Is The Game Too Easy?

[DasMagicMullet]

I played regularly from CM93 through to FM2009, then had a decade off to raise kids, work long hours and grow old (I never enjoyed the 3D match engine either to be honest).

I came back to FM20 when it was included with the Xbox Game Pass and also managed to pick up a copy for the Switch. I've now completed 2 seasons on each platform and I'm amazed how easy the game seems.

On the Switch, I spent a season with Altrincham, won the league at a canter, losing only once. At the end of the season I moved to Forest Green and won the league at a canter, losing only once.

On the PC, I'm at the end of my 2nd season and I'm yet to lose a league game. First season I played as Dukla Prague, before moving to Sparta Prague. Both times I was 3rd favourite for the title, but managed to go a combined 66 games unbeaten. No restarts, no save skips.

During the 15-16 years of my heavy playing I was never a master tactician, which is why it's surprised me how easy 20 feels. I've played the same formation with all 4 teams, 4231, but I dunno, seems odd.

[FMunderachiever]

1 hour ago, DasMagicMullet said:

I played regularly from CM93 through to FM2009, then had a decade off to raise kids, work long hours and grow old (I never enjoyed the 3D match engine either to be honest).

I came back to FM20 when it was included with the Xbox Game Pass and also managed to pick up a copy for the Switch. I've now completed 2 seasons on each platform and I'm amazed how easy the game seems.

On the Switch, I spent a season with Altrincham, won the league at a canter, losing only once. At the end of the season I moved to Forest Green and won the league at a canter, losing only once.

On the PC, I'm at the end of my 2nd season and I'm yet to lose a league game. First season I played as Dukla Prague, before moving to Sparta Prague. Both times I was 3rd favourite for the title, but managed to go a combined 66 games unbeaten. No restarts, no save skips.

During the 15-16 years of my heavy playing I was never a master tactician, which is why it's surprised me how easy 20 feels. I've played the same formation with all 4 teams, 4231, but I dunno, seems odd.

no, its not too easy

dont confuse yourself with this forum making it look easy because there happen to be some very good players here

the tactics threads are never short of people wanting advice

[DasMagicMullet]

1 hour ago, FMunderachiever said:

no, its not too easy

dont confuse yourself with this forum making it look easy because there happen to be some very good players here

the tactics threads are never short of people wanting advice

I'm not basing it on this forum, I'm basing it on 4 titles wins in 4 seasons with 4 different clubs whilst losing 2 games in 154, all whilst not really doing anything other than playing the players in roles they want to play and making sure the tactics page is green.

If the games fine and I've managed to become Rinus Michels reborn then that's ok. 

[FMunderachiever]

4 minutes ago, DasMagicMullet said:

I'm not basing it on this forum, I'm basing it on 4 titles wins in 4 seasons with 4 different clubs whilst losing 2 games in 154, all whilst not really doing anything other than playing the players in roles they want to play and making sure the tactics page is green.

If the games fine and I've managed to become Rinus Michels reborn then that's ok. 

Ok, so you happen to be extremely good at a hard computer game.

Well done, have a biscuit. There are probably thousands if they were all counted who arent.

[DasMagicMullet]

12 minutes ago, FMunderachiever said:

Ok, so you happen to be extremely good at a hard computer game.

Well done, have a biscuit. There are probably thousands if they were all counted who arent.

I don't think your negative attitude is warranted, the question I asked was a fair one given the context I gave.

I didn't spend the time away getting my FIFA coaching badges, but noticed a clear difference in the difficulty when I returned.

Maybe a break might do you good too?

[zyfon5]

The game is easy if you really know the ins and outs of the game and have good tactical knowledge (able to spot problems 10 mins into the game and make changes). It's the same with any other game really.

[teknotel]

For me personally yes the game is waaay too easy. Once you understand the formula you can win anything with any club.

I just won Champions league with Barnet in 9 seasons from conference. I feel like I could do this with any team, though I only usually play English league so maybe its a lot harder in a poorer league etc.. 

It's pretty easy to tell how good a player is based on their stats and personality. I scout thoroughly and use search filters to find players suitable for my tactic and man manage the players well to get the best out of them.

I have been thinking a lot I would like a mode where stats are not visible, so its more like real life where you just have to watch people play to get an idea of how good they are. You will have to depend on you scouts and analysts a lot more etc. I think it would be fun for people like me who love the game but literally have no challenge at all in it any more.

