The concept of FML starting squads is changing - in the past, we’ve run a system where managers are able to (within financial limits) sign whoever they want in their initial teams.
What we’ve found with this is that whilst some are able to quickly assemble their very own ‘Dream Team’, others are left trailing in what’s sometimes simply a race to be the first to the free agents list.
STARTING OFF
The aim of the game after the reset is very different: you’ll now need to ‘build’ a Dream Team over time, rather than snap up stars on day one (or soon after). As such, managers must now choose their starting squads from preselected pools of 45-55 players (pic below).
Each manager will be given a unique pool, but these are designed to be of an equivalent standard from manager to manager – all players have Acquisition Fees of under £100,000, and pools are balanced by Current Ability (CA) and, for youth players, Potential Ability (PA). Pools will also have a generally uniform spread of player ages and player positions.
YOUR ROLE
Your role on day 1 in reset is to lay the foundations of your Dream Team. The players you pick initially won’t necessarily be the ones that get you to the top, but they are the guys that could give you a vital head start.
So, how are you going to sign?
- Do you want young players to develop and/or sell on later?
- Oldies might deliver instant results, but will need replacing sooner!
- The more spent initially, the less that’s left for subsequent transfers. Are you going to go big on fees/wage now, or hold fire?
Making the right decisions in these areas could give you a real edge.
WEEK 1
The good news is that what you can do with your squad in week 1 is also changing:
You no longer need to confirm your squad before playing friendly matches or challenges – this means you can really mix and match in week 1 to discover which of your pool players are the ones you want to go ahead and sign.
It also means you can get a head start in the race to collect Reward Points, and maybe even be the first club in your gameworld to have a mascot!
SQUAD CONFIRMATION & TRANSFERS
Here are some other quick points on what you can and can’t do in week 1:
- You will not be able to buy, sell, loan or swap players with other managers until after the start of the first season.
- You are still able to sign players from the free market after confirming your squad, but only if they are unlocked (see below).
Note that:
- No extra income is generated through the first pre-season, so there’s no rush to confirm your squad!
- Once you do confirm your initial squad all the players left over in your pool will be released onto the free market for others to sign.
LOCKED PLAYERS
As part of our efforts to make building an FML Dream Team a game of skill rather than one of speed, the best players are now locked away for gradual release over a gameworld’s first three seasons.
The emphasis now lies on earning the right to be (financially) in pole position to sign as player once he becomes unlocked. The ‘Locked Players’ screen will tell you when Ronaldo and co are due to become available, so be sure to keep an eye out!
We hope you’ll rise to the challenge of building a squad of stars and wish you the very best of luck in doing so!
