Squatting my way up the rankings

So my home in Laveen is still not ready yet like the Murphy's im not bitter you cannot rush these things. But I was decidedly bored without any FML. The nice people at Sega support decided that all mods from 8 and 11 could temporarily move to gws so we could at least play some games and help some new users in th other two new gws.


I got moved to gameworld 10 to my surprise contained Cian, Paris, Ing, Matt, and mike from gw 11 it was like an invasion on gw10. So getting down to picking a squad and playing some matches I thought I had picked a rather average squad and would reinforce with trialists for few days that I would be here.

So 1st nights play a few friendlies etc I would come in at lowly 246 in the rankings. All well good just about what I would expect. The second day would prove rather different though. I only lost 8 games out of 37 that day even managing to win the flash gordon cup wahey. The rankings did not lie either as new personal highest ever.



More was to follow the next day despite playing alot less games i was expecting a drop in ranking but I went to improve my record with a move another 4 places. Ok I know its only temp but its still a part of my superstar tradesmen history.

Where are they now?

Now while I have to accept that my superstar Tradesmen are no and the players have moved on to pastures new. I can at least look back with my rose tinted spectacles and ask where are they now? I can't track down every Tradesmen who played in the team But I manage to track down some of the more famous names with the help of Mr Sinkins in gw4.

Daniel Larsson well what can I say the price for a central defender is just amazing wow. £6.25 million and a combined total of over 9 million for my central defensive pairing. This guy had just everything during his spell although Leeds Utd have paid alot they also know they are getting quality.



This transfer was a bit of a puzzler for me. His record suggests that he is indeed an awesome striker. But his stats last season for me were not his best but still I feel more then acceptable as part of the season he was no longer a 1st choice. Going for only £750k is a bargain for his new side though.
Another that could have gone for more. A real driving force from the free role in midfield. Some players will go quiet and not be involved in a game he was the type who grab it by the scruff of the neck and turn and a game on its head. Akira FC have got a £650k superstar.

What a player this left back will be and another who was sold for a more then acceptable fee. Going to Magners FC for £2.2 million. This guy is a freekick machine and can score from anywhere. While also being an excellent defender.



So well over £5 million for paid jensen by one his previous suitors in the shape of gw4 mod and forum mod Bell. No surprises there but I still feel maybe that fee should have been higher. A decent start for his new side as well 5 goals in 10 games at the end of the season and 3 in 4 games since the start of the new season.


Breno made a move to the new uffa organiser Shaffiq's Sheff Allstars for a fee of £2.6 million. Seems to be thriving away from the tradesmen as well. So much for that £2 million fee being over priced eh Rich.


I have been informed that in total my squad went for in excess of 38 million in gw4. Now thats how to make money wow. I knew I had some good players but my highest transfer was a lowly £3 million most of squad were bargain buys. So if anyone needed to see that you can be successful in an existing gameworld then they can look through some of these. But now I have to focus on a new team and some legends. I am rehoused in a temporary home until my new gameworld is ready so at least I can get some FML in finally.

The Beta So Far!

As I can not play i thought I would try and sum up my feelings so far on how my experience so far has gone. Having joined in February it feels like such a long time ago as my team have come such a long way since then. In some ways thats another plus point of the game you can become so absorbed in how fast the gameworld moves in reality to time in the realworld. When I have played Fm in the past you are infinitively aware how long a season takes to complete or how many matches you can get through in a night.


Jumping into FML was daunting at first I hope with these new gameworlds Si have taken steps to ease new managers into the game. When I joined there was things flashing at you mail about a 2 million pound bargain wonderkid you will never afford etc. So this was part of my original feedback. Creating your team with kits, stadium and everything else was easy.

Playing matches getting usewd to formations and tactics was also an eye opener. Before playing FML I regarded myself as reasonably tactically aware. I have played several Clan games for FM that spanned several seasons. In FM even human vs human matches people will usually try and keep balanced formations with emphasis on defence as well as attack. There wewre the occasional crazy formations people would try different things to try an exploit a weakness in opposition. Getting into FML it was soon clear alot of people played one way attack attack attack! Now me thinking tactically I know how to cope with these crazy formations and the teams with 3 strikers 4 attacking midfielder and wingers for full backs. Except in fml either I wasn't as good at tactics as I thought or things work slightly differently then they do on FM. I think it was a combination of both really but one thing you can be sure of there will be a manager you come across who will be trying to find some exploit in the the match engine. Now another thing which I feel will help the situation I confronted is the tactic skills. I know discussion on these has been everywhere in the last month or so and I have pretty much not spoken on the subject. A new manager joins the gameworld has roughly a week until start of the season plenty of time to play friendlies in readiness for the season. In the matches to start with the manager will be using a default for formation. Now they can identify and unlock skills needed to create a good tactic. At the same time they are not exposed to a formations like I was. It is also a great way to watch matches and see where you would like to change tactic. Using a default I watched a match and was thinking I need my midfield to hold a ball up instead of giving it away. I want my striker to try and beat his man not lay it back into midfield.

