Is FM18 Worth Upgrading For? Sell me.

[Mac2298]

Ok, so with FM18 on a great sale right now, it's looking pretty tempting to upgrade from FM16. However, the negative reviews are holding me back. I'm not too concerned with injuries, as it seems that there are ways to manage the uptick in quantity, but match engine (ex no direct free kicks being scored) and transfer market quirks (namely with selling players) seem to be two big problems that are holding me back. That being said, is 18 a better enough game to make the jump from 18? I'm interested in hearing some responses - thanks!

[FrazT]

You will never get any sort of consensus on a question like this- download and try the free Demo and make your own mind up as you are the only judge

[Mac2298]

Did that, but 6 months isn’t enough to know all the pros and cons of long term issues like consistent glitches, quirks, etc. not to mention the sale ends in just a week or so, and that isn’t a whole lot of time to thoroughly test run the game. I just want to hear the thoughts of another community than Steam reviews, which can often be full of people who have never played FM before and are simply not used to this style of game or not good enough to succeed at it

[Purple Frog]

1 hour ago, Mac2298 said:

Ok, so with FM18 on a great sale right now, it's looking pretty tempting to upgrade from FM16. However, the negative reviews are holding me back. I'm not too concerned with injuries, as it seems that there are ways to manage the uptick in quantity, but match engine (ex no direct free kicks being scored) and transfer market quirks (namely with selling players) seem to be two big problems that are holding me back. That being said, is 18 a better enough game to make the jump from 18? I'm interested in hearing some responses - thanks!

Ok so I'll give my opinion.

The transfer market is pretty realistic if you load enough leagues and have a good enough computer.

Free kicks-well it depends 

I think its realistic barring players like Enis Bardhi and Messi -who go on a hot streak and score multiple freekicks a season in real life but are limited to like 3 a season at best in game

Bugs-almost non existant if you aren't into micromanaging teams (I am and found one )

 

all in all I think it's worth it with the sale RN.

[Tony Wright 747]

3 hours ago, Mac2298 said:

Did that, but 6 months isn’t enough to know all the pros and cons of long term issues like consistent glitches, quirks, etc. not to mention the sale ends in just a week or so, and that isn’t a whole lot of time to thoroughly test run the game. I just want to hear the thoughts of another community than Steam reviews, which can often be full of people who have never played FM before and are simply not used to this style of game or not good enough to succeed at it

Quite agree with the comments on the demo, I too tried the demo and decided that FM18 is not for me and still playing FM16 and FM12 and wouldn't buy FM18 now even in a sale with FM19 coming in about four months.

[forameuss]

4 hours ago, Mac2298 said:

Did that, but 6 months isn’t enough to know all the pros and cons of long term issues like consistent glitches, quirks, etc. not to mention the sale ends in just a week or so, and that isn’t a whole lot of time to thoroughly test run the game. I just want to hear the thoughts of another community than Steam reviews, which can often be full of people who have never played FM before and are simply not used to this style of game or not good enough to succeed at it

I see where you're coming from, but your own opinions - even if it's just for that 6 month spell will always trump the opinions of anyone on here.  You're very unlikely to get a completely unbiased review, whether it's effusively positive or hideously negative.  Even balanced reviews will be clouded.

You're right about Steam reviews though.  They're fun to read but not particularly useful.

EDIT: Just a thought - if you think you could get a decent consensus with the demo given time, then couldn't you buy the game on sale, not play it, then return it later (given you'll be well under the hour limit for returns) if you decide against it?  Might be wrong.

[Tony Wright 747]

51 minutes ago, forameuss said:

I see where you're coming from, but your own opinions - even if it's just for that 6 month spell will always trump the opinions of anyone on here.  You're very unlikely to get a completely unbiased review, whether it's effusively positive or hideously negative.  Even balanced reviews will be clouded.

You're right about Steam reviews though.  They're fun to read but not particularly useful.

