Is Football Manager in Decline?

With FM07 i had what was arguably the best tactic. At that time i had loads of people message me to say thanks for my efforts otherwise they wouldn't get any enjoyment out the game. Since then i have lost touch with FM myself. I just can't seem to understand it anymore. So what about the other people? I got used to loads of people through my own threads and since FM08 they have disappeared.

Whilst i am hereby stating that the fault lies within the user and not the game i still do believe that SI are taking the game away from mainstream and into hardcore.

With FM08, Fm09, FM10 and now FM11 i have seen the same pattern whilst playing the game. I CAN create a tactic that does really well but each and everytime it falls apart and i no idea why. I repeat that the fault lies with ME as that is how the game is intended. It throws up new challenges and you have to adapt accordingly. I can't - lord have i tried. But to no avail.

So if i am struggling and i did really well with every version upto FM07 then how are other people managing? Well i guess it is either sink or swim. Either they have adapted or they have given up.

With FM 11 (demo) i seemed to start off well i was getting reports back from David Moyles (Everton) and Alex Ferguson (Man Utd) that my style of football was a joy to watch and that Sunderland fans should be proud of their Manager. It's not that i was just using a static tactic - i was changing the settings according to who we were playing. But then just like to previous version it hits a brick wall stage were it does not matter which tweaks i do none of them work. Again i am saying it is ME using the wrong tweaks not the game but i believe that if i can't get the desired enjoyment from the game then i do believe others will have the same problems.

I do not kid myself. I am NOT a football Manager, i never will be a Football Manager so that i why i play this game. I want the game to KID me that i AM a Football Manager. I want the game to KID me that i am Sunderlands greatest ever Manager! FM did all that for me to great satisfaction up until FM08. But it no longer does it for me.

Is it just me? If it is just me then why have all the tactics disappeared from the Tactics and Training Section? The only tactics you get now are for only the biggest clubs.

"3 seasons unbeaton with this Tactic" - no doubt that is a fantastic achievement but as soon as i open the thread and see it is with Arsenal i lose all interest. Any other tactic is the same, when you open the thread it is GREAT SUCCESS with Real Madrid or Barcelona or Man Utd etc etc. What happened with tactics that worked with York City or Hereford or the like?

I'm not on about a tactic that would take York to the Premier League in consecutive seasons but one that generally works without the need to understand all the ins and outs of every detail.

Of course there are other reasons for FM being in decline. The Video Games market is dropping my 9% per year. The biggest victim is PC Gaming. This once had the biggest space in any Computer Game shops but has now got the smallest space. I would be amazed if FM isn't effected.

Whilst i accept that SI have decided to go with realsim i do wish they would take other users problems on board. I don't mean the current Assistant Managers role as i don't believe that works properly. I mainly use the Assistant Manager for teamtalks etc but the decline still sets in. I don't know what the answer is but i know years ago people were asking for some sort of skill levels. I know that some people wil slaughter me for that but it WILL come to Hardcore v Mainstream. Choosing hardcore will see a big drop in income.

POLL -

I am as happy with the game now as i was previously

I don't get as much enjoyment out the game as i used to

I no longer play the game

Which catergory do you fall into?

PLEASE try to keep comments respectfull. No SI Sucks or Fanboy comments. If you have something positive or negative to say then by all means do so here but keep it polite.

I know SI read these threads and i would like them to understand WHY people like me won't be buying FM11. It's not because i hate the game, in fact the opposite. I just can't come to terms with it anymore.

I personally really enjoyed FM2010, imho the best game since CM01/02 and probably better in terms of enjoyment as well as the obvious feature improvements. AI squad building must improve, but newgen development is improving and the new templates for their development interest me greatly.

I haven't played the demo so cant comment on FM11.

I fall under 'happy with the game as it is now'.

I don't really understand your post. What do you want?

It sounds like you just want the game to be easier?

