tjawed

The issue is to do with inconsistancy in the match engine between the user and AI teams.

And some of the results it produces are very unrealistic. On 13 times out of 30 games with Man Utd I've failed to turn a draw into a victory. Despite dominating most of those game.

Why can't we just have the 7.0.2 engine back, that was much more realistic , without giving too higher goals per game.

Also another thing is that teams with naturally more attacking football and better players will score more goals. But the game doesn't seem to reflect this , even though it reflects the amount of chances that they create.

retired_tega

The thing thats annoyed me recently is those games, whether its against lesser teams or top teams, where it feels like the result is pre-determined. Where you just know a last minute equaliser will come even if they are down to nine men and playing below their normal standard. Or when you have been on a long winning streak, which ends for no apparent reason you can see, which makes you feel like the computer thought it was time to lose.

Given many of the factors mentioned by the original poster, the problem can be identifying why you are underperforming? Is it moral, which I think is far too easy to damage, or is it tactics, which are way too important? Or is it because I didn't give enough attention to opponent instructions and individual tactics, which, to be honest, bore me and would stop me from playing if I had to spend hours doing this?

Who knows, maybe its all of them. SI has a difficult job on their hands as people want realism, but also fun. if it was ultra realistic, then you would be spending a week on every game, but how much fun is that?

As to the people saying about new features, and how they work/or don't etc. I understand this fully. however...

Last year I plugged in my barely working amiga, and had a blast on some of the games. I then found a championship manager game from around 1994 I think. I loaded a game up, had a fiddle about, and switched it off within half an hour. Why? Because I couldn't do half the stuff I wanted to, it was slow, there was no interaction.

Its probably similar if you try playing fm 05 (can't say for certain as never owned it). Play that now after a few hours on fm08 and you'll be crying out for some of the new features to be available.

The version I've played on most is CM00/01. I enjoyed it because it was simple when you wanted it to be, but if you wanted to go further into detail, you could. Thats what I'd like now, a game that once you've set up your tactics, strategy and so on, you can either get on with things with only minor tweaking. surely this is how it is done in real life? Man utd generally play with the same tactic, and similar personel. If there is a dangerman, fergie will deal with that, or if he needs new players he'll go shopping. but he won't be altering tactics in any major way, and can say pretty much what he likes in public without his players bawling their eyes out. and if they do, he can quite simply deal with it however he sees fit. I know thats simplifying it a bit, but we are suppose to be playing a game, not taking a managerment course.

If SI came up with a perfect match engine and game, I would happily pay money for solely an update to the database. If I buy a new game, say for example half life, I don't expect to be buying a new version of it the following year. Yet with football manager, every single year a new version comes out.

I'm sorry if this post is a bit here and there, I've written it as I've thought it. I agree with the original poster, there are a collection of things that need correcting. But this game is still very good, and I do appreciate the hard job SI have. everyone wants something different from the game. With the later championship manager games I felt they were getting there, a game that could be relatively simple once you got to know it, but could also provide deeper play for people who wanted to tinker. With this version, the first football manager I have significantly played, I feel there is too much going on. It feels like I don't have a choice to play more simply if I choose to anymore, only that I have to play in great detail whether I want to or not. And thats, for me at least, is taking some of the fun away.

retired_jorgenmb

Very nice post by neilb242. I totally agree with the aspect that many of us complain about how nice earlier versions was, but still wouldn't play them again because they're missing important features. At the same time I also agree that when I open a new game every year, a new database with the latest transfers is just as important as a new feature. Of course the game needs to renew itself, but not every year and not when time pressure affects the quality of the game.

At the same time I also found an interesting post by sirdez24 and George Graham, about the missing possibility of knowing why things go wrong. Further coach/ass.man interaction would be a great feature, but also some kind of feeback that shows you that the resaon that Cristiano Ronaldo netted 3 times against you was because your full back was way to slow. Or that your short passes did not work at all because of the muddy field. Don't know in which format, and not necisarrily that straight forward, but it will make tactics more interesting for people.

What I must say I disagree a bit with, is the wishes for even more features before SI has managed to get in control over those already implemented. We all would like new features, but not at any costs I hope?

Anyway thank you all for keeping this thread as a serious and calm discussion without any name calling or screaming at SI. Hopefully it will be a thread which they also might get something useful out of

cman234

Excellent post!!! I especially agree with "cracking tactics" part.

Altough previous versions were not perfect, they were playable, this is the first version since I'm playing CM/FM (and I'm playing it for last 10 years) that is simply unplayable, simply not realistic enough. And I'm not talking about minor anooyances, like in every game, ME in FM 2008 really put a stick in your eyes.

retired_jorgenmb

Thank you, and that might also be one of the most annoying parts, as it is completely unrealistic.

It also kills me that my opposition keeps on scoring at de end of added time. When they get a chance 2.46 into the three minutes of added time it never goes wrong that they score. I'm sure it is not a bug, and that there is someway one can prevent it by keep cracking tactics, but it's still irritating..

retired_cr8zjoe

You've made some good points here.

Somewhere on this list, someone from SI admitted that they have tweaked the finishing power of strikers.

The problem as I see it is that too many chances are being created due to midfielders being too good and defenders being too poor. A world-class midfielder playing against world class defenders may produce two or three defence splitting passes in a game certainly not seven or eight.

As for tactics, if this game is about realism, why are SI trying to stop 'killer' tactics. These do not happen in real-life and a 2-2-2-4 tactic would be destroyed by any real-life team.

The only exception I can think of was Brazil's 4-2-4 tactic in the 1950's. It worked for a while because they had great players.

retired_ironmaden

4-2-4 was not that suicidal, and it was widely employed at that time. Actually, it's only a step from the current 4-4-2.

retired_jorgenmb

Another problem with the shot/goals-ratio problem, is that I think it also will have something to do with the confidence issue. If you read your match confidence after a typical s/g-match, you often see your supporter spokesperson tellgin you that your fans are dissapointed with the teams inability to convert chances into goals.. As your surroundings total perception of you (which I guess is some kind of median of all feedback during the season) affects if you keep your job or not, this will then indirectly decide your faith. A bit scary when you hear many stories of players/managers who are getting sacked even though they have brought success to their club.

retired_jayboi2k7

I also stopped playing FM. Too many silly little bugs both in the match engine and in the overall AI.

retired_coach91448

I was reading this post and i found it very interesting, so i decided to add my opinion..
In addition to all things written here, there is something that i find unrealistic:
all teams can "travel" far too easy from their box to the opponent's one. I see often player running with the ball (well not only running, sprinting..) 60 -70 yards, running between the defenders who seems rooted to the ground. IRL u can see a coast-to-coast 1 or 2 times in a year, and when it happens everyone talk about that as something exceptional.. Here it happens even at very low levels.
Again, u can see lots of 50-60 yard perfect passes, with the ball "on fly" for some seconds and no defenders moving until the attacker stopped the ball. Obviuosly, those perfect passes even at very low levels.
I could go on, but i think my opinion (obviously is an opinion and not "The Truth") is clear; however what i described help the ME to create lots of chances.