SG Succession Game - Discussion

[Mandieta6]

I figure everyone is out enjoying their FM2012 saves right now, I know I am, but I figure it wouldn't be a bad idea to start throwing ideas around for the next succession game since the last one was a lot of fun and was very successful.

I'll let Shifty or someone else come up with the rules for it, but I don't think they'll be much different from last year.

I can't remember what the suggestions were in the last thread, so what would you guys like to do? I think there's a few broad categories to consider:

1. English Dominance - Take over a club in the bottom-most division in England (which has the deepeest league structure in the database as well as the deepest expandable league structure available for download) and take it to then top and look to dominate world football and become a dynasty (which is what we did last time with Chelmsford).

2. Alter the Balance of Power - Take over a club in a low-ranking league and attempt to make that league the best in the world, thanks to DLR. There's the possibility of reaching a dead-end since the overall league quality might stifle one club's advancement, but we could stipulate that once certains criteria are met (win the CL, good finances and youngsters coming through, etc), we switch (assuming there's an opening) to another club and repeat. I saw someone (Juventino posted the link) do this in Poland in FM11 and he managed to make Poland one of the better leagues this way, so it's definitely possible.

3. Journeyman - This is a very popular type of game but I'm not sure it's a good idea for a succession game. Basically, you load a bunch of leagues (or not, since you can add and remove them) and start unemployed and work your way up going wherever the save takes you.

4. Win it All - Start a save in a continent, and win every competition possible with one club (domestic league, cup, Europa, CL, Club World Championship and Supercup) and then move to another continent and repeat.

We also need to decide on how challenging we want this save to be. Last time we started with a top club (for the division it was in) and excellent finances. Do we do the same again? I'm keener on using an unaltered database, and having more difficulties in climbing the ladder. Last time everyone got consecutive promotions and we didn't take long to dominate Europe. I'd rather take over a bottom club at a bottom division and work our way up.
Also, post in this thread if you'd like to participate so we can make a list of people.

So, discuss.

Interested:
- Mandieta6
- Zlatan
- Alex
- Horatiu
- ShiftyPowers
- Filipower
- Juventino
- Daz

 

[Zlatan]

Yeah, definitely no sugar daddy this time I think. I like the idea of starting in a minor league and increase that leagues reputation. The only danger being that the domestic league could get pretty boring after a short time I think.

I'm kind of busy at the moment, but I'd be happy to participate again once I get the time.

 

[Mandieta6]

I prefer the DLR one, too. With that one I think the best idea would be to keep changing teams. So, if we were in England for example (we won't, but for argument's sake), we would take over QPR or something, win the CL, leave them with stable finances and a decent squad and take over some other team, and repeat, always taking over a new club. In theory, you'd be creating a very competitive league although I dunno how well the AI will take care of your team once you leave it.

I think after the first streych of getting a crap club from a crap league to win the CL, which could take a long time, you'd only need 3-6 years at each club to get the same success. I think it's the save with the most longevity and difficulty. Imagine finishing it having taken over 10 or more clubs from the Montenegrin league and them all being top rep clubs with CL trophies. Would be tough as hell.

 

[Alex]

I don't particularly want to keep changing teams. Mainly because I think part of the charm last time was buying youngsters, and seeing how they were next time around...And also the attachment we had to the club and the players. We all got attached.

I'm not sure why everyone is so anti-sugar daddy. I think it'll make the really interesting (ie. small club to start with) succession games quite boring to start with. It'll be bloody hard to do a really low english club, without Sugar Daddy. And same goes for winning everything with a fairly small club elsewhere in the world.

I also don't understand why everyone is so against the idea of having sugar daddy set for a certain number of years, then changing him to a underwriter (ie. sugar daddy who just writes off debts, doesn't throw money in to transfers etc) after that. As long as the years are agreed to start. As I've said before, that'd make a really interesting game as far as giving us years to build and become a world power (with a rich chairman - which is the only way to do it these days!) and then the chairman sits back (like Roman has a bit) once the club is built right up.

 

[Alex]

I also don't mind the idea of DLR - in a league like Ukraine, or lower russian sides.

But rather than moving teams (so we can remain attached to OUR club, OUR players etc), why not just make a couple of other clubs in that nation have sugar daddy managers too. It won't help them that much (at least outside of that league) until the League's reputation improves anyway. No big name players will go to a crap league JUST for money. The game is fairly good like that.

This would also make it harder for us to absolutely dominate the league early on.

(And I wouldn't make them all Sugar Daddy's, just a couple of the big clubs in the country)

 

[Mandieta6]

I don't really have an objection to anything you've said, I don't have a problem with moving clubs, but I don't mind sticking to one either.

 

[Alex]

With the Sugar Daddy thing, I'd propose having a clear line in the sand from the start though.