I completely understand what you say about 'great tactics' - to be honest I think my Mum could find a great tactic with a madrid or barcelona and she doesn't even know who they are. One of the things I have noticed in the FM series last few years is the emphasis on tactical consistency. Changing the team and the tactics around every game doesn't help the team to gel - which can affect performances quite drastically. So that's perhaps something to think about in FM11.

I'm definitely a fan of FM11, and although I think it'll have to go some to be better than FM10 which IMO was really excellent, I'm excited and intrigued by a number of the new features and the gradual improvement of the 3d Match engine.

Not sure what you're getting at about mainsteam v hardcore - I think the game has more depth to it now than ever, and as such really works for hardcore FMers. But my brother is by no means hardcore and he still gets a lot out of the game because he can ask his Ass Man to do so much of the stuff he doesn't really understand, like friendlies, match prep, etc. So even for mainstream, less hardcore gamers there is still a lot to get from the game.

I think its to do with time. FM seems like it is a far more immersive experience than years gone by, with detailed tactics and training and tweaks being required here and there throughout the season. Maybe as a teenager I would have loved spending night after night tweaking tactics to improve my defensive record but it doesn't appeal to me anymore.

If you have a family, you just don't have the time. All I want from a game now, is a bit of escapism and some fun for the hour or two I can play it, not a frustrating experience that seems to require many many hours before enjoyment can be had.

Like a lot of the people on here, I have played FM since early Champ Man days and always enjoyed picking my team, picking a tactic then getting on with the fun part of signing players and playing the games. Slowly, training became important and then tactics became nigh on impossible to get right without changing them every few games.

I won't be getting FM11 as like FM10, it won't be an enjoyable experience for me. It will probably be fantastic for those that want to spend hours and hours on it but unfortunately thats not what I look for in a game anymore.

Well first of all, I never played FM before FM2010, so I have nothing to compare with. I think the current version - FM2010 - is awesome. The next version - FM2011 - seems even better, and I'm looking forward to a long time of playing with it. That's not being a fanboy, that's being honest.

I don't really understand the original post, though. You're saying that you can't plug in a tactic for a (relatively) ordinary club, and dominate the league with it.

Now, to me, that would not be something I wanted. That would indicate that the game is broken! A game that adapts and challenges you is worth playing, a game that hands victory to you on a platter once you enter certain known 'uber settings' is not.

I voted "I still play it but i don't enjoy it like i used to" but i do have high hopes for fm2011. Id really like to see a little less emphasis on the tactics selected and a little more on the quality of the players that you have on the park, that way I wouldnt feel like I have to have every slider in exactly the right position to scrape a result. Generally speaking, its the teams with the best players who win things and sit at the top of leagues.

I really enjoyed FM2010, but I'm not really enjoying the FM2011 demo because there's a lot of school boy problems in there which basically make the game unplayable for me... however the foundations for FM2011 are definitely there for it to be an improvement on FM2010... it's just a case for me of SI fixing what should of been flagged and fixed by who tested the game before it got to the public demo stage.

So, FM2011 demo aside, I fall under 'Yes i am enjoying FM as much now as before' although I believe that there are definitely a few areas in FM as a whole that aren't reaching their potential and can still be improved massively (such as the media as one example).

I don't think it's declined but they have lost perspective on the small things. B teams are always wrong, every year mention is made and it seems that programming is done from an English perspective. Understandable since SI are British based but incorrect with the way football is governed. Far more influence in the football world is garnered abroad than in the UK. Bar the Premiership which is only successful due to financial prosperity, every other division struggles to produce much inovation in World terms. B teams in Spain have produced and continue to produce some of the best youngsters in World Football yet the game fails to deal with this correctly.

Also English teams in the game are far superior than their European counterparts which makes the English national side one of the best in the game, again totally unrealistic. There is not one player in the England team who can play abroad, none do and the only one who still carries weight internationally is David Beckham, who is in his 30s. I fail to see why SI seem frightened to reduce the level of superiority in-game of English teams and pay a bit more attention to the small details abroad.

