A tip for all those who think the AI cheats.....

On match view, slect SPLIT VIEW.

In the left window, use the drop down so the attacking team's formation is shown.

In the other window, display YOUR teams match ratings.

With these 2 views enabled you will be able to do the following:

(1) Observe your team's condition, injuries, yellow cards, ratings etc...so you can amend your team accordingly.

(2) Observe the changes in formation/mentality by the AI.

Honestly, its remarkable how many changes the AI makes...swapping forwards to confuse your CBs, changes in arrows, inclusion of a DMC, change to one up front, change to 4-2-4.

By observing this you can amend your tactics as required.

If you set out with a 4-4-2 and the AI switches to adapt to that (to create more chances) and you do nothing, you will lose.

If you adapt, by assigning the DMC to man mark their AMC, to stop your FB's running fwd when the AI is playing 4-2-4, but dropping your mentality and switching to counter attack when holding a lead against superior opposition - you will notice a DRAMATIC improvement in your results.

Hope this helps.

On match view, slect SPLIT VIEW.

In the left window, use the drop down so the attacking team's formation is shown.

In the other window, display YOUR teams match ratings.

With these 2 views enabled you will be able to do the following:

(1) Observe your team's condition, injuries, yellow cards, ratings etc...so you can amend your team accordingly.

(2) Observe the changes in formation/mentality by the AI.

Honestly, its remarkable how many changes the AI makes...swapping forwards to confuse your CBs, changes in arrows, inclusion of a DMC, change to one up front, change to 4-2-4.

By observing this you can amend your tactics as required.

If you set out with a 4-4-2 and the AI switches to adapt to that (to create more chances) and you do nothing, you will lose.

If you adapt, by assigning the DMC to man mark their AMC, to stop your FB's running fwd when the AI is playing 4-2-4, but dropping your mentality and switching to counter attack when holding a lead against superior opposition - you will notice a DRAMATIC improvement in your results.

Hope this helps.

you might be onto something there evil man, i will take your advice.

personally i don't mind the delicate intricacies of football manager but those with less patience won't survive.

Anyone who thinks a major games company would program their game to cheat against it's customer needs to get a grip on life and certainly doesn't deserve you well thought out advice.

On this note, anyone else find it slightly perplexing that you need to set up your match screen each match?

UI wise SI have done well IMO but when it comes to the match screen defaulting each match to Overview (easily the LEAST useful of all the screens on offer) it's hard not to be disappointed

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Masquerade:

On this note, anyone else find it slightly perplexing that you need to set up your match screen each match?

UI wise SI have done well IMO but when it comes to the match screen defaulting each match to Overview (easily the LEAST useful of all the screens on offer) it's hard not to be disappointed </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I dont have to fix my screen every game.

I just hit "Split View" and the screens I want remain there...

Oh, wait, did you mean that I have to hit "split view"?

Still, takes a few seconds....

I'm not saying it's a huge inconvenience, I just don't understand why overview is the default screen and why your last choice of screen isn't memorised. I mean it happens in a number of ways across different parts of the game e.g shortlists, squad sheets with filters and so on, so why not here?

true, it would be a good thing if this was a feature...perhaps the lords of SI are listening.....

aye, fingers crossed.

Nice advice btw, I usually have my eye on the player ratings screen and I probably miss a fair bit by ignoring the opposition.

Would be nice to have a screen in the future that showed all you needed to know about either side. Say something like the formations screen with a little performance indicator above each players circle and a condition indicator below their name underneath the circles.

I must admit, I tend to just react to how the highlights go and make changes from there. If there are not enough key highlights, then I bump it up to extended and i can usually identify the problems from there.

Getting good enough players to do anything about it is another matter entirely though!

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by buzzing_hornet:

Anyone who thinks a major games company would program their game to cheat against it's customer needs to get a grip on life and certainly doesn't deserve you well thought out advice. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Major games companies cheat against consumers all the time in an effort to get a more competitive AI, just because SI dont do it doesnt mean it doesnt go on

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Evil Man:

If you set out with a 4-4-2 and the AI switches to adapt to that (to create more chances) and you do nothing, you will lose.