[The Gold Guard]

There is always ways to make the game harder. Try a youth academy challenge in an obscure nation. Crazy stuff.

[nully29]

4231 is basically an auto win in FM20. 

[nully29]

3 hours ago, teknotel said:

For me personally yes the game is waaay too easy. Once you understand the formula you can win anything with any club.

I just won Champions league with Barnet in 9 seasons from conference. I feel like I could do this with any team, though I only usually play English league so maybe its a lot harder in a poorer league etc.. 

It's pretty easy to tell how good a player is based on their stats and personality. I scout thoroughly and use search filters to find players suitable for my tactic and man manage the players well to get the best out of them.

I have been thinking a lot I would like a mode where stats are not visible, so its more like real life where you just have to watch people play to get an idea of how good they are. You will have to depend on you scouts and analysts a lot more etc. I think it would be fun for people like me who love the game but literally have no challenge at all in it any more.

I believe I have seen an article by Cleon81 where he played with such mode. Unfortunately, it seems like he had deleted his site and all the content. Such mode - it is actually a skin - does exist nonetheless. 

[Svenc]

The AI has actually gotten better from FM 2009 or earlier, so not sure what influenced your perception. (At the same time, it's gotten harder to make horrible tactics leading to horrible football though).

That said, this series in general has never been say Dark Souls. If it ever had been, it wouldn't have been this big with the casual crowd. The information dumps may make it seem like the most complicated thing, but you can have relative success already by holidaying and letting the assistants do all the jobs (naturally, this isn't fail-proof and shouldn't be).

Edited August 3, 2020 by Svenc

[_mxrky]

13 hours ago, teknotel said:

For me personally yes the game is waaay too easy. Once you understand the formula you can win anything with any club.

I just won Champions league with Barnet in 9 seasons from conference. I feel like I could do this with any team, though I only usually play English league so maybe its a lot harder in a poorer league etc.. 

It's pretty easy to tell how good a player is based on their stats and personality. I scout thoroughly and use search filters to find players suitable for my tactic and man manage the players well to get the best out of them.

I have been thinking a lot I would like a mode where stats are not visible, so its more like real life where you just have to watch people play to get an idea of how good they are. You will have to depend on you scouts and analysts a lot more etc. I think it would be fun for people like me who love the game but literally have no challenge at all in it any more.

Your tactic doesn’t make much sense in terms of roles and duties. Tbh your success just seems that you’ve managed to find your own exploit tactic.

[XuluBak]

I've only been playing a couple years, so have no real context for comparison with earlier versions, but generally, I'd say you kinda have to introduce your own difficulty, or objectives, to make it interesting beyond a certain point. I think FM is much more about the process than the end result. 

 

 

[Spanner]

20 hours ago, DasMagicMullet said:

I played regularly from CM93 through to FM2009, then had a decade off to raise kids, work long hours and grow old (I never enjoyed the 3D match engine either to be honest).

I came back to FM20 when it was included with the Xbox Game Pass and also managed to pick up a copy for the Switch. I've now completed 2 seasons on each platform and I'm amazed how easy the game seems.

On the Switch, I spent a season with Altrincham, won the league at a canter, losing only once. At the end of the season I moved to Forest Green and won the league at a canter, losing only once.

On the PC, I'm at the end of my 2nd season and I'm yet to lose a league game. First season I played as Dukla Prague, before moving to Sparta Prague. Both times I was 3rd favourite for the title, but managed to go a combined 66 games unbeaten. No restarts, no save skips.

During the 15-16 years of my heavy playing I was never a master tactician, which is why it's surprised me how easy 20 feels. I've played the same formation with all 4 teams, 4231, but I dunno, seems odd.

Spot on about the 3D match engine representation....its not worth the hassel. It baffles me how people can want to watch a game via that.

Also your right it defo is easy mate.

From my experience since i came back to the CM / FM games, both FM2016 and FM2020 are the ones i have bought and played. Both easy.

Currently, on my FM20 save, i have a 95% win rate .....its mental.
On my FM16 save, i won the premier league with Westham in my first season!...expected mid-table finish.

[Preveza]

15 hours ago, teknotel said:

For me personally yes the game is waaay too easy. Once you understand the formula you can win anything with any club.

I just won Champions league with Barnet in 9 seasons from conference. I feel like I could do this with any team, though I only usually play English league so maybe its a lot harder in a poorer league etc.. 