The transfer market is another hotbed of debate several times managers in gw4 would moan the markets dead I can't sell my players because no one is buying. Or later the market is too over inflated everyone asks for too much for that player I am not paying that much. there has been problems in the gw where managers could spend money they didn't have effectively then ending up going into administration. In this case the bids should have been blocked by the bank and they wasn't. Many people seeing the situation exploited it selling players at vastly inflated prices while they would receive the cash if the paying team could not afford it would end up going into receivership and the player they broke the bank for would then go back to a big team in receivership auction. Anyone see a pattern here? SI addressed the issue and fixed it but the damage to the gw economy at that was already done. Another issue was Finance skils. Leaning commercial gave too much money to clubs some people were getting projections of 20 million etc. Again SI changed it so now I have perfect opportunity to see the fixes of these issues in the new gw. Aside from that I always found buying and selling not that much of a problem in the gw. In my first and second seasons all I did was use free agents. Took me the first season nearly to afford my ex goal machine Anderson. After the those two seasons I wisely used end of contract wage auctions to pick up a few promising youth players.

The social aspect of FML. This is was something I was a little surprised at how well the chat rooms and sense of community can grow so quickly in FML. Again at first the chat rooms seem a little daunting but once you had a while to look and see what typically goes on they can be a great place to just spend time and chat. I would spend plenty of time in the lobby chatting about current events usually footy related. While also many people that do know me would know I sometimes would have trouble sleeping. I could log on and just help some new members of the game world watch a few games and give some tips. Sometimes its a bit more difficult to do this during the day when people challenging you and trying to buy or sell players etc. Since the community is so wide spread it means you get a diverse range of peoples opinions this can be great for discussions and looking at things from different perspectives.

There so many positive points as to why I enjoy fml and also a little insight into some of the problems we have seen from beta. Now I have been basically a week without fml it seems a really long time its such an absorbing world to be a part of. Now back onto this week and hoping the new world is ready to go Tuesday so the Tradesmen can get back to business and I can try out these shiny new mood tools (evil grin). Btw changed the look of the blog slightly I think its a bit cleaner and more readable now if anyone wants to leave some feedback on the changes anything you don't like etc please do so.

Meet the Mod

So since I can't play FML at the moment I thought I would at least keep my blog a little active by getting an interview with a fellow gw 11 mod.

Tell us a bit about about yourself who are and your team, where did you come up with your very original team name?

DH: I'm David and I am from Birmingham, I am a Brummie born and bred but without the dreadful accent. I used to be a player and XFA Organiser in GW4 but now have ventured over to GW11 to be a mod with Da Dudester and Michael 'Keegan' Walker which I am really looking forward to.
As for my team name it is not very original as it is Liverpool F.C and no prizes for guessing why I chose it for my team name.

Which player has been your favourite during your time in FML and if you could sign anyone who would it be?

DH: No contest, I am sure you know the answer to this already Andy - my favourite player during my time in FML so far has been Gary Kerr. What a legend he was, had he had more flair than a 2 he could well have been better than Pato, Messi or Ronaldo. Just a shame he's not in the new GW in all his glory. A close second would have to be that striker you hated Andy, I wont supply his name as he's in GW11 and I hope to sign him there too.

Did you manage to get any major honours comps won claims to fame?

DH: I didn't win any official honours although two seasons back in the XFA I did manage to finish second which was a big acheivement for the players I had, we were in fact the first team to break the Joga / Jurong West monopoly that those two teams enjoyed in the XFA top flight.

You have been an FA organiser before moving onto a mod in one of the new game worlds, what are mod organizers and how important are they to the gw?

DH: Yes, I was very fortunate to have been asked by Nik if I would contemplate being a fed organiser. It was an honour to be asked. It was a little daunting at first as being an FA organiser is a very important role within the gameworld. That role is there to oversee the running of the federations and look our for any inactive teams that need removing at the end of the season. Also we have to add new teams, setup the knock-out comps for the new season. Also they have to negotiate the media and prize money for the coming season.
Being an FA organiser has a lot of duties that you don't really know exist until you it's your job to do yourself. It is very important to the runnings of the GW's.