Another example is the Belgium names, which apparently have been causing a problem in-game leading to German sounding Belgium players appearing as newgens as the seasons progress. The official reply to this problem is that the names are rather unusual and therefore it will not be fixed in this edition. However unpronounceable English named players appear to not be a problem. Again the problem is that as FM and SI have got ever bigger they continue to still cater for their core English market while they seem to forget that they are more present abroad than seems to be acknowledged.

A case of the moster getting too big to control. At least heading that way.

I personally really enjoyed FM2010, imho the best game since CM01/02 and probably better in terms of enjoyment as well as the obvious feature improvements. AI squad building must improve, but newgen development is improving and the new templates for their development interest me greatly.

I haven't played the demo so cant comment on FM11.

I fall under 'happy with the game as it is now'.

Except for all the pointless and poorly implemented player and media interaction, I would agree. Tactics must shift with the current game situation. You must be flexible.

I voted "I still play it but i don't enjoy it like i used to" but i do have high hopes for fm2011. Id really like to see a little less emphasis on the tactics selected and a little more on the quality of the players that you have on the park, that way I wouldnt feel like I have to have every slider in exactly the right position to scrape a result. Generally speaking, its the teams with the best players who win things and sit at the top of leagues.

Dont use sliders. And the quality of players isnt a great indicator of who is the better team. Good tactics can easily nullify better talent.

Yes i am enjoying FM as much now as before!

not having a go but the 1 person that put no, i don't play it now?

why are you even on this forum ffs? obvious troll is obvious

With FM07 i had what was arguably the best tactic. At that time i had loads of people message me to say thanks for my efforts otherwise they wouldn't get any enjoyment out the game.

Personally I don't know why people insist on creating/finding "killer" tactics. Surely part of the fun of the game is using your skills as a manager to use tactics that are right for the players you have available to you or the teams/situations you face while playing the game.

It makes total sense that tactics for a team like Barcelona or Man Utd will be less effective with York City or Hereford as they have different types of players with different types and levels of skills and mentality.

If it was still possible to make "killer" tactics like older version of the game then a large part of the game would be pretty pointless. It was possible in some of the older version as the opponent AI was probably less able to react/adapt to the choices you make. But that's less and less the case each version.

Although I do agree with you that in the newer versions I have struggled to find the "right" tactics for the teams I manage and a lot of the time the tweaks I make same to make little difference to my team or don't bring the required effects. But again this might be me not adjusting to how the current versions work. Although I have played every version of CM/FM since the original CM.

I think I probably don't enjoy it quite as much as I used to do but I think that is as much to do with the amount of free time I have these days rather than a reflection on the game itself. I work full time, I'm in a pretty busy band (Lancashire Hotpots - any fans play FM? ) and I now have a wife and a 9 month old daughter. Gone are the days were I could sit up until the early hours falling asleep at my desk between 'continues' and then skip uni the next day!

And now there is so much to get involved in with that game that together with my lack of free time, starting a new game seems like an impossible task. Evaluating the team and backroom staff, setting up scouting and training, looking for new players, selling old ones, playing friendlies ... it does sometimes feel like forever before starting a new game really gets 'interesting'

I know some friends who have played the series as long as I have who just don't buy the game anymore because it's just too much. They haven't played for a few versions and they've just got out of touch with how everything work and how much you need to do in the new games.

Conversely though this is surely a good thing. It just goes to show how much time and energy SI puts into researching and developing new features or improving old ones so that the game continually evolves and improves. If that didn't happen we would all be on here moaning that they were just releasing the same game every year with just different data and that they weren't doing enough to push the series forward. They obviously are.

Unfortunately some of us just don't have the time, energy or enthusiasm to keep pace with these changes. Which is a shame as I know if I gave FM2010 or 2011 a really good go I'd love it as much as previous version if not more so. And hopefully at one point soon I will.

