A rethinking of potential, training and scouting

I have long found the PA system unsatisfying in its simplicity and absolutism. In addition, I think it creates all sorts of unintended side effects and strange behavior, sa well as artificial limitaions and impositions on the game. I feel it is time to rethink how this works. What I am proposing would be a big change but I'd like to at least start a debate on it.

Problems with PA:

1) The idea that human beings have capped/pre-determined potential just isn't very satisfying. Especially as it relates to player attributes. If your player hits his PA, well, his development stops, regardless of age, playing time, coaching, etc. This feels artificial and unnatural.

2) PA is a very simplistic model. The result is that scouting, ultimately, boils down to one factor, which is 'what is this guys potential'. The goal becomes to accumulate as many high PA players as possible.

3) PA makes coaching almost pointless. Since a player has a pre-determined PA cap, having better coaches just means that player will hit his peak a little earlier, rendering that whole part of the game somewhat meaningless.

4) PA creates weird side effects. For example, a player who peaks may suffer random up and down fluctuations of attributes as the game attempts to balance their CA with their PA cap and the coaching they are receiving.

So in summary, the goals of a new system would be:

1) Provide a system that models real player development a little better

2) Make scouting a more complex, rewarding and challenging endevour

3) Make coaching useful

4) Provide a larger opportunity for players to surprise and overachieve, as well as for top level prospects to fail or underachieve.

Component 1, Initial attributes

This isn't much different than what is in FM now. All newgens will have an initial array of attribute scores. This foundation will remain key to their future development. A player with a 14 pace at age 16 will likely always be faster than a player with a pace of 10 at the same age.

Component 2, Player aptitude:

Since players will not have a PA, instead, they will have 3 aptitude scores, corresponding to the Technical, Mental and Physical attributes.

The aptitude will determine how fast they improve in each of these categories, everything else being equal. Training and coaching can focus on each of these three areas, or a concentration on certain collections of attriubtes that focus on skillsets. For example, you focus on 'technical' training which would attempt to train all relelvant technical abilities for the player, or you could choose 'shooting' which might focus on finishing, long shots, composure, etc..

component 3, Mentality attributes

These 'hidden' attributes will go towards determining how a player will improve, decline, or maintain attributes in a variety of circumstances.

1) Discipline - How good is the player at working when left to their own devices? Do they sit around eating junk food and watching TV during the offseason, or do they rigorously run laps and work out? When injured are they constantly focused on returning quickly and keeping in shape, or do they go to the disco in crutches and party until dawn?

2) Confidence - How does this player respond to challenging competition? Do they prefer to learn in low-pressure situations, loaned to lower league clubs or playing for the reserves? Or do they want the challenge of top-tier opponents, even if they are not ready? Is he open to instruction from all quarters, or will he only listen to the best and highest reputation coaches?

3) Ambition - Does this player want to achive all he can in his career? Is he willing to squeeze every last bit of ability out of his talent? Or is he happy playing in a mid-level club in a non-key role? Is he so ambitious that he needs constantly to find new challenges, or is he happy staying where he is.

4) Learning - Does this player enjoy personalized and dedicated coaching and training? Does he devote himself to practice? Or does he loaf on the practice pitch but put in an all out effort on match day?

The combination of these attributes helps determine how a player will develop most effectively. The areas that a player can learn/improve:

First Team Matches

Reserve/loan matches

Offseason Training and Rehab

In-Season Training

Component 4, Age

A player's age is hugely influential about their develpoment. Players tend to develop faster phyiscally at younger ages, technically at young-to mid career, and mentally throughout their career, but each attribute should have individual values determining how it rises and lowers throughout a career. For example, its likely a player will lose pace as he reaches his 30s, but strength is unlikely to decline and may even increase through his late 20s.

Mentality attributes will effect this. An ambitious, disciplined player might be more likely to maintain his attributes through his later years, while a player with high learning rate might increase faster at a young age.

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How it all comes together

Since gameworld balance is important, the average starting attributes, mentality and aptitude should be modeled so that the overall balance of player ability remains relatively similar to what exists in FM now. But because there are no caps on attributes (no magic PA number), and the model is significantly more complex than what exists now, the chance for more variation and control of individual player development exists.

For example, a manager may choose to focus on training a players mental attributes despite their relatively low aptitude for mental. this would result in a player smarter than he may have been under the old PA model, but overall lower CA. Likewise, improper management of a young players career might result in stunting their growth (repeatedly loaning a high confidence player to lower leagues), while careful management might result in an overachiever who exceeds his inherent gifts and becomes a better player than anyone expected. By carefully tailoring his training and evelopment program, a manager may become an expert of squeezing every bit of talent out of limited, but overachieving players, while another might be best at helping top-tier talent maximize its potential.

Scouting would reflect these changes. While scouts could continue to give an overall star rating, management of a players development is so important that it is no longer a hard-and-fast rule but rather a rough guideline. Instead, scouts would attempt to determine the players mental atributes and aptitudes as well as they can and allow the manager to make final judgement on whether that player will fit in his system. This could create interesting decision points, where a maneger must choose between a high potential and a mentality that might not fit his club's development scheme.

Anyway, I hope this sparks some discussion. I feel that eventually SI needs to abandon the PA scheme if it really wants to take the next step in player development, as well as giving some long maligned features like coaching and scouting a real boost.

I noticed another thread posted around the same time where people were discussing this http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/237145-Potential-Ability-(year-after-year)

This is a very interesting topic, but tell me how a player like Cristiano Ronaldo will improve as he reached his peak and he trains every day 100% to stay in his prime

what would the trigger be for him? to stop or continue his improvement

and how do you create a trigger for downgrading (except injuries and age)

This is a very interesting topic, but tell me how a player like Cristiano Ronaldo will improve as he reached his peak and he trains every day 100% to stay in his prime

what would the trigger be for him? to stop or continue his improvement

and how do you create a trigger for downgrading (except injuries and age)

For someone like Ronaldo, he would have very high aptitudes and initial attributes. His discipline, ambition and confidence would all be very high. He is self motivated but would also require being constantly challenged. Ultimately, someone of his talent would always be good, but as a youngster, loaning him to inferior teams and leagues would slow his development.

A more interesting example might be someone like Wayne Rooney, who is obviously talented (high attributes and aptitudes) but whose discipline is low and thus perhaps doesn't work as hard as he should when left to his own devices.

Downgrading happens primarily through age. Injuries play a factor. But also, ignoring the players mentality can cause, at the minimum, stagnation.