Still too easy?

[Junkhead]

1 hour ago, laurentius82 said:

Said this as a tongue-in-cheek reductio ad absurdum, but started thinking it might actually be fun. So I created the club Steve F.C., located, of course, in Stevenage, England. We are only allowed to sign Steves. Should be a challenge. =) Might extend to Stevens if necessary, let's see.

Got to admit that although I don't get why you would sign unrealistic loan players so we will have to agree to disagree on that, this has amused me and I hope it leads to a really fun save.

Good luck!

[freddieos]

18 hours ago, laurentius82 said:

Yes, a thousand times yes, the game is still too easy. The AI is too defensive,  and won't even try to win matches when 1 or 2-0 down with 10 min to go. The AI can't build or maintain their squads, so that by the time my non-league side reaches the premier league after 5 back-to-back promotions, it's met by aging, overpaid, and unbalanced big teams. And I won't accept having to cripple myself artificially to make it more challenging as an answer. 

The Smarter AI Managers mod fixes this.

[Mars_Blackmon]

6 hours ago, freddieos said:

The Smarter AI Managers mod fixes this.

It doesn’t.

[freddieos]

6 hours ago, Mars_Blackmon said:

It doesn’t.

You again.

You don't even use it, how you know?

[Mars_Blackmon]

1 hour ago, freddieos said:

You again.

You don't even use it, how you know?

Where did I ever say that I didn’t use it? 
 

in fact, I’ve been one of the main testers...

 

For your reference

 

 

[majesticeternity]

On 15/01/2021 at 04:14, laurentius82 said:

Yes, a thousand times yes, the game is still too easy. The AI is too defensive,  and won't even try to win matches when 1 or 2-0 down with 10 min to go. The AI can't build or maintain their squads, so that by the time my non-league side reaches the premier league after 5 back-to-back promotions, it's met by aging, overpaid, and unbalanced big teams. And I won't accept having to cripple myself artificially to make it more challenging as an answer. 

@freddieos@Mars_Blackmon

Yes, Mars is right, Smarter AI does not fix the fact that AI is too defensive. Only SI can fix this.

It does help *some* with AI building/maintaining squads, but it's main use is to make the actual AI tactics better, as well as player management(like rotation, fixture congestion, and morale)

I am releasing a mod that does help even more with AI squad building, but as far as AI not attacking, there is not much anyone but SI can do.

[Etebaer]

Put realistic injuries to that and you may have some slight difficulty increase bcs when your 3 top strikers are missing for 4 to 8 weeks in almost the same time window that hurts.

A happening like that killed my promotion from 3.Liga to 2.Bundesliga in the first leg of the season when i did not win 8 matches (4 of the top 5 opponents in that timespan, 3 in 7 days) in a row and what was percived as my top Striker did not score a single Goal after he was injured right again 4 weeks when he barely had recovered from the former 5 weeks of injury and i sold him off when i got a suitable offer.

In the end everything starts to look easy if you have become a seasoned Vet with profound understanding of the basics.

[freddieos]

@Mars_Blackmon @majesticeternity

I don't know what it is then in that mod that means that the opposition is at least getting at least a handful of shots on target when playing away, something the beta and launch version of the game didn't do . It also changes so that away games against mid and top opposition is no longer a foregone conclusion, another thing the launch version didn't. And as far as squad building goes, I certainly think they are very shrewd. Sure, some clubs like Juventus still loves to sign a 34-year old or extend their contracts.

But overall it makes the game more challenging IMO. It makes it harder to just run through a league breaking points and goalscoring records along the way. 

[Conardo]

The game is only then easy, when you play it in an "easy way".

Play it realistic, write down some homerules and enjoy.

Dont use the tacticforums, dont reload, use some files from majestic or dave (or others) ... live in the world of the fm

[laurentius82]

49 minutes ago, Conardo said:

The game is only then easy, when you play it in an "easy way".

Play it realistic, write down some homerules and enjoy.