In the mean time, if you have a PSP, iPhone or iPod Touch I would seriously recommend FMH2010 (or 11 when it's released). I have FMH 2010 on the iPhone and I just can't stop playing it at the moment! Sure it's not even half the game the PC version is, but that's the whole point. I can play it either in quick busts or lose hours in it. E.G. I can spend half an hour playing it on my lunch break or ten minutes having an iPoo or I can spend a few hours playing it while the wife watches soap after soap, after reality TV show after soap or on the band bus on the way to a gig the other end of the country

And for that reason I'm going to vote for I'm happy with the game

I don't enjoy playing as i used to in fm05,fm06,fm07

- It's getting better

- It feels less fun

- The rate of development feels much slower than before

So no, the game isn't dying, but I do wish that FM10 didn't feel like FM09 done right, and FM11 didn't look like Patch 10.4.

The thread title doesn't match the poll question btw.

- It's getting better

- It feels less fun

- The rate of development feels much slower than before

So no, the game isn't dying, but I do wish that FM10 didn't feel like FM09 done right, and FM11 didn't look like Patch 10.4.

IMO it feels like its less fun because some of the new features are just ponderous. While press conferences and individual player interaction are a real part of a FM's job, they are a very small part of how they spend their time. In FM these features are overpowered and extremely repetitive. Its almost impossible to make them work right because of the variation of possibilities. They game would be more fun if these were optional features.

I think the real problem with press conferences and player interaction is:

- It's repetitive

- There are no "right" answers - just "most of these are wrong"

- You can't really use it to your advantage...

- ... But get it wrong and you are put at a disadvantage

- You don't know if you are wrong until you see the players' reactions (has anyone thought that managers get talks with members of the club's PR team?)

- And you don't know if you are right

- It's repetitive so you send your assistant, which is a key hint that it's not actually a good feature...

- ... But can't really tell your assistant roughly what to say

- The "best" method is usually to say "no comment" all the way through, which defeats the purpose of the thing

I think Football Manager is getting better however i dont enjoy it as much as i used to.

Even though a product may improve over time its also likely that because you've used it so much that it wont entertain you as much as it first did. I first played a version of this game in 2002 and i still do enjoy it, but nowhere near as much as i used to as its like i been there and done it all before if you know what i mean. Surely its only natural with anything that this occurs?

Si can't win if it was to easy you would still moan and now people find it hard they moan so it's a lose lose situation for SI but i love the game.

You don't even need to spend an hour on tactics let alone night (as said by someone). You can throw a half decent tactic within 10 minutes if you use common sense.

I think the real problem with press conferences and player interaction is:

- It's repetitive

- There are no "right" answers - just "most of these are wrong"

- You can't really use it to your advantage...

- ... But get it wrong and you are put at a disadvantage

- You don't know if you are wrong until you see the players' reactions (has anyone thought that managers get talks with members of the club's PR team?)

- And you don't know if you are right

- It's repetitive so you send your assistant, which is a key hint that it's not actually a good feature...

- ... But can't really tell your assistant roughly what to say

- The "best" method is usually to say "no comment" all the way through, which defeats the purpose of the thing

Well said. I couldnt agree more.

I think the real problem with press conferences and player interaction is:

- It's repetitive

- There are no "right" answers - just "most of these are wrong"

- You can't really use it to your advantage...

- ... But get it wrong and you are put at a disadvantage

- You don't know if you are wrong until you see the players' reactions (has anyone thought that managers get talks with members of the club's PR team?)

- And you don't know if you are right

- It's repetitive so you send your assistant, which is a key hint that it's not actually a good feature...

- ... But can't really tell your assistant roughly what to say

- The "best" method is usually to say "no comment" all the way through, which defeats the purpose of the thing

I totally agree with this post.

Sometimes all the option even mean the exact same thing, when I want to say the opposite. Like the Opposition manager's playing squad strength.

Or put another way, feels like damage limitation most of the time.

And damage limitation is not fun!

FM07 was the first time I played FM and I really enjoyed it and I enjoy it even more now I try to tell myself that I shouldn't be be playing the game so much instead I should be doing some revision or coursework but I just can't help myself I just love playing the game every year since I got it for the first time.