What are your expectations in the new gameworld?

DH: I hope it is as successful as GW4 was. We seem to have a good bunch of new mods in there.

Predications for the new season: FML and IRL?

DH: Too hard to predict what will happen in the new season, it's all down to selecting the right set of players but still too many unknown factors to give a prediction. As for IRL I hope Rafa don't mess with the nucleus he has now, two or three astute signings and we could be challenging for real this season. In the season that just past we finished 11 points behind United but drew 6 or 7 matches we should have won and if you do the maths that is 12 or 14 dropped points, but the biggest key to a good challenge is if we can beat United.

If you had to give a new manager one piece of advice?

DH: My advice would be: In FML it's a lot easier to buy than to sell. That is quite important to know in your first couple of months in FML whilst the finances are tight.

Which team would you consider as a bogey side?

DH: It was always Joga Bonita for me, I think I only managed two or three wins against them in about 20 games but towards the end of our head to heads we played the better football and the difference was one player - Pato, he was unplayable.

If you had to pick your starting skills again what would go for?

DH Scouting first, then tactics, then coaching with a bit of finance thrown in in the meantime.

What will you miss most from gw4? The people? Gary Kerr, Nik's red t'shirt or phil's chats on wrestling?

DH: Well one thing I wont miss is the discussion about Gareth Barry and Peter Crouch and their valuations. I'll miss the people the most, there were some good people in there.

Do you have any mmo games that you have played or currently play? also what is your favourite game ever?

DH: I've never really been into MMO games before this. The nearest to it was Links 2003, used to play that quite a lot and there was always plenty of competition to be found. Also with games I have never really been a games addict before although I do have a fondness for the Need for Speed games and of course FM games.

What is the one thing you most want to see added to fml?

DH: Would love to see 5-a-side competitions as I play 5-a-side myself, that would be so cool.

Is it true now your mod you to have read the mod bible every night before sleep?

DH: Yes it is!! We will need to be up to speed although in the first week or so I don't forsee much need for our mod heads as they will all be too busy walking around the game to bother abusing people but....I have read through it quite a few times now and I have also been through the mod forum just to see how certain scenarios have been handled.

For anyone interested in playing fml but unable to get a beta place how would you sum up the game to them?

DH: Everything they are expecting it to be, it is as good as they imagine.


We thank Dave for the interview he is currently receiving medical attention as he attempts to get through this extended period of FML cold turkey. We hope Dave can make a full recovery by the time SI open the new Laveen gameworld.

New gameworlds.

One thing that has been interesting over the course of the beta is the names of the gw's. In the past we have seen the likes To madiera, psych Robson and tonton.

so many of you may have wondering what the new gw names would be. I can spoil this now and reveal the names.

Buxton
Mirandinha
Rice
Laveen

Laveen being my new home. About my new home the place is a bit empty at the moment. While Buxton and Mirandinha are enjoying the influx of new managers into the beta. Laveens doors are firmly shut until after the bank holiday weekend. I don't smoke, I don't drink that often anymore my only addiction is fml I can see this being one looonnnggg bank holiday weekend.

C-C-C-C CHANGES

Well what can I say I can share a little bit of news with everyone now as of today I am leaving GW4 behind and SI have asked to become a mod on the new gw11. Got to be honest I wanted to put this in last night as I posting the interview was same time I found out myself.

First thing though thanks to everyone in gw4 for making it a great place to be and test for the last few months. A very wide range of people and opinions made it an interesting to be on a daily basis.

So all those players and everything I built in Gw4 will have to go in the bin then. Time to rip the script up and start again fresh. Now what will be the effect on those tactic skills I have a real chance to find out. its all quite exciting in a way so expect more from me soon.

PS someone let me know what price those players go in auctions eh. Currently Dr Reeves is breaking into a bank to afford Jensen :P

The Modfather.

I recently took the opportunity to interview Dr Nik Reevito. That nice bloke that likes to think hes the main man and the modfather of gw4. Welcome to the blog Nik I know you generally like to read all the blogs out there on FML.

For all the readers of the blog welcome can you tell everyone who you are and a bit about yourself?

NR: I’m Nik, and I’m from Sheffield. Though not originally, I’ve lived all over the country. I work as a lab manager at a major Sheffield University and have a PhD in Materials Science. I’ve been playing SI games since the beginning, and have been in the FML beta since June 25^th last year. Oh, and I’m proud to call myself a good, honest Blade ;)

What attracted to FML back when it was 1st announced?

