Starting again with 2012

Well, I finally got FM 2012 (it helped that Steam in the USA had it for twelve bucks) and even with the tutorial I'm not sure where to begin. I was trying a season with the Portland Timbers of MLS (my local team) and am at the very beginning. But I'm thinking of starting over when I have a better grasp of what to do and how to do it, so I was thinking maybe I could get some advice.

I don't really know what I have in FM terms, which is odd because I know the real team fairly well. I know the biggest problem is in the back four, which made a lot of silly plays in 2011 that cost the team dearly (we only finished a couple of points out of the postseason -- there were two bad plays that cost us five points that would have changed the entire picture had those games been won). But I have no idea how to get a decent performance out of players. I lost the first two friendlies I played, including a 2-1 defeat at the hands of my own reserve squad. I have my own ideas, based on my knowledge of the club, of how I want to play and the team isn't doing it.

Maybe that's part of the problem -- my ideas of what the various players on the Timbers are capable of possibly don't match the opinions of the people at SI who come up with the player ratings.

Since I don't want to be fired by my hometown team a third of the way into the campaign I'd like to see how I can whip the team into shape and win some games, even if that means starting over from scratch.

I also wonder whether starting with a different team in a different competition might have been a better idea.

the squad will take time to adjust to your tactics. on the left of the tactics screen you can see their familiarity with it. plus it is also unlikely that si has gone very indepth with the research on your team. i like to go with a team i dont support so my real life opinions dont hold me back when playing the game.

I would be happy to help but i'm not sure what you're looking for mate, if it's tactical advice and you're fairly new I would use the tactics creator and make it as simple as possible, use the formation that suits your team if you have a small budget, don't over-complicate the tactics and make sure you have your match preparation on at least high if your formation is fully fluid yet.

Also don't expect instant results, like the fella above said, it'll take time for your team to get used to each other and the tactics. Need anymore help, just reply in here, i'll have a go.

Have a look through the guides in the Tactic and training forum as well, few here to get you started:

http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/289528-The-SI-Sports-Centre-All-You-Need-To-Know-About-FM

http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/275644-The-SFraser-Memorial-Thread-Links-to-all-the-discussions-and-guides.

that second link is a forum that has links to all of SFrasers threads, the guy was an FM genius. Have a read through them

yeah like Jimbo says SFrasers threads are a must if your struggling with anything in this game, Cleon's sport centre is also a must read. But if there is anything specific you want to know just give us a bit more details

One problem I've had is uncertainty of how to run training. That's one reason I want to start over -- so that I can start training properly from the get-go. I want to improve the team's fitness overall, but also help certain players be more effective. I want to make Boyd (the new Portland striker) more effective in the box, for example. I also want to improve the discipline of the back four to avoid giving up silly goals and silly penalties.

This time I also blew my entire transfer budget on one player (a defender). Mind you I didn't have very much.

Trying another team sounds like a good idea. I don't know what sort of team to try, though.

I could also use some help with the match system, and dealing with substitutions on-the-fly. That something I don't know how to do yet. I'd like to be able to pause the match sim so I can make those decisions, but I'm not sure I can do that.

One problem I've had is uncertainty of how to run training. That's one reason I want to start over -- so that I can start training properly from the get-go. I want to improve the team's fitness overall, but also help certain players be more effective. I want to make Boyd (the new Portland striker) more effective in the box, for example. I also want to improve the discipline of the back four to avoid giving up silly goals and silly penalties.

This time I also blew my entire transfer budget on one player (a defender). Mind you I didn't have very much.

Trying another team sounds like a good idea. I don't know what sort of team to try, though.

I could also use some help with the match system, and dealing with substitutions on-the-fly. That something I don't know how to do yet. I'd like to be able to pause the match sim so I can make those decisions, but I'm not sure I can do that.

One idea you could try to get to grips with everything is be a very good team as in Real Madrid, Barca, Man City etc. Obviously it wouldn't be much of a challenge but it would get you used to things.

One idea you could try to get to grips with everything is be a very good team as in Real Madrid, Barca, Man City etc. Obviously it wouldn't be much of a challenge but it would get you used to things.

