A few simple questions from an old FM player...

Ok as a little background, im a fan of the series, but the last version i bought was FM07 and the last version i really properly played FM06 so as you can imagine while the basics are the same now returning in FM09 theres alot which seems quite different.

Please bear with me while i outline some quesions for you all, some of which may be really dumb

1) This one is really important, when i start a new game i like to start it with as many leagues/players (etc) as possible purely cause it makes for a better long term game.

My PC is a Dual core Intel (thinks its around 3.0GHz), with 2GB ram, plenty of disk space. Ill be playing in England so i like to have at least the top 3 leagues running there, i also like to have Spain and Italy (top leagues) as playable in case i want to move there later. After that i dont really care whether they are playable or not, i just want to have as many leagues 'active' as possible to allow for more variation in transfer markets etc...

If i choose 'load all players from' does this mean that when those players retire/dissappear that a regen will replace them or do they simply cease to exist?

Basically i want as many players as possible so with that in mind is the view only option worth bothering with and does the old method of selecting at least 1 or 2 leagues from each major area of the world still mean you get the best amount of players?

Basically whats the best way to get the most players on a large database without slowing the game to a crawl?

2) In older versions of FM there were lots of coaches with stats in the high teens and quite a few even with 20s, in the test game i started i noticed alot of even the best clubs in the PL have coaches which barely even have an 18 let alone a 20, is this normal, has it just been made generally harder to assemble a team of uber coaches?

3) Training wise im almost totally lost, is there a definitive guide to the FM08 style training thats in FM09 (i never really found a good way of doing it in 07)

I remember back in older versions it was generally best to have groups like DC/DLR/DMC/MC etc etc but i wonder now is it the same? The training in general seems more simplified and easier to use i just need a few pointers.

Thats it really for the moment, the main question is number 1, i hate starting a game and getting a few seasons in only to discover i wished i added a different regions players or the like (i like to assemble obscure youth players from across the globe )

Anyone know ?

Even an anwer to just number 1 would be cool!!

Right thats good to know, on a similar note.

If i use DDTs or the check box on start up to retain all players from a specific country/league will this slow the game down in the same way selecting a larger database size would? And when those players retire do they get newgens to replace them even though their league isnt technically active?

Sorry for the seemingly inane questions but its one area thats always confused me.

Selecting all players from specific leagues is less data than a larger database (unless you select all from a heck of a lot of leagues), so will slow the game down less. However the regens will be imbalanced since you will get much more from your selected leagues. The effect will be that in the long run those countries will become proportionately much stronger.

Cool, i think im gonna go the route of selecting alot of leagues as 'view only' and setting them to low detail, at least this way it wont be AS unbalanced further into the game.

Ok as a little background, im a fan of the series, but the last version i bought was FM07 and the last version i really properly played FM06 so as you can imagine while the basics are the same now returning in FM09 theres alot which seems quite different.

Please bear with me while i outline some quesions for you all, some of which may be really dumb

1) This one is really important, when i start a new game i like to start it with as many leagues/players (etc) as possible purely cause it makes for a better long term game.

My PC is a Dual core Intel (thinks its around 3.0GHz), with 2GB ram, plenty of disk space. Ill be playing in England so i like to have at least the top 3 leagues running there, i also like to have Spain and Italy (top leagues) as playable in case i want to move there later. After that i dont really care whether they are playable or not, i just want to have as many leagues 'active' as possible to allow for more variation in transfer markets etc...

If i choose 'load all players from' does this mean that when those players retire/dissappear that a regen will replace them or do they simply cease to exist?

Basically i want as many players as possible so with that in mind is the view only option worth bothering with and does the old method of selecting at least 1 or 2 leagues from each major area of the world still mean you get the best amount of players?

Basically whats the best way to get the most players on a large database without slowing the game to a crawl?

2) In older versions of FM there were lots of coaches with stats in the high teens and quite a few even with 20s, in the test game i started i noticed alot of even the best clubs in the PL have coaches which barely even have an 18 let alone a 20, is this normal, has it just been made generally harder to assemble a team of uber coaches?

3) Training wise im almost totally lost, is there a definitive guide to the FM08 style training thats in FM09 (i never really found a good way of doing it in 07)

I remember back in older versions it was generally best to have groups like DC/DLR/DMC/MC etc etc but i wonder now is it the same? The training in general seems more simplified and easier to use i just need a few pointers.

Thats it really for the moment, the main question is number 1, i hate starting a game and getting a few seasons in only to discover i wished i added a different regions players or the like (i like to assemble obscure youth players from across the globe )

1. I have a gig less on my processor, and I am running Eng prem-lg2, Fra 1div, Ger 1div, Hol 1div, Spain3div, ita 2div, large database, and have no problems with speed.

Load all players wont effect your regens, as they are not made from old players anymore, they are made brand new

2. Yes, I think the coaches have been lowered quite a bit, so a 17 coach is quite good still.

3. Training is quite simple. Its also best to make categories for different types of players to benefit from their types of training. I have made DL/R, DC, DM/Support, Att Mids, Striker categories. I'm sure I dont have to explain to you what they are for. When it comes to the sliders, you can find out which schedule trains what by doing the following. Its a bit strange as I dont think they are listed properly anywhere else.

Click on any player > On the left click on training> then on the sub menu, click attributes> then click 'category' top right corner > click one of the training categories to bring up what they train.

I find the most important are either Attacking or Defending depending on what type of player, then Tactics.

I know how you feel mate..............

In my Fav version CM03, you felt your job was easy to blend a dam good team on the pitch……..I loved the chase of that player you felt was right for your team and the fact when you got him you put him in the first eleven in your formation and let them get on with it…………… simple and I liked it. You probably get there when you learn the effects off all those ticks and sliders but in my mind it takes the shine off the football after all is the player playing like a spud because he is actually a spud or I have a wrong setting??????

Obviously things move on but do we need more options and controls than a flight-deck of a plane!!!!!!, I lost interest in the game because it was more like setting up a BMW M5 than a football game with all those sliders and ticks and stars….I loved the Old school way of playing and have played from the original CM….

View only is a waste of time. Depending on the quality of the league you can end up with teams full of grey players playing each other !

If your going to run a league make it playable but not full detail, that way all players are loaded for the teams in the league plus additional players within the world continent.

As an example by running the Australian league as playable you make obscure Oceania nations playable such as Cook Islands, Soloman Islands, American Samoa etc.

Players within these nations are not playing for Australian clubs but are loaded as part of the general continent retention.

Not sure if its the same in FM09 but in FM08 by not running a league on full detail results were calculated using the teams reputation rather than the by the quality and performance of the players within the teams.

Still better than view only though.

Ah ok so view only for my purposes is a waste of time.

I think i may try a large database with England (top 3 div), Spain and Italy (just main div) as full detail playable.

Then Holland, Russia, Brazil, Arg, China, MLS, Sweden (or Denmark) as playable but low detail... (im hoping that spread of players will be sufficient)

I would like to activate more African players but there only seems to be the South African league, if i run that league will it add the majority of the African players or would i be better off not bothering with South African league and loading all players from a selection of African countries?

I realise that the above selection wont be super quick but as i said i like to get into long haul games so as much variation as possible in the future is my priority if you get what i mean.