FIFA Manager vs. FM (WWSM)?

Discussion in 'Manager Games' started by equus, Sep 25, 2007.

  1. equus

    equus Member

    Jan 6, 2007
    I play solely on Manager Mode with FIFA 07 (PC), but I find myself wanting to just get through each half of the season quickly so I can get to the transfer seasons. I'm looking to move away from the on-field gameplay and into something more on the manager side than FIFA 07 MM offers.

    In doing research I see there is Worldwide Soccer Manager 2008 for the US, and then I found FIFA Manager 08 coming out as well that appears to be only released in the EU.

    Questions for any of you that have played either 07 version or both:

    - I'm looking for some complexity in management, but not so much that I have to be totally immersed in the game for days on end. Which one? Can you "simplify" WWSM a bit so you don't have to control every tiny feature? FIFA Manager is described as more for the novice, but it looked pretty intricate detail-wise as well.

    - Can you create and manage your own teams, upload custom crests, kits, etc. in either?

    - Is WWSM solely "text-based" other than the 2D matchday graphics? Any stadium upgrade graphics like I've seen in FIFA Manager?

    - If I did go for FIFA Manager, would there be any issues with compatibility (PC)? I'd assume not, but wanted to be sure before plunking down money for it.

    WWSM looks very cool, but I also like the new screens I've seen of FIFA Manager, too. Especially the stadium upgrade features.

    Thanks in advance.
     
  2. Teso Dos Bichos

    Teso Dos Bichos Red Card

    Sep 2, 2004
    Purged by RvN
    If you are not prepared to put in the required time then FM is not a wise option for you. Best stick to the simpler and quicker FIFA.
     
  3. Taoism

    Taoism Member

    Apr 13, 2007
    Winnipeg, MB, Canada
    I play Football Manager and it is a fairly involved game. You can set yourself to be away on holidays and your assistant manager will take over, but it still takes a long time to run through a few months even like that.

    Championship Manager is another management game, and while I know you can make the matches sim pretty quick, I don't think there is an option to go on holidays, so you would still need to interact with the game an awful lot.

    Cheers!
     
  4. Der Stich

    Der Stich Member+

    May 3, 2005
    Chicago
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    I'd suggest you give FIFA Manager a try before WwSM. You can set many functions to handled by your "assistant" in FIFA Manager and choose to focus on what interests you.

    I own both and like them for different reasons. WwSM is more "realistic", especially if you're a MLS fan. FIFA Manager is more Euro-centric but easier to modify.
     
  5. equus

    equus Member

    Jan 6, 2007
    Thanks for the input. I downloaded both 07 demos, and after a quick run through both, at this point I think I like WWSM a little bit better even though it is more detailed.

    But that's not to say FIFAMGR isn't. My goodness, if that's the novice manager sim...whew.

    I like the graphic layout of FIFAMGR 07, but it's not as intuitive to cycle through as WWSM is. And I'm not really interested in managing a family, real estate development or my personal luxury items either along with the other stuff.

    Can you create your own custom teams (without using a third party editor) or do you have to manage an existing team?

    I'm going to play both a little while longer before I decide, though.
     
  6. Der Stich

    Der Stich Member+

    May 3, 2005
    Chicago
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    Both games come with their own editor. The WwSM editor will let you modify the players and transfer them but you cannot add playable teams or leagues. The FIFA Manager editor lets you add teams, leagues, kits, badges, etc but you will need to know what you're doing (ie if adding a league you need to add enough teams, fixtures, etc).

    I play WwSM for a more "realistic" (ie MLS) experience and FIFA Manager for a more "fantasy" (ie USL) experience. I complete the data for USL with the FIFAMan editor and create my own fantasy team. FIFA Manager allows you to do things like build a stadium and facilities which is a nice change of pace from the more intensive WwSM.
     
  7. equus

    equus Member

    Jan 6, 2007
    That's good to know. In FIFA 07 I take the worst team in England League Two and then use that team as a base in creating my own team, with custom badges, kits, adboards, flags, etc. using Creation Master.

    Can you even buy FIFAM in the States? I went through the shopping cart at EA.co.uk to simulate buying FIFAM, but in the country drop down it didn't have the U.S. listed. It had just about every U.S. territory in there, but not the U.S. itself.

    It may come down to a coin flip, or I'll just get them both. :)
     
  8. Der Stich

    Der Stich Member+

    May 3, 2005
    Chicago
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    You can order FIFA Manager from GamePlayUK. The shipping is reasonable and the game arrives sooner than you would expect.

    By the way, if you haven't done so, you can download the demo for WwSM08 at the Football Manager forums here.
     