Dont use the tacticforums, dont reload, use some files from majestic or dave (or others) ... live in the world of the fm

In other words, the game is too easy, but you can make it harder by artificially crippling yourself. ;-) When you have to make rules for yourself for example for avoiding unrealistic transfers, it's very hard to determine where the line is drawn. Some cases might be obvious but most of the time the transfers you do don't seem that unrealistic. Thinking about my current Chester save as an example, we have now had 4 back-to-back promotions from the VNS to the Championship, and I can't really name any transfers that we have done as clearly unrealistic. It's mostly free transfers of players released by bigger clubs, and a few promising youngsters from clubs in lower divisions than ourselves. The only example I can think of is that Mario Balotelli would have signed for us in League Two, but we didn't sign him because he wasn't good enough anymore for the wage he wanted. We also sold one young player to Newcastle for 12M while in League One, which of course may be considered somewhat unrealistic....

I hadn't come across the smarter AI mod before. Will need to give it a try.

[Viking]

Before the latest update I had a tactic that worked and I acutally won games. Now I can go entire matches and  have ridicolous low possession and hardly get any shots on goal. I am baffled people find FM21 easy. It was the same last year, and the year before that. I win games with the beta and possibly after the first updates, then it becomes unplayable. My players just gets mowed down when they go on the offensive, or the other players just do a little tap with their feet and takes the ball away from them. I lose home against newly promoted teams with no wins halfway into the season. The board hates me. The players hate me. I don't understand why I keep paying for this humiliation year after year. I guess I have some kind of brain damage.

By the way. There's a lot of criticism of FM21 on the Steam reviews, I can't say "too easy" is something I see very often when I browse through them. And in these forums, it seems to be the "usual suspects" with the opinion. Don't get me wrong, I am genuinely happy (sorry?) for those of you that are so amazingly good at this game that you breeze through seasons like it's a walk in the park, and I am not trying to troll/offend/flame anyone, but understand that every time SI makes the game harder to please people like you, they make it even more hard for me.

And no, I can obviously not learn it. I have played the game for some 25 years including CM, I have been on these forums for well over 20 years, and I've read everything I can read about tactics. Still confusing, ungraspable and scary. Must be that brain damage.

Back to CK III.

[Conardo]

vor 32 Minuten schrieb laurentius82:

In other words, the game is too easy, but you can make it harder by artificially crippling yourself. ;-) When you have to make rules for yourself for example for avoiding unrealistic transfers, it's very hard to determine where the line is drawn. Some cases might be obvious but most of the time the transfers you do don't seem that unrealistic. Thinking about my current Chester save as an example, we have now had 4 back-to-back promotions from the VNS to the Championship, and I can't really name any transfers that we have done as clearly unrealistic. It's mostly free transfers of players released by bigger clubs, and a few promising youngsters from clubs in lower divisions than ourselves. The only example I can think of is that Mario Balotelli would have signed for us in League Two, but we didn't sign him because he wasn't good enough anymore for the wage he wanted. We also sold one young player to Newcastle for 12M while in League One, which of course may be considered somewhat unrealistic....

I hadn't come across the smarter AI mod before. Will need to give it a try.

Why do you play the game in such a way when it is too easy for you. I think there are 2 possibilities:

 

1. Make it harder for you (do this! )   

2. Stop playing (dont do this )

 

Overall, i think some realsim settings - which we could optional use - would make the game better =  > 90% rating

 

 

[Mars_Blackmon]

2 hours ago, Viking said:

Before the latest update I had a tactic that worked and I acutally won games. Now I can go entire matches and  have ridicolous low possession and hardly get any shots on goal. I am baffled people find FM21 easy. It was the same last year, and the year before that. I win games with the beta and possibly after the first updates, then it becomes unplayable. My players just gets mowed down when they go on the offensive, or the other players just do a little tap with their feet and takes the ball away from them. I lose home against newly promoted teams with no wins halfway into the season. The board hates me. The players hate me. I don't understand why I keep paying for this humiliation year after year. I guess I have some kind of brain damage.

By the way. There's a lot of criticism of FM21 on the Steam reviews, I can't say "too easy" is something I see very often when I browse through them. And in these forums, it seems to be the "usual suspects" with the opinion. Don't get me wrong, I am genuinely happy (sorry?) for those of you that are so amazingly good at this game that you breeze through seasons like it's a walk in the park, and I am not trying to troll/offend/flame anyone, but understand that every time SI makes the game harder to please people like you, they make it even more hard for me.

