[Poll] Do you think FM should have difficulty levels in the future?

I think it could be interesting to know how many people on this forums are demanding difficulty levels and how many are strictly against it.

Strictly against it

No. Leave it as it is.

There's already the option to play the game how you want; use the editor to make it easier if you must.

Does football have difficulty levels in real life?

There already are difficulty levels. You can start with different reputations, take over clubs at different levels, use the tactics forum, good player forums, re-start as often as you want, cheat in various ways, use the editor etc etc. All these things can be used to make the game easier. Of course, if you want it harder then that's different, but assuming it is not hard enough as the AI is not advanced enough, that isn't something difficulty levels can fix.

FM aims to simulate being an actual football manager, which doesn't have difficulty levels. It just doesn't fit in my opinion.

Against, they should improve the AI instead.

Against, they should improve the AI instead.

Yes. Managerial appointments and transfers.

no. but they should make the game much much harder.

A big fat no from me.

They should make the game slightly harder. I mean, if you can win the CL every year from your first year with Manchester United, then that's a problem. Plus, the AI seems to buy terrible players. After 2020, the game is a piece of cake. But that has to do with realism, more than anything.

Who decides whats difficult and what's easy? SI ?

No, we need something different from the bog standard difficulty levels we see in other games. FM can be played by players as a game or as a simulation, coding difficulty levels for those two sets of players will be a headache for SI.

Something that allows those that wish so to make their game experience as hard or as easy a they like - without upsetting the vast majority who are dead set against skill levels - is what's needed..... something like this....

http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/24018-Wishlist-What-you-would-like-to-see-in-future-versions-of-the-game.-All-list-ideas-in-here.?p=7295781&viewfull=1#post7295781

Its not the only answer I'm sure. But something along those lines would be a way to appease all imho.

FM aims to simulate being an actual football manager, which doesn't have difficulty levels. It just doesn't fit in my opinion.

+1, difficultly levels dont fit with what Fm is trying to be imo

I'm 100% against the ideia of difficulty levels in FM.

If we look, for example, at FIFA how are the difficult levels implement? In the lower levels the players and teams play very bad, cant defend, cant attack, in conclusion... completly unreal. In the hardest level, all the teams look like Barcelona... again... completly unreal.

It leave us with the "normal" level. Now... some might say that the normal level it's too easy... others that is too hard... but it the level where we are more close to the real world.

FM is a simulator, so any levels will pull the game apart from the ideia of simulating the real football world. The time that SI would spend implementing difficult levels should be spend, imo, improving the game!

FM don't need difficulty levels at all

Don't think it's the way to go.

The AI just needs to improve which is easier said than done.

Absolutely NOT!!

no.. just no..

Man City = easy

East Stirling = Hard.

you basically decide how hard you want the game by the team you pick, can't stand people who say it's too easy after spending 200 million with Man city

Any simulation, which is what Football Manager aspires to be, that needs difficulty levels, is a poor simulation.

Any simulation, which is what Football Manager aspires to be, that needs difficulty levels, is a poor simulation.

well said m8!

No but...

provided SI will ever be able to solve the perennial issues with AI's poor squad building, training and talent development, it MIGHT be interesting having some sort of "modifier" to adjust the difficulty of the game.

Man City = easy

East Stirling = Hard.

you basically decide how hard you want the game by the team you pick, can't stand people who say it's too easy after spending 200 million with Man city

Shouldn't this be the other way around if this game is simulation? I'm sure it's much harder to be manager of a PL club than a lower league one.

Man City = easy

East Stirling = Hard.

you basically decide how hard you want the game by the team you pick, can't stand people who say it's too easy after spending 200 million with Man city

I'm thinking it should be the other way around. Top level premiership team = hard, low level team with no expectations = easy. It should be reflected in the AI, as top level managers who have better stats should be able to match your tactics better than a manager in the lower leagues.

But difficulty in each league by itself so be like what you said i.e. Man City easier than Fulham.

