retired_sara maria

d.

retired_yolanda

Valid. Me too.

retired_tye1234

SI, The inclusion of the Harchester Team into the database not to mind the Premiership has been contentious to say the least. You boys are already working on FM07 so what are we likely to see of Harchester in that incarnation of the series, are there any other dream teams that are in the pipe line?

My personal view is that it is a complete gimmick but if even 1% of FM players like the idea then it was probably worth while. So long as the other 99% of us can opt not to have them in the DB then I can’t really see it being a problem.

retired_crazybonejr

Validating that poofy pink card I see, Devon.

retired_sara maria

Just seeing what color comes next.

retired_sandra

After having read what people have said, maybe I was a little hasty in my first judgement.

What does not change is my opinion that Harchester United, nor any other fictional football team, should be in FM07, unless it comes in an optional download.

retired_willow

i used to watch dream team but i can say one thing.

Why work on a fictional club when they could spend more time giving us lower leagues? EG Welsh Division 1. I would like a chance to play my home team.

Other note my Girlfriend (yes shock horror a girl who plays FM) really enjoys managing Harchester (she refuses to be a LLM) and she would kill me if i didn't make a good comment. so i guess i'll die. lol

retired_cathylynn820

This Harchester thing doesn't matter. As long as it's easier not to play with them I've got no problems. It's just a publicity which, I don't mind. Nothing to get upset about.

retired_rymar

Since the inception of CM, SI has steadily grown. It has added staff, it has broken its own sales records, and it continues to enjoy financial success reported publically in all media that cover the gaming industry. I have not seen any layoffs, cutbacks on advertising, or any other signs of decline, and none of these media outlets have reported this either. So that's how I'm in a position to say that there is "no doubt" that SI has enough money to keep improving the game.

If you truly believe that there are future improvements that warrant a massive injection of cash, you're not going to get it from these sorts of patches. You do it through investment capital. You go public, or you get a company like Sega to provide the funds by pitching a proposal that is thorough, well-researched, and compelling. That's how you do business.


The argument is that it's a deviation from the mission and intention of the game, and it has the potential to steer the game in new directions that will alienate its fan base. As soon as you start making it a priority to change your product to try and capture new markets, by definition you are expending resources and energy that could be used to provide improvements for your existing fan base.

For example, I say that there should have been a patch to make the CFA playable. How does that involve more resources and time than what was involved to produce the Harchester patch? But the former serves the existing fan base, while the latter is a ploy to somehow sell games to a particular demographic. Well, I would argue that this demographic is not a legitiamte target.

First, have a look at the market research and the industry trends. There is a reason why you don't see video game adverts during news broadcasts, reality television and many other programmes, at least here in the United States. People watching those shows are not good targets for game sales. So, instead, video games are advertised during children's programs, sporting events, animated series, and the like.

Now, maybe it's a bit different in Britain with the Harchester show. But it's hard to imagine SI capturing a larger portion of the British market, and the Harchester patch certainly isn't going to appeal to any of the other countries where you can't even see the programme. It's a complete waste, it sets a bad precedent, and it could be a slippery slope toward more gimmicks. So my recommendation is to focus 100% of SI's efforts on serving the existing fan base, and if the company wants to completely overhaul the product and add amazing new features that will motivate a global market, then it should raise the capital to do so properly. </BLOCKQUOTE>

There are many ways to do business.

If SI focus 100% on their existing fanbase, they'll wind up selling the game to 8 people, 20 years down the road. You treat their audience as if it's static - that couldn't be further from the truth. SI have survived for so long and been so succesful because they're able to achieve two things at once - keep a steady core of consumers interested in their game, and keep their audience of a consistent size - reflected in their sales - despite the fact that people change, move on, lose interest. They have always managed to reach out and bring new people in, whilst being incredibly faithful to their product's values and their hardcore gamers desires. I don't know another developer who provides the level of input and insight into development as SI, and I can't think of another PC product that has achieved this for so long, so successfully.

I think your view is a little black and white- it's not going to work to say "focus 100% on serving the existing fanbase" - they need to keep moving. Their method of development is rarely "complete overhaul" - its evolution, as Miles has said in any number of interviews - it works, they know what they doing, they've proved that, and that's what makes the hysteria over a downloadable add-on so surprising for me.

retired_duncan

Valid