retired_fitnessconnection

Like a lot of people i've been playing this game in its many guises from day one. I've had some great fun with it over the years, but ever since purchasing FM07 on the day of it's release i have failed to extract more than a minute amount of fun or understanding from it, despite my own tactical efforts and the thousands available via here and other FM related sites.

I've had my share of success, i could start a game now with any so called "Big Club" from around the World and compete confidently for every honour available depending on Competitions they are entered in, but i'm well aware that i am only competing based on the Clubs in game reputation, players available and/or transfer budget, rather than an understanding of the tactical side of the game.

I have tested 100's of my own tactical creations as well as d/loading and testing almost every supposed great tactic available on the net, all with there own different take on defence, creativity, mentality to name but a few, but even with this mass array of tactics to choose from, the final outcome is amazingly similar in it's downfall.

The list seem's endless, but includes...

The AI scoring with almost every shot on target, whilst my strikers miss a host of "easy" chances
Gk and defensive errors
The AI's ability to score from set pieces(my own just as often as theirs)
AI superkeepers
The AI players ability to outpace or win headers consistently when player stats reveal a massive difference in size and/or ability
My own players inability to control the ball
The AI players ability to go on Ronaldinho and Kaka style mazy runs, beat my back four twice and slot home beautifully and easily from ridiculous angles and all that from players who's stats are less than impressive
The inability of my strong passing midfielder to make a simple 5 yard pass under no pressure whilst an AI player of questionable stats pick out half a dozen 60 yard cross ball passes for the advancing forward

I'll leave it there, so as not to turn this thread into a book.

I have also spent many an hour trying to base my tactics on the following...

Heading abilities
Pace
Good passing stats
Long ball
Target man
Every formation imaginable
Tactic sets
Free roles
Wingplay
Strong defence
All out attack
Playmaker, as well as many mixed varieties of the above to no avail.

The bottom line is, i cannot get my players to perform consistently for any length of time and after watching game after game in full to try to work out and/or understand where i am going wrong, the only constant i can see is that my players give the ball away in the most ridiculous of area's and circumstances, which in a tactical sense leave's me little to work with. If not that, then its one of the above AI scenario's, which again cannot be accounted for or dealt with in any tactical tweak.

If anyone has come across a tactical breakthrough or idea that they can actually see working, i'd certainly appreciate a look?, before i finally give up with FM07 once and for all!.

retired_skullking1971

You've got the wrong user name, mate! I mean 2ndChance - i bet you've given it a lot more chances than that!
Anyway if it's any use i know where your coming from, but one last stab... don't hope to much. I've created tactics that have worked wonders and failed miserably, quite often the same tactic does both!
But no tactic, and i mean NO tactic will go beyond it's sell by date unless you can figure out the re-ranking issue which SI continue to deny.
It really disapoints me when you create 10+ chances on target and then get told it's because of your tactic. IF THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH YOUR TACTIC THEN WHY ARE YOU CREATING SO MANY CHANCES???

retired_fitnessconnection

Its the same as conceding goals too. Someone will go on about how it must be how you've set up your defence, but if i've kept the opposition from having more than a couple of shots all game, that tends to suggest i've got something right surely?.

The worst is when people state "this has never happened to me", which suggests they are playing a totally different version of the game to us or "it happens in RL just the same", which i'm very sorry is the biggest load of bollux i've ever heard!. Yes, it does happen IRL once or twice a season maybe, but not 14 times in one match!.

retired_rayrhi

I'm right there with you on this one, mate. That list you made sums up the game to a tee. You're so right—what the hell can you do against an opponent that scores 1 goal and wins with only 1 shot all match? The balance is all askew. It certainly makes me feel sometimes that my tactic is obsolete. I had a theory that the AI over-compensates when it realises that your team is too good to beat, and so it gains a percentage bonus in all that it does to counteract your implementation, and you suffer a decrease in certain parts. This would explain why you can have 20 shots and not score, and the computer has 2 shots and ends up winning the match. I just can't help feeling 'cheated' after this happens. It's not fair and we are owed an explanation as to why. I am sure it happens in most people's games, but they are too scared to admit it because of blind love for the game. The fact that so many of us are sure this problem exists proves to me that it is indeed an in-game problem. I am still a die-hard manager and I play it every day, but that's because I live in the hope that I will solve the game, but I hate the idea that the AI could 'cheat' to beat you.

retired_fitnessconnection

It's always been there on every installment of the game, but never to such a degree.

I'm convinced it has been coded into FM07 as a simple detterent for finding "Super Tactics".

retired_alyalesch

if you wanna be successful in this game you have to now devote hours of tactical research, then days of tactical building, then months of tactical tweeking, then endless games of getting beaten 1-0 in the 89th minute from an AI team which has managed to time waist and defend for the whole game Then you crak it and you start winning an FM2008 is out . I think users need more help and guidance from the official FM creators over tactical issues.
Plus how does anybody know what the f++k is going on when all i see is little round blobs chasing a small round blob, then people come on here and say it went through the keepers legs tahts why your keeper didn't save it. Give me a break :eek:

retired_barbiej

2ndchance sense your a West Ham fan you should know that there is no quick fixes. Have you tried the event based tactics to counter the AI, making small changes and keeping the majority of team instructions the same. e.g turning counter attack on once you've taken a lead

Sky King

I disagree. I've taken a Serie C2 team to Serie A with one tactic, no tweaks and on holiday mode.

And no, I'm not reloading.

I think the talks on tactics are overrated. Some people simply use standard 4-4-2 and win the league. Combined with lack of super tactic in FM2007, it tells me that it is not tactics that's the most important; rather, team-building and knowing who to bring into your squad, as well as managing finance aspect of the team is important in this game.

retired_fitnessconnection

I disagree. I've taken a Serie C2 team to Serie A with one tactic, no tweaks and on holiday mode.

And no, I'm not reloading.

I think the talks on tactics are overrated. Some people simply use standard 4-4-2 and win the league. Combined with lack of super tactic in FM2007, it tells me that it is not tactics that's the most important; rather, team-building and knowing who to bring into your squad, as well as managing finance aspect of the team is important in this game. </BLOCKQUOTE>

Marseille - I hope you realise that even whilst in Holiday Mode and instructing your Ass Man to use your tactics, if your not there for the game he still makes tweaks as he see's fit!.

Sky King

I am not quite convinced the results would have been so drastically different had I played without tweaks vs go on holiday and let ass-man handle things. As you stated, the ass-man is indeed using my tactics so if anything ass-man tweaks some later in the game, not from the beginning of the game.