retired_jenjen

I've always been curious as to what is actually meant by 'its best to start a new game' when downloading a patch. I know why its suggested, but....let me try to explain.

I've never re-started, I've always continued my save and patched.

Now, if you start afresh, then I would expect the patch does exactly what it says on the label from the word go and fixes everything in the changelist. 100%.

If you continue a saved game, my understanding has always been that its takes several in-game months for the patch to work its magic as it irons out the problems.

In the past, I have never encountered any problems continuing from a saved game. And intend to do the same when the 08 patch is released.

What I'd like to know is, if you do use a save game and patch it and continue - and it takes a while to fix everything, is there a possibility it doesnt quite reach 100% unlike starting a new game?

Is that why you (SI) suggest starting a game from scratch? I can appreciate the purity of starting a new game, and expect that the possibility of encountering problems is pretty non-existent because its a brand new database.

I know, I'm nit-picking a bit, but just interested.

Hope this all makes some kind of sense.

retired_2symonds

I never start a new game just because there is a new patch available. Each fix is different and some will be evident immediately and some maybe not so soon (long term stuff, competition structures etc)

retired_brianaimhoff

good question... we've held off starting our online game until the "final" version of the patch was released, but i think if it's not out by this weekend, we'll start anyway

retired_jenjen

Understood chief. It was a case of understanding the dynamics behind 'we recommend you start a new game'.

retired_serenad

Are match engine fixes save compatibile?

retired_jenjen

Yes.

retired_w0lfpack1

urbanjunkie, it'll be fix-by-fix specific.

So, for example, if one (hypothetical!!!)) build had a 1% chance of a team going into a "downward spiral" effect with Morale, e.g., no matter what, morale tends to drop... a patch might fix the *pattern*, but might not correct teams who were already experiencing extreme lows of Morale due to it. Given a few seasons of normal play, that problem should have corrected itself.

Alternately, a build which saw teams move to a "temporary" stadium during construction only never to move back - again, the patch might fix the pattern, preventing new teams from getting 'stuck', but not fix any team that is already in the wrong stadium and past its end-of-construction date.

The fix for a match-engine bug wouldn't retroactively fix any matches played before the patch but should apply immediately for all future matches.

Say those three fixes were all in the same patch. Your save game, your team personally hasn't experienced the morale bug or the stadium bug. You apply the patch, and you might not notice until much later that gee, Man U don't play in Old Trafford and Barcelona got relegated in 2009 - but bounced back the following year.

Hope that helps - and please keep in mind the examples are purely hypothetical!!

retired_randman

I think I'll start my long-term game tonight, after reading Ter's comments. :thup:

retired_arzu

eg stadium expansion bug.
A bunch of teams with stadium capacity of around 10% of what it should be, which leads to complete financial disaster for the teams involved = time to start a new game when its patched ;p

retired_randman

*sigh*

Why is there always someone who's got to come along and ruin things? And besides, I thought that was fixed in the Beta Patch?