Use the power of Python to traverse the cosmos and scout for players within the Football Manager game
Inspired by the fantastic work of @squirrel_plays and the contributors on this thread at FM-Arena
python -V
Note: If you're on Windows, follow this guide and if you're on Mac, I suggest using Homebrew
pip install pyscoutfm
pyscoutfm -V
pip install --upgrade pyscoutfm
Let's get down to business and show you how quickly you can generate a scouting report for your current squad from the command line.
--help
to a command:pyscoutfm generate --help
The tool requires an extract of data from Football Manager. To make this easy, we can use the views that come supplied with PyScoutFM.
pyscoutfm copy-views-to --path="MY_LOCATION"
Where
MY_LOCATION
is the path you wish to copy the views to
The tool comes with a default config file along with some sensible attribute weightings (which were the result of some heavy Machine Learning analysis).
pyscoutfm generate --import-path=MY_LOCATION --export-path=MY_LOCATION
Where MY_LOCATION
is the path from step 5.
Note: The tool is smart enough to only load the most recent html file in the directory you specify
So you have a Scout Report, now what?
latest.html
in your browser and you should see your players from the squad screen alongside their positional ratings which have been calculated with the tool:Clicking on the arrows next to the column headings allows you to sort by that column. Also, a helpful search box makes it easier to find specific players.
Each of the rating columns represents a score out of 100. That is, how well suited a player is to a particular position based on the attribute weightings defined in the default weightings file
You may find yourself tweaking your search results in Football Manager and re-generating scouting reports often. Below are some tips for doing this optimally:
Players that are not fully scouted will not be rated accurately! If you play with attribute masking and they have an attribute of -
then the tool will convert it to 1
. Also, if they have an attribute range of 7-11
, the tool will use 7
.
Always export your Football Manager data to the same location. The tool is smart enough to be able to load the most recent HTML file in a directory if you don't pass it an import_path
parameter.
You don't need to re-type your command in the Command Prompt/Terminal. Instead use the Up key to scroll through historical commands.
Once the report has been generated, just refresh the webpage in the Browser. The tool will always overwrite the latest.html
. Don't worry though...it also saves a datetime stamped copy of the report as well.
To get started, run:
pyscoutfm --help
The available options are:
Usage: pyscoutfm [OPTIONS] COMMAND [ARGS]...
Options:
--version -V Show the version and exit.
--help Show this message and exit.
Commands:
copy-views-to Copy the included views to a specified path before importing into FM
generate Generate a scouting report from the data exported from FM
Usage: pyscoutfm copy-views-to [OPTIONS]
Copy the included views to a specified path before importing into FM
Options:
--path -p TEXT The paths to copy the views to
--help Show this message and exit.
Usage: pyscoutfm generate [OPTIONS]
Generate a scouting report from the data exported from FM
Options:
--config-path TEXT The path to the config file to use
--import-path TEXT The path to the directory to import from [default: None]
--export-path TEXT The path to the directory to export to [default: None]
--weightings-path TEXT The path to the weightings file to use [default: None]
--weightings-set TEXT The weightings set to use [default: None]
--help Show this message and exit.
To be updated
To be updated
Q. Why should I use PyScoutFM over Genie Scout?
A. I think it comes down to your workflow and how you play the game. I am on a Mac mostly which doesn't help when it comes to using Genie Scout. I also like to use custom weightings which are easier to update with PyScoutFM and I think the ratings that come out this are more accurate than Genie Scout's defaults.
Q. How does PyScoutFM differ to Squirrel's web app and which is better?
A. Firstly, huge props to Squirrel for starting this movement with Python and Football Manager. I disagreed with how they've setup their weighting/rating system in their tool and valued the work and analysis that had taken place over on FM-Arena's site. As such, I think that PyScoutFM produces more accurate outputs...and even if you don't think so, you can very quickly change the weightings to your liking.
I've put together a comparison table between the two apps:
Feature | PyScoutFM | Squirrel's |
---|---|---|
Online web application | ❌ | ✅ |
Import HTML from Football Manager | ✅ | ✅ |
HTML output | ✅ | ✅ |
Number of player roles/positions in the output file | Unlimited | 8 |
Ratings by role* | ❌ | ✅ |
Ratings by position | ✅ | ❌ |
Ratings are a score out of... | 100 | 20 |
Customisable weightings | ✅ | ❌ |
Evidence for weightings** | Here | Here |
Customisable player positions | ✅ | ❌ |
Customisable attribute groupings*** | ✅ | ❌ |
Customisable columns in the output file | ✅ | ❌ |
* This isn't in PyScoutFM by default but can be added in manually.
** For PyScoutFM this is a little convoluted but the work done by Mark to produce a balanced filter for Genie Scout was translated into the default weightings file.
*** I like to create a club DNA for my saves and this feature allows me to group and weight particular attributes together to produce a DNA rating.