It's pretty easy to tell how good a player is based on their stats and personality. I scout thoroughly and use search filters to find players suitable for my tactic and man manage the players well to get the best out of them.

I have been thinking a lot I would like a mode where stats are not visible, so its more like real life where you just have to watch people play to get an idea of how good they are. You will have to depend on you scouts and analysts a lot more etc. I think it would be fun for people like me who love the game but literally have no challenge at all in it any more.

This annoys me. If FM is meant to be a football SIM, winning the UCL with such a lowly club in just 9 seasons ruins all immersion for me. 20 seasons maybe, but 9? The UCL is one of the hardest things to win, even for skilled managers on a decent squad. But Barnet after 9? Yeah nah. I dont believe you unfortunuately mate. You either used FM genie scout or a knap tactic.

[Spanner]

15 hours ago, zyfon5 said:

The game is easy if you really know the ins and outs of the game and have good tactical knowledge (able to spot problems 10 mins into the game and make changes). It's the same with any other game really.

100% correct.

If you can see patterns developing or troubles beginning to happen ...... adjust and make the necessary changes...... a lot easier to win, get a result you need. 

[Spanner]

18 hours ago, FMunderachiever said:

Ok, so you happen to be extremely good at a hard computer game.

Well done, have a biscuit. There are probably thousands if they were all counted who arent.

The basis for his post (DasMagicMullet) is very fair and very well explained. 

If the game is hard for you personally, then that is fine. However, being so negative towards another players success is not in good spirits. 

He never made fun of players who find the game difficult and he never said he was the best. Telling him to 'have a biscuit' is a little too harsh in my opinion. 

Edited August 3, 2020 by Spanner

[rodau]

21 hours ago, DasMagicMullet said:

I played regularly from CM93 through to FM2009, then had a decade off to raise kids, work long hours and grow old (I never enjoyed the 3D match engine either to be honest).

I came back to FM20 when it was included with the Xbox Game Pass and also managed to pick up a copy for the Switch. I've now completed 2 seasons on each platform and I'm amazed how easy the game seems.

On the Switch, I spent a season with Altrincham, won the league at a canter, losing only once. At the end of the season I moved to Forest Green and won the league at a canter, losing only once.

On the PC, I'm at the end of my 2nd season and I'm yet to lose a league game. First season I played as Dukla Prague, before moving to Sparta Prague. Both times I was 3rd favourite for the title, but managed to go a combined 66 games unbeaten. No restarts, no save skips.

During the 15-16 years of my heavy playing I was never a master tactician, which is why it's surprised me how easy 20 feels. I've played the same formation with all 4 teams, 4231, but I dunno, seems odd.

Whats your tactic? League table prints? This game has nothing "easy", more over with all bugs that this game has

[Spanner]

14 minutes ago, Preveza said:

This annoys me. If FM is meant to be a football SIM, winning the UCL with such a lowly club in just 9 seasons ruins all immersion for me. 20 seasons maybe, but 9? The UCL is one of the hardest things to win, even for skilled managers on a decent squad. But Barnet after 9? Yeah nah. I dont believe you unfortunuately mate. You either used FM genie scout or a knap tactic.

i agree .....Barnet !!??!! in 9 seasons ....that is pushing the limit....hahhahaha

To take the them to the premiership in 9 seasons ...yes, ok.

To win the UCL ....wow!!!.....that is mind-blowing!!

[FMunderachiever]

5 minutes ago, Spanner said:

The basis for his post (DasMagicMullet) is very fair and very well explained. 

If the game is hard for you personally, then that is fine. However, being so negative towards another players success is not in good spirits. 

He never made fun of players who find the game difficult and he never said he was the best. Telling him to 'have a biscuit' is a little too harsh in my opinion. 

i never said i find the game hard either

But the difficulty level is about right really.

If someone does find the game too easy, then find a way to make it harder. Plenty of ways.

[vukigepard]

The real question isn't if the game is too hard or too easy, the question is can you do what you intend to do and want to and will the effort to do exactly that result in accomplishing that (it's not only about will you win, but how will you win). 

For me, answer to that question is no, and when it comes to that, i find this version inferior to previous versions, a quick fix could be to be able to customise some features (you think penalties are getting missed too much, add a option that improves the penalty scoring rates, if a player wants that and thinks that is right and scores are unrealistic, why should anyone care? It's the same about game being easy, you could ramp up the injuries, the bad run effects, the complemency, but no. 

