Welcome to… #FM2012 SOCIAL

Hello! Welcome to my little corner of the internet, where Football Manager 2012 is on the specials board. #FM2012 remains my most played Steam-powered FM game. I am currently at 2000 online gaming hours (and counting). Here’s a little intro for those who are not familiar with the game, or need reminding.

#FM2012 was (and remains) the only game in the series that would let you play through the Olympics with a team made up of British players for Team GB!

Some new features for the time saw;

  • An add/remove leagues function allowing you to switch countries during a save for the first time
  • Improved scouting system including opposition team reports (with ratings for each opposition player).
  • A rather annoying feature ‘team meetings’ was first initiated in this game. Some of you will love it, though I have never got to grips with it and cannot hold a meeting without destroying morale!

Part of my fondness for the game is that I associate it with some of my happiest memories. I got married in 2012. Together my new wife and I got to witness the miracle of Medinah at the Ryder Cup (I vowed I’d name my first born either Justin or Rosie after the heroics of Justin Rose, but alas it fell on deaf ears). Andy Murray won a Major tennis tournament for the first time (the US Open) and reached the final of Wimbledon. Bradley Wiggins became the first Briton to win the Tour de France. Finally, we got to experience a home-Olympics at London 2012 (and even got tickets in the ballot!) From watching Helen Glover and Heather Stanning win that first gold medal through to the Super Saturday on the track. It was a time when the nation seemed united rather than divided… The Queen also celebrated a Golden Jubilee, so we all got an additional Bank Holiday in the UK!

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In #FM2012 you can find some (not-so-hidden) gems of todays’ era muddling in the lower leagues. Premier League winners Jamie Vardy, John Stones, Riyad Mahrez, and Ngolo Kante don’t become stars, but stay lower-level. Harry Maguire is a player with varying potential at Sheffield Utd; Tyrone Mings is battling out in the 7th Tier with Yate Town (yet to earn that trial at Ipswich which would put him on the ladder); Harry Kane is a Football League ping-pong loanee starting at Millwall; Paul Pogba hasn’t fallen out with Fergie and remains in the Man Utd reserves with Jessie Lingard and Ravel Morrison; and finally David Beckham is still poster-boy for the MLS.

The best players on the game – Carlos Fierro and Erick Torres – come from Chivas in Mexico and can be signed by most top-tier sides meaning you can challenge the ‘big boys’ early on.

All these coding errors, as FM gaffer Miles Jacobsen affectionately refers, means the endorphins still kick-in nearly 10 years later when I sign another favorite free agent Trevor Benjamin on an amateur contract for the latest non-league side I’m currently in bed with.

We’ve all got that memorable save, right?

I have vivid memories of winning the Champions League with my beloved Plymouth Argyle whilst also leading the same group of English Argyle Regens to World Cup glory (twice). In real-life 2011-12 Argyle were club in turmoil. The board were accepting pocket money donations from kids and our then-manager, Peter Reid, auctioned his FA Cup losers Medal to help pay running costs (Google Peter Reid medals). Argyle were freefalling through the leagues genuinely at risk of liquidation. Being able to correct all that, all-be-it in a computer game, was a great tonic.

Another of my proud achievements was earning the ‘English hero’ badge. This was getting Woking promoted from Blue Square South to the Premiership. Pablo Couñago, who is a free agent at the start of the game, featured at least once in every league on the way up, and eventually become one of my most trusted coaches.

Oh, and it helps that three people I know (in real life) – an ex-Torquay youth player available on free, a semi-pro released by Crystal Palace, and a League Two journeyman pro – are in the game.

Game/Engine-wise I like the immersive gameplay that the classic CM series doesn’t offer, but not overloaded by complex tactics, mundane reports and inflated newsfeeds that can slow gameplay up. The match graphics are basic, but watchable, and my Intel Core i7 processor means minimal buffering and fast progress. Winning.

Join me, as I blog my way through some new adventures, and try to put an #FM2012 twist on events in real-time.

Follow @FM2012Social on twitter, posts by @cornishzak

FM2012.co.uk is a fan-site, and not associated or affiliated with Sports Interactive Ltd or SEGA Publishing Europe Ltd.