Sports Interactives Football Manager Live looks and feels a lot like Football Manager 2009 – but the similarities are purely visual. Whereas FM2009 offers the usual annual update of player stats and new features, FM Live dispenses with the in depth tactics and interaction with players and the press in favour of enhancing the rivalry between managers and teams.
In the world of online gaming, the requirement to communicate, engage and interact with fellow players is key to success, and FM Live follows this model closely.
The minimum system spec for running Football Manager Live is a Windows XP machine with a 1.6GHz processor and 256MB RAM. In contrast to the single player, desktop-based version, Football Manager Live's player database and processing takes place on the server side, offering a lightweight thin-client solution to playing the game.
As such, there's no need to worry about the size of the database increasing as with the desktop version.
As more of a recommended spec, I would suggest around 2.5GHz processor and 512MB RAM - as well as recommend playing on a system with an AGP or PCIe graphics card. A lot of data is processed at the client end and it's useful to take the load away from the system memory and onto your GFX hardware.
Getting started is easy, whether you want to take it quick or slow, and depending on whether you’ve splashed out on a boxed copy of the game or registered online and downloaded. The monthly fee is around £7, depending on how much you pay in advance, and there are two types of server – pro and semi-pro – depending on your skill level and the amount of time you can devote to managing your team.
There are no real life teams in the game – FM Live is populated by custom teams with crazy owner-specified names. Players mirror their real world alter egos, but there is also scope for new players to be brought in as the game progresses. Progression in the game depends crucially on winning matches, of course – as well as developing your own skill set.
FM Live is similar to a fantasy MMORPG in this respect – various skills in the categories (man) management, physio, coaching, scouting, tactics and infrastructure need to be honed, developed and utilised in order for your team to be as successful as possible. These skills have sub-skills that can be unlocked and upgraded as time goes on, with some accessible after 15 minutes of play, others after major wins or successes in the transfer market.