Au Revoir FM 2013?

[pcmac1980]

Probably i´m not the first (and neither the last I suppose) to moan about how hard is to be successful in FM 2013 but for me it´s the first time that I really complain. I´ve been around the forum since 2008 or so and never used other people´s tactics. Whenever i didn´t understand some issue in the game I search for information that allow me to evolve and have a better understanding of the game itself. In fact I always achieve some success in previous versions but above all I always enjoy playing FM. This year version changed it completely. As usual I have read some threads specially Cleon´s and Rashidi´s and at some point I managed to bring glory to Wimbledon bringing them to the Championship in three years.

The season in the Championship was ok but I felt that I needed a new challenge so I apply for the job vacancy at Blackburn Rovers. I guide them to a comfortable 9th place (their were near relegation zone when I took over) and started the foundations for a team capable of battling for promotion next season. I couldn´t be more wrong. I only manage to stay at the club until early november and was sacked for the time since a can remember after a very porr run of form with 6 or 7 defeats in a row. After that I was keen to start a new save but them I received a proposal from Serie B team Reggina. That was a good way to improve my knowlodge in another league and also to prove myself that I can achieve good things in FM 2013.

However i must say that I am very close to quit playing the game this year and probably for the next years. Probably I´m over reacting but right now nothing seems to work. I have a good team for this league and had a good run of results in 17 games in charge with 10 wins, 4 draws and 3 defeats (2 away with title contenders Bologna and a narrow 2-3 to Juve Stabia and one to rivals Crotone 0-1 after missing a penalty and a goal disalowed). But suddenly everything changed. The next five games equals to 5 defeats with 11 goals against and only scored 2. I really can´t understand what´s wrong. I rven watched the games in full mode, replay them, change strategy (not tactic) but the result was the same: defeat. I think that 17 games are a good indicator that the system is working well so I can´t accept this perfomances. So what is theproblem?

I am really frustrated with this and can´t seem to find a solution. Help is appreciated, thank you.

Cheers

[Johnyfooty]

And the funny thing is that FM13 improved IMMENSELY on every aspect outside the ME...I seriously dread starting a match in FM13 right now, but going back to FM12 also feels a little hollow when you don't have the new training focuses, the DoF and the many other handy features that got introduced...

[catennacio]

I feel for you and you're not the only one. I manage Real Madrid and following our straight wins was red cards and at least a long term injury in almost every match. I'm tired of logging complaints in this forum because other fan boys will tell me because of people like us just complaining and not giving constructive feedback. Then they accuse us for not reporting the bugs in the bugs forum and the stories are turned into their judgement about the paying customers' attitude for the game not the damaged game itself. The game is flawed in virtually every aspects: team talk, mind games, contract, transfer, and the famous "totally revamped" match engine. The 13.2.3 does not make any difference for me. I truly felt I wasted $50 on this game this year.

[wwfan]

From this thread, which is worth reading throughout if you want to learn how to break slumps and extend streaks.

79% win record with Arsenal

This is far more relevant than team talks and press conferences. With this kind of win record, you are going to ramp up the pressure and expectations on your team during the streaks you achieve. While early on in a streak you'll see some great results and performances as confidence builds (i.e. the team plays above itself), as the streak extends the pressure of keeping it going will result in some nervous performances (i.e. the team plays below itself), especially against teams you should be beating. If you have a less than professional squad, complacency will also become an issue.

Pre-game press conferences and team talks can greaten or lessen this, but not to a huge margin, as the pressure has built independently of the upcoming match. However, the half-time team talk can be vital in turning around a poor performance, as they relate to the match events alone. The players are now reacting to what is going on in the match, not the events leading up to the match, so are now far more reactive to a manager's motivational ability.

[manworker]

The number of times I have gone into half time losing or playing poorly and then improve to get some points from the game is pretty impressive, and it is all down to what I have said in the half time talk. There have been games where my team been dominated in the first half and losing by two goals and after giving my players a verbal kick in the rear have come out in the second half and won 3-2. I tend to to the press conferences now instead of leaving them to my assistant since my team seems to perform better when I do it my self.

[pcmac1980]

And the funny thing is that FM13 improved IMMENSELY on every aspect outside the ME...I seriously dread starting a match in FM13 right now, but going back to FM12 also feels a little hollow when you don't have the new training focuses, the DoF and the many other handy features that got introduced...

I don´t find the new training system that good but sure is an improvement. I´m going to miss that, but overall I think that I´ll have more fun in 2012.