The game has enormous potential, game besides me is excellent, and it's a shame that we need to argue about these things when it's easy to fix that and the game to be to everyone's liking

[teknotel]

6 hours ago, _mxrky said:

Your tactic doesn’t make much sense in terms of roles and duties. Tbh your success just seems that you’ve managed to find your own exploit tactic.

In all honesty I have tweaked it a lot in that regard. Not sure what you mean by exploit tactic?

[teknotel]

4 hours ago, Preveza said:

This annoys me. If FM is meant to be a football SIM, winning the UCL with such a lowly club in just 9 seasons ruins all immersion for me. 20 seasons maybe, but 9? The UCL is one of the hardest things to win, even for skilled managers on a decent squad. But Barnet after 9? Yeah nah. I dont believe you unfortunuately mate. You either used FM genie scout or a knap tactic.

I swear to you 100% I would never dream of using genie scout. There is honestly no need for me to do that and it ruins any fun left in the game for me.

My tactic is my own tactic I have used and tweaked each year since 2016. I am not sure what a knap tactic is, but I have linked to it as it is listed on sortitoutsi and your welcome to check it out and let me know.

If there is anyway I could prove it to you I would be happy to do so, like I legitimately have owned every copy of FM since 1991 and have tens of thousands of hours on it across all the games. There is absolutely no way I would cheat in anyway.
 

[teknotel]

4 hours ago, Spanner said:

i agree .....Barnet !!??!! in 9 seasons ....that is pushing the limit....hahhahaha

To take the them to the premiership in 9 seasons ...yes, ok.

To win the UCL ....wow!!!.....that is mind-blowing!!

The UCL final game was epic. Barcelona at Old Trafford. They dominate me for the first half but we go in only 1-0 down. Give my team the hair dryer treatment at half time, they are fired up and come out much sharper. We are making chances etc. and  equalise to make it 1-1 at 80 mins. Extra time my DM gives away a pen and gets sent off at 111. My BPD is actually a former Barcelona squad or reserve player and he pops up at 117 to head in the equaliser against his old club. We hold out with ten men for pens and  my keeper saves their first two penalties and we win the UCL!

Thought I was going to lose 100% if I am being honest.

[git2thachoppa]

There are a lot of things to take into consideration, for example:

1) FM is not a simulation. It's always been an idealistic and simplistic(!) fantasy of what being a football manager is. Never mind the even less control 'head coaches' today have.

2) As it's a game, not real life, it's constrained by its AI. It will always have flaws that you take advantage of just as you would do so with an opponent's weaknesses in real life. We learn and try to use the world's rules. Real life doesn't equate to a game's. I don't know how it is today, but the usual problem is bizarre and short-sighted squad building and limited tactics. In theory it's not hard to beat something dumber than you.

3) Difficulty is a sliding scale. It's definitely silly to win everything with Insert Funny Non-League Side Here, but there are still challenges. I've played FM 07 for over a decade, I had a season where I won every trophy, but it wasn't every season. I've achieved goals in International football, but never come close to winning the World Cup. I've taken a club from lower divisions to the top league, but also failed with top teams.

4) Games are supposed to be easy and not like real life outcomes. We all play games expecting to reach the end. In fact having this epiphany can ruin games a bit. There might be difficult sections, but we'll always get through them. In fact you don't want a section too hard, because the fun goes and it becomes annoying and frustrating. Even games sold on being hard are beaten by thousands of people.

How much fun would you really be having if you were in charge of Rochdale and lost many games every season, maybe got promoted once in 20 game years, maybe got relegated. Most managers in real life are at least competent, nearly all leave on a bad note, things go up and down no matter who you are. But if the game reflected this, it'd be accused of being too hard and people would leave.

Be honest, how often have you played a game against a real person online, lost, and thought "you're supposed to let me win" or felt aggrieved for a moment that this wasn't how it was 'supposed' to go?... Because in single-player games that's how it's supposed to go...

======

So if you've cracked the game, maybe try something else. International football, a country with different rules, a bankrupt club. If you're not having fun, stop playing, try something else, whether it's another management game or not. There are many decades of different interesting management games alone!

Edited August 3, 2020 by git2thachoppa

[rodau]

FM2020 has only one aspect to praise: There's no exploit. Throw in, corners, free kicks, nothing will win games for you, just good tactics and players. However, the bugs kill any sucessful tactic as AI's goals from free kicks, fair goals disallowed, his high conversion rates, human's lost easy goals, etc, etc, etc.
Therefore mate, I don't believe in your statement unless you provide the tactic used for further tests or make a full detailed post how did you this.