EDIT: Just a thought - if you think you could get a decent consensus with the demo given time, then couldn't you buy the game on sale, not play it, then return it later (given you'll be well under the hour limit for returns) if you decide against it?  Might be wrong.

Maybe I am missing something here, but as the OP says the demo only lasts six months and a lot of issues appear well after this time.  If the demo save is carried over to the full game and played it could be well over the limit when issues are noticed so no return possible?

[forameuss]

Just now, Tony Wright 747 said:

Maybe I am missing something here, but as the OP says the demo only lasts six months and a lot of issues appear well after this time.  If the demo save is carried over to the full game and played it could be well over the limit when issues are noticed so no return possible?

That's why I said don't play the full game, if you can get a good enough idea using the 6 months the demo gives you.  Otherwise either take the risk, or don't.  I just never understand the reliance on the opinions of complete strangers on these things when every single opinion will be biased in part, consciously or otherwise.

[Tony Wright 747]

9 minutes ago, forameuss said:

That's why I said don't play the full game, if you can get a good enough idea using the 6 months the demo gives you.  Otherwise either take the risk, or don't.  I just never understand the reliance on the opinions of complete strangers on these things when every single opinion will be biased in part, consciously or otherwise.

Thanks for clarifying.  Whilst I completely agree with you about not relying on other peoples opinions, I know from personal experience that not all issues and anoyances that can appear in a long term save are apparent in the demo

[forameuss]

4 minutes ago, Tony Wright 747 said:

Thanks for clarifying.  Whilst I completely agree with you about not relying on other peoples opinions, I know from personal experience that not all issues and anoyances that can appear in a long term save are apparent in the demo

Absolutely.  There's ones most people won't really see playing a 100 year save, you're not going to see everything anyway.  It's just a balancing act on whether you're happy enough with what you do know.  Someone can tell you it's the worst game ever because x, someone else can say they've played 4 million hours and it's the best thing anyone's done ever because y, and I could say that it's alright, but that I find it pretty boring and hard to get excited about.  But all of that is just stuff, and I don't think it really helps make a decision.  To each their own though.

[aditya]

Just bought the game on sale, played the demo for 2 months! I was in your position, I went through the reviews, it only convince me not to buy the game. But then I followed the community in sigames and FM scout, I was hooked, and I had to buy the game. Long story short, I didn't regret it. The game felt similar to FM17, however I think it is far more polished. I am not experiencing any bugs, problems, or errors. The game runs smoothly and I have just completed my first season, with Arsenal, used my own tactic I made from the demo and it won me FA cup and Europa league, also finished second. 

 

But in all honesty, would I have purchased the game at full price knowing the game was very satisfying? I would have to say no. Because I can't afford it really, I live in SE Asia, and converted the game is very expensive in my country. 

But if your question is, is it the same as previous versions? I would say yes of course its similar. Like I said, Its far more polished and in better condition. I would recommend buying regardless, after all, we are investing this organisation to continue producing better games in the future. 

 

 

[forameuss]

3 minutes ago, aditya said:

Just bought the game on sale, played the demo for 2 months! I was in your position, I went through the reviews, it only convince me not to buy the game. But then I followed the community in sigames and FM scout, I was hooked, and I had to buy the game. Long story short, I didn't regret it. The game felt similar to FM17, however I think it is far more polished. I am not experiencing any bugs, problems, or errors. The game runs smoothly and I have just completed my first season, with Arsenal, used my own tactic I made from the demo and it won me FA cup and Europa league, also finished second. 

 

But in all honesty, would I have purchased the game at full price knowing the game was very satisfying? I would have to say no. Because I can't afford it really, I live in SE Asia, and converted the game is very expensive in my country. 

But if your question is, is it the same as previous versions? I would say yes of course its similar. Like I said, Its far more polished and in better condition. I would recommend buying regardless, after all, we are investing this organisation to continue producing better games in the future. 