NR: It didn’t, to be honest. I remember SI hyping up that they were going to be making a big announcement about something, and I had a great idea and was sure it was that. So when it turned out to be FML, I was a little underwhelmed. My idea seemed much better. Once I figured out what FML was all about, I started to get more excited and eventually I knew I just had to get in – by any means! I don’t even remember what my idea was now, but I think FML filled the niche in my psyche for an MMO that is actually social, and about football… Eventually I snuck in in the third week of beta testing. It was ace back then – all about the football and the socializing; there were no skills, no FAs… we’ve come on a heck of a long way since then!

You lived in FML for a long time now how do you keep the fiancée, the job and any fulfill your other responsibilities?

NR: My better half is doing an MSc – a three year course, and this only first year. That takes a lot of support from me, but leaves me with plenty of time twiddling my thumbs – that was one of the reasons I started moderating, to keep me sane! Other responsibilities – well, they all get fitted in somehow!

You are the owner of the much fabled legendary red T-Shirt! Is the rumour true it has special mod powers? How did this legend come about?

NR: There is mystical red T-shirt which is an owner of me – it is firmly the one in charge. It likes long walks in the summer, and has a good sense of humour. I’m thinking of auctioning it off for charity at the end – it’s become too well-known for me to risk wearing now! In reality, the white collar has become slightly pink.

Which has been your favourite game world you have been apart of? Is the social aspect of FML as important as actually playing matches and looking after your Blades?

NR: The GWs all become unique very quickly – GW2 was great because we were playing with the SI team, and a lot of ‘famous faces’ from the forums. It was great to meet up with them at the mod day. GW4 has been great because I’ve made some great mates there – people I will stay in touch with beyond the beta I hope. For me, the social aspect is more important than the matches, though I’m trying to work on my frankly appalling activity rating.

Which team so far in FML has been a bogey side for you?

NR: Not sure… I’m in a really tough league (the DFA Premiership), and I have to really fight to survive. I’m usually too busy chatting to watch games though, so it’s hard to really notice who’s a bogey team! I always admired James Aspey’s Hackney Rovers and Phil Sinkins FrootLoops – two managers that could get together and write a book on ‘How to Build a Great Team in FML’.

Don't be giving Phil any ideas btw. You’re the main mod in GW4, referred to in the past on my blog as the Modfather. How important are the mod roles on FML, and what are the general responsibilities?

NR: I love that Modfather thing; naturally, appeals to my ego…! Although I would say it, the mods are vital in the healthy and fair running of a gameworld. It’s up to us to keep order, help out managers – really take all the pressure off of SI/Sega. In the early days I was sending a lot of frantic mails to Ov Collyer and Marc Duffy, but the mod tools have increased to such a degree that it’s not anywhere near the work it used to be. Oh, of course, we also have to check on anyone doing anything dodgy, though the regular managers usually point that sort of stuff out pretty quickly!!

Do you have any experience of playing other mmo games and aside from any FM/CM what is your favourite?

NR: I still play WoW (currently a Level 23 Blood Elf Hunter called Lollipop), and I’ve played EVE Online (great, but slow), Guild Wars (OK), but nothing has come near to FML for me.

What would you most like to see implemented into FML in the future whether it be a month’s time or a year’s time?

NR: I’m looking forward to the facilities – another sink for money will be great, and another great way for people to specialise their teams.

If you could give a manager one tip before they start a career in FML what would it be?

NR: Take your time setting up your team – it’s worth a few hours scouting properly and figuring your way about. Rush in and you might regret it later. Also, don’t be afraid of using that first free restart.

Predication for the Blades next season (FML) and blades (championship struggler's :P)

NR: Titles all round! Seriously, I’ll be happy with a top half finish in FML, but the Blades will have a great season next year if they can hold on to Beattie.

Final question: If money was no object what player would you buy and why?

NR: It would have to be Cristiano Ronaldo. I love flexible players who give you options, and he can play in a load of positions – and do most of them better than anyone else in the game! My best player was always Sergio Aguero, who I sneaked in and bought for £1.6M on day 6 of GW4! That stunned a load of the rivals, and made me a very tough proposition!

Nik unfortunately had to go and do some soul searching after naming a Man utd player as his most wanted even snubbing his recently acquired Billy Sharp. We have put him in touch with a therapist am sure he can continue his mod duties soon. Thanks for the time and the interview Nik and good luck in those plans for next season.

King of the world!!

Well maybe not quite a king but how did the season go for those superstars? Well sit back and read on as I will break it down for you. There was a low points like the cups again, but also some highs like my new record high rank and hoping tonight will mean i can break into the exclusive club of th top 50 ranked teams in the gameworld.