For example, we could choose Vladivostok or whoever we talked about before. And say we have a foreground sugar daddy (and give ourselves some ridiculous bank balance - $200mill or something - to start). And say we only have foreground sugar daddy for 10 (or 8) seasons. THEN we have Background for 2 seasons. Then underwriter for the rest.

Then we could make a couple of the big russian clubs (CSKA, Spartak, Zenit) have sugar daddy's.

 

[yoyo913]

I like the idea of picking a lower league and moving around the league to different teams (they can be the ones in 2nd, 3rd place etc...) and then making them a good European team. A league around the level of Romania, Serbia, Sweden level, somewhere around the 10th best league or lower. If we picked Iceland it might be too tough to bring in foreign talent which is not fun. I think it would work very well, if we do this with 4 teams or so I believe the teams would do decent in Europe and raise to co-efficient.

I would rather not have a sugar daddy for more of a challenge. The game will always remain challenging because you'd be moving to a new team where you must build them up again, and you could always return to an old team after 5-10 years after the AI messes them up again. I think it would still be fun growing young prospects because we could still see how they develop in a team other than ours knowing we were the ones that brought them in.

Sticking to one team will definitely remain boring, especially in a higher league like Russia. In my Ajax save I had the best squad in the world in 5 seasons. Add a few more seasons to that depending on the starting team and you will always create a super power (even with Chelmsford).

 

[ShiftyPowers]

I would prefer an English club since that's just the league I'm most interested in, but I think no sugar daddy is the way to go. We did that with Chelmsford and now it's time for a new challenge.

Agree with Alex about changing clubs, I thought we formed a bond with Chelmsford and I'd like to do that with another club.

I would still play if we were in a nation other than England.

I think if we do this, the main criteria for choosing a club is one with a stadium that could conceivably be fine even in the top league of the nation. Because reaching the Premier League with a 7000 seat stadium is stupid.

 

[Filipower]

Same club imo too. And no Sugar Daddy. I'm still enjoying keeping it solo for the moment, but will definitely jump in at some point

 

[Juventino]

I'm interested. Same club, no sugar daddy, and I still think Vladivostok would be fun and a club that we could build up a connection with. England would be a bit boring in my opinion, especially after the immense success of Chelmsford. It'd be fun to try something different (as I've attemped before... clearly Soccergaming wasn't ready for Cuba and Madagascar). I'll probably participate in any case.

 

[Mandieta6]

I'm fine with same club, and while I'd rather no sugar daddy, I wouldn't object to it too much. I'd rather not play in England though.

 

[Daz]

Can't commit to it just yet, but i'd be interested this year. Hopefully new job soon, releasing my evenings for some hardcore FM.

 

[Alex]

I think for a community game it will be much too difficult to start with a club that is low enough (to promote a long game) without a sugar daddy. There is no way in the world, we could take Vladivostok to the top without sugar daddy. If you guys tell me different I'm worried about the use of saving/loading and FMRTE!! But up to you guys. I've said what I'd like, and in my eyes it can be made best of both worlds - long lasting (when sugar daddy goes (maybe we could say one season for each player on sugar daddy, then switch it to background), but also challenging, and made harder as we get to the top - so the challenges can continue.

 

[Mandieta6]

I dunno about community games, but it's definitely possible to take a bad club to the top without cheating. Maybe not if you're constantly losing money and are in the red, but generally, it's possible, and if it's possible, why can't we do it in a community game?

 

[Filipower]

I think seeing that it's mostly us that know each other that will join, that no one will be gay enough to cheat.

 

[Alex]

I think community games are harder to build, as every year a new guy brings new tactics, wants to play in a different way, and the guys he wants to buy/sell (ie. who is important to his formation etc) changes. Plans change, so different things are required. It therefore makes it easier to play from the bottom in a game by yourself (in my eyes).

I'd like to think we wouldn't cheat, because it's a community game, but I still have my major doubts about taking someone like Vladivostok to be a competitor in Europe, which we'd need to do if we're going to use DLR at all. It would take years and years of building.

There is no way in the world we would have taken a side like Chelmsford to the top (at least not in any feasible amount of time) without Sugar Daddy. Read LLM stories on the FM forums, and it takes much much longer than that to get near the top. And without going near the top DLR won't come into play anyway.

 

[Pizarro14]

Extremely interested perhaps the only reason to convince me to play FM/computer game again. When this is released I will purchase the game, Best news I heard on SG in a while tbh. Where is Bobby when you need him!

 

[Filipower]

I agree Alex. I mean it's much harder to do it as a community game, but with Chelmsford we still used FM10, which means this game could last like 1,5 years, which IMO gives us plenty of time to at least regularly win the national division.

 

[ShiftyPowers]

Hmmm, I think Alex does have a point. Could be 10 years of "out in the Group Stage again" and that's after 10 years of "still in the 3rd division sponsored by Yugo".