking of which, there's only been a beta patch so far, right? Will there only be one more and that's it? Anybody from SI care to comment?

FM

My understanding from skims of the SI forums is that there is one more patch that is scheduled to come out sometime in February, but I've seen nothing official.

[SackAttack]

So I decided to try my hand at starting at the Blue Square South level, and am now running Maidenhead United.

$400k wage budget, no transfer budget, no scouts, no youth coach, no nothing. This is going to be awesome, in a sadistic sort of way.

[Passacaglia]

Originally Posted by SackAttack

So I decided to try my hand at starting at the Blue Square South level, and am now running Maidenhead United.

$400k wage budget, no transfer budget, no scouts, no youth coach, no nothing. This is going to be awesome, in a sadistic sort of way.

Get a parent club, and loan from their reserve team like you're a kid in a candy store.

[Critch]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

yep. I assumed everyone was aware of this. And in that game you're up 3-1...so you have a little "cushion" as it were. And nothing shows...they could have dropped players back to cover for the injured player and just stalled...we have no idea

Actually they were 3-1 down and trying to get back into the game, they had a player off the pitch injured for 10 minutes before they chose to use their one remaining sub on somebody else. As the injured player never returned they ended up playing the last 20+ minutes with 10 men. It was also 1st v 2nd in the league, so not a meaningless game.

It's definitely a bug, but I agree it's not regular enough to put off starting a career for. I've seen it once in countless seasons.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by Critch

Actually they were 3-1 down and trying to get back into the game, they had a player off the pitch injured for 10 minutes before they chose to use their one remaining sub on somebody else. As the injured player never returned they ended up playing the last 20+ minutes with 10 men. It was also 1st v 2nd in the league, so not a meaningless game.

It's definitely a bug, but I agree it's not regular enough to put off starting a career for. I've seen it once in countless seasons.

I stand corrected

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by Passacaglia

Get a parent club, and loan from their reserve team like you're a kid in a candy store.

A bold idea.

Similar question to my earlier one about feeder teams, but slightly different in approach - if I request a parent club, do I need to focus on an English side, as that's the only country I have active?

[FrogMan]

Originally Posted by Coffee Warlord

So...what exactly is "Concerned about the lack of managerial discipline" mean when you have a squad discipline rating of 18, are in the lower half in the league for yellow cards, and have had only 1 person given sent off all season?

come to think of it, Matthew Spring had that tag on my team for a little while and lost it after I gave Eric Skora that warning for bad performance for his 4 form rating (see my dynasty for more info ). Guess your player feels you're a softie with a big heart, that's all.

FM

[vex]

Ok, I d'led the demo but I don't seem to have sound in my matches. Is there any obvious reason why this might be? Thanks.

[Critch]

Originally Posted by vex

Ok, I d'led the demo but I don't seem to have sound in my matches. Is there any obvious reason why this might be? Thanks.

If it's the "Vanilla" demo you have, sound isn't included to make it a smaller download. Was your download about 100mb? If so, that's the one.

[vex]

Originally Posted by Critch

If it's the "Vanilla" demo you have, sound isn't included to make it a smaller download. Was your download about 100mb? If so, that's the one.

I can't recall how large the file was atm. It says it's the gold, but that's all I know.

[Cringer]

This game has me so completely sucked in right now I have not been able to tear myself away for the last 5 hours. I could seem sad I guess, but I am sitting in the truck in a truckstop all weekend pretty much, so the only thing it delayed me from doing is posting this.

So I went into my 2nd SPL season with the Albion Rovers. Got screwed over by my board with the under soil heating, going into the red for it. Sold several players and fighting to keep others who wanted to leave. I signed several 18-20 year olds to fill the holes, along with a 27 yr old MR. Talk about a wild ride since!

After finishing 7th in my 1st season up in SPL, I was lucky enough to get an invite into the EURO Vase. (I am trying to keep this short, really I am) I start off going through my friendlies, always scheduling teams who should be better then mine, and do pretty well. Reading became my parent club but had little to offer. I start the SPL season at home against Rangers and Kilmarnock, winning both and crapping my pants about it. I then get shot out of the sky and lose 4 straight, manage some draws with a couple more loses and end up going 9 matches without a win. During this I am going through the EURO Vase though, and winning. I got into the EURO Cup, woohoo! I start to fight my way back a little in the SPL but it is up and down. As that happens I find myself going into the Group stage of the EURO Cup, woohoo again! Finally I think I find the tactic that my team works best with, maybe the team is gelling some as well, and I start to win some SPL games. I finally figured out I had to crank down my training with all these games as well.