If you adapt, by assigning the DMC to man mark their AMC, to stop your FB's running fwd when the AI is playing 4-2-4, but dropping your mentality and switching to counter attack when holding a lead against superior opposition - you will notice a DRAMATIC improvement in your results.

</div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yep, this definitely helps. But it also goes further. If you really want to be attentive to changes by the AI, you need to watch at least on extended highlights, and really on full. Because by watching on full, you can actually see if your tactics are working, and, if not, where they are breaking down. I find the impressions I get from watching are a lot more reliable than just watching the AI's formation screen change.

Hope this helps.

Excellent tip!

Realistically though, Would a real life team make so many rolling changes during a match? I think Strikers swapping over is a normal thing, but I don't often see it happen when watching the blades? let alone several times in a match.

Also, I don't normally see a DM then no DM, then a DM again. I do accept that a team would change to 424 towards the end of most games if they are losing though.

I wonder if this constant need to tinker is to reflect the touchline aspects of a manager, however some managers have 1 game plan and stick to it and some don't? So I can't see why you must tinker with your tactics and formations to suit the opposition?

For example, I couldn't see one of the big 4 changing their game plan in a match against say... Derby? to suit the way Derby play, it should be the other way around, but I generally find that I'm constantly having to switch my tactics etc.. during a game to suit the opposition, even if they are bottom of the league and doing very poorly, just so I don't get mullered.

Sometimes I don't know if i'm coming or going?

If your formation is good enough I find that you don't really need to pay attention to what the AI team is doing. I never change my tactics during a match and I've managed be successful.

I was actually about to start a topic called "Are the AI Managers psychic?" but I'll add my rant here instead.

Does anyone know for sure if the AI can "see" your player and team instruction changes? Because it certainly seems to me like they can.

Case in point:- If my team are being outplayed I sometimes like to drag the "width" slider to the narrowest it will go. The thinking being that my players will play closer to each other and be able to back each other up.

The AI invariably reacts to this by flooding the centre of midfield with defensive players and shoving it's wingers right upfield, which is the perfect way to play against the "narrow" tactic. So is the AI spying on me? Personally I am not capable of immediately spotting tweaks that the opposition make to their team instructions.

The beauty of it though is that for some unknown reason this "counter" tactic doesn't actually seem to work very well and I end up thrashing them anyway. Serves 'em ruddy well right.

So in a nutshell, the tip is basically don't be a wolly and let the game flow past you without taking any notice of those minor things like the AI making tactical changes.

The only AI-driven change that strikes me as unrealistic is one that alters the fundamental formation - 4-4-2 to 5-3-2 or 4-4-3 - and then back again during the match. One shift, I can understand. More than that you rarely see IRL.

One issue that contributes to that is, from what I have seen, AI managers have far fewer qualms about playing a player out of position than I would as a human manager (and more so than I see in real life too).

For me, if I wanted to make a radical change from 4-4-2 to 5-3-2 I'd generally have to make a substitution unless I happened to have versatile players on the pitch. The AI just moves players around though and seems to love having loads of players on swap positions - strikers whose only position is striker swapping with an ML or MR etc.

Yes, I would agree with that.

In fact, as I am getting into the later stages of the season in my current game, and I don't have great depth (but do have a few quality players in reserve), I am going to try playing some of them out of position to see what kind of results I get as well as giving some of the first-teamers some rest (my best player has started all 27 matches so far, and I notice his performances and morale have been starting to fall off a bit of late).

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by gunnerfan:

In fact, as I am getting into the later stages of the season in my current game, and I don't have great depth (but do have a few quality players in reserve), I am going to try playing some of them out of position to see what kind of results I get as well as giving some of the first-teamers some rest (my best player has started all 27 matches so far, and I notice his performances and morale have been starting to fall off a bit of late). </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I dont think players playing out of position is as much of a problem as it used to be.

As a Lower League manager I find that as long as you keep them within their speciality then its better to say play a superior DC as a DR than put a poor DR in.

