Series Making MyClub Worth While:

[Ashez]

Making MyClub Worth While:

 

I bet you didn't expect this type of article from me, hey? I've made no secret about the fact that i feel Myclub was a waste of a feature and that time and money could have been spent else where. My main problem has been that we've be able to do some of the things Myclub introduced for years via text changes, then everything we couldn't do via text changes we can now do thanks to Jay and his editors. All this makes the Myclub feature somewhat pointless in my opinion, however i have to take into account that some people won't know about Vibe or they don't have computer access which i guess does make this a worthwhile feature, however if it's going to continue to be in the game it not only needs improving, it needs to evolve. 

 

Where Needs Improving:

 

1. The Interface and Ease of Use:

 

When Myclub was announced it left me feeling rather down on 2014 as long term players like myself got hardly anything new added to the game (lack of new leagues was also part of this). However i knew i had to evolve and i attempted to get into this new section of the site which is why i created my very own Myclub file called "In Istanbul". However this is where i totally lost all interest in the feature, as i was constantly losing my work due to the awkwardness of the interface, the amount of times i lost everything i'd done due to accidentally selecting confirm was unreal and it seriously drove me crazy! This problem might be less problematic on bigger screens or on another skin but i found it infuriating on my 5th gen Ipod.

 

The Solution:

 

The solution for this is rather simple, make sure there are no options on the screen you can accidentally touch which will delete your work! FMH is obviously not scared of hidden and awkward menu's this generation so why wasn't the continue button hidden away behind a pull down tab or something, many people were confused and annoyed that the in game continue button moved to the top of the screen so having this one there as well is just asking to be pushed out of habit if nothing else. 

 

2. Being Able To Select Positions:

 

Whoever thought giving players random positions was a good idea is frankly deluded, the whole point of this feature is to create your friends and so on. I know my mate is a right winger and that's where i want him to play, but oh no FMH won't allow this as it'll give you any random position it feels like inside the midfield right category. When i created my Myclub file i had no idea about this poor feature and when i loaded up the save after finally getting it done i was beyond disappointed. The point of this to SI and whoever else might be to create your friends or pub teams but Vibe showed within days that the real potential of this was to create legends teams or as i did famous teams and with this stupid positional randomness it's basically pointless. To me a lot of FMHs problems were basic and somewhat silly issues like this, i've questioned many times this year if this game was even play tested as some of the issues are seriously disappointing yet avoidable.

 

The Solution:

 

Again the solution is simple, when creating a player you have the tactical layout screen and you select the positions you want him in, you could even go for the full tactical screen but instead of having players to move into position you have the colours for a players ability, job done! It really does baffle me that this type of feature wasn't included, for such a big feature it doesn't half feel rushed.

 

3. Numbers and Stars:

 

I see the point in the stars, they are there to tell the less knowledgeable players about a players ability and potential, however this just isn't accurate or enough for us hardcore fans.  When i was creating my file how on earth was i meant to know if Milan Baros was a 4 or 5 star player? Even the scouts within FMH have no idea half the time about how good a player is so how are we meant to know? Whereas i feel i'd be able to be alot more accurate guessing a CA/PA from numbers. The reason for the stars is clear and i have no objection with them being there however we also need an option to change the stars to something we can all understand which is CA/PA numbers. I honestly think both are needed and i think a simple switch buttonF would be the best of both worlds, something like the manager profile which you can switch between results and percentages would work wonderfully. I won't be doing a solution section here as it's already been covered.

 

With the problems i've mentioned sorted i believe Myclub would improve but it still wouldn't match the power of the editors, however i know the fixes i've mentioned would make this whole process run alot smoother which is something we all want, i doubt this feature will ever be as good as sitting on your PC using Jay's smooth editor but it would be a start.