You don't even need to spend an hour on tactics let alone night (as said by someone). You can throw a half decent tactic within 10 minutes if you use common sense.

Just set 4-4-2. The game does all the rest. It won't help Newcastle or WBA beat Chelsea or Man City, but it will give your team the base structure to win the games they should win, and compete well in even matches.

Some people seem to want more than that - well, you can have more than that, but you need to put the effort in, to understand situations, and adapt to them, you can't download a 'super tactic' and win everything. That's the way it should be.

FM's not in decline. Expectations get higher. SI set the bar higher themselves and occasionally falter in their efforts to match it.

Football Manager is not in decline, it has been more or less on a steady incline since it first came out. Wether you enjoy it or not is down to preference, and this is not a game for fairweather players really, it's a management sim.

Inevitably there will be bumps in the road, but if they have the right staff and finances, then eventually SI will create an almost perfect game.

With FM07 i had what was arguably the best tactic. At that time i had loads of people message me to say thanks for my efforts otherwise they wouldn't get any enjoyment out the game. Since then i have lost touch with FM myself. I just can't seem to understand it anymore. So what about the other people? I got used to loads of people through my own threads and since FM08 they have disappeared.

Whilst i am hereby stating that the fault lies within the user and not the game i still do believe that SI are taking the game away from mainstream and into hardcore.

With FM08, Fm09, FM10 and now FM11 i have seen the same pattern whilst playing the game. I CAN create a tactic that does really well but each and everytime it falls apart and i no idea why. I repeat that the fault lies with ME as that is how the game is intended. It throws up new challenges and you have to adapt accordingly. I can't - lord have i tried. But to no avail.

So if i am struggling and i did really well with every version upto FM07 then how are other people managing? Well i guess it is either sink or swim. Either they have adapted or they have given up.

With FM 11 (demo) i seemed to start off well i was getting reports back from David Moyles (Everton) and Alex Ferguson (Man Utd) that my style of football was a joy to watch and that Sunderland fans should be proud of their Manager. It's not that i was just using a static tactic - i was changing the settings according to who we were playing. But then just like to previous version it hits a brick wall stage were it does not matter which tweaks i do none of them work. Again i am saying it is ME using the wrong tweaks not the game but i believe that if i can't get the desired enjoyment from the game then i do believe others will have the same problems.

I do not kid myself. I am NOT a football Manager, i never will be a Football Manager so that i why i play this game. I want the game to KID me that i AM a Football Manager. I want the game to KID me that i am Sunderlands greatest ever Manager! FM did all that for me to great satisfaction up until FM08. But it no longer does it for me.

Is it just me? If it is just me then why have all the tactics disappeared from the Tactics and Training Section? The only tactics you get now are for only the biggest clubs.

"3 seasons unbeaton with this Tactic" - no doubt that is a fantastic achievement but as soon as i open the thread and see it is with Arsenal i lose all interest. Any other tactic is the same, when you open the thread it is GREAT SUCCESS with Real Madrid or Barcelona or Man Utd etc etc. What happened with tactics that worked with York City or Hereford or the like?

I'm not on about a tactic that would take York to the Premier League in consecutive seasons but one that generally works without the need to understand all the ins and outs of every detail.

Of course there are other reasons for FM being in decline. The Video Games market is dropping my 9% per year. The biggest victim is PC Gaming. This once had the biggest space in any Computer Game shops but has now got the smallest space. I would be amazed if FM isn't effected.

Whilst i accept that SI have decided to go with realsim i do wish they would take other users problems on board. I don't mean the current Assistant Managers role as i don't believe that works properly. I mainly use the Assistant Manager for teamtalks etc but the decline still sets in. I don't know what the answer is but i know years ago people were asking for some sort of skill levels. I know that some people wil slaughter me for that but it WILL come to Hardcore v Mainstream. Choosing hardcore will see a big drop in income.

POLL -

I am as happy with the game now as i was previously

I don't get as much enjoyment out the game as i used to

I no longer play the game

Which catergory do you fall into?

