Worst. FM. Ever. (simpsons reference intended)

This is going to be a rant. I know it. You know it. Better get it over with then.

I have had the feeling, about these FM games coming out, ever since FM2006, that every game is getting a little bit more... random. And now, in FM11, it's just bonkers.

I just don't have the patience for this. One minute I'm winning the league, by 5 points, in my third season with dortmund in the Bundesliga, I've even secured out of this world talent along the lines of Zlatan Ibrahimovich, Luis Suarez, Alexi Sanchez, Sami Khedira, Taye Taiwo, Stekelenburg, barrios; I mean, my team is loaded with talent. Especially for the bundesliga. Most of them are even in their second season at the club.

But no. FM doesn't want you to win the league. I have played this games since it's name was championship manager 97/98, and I don't think there's anything Fun about it anymore. It's just struggling. I mean, I win games where I am not tactially superior, and I lose games that I am very much tactically superior (ball possession, shots on goal, clear cut chances, etc.). This doesn't make any sense.

In this third season, I am in pole position in the league going into the winter break, just one point ahead though having lost to greuter furth thank you very much, and that was after winning schalke, bayern and leverkusen on the trot. And then the first game after the winter break, boom, I lose 2-0 to kaiserslautern with a 5-1 clear cut chance ratio in my favor.

Okay. Breather.

Then it's a pokal (cup) game against Hertha Bsc, who are in the second division. It ends 2-2 after regulation time. Okay, that's not that weird. Happens all the time. I make some changes, bring on alexi sanchez and what have you.

I end up losing the game 7-2 without getting a red card or missing a player through injury. Sorry. Just, run that by me again.

And you know why I absolutely, down in the dirt Hate this? Because I love this game so much. The idea of it anyway. I had so many saves in FM2006 that were so much Fun, just an endless amount of fun and some great stories in it.

But in these newer editions? Not a single happy save where I talk to my mates about the game, or tell them my exploits. I mean, I should think that I'm pretty saavy in this game, having played it's versions for over a decade. But no. I have won a single title in FM since 2006 and that was in FM10 in my first season with liverpool.

Told you it would be a rant. Not sorry I filled up all this cyberspace just to have a little tantrum. I just really, really miss having fun in FM. I really do.

benni from Iceland.

Have you seen the Chelsea matches recently? No? Well lets ee shall we..

Think of a team with hundreds of millions of pounds of quality players. A team that were champions last season, FA cup winners as well. Got that in your head?

Well now, consider that at the start of November, after just nine matches, they were 5 points clear at the top of the table, putting in splendid performances left right and centre.

They hadn't conceded at home since February.

Then:

H Chelsea 0-3 Sunderland (A midtable team at best that had just been spanked 5-1 by a newly promoted Newcastle)

A Birmingham 1-0 Chelsea (Chelsea with 32 shots on goal, 12 on target. Birmingham with 1 shot on goal, 1 on target)

H Chelsea 2-1 MSK Zilina (Once more, 30+ shots on goal, against a Slovakian team who had been beaten 7-0 at home against Marseille)

A Newcastle 1-1 Chelsea (Once more, outshooting the opposition by more than double)

H Everton 1-1 Chelsea

A Marseille 1-0 Chelsea

These things happen in football. Its called luck. If the team have the quality, in FM and in RL football, they will continue to do well. To quote a knobhead pundit: 'Form is temporary, class is permanent.'

http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/239991-Worst-Game-Ever?highlight=worst

http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/230871-Fm11-Worst-version-ever?highlight=worst

http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/117858-FM-2009-Worst-FM-game?highlight=worst

http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/93606-Football-Manager-2009-Worst-Ever?highlight=worst

http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/74633-Worst-Football-Manager-Ever?highlight=worst

http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/75257-i-agree-worst-game-ever?highlight=worst

http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/63582-The-WORST-game-Iv-ever-bought.?highlight=worst

http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/62184-The-worst-release-day-of-all-time?highlight=worst

I'm declining to listen to reason mate. I'm having a very 'not age appropriate' hissy fit.

benni from Iceland

Sorry mate, I can't buy in to this.

With your squad I would walk any league. Don't blame the game.

I happen to think this is the best FM ever, and I am one of the few who have been playing this series every year for over 15 years.

You just cannot, within reason anyway, call this the worst FM ever because of your results. It's childish, pedantic, puerile etc .....

Call it the the worst FM because of the bugs, fine, you still wouldn't have a point but it'd make a little more sense than what you wrote.