 

 

I should also add to this and my other posts that I'm in a lucky enough position that taking a risk on a game isn't too much of a risk.  If the game is far more expensive in your region, or you just don't have the money to **** away on something that might not be worth it, that obviously clouds things a bit more.

[Trevor L.]

Been playing since Beta and I will have to say it is totally worth picking up. I haven't seen some of the issues others do, but for me the ME is looking strong and I enjoy the game. As a qualifier I play with everything loaded up and go slow. Usually only get 3 seasons in before the next edition, but I take a deep dive on stats and really comb over things. I am just at the start of pre season for my second season of my 2nd save so while I have a small set to look at, I do have every league loaded and I go over all of them on a consistent basis to make sure I like what I see and so far so good.

 

I would say get it.

 

Trevor L.

[Jusander]

If you like long saves then don't do it. The regens and especially regen faces are the worst that have ever been in the FM series. Absolute garbage and for the first time I actually regred buying the game. It's better than 17 overall, but I think 16 is still a superior game compared to 18. For me FM15 is the best of the "recent" FM's and FM12 or FM08 the best ones overall. 

[HUNT3R]

Just now, Jusander said:

If you like long saves then don't do it. The regens and especially regen faces are the worst that have ever been in the FM series. Absolute garbage and for the first time I actually regred buying the game. It's better than 17 overall, but I think 16 is still a superior game compared to 18. For me FM15 is the best of the "recent" FM's and FM12 or FM08 the best ones overall. 

I only do long term saves and FM15 was easily the worst in that regard because of AI managers' tendencies to be far too defensive, far too easily. The entire game was easy, so it terms of having fun, I enjoyed it the least of any FM.

[Snorks]

It all depends on what you want to get out of the game as is demonstrated by the differing opinions here.

I like to play as immersed as I can, and I enjoy it - haven;t suffered the bugs people report, got frustrated at first with Dynamics, but adjusted, love the medical center and scouting, can live  with the ME quirks and really don;t care what my Newgens look like.

For some though, newgen faces can ruin the game, for others, tactical preferences of the AI, the ease at which you can apparently break the ME with three strikers can be a plus for some, a negative for others.

[aditya]

3 hours ago, Snorks said:

It all depends on what you want to get out of the game as is demonstrated by the differing opinions here.

I like to play as immersed as I can, and I enjoy it - haven;t suffered the bugs people report, got frustrated at first with Dynamics, but adjusted, love the medical center and scouting, can live  with the ME quirks and really don;t care what my Newgens look like.

For some though, newgen faces can ruin the game, for others, tactical preferences of the AI, the ease at which you can apparently break the ME with three strikers can be a plus for some, a negative for others.

The three strikers is a huge let down to be fair. 

having 3 strikers is an actual real life tactic, unlike striker less bug in previous FM. 

[HUNT3R]

3 hours ago, aditya said:

The three strikers is a huge let down to be fair. 

having 3 strikers is an actual real life tactic, unlike striker less bug in previous FM. 

Strikerless is a thing IRL too. Here's an example : https://community.sigames.com/topic/437974-world-cup-2018-tactical-interpretations/?do=findComment&comment=11385402

[forameuss]

17 hours ago, Jusander said:

If you like long saves then don't do it. The regens and especially regen faces are the worst that have ever been in the FM series. Absolute garbage and for the first time I actually regred buying the game. It's better than 17 overall, but I think 16 is still a superior game compared to 18. For me FM15 is the best of the "recent" FM's and FM12 or FM08 the best ones overall. 

 

17 hours ago, HUNT3R said:

I only do long term saves and FM15 was easily the worst in that regard because of AI managers' tendencies to be far too defensive, far too easily. The entire game was easy, so it terms of having fun, I enjoyed it the least of any FM.