And no, I can obviously not learn it. I have played the game for some 25 years including CM, I have been on these forums for well over 20 years, and I've read everything I can read about tactics. Still confusing, ungraspable and scary. Must be that brain damage.

Back to CK III.

Change your tactic? 
 

it’s obvious not a difficulty problem for you, you just admitted that tactics are confusing for you (even though SI have made it super user friendly to understand compared to older versions which is a good thing and not to mention the many tools to analyze your tactics...) so you have a tactic problem. 
 

“It’s your tactics”

[freddieos]

3 hours ago, laurentius82 said:

I hadn't come across the smarter AI mod before. Will need to give it a try.

I can't play the game without it. Same with the Realistic Transfer Preferences one (but that's more relevant playing leagues outside of UK). 

[laurentius82]

3 hours ago, Conardo said:

1. Make it harder for you (do this! )   

1. I do, I play different challenges from time to time with some limitations. But generally that's not how I'd wish to play the game,  imposing artificial limitations on transfers or tactics takes a lot of the fun out for me. Realism/difficulty mods, if they actually work, are a better option, as you don't have to "play badly on purpose".

3 hours ago, Conardo said:

l, i think some realsim settings - which we could optional use - would make the game better =  > 90% rating

Fully agree about this.

[afailed10]

My first season in FM21: 4th division, expexted to be relegated, no signings: champions. 

Changed formations a couple times due to lack of options like no LB or just 2 center midfielders. No team instructions except an adjustment or two. 

My feeling in just one season is that once you're solid at the back, the AI has difficulties creating consistent danger. Sure the end of season stats may seem realistic but I never felt overwhelmed by any opponent. 

I had no issues regarding over defensive sides because i wasn't a favorite by any stretch. 

The game however feels more arcade to me than previous iterations. Even the sometimes exceptional 1-2s in the golden zone seem a bit too good and easy to achieve with a basic formation and terrible players. I don't understand though why regular CB's in any mentality and with or without play from defence hoof the ball forward even without Counter and with free team mates around.

What happens is i just play games on fast highlights since it's harder for me to read the game this year despite winning all the time... If I'm struggling with possession and the AI is regrouping faster then i slow down tempo, otherwise i use the space to counter. 

[mazides]

I got an average Greek team as inexperienced manager with no player or tactical changes and won the title unchallenged by dominating almost all games. So boring... I REALLY miss CM 01/02!!

[chesk]

Well I started with southport in VNN and finished inside the playoffs first season, lost in the final. Improved my squad in the summer and started the season well keeping pace with york city, but the last few months of the season have been tough and I've dropped to 12th in the league and can't seem to find any formation or tactic that works, 8 games to go and I'm hoping to find something that will get me back inside the play offs but I'm not holding my breath. So I'm not in the group that finds it to easy

[sthptngomad76]

On 16/01/2021 at 08:20, laurentius82 said:

Said this as a tongue-in-cheek reductio ad absurdum, but started thinking it might actually be fun. So I created the club Steve F.C., located, of course, in Stevenage, England. We are only allowed to sign Steves. Should be a challenge. =) Might extend to Stevens if necessary, let's see.

Make sure you use gegenpress. You'll do well.

[EazyEee]

Has there been any update or improvement on this front with the update or any mods.

 

Decided to give FM21 a miss so far, getting the itch to come back.

[Mcfc1894]

46 minutes ago, EazyEee said:

Has there been any update or improvement on this front with the update or any mods.

 

Decided to give FM21 a miss so far, getting the itch to come back.

My game save defiantly does feel a bit more difficult now than it did the before patch 

[majesticeternity]

2 hours ago, EazyEee said:

Has there been any update or improvement on this front with the update or any mods.

 

Decided to give FM21 a miss so far, getting the itch to come back.

See here for my feedback on how my mods have made the game harder:

https://community.sigames.com/forums/topic/547523-fm21-fm-expansion-packs-megapack-realism-dynamics-hard-mode-more-build-your-own-fm/?do=findComment&comment=12941948

since that first season, it’s harder even now. We are 3rd in the league after 8 games, but all close wins and lost a couple in a row now. 
 