[pcmac1980]

I feel for you and you're not the only one. I manage Real Madrid and following our straight wins was red cards and at least a long term injury in almost every match. I'm tired of logging complaints in this forum because other fan boys will tell me because of people like us just complaining and not giving constructive feedback. Then they accuse us for not reporting the bugs in the bugs forum and the stories are turned into their judgement about the paying customers' attitude for the game not the damaged game itself. The game is flawed in virtually every aspects: team talk, mind games, contract, transfer, and the famous "totally revamped" match engine. The 13.2.3 does not make any difference for me. I truly felt I wasted $50 on this game this year.

I don´t think that is a complete waste of money simply because the game was a Christmas gift. But I know the feeling. However, unlike you I always play LLM and perhaps that´s why I´m even more frustrated with the game this year. My believe is that if you can manage in the lower leagues with limited resources who can easily deal with things at a big club. At least you have money to buy the best players and generally having the best players in the league can hide potential problems in your system/tactic.

[pcmac1980]

From this thread, which is worth reading throughout if you want to learn how to break slumps and extend streaks.

79% win record with Arsenal

This is far more relevant than team talks and press conferences. With this kind of win record, you are going to ramp up the pressure and expectations on your team during the streaks you achieve. While early on in a streak you'll see some great results and performances as confidence builds (i.e. the team plays above itself), as the streak extends the pressure of keeping it going will result in some nervous performances (i.e. the team plays below itself), especially against teams you should be beating. If you have a less than professional squad, complacency will also become an issue.

Pre-game press conferences and team talks can greaten or lessen this, but not to a huge margin, as the pressure has built independently of the upcoming match. However, the half-time team talk can be vital in turning around a poor performance, as they relate to the match events alone. The players are now reacting to what is going on in the match, not the events leading up to the match, so are now far more reactive to a manager's motivational ability.

Thanks for your help but I always pay attention to team talks and pre-match conferences since CPW´10. I don´t find this year approach any different from older FM versions and I seriously doubt that this can influence a poor run of results. It´s like you said there´s not a huge margin. It can help to calm down some players and warn against complacency, but these are things that I´m used to. What I can´t deal is goals agagainst between minutes 45 and 48 in every game that I´m winning at half time. If I´m winning by one I tend to loose the game in the final minutes. If winning by two the probability of the draw is high. It happens in a regular basis no matter what I do. I tested with different strategies and half time teamtalks but in most cases it was worthless. I feel like this was predicted.

I usually don´t give up that easily in FM matters but this year I think I´ll make an exception. I don´t think the game is bad but if I can´t win (note: not at all cost) where´s the fun of it? The SI team more than deserve everything they achieve but I simply don´t have the strength to "combat" this. I never felt the game was time consuming but now I do. After searching through threads and websites, I think that I covered many aspects of the game. So, I´m through with FM 2013. Sorry!

[Earnie is God!]

I don´t think that is a complete waste of money simply because the game was a Christmas gift. But I know the feeling. However, unlike you I always play LLM and perhaps that´s why I´m even more frustrated with the game this year. My believe is that if you can manage in the lower leagues with limited resources who can easily deal with things at a big club. At least you have money to buy the best players and generally having the best players in the league can hide potential problems in your system/tactic.

I disagree. I have always found playing LLM much easier. It might be a bit tricky at first but once you manage to pick up a number of freebies that the bigger clubs throw away (and, to avoid any confusion, I'm talking about 17-18yo players not deemed worthy of contracts at Prem/Championship clubs so they release them) it is very easy to gain promotion up through 3-4 levels. It's only when you get to League One that you might start to struggle with these players but by then you have improved the stature of the club to a decent enough extent that you can then attract better players.

In FM, my default team is Cardiff as that is where I am from and who I support. Financially, we are in big trouble yet the expectation levels are still very high so the pressure is on from day one. I had to sell players in my first season (total net profit of £2.4m) yet we still made a seasonal loss of more than £11m. Thankfully we finished 2nd and gained promotion and now the money problems are gone. However, without promotion we would have been in all kinds of trouble. You try managing Cardiff in that first season and then tell me they are easy to manage.

At big clubs there is a lot more added pressure. Sure, you might have the funds to bring in some top players but if they don't bring the results then you have a good chance of being sacked. You could be right in saying that having quality players may hide flaws in your system/tactic but, at LLM level, you don't necessarily need a good system/tactic. A few freebies can make almost any tactic work because of the poor level of opposition.

But that's what I love about this game: there are so many ways to play it and so many choices you can make that can result in all kinds of different results.