FM2020 an easy game? No way! 

[goranm]

4 hours ago, vukigepard said:

The real question isn't if the game is too hard or too easy, the question is can you do what you intend to do and want to and will the effort to do exactly that result in accomplishing that (it's not only about will you win, but how will you win).

That is a separate question, not the question, that deserves a discussion in its own thread. The OP literally wants to know if other players find the game easy to beat or not.

My own experience is on the other end of the game than that of OP, the big teams. I've found winning the league to be easy, the Champions League not so easy, but still I managed to win multiple CL's in 10 seasons. Liverpool in my save is overpowered in Europe, they're on a streak of 6 finals in a row, if it wasn't for me beating them in a semi-final, it would have been 7. The AI can still pose a challenge, and I was surprised to find that its squad building abilities are better than in any of the previous versions.

Edited August 4, 2020 by goranm

[goranm]

2 hours ago, git2thachoppa said:

1) FM is not a simulation. It's always been an idealistic and simplistic(!) fantasy of what being a football manager is. Never mind the even less control 'head coaches' today have.

All simulation games are idealistic and simplistic fantasies. FM definitely is marketed as a simulation, as per the massive headline on www.footballmanager.com that says "Simulation Gaming Perfected".

[git2thachoppa]

1 hour ago, goranm said:

All simulation games are idealistic and simplistic fantasies. FM definitely is marketed as a simulation, as per the massive headline on www.footballmanager.com that says "Simulation Gaming Perfected".

I didn't mention other games.

I didn't say how FM is marketed.

Edited August 4, 2020 by git2thachoppa

[goranm]

37 minutes ago, git2thachoppa said:

I didn't mention other games.

I didn't say how FM is marketed.

Ok, and? You also didn't mention elephants or aliens. What you did say is that FM is NOT a simulation, presumably because it's an idealistic and a simplistic fantasy, despite the developers and producers labeling it as such. It definitely is a simulation of football by any dictionary definition.

If the bar for what makes a game a simulation is to not be an idealistic and simplistic fantasy, then there are no simulation games at all.

Edited August 4, 2020 by goranm

[git2thachoppa]

12 minutes ago, goranm said:

Ok, and? You also didn't mention elephants or aliens. What you did say is that FM is NOT a simulation, presumably

Congratulations, you win 10,000 internet points and continue your 100% internet argument winning streak. *pats your head and turns back around*

Now back to the on-topic discussion.

[goranm]

1 minute ago, git2thachoppa said:

Congratulations, you win 10,000 internet points and continue your 100% internet argument winning streak. *pats your head and turns back around*

Now back to the on-topic discussion.

I never went off-topic. You got defensive and condescending over minor, yet valid criticism. I wasn't rude to you at any point, but instead of discussing your point of view why FM should not be regarded as a simulation, you'd rather be dismissive and go on about internet points.

[FrazT]

Ok, Guys- enough of the bickering- get back on topic please.

[git2thachoppa]

2 minutes ago, FrazT said:

get back on topic please.

 

[Pasonen]

On 03/08/2020 at 05:32, teknotel said:

my tactic

Your tactic is balanced enough defensively for fm20. F9 helps nicely with defending and shuts down opposition control of the game. Problem in fm at the moment is defline as a static unit can only work center it cant change its balance from side to side depending what formation they are facing. By static I truly mean every position being a part of defline are forced to move down narrowly if ball gets played deep. Against your 4-2-3-1 tactic opposition defline guards your 1 attacker and give all space to flanks. At the moment having attacking wingback/fb's goes like hot knife to butter or hand to glove against defenses while wingers push  (too) center close defline. Its really a shame. But this is what we have now and its not players fault. You can allways decide not to build your tactic around wb's but I must be honest and say this flaw in system kills my motivation and makes game easy/unrealistic.

Edited August 4, 2020 by Pasonen
Your tactic is balanced enough defensively for fm20.

[goranm]

On 02/08/2020 at 22:32, teknotel said:

For me personally yes the game is waaay too easy. Once you understand the formula you can win anything with any club.

I just won Champions league with Barnet in 9 seasons from conference.