DIfficulty levels, 2 reasons.

1. Its shame that we cant play with good clubs if we wont challenge. Like i said many times before , to be the manager of good club is much harder then to be the manager of 4th division club. Its much more pressure and there are much better managers in the league. Its not easy to win against A: Ferguson, R. Manchini and rest of them in real life. IN FM is very easy, so i think this is just easy game, not real simulation.

2. Reason, we are not all with same intelligence and expeirance. WHen you look at games history, best simulation games HAD difficulty levels. TOday 99 % of the games have diff. levels. Even minecraft have 4 diff levels. I really dont know whats wrong with you guys, maybe you are scared that you could win just on easy? Why you are against some optional settings that can be turn on or off? Why we who find the game too easy cant enjoy in the game because of you?

YOu all forgot how games where hard to beat in late 80s and eary 90s. But that was fun and challenge. Making game for big masses without difficulty option(s) is goin wrong way. SO what we can say who are playin this game for almost 20 years? We dont have difficulty levels, and whats maybe even worse, we cant make MODS for this game, because its not SI policy to make game MODS friendly.

ANd i really must say this again: Whoever says to me that i should pick lets say Everton, Tottenham if i wont easy game, they dont know much about football and simulation. Its much harder to be the manager of Tottenham then some 4th div club in real life. And to bring that 4th div club into premiership and win premiership, thats almost impossible, Thats why this game is not simulation, because we can all take low div club and win Champ league in few years. So please, stop sayin this is good simulation and think how good managers you are. With this engine your wifes, girls are good managers 2.

This!!!! MSCCG and Mitja said what any thinking player should say. How stupid must be that they didnt put diff levels in the game, but they made hardest job in football easy?

nah no difficutly levels, what i would like to see is a big AI improvement and much better tutorials and guides for newer players.

much better tutorials and guides for newer players.

I'll be honest, I've not even looked at the new tutorial system this year. Is it no good?

I'll be honest, I've not even looked at the new tutorial system this year. Is it no good?

Its a huge improvement to recent years, but still needs expanding on, it will help you get to very basic grips with the game, but there is still too much unknown about how certain things work.

There are no need for difficulty levels. Just make the difficulty "model" similar to FM10 or something. Welcoming for newcomers, but not too easy so as to stick Joe Hart at left-back and play well.

Not in a million billion years. Definitely 10000000% no

will ruin the game

If you're a player wanting difficulty levels your just a loser

Why refuse level difficulties, i don't understand especially when the game is really too easy (in other words, AI is stupid). It would be just an another choice for the player.

Why refuse level difficulties, i don't understand especially when the game is really too easy (in other words, AI is stupid). It would be just an another choice for the player.

Because football doesn't have difficulty levels, simulations don't have difficulty levels therefore FM shouldn't have difficulty levels.

Aside from that presuming difficulty levels were considered, how would you propose they worked?

No, I hate games that give bonuses to the AI.

The latest Total War was ruined by stupid crap designed to give the AI an unfair advantage (magically spawning armies, the infamous "Realm Divide" mechanism, etc.) I would hate to see FM take this route.

Why refuse level difficulties, i don't understand especially when the game is really too easy (in other words, AI is stupid). It would be just an another choice for the player.

The problem is that it kills incentive to just improve the AI. Again, using Total War as an example, the AI hasn't improved one bit since 1999.

I don't get how anyone can actively be against the idea of there being the possibility to make the game easier/difficult. That's like... not wanting skins, i.e. a personal preference.

I also don't get the simulation argument. The fact that FM is not football/realistic on so many levels and in so many things aside, how would such an addition (an addition, not taking anything from the game, not changing the core principles of a standard game, not ruining it, but adding another optional thing) dispel the kind of simulation the game offers now.

And finally having said all that I don't really get how would difficulty levels be implemented. The only way I can think of is the random number generator being weighted against/towards the player, thus getting more freak losses/wins and failures/successful outcomes of decisions, negotiations etc. I only see a limited appeal in both cases, why punish your team with needless bad luck/or have a formerly League 2 side still with its L2 level players win everything.