Another sign of why it's completely pointless to court public opinion on things like this.  Here's two posts, referring to a single component, and sitting at opposite ends of the scale.  Is either opinion wrong?  No, of course not.  Because it's an opinion, and inherently subjective.  To one person long-term saves are terrible, to one they're good.  To the OP they might be one of those things, or just mediocre.  Unfortunately you won't know that unless you buy it with the way the demo is structured.

[sporadicsmiles]

11 hours ago, Snorks said:

It all depends on what you want to get out of the game as is demonstrated by the differing opinions here.

I like to play as immersed as I can, and I enjoy it - haven;t suffered the bugs people report, got frustrated at first with Dynamics, but adjusted, love the medical center and scouting, can live  with the ME quirks and really don;t care what my Newgens look like.

For some though, newgen faces can ruin the game, for others, tactical preferences of the AI, the ease at which you can apparently break the ME with three strikers can be a plus for some, a negative for others.

Indeed, it depends on expectations. I will note that you can turn regen faces off though, so this should not really be a reason not to buy the game. It is something that we can push to have improved in the future. I personally love how stupid some of my players end up looking. I think I could make a team of Jonjo Shelvy look-alikes after 15 seasons!

Anyway, OP, you have played the demo so you know what the game is like. I'm 7 seasons into my current save. I have no found many problems yet. AI teams are still strong, regens are coming through in a balanced fashion in that I do not see them all clustered at one side, and there are some wonderful players (I picked up what may be the best regen striker in game currently, so I am happy). Job offers seem realistic. I started at Nottm Forest, got them promoted, finished 7th in the Premier League. I started to get a bunch of offers from around Europe. Decided to leave for Zenit, since I thought I can win something there and boost my CV (I did not like Russia though, there are foreign player limits and not a lot of good Russian players to fill a squad with). Left Zenit to manage the Croatian national team (after failing at some job offers for very high profile clubs, reasonably and needing a change). I spent some time at Croatia, finished runners up in the Europe League competition thing, made a great start with qualifying. Liverpool then offered me their job at the end of the season and I accepted. The point of that is that I built my manager reputation up reasonably and ended up at a big club in a big league after many years of hard graft.

I'd say go for it, if the sale price is good and you will play the game a lot. Carry on with your current version and save if you are enjoying it still and do not want to move on. There is no point moving on from a game you enjoy just for the sake of it. FM 18 has some nice new features, but it is no so ground breaking that you absolutely must buy it if you are getting enjoyment from your current save.

[Hovis Dexter]

Sortitoutsi have an automatic regen facepack for FM17. It doesn't work in FM18 but I use it to manually assign faces to my regens. Improves the game no end in my opinion.

[Snorks]

18 hours ago, aditya said:

The three strikers is a huge let down to be fair. 

having 3 strikers is an actual real life tactic, unlike striker less bug in previous FM. 

Except I have never had much success with it 

[Snorks]

9 hours ago, Hovis Dexter said:

Sortitoutsi have an automatic regen facepack for FM17. It doesn't work in FM18 but I use it to manually assign faces to my regens. Improves the game no end in my opinion.

I think i tried it in an earlier save on FM18 and it worked OK.

[Hovis Dexter]

1 hour ago, Snorks said:

I think i tried it in an earlier save on FM18 and it worked OK.

Sorry, but it definitely doesn't automatically work in FM18. You have to manually assign UIDs to individual images.

[Snorks]

15 minutes ago, Hovis Dexter said:

Sorry but it definitely doesn't work in FM18. You have to manually assign UIDs to individual images.

Maybe I am getting mixed up with the Default Faces from DF11

[Fond Foat]

Just set your own purchase schedule. I like to purchase every 3 years. Consider my purchases of FM08, 11, 14, and 17. That gives me a nice upgrade of features and players. Buying every year is only for people who want up to date rosters. Decide what you want. I will wait for FM20. 