PLEASE try to keep comments respectfull. No SI Sucks or Fanboy comments. If you have something positive or negative to say then by all means do so here but keep it polite.

I know SI read these threads and i would like them to understand WHY people like me won't be buying FM11. It's not because i hate the game, in fact the opposite. I just can't come to terms with it anymore.

Its interesting you stated that video game sales dropped by 9% last year. When in actual fact PC sales increased last year by 15% and that the reduction of shelf space in the shops is due to the increase being linked mainly down to digital downloads. It seems that over the next several years more and more people will switch to downloads so less space will be given to PC games in the shops.

I still love FM and look forward to each new version, but I always seem to head back to FM08 due to my really good save game. I do struggle to get the best from my teams in the later versions, but I guess thats the what SI have done by trying to make the experience as real as possible.

I think FM10 essentially proved that FM is as good as ever.

4 people that don't buy or play the game anymore but yet are still coming on here, that's funny

i'f i don't buy or play with barbie dolls i don't go on the barbie doll forums to discuss the latest barbie doll with certain accessories (batteries not included)

i'd like to know why they still come here thats all

FM07 is the worst of the lot imo.

4 people that don't buy or play the game anymore but yet are still coming on here, that's funny

i'f i don't buy or play with barbie dolls i don't go on the barbie doll forums to discuss the latest barbie doll with certain accessories (batteries not included)

i'd like to know why they still come here thats all

You've been in OTF long enough to know, surely?

4 people that don't buy or play the game anymore but yet are still coming on here, that's funny

i'f i don't buy or play with barbie dolls i don't go on the barbie doll forums to discuss the latest barbie doll with certain accessories (batteries not included)

i'd like to know why they still come here thats all

People work in mysterious ways, especially when let loose on the internet. Take it all with a pinch of salt

more times than not, people dislike newer fm versions cos they are not as successfull in game as previously done. Football Management wasn't meant to be easy, if it was, Roy Hodgson would have Liverpool top of the EPL.

In every version of FM you need to work at it, not to give up, if you give up, you wont succeed, simple as that.

Most people expect to go online and scan the internet for the worlds best tactic so they don't have to create 1 themself.

I think its to do with time. FM seems like it is a far more immersive experience than years gone by, with detailed tactics and training and tweaks being required here and there throughout the season. Maybe as a teenager I would have loved spending night after night tweaking tactics to improve my defensive record but it doesn't appeal to me anymore.

If you have a family, you just don't have the time. All I want from a game now, is a bit of escapism and some fun for the hour or two I can play it, not a frustrating experience that seems to require many many hours before enjoyment can be had.

Like a lot of the people on here, I have played FM since early Champ Man days and always enjoyed picking my team, picking a tactic then getting on with the fun part of signing players and playing the games. Slowly, training became important and then tactics became nigh on impossible to get right without changing them every few games.

I won't be getting FM11 as like FM10, it won't be an enjoyable experience for me. It will probably be fantastic for those that want to spend hours and hours on it but unfortunately thats not what I look for in a game anymore.

Perfect candidate for FMH on PSP or iphone!

Ah, finally, the Doom Brigade is here. What took you guys so long ?

Question - Is football manager in decline?

Answers -

Yes i am enjoying FM as much now as before

I still play it but i don't enjoy it like i used to

No i don't play it now

Is it me or does decline mean the game is being played by less people and therefore declining in sales? Therefore the answers are back to front, it should be "Yes, i dont play it anymore" etc.

Silly people.

Fm 07 on its final patch was brilliant. The only one since which has got to that level was FM10 which was really good. I quite liked 08 but I hated 09. This one seems to be pretty good.

Question - Is football manager in decline?

Answers -

Yes i am enjoying FM as much now as before

I still play it but i don't enjoy it like i used to

No i don't play it now

Is it me or does decline mean the game is being played by less people and therefore declining in sales? Therefore the answers are back to front, it should be "Yes, i dont play it anymore" etc.