I don't get how anyone can actively be against the idea of there being the possibility to make the game easier/difficult. That's like... not wanting skins, i.e. a personal preference.

Ideally, yes, but as a fan of strategy games in general, I've found that developers who start using difficulty levels basically stop developing the AI altogether. AI cheating starts to become a crutch and, over time, the franchise as a whole suffers.

Because football doesn't have difficulty levels, simulations don't have difficulty levels therefore FM shouldn't have difficulty levels.

Aside from that presuming difficulty levels were considered, how would you propose they worked?

Even if it doesn't work fine, FM has already difficulty levels : in FM editor, you can change the intelligence of managers, litteraly change the intensity of IA so the difficulty. I think the fact FM is considered a simulation is a false argument.

No, I hate games that give bonuses to the AI.

The latest Total War was ruined by stupid crap designed to give the AI an unfair advantage (magically spawning armies, the infamous "Realm Divide" mechanism, etc.) I would hate to see FM take this route.

The problem is that it kills incentive to just improve the AI. Again, using Total War as an example, the AI hasn't improved one bit since 1999.

I understand, i also don't want cheat algorithmes for balance the gameplay (like Mario Kart programmes).

Another thing I hate in FM, the X factor : even if you restart a match in exactly same conditions, the result will not be the same (it's like the hand of god above the influence of tactics & the neutrality of game engine) maybe SI will change the X factor for his difficulty levels, it would be horrible.

there are basic difficulty levels already in the game... your reputation when you start. other than that its the teams you choose, the way you find players, creating your own tactics and training schedules compared to using other well known, highly rated ones. and there are the external methods (FMRTE)

there are more than enough options for users to modify their game to make it harder/easier.

Introducing difficulty level to FM would be the death of franchise.

Lets just get to the point, there is not going to be any difficulty levels you muppets

Another thing I hate in FM, the X factor : even if you restart a match in exactly same conditions, the result will not be the same (it's like the hand of god above the influence of tactics & the neutrality of game engine) maybe SI will change the X factor for his difficulty levels, it would be horrible.

This is a good thing not a bad thing.

Jeez England beat Spain 1-0 yesterday do you think if the match was replayed 10 times it would always end 1-0 to England?

This is a good thing not a bad thing.

Jeez England beat Spain 1-0 yesterday do you think if the match was replayed 10 times it would always end 1-0 to England?

If the match is replayed today or tomorrow, the result will not be the same of course but if you back in time for the match of yesterday, the result will always be the same. FM doesn't respect the basis of causality but it's not necessarily a SI critic, more a technologic critic, all sport games are like that.

This is a good thing not a bad thing.

Jeez England beat Spain 1-0 yesterday do you think if the match was replayed 10 times it would always end 1-0 to England?

I agree with speedas.

However, FM can't simulate the mind of a player accurately, or the way bones work, or physics, or tiring, so naturally there is a random element, and this is good.

Having difficulty levels takes away the point of the game.

If the match is replayed today or tomorrow, the result will not be the same of course but if you back in time for the match of yesterday, the result will always be the same. FM doesn't respect the basis of causality but it's not necessarily a SI critic, more a technologic critic, all sport games are like that.

No it won't.

Every single decision a player takes & every single bounce of the ball alters the course of a match being played.

Suggesting it isn't is like suggesting that life is predetermined and that we have no free will.

No it won't.

Every single decision a player takes & every single bounce of the ball alters the course of a match being played.

Suggesting it isn't is like suggesting that life is predetermined and that we have no free will.

Life is predetermined and we don't have free will. Every decision we make is made because of neurons firing in a certain way due to genetics and past experience. Similarly, a ball will always bounce the same way if it lands the same way.

I think it could be interesting to know how many people on this forums are demanding difficulty levels and how many are strictly against it.

what do you exactly mean how could they make the game more difficult?