So The xfa league then was a bit of a disappointment this season with unusually high amount of Ai across the whole prem really meant we all got to play AI games much more then previous season. The season started off rather poorly for me 1 win in first six games of the season meant I was sitting at the wrong end of the table again. A win in the 1st round of the league cup 2-0 over Raga a Meia fc kept me cautiously optimistic for the season. Then after a few wins to get back on tack a bit in the league I seemed to hit a real rocky patch.

A 2-1 loss to GD Peniche in the XFA cup 1st round was just the start of what was to come for the next 5 games. A 3-3 draw with the Belgrade Dragons only achieved in what can only be described as a fergie stopwatch moment a 98th minute freekick equaliser. A 3-2 loss to last seasons runners up Liverpool fc was followed by a couple 1-0's and a 2-0 loss. My side are not used to not being able to score a change was needed. This season had seen me do away with the 442 type diamond i had been using in favour of an extra man in midfield following the signing of oved as my playmaker.

My form turned round a bit going the next 6 games unbeaten and moving upto a more familiar and comfortable mid table position. losses to newton heath and Psg followed though both have strong squads and were not totally unexpected. Another 5 games unbeaten and everything was starting to look good again for the tradesmen.

Much in the same manner was another couple defeats followed by an 11 games unbeaten run it seemed my team were finding some consistency again. The thing with the xfa league is that there are so many games and if your team are not playing well you can't hide and shy away from games it kinda like a warts and all league at times. so when I went crashing out of the league cup at the 16 it was followed by another 6 defeats and slipping back down the table again.

So half way through and looking like mid table strugglers and not scoring as many goals as I would like. I decided to give a 442 a try again but with a flat across midfield what a difference this made to my team! 25 games i managed to get something out of only losing a further 5 games for the rest of the season.





so the final bit of news is I made 52 rank and I have an interview with the modfather which will be my next post.

Bound and gagged?

I guess I been a bit quiet lately. Well I have been busy testing (losing) at fml and also that other big game that came out recently took over my time for a bit gta IV. Yes I am rubbish at both I'm afraid.

Back onto FML related matters recently SI decided to make a change to the tactic skills which meant as a result everyone lost all the tactic skills they had previously and also all saved tactics from FML. As you can imagine its not been the most popular of decisions and has been heavily discussed amongst the rantings on the forum. So what are my thoughts on the matter?

First thing I will say is I agree with making importing tactics from fm more difficult (although with thew progression of the match engine now most fm tactics won't work as well anyway). I think everyone should create their own tactics from within fml. The default tactics which are much different to those found are fm are much better now and with a bit of tweaking can form the basis of a decent tactic. Just need to bring a little more variety into the depth of default tactics but I'm sure that will come.

Losing my already saved tactics while I can appreciate how much of a pain it is and how daunting it feels at first to try and play without them. I also feel that it helps you pick which tactic skills to try and unlock first. As I can watch games and better evaluate whats missing from team. it is also a great leveler at the beginning when no teams have tactic skills. The best manager is one that can make best use of resources that are available to him. One thing it has given me is time to test a few different formations out and to discover whats best for my team.

The other thing which has really affected the gw this season is injuries. I have had several key players out for 3 or 4 days one player out for a week and several out for a day or so. It means that bigger squads are needed with the same wage constrictions as before. I have had to use lots of my u21 players in the senior squad this season i can only hope this has helped develop them further.

On the subject of squad and leagues I will update that a bit more next time. But I do have a bit of good news I have got to my highest ever ranking this week at 69. wasn't long till I slipped back down I do feel I am making progress.

Only Fools and Horses

So start of yet another new season in FML and been a busy pre season for the Tradesmen. I said in a previous blog that I may attempt a bit of wheeling n dealing. I was hoping for Ol Harry magic rather then Del boy tho. So what was the end product you may be asking. I have a few new faces to introduce to you all.













I'm sure to most fm players Serginho Greene won't need too much of an intro. I basically felt I have a young squad and need a little experience at the back and even at 31 this guy is quality.














A poor mans Mascherano? I hope not again my main targets went to other clubs for considerably more wages then I was prepared to buy then this guy was on Free agents list has an important job as midfield anchor lets hope he delivers.













This guy was my number one target to come in as my midfield playmaker. His contract was coming to an end at an inactive team so I swopped in to make him one of my highest paid players. Tonnes of creativity and flair should be a revelation for the side.













Another young Guy came in at 21 end of last season and was more then a handful in my last fixtures. Brought in to add competition upfront with Dubarbier and Jensen. Also nice that he can play a few other positions if need be with injuries.