When you said that it's way too easy, have no challenge and that one can win anything with any club, I thought you dominated the PL and won trebles, however you're yet to win the PL (at least according to that screenshot, maybe you won it by now). There are still challenges for you, win the PL and sustain your success, which I haven't found to be so easy in the UCL.

As to the realism and immersion that others have commented on, Fulham in 12 seasons from 98/99 to 09/10 went from L2 to Europa League final, losing in extra time. It's not the same magnitude as your achievement, but still a rise from lower leagues to European football in a relatively short timeframe. Consider also that we do have examples of unexpected winners of competitions: Greece in Euro 2004, Porto in 2004, Leicester in 2016, Wigan in 2013, Kaiserslautern in 1998 (won the Bundesliga immediately after promotion).

Porto is probably the best example of what a great manager can do, taking them from a mediocre European side that has no financial means to compete with teams from the top 4 leagues to back-to-back EL and UCL winners.

Edited August 4, 2020 by goranm

[nully29]

"The formations main features are full backs with the attacking wingback role who will get forward and overlap and get assists and goals. The wide attacking players are inside forwards who will cut in and facilitate the wingbacks overlapping. Which ever side the ball is on, the opposing inside forward will attack the far post and score a lot of goals from the wingbacks crosses. "

Far post cross is an overpowered move, that is easy to figure out. I did it and I believe so did thousands of players. Another overpowered move is MC passes across to another MC for a shot from an arc. 

 

Edited August 4, 2020 by nully29

[sporadicsmiles]

The game is easy if you learn how to exploit the limitations of the AI. Not something I would suggest doing, but you can have great success. For example, there is a tactic posted on here which is clearly taking advantage of the fact the largest single type of goal is far post crosses, which are poorly defended in the game. So it is bound to score a lot of goals, and win. This subject has been discussed to death, so there is no point covering it again. But it is something that will work in FM20 but not in older or future versions of the game. No criticism from me, play the game how you want. 

I did a thread a while back where I absolutely destroyed the AI by simply exploiting the fact they like to pass the ball around in defence but do nothing with it. The AI had most of the possession, but it is in their own half. I had set up to have the ball less, but always in the opposition half. It was wildly successful for me. But it was again an exploit, because it played on some flawed AI behaviour. It would not have been hard to defeat the tactic I was using, the AI just was not programmed to do it. 

Of course playing the game in a manner in which create a logically sound tactic that does not rely on exploits is the most sound way to play. I say that because it is transferable between games. When not pushing the AI limits to mess around, I have used the same basic setup for my teams for about years now (probably 5 or so). It works every year because it is built around actual solid ideas to create chances in football matches. And it does make the game harder when you play this way, because you are not trying to cheese goals from the AI (again, if thats how you want to play fair enough, this is not a veiled insult). So you lose games you should win, you win games you should lose. I find it much more rewarding. And despite having success with this, I do not find the game easy. I have to pay attention to matches, respond to what is happening in games, make changes etc. While there are games I just win, more often than not I have to at least pay some attention.

And I think this is where the disconnect between the people who say the game is hard and those who say it is easy it. If you are using a tactic that predominantly relies on some foible of the AI, you will not have to do this. You just wait for the inevitable chances you will get. You can ignore everything else pretty much and do not really need to make changes. This of course makes the game seem easy. 

[nully29]

Tactics :

 

Higher defensive and engagement lines

Far post crosses 

4231 (4321 would do too) 

 

Man management:

Praise conduct

Praise / criticize training 

Play those that are concerned with playing time

Don't break promises 

Release unhappy players

 

Team talk:

Have faith 

 

Shouts:

Demand more 

 

That's what works and that's how you win. There may be other ways to win, but this one guarantees. 

 

That being said, isn't whole real life just like that? I mean, people find few things that work and exploit the hell out of it. Everyone plays guitar, no one plays sitar, banjo, dobro, violin. Because guitar works. Hence 99% of musicians are playing on 1% of available instruments (guitar, bass, drums, keyboards). 

Movies work. Theaters - not so much. Within movies, certain things work. 90% of movies are revolving around 10% possible themes. 

 

Football, as commercial sport, works. Handball, softball, ping pong, water polo - not so much.

90% of population plays 10% of games (football, basketball, etc). 

Coffee works. Most other beans - not so much.

99% of humans are drinking 1% of possible beans/leaves (coffee /tea). 

Wheat works. Other grasses - not so much, hence mankind exploits the hell out of wheat.

