Why not sort out the stuff that's wrong before adding new features?

Since I started playing FM in 07' I have been absolutely baffled as to why they have never sorted out transfer negotiations...

FIVE iterations have come out, and EVERY one of them have had transfer negotiations that go like this...

I offer 500k

The counter is offer 1.2 mil

I offer 750k

Response... 1.3mil ... FFS.

I offer a deal where they get 500k up front, and 700k after 20 league goals,

Response... they ask for 1.3 mil up front AND 700k after 20 league goals...

How hard is it to write a negotiation algorithm that has a total at the bottom?

Do people really use transfers that little it has gone unnoticed for 5 versions of the game? Do SI know what beta testers are?

This has been a problem of EVERY FM I have played. Now I'm reading about people not being able to sign players due to ridiculous agent fees (I've been playing a LLM starting in the BSN, am up to league 1 so only been signing people on free, but am mystified as to why this same problem is back as soon as I try to buy my first player!)

I'm not sure if this is my biggest gripe, I'll be back with more as the irritation comes to the fore. Hell, I'll come and beta test for SI if they need it.

I can only agree with you, it's terribly frustrating. Makes a mockery of so-called "negotiations" when it's like dealing with the Mafia. Take the first punt or you're screwed. I've found the only way to deal with this is to break off and start anew. At least then you know what they will not accept. Not realistic, but that's how I often have had to do it. Otherwise you risk the price going up and up and up and...

Prepare to be flamed by the fanboys!

If you have nothing constructive to add to the discussion I suggest you say nothing.

@ OP

I would say its definitely improved over the last few versions.

For the most part I get fairly realistic negotiations but there is an odd one that seems more random. In terms of your example the £1.2m/£1.3m seems like the bottom of what they'll accept while adding/taking away clauses like the goals does seem to confuse the ai somewhat and maybe sort of resets negotiations.

Personally I don't bother with appearances/goals etc mainly sticking to cash and installments fwiw.

Personally I don't bother with appearances/goals etc mainly sticking to cash and installments fwiw.

Agree with this. Not saying there isn't an issue but I find no problems with negotiations when using cash and installments.

Must admit I do the same, but it's more as a workaround. It works better when not dealing with extra things like that, and it takes time to add it each time the AI resets the terms. Unfortunately there are issues even without using 'complicating' clauses. The AI has a very strange idea of negotiations.

Must admit I do the same, but it's more as a workaround. It works better when not dealing with extra things like that, and it takes time to add it each time the AI resets the terms. Unfortunately there are issues even without using 'complicating' clauses. The AI has a very strange idea of negotiations.

Again unfortunately it seems to be one of thos subjective issues. It works fine for some and not for others

I think the OP might get just a smidgeon more sympathy if he were to completely rewrite his post in a less confrontational manner. Unfortunately, his entire post reads like "why haven't you fixed this yet, what is wrong with you people".

Personally, I don't disagree that there are definitely still some odd goings-on with regards to transfer negotiation but, as other people have noted, it's tons better than previous.

Generally I have found negotiations okay, even though they sometimes ask for more than they first did, I just keep increasing mine slightly and they accept.

As Cougar says, I don't bother with appearance/goal bonuses, mostly because the AI managers seem reluctant to recognise this as part of your transfer fee. Which is right, the player might not score 20 goals so why should they take the risk of losing that amount of money? But they should still take it into account, and I agree that the system could be better.

But I don't agree with your thread title, seems way over the top and a little confrontational.

I think the OP might get just a smidgeon more sympathy if he were to completely rewrite his post in a less confrontational manner. Unfortunately, his entire post reads like "why haven't you fixed this yet, what is wrong with you people".

Personally, I don't disagree that there are definitely still some odd goings-on with regards to transfer negotiation but, as other people have noted, it's tons better than previous.

I think that really nails it on the head for these kind of posts, they always come across as "OMG you guys are terrible at your job because x is not exactly as i want", if these things were worded better and people didnt get so agressive about it, you would find SI responding more, and less threads would end up in the usual carnage.

I agree with you almost every single feature could be improved, and hopefully will be improved but this side of things has definitely improved.

I think that really nails it on the head for these kind of posts, they always come across as "OMG you guys are terrible at your job because x is not exactly as i want", if these things were worded better and people didnt get so agressive about it, you would find SI responding more, and less threads would end up in the usual carnage.

I agree with you almost every single feature could be improved, and hopefully will be improved but this side of things has definitely improved.

Heheh, I like this line, because the instant it's not the case SI stop making the game.

SI actually do a great job of refining features already in the game each year, but the headline-grabbers are always the new features.

The problem comes when they choose to improve one thing ahead of another, be that for financial reasons, time reasons, or technological reasons, because there will always be one person that thinks the thing they didn't improve was the most important thing that needed improving.

Yep.

I was a little angry last night and probably over-did it with the confrontational-ness. A tired brain is an angry brain.

I think a lot of it is caused by the fact that this is such a fundamental main feature of the game, ironically despite how much I love the game, I think it's three main features all still have major flaws.

1. Tactics - The rigidity of formations, even when set to fluid, the translation from what you ask players to do and what they do on the pitch, whether this is down to "player intelligence" or not is debatable and whether that is a stat, or a function of the game, or a problem between tactic and match engine, I don't know. It's just to me, the difference between what I ask for and what I see is huge.

2. Transfers - as stated in OP maybe a little too aggressively.

3. Player interactions - I realise it's probably hard to code, and player "personality" comes into it, but it still seems on occasion, random, and a lot of the time, just stupid. For example, when my ass. man tells me players have trained well in the last month, and I see their attributes have gone up, I go to congratulate them and I only have the option to berate them... Whereas those who underperformed have the option to be congratulated?

My striker is under constant media attention as I'm in League 1 and he has Championship/Premier League potential, but whenever he talks to the media about the speculation I never have an option to talk to him... And he's been with me for 3 years...