[Tony Wright 747]

8 hours ago, Fond Foat said:

Just set your own purchase schedule. I like to purchase every 3 years. Consider my purchases of FM08, 11, 14, and 17. That gives me a nice upgrade of features and players. Buying every year is only for people who want up to date rosters. Decide what you want. I will wait for FM20. 

Interesting strategy, however if you stick to it rigidly you could miss out on the better versions, the best way is to try the demo and then decide.  I know what I want from the game and by using this method my buying pattern in recent years has been FM9, 10,  11,  12, and 16

[Niksa83]

Buying the game every three years has worked for me. Yearly upgrades just ain't worth it for me. Few improvements and a roster update just reminds me of EA and the NHL series.

[Preveza]

I buy every year, little or no improvements. Its called being loyal to a game which has given me soooo many memories since I was a young kid.

[godzilu]

On 25/06/2018 at 05:01, Mac2298 said:

Ok, so with FM18 on a great sale right now, it's looking pretty tempting to upgrade from FM16. However, the negative reviews are holding me back. I'm not too concerned with injuries, as it seems that there are ways to manage the uptick in quantity, but match engine (ex no direct free kicks being scored) and transfer market quirks (namely with selling players) seem to be two big problems that are holding me back. That being said, is 18 a better enough game to make the jump from 18? I'm interested in hearing some responses - thanks!

Get it mate, I just did a few days ago, upgrading from 17 and it was worth it. The only reason I haven't bought it on release was that I expected to have bugs and I'd rather wait for a couple of patches before I purchase any big game. I like the new feeling, and while it's not a different game from 17 ( well, it's FM, what do you expect, a different game?), it has a lot of improvements I like, like the new medical system with the medical center and stuff, the possibility to tell your second teams to arrange friendlies only if players lack match sharpness, the new scouting system, which is different, now you can raise your scouting budget, and scouting needs more interactions, now you can upgrade data analysts facilities too, goalkeepers train in 3 sections now, etc, etc, etc. It's awesome really.

Regarding injuries, I have no idea why people complain about them, I use my previous systems of training and match picking and in November, in England with Liverpool I have only Dejan Lovren out for 1-5 days and the 2 long term injuries you start with, Lallana and Clyne. I see this injuries issue each and every year, but if you ask me it's all due to bad management, if you have a proper medical staff, a proper preseason, proper match selection, even if that  means loosing some games due to resting players, etc., you will have no issues, bar the normal time and again injuries which are normal, it's football. In fact, I think that if you know what you are doing, with the new medical system you will have less injured players and you can play them more than in FM 17.

And Salah is a monster, 22 goals in 15 games, so it's worth every penny  

In fact, I am so good with FM 18 that I will purchase FM 19 on release, and then just leave it in my account until the December patches are out.

Also, if you get it on discount, generally speaking it's not much, since it gives you so many hours of game play. I played over 1k hours in 17, and I am over my thirties :P So 50 euros/1000 hours = 0.05 euro per hour, totally worth it. Or 20 / 1000 = 0.02 if you get it on discount. Even if you would have only the player database update alone it would be worth the discounted price mate, it's a hell of a lot of data.

PS: I am not a blind fan that will get every version out of loyalty. This is a two way road, if you are a loyal fan you should be respected too, and the only way Sigames can respect you is by selling you a proper new version of the game. If they would do crap, like they did with some versions, I'd maybe purchase the game with the lowest possible discount.

[Hovis Dexter]

On 25/06/2018 at 03:01, Mac2298 said:

Ok, so with FM18 on a great sale right now, it's looking pretty tempting to upgrade from FM16. However, the negative reviews are holding me back. I'm not too concerned with injuries, as it seems that there are ways to manage the uptick in quantity, but match engine (ex no direct free kicks being scored) and transfer market quirks (namely with selling players) seem to be two big problems that are holding me back. That being said, is 18 a better enough game to make the jump from 18? I'm interested in hearing some responses - thanks!

From my experience the suggestion that no direct free kicks are ever scored is totally wrong. In my game they are regularly scored.