Football Manager Live
Encyclopedia
Football Manager Live was a massively multiplayer online game
developed by Sports Interactive
released in November 2008 for Microsoft Windows
and Mac OS X
.
Whilst the game was subscription based, both major and minor updates were provided within the subscription paid by users. Subscriptions could be purchased online using debit/credit cards, or PayPal to play on a regular basis, or through boxed copies, which were released in the United Kingdom on 23 January 2009. The servers for the game shut down in May 2011.
titles, whilst keeping the same match engine and many of their fundamental concepts.
Users were assigned to a "Game World" of up to 1000 players and created their club and filled their squad with real players, similar to fantasy football
. Players were signed via a proxy bid
ding system similar to that of eBay
with the player signing with the highest-bidding club. Whilst Football Manager Live utilised a very similar database to that of Football Manager 2009, like its offline counterpart, aging players retired and younger players were randomly generated in their place within each game world, creating an increasingly fictional environment as seasons progress.
Clubs could choose a football association based on the number of matches the user wants to play ("Casual" FAs for casual players and "Xtreme" ones for more dedicated managers) and which play times were most convenient. Each FA had its own ladder system with a premier league and several lower leagues which were linked via promotion and relegation
. Matchmaking for league fixtures was done through a "resolve by" system in which users have to finish a game by a certain deadline instead of having to meet online at a specific time. If a player could not meet the deadline, an AI "assistant manager" took over their team for that match.
The game also added a role playing game-like skill training system for users. Managers could improve their skills over time in coaching, physiotherapy, finance, scouting and infrastructure to become more specialised or to suit their style of play.
Players could also construct a stadium to accommodate several different fan bases to the club. These included die hards, devoted, families, glory hunters and corporates, each offering their own characteristics such as wealth and atmosphere.
The first gameworld, launched on 4 November 2008 was Cantona, and this was followed by 8 other worlds until the first Pro-Gameworld, Toms, was launched on 12 January 2009. Existing users were encouraged to join the first Pro-Gameworld by having the opportunity to transfer the skills that they had gained to the new Gameworld. This had not been possible when transferring worlds previously and the challenge of playing the best was readily taken up.
Gameworlds are named after real-life ex-players and Gameworlds are likely to be populated by supporters of the team that the player excelled for. This is also true of a player's nationality and users may congregate in a Gameworld that is named after an ex-player of their own nationality, however, this is not uniformly true and each world is likely to be populated by a good cross-section of users that support different teams and are of different nationalities.
In June 2010 the 3D match engine, first seen in Football Manager 2009
was added to Football Manager Live
On the 18th of December 2009 Sports Interactive announced that it would be extending the free time for its managers until the reset in March 2010. It was also announced following the outcry over lost skills that they would be implementing a new skills system into FML after the reset which would allow current managers to use their existing skill points after the reset. This move was met with great appreciation by the games current subscribers. At the same time it was announced that the new version 1.4 would include youth academies and many more extras which its subscribers have been asking for many months.
Massively multiplayer online game
A massively multiplayer online game is a multiplayer video game which is capable of supporting hundreds or thousands of players simultaneously. By necessity, they are played on the Internet, and usually feature at least one persistent world. They are, however, not necessarily games played on...
developed by Sports Interactive
Sports Interactive
Sports Interactive Limited is a computer games development company currently based in Old Street, Central London and owned by the Japanese software and video game company Sega. It is the developer of the popular games Football Manager, NHL Eastside Hockey Manager and Championship Manager Quiz, and...
released in November 2008 for Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
and Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
.
Whilst the game was subscription based, both major and minor updates were provided within the subscription paid by users. Subscriptions could be purchased online using debit/credit cards, or PayPal to play on a regular basis, or through boxed copies, which were released in the United Kingdom on 23 January 2009. The servers for the game shut down in May 2011.
Gameplay
Football Manager Live differed significantly from previous Football ManagerFootball Manager
Football Manager is a series of football management simulation games developed by Sports Interactive and published by Sega. The game began its life in 1992 as Championship Manager; however, following the break-up of their partnership with original publishers Eidos Interactive, Sports Interactive...
titles, whilst keeping the same match engine and many of their fundamental concepts.