 

How The Feature Can Evolve:

 

1. MyLeagues:

 

This is likely to be wishful thinking but surely it's the next step of progression, imagine if you could create your own league in the palm of your hands with a few button clicks? Imagine if you could select the number of teams in the league, transfer window times, size of the clubs and so much more! Just think of the potential this idea could have, imagine just creating any league you want on the actual device! For this to work you'd need to be able to select the following in my opinion:

1. Division layout - How many layers - If not fixed at two

2. League format - Number of teams, European/relegation spaces, transfer windows and start dates.

 

Idea one would be tricky as you wouldn't want to be creating two leagues just to have relegation's, however i believe if the game let you just name five or so second division clubs that would just fill up of regens of your leagues nationality you could just have the same teams recycling to make it seems realistic. For the second list of ideas i feel that being able to pick the number of teams competition in the league would be amazing and it would give us the opportunity to create any leagues we want while the other options would just allow us to make the league more realistic. 

 

Even if the on device software was a pain to use like it currently is the "create a league/division" feature would still be useful as we could create the leagues format on the device then transfer the save to the save editor to really get to work on creating the leagues the game is missing. An idea i think is highly unlikely but boy does it get me giddy with excitement, we can dream right?

 

MyNation:

 

Again MyNation would be an obvious progression for the franchise as this feature would allow you to create your own national team but it would be rather restricted. Actually i wonder if SI could "accidentally" leave this feature open so you can create any national team you like playable, for example being able to create the Germany team. Now that is unlikely but you get the general idea that you'd have the ability to select what international competitions you compete in, what nationality you are representing and also being able to create your own players.

 

MyClub:

 

It's called Myclub yet it doesn't work the way that name suggests in my opinion. As you all know i'm craving some sort of owner game play within FMH and with a name like Myclub surely it would fit! Currently this feature is more Myteam than Myclub and i'd personally love the option to create a club from scratch as an owner! Imagine being able to build your club from scratch and then being sent into the world without players and in the bottom division, with the goal being reaching the Champions League! This idea is getting away from what the feature currently is but it's what i've always wished for it to be, on day one you select your clubs name,it's finances, it's colours, it's stadium, it's facilities and even the clubs manager! Just think of the endless possibilities this could bring, having the power to sack and hire a manager, casting an eye over transfers and just generally running the club, i seriously find this idea extremely exciting!!

 

That's it for my opinions, as always i look forward to seeing what you guys have to say so please remember to leave a comment!

 

Thank you for reading.

[jaymarvels]

Nicely written article!!

I actually made a standalone MyClub builder but never released it as doing it in game was deemed quick enough!

[Dec]

Very interesting and with MyClub confirmed to be improved it would be interesting to see if any of these are going to become a reality.

[Prosherry]

Good article Ashez

I was expecting the MyClub to rival Jays save editor but it didn't live up to its hype and it was shadowed by the pre editor

[dirtboy]

My Leagues is the best FMH idea I've ever heard, although it's unlikely to be included.

[Ashez]

@Jay: Thanks, as I said I hate the in game system, your builder sounds interesting though. Was it the same as the one in game or did you have better options?

 

@Dec: That was the plan, it's a really hard feature to try and predict to be honest.

 

@PS: Same here, it was rather disappointing lol

 

@DB: I agree on both points, it would be freaking amazing but it is highly unlikely.

 

Thanks for the comments guys

[44_veezy]

I was always angry , when I created AMC and it just gave me AMC with attributes of BWM :D
 

[jaymarvels]

@Jay: Thanks, as I said I hate the in game system, your builder sounds interesting though. Was it the same as the one in game or did you have better options?

@Dec: That was the plan, it's a really hard feature to try and predict to be honest.

@PS: Same here, it was rather disappointing lol

@DB: I agree on both points, it would be freaking amazing but it is highly unlikely.

Thanks for the comments guys

No..it was just a desktop version that's all hence no release...the thought was that the in game one may have been fiddly but was all OK...

[Ashez]

I thought it was too fiddly

[Peely]

Great article. I've never even touched My Club, partly due to being put off by the bad reception it has had. Let's hope the improvements make it a whole lot more worthwhile.

[Lee-Roy]

Wonderful work. MyClub is pretty much nothing to me atm butnwith your suggestions it could become something much greater.

[Ashez]

Thanks guys

[leecutler]

Amazing article, you never fail to amaze me with your awesome articles. The amount you put into it is stunning

[Ashez]

Cheers.