What, if anything, changes potential ability?

So I have a CPU-generated youth player (are those "regens"? or "newgens"? forgot what I saw on these forums) and his potential ability was 3-stars. A few years later, now, it is at 2.5 stars. So I ask, why did his potential decrease? Improper training? Lack of playing time? Inaccurate scouting reports? etc

If any of these are the case, could I increase potential ability? Or is it something set in stone (i.e. inaccurate scouting reports are to blame...if there's such a thing in the game).

Thanks!

the stars are tied in to the rep of your team so as you move up the divisions or are expected to do better in your division he is no longer seen as as promising.

his Potential may have decreased due to the lack of games in the first team, lack of being on a decent training schedual lack of being trained in a certain position, bad luck with injuries ?

If I remember correctly, successful tutoring can increase PA.

On the other hand - one thing that changes youngsters stars in the game is their age. If you happen to get 15 yo player to your youth academy, he's always rated higher than 16 yo because rating system considers his age as a bonus (more time to train before he needs to be ready).

As soon as player has a birthday (15 yo turns 16, 16 yo turns 17) you sometimes see his potential rating drop

hmm...all interesting stuff. and sense-making! Thanks

quicky - if i have a former 3.5-star potential player and the huge clubs like Real Madrid, Man U, etc are constantly making bids even after his PA has dropped to 3 stars, is it safe to assume he'll still be a 3.5 star player? or close to it?

a lot of wrong info floating around here....

the player's PA is constant and doesn't change no matter what. as for the star rating, it does change depending on the rest of your team, so if you had a player with 3 stars potential and then you upgraded your team, then that youngster might not look as promising compared to the new players and thats why his star rating drops.

hmm...all interesting stuff. and sense-making! Thanks

quicky - if i have a former 3.5-star potential player and the huge clubs like Real Madrid, Man U, etc are constantly making bids even after his PA has dropped to 3 stars, is it safe to assume he'll still be a 3.5 star player? or close to it?

As said - PA rating depends on a lot of stuff:

1) Actual PA

2) Player age

3) Coaches/scouts (they can rate him fairly, but also under- or overestimate him)

3) CA (attributes) - I've noticed that after youngster has progressed in training and some of his attributes have increased, his PA rating is also increased (he's more likely to reach desirable skills)

4) Team and league reputation - expectations of what level team should perform

5) Other players in your team

the player's PA is constant and doesn't change no matter what.

I probably should have asked if the stars are the exact same as the actual PA. I use a 3rd-party program that shows all players PA as a whole number up to 200. That doesn't seem to change, as far as i can tell (in the 3rd-party program). So now it all starts to make more sense - stars are just relative/contingent on the situation the player is in. Thanks again!

I probably should have asked if the stars are the exact same as the actual PA. I use a 3rd-party program that shows all players PA as a whole number up to 200. That doesn't seem to change, as far as i can tell (in the 3rd-party program). So now it all starts to make more sense - stars are just relative/contingent on the situation the player is in. Thanks again!

exactly...

a lot of wrong info floating around here....

the player's PA is constant and doesn't change no matter what.

It can decrease, if the player suffers a serious injury earli in his career iirc.

Also the star rating is dependent on the current squad, i.e. the strength of players playing in the same position as the player and also the other good youth who plays in the same position.

It can decrease, if the player suffers a serious injury earli in his career iirc.

Also the star rating is dependent on the current squad, i.e. the strength of players playing in the same position as the player and also the other good youth who plays in the same position.

Actually, this wouldn't decrease their PA, it would stop their CA increasing for the time they are injured and therefore reduces what they will be able to reach later in their career. Their actual PA stays the same just that due to the year our they won't be able to reach it.

Once a player is formed, their PA never changes.

The "star rating" given by your coaches is relevant to your team, not a measure of absolute CA. So, if you have a team with an average CA of 100 but a youngster with a PA of 140 then they will get a high star rating as they can potentially be a lot better than the rest of your team are at the moment. If you then made a load of new signigns and pushed your teams average CA up to 120 then the young players star rating would drop because while he is still able to reach the same level that was predicted, that level is less outstanding when compared to the rest of your team. If you then increased your teams average CA further to 140, matching the young players PA then they would get a very average star rating because they only have the potential to reach the same level as the rest of your squad.

Star ratings are not a measure of a players absolute PA, they are a measure of the players PA relative to the current CA of your team.

PA stays the same, but how likely the player is to reach the max PA depends on loads of factors, including hidden stats (ambition, professionalism), game time, injuries, standard of coaching, training facilities, tutoring etc.