  9. equus

    equus Member

    Jan 6, 2007
    Got it just the other day. Thanks!
     
  10. Buckscounty Mark

    Dec 6, 2006
    Quakertown, Pa
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Der Stich, it sounds like the FIFA does not come with the USL. Any idea if it will be in the 08 version? I tried looking around but can't find any info.
    I downloaded the 08 version yesterday. I like the selectivity of it, but wonder about the detail in the manual. When began my Team it says I need to get them fit. I'm having some problem figuring out what I need to train and how exactly to do it. Does the manual explain stuff like this in good detail?
     
  11. equus

    equus Member

    Jan 6, 2007
    I got the FIFA Manager 08 Demo last night. Much, much better than FIFAM 07 by a mile.

    The layout and graphics are sweet, the menus are laid out much more intuitively, it doesn't seem as cheesy as the 07 version, and it now has MLS. Knowing that, I am assuming that it will be available in the US, but there's no indication of it that I have found.

    I think I'm going to go with FIFAM 08 over WWSM 08 after playing the demo. I like WWSM 08, too, but FIFAM 08 has some features that are more in line with what I'm looking for.
     
  12. scholes181818

    scholes181818 Member

    Dec 1, 2003
    Kansas City, MO, USA
    Club:
    FC Dallas
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I'll be buying one of these games this fall, and I was wondering if anyone could comment on the amount of squad depth that each game offers. For instance, will i need to create Kamani Hill, Gabriel Ferrari, or Lee Nguyen in either game, or are the reserve squads and youth teams fairly accurate?

    Also, does FM have the rights to official badges and player names, or is it more like ProEvolution where it just recreates jerseys and appearance as closely as its allowed?
     
  13. midwestsurfer

    midwestsurfer New Member

    Jun 7, 2005
    Honolulu~Tulsa
    For the nations and leagues that it has the rights to, it uses the names and images of the teams and players.

    The only leagues I wish they would add are the USL and the J-League. But everyone else is there.

    So, nah. nothing like pro-evolution in that respect. And you should see those US guys, especially if you chose to have the game simulate the leagues they are in. I have seen Kamani Hill and Lee Nguyen in game and signed at least Lee before. I imagine Gabriel will be in this time now that he is in Italy.
     
  14. supersewelly

    supersewelly Member

    Aug 29, 2007
    Club:
    Newcastle United FC
    For the overall most detailed and realistic experience i would take FM over FIFA any day. FM spends less time glossing the game up with 3D graphics engines etc but has a much larger database of players, leagues and the tactics are more in-depth and can be fine tuned to a higher degree.

    In short if you prefer a simpler easier way to play then take FIFA, but if you are going to play more seriously and spend some time making astute signings and adjusting tactics then FM is the game for you.
     
  15. Der Stich

    Der Stich Member+

    May 3, 2005
    Chicago
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    Training is much more complicated in FIFAman than it is in WwSM. If you go to the FIFAman boards there should be a training tutorial posted. You need to put together a training regimen that increases their skills and conditioning without leaving them exhausted (I know, master of the obvious). Each session has a value and you need to be sure to have it varied enough to train a well-rounded team. You can use sessions like Warm Downs to keep your players fit without burning them out.
     
  16. Der Stich

    Der Stich Member+

    May 3, 2005
    Chicago
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    In my experience over the years of playing both games, WwSM generally has the better database, especially for Americans abroad. But the editor for FIFAman is easy to use and does not take that long to add someone who may be missing.

    Regarding USL, there are usually placeholder teams in the database but the league needs to be setup with a fixture schedule. It is easy to add the badges and players, if you have some time to play around.

    In past versions it wasn't possible to setup an authentic MLS/USL schedule because the only format available was the European format, fall to spring.

    If you play MLS in FIFAman you do not have to worry about the roster limits and salary cap like you do in WwSM and there are no drafts or trades. WwSM does an excellent job of implementing the rules peculiar to MLS.
     
  17. equus

    equus Member

    Jan 6, 2007
    I got the direct download of WWSM08 last night. I thought that training in WWSM would be at least as detailed as FIFAM, but that's not the case at all. There are far fewer variables in WWSM.

    Playing the FIFAM 08 demo, I find that it's not necessarily "easier" than WWSM 08, just different. I could do without the personal life stuff and Sims-like complex building of FIFAM 08 (keep stadium builder), but I like the training piece better than WWSM. I feel like I have more control over that aspect. And I do love the overview dashboard better in FIFAM with the manager, finances, table, and important info on the left I can bring in at any moment, and the bar charts at the bottom with fan support and board support levels. To have all of the info in one screen is very beneficial, not to mention the awesome looking graphical treatment.