 

I may be getting a bit too philosophical here, but real life seems to be about exploiting the hell out of few things that work (1-10% of all possible things) and almost entirely discarding everything that does not (90-99% of things) . 

 

Edited August 4, 2020 by nully29

[Pasonen]

51 minutes ago, nully29 said:

Tactics :

 

Higher defensive and engagement lines

Far post crosses 

4231 (4321 would do too) 

 

Man management:

Praise conduct

Praise / criticize training 

Play those that are concerned with playing time

Don't break promises 

Release unhappy players

 

Team talk:

Have faith 

 

Shouts:

Demand more 

 

That's what works and that's how you win. There may be other ways to win, but this one guarantees. 

 

That being said, isn't whole real life just like that? I mean, people find few things that work and exploit the hell out of it. Everyone plays guitar, no one plays sitar, banjo, dobro, violin. Because guitar works. Hence 99% of musicians are playing on 1% of available instruments (guitar, bass, drums, keyboards). 

Movies work. Theaters - not so much. Within movies, certain things work. 90% of movies are revolving around 10% possible themes. 

 

Football, as commercial sport, works. Handball, softball, ping pong, water polo - not so much.

90% of population plays 10% of games (football, basketball, etc). 

Coffee works. Most other beans - not so much.

99% of humans are drinking 1% of possible beans/leaves (coffee /tea). 

Wheat works. Other grasses - not so much, hence mankind exploits the hell out of wheat.

 

I may be getting a bit too philosophical here, but real life seems to be about exploiting the hell out of few things that work (1-10% of all possible things) and almost entirely discarding everything that does not (90-99% of things) . 

 

Hah! Thanks that was funny. maybe after next fm we can compare it it to both wheat or corn. Maybe even say tea and coffee are both evenly working drinks while listening guitar and violin at the same time 

Edited August 4, 2020 by Pasonen

[TQ13PS]

I don’t think it too easy, I personally struggle with success in the game since FM18

[DasMagicMullet]

Lost the 2nd game of season 3. Wheels have come off.

[teknotel]

13 hours ago, nully29 said:

Tactics :

 

Higher defensive and engagement lines

Far post crosses 

4231 (4321 would do too) 

 

Man management:

Praise conduct

Praise / criticize training 

Play those that are concerned with playing time

Don't break promises 

Release unhappy players

 

Team talk:

Have faith 

 

Shouts:

Demand more 

 

That's what works and that's how you win. There may be other ways to win, but this one guarantees. 

This. This is word for word exactly what I do and how to be successful with all clubs.

I also feel that the big club / small club reputation mechanics are exploitable. Playing as a conference level club like I always do really gives you an edge in a few ways. Bigger teams suffer against you a lot if you do all the things the nully29 listed here. You are virtually never favoured as you rise up the leagues and teams may suffer from 'complacency' mechanics against you a hell of a lot. Similarly your players are a lot happier more of the time because you are always over achieving and when you do actually lose they react it to it a lot better and its much easier to bounce back with them. The man management is much easier and even more so if you set yourself to have very high experience levels in manager creation, for example past international footballer and your players will be in awe of you virtually up to premiership which from I can see adds a lot more weight to your team talks and interactions with them.

 

[Preveza]

23 hours ago, teknotel said:

The UCL final game was epic. Barcelona at Old Trafford. They dominate me for the first half but we go in only 1-0 down. Give my team the hair dryer treatment at half time, they are fired up and come out much sharper. We are making chances etc. and  equalise to make it 1-1 at 80 mins. Extra time my DM gives away a pen and gets sent off at 111. My BPD is actually a former Barcelona squad or reserve player and he pops up at 117 to head in the equaliser against his old club. We hold out with ten men for pens and  my keeper saves their first two penalties and we win the UCL!

Thought I was going to lose 100% if I am being honest.

Happy for you man. But Barnet winning the UCL in 9 seasons is ludicrous lol.

[grade]

17 hours ago, goranm said:

When you said that it's way too easy, have no challenge and that one can win anything with any club, I thought you dominated the PL and won trebles, however you're yet to win the PL (at least according to that screenshot, maybe you won it by now). There are still challenges for you, win the PL and sustain your success, which I haven't found to be so easy in the UCL.

