Guidleine/strcture for AI Squads

Iv'e always been frustrated by the mess AI clubs get into the further the game goes on in terms of personnel in their first team squad.

Too many players for certain positions, buying top class players for the sake of it and not playing them, average age getting near 30.

After giving it some thought, I came up with an idea that I think sounds great so wanted to get everyone elses view.

Lets have coded into the game, a structure that AI squads buy only the relevant amount of players for the 'preferred formation' in their managers profile.

For example, a manager that has a preferred formation of '4-2-2', will ensure that he has at most, 4 full backs, 4 centre backs, 4/5 centre mids(def + att included), 4 wingers and 4 strikers.

Now I know some of you will say thats unrealistic because these restrictions dont exist irl. Well maybe not, but it's a game after all and I feel it would be far closer to realism than the current situation. Obviously a relevant quota would have to be assigned to each formation.

How about also coding an 'average age' that the AI squads build towards. In real life managers are always looking at their average age.

The game gets far too messy and career games become no fun and I feel this would be a way to tidy things up and improve the realism.

Opinions?

Iv'e always been frustrated by the mess AI clubs get into the further the game goes on in terms of personnel in their first team squad.

Too many players for certain positions, buying top class players for the sake of it and not playing them, average age getting near 30.

After giving it some thought, I came up with an idea that I think sounds great so wanted to get everyone elses view.

Lets have coded into the game, a structure that AI squads buy only the relevant amount of players for the 'preferred formation' in their managers profile.

For example, a manager that has a preferred formation of '4-2-2', will ensure that he has at most, 4 full backs, 4 centre backs, 4/5 centre mids(def + att included), 4 wingers and 4 strikers.

Now I know some of you will say thats unrealistic because these restrictions dont exist irl. Well maybe not, but it's a game after all and I feel it would be far closer to realism than the current situation. Obviously a relevant quota would have to be assigned to each formation.

How about also coding an 'average age' that the AI squads build towards. In real life managers are always looking at their average age.

The game gets far too messy and career games become no fun and I feel this would be a way to tidy things up and improve the realism.

Opinions?

why would a manager play 4-4-2

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">why would a manager play 4-4-2 </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

meant 4-2-2. Cant really criticise you now after i made that mistake

Sorry didn't spot that, im sure you all know I meant 4-4-2

agree with bits of that. teams like arsenal and crewe should continue to sign young stars or develop there own instead of buying in talent which goes against the norm IRL

In my Hamburg game, I sold Van der Vaart to ManU for 22.5 million euros, where he played 6 games in his first season, all of them subbed on.

I know clubs like ManU are rich, but even they would play someone if they had spent that kind of money, especially as they are a PLC and the shareholders will want a return on the investment.

So I think your idea has some merit, but I would approach it differently.

The way it might happen IRL is that the Manager says to the Chairman, "Ooh, I like the look of that striker, can you sign him for 15 million, please?"

Chairman says, "You've got 7 strikers already, go and sell a couple, then we'll talk."

So one way of handling that is to turn up the interference of the Chairmen a bit, by making transfer funds conditional.

I do remember that in a previous version of the game, Chairmen would veto irresponsible transfers.

By the same token, you could have the opposite effect, irresponsible managers like Leeds' - what was his name again?

So here's my idea: Have a "Financial Prudence" or similar attribute for Chairmen that, combined with an "Interference" attribute, will limit the amount of talent you can sign (or not, as the case may be).

havent any really lng games, but i know what you mean with transfers, man city in my new game spent all thier budget on 3 players, david betley, wright phillips and another RM for about 10m. so they have no money left and will have to rotate al 3 to keep them happy.

i do notice also that teams never buy for the future, its why i think managers should have ppms, altohugh it wouldnt be ppms it would be something else (MPMS?). like 'buys young talent' 'tends to buy aging stars' this way you would have a mark the old manager left when you join a club, say you took over from arseene after a few years you would be left with a bunch of young guns.

also if a manager bought specific types of player, tony pulis and harry redknapp buying big strong target men and other players to play long ball counter attacking football, then if you wanted to play your own style you would be hindered by the players you have, ie sam alerydace not compatiable with newcastle. it would add a little more depth imo

Could be linked to CA too. Big club like Arsenal should have one player in each position at 160-190 and a second string of 140-159s, then the kids of 110 and higher. The lower the expectations of the club so the sliding scale dips.

It'll never be 100% accurate, though, because - rightfully so - the AI managers can't "see" PA, so a youth policy will only be as good as the managers'/scouts' ability to spot talent.

you cant have something that says who many players in each position a manager buys because some buy strange amounts in real life. real madrod have loads of strikers and pompey have 7 central midfielders and only 2 wingers in the senior squad and is still chasing more centre mids! so it does happen in real life so why shouldnt it in the game?

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by andysharkey21:

you cant have something that says who many players in each position a manager buys because some buy strange amounts in real life. real madrod have loads of strikers and pompey have 7 central midfielders and only 2 wingers in the senior squad and is still chasing more centre mids! so it does happen in real life so why shouldnt it in the game? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Well the current situation doesn't happen irl so out of the two I think squad structures is far more realistic. It's a game!! You can't honestly say you like the current way??

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by turn it upto 11:

i do notice also that teams never buy for the future, its why i think managers should have ppms, altohugh it wouldnt be ppms it would be something else (MPMS?). like 'buys young talent' 'tends to buy aging stars' this way you would have a mark the old manager left when you join a club, say you took over from arseene after a few years you would be left with a bunch of young guns. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Great idea