retired_happydawg

After reading a lot of the information provided by the likes of rashidi1, wwfan, Googen and others, I have come to the , hopefully, correct conclusion about these settings within the game.

I am thinking that by using these six settings in conjunction with each other, then I can control the match I am currently playing in. For instance, if I wish to play a defensive counter attacking game, then I set mentality to the first click of defence. Number 6, I think. I then set the closing down and the defensive line to match the mentality setting.

Next, to keep the team's shape and balance, I set the passing to direct or number 14. I then set the tempo and width to the same, 14 or quick. I am currently using "global" for the mentality, closing down & defensive line settings, as prescribed by asmodeus and others. I do this because I am thinking that it is a good idea to have all three working together whenever I think that I need to attack more or defend more.

If I move the mentality, closing down & the defensive line forward one click, I move the passing, tempo and width backwards one click, so that the two groups are moving towards each other.

I have usually kept the settings on the same position or number of clicks but I am wondering whether or not there is a tolerance, whereby I can alter them individually, say by one or two clicks, so as to try to keep the teams balance and shape.

Also, I am assuming that as my team, hopefully, improves, my two groups of settings will eventually pass one another and change places. This will then have me playing an attacking game with mentality, closing down & defensive line all high and passing, tempo & width on short, slow & narrow/normal.

Have I arrived at the correct conclusion or am I on yet another wild goose chase in order to have some success in the game, without using other people's tactics? Please do post your views, good or bad, whether or not you think that I am on the right path or not.

retired_DonnyLFC

Decent post oescus, and, I have to say this is how I have grown to play FM08. I largely find it successful, but you have to be quick with changes to counter the opposition.

HOWEVER, more recently on another site, I saw someone say how they had checked out what the AI does (with the top tactical managers/Ass. Managers), and this leads us to believe it is even simpler than this. There is very little change to these settings, and it is all done by little changes like free roles, one or two notches here and there, closing down being a main difference. Perhaps it really is simpler than we think it is.


Anyways KUTGW from what I can see.

retired_noelinem

HMMM, (doing the "thinker" pose), going to give your ideas a go while im on the sick again. have you had any success oescus?. im sure ive noted that you contribute to the forum quite a bit!. a true FM,ER. currently playing has york, will give you feedback.

retired_happydawg

rick59. Most of my postings have been to elicit information from others and one or two of the others have been disastrous [making screenshots].

I have only recently [last couple of days] started out to have a go at this way of doing things. The hope is that I shall have a workable system by the time that the final patch arrives.

What I have done, is to put my player instructions in place and not changed them in any way, before, during or after a match. i have leaned heavily upon rashidi1's hints about defensive players. I do have a problem setting up attacking [strikers] instructions. I am never sure abiut their forward runs etc.

I am also beginning to see that small changes in the team instructions can help. For instance, on a small pitch, I have my AMC set to a freerole. He has the attributes to find space. I also go very wide and down both flanks [check the pale green on a wet pitch]. I know that this has been mentioned in some posts previously but it is some little thing that I worked out for myself!

I am about to look at my defending corners and would like to leave two players, at least, forward. These being my fastest winger, fastest striker and the AMC. This idea comes from my own "low standard" of coaching experience IRL.

The idea is that by leaving three men forward, the opposition has also to keep three men back. It is also probable that your three will be faster than their three. Well, it worked rather well IRL. That's about where I am at the minute. My main problem is grtting the time to post, play the game and to read all the good information in the forum and digest it and get it into my game. Sometimes I can't get to my pc for a week or so.

P.S. I am not contradicting myself in saying that I alter the AMC to freerole in the wet. I have a "wet" version of my tactic so that I don't have to mess about and probably make mustakes.

retired_HAdvocate

I have been also working on some similar theories. It's a good starting point, but as FM08 seems to be a lot different than FM07 I'm also "learning to crawl before I walk". It looks like the FM08 is more defined and compliments the Hints & Tips more than in FM07 where things worked contradictory to explainations. The only change I have, compared to you, is that I still feel wide-width is linked to the attacking "mindset". So I link width with mentality, closing down and d-line (and creative freedom for now). I mirror timewasting to those so the total would be 21 on the sliders. Passing and tempo I have two mindsets (for testing purpose's): 7 for each in the attacking"mindsets" and 14 for each in the defensive.

The challenge is getting the individual settings right first, and I haven't got them totally satisfactory yet. Then after that looking at the match odds I can pretty much determine where to put the sliders, but still have to be cunning during the match when the opposition changes formation/mentality. Everything looks OK so far but still would like to get the base right, before going into more advanced "mindsets". I have a feeling that some sliders can be "unattached" but still too early to be certain. Am too working purely global for now but would like to change that in the near future.

Also the issue on formations. They seem to have positives and negatives with every formation and have been trying different ones just to get the feel of them (some of them leave gaps where the opposition can roam). But a positive thing is that in this game I don't feel changing formations effects your players as much as in FM07. I'm getting a good idea now what's going in the match machine, but have to endure watching whole matches. Haven't gone through a whole season with any team yet, as a result of this...