How does Football Manager compare in Mods with OOTPB

Eugene Church · 05-05-2004, 01:48 PM

Is Football Manager better or worse to customize with Mods when compared to OOTPB?

Comment on Logos and Graphics as well as other Mods.

Eckstein 4 Prez · 05-05-2004, 02:04 PM

I have a logo pack for CM 03-04 that is excellent, IMO. Beyond that I really couldn't say. I haven't gotten into CM all that much - although it's more because of my "football" ignorance rather than any problem with the game itself.

Bonedwarf · 05-05-2004, 04:51 PM

If you mean individual player pictures and stuff, no, there is no such thing. At least not in a similar fashion to OOTP. About all you can do are the aforementioned logos, and the backgrounds which can tailored to appear where you want.

In short, CM is far less moddable than OOTP, far less configurable... OOTP essentially gives you the canvas and the paints. CM is more paint by numbers. You can do stuff, but only within the lines.

Antonin · 05-05-2004, 10:01 PM

Limited customizability is the other reason I have not played CM in a very long time. I wish I could create my own CM leagues with my own teams and populate them with fictional players. After a while I got very tired of playing in the pre-fab league system of CM with "real" teams. I'm actually a big fan of soccer. But I want to create my own soccer universe.

With all the customization options in OOTP, it's very hard to go back to other types of sports sims.

redmarkYankees · 05-06-2004, 09:36 AM

The overall GUI in CM can be skinned very effectively, though it involves more files, graphics etc than OOTP does and some basic XML knowledge. Some very good designs can be produced.

Player pics are in the (very) early screenshots being shown of the in-development Football Manager. In another way, player pics can already be linked in CM4/CM03-04. CM uses background pictures (with customisable tint, brightness etc), over which the text is displayed (colours customisable). If a picture with the correct player ID is located in the correct folder, that pic will always be displayed as the background when that player is viewed.

There are other non-graphics 3rd party mods, such as editors (teams, stadiums, finances etc as well as players), scouting tools, etc. The main difference is that with CM these "act on" the main database files, rather than the OOTP method of having separate league setups with easy import/export facilities.

League customisation has not been part of CM, as the series concentrates on providing accurate simulation of real leagues, cup and international competitions. Very successfully.

Customisation in this context is not as straightforward as it would seem to OOTP players; the interaction between 40 leagues, each with multiple divisions of 20+ teams and continental and international competitions involving over 200,000 players (fixture lists not clashing, etc) is massively more complex than OOTP attempts to simulate with one league of 20-40 teams. Customisation in this situation could cause all sorts of problems with changes to the fixture schedule in one league affecting a continental competition, affecting other national leagues...

05-05-2004, 01:48 PM	#1
Eugene Church Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 36,205	How does Football Manager compare in Mods with OOTPB Is Football Manager better or worse to customize with Mods when compared to OOTPB? Comment on Logos and Graphics as well as other Mods.

05-05-2004, 02:04 PM	#2
Eckstein 4 Prez Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: The OC Posts: 6,358	I have a logo pack for CM 03-04 that is excellent, IMO. Beyond that I really couldn't say. I haven't gotten into CM all that much - although it's more because of my "football" ignorance rather than any problem with the game itself. __________________ Looking for an insomnia cure? Check out my dynasty thread, The Dawn of American Professional Base Ball, 1871.

05-05-2004, 10:01 PM	#4
Antonin Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Ohio Posts: 2,553	Limited customizability is the other reason I have not played CM in a very long time. I wish I could create my own CM leagues with my own teams and populate them with fictional players. After a while I got very tired of playing in the pre-fab league system of CM with "real" teams. I'm actually a big fan of soccer. But I want to create my own soccer universe. With all the customization options in OOTP, it's very hard to go back to other types of sports sims. __________________ "Ever get the feeling you've been cheated?" - Johnny Rotten (Sex Pistols), San Francisco, 14 January 1978

05-06-2004, 09:36 AM	#5
redmarkYankees All Star Starter Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 1,283	The overall GUI in CM can be skinned very effectively, though it involves more files, graphics etc than OOTP does and some basic XML knowledge. Some very good designs can be produced. Player pics are in the (very) early screenshots being shown of the in-development Football Manager. In another way, player pics can already be linked in CM4/CM03-04. CM uses background pictures (with customisable tint, brightness etc), over which the text is displayed (colours customisable). If a picture with the correct player ID is located in the correct folder, that pic will always be displayed as the background when that player is viewed. There are other non-graphics 3rd party mods, such as editors (teams, stadiums, finances etc as well as players), scouting tools, etc. The main difference is that with CM these "act on" the main database files, rather than the OOTP method of having separate league setups with easy import/export facilities. League customisation has not been part of CM, as the series concentrates on providing accurate simulation of real leagues, cup and international competitions. Very successfully. Customisation in this context is not as straightforward as it would seem to OOTP players; the interaction between 40 leagues, each with multiple divisions of 20+ teams and continental and international competitions involving over 200,000 players (fixture lists not clashing, etc) is massively more complex than OOTP attempts to simulate with one league of 20-40 teams. Customisation in this situation could cause all sorts of problems with changes to the fixture schedule in one league affecting a continental competition, affecting other national leagues... __________________ In times of universal deceit, telling the truth will be a revolutionary act. George Orwell

05-05-2004, 04:51 PM	#3
Bonedwarf All Star Starter Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 1,339	If you mean individual player pictures and stuff, no, there is no such thing. At least not in a similar fashion to OOTP. About all you can do are the aforementioned logos, and the backgrounds which can tailored to appear where you want. In short, CM is far less moddable than OOTP, far less configurable... OOTP essentially gives you the canvas and the paints. CM is more paint by numbers. You can do stuff, but only within the lines.