Silly people.

Fixed .

Best breakdown of this feature I have seen on the boards ... exactly spot on....

I think the real problem with press conferences and player interaction is:

- It's repetitive

- There are no "right" answers - just "most of these are wrong"

- You can't really use it to your advantage...

- ... But get it wrong and you are put at a disadvantage

- You don't know if you are wrong until you see the players' reactions (has anyone thought that managers get talks with members of the club's PR team?)

- And you don't know if you are right

- It's repetitive so you send your assistant, which is a key hint that it's not actually a good feature...

- ... But can't really tell your assistant roughly what to say

- The "best" method is usually to say "no comment" all the way through, which defeats the purpose of the thing

I think the real problem with press conferences and player interaction is:

- It's repetitive

- There are no "right" answers - just "most of these are wrong"

- You can't really use it to your advantage...

- ... But get it wrong and you are put at a disadvantage

- You don't know if you are wrong until you see the players' reactions (has anyone thought that managers get talks with members of the club's PR team?)

- And you don't know if you are right

- It's repetitive so you send your assistant, which is a key hint that it's not actually a good feature...

- ... But can't really tell your assistant roughly what to say

- The "best" method is usually to say "no comment" all the way through, which defeats the purpose of the thing

I'm sorry but thats just wrong.

In FM10 approx 75% of the press conferences I had resulted in a reaction that benefited my team while the other 25% I learned from.

Don't blame the game for your lack of understanding, once you worked them out it was easy to manipulate them.

With FM07 i had what was arguably the best tactic. At that time i had loads of people message me to say thanks for my efforts otherwise they wouldn't get any enjoyment out the game. Since then i have lost touch with FM myself. I just can't seem to understand it anymore. So what about the other people? I got used to loads of people through my own threads and since FM08 they have disappeared.

Whilst i am hereby stating that the fault lies within the user and not the game i still do believe that SI are taking the game away from mainstream and into hardcore.

With FM08, Fm09, FM10 and now FM11 i have seen the same pattern whilst playing the game. I CAN create a tactic that does really well but each and everytime it falls apart and i no idea why. I repeat that the fault lies with ME as that is how the game is intended. It throws up new challenges and you have to adapt accordingly. I can't - lord have i tried. But to no avail.

So if i am struggling and i did really well with every version upto FM07 then how are other people managing? Well i guess it is either sink or swim. Either they have adapted or they have given up.

With FM 11 (demo) i seemed to start off well i was getting reports back from David Moyles (Everton) and Alex Ferguson (Man Utd) that my style of football was a joy to watch and that Sunderland fans should be proud of their Manager. It's not that i was just using a static tactic - i was changing the settings according to who we were playing. But then just like to previous version it hits a brick wall stage were it does not matter which tweaks i do none of them work. Again i am saying it is ME using the wrong tweaks not the game but i believe that if i can't get the desired enjoyment from the game then i do believe others will have the same problems.

I do not kid myself. I am NOT a football Manager, i never will be a Football Manager so that i why i play this game. I want the game to KID me that i AM a Football Manager. I want the game to KID me that i am Sunderlands greatest ever Manager! FM did all that for me to great satisfaction up until FM08. But it no longer does it for me.

Is it just me? If it is just me then why have all the tactics disappeared from the Tactics and Training Section? The only tactics you get now are for only the biggest clubs.

"3 seasons unbeaton with this Tactic" - no doubt that is a fantastic achievement but as soon as i open the thread and see it is with Arsenal i lose all interest. Any other tactic is the same, when you open the thread it is GREAT SUCCESS with Real Madrid or Barcelona or Man Utd etc etc. What happened with tactics that worked with York City or Hereford or the like?

I'm not on about a tactic that would take York to the Premier League in consecutive seasons but one that generally works without the need to understand all the ins and outs of every detail.

Of course there are other reasons for FM being in decline. The Video Games market is dropping my 9% per year. The biggest victim is PC Gaming. This once had the biggest space in any Computer Game shops but has now got the smallest space. I would be amazed if FM isn't effected.