Whatever the reason, now AI are just attacking me like crazy. They aren’t so defensive, and I find against the better clubs I am being hammered with attacks, I have to keep fiddling with tactics just to keep my team from conceding! It’s really lovely! Amazing to see.

[SaintsCanada]

I'm playing in a custom DB at a very low level, and this FM is the hardest I've ever played (since CM 01/02). Not sure if it's the game in general or if LLM is just harder because the players are dumb.

[FM Addick]

Thought I fancied a challenge so took the Wycombe job. Disabled the transfer window. And as for tactics, didn't play any pressing tactic.

I am running away with the Championship with the bloody Wycombe squad! This should not be possible! 

[skybluedave]

On 10/03/2021 at 13:01, FM Addick said:

Thought I fancied a challenge so took the Wycombe job. Disabled the transfer window. And as for tactics, didn't play any pressing tactic.

I am running away with the Championship with the bloody Wycombe squad! This should not be possible! 

Similar with me and Coventry. Made one signing. Lynden Gooch from Sunderland (so no world beater). Finished 3rd and then lost playoff semi final. Didn't change tactic at all. All season. No tweaks. Rarely changed mentality. 

Last 3rd of the season I was on autopilot. Picked team, let it play. Kept winning. Would have the odd defeat and  think maybe my bubble has burst and I'll start dropping down the league. But usually get back to winning ways with no tinkering 

It's a bit annoying as I want a tough season. Toil away in the Championship for a bit. Build those foundations where when one season I do make the playoffs it feels deserved. And if I make the EPL it's the ultimate. But in this first season there were times I was hoping I'd lost coz if I made the EPL with Cov in first season I'd probably quit and start a new save.

[AurioDK]

The AI has a huge problem with overpaid 32+ aged players they neither can sell nor play, these players simply refuse to to take a pay cut and if they are on 300k + it pretty much ruins the chance of bringing in reinforcements as the AI maintains a certain wage level.

Many of these players end up in the free transfer market and rot there, the AI seems okay at deciding which "older" players havn´t yet lost their physical abilities but the ones with a fast decline are a huge problem. Selling them is extremely difficult unless you are willing to let them go for half the price or less, even so you often get the "no one is willing to pay the player´s wages" message.

I have seen teams in the PL go on a decline because of the above, if you end up with 3-4 of such players they eat a good chunck of your wage budget and for some there is no way of keeping up their physicals.

 

A player can work around by simply letting players go at the age of 29-30 and still get a good cash return, the AI holds onto them and gives them long contracts on outrageous salaries.

[qwerty22]

Took charge of a mid table team in 2 or 3 leagues on different saves.... Delegated everything to staff and downloaded a couple of generic tactics as I'm too lazy to create my own.

Won the league on all saves in the first year with teams that never won it in real life, My average strikers scoring hattrick after hattrick of one on ones.

The AI is awful in this game and it seems that there's a problem with defending balls over the top by opponents.

During matches I never even needed to go to defensive or change anything, Just watching the games on key highlights.

Very disappointed with how dumb and bloated the game is and this is coming from someone who played it since the amiga days.

 

Edited March 13, 2021 by qwerty22

[FMunderachiever]

Whether people like to be told or not, it basically comes down to:

 

Game is too easy: You know exactly what buttons to click in what order to get the desired results. You can speak fluent FM language.

Game isnt too easy: You dont know exactly what buttons to press in what order.

 

It bears no resemblence to real life or real football. Fact. The match engine is not like real football, transfers are not like real football, training is not like real football, and real players dont have a bag full of numerical values on totally intangible qualities like off the ball movement and aggression.

 

 

[Etebaer]

Dont underestimate Data collection - you have so much Data that is easy to collect, Players wear Pulsemeters, GPS collects movement Data, strength, speed, jumping, agility, endurance, exhasution is all easily and scientifically collectable and gives superb framework of data and if any the numbersrating of attributes is probably more accuarate and close to reality than it ever was.

