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FM08 has been getting the stick on this forum, deservedly, in my humble opinion. But don't get me wrong. I love the FM series. I've said it before, with some rework FM could be a truly epic game. Forget about the trivial bugs for a minute; as I see them they are the result of a rushed QA effort. SI/Sega will hopefully learn from their mistakes. Instead I would like to focus on the match engine, the single biggest aspect of the game in need of total overhaul.
Here's a list of annoyances that slowly chip away at my patience. Some of these issues are endemic of the FM family whereas others are unique to FM08. You probably know them but for the sake of argument I will vent a few just the same:
1. Panicky clearances become inch-perfect 60+ yards passes too often (AI).
2. Defensive line pushes up recklessly despite defensive instructions.
3. Stay back = Attack, attack, attack!
4. Short passing = long passing
5. Defender collect = go long, lads...
6. Adverse weather conditions benefits AI (see #1).
7. Simple tap-in chances (on open goal, no keeper) are wasted in every other match.
8. One-on-one misses. Come on, SI, tone it down, please.
9. Headers on short corner kicks: The player goes for goal despite a zero degree angle.
10. Commentator ridiculing a player for missing a header from zero degrees (see #9).
11. Penalties. Can they be converted at all? No?
12. Finishing from 25 yards is obviously much better than trying to round the keeper.
13. Players (particularly defenders) backing away from the ball despite a head-start.
14. Closing down option: No, not really.
15. Try clearing the ball, buddy: Some players "fall asleep" after receiving the ball.
16. Controversial situations: In every single match? Come on!
17. Controversial situations: the truly controversial situations (wrong off sides) are rarely brought up.
18. Controversial situations: Penalties, red cards. SI, leave these situations out until we have a match engine that can accurately depict what's going on.
19. Injured players are mostly given treatment behind one of the goals. They will also enter the pitch from this position.
20. Lethal free kick takers make poor decisions when chasing a result.
21. What about an option of choosing a penalty/free kick taker in-match?
22. Excessive extra time when defending a lead: Four minutes become five, six, more.
23. Team-talks = Russian roulette.
24. If player instructions are that important, why can't you communicate with subs (or the rest of your squad for that matter), other than during half time?
25. Reversal of play: A long pass is headed back into the same space and a dangerous situation occurs. Does this really happen in real-life professional football, all the time?
Fix the above issues and much will be gained. But in order for this to be constructive criticism, I need to contribute something positive, too. Fair enough. My suggestion will focus on the lack of transparency, severely limiting my managerial prowess.
The '08 match engine is inferior to that of '07 in terms of enjoyment. Not that FM07 was perfect. It suffered from the same information lack (fog of war) that is currently engulfing the increasingly frustrated gamer: We tell the players to do something and they do the opposite. It is near impossible to tell if players are having a good or bad match until you see the half-time grade. What can be done increase the information flow, helping the manager to make the right decisions?
- X looks good today. I've been impressed with his passing game.
- Y needs to concentrate on his marking role. He has already made one bad error.
- Z doesn't work hard enough for the team.
- That was offside by several yards... It was obvious! Etc etc
The reliability of the information would depend on the abilities of the assistant just like is the case with scouting. Information on the opposing team would be masked just like in real life; it would be up to the manager, the gamer, to decode weaknesses in the opposition based on visual inputs only. This new feature would dramatically lift the level of realism. Furthermore it would give the gamer a wealth of information that currently is lost in the confusion, leaving us in information limbo. The new approach would take some of the uncertainty and guess-work out of the team-talks, making the gamer a much more effective manager.
Most of these are right, some don't bother me, but my personnal favourites are:
5. Defender collect = go long, lads..
This is Paul Robinson's favourite. High long ball to tiny Defoe every time
7. Simple tap-in chances (on open goal, no keeper) are wasted in every other match
At least the AI does this too, but really!? open goal misses every game?! Strikers would be getting 4 or 5 match ratings in real life.
13. Players (particularly defenders) backing away from the ball despite a head-start.
Something I hopw would be fixed with the patch,but wasn't. Again though,the AI does it too so at least in evens out.
The one on one situation has been an issue for years and I doubt will ever be changed.SI have argued that in their research missing so many in a single match is true to life!!
The commentator / ass man idea is great, but even if SI were willing to include it (which they probably won't, they've seemingly become afraid of innovation), it still begs the question if they'd even get it done. The commentator often makes a completely inappropriate comment. Like how player X rams the ball into row Z when he taps it out or player Y puts the ball incredibly wide when it in fact just clears the post but goes out of play several metres further due to a tight angle. If they can't get basic comments done right, how will they ever code an intelligent ass man making insightful comments on the match? If it works, I'm positive it would be a great addition, but only if it works.
Well, the commentator does tell you what is happening, also the stuff that can't be seen with a 2D-engine. Besides from that I love your idea but it needs to be done properly.
25. Reversal of play: A long pass is headed back into the same space and a dangerous situation occurs. Does this really happen in real-life professional football, all the time?
this is the one that really annoys me. It's ridiculous and ALWAYS happens, whether its for the good of my team or bad
Originally posted by Ainu:
Like how player X rams the ball into row Z when he taps it out or player Y puts the ball incredibly wide when it in fact just clears the post but goes out of play several metres further due to a tight angle. If they can't get basic comments done right, how will they ever code an intelligent ass man making insightful comments on the match?
Yeah, I understand your concern. The examples you mention are down to semantics. I, too, am bothered by the comment "row Z" when "puts it out of play" would suffice. It could easily be remedied.
Apart from that, I am no software programmer. I don't understand the intricate inner workings of my suggestion. However, I'm fairly certain that something more insightful could be implemented as the current commentator approach has outlived its usefulness.
Originally posted by AB-forever:
Well, the commentator does tell you what is happening, also the stuff that can't be seen with a 2D-engine.
Sure, but the commentator is merely monitoring events; he doesn't know anything about the tactical setup and player instructions. This means he fairly useless when it comes to evaluating individual performances.
The commentator is a relic, a left-over from a pre-team-talk environment, where tactics was undisputed king. Back then moody players meant little. Now, however, players' whims and fancies are central to top performance, and, ultimately, to success. The commentator does not have the necessary insight to help the manager decode the information that is displayed on the pitch. Hence my proposition.
Match engine woes: Fire the commentator 
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