As to the realism and immersion that others have commented on, Fulham in 12 seasons from 98/99 to 09/10 went from L2 to Europa League final, losing in extra time. It's not the same magnitude as your achievement, but still a rise from lower leagues to European football in a relatively short timeframe. Consider also that we do have examples of unexpected winners of competitions: Greece in Euro 2004, Porto in 2004, Leicester in 2016, Wigan in 2013, Kaiserslautern in 1998 (won the Bundesliga immediately after promotion).

Porto is probably the best example of what a great manager can do, taking them from a mediocre European side that has no financial means to compete with teams from the top 4 leagues to back-to-back EL and UCL winners.

Not to be mean, but you need to literally check something when you don't know. Porto hasn't been a mediocre team in 40+ years. Sure there were ups and downs, like any sort of teams. It was well establish team in the 80's in European scene, where they won one European Cup, a European Super and a Intercontinential Cup.  So not mediocre team at all. But yes, Porto didn't at the time had the sort of budget that many top european clubs had back then. But what does it tells us? It tells us that money isn't everything in Football.

PS: I'm not literally a Porto fan.

 

Edited August 4, 2020 by grade

[goranm]

1 hour ago, grade said:

Not to be mean, but you need to literally check something when you don't know. Porto hasn't been a mediocre team in 40+ years.

It's still very rude to assume that someone is ignorant, with or without a disclaimer in front. Why didn't you instead ask me what I meant by Porto being a mediocre European side? Clearly, context is key. Porto last had European success in the 1980s, no one considered them a favourite in 2004 next to Man Utd, RM, Arsenal, Chelsea, Bayern, Juventus, Inter or Milan. Them winning the UCL was an upset. They were considered underdogs in every stage of the tournament.

Similarly, Steaua or Red Star today are even a below-mediocre European side, despite having historical success in the European Cup in the late 80s and early 90s.

Edited August 5, 2020 by goranm

[git2thachoppa]

1 hour ago, goranm said:

It's still very rude to assume that someone is ignorant

That hasn't stopped you in this thread...

Edit: Please stop sending abusive PMs, thanks m8.

Edited August 5, 2020 by git2thachoppa

[goranm]

50 minutes ago, git2thachoppa said:

That hasn't stopped you in this thread...

Edit: Please stop sending abusive PMs, thanks m8.

This is the *only* PM I sent: "I reported your post for toxic behaviour, whatever that means on this forum, since I don't want to publicly engage with your trolling attempt. What ever happened to "staying on topic"?  Not only are you not able to take criticism, you're also not able to follow through on your own words. Bad troll, bad. "

Stop harassing me by quoting my posts when you have nothing on-topic to add and lying about me sending multiple abusive PMs. I reported you again.

Edited August 5, 2020 by goranm

[grade]

8 hours ago, goranm said:

It's still very rude to assume that someone is ignorant, with or without a disclaimer in front. Why didn't you instead ask me what I meant by Porto being a mediocre European side? Clearly, context is key. Porto last had European success in the 1980s, no one considered them a favourite in 2004 next to Man Utd, RM, Arsenal, Chelsea, Bayern, Juventus, Inter or Milan. Them winning the UCL was an upset. They were considered underdogs in every stage of the tournament.

Similarly, Steaua or Red Star today are even a below-mediocre European side, despite having historical success in the European Cup in the late 80s and early 90s.

If you in anyway felt insulted, I apologise.

But Mediocre is hardly the correct word to describe a team that has been a regular in Champions League/European Cup since the 1980s. The same goes to Steaua or Red Star or Galatasaray or Benfica or Ajax or any teams that achieve the Champions League group stage. They don't have the power and money of the top 4 leagues in Europe, sure. but they are the top teams their respective leagues of their respective nations, they are hardly mediocre as you described, just because they don't have the power or money strength that a Man Utd, RM, Arsenal, Chelsea, Bayern, Juventus, Inter or Milan. 

But in your own words, Porto is mediocre team, because they haven't won no european titles in a few years or not likely to win the Champions League every year, then in your own words Arsenal, Dortmund, Chelsea, Man. United, Man City, PSG, Inter and Milan are also mediocre teams since there has been a few years since they won the Champions League. Is Liverpool a mediocre team, as they got knocked out in Round of 16 in this years Champions league? In your vision, i guess so. Okay, got it! 

 

 

[Spanner]

12 hours ago, DasMagicMullet said:

Lost the 2nd game of season 3. Wheels have come off.

hahahaha.... sounds like the Board of Directors will be having a meeting with you soon. 
No doubt they are printing your P45 and waiting for the 2nd loss of the season!!.. LOL