A lot harder though is the relative Data that you can only collect when a players faces another players challenges as that is data that is allways only relative and not certain to positon in a scale unitl you have collected a huge load or relative data and even after that it is only an estimation.

Bad values in a very good competition does not mean for sure the player is bad, it could only mean he faced very good competition - or he is really bad and it did not show up until then bcs he allways had weak competition...

Edited March 13, 2021 by Etebaer

[Svenc]

On 17/01/2021 at 10:49, Viking said:

And no, I can obviously not learn it. I have played the game for some 25 years including CM, I have been on these forums for well over 20 years, and I've read everything I can read about tactics. Still confusing, ungraspable and scary. Must be that brain damage.

Back to CK III.

Whilst I sympathize with your struggles (with the results you've always claimed to be getting you must field your youth players into the 1st eleven or something equally obvious!): I lol'd.  

Crusader Kings 3, Are We Dumb or is This Too Complex? | Listen Notes
This game is WAY too much :: Crusader Kings III Allgemeine Diskussionen (steamcommunity.com)
Help! Paradox games are too complex but I still buy them! :: Crusader Kings III Allgemeine Diskussionen (steamcommunity.com)
Crusader Kings 3 Made Me Feel Stupid But I Loved It Anyway - YouTube

 

 

Edited March 13, 2021 by Svenc

[SCCP1910]

12 hours ago, FMunderachiever said:

It bears no resemblence to real life or real football. Fact. The match engine is not like real football, transfers are not like real football, training is not like real football, and real players dont have a bag full of numerical values on totally intangible qualities like off the ball movement and aggression.

 

What's the point of playing then?

[Mars_Blackmon]

I ditched FIFA and Pro Evol 10 years ago because I prefer chess and not checkers…FM is turning into checkers.

[FMunderachiever]

52 minutes ago, SCCP1910 said:

What's the point of playing then?

For entertainment.

Running around stealing cars isnt like GTA. Shooting people isnt like Call of Duty.

To be good at a game like football manager, you work out what button to click in what situation. Whats it got to do with football?

Youre not DOING the training sessions, youre clicking a button. Youre not DOING the team talk, youre clicking a button.

The people who are good work out what to press and when, and hey presto, silly results with silly teams built with squads of players from the arse end of nowhere after selling all the proper ones.

[EazyEee]

On 13/03/2021 at 16:40, Mars_Blackmon said:

I ditched FIFA and Pro Evol 10 years ago because I prefer chess and not checkers…FM is turning into checkers.

This

[SCCP1910]

On 13/03/2021 at 13:40, Mars_Blackmon said:

I ditched FIFA and Pro Evol 10 years ago because I prefer chess and not checkers…FM is turning into checkers.

Take off your rose-tinted nostalgia glasses for a bit... It's probably a bit too easy for you because you've been playing for so long, and as the other guy said "you know exactly what buttons to push and in what order". For newer players FM is still 5D chess, and probably harder to learn than FM11

[Mars_Blackmon]

6 minutes ago, SCCP1910 said:

Take off your rose-tinted nostalgia glasses for a bit... It's probably a bit too easy for you because you've been playing for so long, and as the other guy said "you know exactly what buttons to push and in what order". For newer players FM is still 5D chess, and probably harder to learn than FM11

You can believe that, However I’m not the best tactical master and I don’t even sign my own players. The fact is, SI made the game easier whether it was information or making things more streamlined (I hated creating tactics in FM 11) but little have been improve from the AI side of the game.

 

it’s more easy to understand the game and not fiddle with sliders creating tactics and not to mention we have the presets available to help you create you own tactics. It’s time for the AI to be improve to balance the difficulty.

[zindrinho]

1 hour ago, Mars_Blackmon said:

 It’s time for the AI to be improve to balance the difficulty.

This!

It should at least be an option, even though I generally am opposed to Difficulty setting on FM.

It's just way too easy to overachieve through a long season when you do your best to win every game and the opponents often doesnt even seem to care they are losing against you, just figure out which of your players should mark the oppositions main threats and they dont switch things up, taking people like Harry Kane out of the game is way too easy.