Anyways, I end up getting draws in my first two EURO Cup group games, against Panathinaikos and FC Twente. I go into the third game against Paris-Saint Germain hoping for another, thinking if I can manage that I might sneak out of the group stage. Instead I win, 1-0. All these teams had much better talent IMO, so I was very excited. That clinched me a Q for that round, and I then lost at my parent club Reading in the final match. I can't believe I have made it this far, with this team. It frickin' rocks to say the least. I am also up to 5th in the SPL.

At the begining of January now, and just sold Doherty, my MC I had since he was 16 and had just become my captain at 21 this year. I wasn't going to do it but the timing of him getting restless again and me realizing I can play without him after he missed over a month sealed the deal. I have a couple kids ready to take his place.

One last thing. My goalkeeper Bell just won't die. I got him when I spent a year in SD2. One year I tried to replace him and ended up going back to him early in the season. After a year in SPL I figured I needed to upgrade, he wasn't cutting it. Plus he really wanted to go to a bigger club, though he is not a big ratings guy. So I signed on free transfer a good goalie 4 years younger at 23, and according to everyone better then Bell. I tried to sell Bell, even at 1/4 his value, but no one would take him so I ended up holding onto him even though he was still unhappy. I went through 19 games(including non-SPL) with the new guy starting, and he wasn't doing so good in the SPL games. I figured screw it, I would try Bell again. He started a couple games, did great, so I kept it up and figured I would try to offer him a deal even though he said he still didn't want one. He took it, hasn't left the lineup since, and has a rating of 7.50. The guy just won't go away I guess.

OK. Maybe I should start a dynasty for long posts like this.

[Cringer]

Dola- forgot one of the best parts. Selling Doherty, and all the EURO Cup wins has me a couple million in the black now. The board better not blow this chunk of change either.

[MrBug708]

Originally Posted by SackAttack

A bold idea.

Similar question to my earlier one about feeder teams, but slightly different in approach - if I request a parent club, do I need to focus on an English side, as that's the only country I have active?

Most likely. Unless you found a way to loan in some super stud greyed out players

[vex]

Is there a WWSM patch out?(DL version)

[BYU 14]

Originally Posted by Cringer

OK. Maybe I should start a dynasty for long posts like this.

WWSM dynasties are all the rage now Cringer......we have a nice 3 way fued going between Luton, Notts and Millwall

[Marc Vaughan]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

Most likely. Unless you found a way to loan in some super stud greyed out players

I'd suggest having 'parent' clubs from active nations - however the game is setup to increase the activity of clubs which are linked to clubs in active nations (ie. if you take an inactive club as a parent they should get more youoth players coming through - but it might take time for this to become apparent obviously, they won't appear 'on the spot').

[FrogMan]

Originally Posted by vex

Is there a WWSM patch out?(DL version)

there's one patch available to bring the game to 8.0.1, here are some links:
Worldwide Soccer Manager 2008 – Boxed Retail

PC (Boxed Retail)
http://204.155.67.168/patch/fm08/WSM2008_v8.0.1_Patch_Boxed.exe

PC Mirror (Gamershell):
http://www.gamershell.com/download_22113.shtml

PC Torrent (Boxed Retail):
http://torrents.sigames.com:7000/torrents/wsm2008_801_b...C2ED084D31A685EBB4CD

Mac (Boxed Retail):
http://204.155.67.168/patch/fm08/WSM2008_v8.0.1_Patch.dmg

Mac Mirror (Gamershell):
http://www.gamershell.com/download_22114.shtml

Mac Torrent (Boxed Retail):
http://torrents.sigames.com:7000/torrents/wsm2008_801_b...06DD2191D82951826B2B

If you are using a digital version and purchased your game through Boonty, IGN or eSellerate, the following patches are available:

Worldwide Soccer Manager 2008 – Digital Download

PC (Digital Download)
http://204.155.67.168/patch/fm08/WSM2008_v8.0.1_Patch_All_Digital.exe

PC Mirror (Gamershell):
http://www.gamershell.com/download_22115.shtml

PC Torrent (Digital Download):
http://torrents.sigames.com:7000/torrents/wsm2008_801_d...1A5BFE9DB24CE95542EC

Mac (Digital Download):
http://204.155.67.168/patch/fm08/WSM2008_v8.0.1_eSellerate_Patch.dmg

Mac Mirror (Gamershell):
http://www.gamershell.com/download_22116.shtml

Mac Torrent (Digital Download):
http://torrents.sigames.com:7000/torrents/wsm2008_801_d...80607C3513EA7B3DEC80



So, does this mean I succeeded in getting you to buy the game?

FM

[MrBug708]

Originally Posted by Marc Vaughan

I'd suggest having 'parent' clubs from active nations - however the game is setup to increase the activity of clubs which are linked to clubs in active nations (ie. if you take an inactive club as a parent they should get more youoth players coming through - but it might take time for this to become apparent obviously, they won't appear 'on the spot').

