Football Manager 2011 Sports interactive up the interaction in the definitive football management sim.
After Edios revived Championship Manager last year to battle for the title of top football management sim, Sports Interactive (SI) upped their game. A new user interface, a match analysis tool and touchline instructions sealed their win. This season Championship Manager won't be back which leaves SI to dominate the genre. They have however refrained from becoming complacent and the yearly list of new features, adding to an already engrossing game, is impressive.
These include the new contract negotiation system; the improved player interaction; a new match engine; new training and match preparation features and dynamic league reputation. It's clear that SI have listened to feedback from players of the last game and tried their best to deliver what was asked. The best of the new features give you the ability to interact with players and staff in a much more realistic way. Older versions gave you the option to ask players questions such as 'can you recommend a player' and allowed you to give them feedback on their performances. This year these options remain but put you into a 'virtual conversation' with the player in which you exchange responses back and forth.
It's as if you're playing as a football manager who only communicates through text message and IM, which is not as bad as it sounds. You really feel like your having a conversation with the player which has had you screaming at the screen when watching the 3D match engine. An appropriate example would be when I was playing as Newcastle United. I called Joey Barton into my virtual office via the player interaction button and told him he had to start working harder to keep his place in the first team. Unfortunately for me, the games clever personality definitions caused little Joey to react in an angry but realistic way. So realistic in fact that after a series of heated exchanges, Barton refused to speak to me anymore and handed in a formal transfer request.
Obviously for my game this was bad, but in terms of interaction and realism this is a great feature. If in real life Alan Pardew were to criticise the hot headed midfielder like I did, Barton would presumably react angrily (good luck with that Alan). This aspect adds to the importance of player personality which is a great reflection of the real world of football.
The whole contract negotiation progress has also been revamped. Similar to the player interaction system, contracts are now negotiated in amore instant format which allows you to thrash out deals in meetings with agents. Agents submit counter offers immediately and you can barter with them until an agreement is reached (or the agent storms out). This facet makes the process both more realistic and more enjoyable. Additionally the agents have been given names and personalities which define the way that they negotiate. For example some agents will be stubborn and greedy while others may ask for reasonable wages but have little patience to go through long negotiations.
There are the usual updates to the 3D game engine, which makes only small improvements in player appearance and movement, and changes to the training system. Furthermore there is the addition of the match preparation screen which allows you to set formations, tactics and areas of focus for an upcoming match. The preparation options may be minimal but does make you believe that after a heavy loss, you can do something to prepare against making the same mistakes again.
The final new feature is the 'Dynamic league reputation'. This was the feature most boasted about by SI pre-release but to be honest, unless you have played for many seasons, hardly seems noticeable. Basically it means that if you play for a team in a league of low reputation and do well, your teams increase in reputation will also increase the reputation of the league. An interesting idea but one which adds only a little to realism and even less to general play.
Although I must applaud the games new features, it does at times seem like the ideas behind them have not bee applied throughout the whole game. For instance interaction with players and agents may have come on leaps and bounds but Press conferences and team talks are as linear and repetitive as ever. After a few games you find yourself regrettably passing on these responsibilities to your assistant manager, a clear indication that they need more work.
Similarly the agents add a greater sense of depth and communication but hardly any thought has gone into the progression of the transfer system which remains as a bid and wait process. Again the match engine has seen improvements but none of real importance. The 'emotion' which has supposedly been added to players appearance only really goes as far as a jittering little dance at the corner flag after a goal.
On the whole the basic core of the game remains the same. Thankfully though this includes massively addictive gameplay that is renowned for causing many a neglected girlfriend. This game is more of the same, but we love the same and the game is as immersive as ever.
It is important not to ignore the improvements from last year though. They do add something new and interesting which make this game much more than a yearly transfer update. Advances may have not been made in every aspect of the game but more than anything point to a bright and progressive future for the series.
If the developers continue to develop the dating features of Football Manager, like they have done this year with contract negotiations and player interaction, then we are in for increasingly immersive and interactive games over the next few years. These kinds of improvements have not taken the sim to the next level this year but are the first step in the right direction. New features make Football manager 2011 another solid instalment in the series and give fresh hope for future progression. Some areas may feel underdeveloped but because the game was a great game to begin with, these shortcomings only highlight how much potential the sim series has to develop further. Overall it's more of the same Football Manager we love: long may it ruin our social lives.
By Steven Turner