[Viking]

On 13/03/2021 at 15:46, Svenc said:

Whilst I sympathize with your struggles (with the results you've always claimed to be getting you must field your youth players into the 1st eleven or something equally obvious!): I lol'd.  

Crusader Kings 3, Are We Dumb or is This Too Complex? | Listen Notes
This game is WAY too much :: Crusader Kings III Allgemeine Diskussionen (steamcommunity.com)
Help! Paradox games are too complex but I still buy them! :: Crusader Kings III Allgemeine Diskussionen (steamcommunity.com)
Crusader Kings 3 Made Me Feel Stupid But I Loved It Anyway - YouTube

 

 

Yeah, well. CKIII is fun complex. FM is "bwahahaha I will make you feel dumb as a rock"-complex.

Edited March 15, 2021 by Viking

[lckyby]

Yeah it's not the most challenging edition. Winning the league is pretty much a foregone conclusion if you take over any team in the top half of a league.

 

Started a save with my favourite club Roma a few days ago and won the league, cup and Europa League first season after selling 6 first team players.

Currently on a save with the mighty Nîmes and have won 12 of the first 13 games in Ligue 1 with just two loan transfer in, including beating Lyon 4-0, Marseille 3-0, Monaco 3-0...

First save was with Forest Green on by far the lowest wage budget in every League 1, Championship and PL...

 

Have tried this smarter AI mod but doesn't seem to make much difference - 

 

[Sharkn20]

17 hours ago, SCCP1910 said:

Take off your rose-tinted nostalgia glasses for a bit... It's probably a bit too easy for you because you've been playing for so long, and as the other guy said "you know exactly what buttons to push and in what order". For newer players FM is still 5D chess, and probably harder to learn than FM11

That's why there is a thing called "Difficulty settings" or "Sliders" in other games, thing that FM series don't have. Hence the veterans in the game find it extremely easy.

Edited March 16, 2021 by Sharkn20

[XaW]

3 minutes ago, Sharkn20 said:

That's why there is a thing called "Difficulty settings" or "Sliders" in other games, thing that FM series don't have. Hence the veterans in the game find it extremely easy.

FM has sort of a difficulty setting though, who you chose to manage and where. In England you could get a brexit that will restrict things, and many other countries have strict squad registration rules. So I'd say PSG are easy, and 6th tier England is hard. It also depends on what reputation and badge you start with. Choosing a top top club with the lowest rep and badge is not easy and players will rebel against you for a long time until you build up a reputation.

But how would the difficulty setting work? The players attributes are just not worth as much for a human player? Then those "The ME cheats" posters would actually have a point, since currently the ME doesn't separate between teams.

I don't know how it could work, unless way too much time and effort were spent on it, and for very little gains overall. We who post regularly in here have an above normal interest (and often skill) in the game, as it is in any community regarding games, so we will find it easier than a casual player. Look at a game with a difficulty setting, like Civ6, all it does is cheat for the AI by giving it boosts to gains and cut them for the player. And even then, the top difficulty is not that hard. At Civfanatics (as an example of a community) they do the same things as we do here, we limit ourselves to have a harder challenge. "Only win scientific victory" is not far off "only buy players from the home nation".

[Icy]

After playing non stop this year, as finally I'm enjoying a match engine after two horrible years, I'll throw my opinion after 4 seasons with Crewe Alessandra in League 1, where I am overachieving somewhat but I'm finding it hard to reach the premier.

- 1st year with no transfer windows enabled was hard, even worse as my young starts were poached in January but I also managed to sign some young players (18 to 19 years old) discarded from the premier. The objetive was to not to go down and I managed it almost in the last games, ending 20th.

- During the summer I signed even more young players discovered by my scouts, as I don't use the search screen. My team was much better and despite again being asked to stay in League 1, I managed to end 5th and reach the playoffs, that won and promoted to the Championship.

- During the 3rd season, my young players were really good, as they developed a lot playing most of the games, so I sold some (against my will) and with that money signed others. AS I had plenty of young fast strikers that could play upfront and in the wings, I developed a fast and aggressive counter tactic (4-2-4 to just score more than the opposition) that had me at the top of the championship until the last games of the season, with record of goals and points, and where I collapsed and ended again in the playoffs, that lost vs Crystal Palace than ended being the promoted team. With the extra cash, I expanded muy stadium and improved youth facilities and youth scouting. 

