Poll: Should FM be easier?

I think most people will agree that FM09 is harder than earlier versions. In particular I seem to remember FM06/07 being quite "easy".

What I mean is, for instance, on FM07 I had a long running save with Palermo where I fairly easy could finish top 4 in Serie A season 1 and go on to perhaps win the league in season 2 or 3.

Or you could fairly easily take a tier 3 or lower team and get some promotions...

In FM09 it seems you have to have your tactics, team talks, back room staff and signings spot on, and even then you might not be successful...

In particular the tactics I feel are brutally hard to get working in FM09

We must remember that FM sells in the millions world wide and the people on this forum is a minority. I honestly believe most people buy FM because they want to restore the pride of a club. Like Leeds, Luton, Man City or an under-performing team in their country. And some other people wants to emulate the success of Wenger, Ferguson, Mourinho, Pellegrini and similar managers...

Me personally I'm a geeky computer programmer so I love the complexity of FM09 but sometimes I wonder why it's so hard to get success... Perhaps I'm just really bad at FM?

I know there's been similar posts since FM09 was released, but perhaps we can stick to just voting on the poll rather than all the random moans and flame-wars?

Football management is not a walk in the park.

Yeah it's not hard enough I would say.

id say its easy with euro cup - champ leauge teams but fairly hard with lower leauge teams, but thats all part of the fun isn't it?

for some people the harder it is the more fun they have.

I wish it was harder. There is nothing I like better than seeing the lads get a good thrashing every game.

I'm glad it's harder this time round,i prefer the challenge tbh.

Currently it is about right. If it is easy frankly what is the point of playing?

To be fair, I think it's a good balance now... Hard but not impossible. FM06/07 was probably too easy especially if you downloaded a "super-tactics".

But we all know this because we spend a lot of time on these forums reading TT&F and other extensive posts. We can also find all the top players/staff and good bargains listed here. And tactics/training/team-talks... Just about everything you need to aid you as much as possible.

But I'm wondering if the "normal" people who buy FM09 find it too hard? Obviously a bit of a pointless thing to ask in these forums, but just thought I'd ask anyway

I don't think it should be any easier in the 'classic' sense, but SI really need to give us a proper sodding manual. You know, one that extensively explains the exact effect of all the sliders/attributes/team talks on the match engine. I'm sure I'm not the ony person who's looked at a number of things my team does and thought: why is that (not) happening? I see AI teams play in certain ways, and certain aspects of their game I'd like to put into mine. But I have no idea what settings to choose. Same with training. I know what I want to achieve, but there's literally no way to work out how to achieve that without extensive testing. Don't get me wrong, I fully agree that there should be some level of trial and error involved in playing the game, but we should only need to run tests to find out what's successful, rather than to find out how the game works. Currently, the gulf between the level of knowledge of the user and the level of knowledge of the AI managers is stupendous, and it's that gulf which is makes the game unfairly tricky. It's an uneven playing field. One which SI can even out very easily, in my view.

To be fair, I think it's a good balance now... Hard but not impossible. FM06/07 was probably too easy especially if you downloaded a "super-tactics".

But we all know this because we spend a lot of time on these forums reading TT&F and other extensive posts. We can also find all the top players/staff and good bargains listed here. And tactics/training/team-talks... Just about everything you need to aid you as much as possible.

But I'm wondering if the "normal" people who buy FM09 find it too hard? Obviously a bit of a pointless thing to ask in these forums, but just thought I'd ask anyway

I would not think anyone should find it "hard"

If someone isnt doing well they should immedieately look at their tactics, I would think that the overall games' difficulty shouldn't be questioned.

I'd say the difficulty is about right in FM2009. I've managed to take Leicester City from League One to the Premier League title and Champions League semi-final in 8 seasons. I don't spend ages messing around with tactics either and in fact still use most of the settings I was using in FM2007.

I'd be bored if it was too easy and I wouldn't feel much satisfaction from winning trophies.

If anything it's to easy after the game becomes flooded with regens. To easy to buy all the best youth and to easy cos the AI let there squads go to pot.

I think, SI is going the right way with the game. I just think there should be something like a "sandbox" mode for the occasional players and beginners, where you have only a few sliders that combine some of the existent ones, no team talks and for the very untalented 7 year old guys amongst us the option to have unlimited cash

I would select the missing option 'its not hard enough make it harder'

In previous iterations it got boring simply building the team and winning everything for 10 seasons until you needed to build a new one. I got to 2030 in fm07, which is the furthest I've gone without holidaying, and I could do no wrong with my Leeds side. Couple of seasons I won every league game and every cup.

The only way to keep the old games fresh was to move clubs every 5-6 years.

