Beginners Guide?

Hi,

Does anyone know of a beginners guide to explain how to get started and the concepts of the game? It didn't look like the manual had anything like that. I have never played the game and am not a soccer fan, but I have heard so many good things about the game I would like to try it.

Thanks,

Rob

There are various guides across the forum, which should be able to help you. It'd probably be best to look through some forums, especially the Tactics and Training forum.

Check the online manual for help.

The game also has an in-game tutorial which should be of further help.

For the rest, FM is rather text-based, so many things should be self-explanatory and with just a bit of trial and error you'll find your way to succeed

Just if football itself is news to you, I'd recommend spending more time with getting used to the game. A good entry, although already on a high level, would indeed be reading the TT&F guide which is available via a link in the tactics forum.

hth

First, that you for the above info. I know I'm going to sound like an idiot here but...

I don't even know where to get started in the game. I picked a team to manage but there is so much stuff I don't know what to do first! I don't know if there are some basic steps to take at the beginning of a game to get going or what. I will look at the references you mentioned, but I didn't know if there is a place I can look just to get an idea what I am even supposed to do.

Sorry for my stupidity

http://www.fm-britain.co.uk/tactics-ebooks/tactical-theorems-10/

With regards the game, its horribly confusing for new players nowdays alas.

Just plug away and ask lots of questions.

First, that you for the above info. I know I'm going to sound like an idiot here but...

I don't even know where to get started in the game. I picked a team to manage but there is so much stuff I don't know what to do first! I don't know if there are some basic steps to take at the beginning of a game to get going or what. I will look at the references you mentioned, but I didn't know if there is a place I can look just to get an idea what I am even supposed to do.

Sorry for my stupidity

No worries. The online manual is far from perfect but includes a bit of what you are looking for.

When I start a new game, this is what I do first, before even pressing continue for the first time:

- Check out my squad. Find areas in which I am weak and where I am good. That gives me a first indication of what to look for on the transfer market. Also it enables me to see who is surplus to requirements and thus gets transfer listed to generate more funds.

- Check out my staff in the same manner (though getting transfer listed is replaced by offering mutual termination within my economic opportunities)

- Check out the transfer market for unattached (i.e. free) players who might help my cause

- Check out the transfer market in my weak areas, maybe make some first offers

- Check out the staff market to get better coaches and scouts

- check my friendlies fixture list. Is it too congested (I always have 4 days minimum between two games)? Do I want some other opposition? maybe cancel some friendlies and try to arrange new ones.

Then I start building the squad towards the state I'd like it to be, start bothering about training and create different schedules (go for Tug's training schedules in the tactics and traing forum ) and assing the players to the respective schedules.

When the first friendly is to be played I decide on (create) a tactic which should suit the players I have. (go for TT&F as said above ) During the friendlies I look at which formation is the best, testing out my players.

From then on, I just play on, doing whatever is needed within the game.

who have you decided to manage?

i dont get why we should have to spend hrs reading this 60 page document so we can understand the tactics

for me again a basic 4-4-2 is useless

who have you decided to manage?

Good question.

If you are a first-timer, then going for a big club with goos players will make for an easier start. After you got used to the game you can start a new game with your favourite club or another club of your choice which will give you a bigger challenge.

i dont get why we should have to spend hrs reading this 60 page document so we can understand the tactics

for me again a basic 4-4-2 is useless

The same reason you couldn't keep Blackburn Rovers in the PL or the same reason you couldn't take pole position at Yas Marina - because you expect to be good at something you have no knowledge of or experience with.

Sorry, it is only a game but its a simulation game.

No easy wins .. even now with the tactics wizard its stil hard to gague where your team is failing and where your tactics are.