I haven't really played since i think it was CM 03/04, or whenever it was that Rooney was at everton. I dabbled with FM10, was ok, then decided to play this. It's 50 times the game that CM was, which i loved afterall, and in my opinion(not including transfer bug) is a better game than Fm10, albeit not by much.

Yes, it can be frustrating, but that is probably the most realistic feature on the game-To be frustrated, as any manager would be. Remember, the match engine is just a representation of what is happening in the game. You can't expect it to make 100% sense all of the time.

Also, i never understand why players denegrate the interaction system. Yes, it's silly sometimes, but it doesn't take a genius to work out how to make it work to your advantage. This last sentence is not aimed at the op by the way.

Guys. I know I'm being childish, and all that other stuff with my rant. Don't think I'm trying to hide it. And the worst ever thing was mostly about quoting comic book guy from the simpsons.

My biggest point, I guess, is that I'm lamenting losing touch with the game as it advances. Being a casual gamer, it's all a bit 'too realistic' at times for me.

Still. Come on. 7-2 vs Hertha? I'm allowed a little, tiny rant.

benni from Iceland

it's all a bit 'too realistic' at times for me.

benni from Iceland

Which is 1 of the good things about fm

Being a casual gamer, it's all a bit 'too realistic' at times for me.

it's funny because indeed I'm a hardcore gamer and it's all a bit too arcade for me.

not joking.

I don't really think the game is too realistic. It's pretty balanced i'd say. However, i will say that if it ever comes to a point where SI decide to halt realism on the game for something more fun and user friendly, i would stop playing there and then. I'd prefer it to go in the more realistic route.

i have so far played in 7 full seasons on my save on fm11. in that time i have won 3 league titles, came 2nd by a point another season, won 4 cups and finished runner up in another 1. so fair to say i have done pretty well esp as i have mainly worked on low resources. fair to say i must be doing something right as regards to tactics, never get any upset players and often over achieve.

if i had your squad without sounding big headed, i would walk the bundesliga. put it this way i would come round your house and bet you a £1000 i could do it and be fairly confident. so to me there must be something wrong that you are doing? it could be your tactics, or wrong teamtalks, or never praise players, maybe a lack of discipline??? other teams could also have found out how to play you.

there is plenty of things to think about before blaming the game.

It could be something called Tactics.....after 2/3 seasons, teams learn to play against your team if you keep the same tactics. As IRL, teams shake things up abit against others to get the edge, something there not expecting.... And as for your 7-2..... just look at the FA Cup game over here the other night....2-2 @ Full Time, and 7/8-2 by the end of it! **** happens, hairdryer your team, tell them its not good enough and to pick it up for the next game.

No good boohoo-ing on here about it.....The amount of times i could have done that about my Middlesbrough Game!? This forum would be unindated with threads by me if that were the case!

I happen to think that the lot of you are a bit unfair, not to let me whine like a 10 year old boy. Very very unfair indeed.

I thought the OP was pretty honest about having a childish rant, so I don't think people need to come in here and have a rant of their own at him. It's kind of ironic that Benjo2709 is the one who is supposed to be having a childish rant and yet his is the calmest and most intelligent post in here!

Anyway, Benjo2709, I feel your pain. We've all been there at some point in the past. For many of us, it was a long time ago, so perhaps we like to forget our initial struggles on this game.

I feel that two things are probably to blame for your difficulties. The first one is probably tactical and the second one, often overlooked, is almost definitely motivational. My suggestion to you is to go to the tactics forum, click on one of the sticky threads called T&T '10, and take a read. Following that, I highly recommend reading Woifsong's team talks thread. Both are great guides written for FM10 but should stand you in good stead for FM11 too.

Ultimately, FM is one of those games where I feel you do better the more time you put into it. If you play very quickly, you can miss things. If you play slowly, taking your time, analysing each match, you can be very successful and overachieve in most jobs. Having said this, I do believe that there is still a place for the casual gamer, who maybe just wants to buy his favourite players and play with 'key highlights' etc. without too much tactical depth. Learn to use the tactics creator, the different strategies and shouts, and also how to motivate your team using team talks, and I feel you will be in a much stronger situation to play the game in the way that you enjoy it.

All just my opinion, of course.

I can understand some of your complaints. The game seems to have built in scenarios so that you don’t end up dominating the game completely which will make you to leave it after a while.

I had a similar cup experience like yours. I'm playing Partizan Belgrade in the Serbian league and they are complete giants in comparison to the rest of the teams in the same league and I’m in the second season now, had strengthen the team with three new players and made the team stronger while all the other teams have sold most of their best players and replaced them with players of lower standard and yet I’m losing more points in this second season.