    It's a shame that they can't combine the best elements of both into a single game.

    Now if I could only get FIFAM 08 without having to pay some place in Europe over twice as much to buy and ship it here. :)
     
  18. Der Stich

    Der Stich Member+

    May 3, 2005
    Chicago
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    I'd say it's easier to manage MLS clubs in FIFAMan because you don't have to conform to the real-life league rules like the amount of foreign players, salary cap, etc. Actual success in-game may vary, but you don't have to make so many difficult roster selection choices.

    Regarding importing the game, the weak dollar really socks us in the wallet. I should receive my copy of WwSM today and if I'm sucked in I may put off ordering FIFAMan for a bit. It's a real pain that FIFAMan is not available for direct download in the U.S.
     
  19. equus

    equus Member

    Jan 6, 2007
    To be fair, I've just scratched the surface of WWSM, and still have mountains of discoveries to come across in the coming months. I'm managing Northwich in Blue Square Premier. I fully expect to be saying this a lot:

    "Yes, dear, I'll be right down!" :)
     
  20. Ben7

    Ben7 Member

    Jan 14, 2007
    Appart the Football Fusion (FIFA Manager and FIFA) of EA a few years back I have no idea about how these games are now and what happend to its inovations and what they offer etc.

    In order to have the best "MLS reallife feeling" (with all the roster/trades/salarycap regulations and so on) which game should I get - or do both games have it equally?

    FIFA Manager 08
    or
    WWSM/FM 08 (does it matter which version EU or US)
    or
    Championship Manager 08
    or
    another game
     
  21. Der Stich

    Der Stich Member+

    May 3, 2005
    Chicago
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    WwSM/FM 2008 is more realistic "with all the roster/trades/salarycap regulations and so on". FIFAMan is still a couple of weeks away but in the past MLS has been a generic league set-up, but with badge and kit graphics for the teams.

    I was able to look around a little yesterday before the Fire/DC match started and WwSM has the "designated player" rule implemented along with SuperLiga fixtures on the schedule.

    I'm under the impression that WwSM and FM are essentially the same game, just different packaging for the different markets.
     
  22. Ben7

    Ben7 Member

    Jan 14, 2007
    thanks Der Stich
    repped for useful infos

    WwsM/FM 08 sounds very promising (exactly what I'm looking for with rules and stuff) but I will wait till the new FIFA Manager 2008 is out to make my mind up. Just maybe they put in all those rules/regulations aswell if they don't it's an easy decision.
     
  23. equus

    equus Member

    Jan 6, 2007
    My copy of FIFA Manager 08 arrived from the UK Tuesday, so now I have both to compare and contrast directly.

    After finally being able to play FIFAM08 with 3D mode (the demo didn't include it), I am firmly in the FIFAM camp. I like WWSM08, but IMO the 2D/circles moving match engine doesn't allow me to really get a feel for what my players can do like the FIFAM 3D mode. I've just finished my friendlies and already I have a much better idea of my squad than I do on WWSM. The interface is excellent, and I can get a gauge on my team in one window.

    Also, I love having an initial budget and trying to design a stadium that works for the club while staying under budget (it's a lot tougher than I thought to build a $2.1 million ground.)

    I created an English League Two club, and my staff is limited until I finish building a club center for my grounds ("9 months" from now.) These extra things like that are just what I was looking for. If you're into that stuff, FIFAM is definitely the way to go. If you just want to be a hardcore manager then WWSM will be your game.

    After playing FIFAM this week, I can't for the life of me figure out why they don't sell this in the US...it is a perfect fit for the US market. I could see many more America soccer fans and casual gamers liking this game, especially FIFA 08 fans who want to go more to the club director/manager side of things.
     
  24. Buckscounty Mark

    Dec 6, 2006
    Quakertown, Pa
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Equus,

    How are the instructions for Fifa Man? Detailed and helpful?
     
  25. equus

    equus Member

    Jan 6, 2007
    I don't have any of the other versions to compare it to, but I thought it covered the sim pretty well. It's about 43 pages worth of game info (small book size.) It doesn't tell you how to be successful or anything like that, but it does include some tips and covers the basics.

    The game itself has a lot of tooltips/pop-ups to help you if you get stuck, and you can always refer back to the manual.

    The best way I can describe it is, if you're a more visual person, then FIFAMan is for you. If you grew up loving Strat-O-Matic baseball instead of MLB on Playstation, or Dungeons and Dragons on graph paper instead of WoW on the PC, then FM/WWSM is for you.
     

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