- Same process in the 4th season, selling some young stars, having over 20M in the bank that I used to sign young players from top teams (too cheap, nobody over 400k). Also expanded muy stadium and improved youth facilities and youth scouting again. After leading the league for most of the season, ended 3rd, and again lost in the Playoffs. On the other hand, I had an awesome FA cup run, winning vs Arsenal in the quarter final, and reaching the final that I lost 4-0 against Chelsea. It brought me tons of money.

- I'm in my 5th season, the board still wants me to avoid relegation??? I have 30M in the bank and my young players are really good, got some offers and sold some. Again used that money to sign more young players to develop and to improve my youth setup. I'm currently 3rd but my counter tactic is not as effective, I guess teams know me more and do not attack as much.

When starting in the lower leagues, I think it's easy to overachieve playing attacking as the AI expects you to play defensive and is overconfident. And it's specially easy to sign young players and free agents that are much better than your default squad, so you can dominate your league while keeping the finances under control selling some of these young stars. My team average age is under 25 and maybe I would need some veterans to not to collapse at the end of the season every year.

The struggle comes mainly from promoting too fast, with and small stadium and tight finances vs the stabilised teams in the upper division, specially the ones going down from the Premier with plenty of money. At the end despite overachieving every year, the game this year is challenging to me, finding it hard to reach the premier, as to avoid relegation is too easy. It's probably not realistic that I'm having this success, but on the other hand, is not that I'm walking the league and winning it easily, in fact I'm not, so overall I'm having tons of fun and frustration, that is also fun

Edited March 16, 2021 by Icy

[Junkhead]

After avoiding this thread for a fair few weeks, it feels like Groundhog Day.

100% want it to be as challenging as possible, personally.  However;

1- SI don't have a super difficult AI knocking about that they just haven't applied to the game yet. Difficulty levels would only work at this stage by either limiting the player or giving artificial boosts to AI. SI have made clear that neither will happen so your only option is to limit yourself.

2- success is possible with other tactics aside from overly attacking, as someone mentioned. I have read all over these forums that gegenpress is overpowered. I dunno if it is as I haven't used it. I tend to play defensively.  But then people choose it anyway and complain it's too easy.

 

3- @Mars_Blackmon - I know you usually play DOF mode, however your DOF must be amazing because whenever I have tried to do that it has gone very badly indeed 😂 - is it a big club thing where DOFs are rated very highly so are better at signings and planning than some managers are? Genuine question, not sure who you play as.

For the record, I don't find the game too easy. I'm awful at it.

 

[SCCP1910]

21 hours ago, Mars_Blackmon said:

You can believe that, However I’m not the best tactical master and I don’t even sign my own players. The fact is, SI made the game easier whether it was information or making things more streamlined (I hated creating tactics in FM 11) but little have been improve from the AI side of the game.

 

it’s more easy to understand the game and not fiddle with sliders creating tactics and not to mention we have the presets available to help you create you own tactics. It’s time for the AI to be improve to balance the difficulty.

I'd love an AI improvement really, but there's 2 problems (apparently)

1- Wouldn't the minimum specs for this go a bit tits up?

2- SI probably don't care too much about the older players, seeing as they'll probably buy the game anyway. They seem to be focusing mostly on expanding their playerbase (they're a company after all)

There's a balance to be had, somewhere, so that older and savvier players can enjoy a good challenge without creating a living hell and an additional job for new players.

[SCCP1910]

3 hours ago, Sharkn20 said:

That's why there is a thing called "Difficulty settings" or "Sliders" in other games, thing that FM series don't have. Hence the veterans in the game find it extremely easy.

That'd be a bit artificial, but good. SI ain't doing this though (unfortunately?)

[Mars_Blackmon]

2 hours ago, Junkhead said:

After avoiding this thread for a fair few weeks, it feels like Groundhog Day.

100% want it to be as challenging as possible, personally.  However;

1- SI don't have a super difficult AI knocking about that they just haven't applied to the game yet. Difficulty levels would only work at this stage by either limiting the player or giving artificial boosts to AI. SI have made clear that neither will happen so your only option is to limit yourself.

