Agruso

How did you people go about learning how the game engine works, i am willing to spend as much time as it takes to get a full understanding of the match engine, so that aas cleon says i will be able to react to all situations.

Did you just create test games where you mes around with sliders or did you play the game fully changing stuff when needed and noting it down.

Like i said i will take as much time looking into detail of the stats and the match itself, so please will you just tell me for example when 2008 came ut how did you learn how to play it because as we all know here are lots of changes from the last version so where did you start and how do yo do it?

retired_sandhya_kl

I know that Cleon put in alot more work than me, he's got a fundermental understanding of the match engine from pulling it apart as much as possible and learning what he can.

Me, well I made my hugely successful tactics based on simple trial and error...people still sem not to believe me though!

Try somthing, test it thourghly. Watch matches in full mode, actually look whats happenin to the ball...and the change commands and see what changes. It's actually very simple but very time consuming and most people simply cant be arsed. But what it boils down to is testing what works and piecing it all togther. pass and move.

retired_kellyk

I don't create test games, I just apply a good dose of common sense. A lot of this has to do with having decent discussions with others on the engine, and also not getting mystified by the numbers and just keeping things simple.

Understanding the impact of the sliders is the first thing.

Agruso

Exactly you used discussions with others i have just played one game and i learned a lot more about defensive line which will hopefully help me in the future. Unfortunately there are not many discusions where people contribute good though out posts anymore but thanks for for your help you two. You are some of the people i hoped would help as you are both incredibly sucessful but so was i in Fm 2007 im just looking to start a discussion with people and find out stuff on my own.

retired_mgavlick

Me neither. I have a set of assumptions as to what should work and eliminate them if they don't.

Agruso

ah i see so you just start a game thinking what you want to do and if it doesnt work you change it.

Then if the new way works keep that and try and fit it in.

retired_kellyk

If you think things through we all including wwfan almost always suggest the same things..for example

a. An attacking tactic needs a good dose of closing down upfront

b. A defensive tactic or a deep dline tactic should have less closing down, as the inherent idea is to maintain your shape

c. A possession based tactic should employ short passing and be played at a lower tempo.

Where we may have small differences is our approach. There are some on the forums who advocate having separate tactics which aren't a bad idea, as long as you understand the fundamentals. Not knowing how to use them or when to use them can have bad results, so its crucial you understand the fundamentals first. Hmm thats not a bad idea for my planned thread...Fundamental Football Manager.

Understanding the game is crucial, and sometimes I get disappointed by the overtly mathematical models that get tossed up here and there, cos if I were to apply the same logic the mathematical forumlae would be long and it'll look like my final year thesis in Econometric Modelling, which is just plain stupid.

Fundamentals just stick to them, understand the sliders and then make tactics. Make the right assumptions and these mean understanding the sliders CORRECTLY. And then take these assumptions and apply them. Use the descriptions of the tactics in the FAQ or in Cleon's thread and then apply some assumptions to them, be detached when choosing the right players and don't let yourself get emotionally attached to players. The game is fundamentally simple. Humans have an innate talent for over-complication.

retired_HAdvocate

There are always poeple on these forums that test out different theories. One can either learn from them, and/or test them out to see if it works as described in the posts. I find always that it is a slow gradual progress, and by piecing all the small bits of valuable information together (training, coaches, tactics, shortlists, and ect...) one can obtain success. It's a combination of different elements and not a "one tactic conquering all" game anymore.

When applying the sliders you have to determine which of the sliders have an attacking mindset and which has the diffensive mindset. For example: many people say that narrow width is used for more defense tactics whereas wide width is for more attacking tactics. All the sliders have purposes and one should keep things relatively on the same "mindset", and try not to contradict one's own gameplan. There are time's where you have to attack and times where you have to defend, and as a manager it's your job to find out when you have to do what...