The most shocking thing though, that happened was me losing to a fourth tier semi-amateur team while playing with almost the best team (and completely fit) that I have available and I end up losing 2:0 to this team that pays its players with buying to them a season ticket to the local public transport.

In comparison it would be like having the island nation of Tonga beating England. Football is unpredictable but not quite that unpredictable. It is possible for big teams to lose to a lot smaller teams but some other elements should be involved other then just complacency for this to happen, like bad mood in the dressing room, financial trouble or longer period of underperformance, my loss came completely out of the blue.

So yes I think that a lot of things in the game are a bit random, my explanation to this is that FM is built upon the EPL and the league system in England, but this then leads to unrealistic events when you play in other leagues or countries.

I have also played this game since 97/98 and this has nothing to do with tactics or such, it is this element of random events that the game has that makes this.

Less random event and more logical events in FM would be appreciated.

I second crouchaldinho's opinion.

. It's kind of ironic that Benjo2709 is the one who is supposed to be having a childish rant and yet his is the calmest and most intelligent post in here!

No, it really isn't. there's a thread almost every day with someone calling this game the worst this or that. And then to cite results as a reason to call it the worst FM game ever is not really that intelligent. Or is it?

I am frustrated with the game sometimes too, when my players keep shooting at the keeper, or i can't give players away for free even, or when i have more possession, more shots but i keep losing. But i know it's just a game and i would feel silly coming on the forum and slagging the thing off in this way.

I can understand some of your complaints. The game seems to have built in scenarios so that you don’t end up dominating the game completely which will make you to leave it after a while.

I had a similar cup experience like yours. I'm playing Partizan Belgrade in the Serbian league and they are complete giants in comparison to the rest of the teams in the same league and I’m in the second season now, had strengthen the team with three new players and made the team stronger while all the other teams have sold most of their best players and replaced them with players of lower standard and yet I’m losing more points in this second season.

The most shocking thing though, that happened was me losing to a fourth tier semi-amateur team while playing with almost the best team (and completely fit) that I have available and I end up losing 2:0 to this team that pays its players with buying to them a season ticket to the local public transport.

In comparison it would be like having the island nation of Tonga beating England. Football is unpredictable but not quite that unpredictable. It is possible for big teams to lose to a lot smaller teams but some other elements should be involved other then just complacency for this to happen, like bad mood in the dressing room, financial trouble or longer period of underperformance, my loss came completely out of the blue.

So yes I think that a lot of things in the game are a bit random, my explanation to this is that FM is built upon the EPL and the league system in England, but this then leads to unrealistic events when you play in other leagues or countries.

I have also played this game since 97/98 and this has nothing to do with tactics or such, it is this element of random events that the game has that makes this.

Less random event and more logical events in FM would be appreciated.

Alcorcon 4 - Real Madrid 0

New Zealand outplaying Italy and not beating them because of shaky referring

Middlesbrought 8 - Manchester City 1

just out of the top of my mind. Is IRL unrealistic now?

interaction system. Yes, it's silly sometimes

More than silly I'd say.

Manager: Don't worry lad, this is nothing bad! Just called you in to let you know I think you've been playing well lately, so well played

Player: But I don't think I have... I can definitely do better.

Manager: Well I'm glad you think that, it's always good to strive to improve. But just thought I'd let you know I'm happy with you so far.

Player: Well I feel you've treated me very unfairly. I'd like to leave now before I say something I regret, you facist pig!

As for OP, it's scant consolation benni from Iceland, but your childish rant gave me a childish giggle. Fingers crossed for next season, eh?

I have won the Premier League with the worst team in the Blue Square South (Worcester City), and i was runner up in Champions League. You have to play a lot of seasons to be the best. FM forever!

I have won the Premier League with the worst team in the Blue Square South (Worcester City), and i was runner up in Champions League. You have to play a lot of season to be the best. FM forever!

Try doing it with the worst team in Blue Square North!

It takes a lot of seasons to be the best.

I don't think that there is too much differenc between south and north..

Best. FM. Ever.

If you dont like FM11, no one is stopping you from playing FM10, FM09, FM08, etc.

Some of the replies to this thread is exactly why I rarely frequent GQ. I read the threads every so often if I need some advice, or just to see what other people are doing in their games but I wouldn't dream of regularly involving myself in a discussion with most of you people! Are the terms 'Tongue in cheek' and 'Sarcasm' completely lost on people now? The user clearly stated he was having a childish rant, and how much he loves the game.