I have noticed that as well. When I take a team as a feeder team who have no one active, they end up eventually getting a few players in

[vex]

Originally Posted by FrogMan

there's one patch available to bring the game to 8.0.1, here are some links:

So, does this mean I succeeded in getting you to buy the game?

FM

Your dynasty and about 1 hour of demo play was all it took Thanks for the links!

[Cringer]

Hey Marc, since you are around here today.....

What is up with the SPL not requiring my Albion Rovers to increase their stadium size when I got promoted? I am pretty sure it used to be that way, and someone also said that is how it is in real life. Something like a minimum of 6000 capacity? I sure as heck would have prefered to go into the red for more seats then for under soil heating I didn't really need yet.

[MrBug708]

I've had my stadium plans shot down by the local town council, maybe they don't want it any bigger?

[Cringer]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

I've had my stadium plans shot down by the local town council, maybe they don't want it any bigger?

If it was something like that then fine. The question though is why is in not forced to have a minimum capacity to be in the SPL? Albion Rovers have a stadium that holds just over 1200 people. As someone said, in real life the SPL requires a minimum capacity of 6000. I am pretty sure in past versions of this game the increase in capacity was forced.

[FrogMan]

Originally Posted by vex

Your dynasty and about 1 hour of demo play was all it took Thanks for the links!

FM

[MrBug708]

Originally Posted by Cringer

If it was something like that then fine. The question though is why is in not forced to have a minimum capacity to be in the SPL? Albion Rovers have a stadium that holds just over 1200 people. As someone said, in real life the SPL requires a minimum capacity of 6000. I am pretty sure in past versions of this game the increase in capacity was forced.

Not sure how it works in Scotland, but I doubt Congress will bow to the wishes of MLB, NFL et al. My last few attempts to boost Selhurst Park to anything bigger then mid range 60,000 has been shot down. But based on the google image of the stadium, I don't blame them. There is a nice empty lot across the street though that I would like to see them eventually expand into. I'll probably have to settle for third highest home crowd in England at this point.

It does seem odd, but you are fighting your natural progression in FM by not taking a bigger job

My only major annoyance is the former players facing my team. Sure I can live with it but I prefer to not

[Cringer]

Originally Posted by MrBug708

Not sure how it works in Scotland, but I doubt Congress will bow to the wishes of MLB, NFL et al. My last few attempts to boost Selhurst Park to anything bigger then mid range 60,000 has been shot down. But based on the google image of the stadium, I don't blame them. There is a nice empty lot across the street though that I would like to see them eventually expand into. I'll probably have to settle for third highest home crowd in England at this point.

It does seem odd, but you are fighting your natural progression in FM by not taking a bigger job

My only major annoyance is the former players facing my team. Sure I can live with it but I prefer to not

My problem is one or two things if expanding the stadium is just not possible. First, either tell me it isn't possible so I know that. Second, it was possible in previous versions of the game so just screw real life in this case and expand it. I have seen video of Cliftonhill though, and there is some room around there to expand the stadium some.


I have a bigger problem right now though. Going up 3-0 in the first 20 minutes of a match only to lose 4-3. And to do it at home to Rangers after I just knocked them out of the Scottish Cup at their stadium 6 days prior. Damn team, they drive me insane.

[lighthousekeeper]

currently going through FM withdrawl syndrome, as my computer will be out of service for the next 2 weeks.

i hope a new patch will come out in about 2 weeks time. i'm surprised a patch isn't out yet.

[Shepp]

Originally Posted by lighthousekeeper

currently going through FM withdrawl syndrome, as my computer will be out of service for the next 2 weeks.

i hope a new patch will come out in about 2 weeks time. i'm surprised a patch isn't out yet.

I'm not suproised that its not out yet. If the previous two versions are any indicator, the patch will be out in the first part of Feb. to coincide with the data update, after the Jan. transfer window closes.

[Toddzilla]

In case you haven't seen it, I'm lobbying SkyDog for a dedicated FM forum (similar to the Hattrick one). I'd like to see us able to break out the 15 different discussions going on in this thread to separate ones on a dedicated sub-forum. Hope this is agreeable with the rest of you addicts.

[Ryan S]

Originally Posted by Toddzilla

In case you haven't seen it, I'm lobbying SkyDog for a dedicated FM forum (similar to the Hattrick one). I'd like to see us able to break out the 15 different discussions going on in this thread to separate ones on a dedicated sub-forum. Hope this is agreeable with the rest of you addicts.

If enough people want a new forum, it might be better to turn the hattrick forum into a general soccer forum as it is not getting much traffic these days.

[Toddzilla]

Again, the intent isn't to shuffle the FM guys out of the OT thread, rather to enable us to have multiple threads in a dedicated sub-forum, for tactics, troubleshooting, etc. instead of cramming them all into one klugy mess.