PS: I have had loads of sucess with the basic 442, using the wizard in the demo. Just be prepared to teak the templates, especially roles depending on pitch size and quality of your players.

i did well in the demo with the same squad and tactic now struggling and have no idea why

p.s not si bashing just always gets me why the tactical area is so advanced for what is just a sim game after all

i did well in the demo with the same squad and tactic now struggling and have no idea why

same reason everyone is bemused as to why the full game is so 'slow'. you bought the game. its called marketing.

lol i dont find the game slow

Welcome to the addiction. First off, get ready for a steep learning curve, but once you reach the top...it's a helluva lot of fun. So just be patient is my first bit of advice. I was once in your shoes, where ...kick ball into the net, was pretty much my lvl of knowledge of soccer. It took me a while, before i felt comfortable really with the game. Just be patient it will come and the reward will be there. It's pretty much turned into my favorite game for the last 3-4 years.

This forum is actually pretty awesome. I'd suggest going to the Tactic & Training tips forum

http://community.sigames.com/forumdisplay.php?f=18

This thread specifically has a lot of information. Go through it. This helped a lot.

http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php?t=136632

Couple newbie bits of advice.

1. I would suggest starting with a relative powerhouse - in the english premiere league, that would be Manchesterd United, Liverpool, chelsea or arsenal. Spain- Real Madrid or Barcelona. There are others, but i would probably start somewhere with those. Or you can take a look around and maybe one catches your fancy. They will probably have high expectations of you, but at least you will have a good team to start off with while your fiddling around.

2.In terms of understanding the game - I would kind of start with players abilities (ie accelaration, pace, strength, concentration). have a basic understanding or sweep of what these things do. because this in essence is the back bone.

3. I would then probably fool around with the tactics screen and look at team instructions and then player instructions. Use the basic panels for now. Read through what each type of thing does - ie for forward (attacking forward, defense forward). Midfielder (defense midfielder), etc. This is the first year this has gone into the game, and it is really a nifty tool. I'd read through all of them, just to get a feel for what each of them do. After that, i would then click on the advanced button, and from there, just look at what that specific setting does...ie what do the sliders look like for an attacking forward.

4. Listen to your assistant manager also, they will give you some advice on things.

5 There area lot of moving parts in this game - players abilities, tactics in game, setting up substition patterns, budgetary management, scouting, developing new players. So, just take one little nugget at a time.

6. if you are losing or winning a game with a certain set of tactics, dont be afraid to quit out of hte game, and restart the game with a different set of tactics. This actually helped me when I was learning the game. i just wanted to see what things would affect.

Stick with it, it's a lot of fun.

Wow, thanks for all the great advice and tips guys. I'm going to compile this advice together and start climbing the learning curve!

Thanks again,

Rob

who have you decided to manage?

I let it randomly decide at the time. It picked Kiddeminster. I don't know anything about any team or player. But, I may restart and use one of the teams recommended above.

Welcome to the addiction. First off, get ready for a steep learning curve, but once you reach the top...

Thank you for all your tips. I'm going to see if I can wrap my head around all of this.

Hey, RobC, welcome aboard. Right at release time is the busiest time for our forums; things will quiet down a bit in the weeks after the release. Usually.

Personally, a long-term Kidderminster game sounds great; I love the challenge of starting at the bottom, dead broke, and working my way up the footballing pyramid. That's the place where the game really shines.

That said, I would advise as newcastles has done: starting with a very strong team for its division, for the purposes of learning the ropes. Plan on playing only one season, at most two, as this side - its a learning game, not your "career" game. Even if you get fired, you don't care; just create a new manager who takes over at the club and carry on .. you're there to learn.

Interestingly, Newcastle United at the English Championship might qualify: they ought to win promotion, and ought to give you a squad and resources capable of doing so .. while the parachute payments, top stadium, and loyal fanbase should keep the side financially competitive.

Beyond that, where do I start?

