Are unrealistic signings a form of cheating?

[kipper]

I have had back to back promotions from league 1 to premier league in the first 2 seasons, which have been underpinned by some unrealistic signings (which the game allowed).

in the first season I was able to sign Aaron Connolly from Brighton and Matty Longstaff from Newcastle on season loan loans. Both of the players are becoming premier league regulars IRL.

 I was able to extend these loans in the second season and add (a potentially underrated) Gabriel Martinelli, who I don’t see playing championship football next year.

Connolly and Longstaff scored 20 and 10 league goals respectively in each season. Martinelli also scored around 10 in 2nd season. I did make other signings but these loans have been instrumental in the rise up the leagues.

As these signings are highly unlikely IRL based on these players actual progress, I wanted to gauge opinions on whether deals like this are a form of ‘cheating’ (due to over performance) or part of the fun element as we are playing a game after all?

EDIT: I started my save immediately on the beta so this may have had some impact on in game data (e.g. Martinelli?)

Edited December 9, 2019 by kipper

[Snorks]

I wouldn't say it is cheating at all. The players were available in the game, you negotiated and they accepted- that's kind of a big part of what this game is about.

It would only have been cheating if you used the editor to 'Move to my Club', but, to my mind,m if the OOB version of the game allows it, then it's within 'the rules'.

[Dagenham_Dave]

2 hours ago, kipper said:

in the first season I was able to sign Aaron Connolly from Brighton and Matty Longstaff from Newcastle on season loan loans. Both of the players are becoming premier league regulars IRL.

 

Yes, but the game starts in the summer of 2019, when those two players weren't considered regulars at their clubs. In fact, Connolly was on loan at League 1 Luton from January last season, and Longstaff had never played a game at senior level until earlier this season, so I wouldn't call either signing unrealistic. You're thinking of these players now rather than in June. Could you have predicted either or both would be regular starters at their clubs this season? I'll answer that one for you. No. 

[Balahara]

I do this a lot. It's 'gamey' but I wouldn't say it is cheating.

Not that cheating should be lamented in a single player game in the first place. Play the game the way you want to enjoy it.

[Julien d'Auxerre]

I signed Longstaff on loan for Bristol Rovers in the first season. It didn't feel right once I realised he had a 14 million price tag so I ended up restarting on a new save. I put a filter of 1 million max for any future loans; however, if the game allows you to sign these players I guess it can't be considered cheating.

Edited December 10, 2019 by Julien d'Auxerre

[rinso]

If they're available and willing to sign, then how is it cheating?You edited nothing and they have "chosen" you.. that's how things go. 

[FrazT]

2 hours ago, rinso said:

If they're available and willing to sign, then how is it cheating?You edited nothing and they have "chosen" you.. that's how things go. 

This

[Maldini's Heir]

It's entirely a matter of perception.

You cannot cheat in a single player game and developers will never be able to cover off every scenario since each people have their own perspective.

What I tend to do is make up my own rules within games. For example, I've played games where there are not enough suspensions, so I suspend my players after 1 or 2 yellow cards. 

If you think these signings are unrealistic then don't sign them. 

The worst is when you do "cheat" and then it grates you the whole career. That's happened with me and re-starts.

[kipper]

It’s fair to point out that the game starts in June but isn’t the data worked on until the game launches in November, so the researchers can have the same level of hindsight? Or are players assessed at their June level? 

For the record I am delighted with these signings and do not see this as cheating (also as it’s a one player game) and have renewed the loans for another year prior to being promoted. Again this is something the AI shouldn’t let me do as it would be the 3rd year on loan for some...

i play this way every year as I enjoy making young players the best thy can be but I brought it up as I saw a few posts about other signings made and how it should not be possible or that they had to re-start the game.

Thanks for the replies so far and hope you are enjoying the game as I am. 

 

[anagain]

For me, it's about putting rules on myself. I always play to Lower League Manager rules. That means I don't use the player search and I scout every player I buy. In actualy fact I will only attempt to sign players that my scouts have found, or players that I have been told about. The exceptions I make to this is that I will look at local clubs to look for players available to loan. My argument for this is I am just looking in the local paper or the internet. I will also assume I have some knoweldge of my favourite clubs.

I do still think it is too easy to get attract some players to lower level clubs, though equally I get annoyed that I can't get players on loan because the club says they want them to play at a higher level.

As others have said, you can't really cheat at a single player game...unless you count that you are "cheating yourself". If you have to ask that then maybe you could feel better by placing limits of yourself. It's up to you. It's all about having fun.

 

[Welshace]

You have to stop equating the game to real life...

 

In game, the second you press continue the first time, any resemblance to real life will go out the window with every click...

 

Just because in the last few months Connolly has come to the fore, doesn't mean he has in your game? if he had, he wouldn't be available to you...

[Smurf]

13 hours ago, kipper said:

Are unrealistic signings a form of cheating?

No.

Cantona to Man Utd - £1.2m - Brian Kidd questioned if he was missing a leg

Maradonna to Napoli

Figo to Real Madrid

Tyrone Mears to Marseille

Cambiasso to LEICESTER

Dale Jennings to Bayern Munich

 

Weird football transfers have always been part of the game - it is what makes it interesting. 

Young players want to go out on loan - they want first team football.

David Platt, Ian Wright are prime examples of players who went down leagues and became legends.

John Terry went to Notts Forrest; Lampard went to Swansea; Kane to Leyton Orient/Milwall/Norwich/& Leicster!; Ashley Cole to Crystal Palace; Beckham to Preston; Ferdinand to Bournemouth; Defoe to Bournemouth

To name a few youth players who famously went on loan in search of first team football to go on to great things. 

 

I am actually delighted to hear that youth players are willing to go on loan. It's something which bugged me a lot about the game.

[tyro]

Unrealistic. I don't think anyone anymore knows what it would be? We have seen players play for one club, then go to the arch-rival and play there for a couple of years. We have seen, just recently a manager go to a club that he said years ago he would not manage. So, what is unrealistic?

Honestly, once you start up FM and press continue, you enter the world of FM - a parallel universe. Anything that happens there is then based on your save and the results in your save. In that sense, anything that happens then is realistic. Anything that could happen in reality can happen in the game. Rules change. Players change their mind. etc. etc. etc.

 

[XaW]

In general, I'd say everything that does not include use of external tools or knowledge is fair game and not cheating. But for the moral part of the equation, I'd also say that blatantly exploiting issues in a game should not be used. Here I'm referring to the old times of FM where you could arrange a friendly away to a top side and make a few hundred thousands as a non-league side. While this is not exactly cheating, it was frowned upon by the real LLMs. So I'd say that there is a difference between cheating and exploiting, and there are times were some things are acceptable, while other times not. Since this is a single player (for the most part) game, do what you want and enjoy.

[Keyzer Soze]

Actually, i understand the OP, because i feel the same when i make a transfer, and after that realize that irl my team would never do that.

This is even more evident, in the early years of a save. For example, if after 6 or 7 years, my team has grown and i buy a world class, then it's more logical, at least in my head.

Another example, i just stop playing my current save in FMT, because in season 2, my new elected board just decided to splash 140M Andreas Christensen from Chelsea.

So, i'm managing Benfica, Never irl a team like Benfica would be able to spend 140M in one player and pay him 1.2M/month in salaries. I just felt completely favored, i decided to stop the save, and reported as a bug in the forum.