I always assumed from my experience with previous management sims (and I'm thinking back to the days of One-Nil and Goal in the nineties) that the game actually gets more difficult the better your team is because expectations are so high. At Barca, for example, anything less than winning both La Liga and the Champions League would get you fired. At Man City it's the EPL title or bust. And so forth.

That's why I didn't start with a top side. In my first game of One-Nil decades ago I started at ManU and didn't last the first two months of the season before getting sacked.

Trying Norwich with the new update could be worth a shot. They're a pretty good team with low expectations. Of course I'm not at all biased in suggesting them!

Trying Norwich with the new update could be worth a shot. They're a pretty good team with low expectations. Of course I'm not at all biased in suggesting them!

An interesting suggestion. How do you start with them?

Trying another team sounds like a good idea. I don't know what sort of team to try, though.

I could also use some help with the match system, and dealing with substitutions on-the-fly. That something I don't know how to do yet. I'd like to be able to pause the match sim so I can make those decisions, but I'm not sure I can do that.

Space bar pauses the match. But you also have movie controls at the bottom of the 3d match screen, in black. The whole menu pops out and you can pause, fast forward, rewind, etc..

Keyboard shortcuts: Shift-L (fast), Shift-K (regular speed), and Shift-J (slow-mo) can also help you look at details in the match.

.....

FM can be quite overwhelming at first, so be prepared to make some big blunders and learn from your mistakes. It can take quite awhile to become fluent with the tactics system but I don't think you have to read anything to get the hang of the game, unless you like some reading or need something specifically addressed.

You're still learning the very basics, so just keep asking questions in the forums if you can't figure something out.

I think you're going to find the hardest part is getting your back-4 playing well. You're going to need strong tactics, strong motivation, plenty of match preparation, and a good understanding of how to adjust your tactics to conditions (opposition formations, weather, strengths, etc..). Tactics out of the Tactics Creator will suffice for a base. Ramp up your "Match Preparation" to maximum until the team knows the tactic fluidly. This is easy to overlook but quite important. Experiment with team talks and watch what your Assistant Manager says and learn from him.

Above all, be patient. Maybe you'll perform above the Timbers in real life, or maybe not, but try not to expect too much success until you're far more familiar with the game.

P.S. Norwich play in England so you'll have to start a game with English leagues loaded.

A good part about playing with the team you support is that you know the players and are motivated. The bad part might be that you know the real players but not the FM versions, which will probably behave a bit differently. MLS is a good level of football to be playing though, IMO. Norwich would be similar in some ways.

FM can be quite overwhelming at first, so be prepared to make some big blunders and learn from your mistakes. It can take quite awhile to become fluent with the tactics system but I don't think you have to read anything to get the hang of the game, unless you like some reading or need something specifically addressed.

You're still learning the very basics, so just keep asking questions in the forums if you can't figure something out.

I think you're going to find the hardest part is getting your back-4 playing well. You're going to need strong tactics, strong motivation, plenty of match preparation, and a good understanding of how to adjust your tactics to conditions (opposition formations, weather, strengths, etc..). Tactics out of the Tactics Creator will suffice for a base. Ramp up your "Match Preparation" to maximum until the team knows the tactic fluidly. This is easy to overlook but quite important. Experiment with team talks and watch what your Assistant Manager says and learn from him.

Above all, be patient. Maybe you'll perform above the Timbers in real life, or maybe not, but try not to expect too much success until you're far more familiar with the game.

P.S. Norwich play in England so you'll have to start a game with English leagues loaded.

A good part about playing with the team you support is that you know the players and are motivated. The bad part might be that you know the real players but not the FM versions, which will probably behave a bit differently. MLS is a good level of football to be playing though, IMO. Norwich would be similar in some ways.

I blew my entire transfer budget on a Mexican central defender. I don't know if I made the right investment. Nor do I know much about how to train for match preparation. It's a bit of a problem, actually, of having run the tutorials but not necessarily gotten what I needed from them.

He is rated for Sweeper, but I don't know if the rest of my club can get used to playing with a sweeper. Nor do I know which tactic supports a sweeper.

I'm also concerned that I may already be losing my locker room. The morale of my team seems to have been affected by the two preseason losses and I'm not sure how to rebuild their confidence.

Tonight the real Timbers open their season. I don't think I'll be caught up, especially if I do start over.