I like it that you can be unbeaten from game one through to Christmas and then not win another game until the end of January. Way more realistic than winning every game.

In FM09 it seems you have to have your tactics, team talks, back room staff and signings spot on, and even then you might not be successful.

Sounds like real life to me, folks!

I think some parts of the game are about right but others are too difficult. Building tactics is too difficult at the moment and we are in understanding that tactic building will be better in the next iteration.

It should be easier to understand, but that doesn't mean it would be easy.

I think it should be way harder. Best way to do it is by increasing AI squad building skills, Man U just got relegated on my game because they bought such poor players that were past their peak.

I think some parts of the game are about right but others are too difficult. Building tactics is too difficult at the moment and we are in understanding that tactic building will be better in the next iteration.

I think they've already announced they are looking to build a tactics wizard into the next FM, which will explain how each alteration will change the way your team will play. Can't find the link at the moment, tho. Don't think it's confirmed, just something they're trying.

Hopefully it'll be an either/or option rather than a replacement.

I think they've already announced they are looking to build a tactics wizard into the next FM, which will explain how each alteration will change the way your team will play. Can't find the link at the moment, tho. Don't think it's confirmed, just something they're trying.

Hopefully it'll be an either/or option rather than a replacement.

Check the thread in the tactics forum that I created. It is an experiment using that very wizard!

In particular the tactics I feel are brutally hard to get working in FM09

Once you understand the tactical side, it can become very simple.

Most of the AI teams play will fairly global and mixed settings in FM09. If you follow suit, you can't go too far wrong. Then read the scout reports and watch the opposition during matches.

I think FM09 is only slightly more 'difficult' tactically than other versions. In previous versions, the use of arrows could make a poor tactic perform reasonably well. In this version, a poor tactic cannot hide behind arrows.

I think if you had success tactically in 08 without using exploits in terms of arrows, you should easily be able to apply the same principles to 09 and be successful.

C.

Sometimes i think i only have fun when my team is struggling.

P.S. My vote would be for the FM series to stay exactly the same as it is now.

The next version might actually be harder by the way.

Yes, there will be the wizard to help with tactics. But the AI will also be using the slider and will therefore have a wider range of tactics at its disposal and so should be harder to beat.

C.

Its not even hard already lol

It all depends on your team

In FM09 it seems you have to have your tactics, team talks, back room staff and signings spot on, and even then you might not be successful...

In particular the tactics I feel are brutally hard to get working in FM09

That's why they pay you £ 100,000 a week if you succeed

It should be a challange because its what makes the game fun.

Too frustrating to be a game, too simple to be a simulation, that's the problem with 09, imho. At least playing 07 you knew you're dealing with a game, but 09 is lost somewhere in beteween.

I think most people will agree that FM09 is harder than earlier versions. In particular I seem to remember FM06/07 being quite "easy".

What I mean is, for instance, on FM07 I had a long running save with Palermo where I fairly easy could finish top 4 in Serie A season 1 and go on to perhaps win the league in season 2 or 3.

Or you could fairly easily take a tier 3 or lower team and get some promotions...

In FM09 it seems you have to have your tactics, team talks, back room staff and signings spot on, and even then you might not be successful...

In particular the tactics I feel are brutally hard to get working in FM09

We must remember that FM sells in the millions world wide and the people on this forum is a minority. I honestly believe most people buy FM because they want to restore the pride of a club. Like Leeds, Luton, Man City or an under-performing team in their country. And some other people wants to emulate the success of Wenger, Ferguson, Mourinho, Pellegrini and similar managers...

Me personally I'm a geeky computer programmer so I love the complexity of FM09 but sometimes I wonder why it's so hard to get success... Perhaps I'm just really bad at FM?

I know there's been similar posts since FM09 was released, but perhaps we can stick to just voting on the poll rather than all the random moans and flame-wars?

Try giving the "easy/Hard" one with all the sacked or unemployed managers out there, and you are crying about a PC game??????????

I think the poll speaks volumes!

switching on the game, beating everyone, winning every cup, yeah, that will make me buy next years.

Let's face it, these guys don't work all year to play the game for you, but the way you are going on, that's what you want???????????????

No for me, I think I have improved greatly with tactics, training and utilizing my team with this version.

I struggle at this game so much a lot of the time. But i would never like it made easier.

I struggle at this game so much a lot of the time. But i would never like it made easier.

Completely agree! Even though to me FM09 is the most frustrating FM/CM ever it is without a doubt the best one. It took a long time for CM03/04 to get beaten, but FM09 does it all just by the difficulty.

Votes speak for themselves tbh.

Shame on the 31 or so who voted yes.