Whilst i accept that SI have decided to go with realsim i do wish they would take other users problems on board. I don't mean the current Assistant Managers role as i don't believe that works properly. I mainly use the Assistant Manager for teamtalks etc but the decline still sets in. I don't know what the answer is but i know years ago people were asking for some sort of skill levels. I know that some people wil slaughter me for that but it WILL come to Hardcore v Mainstream. Choosing hardcore will see a big drop in income.

POLL -

I am as happy with the game now as i was previously

I don't get as much enjoyment out the game as i used to

I no longer play the game

Which catergory do you fall into?

PLEASE try to keep comments respectfull. No SI Sucks or Fanboy comments. If you have something positive or negative to say then by all means do so here but keep it polite.

I know SI read these threads and i would like them to understand WHY people like me won't be buying FM11. It's not because i hate the game, in fact the opposite. I just can't come to terms with it anymore.

A greater wall of text I'm yet to see. hehe

I don't agree they are making the game hardcore. This is evidenced by a tactics creator, a hovering advisor and greater visual emphasis (like the polar attribute plot.)

You seem to contradict yourself; the game is becoming hardcore but SI are taking the tactics away from the tactics page.

It would be impossible for SI to please you.

I liked FM05, 06 and 07. Hated 08, played 09 then got bored quickly, spent most of the time customizing the editor on 10, absolutely loving the demo for 11 There is something about it that gives me the feeling i have when playing champ manager 01/02.

Wouldn't say the game is in decline, I think the game has steadily improved over the years and I believe 10.3 was the best version we have had. Certainly felt to me like the most complete and most realistic version we have had. The game is obviously evolving and some people aren't going to like the direction it takes to do this. I'm not sure of FM11 yet but will wait to reserve full judgement until I've given it enough time to sink in properly

FM07 is the worst of the lot imo.

Apologies Ackter but I have to disagree with you in the strongest possible terms.

FM might be in decline but I just made my purchase via Steam..FM2010 $39.99..MLB2K10 $1.99.

more times than not, people dislike newer fm versions cos they are not as successfull in game as previously done. Football Management wasn't meant to be easy, if it was, Roy Hodgson would have Liverpool top of the EPL.

In every version of FM you need to work at it, not to give up, if you give up, you wont succeed, simple as that.

Most people expect to go online and scan the internet for the worlds best tactic so they don't have to create 1 themself.

Even though i just bought fm2011; I dont completely agree with the direction SI is taking the game.

I dont agree with the small but nice features they have removed; ass man advice on contract offers, the ability for LL teams to arrange fixtures against big teams to raise money; the ability to see PA?CA with a tool. Its not necessarily that I might use these as I would like to be the one to decide to use them rather than have SI pull out the rug.

I dont fully agree with the various player and media interactions. Another poster of many letters and numbers did a great job deconstructing it.

I would like to see SI at least offer new ways to use their magnificent ME and AI. [before peeps overreact, please understand that this would be completely separate and would not affect the main game in any way.] I would like to (easily) create fictional footie universes using real teams. One idea I have is to make all the worlds top leagues equal in reputation, stadiums, facilities, finances etc. The same with each lower level. I would like to delete all real players (so there arent fictional Rooneys, Giggs, Xavi etc) and have the game create totally fictional rosters. Using the new feature for evolving league reputations, it would be a lot of fun to see how this world of footie would evolve over seasons.

I would also like to see many more things optional/choosable at game set up..like attributes. Let the human player decide to see more or fewer player attributes.

Except for all the pointless and poorly implemented player and media interaction, I would agree.

I agree the media element of the game is tedius and quite boring. If used correctly however, it can have an impact on your team morale and ultimately performances. So although not a great feature, it is not purely cosmetic.

The problem with media interaction in a game is that it can never be made realistic or fun because of the unpredictable nature of real life media interaction. Could you imagine if Ian Holloway had to choose from multiple choice answers!!