[agentcooper]

I feel the same as the original poster. I've had enough of FM13 - I finally managed to achieve promotion the other day but with this version of the game even winning isn't fun and I took no delight in it. I can't believe how a game i loved so much (FM12) has somehow become something that just frustrates me. I can't decide what frustrates me more: the bizarre new ice-rink ME where players often wander around with little interest in the ball (what was so wrong with the FM12 ME?! I thought it was brilliant!) or the nagging feeling that the software attempts to kick you in the teeth again and again as opposed to being challenging ("so you're breezing towards promotion eh? let's see how you like late winners by weak opponents 5 games in a row, in matches you are totally dominating")

At times it all seems that the results are random. Or perhaps the SI team have implemented hugely complex algorithms which realistically reflect every variable in each game...either way, I don't care. I just want to actually have FUN when I play.

I'm finished with 13 for now and won't be buying 14 unless I hear it's improved dramatically. Sorry if I sound overly critical but i really think something has gone awry with FM13 and I pray SI don't persist with it and instead use FM12 as the starting point for Fm14.

[jujigatame]

Honestly I don't understand where some of you guys are coming from. I also had serious issues with the ME, but after this latest patch I am absolutely loving it.

I enjoyed FM12 as well, but it was an exploitable ME. If you had a top notch poacher up front with good pace/acceleration/finishing, you could score an absurd amount of goals. I remember breaking La Liga scoring records with Higuain, he was PERSONALLY scoring like 1.5 GPG.

[HeyBobby]

I like it and think it's fun.

[Kriss]

Let's not turn this into an alternative feedback thread please, the OP actually asked for advice after all.

[Rashidi]

Thanks for your help but I always pay attention to team talks and pre-match conferences since CPW´10. I.......but I simply don´t have the strength to "combat" this. I never felt the game was time consuming but now I do. After searching through threads and websites, I think that I covered many aspects of the game. So, I´m through with FM 2013. Sorry!

I doubt he was looking for help

[Kriss]

Help is appreciated, thank you.

Cheers

I beg to differ

ah, I get it, he wants help that agrees with his assumptions

[TSH]

And the funny thing is that FM13 improved IMMENSELY on every aspect outside the ME...

Can you elaborate please?

Also, what I want to know is -and this is genuine- is why this ME is better than last year's.

What do people actually find better (and, please, the well known evangelists shouldn't jump at the opportunity)?

[Kriss]

Then read the ME feedback thread and/or ask there please.

I just knew where this was going.

[johnhughthom]

Can you elaborate please?

Also, what I want to know is -and this is genuine- is why this ME is better than last year's.

What do people actually find better (and, please, the well known evangelists shouldn't jump at the opportunity)?

I'll bite. It feels more like real football, and there isn't a magic option to select which makes it easy. I've scored a few goals in this version and sat back and though 'Nice.' Not because it was a wonder goal, it just looked real. My team makes errors, does stupid things, but they are the stupid things a real player does. The last goal I conceded annoyed me, but it wasn't the me's fault, it was my left back's (though the game decided to blame the right back...). There are problems, but it's getting there.

[Johnyfooty]

Can you elaborate please?

Also, what I want to know is -and this is genuine- is why this ME is better than last year's.

What do people actually find better (and, please, the well known evangelists shouldn't jump at the opportunity)?

But I didn't call the ME better. Please re-read my reply.

The feature to turn training focus towards the important stats of a specific role is extremely nice. I know I would be having a much better time developing youngsters in FM13, since molding them to whatever you want is now much more handy.

The DoF is a nice addition as well. The "unwanted list" still needs some work, but the "development list" is handy and frees up a lot of time.

The UI is much more customisable. For example, you can finally have the attribute polygon in the player profile. (if only they finally added the "show attribute changes" on player profile as well...)

Processing might not be faster,the speed is around the same, but it feels faster outside of matches.

All of the above would make FM13 much more enjoyable than FM12, if not for the infuriating ME...I don't understand how some people can accept that players of high professionalism, high determination, high consistency, high sportmanship,etc, end up doing the stupidest of mistakes every few matches, but that's up to each person's personal judgement. I personally find appalling seeing Barcelona win Bayern 4-0 at home, then lose 0-6 away and be given a reply that the players became "complacent". No player with the mental/hidden stats of both teams' players is normal to get complacent on a CL semi-final.

[wwfan]

Thanks for your help but I always pay attention to team talks and pre-match conferences since CPW´10. I don´t find this year approach any different from older FM versions and I seriously doubt that this can influence a poor run of results. It´s like you said there´s not a huge margin. It can help to calm down some players and warn against complacency, but these are things that I´m used to. What I can´t deal is goals agagainst between minutes 45 and 48 in every game that I´m winning at half time. If I´m winning by one I tend to loose the game in the final minutes. If winning by two the probability of the draw is high. It happens in a regular basis no matter what I do. I tested with different strategies and half time teamtalks but in most cases it was worthless. I feel like this was predicted.