Users were assigned to a "Game World" of up to 1000 players and created their club and filled their squad with real players, similar to fantasy football
Fantasy football (soccer)
Fantasy football is a game in which participants assemble an imaginary team of real life footballers and score points based on those players' actual statistical performance or their perceived contribution on the field of play. Usually players are selected from one specific division in a particular...
. Players were signed via a proxy bid
Proxy bid
Proxy bidding is an implementation of an English second-price auction used on eBay, in which the winning bidder pays the price of the second-highest bid plus a defined increment. It differs from a Vickrey auction in that bids are not sealed; the "current highest bid" is always displayed...
ding system similar to that of eBay
EBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
with the player signing with the highest-bidding club. Whilst Football Manager Live utilised a very similar database to that of Football Manager 2009, like its offline counterpart, aging players retired and younger players were randomly generated in their place within each game world, creating an increasingly fictional environment as seasons progress.
Clubs could choose a football association based on the number of matches the user wants to play ("Casual" FAs for casual players and "Xtreme" ones for more dedicated managers) and which play times were most convenient. Each FA had its own ladder system with a premier league and several lower leagues which were linked via promotion and relegation
Promotion and relegation
In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...
. Matchmaking for league fixtures was done through a "resolve by" system in which users have to finish a game by a certain deadline instead of having to meet online at a specific time. If a player could not meet the deadline, an AI "assistant manager" took over their team for that match.
The game also added a role playing game-like skill training system for users. Managers could improve their skills over time in coaching, physiotherapy, finance, scouting and infrastructure to become more specialised or to suit their style of play.
Players could also construct a stadium to accommodate several different fan bases to the club. These included die hards, devoted, families, glory hunters and corporates, each offering their own characteristics such as wealth and atmosphere.
Gameworlds
There are currently 12 Gameworlds in Football Manager Live. The gameworld system was radically changed in 2010 when they were split into two types: 'Fantasy Players' and 'Returning Stars.' Previously, as a gameworld progressed over time, 'real life' players gradually aged and retired to be replaced by generated players (or 'regens'). This remains the case with 'Fantasy Players' gameworlds, but for 'Returning Stars' the gameworld is reset sporadically back to the present day.The first gameworld, launched on 4 November 2008 was Cantona, and this was followed by 8 other worlds until the first Pro-Gameworld, Toms, was launched on 12 January 2009. Existing users were encouraged to join the first Pro-Gameworld by having the opportunity to transfer the skills that they had gained to the new Gameworld. This had not been possible when transferring worlds previously and the challenge of playing the best was readily taken up.
Gameworlds are named after real-life ex-players and Gameworlds are likely to be populated by supporters of the team that the player excelled for. This is also true of a player's nationality and users may congregate in a Gameworld that is named after an ex-player of their own nationality, however, this is not uniformly true and each world is likely to be populated by a good cross-section of users that support different teams and are of different nationalities.
In June 2010 the 3D match engine, first seen in Football Manager 2009
Football Manager 2009
Football Manager 2009 is a football manager simulation video game. It was released on PC, Mac and PlayStation Portable on 14 November 2008 in Europe and on 18 November 2008 in North America...
was added to Football Manager Live
Game restructuring
On 26 November 2009, vast changes to the existing game were announced by SI. The most controversial of these changes was the announcement of the resetting of all current game worlds to their initial states, which would commence on 1 March 2010 This announcement caused controversy amongst the community as many managers were upset by the results from this decision which would include losing all progress made up until this date. SI in an attempt to make up for this action offered all current subscribers two months of free play time though this was met with relatively negative reactions.On the 18th of December 2009 Sports Interactive announced that it would be extending the free time for its managers until the reset in March 2010. It was also announced following the outcry over lost skills that they would be implementing a new skills system into FML after the reset which would allow current managers to use their existing skill points after the reset. This move was met with great appreciation by the games current subscribers. At the same time it was announced that the new version 1.4 would include youth academies and many more extras which its subscribers have been asking for many months.