1. I want the best Assistant Manager I can hire - if I'm going to listen to the chap's advice, he's got to be giving me good advice! For example, if his Tactical Knowledge is low, his advice on tactics and in-match changes is going to be spotty, even incorrect at times. If his Tactical Knowledge is high, on the other hand, he's going to be much more consistent, and more detailed, in his advice. Likewise every other attribute: want his help assessing your squad? He needs good "Judging Ability". You won't be able to hire a guy who is "perfect", but a lot of times you can find one much better than you start with .. especially in the areas you can identify as your personal weaknesses.

2. I'm a firm believer in strength-up-the-center as a philosophy: a great goalkeeper, a great centre back, a great central midfielder, and a great striker will give you a tremendous backbone to build a team around. (GK and DC will help prevent shipping goals, while the ST will score them, and the MC provides a playmaker to link your team together.)

3. Absolutely everything has an effect. If you were to edit a team to have a billion pounds, and went ought and bought 25 superstar players .. you'd probably lose, because they haven't had time to "gel" together. Similarly, a mediocre player with high "Determination" and "Work Rate" may outperform an apparently 'better' player through sheer willpower and hard work .. It can be useful to have a couple "grinders", hard workers who will help solidify the team when you hit the inevitable rough patch.

For that learning game, seriously? Just hit "Continue" a bunch, get to a couple of matches, and play. Watch the matches in as much detail as you can stand, and see for your own eyes.

"Wow, a guy with 19 Pace visibly outruns a guy with a Pace of 7 ... Why does Joe Smith keep missing passes? His 'Passing' is 15 .. Hmm, what else could be interfering with his passing? Maybe its his low Composure and poor Decisions .. "

As you play through a couple games, get some injuries, etc, you'll start to get a feel for things ...

... you'll know when you're ready to dive into some of the more complicated aspects, such as Scouting, Training, Tactics, and the financials when you start hitting a "Gosh, I really want a player who can ...." or "I wish all my guys were better at ..." point.

Welcome aboard - in my opinion its the best game there is!

oh, for training.....i would suggest you download tug's training schedule. simply since you are begining, it's a nice thing to have, everything is done, you just need to put the player on that schedule. You can find it in the training section.

And hey amaroq, want to thank ya again for the help you gave ages ago when i started. Am still kicking around with the game.

oh, for training.....i would suggest you download tug's training schedule. simply since you are begining, it's a nice thing to have, everything is done, you just need to put the player on that schedule. You can find it in the training section.

And hey amaroq, want to thank ya again for the help you gave ages ago when i started. Am still kicking around with the game.

where do i down load that from? and what deos that trainig do?

rud - i saw it in the training forum...basically its a preset training schedule so you dont have to set your own up. Great if you are new to the game and have no clue what you are doin, or if you are still hazy on how to train folks ( like me) for certain positions.

You're welcome, mate - it made it all worth it to see you helping somebody else out now!

I have to say the online manual is a major disappointment, although it says "work in progress", but in one of the Mirror blogs Miles showed us a manual insight which included walkthroughs etc. Cant find those yet, which is a shame. That said, the FM Brittain TT&T guide e-book looks awesome, wish I could drag myself away from the game long enough to read it!

You're getting some great advice about how to get started, but one thing no one has really addressed is your initial comment that you are not only new to Football Manager, but also mostly new to the sport of football/soccer itself. So one thing I would highly recommend, not just to supplement your game playing skills obviously, is to watch as many matches as you can. A lot of the commentary from the announcers is pretty useless, even though it might sound smart while you're getting your feet wet, so you'll need to be careful there. But ... and you don't mention where you live, so I can't say what you might have available on the television, but the English Premier League seems to be on just about everywhere, so you might pick a team from that league for your FM game, and then watch them play in real life whenever possible. Soon enough, you'll find yourself making connections between the way Dirk Kuyt plays on TV and how he plays in FM, to give one example.

Oh well Rob, your hooked now.....lol, it wont let you go now. We all had to start somewhere, asking questions and learning from other members and now we are here helping others, which given time you will be doing the same. Good luck.