I usually don´t give up that easily in FM matters but this year I think I´ll make an exception. I don´t think the game is bad but if I can´t win (note: not at all cost) where´s the fun of it? The SI team more than deserve everything they achieve but I simply don´t have the strength to "combat" this. I never felt the game was time consuming but now I do. After searching through threads and websites, I think that I covered many aspects of the game. So, I´m through with FM 2013. Sorry!

A please help thread where you don't actually want any help, only confirmation, eh? Who'd have thought.

You have two problems. One, a tendency to slump. The above linked thread can help you deal with that. You can also try a tactical solution if you think it is weather/conditions related (i.e. you begin to play badly as winter sets in, the pitches get heavier and you regularly play in rain or snow).

Two, you struggle to hold onto a lead. That suggests that, despite having read CPW, you haven't adjusted to the tone system. Two possibilities. Firstly, you are brilliant at pre-match strategy, so your team is always the best prepared prior to each match. However, this advantage disappears at half time, and your tactical setup isn't good enough to hold onto the lead without the team being very pumped up. Secondly, you are very bad at half-time team talks.

You might have a very young team, which will result in losses of concentration and lots of soft goals against unless you have a strategic plan to prevent it. This usually requires the right tone and a keep things simple go-to tactic to see out games.

[Rashidi]

Then read the ME feedback thread and/or ask there please.

I just knew where this was going.

It comes from being an old man of the forums, you see it all over and over again:)

[andrew bowditch]

... its only a matter of time before someone like Brendan Rogers or Rafa Benitez comes out in the press and state how hard it is being a football manager, and its not their tactics, its other peoples, and if they dont make it easier for their teams to win their going to quit.

Whats the point in these sort of threads? No in depth analysis of your tactics so no one can offer advise.

[davebl2012]

Yann m'vila sold in aug 2012 from arsenal.............. clearly using an edited database then! I could win 79% of my games by adding all players i wanted at the beginning and either playing them or selling for big $$$$

[Herbert Fandel]

Yann m'vila sold in aug 2012 from arsenal.............. clearly using an edited database then! I could win 79% of my games by adding all players i wanted at the beginning and either playing them or selling for big $$$$

Looks like its from last years game. He said it was from that other thread, which was written in the summer. So they could have bought m'vila and then sold him on again a year later. Almost great detective work...

[hursty2]

Most of the fun in the game is working your way out of slumps and capitalising on the highs. First of all you have to find out where you're going wrong (a laboured task but isn't management?), then implemented a solution (even harder). I'd hate it I I could just win monotonously without doing a thing, winning should require me to think.

wwfan highlights some of the things that could be going wrong, it's up to you to pin point a reason.

[Time_Consumer]

i feel you.

[wez007]

Ive won everything multiple times with Dag & Red, 90k stadium, highest earning club in the world. This aint a boast (actually it is ) but it shows that this game can be a peice of cake. If id lost 5 games in a row (which I havent ) id be seriously looking at they way im doing things. For every reaction there should be an action

Either man up and admit your rubbish = rage quit for good () or try to find out what the cause of it is. Can I add its not the game, as it doesnt happen to all.

Personally Im so bored of all these losing streaks = rage quit posts that I will revert you to a similar exp i had: Be strong and get through it, light at the end of the tunnel my little rage quitting freind

http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php/334313-Going-against-the-Grain-a-journey-from-rage-quit-to-complete-satisfaction

[wez007]

Most of the fun in the game is working your way out of slumps and capitalising on the highs. First of all you have to find out where you're going wrong (a laboured task but isn't management?), then implemented a solution (even harder). I'd hate it I I could just win monotonously without doing a thing, winning should require me to think.

wwfan highlights some of the things that could be going wrong, it's up to you to pin point a reason.

And this...

[isignedupfornorealreason]

And this...

Some of the bugs don't help though. The Match prep bug (I've no idea if its cosmetic or not), the pre match odds/team talk being out of sync - which someone only just recently posted in the bugs forum... The stupid wage demands, the silly transfer demands, the "i'm bored of this club" already transfer requests.

The match engine is new, so I can let some things slide but the defending was awful at launch, the run across the box goals were getting stupid, plus the weird ball goes up and ball comes down at an impossible angle type freekicks made the game look silly. 13 LOOKS better but doesn't WORK better, but and it's not a diss it's just track record, every time something new is included its very weak and patchy and bothersome.

That's why I reckon 14 will be finetuned lean mean fighting machine. Until they include something else that's new in 15 and we go through the cycle again.

[Kriss]

Think this has run its course, as expected it just turns into another ME feedback thread.