MCs also seem more capable of playing as a DMC and strikers with the right instuctions can be very effective in the AMR/L positions.

It even extends to MLs being able to put in a decent performance as a DL if they have good defensive attributes.

Its quite realistic imo- look at Flamini for you guys playing as left back last year, or Jamie O'Hara having Ronaldo in his pocket for large parts of our 1-1 vs Man U.

As irl with the right attributes and tactics you will not be punished for playing players out of position.

To Evil Man- I have just tried your suggestion for the first time ever and am astonished at the number of times the AI manager makes changes, sometimes small ones and it is undoubtedly a very valuable tool for countering his plans.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by FrazT:

To Evil Man- I have just tried your suggestion for the first time ever and am astonished at the number of times the AI manager makes changes, sometimes small ones and it is undoubtedly a very valuable tool for countering his plans. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Its is quite incredible isnt Fraz?

I can now see if the changes made are going to be a threat, and if I start conceding possesion, and the AI begin to have more chances, I know the reason and can counter.

Using this split screen idea is always good with Key or extended highlights. Personally I use Key and find that useful.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by gunnerfan:

The only AI-driven change that strikes me as unrealistic is one that alters the fundamental formation - 4-4-2 to 5-3-2 or 4-4-3 - and then back again during the match. One shift, I can understand. More than that you rarely see IRL. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Agreed completely.

It's ridiculous how many times the AI managers change formation, I've seen 4-4-2 to 3-5-2 to 4-2-4 and then some crazy formation with about 7 up front. In RL you sometimes see managers sub a defender for a striker but nothing more than that.

But it can work to your advantage, I believe.

It's common knowledge that changing team & player instructions = good, whilst making many rash changes to the formations = bad!

If an AI manager fluctuates a variety of formations throughout a match, then surely he's unsettling his own players more?

If a human manager makes many shape changes, the players will lose the plot completely. Subtle changes to instructions tend to work more smoothly and effectively.

Change 'player ratings' to 'match stats'. I can see for myself if a player's doing well or not. With these two up I can see the opposition and how the game is going (along with the possession bar).

Personally I'm surprised some people haven't had the opposition formation up from the start, cos doing without it is like running a race blindfolded.

Its amazing how much emphasis is based on tactics in this game, the actual player ability has never been so irrelevent as it has with the last few editons, its like if you dont psend 5 days annalising the oppositon you will almost certainly lose, which is ok if you happen to be a 45 stone cripple who lives in bed, but for 99% of the people who play the game, just watching your strikers miss 5000 million one on ones a season because of there 'tactics' and there silly slider bars not being right, there is no such thing as a manager being able to instruct a team to plat short or long or how the tempo or defence line playes,. the players and there ability dictate it, thats were for me football manager is completely loosing the plot, wouldnt suprise me next if they coem up with an optimun angle for the free kicks etc its getting that silly

as we speak, im managing aberdeen aand ive just beaten celtic 6-0 which is bizzare, i then play the next game at home again to the bottom club who play the same 4-4-2 and there passing the ball around like brazil 1970 and hammering me, probably because one of my slider bars is a mm to short, the influence of tactics is comically over emphasised and is just a guessing game

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by gunnerfan:

The only AI-driven change that strikes me as unrealistic is one that alters the fundamental formation - 4-4-2 to 5-3-2 or 4-4-3 - and then back again during the match. One shift, I can understand. More than that you rarely see IRL. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I agree with that, but in general very few AI teams do it. Plymouth and Wolves spring immeidately to mind.

@ Genuine_quality: You might find it useful visiting the Tactics forum. I can guarantee you that none of the regulars believe a one slider click change is the difference between playing like '70s Brazil versus playing like the '86 Sheffield Steelworks 2nd XI.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">I agree with that, but in general very few AI teams do it. Plymouth and Wolves spring immeidately to mind. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

One of the Irish Premier Division teams does, too. Can't remember which one offhand, possibly either St. Patrick's Athletic or Bohemians.

Actually, it's Derry City. Just beat them in the League Cup final.