2- success is possible with other tactics aside from overly attacking, as someone mentioned. I have read all over these forums that gegenpress is overpowered. I dunno if it is as I haven't used it. I tend to play defensively.  But then people choose it anyway and complain it's too easy.

 

3- @Mars_Blackmon - I know you usually play DOF mode, however your DOF must be amazing because whenever I have tried to do that it has gone very badly indeed 😂 - is it a big club thing where DOFs are rated very highly so are better at signings and planning than some managers are? Genuine question, not sure who you play as.

For the record, I don't find the game too easy. I'm awful at it.

 

I start my saves as lower league teams. Only real problem I have is depth especially with the injury mod (injury problems would be non existent with default database so i know it becomes even easier)

i don’t play gegenpress as my team isn’t equip to play it (even though I’ve tried it in some games and my team dominated)

i actually like to build a tactic that suitable for my team by looking at what they are good at. It’s fun. But knowing that I can easily just run with a gegenpress and challenge for a title every year isn’t really satisfying knowing that I am handicapping myself.

 

im currently in League 1 with Oxford City. 3 straight promotions and now have been in league 1 for a few years.  Im not winning the league but definitely overachieving as I’m always expected to battle relegation but finish mid table…

not dominating games. Most of my wins are 1-0 or 1-1 draws (I use a defensive possession tactic as my team isn’t that good compared to the league, allegedly)

 

its really not about having super intelligent AI. AI that can react in game to what you are doing is fine and other games have been doing it for decades.

 

simple adjusts to AI being to passive would have helped via a patch.

[majesticeternity]

I don't really think improving the AI quality would be too demanding on computers. Players add 100+ custom leagues which can each have hundreds of rules or "if-then" type setups, where each file requires the game to setup dates, scheduling, selecting teams, creating weather, assigning referees, etc etc etc, and while it slows things down, it's fine. So to add a bit more logic, like "if losing > increase attacking duties" should be quite easy, as far as processing and computing goes. 

It really is a shame that so much work has to be done to mod FM in order to get a real challenge.

That said...I am finding a beautiful amount of challenge and am loving the game! Every match is edge-of-my-seat or utter despair...I think I hate myself.... lol

 

[Etebaer]

To make this game more challenging you need to not only install all the additional challenges mod packs which aka smarter ai, realsistic injuries and so on but you also need to take over a low reputation club as a low reputation manager so you do not get all the good players in the first season already bcs they do not want to play for you if your reputation is to low for them to come.

You need to start as sunday morning manager with no player career and probably start in a very low league - in german tier 4 which is below the official tier 3 that comes with the game and only available with league modes be already some clubs with a quite high reputation and they get access to much better players than the competition which makes the game easy if you habe worked out or downloaded a tactic that fits your players.

The smarter Ai tries but it usually fails to achieve anything, the AI will try different things out and play quite offensive at times which usually works against it if it is not much stronger bcs i counter them to death. as soon as my team becomes average compared to the leagues average - by then a second place is guaranteed and the only reason i come not in first is bcs in the german lower leagues is only 1 promotion place and at times a Superteam is relegated which simply does not lose any match at all.

I was stuck in the german tier 4 Regionalliga before it crashed post patch bcs my low reputation prevented me from hiring any good player that was older than 16 or younger than 35 and even with a 1:1000 rating made it into the top 4 quite easy with any rating for skill and ability a bottomrating in that league.

So reputation and the ability to get good players that comes with it is quite a part of the "easy challenge problem" among others.

Edited March 19, 2021 by Etebaer

[Platinum]

Play with a director of football who makes the signings and just give him/her transfer targets. That's what the majority of modern managers do and so its realistic and also it gets rid of the human advantage in the transfer market. 

[Mars_Blackmon]

14 hours ago, francis#17 said:

Play with a director of football who makes the signings and just give him/her transfer targets. That's what the majority of modern managers do and so its realistic and also it gets rid of the human advantage in the transfer market. 

I do that personally but that still don’t fix the bad AI problem the game have.