There are some players who reach their PA very quickly even if they are at rubbish teams with poor facilities because they have great hidden stats. There are others who only reach their max PA if they are carefuly looked after.

It can decrease, if the player suffers a serious injury earli in his career iirc.

Also the star rating is dependent on the current squad, i.e. the strength of players playing in the same position as the player and also the other good youth who plays in the same position.

PA is fixed and can't change, It's the CA that can be affected by injuries etc.

So much confusion.

The PA does not change!!! EVER!!! It's a fixed number and there's no way to change it!!!

The CA changes in early ages and only until it gets close to the PA. Tutoring, injuries, professionalism, game time, etc., only increase, decrease or stop the speed at wich the player are evolving.

In ideal circunstances the player CA could get close to their PA.

After some ages the CA start to decrease.

The stars as i see then are a comparison between that player and the best player that you have for that position and probably the team reputation, the league reputation, etc. I'm not sure of all that is taken in to account.

So, for example, if your best player gets better (increase in CA) the difference between their CA and the youngster PA is different. That's why sometimes there's little changes in the star system.

If you get promoted the stars change to reflect the new league quality.

I think that is possible that sometimes you could see an increase in the stars PA, but that doesn't mean that their PA increased. It only means that by tutoring, good game time, increase in some ratings, like professionalism, he now as a better chance of achieve is full potencial.

So much confusion.

The PA does not change!!! EVER!!! It's a fixed number and there's no way to change it!!!

The CA changes in early ages and only until it gets close to the PA. Tutoring, injuries, professionalism, game time, etc., only increase, decrease or stop the speed at wich the player are evolving.

In ideal circunstances the player CA could get close to their PA.

After some ages the CA start to decrease.

The stars as i see then are a comparison between that player and the best player that you have for that position and probably the team reputation, the league reputation, etc. I'm not sure of all that is taken in to account.

So, for example, if your best player gets better (increase in CA) the difference between their CA and the youngster PA is different. That's why sometimes there's little changes in the star system.

If you get promoted the stars change to reflect the new league quality.

I think that is possible that sometimes you could see an increase in the stars PA, but that doesn't mean that their PA increased. It only means that by tutoring, good game time, increase in some ratings, like professionalism, he now as a better chance of achieve is full potencial.

I disagree, i took down all PA values of my keeper Ter-Stegen and he was rated 4.5 stars which i was very happy with so i bought him yet didn't play him much, only as a back up. Now 2 seasons later his PA is just 3 stars which isn't good for me at all, It has defiantly changed.

I disagree, i took down all PA values of my keeper Ter-Stegen and he was rated 4.5 stars which i was very happy with so i bought him yet didn't play him much, only as a back up. Now 2 seasons later his PA is just 3 stars which isn't good for me at all, It has defiantly changed.

There's a hidden stat called "Potential Ability" (it can be 1-200) in the database, this never (AFAIK) changes. What does change is the potential rating, which is a subjective assessment by a coach or scout on how good a player is likely to become. This is based on the player's attributes, Potential Ability, age AND existing squad quality (it's either squad quality or division quality, I forget which). So if your squad (or division) improves (and nothing else changes) a player will have a lesser rating. Also if you train them in the wrong attribute I believe their potential rating will decrease. It can also decrease (or increase) if the assessment is performed by a different staff member/performed multiple times.

I disagree, i took down all PA values of my keeper Ter-Stegen and he was rated 4.5 stars which i was very happy with so i bought him yet didn't play him much, only as a back up. Now 2 seasons later his PA is just 3 stars which isn't good for me at all, It has defiantly changed.

Star ratings are comparative to players in your squad. 3 star is the average i think. In my game all of my players improve but alot of them stay at the same star level because the whole squad is improving

whs ^^^^

I disagree, i took down all PA values of my keeper Ter-Stegen and he was rated 4.5 stars which i was very happy with so i bought him yet didn't play him much, only as a back up. Now 2 seasons later his PA is just 3 stars which isn't good for me at all, It has defiantly changed.

No. The PA is FIXED and NEVER changes.

The stars can change because they depend on many different factors.

PA = stars?

As people have said the actual PA number a player is given never changes but the stars do. If a player is playing well then I ignore the stars, I've had a 2 star striker score 46 goals in a season, 2 star CB's dominate some of the best ST's on the game, if my players are still performing and still have good attributes then I don't care if their star rating drops half a star.

Yeah, uhm, PA doesn't change. At all. It is fixed.

...plus the stars can be 'skewed' (I think) if all of your players are roughly the same ability except one or two star individuals who are way out in front because that is who they are compared to...