But thanks to everybody who did reply to slate him about his views or scoff at his poor tactical nous, I shall add them to my list of human beings whose opinions are not worthy of my attention. Rant over

You have to play a lot of seasons to be the best. FM forever!

after a few seasons the top clubs buy average players, regens are poor...

These things happen in FM and it is sometimes good to rant about them at times it can seem like the game is fixed. In the screenshot I was on a 30 match unbeaten run then I played Hawkes Bay and despite having the same team as the last few games and the same tactics we got hammered 6-0 my worst loss on FM11 then it was a very lucky 1-0 win followed by another 3-1 loss.

Probably just me but I have noticed that in England and Germany when I won the title the following season was always very hard for some reason.

Probably just me but I have noticed that in England and Germany when I won the title the following season was always very hard for some reason.

Most often though, that can be attributed to a significant rise in reputation, thus teams play differently against you. Such as the joy of facing teams who "park the bus" every time you play them, then look to hit you on the counter, while they try to smother your attempts. This reputation change and the added difficulty of breaking down more defensively orientated or counter attacking "nick a goal or two" opponents, is probably the single biggest cause of the "AI cheats" type posts, in my opinion. If only AI technology were so advanced at this moment in time!

BTW... I'm sure you're aware I wasn't highlighting your comment for any other reason than to make a point about reputation changes and the resultant "difficulty", people often see second season.

Oooohh, I sense that there are indeed some users who are privy to the inner knowledge of the 'Sarcasm'. But seriously, thank you those of you who gave me advice, and told me to buck up, stiff upper lip and allt that, eh chap?

I especially want to thank those who had a private giggle about my misfortunes, and tell you that my computer froze, and I got to play the game again... and still lost

But, onwards and upwards jeeves old boy, better be going for the title this time or it's curtains for this little Icelander.

Cheers.

Most often though, that can be attributed to a significant rise in reputation, thus teams play differently against you. Such as the joy of facing teams who "park the bus" every time you play them, then look to hit you on the counter, while they try to smother your attempts. This reputation change and the added difficulty of breaking down more defensively orientated or counter attacking "nick a goal or two" opponents, is probably the single biggest cause of the "AI cheats" type posts, in my opinion. If only AI technology were so advanced at this moment in time!

BTW... I'm sure you're aware I wasn't highlighting your comment for any other reason than to make a point about reputation changes and the resultant "difficulty", people often see second season.

I won the title by playing 6 men defensively and then attacking with speed down the flanks or to my two strikers who just happen to be very quick. I think that this style was kind of countered by the AI as you said they became harder to break down and unluckily for me I had more shots and clear cut chances but still lost, I can understand why people think that the AI cheats. The improved reputation along with the fact that when I win the title I always seem to make lots of transfers with my new stack of money is what makes it harder for me.

Success is arriving now that I play a more fluid attacking game that does not rely mostly on speed like my team has in the past.

Alcorcon 4 - Real Madrid 0

New Zealand outplaying Italy and not beating them because of shaky referring

Middlesbrought 8 - Manchester City 1

just out of the top of my mind. Is IRL unrealistic now?

All of the above results can be perfectly explained and are in some sense logical given the background, Real Madrid had huge problems with the mood in the dressing room, unsettled oldtimers like Guti and new players that were still in the thinking that the mere fact that they play for Real Madrid can win games for them, in FM terms they had several players with "Unh" icon and some players with "PR" saying "thinks that they can win the upcoming match easily"

Italy had also big problems with too old players, not good enough for yet another WC and players from the new generation thet lacked experience from international football on the highest level, in FM therms we could say that they had if not red, then at least orange morale or "low"

If I remember correctly the Mid - Man C game was the last of the season, both teams were lying in middle table obscurity with Man C somewhat missing on their target for the season and absolutly nothing to play for while Mid were relieved that they finally secured their place in the EPL in the previous round, Mid were happy while Man C were dissapointed with their respective season and thus that meaningless game was perfect for a shocking result

IRL Partizan Belgrade has actually lost games to even more obscure opponents than those in my game, for example some team from Malta and a third tier opponent in the Serbian cup but those results could be explained with something, the fans were actually boycotting the team in those years and they missed a penalty shootout in the play-off for the Champions league group stage agianst Artmedia which unsettled the team and they lost to a third tier team in the cup afterwards,

what I complain to is not the result itself but how disconnected it feels to get such a result when there is nothing that can explain it