How do you test a new formation/tactic?

[Dench57]

Usually with FM I just pick one tactic and stick to it so I don't do much experimenting. This year none of my favourite tactics are working so I want to try out a few different tactics. My question is how do you test out 3 or 4 different tactics before picking your preferred? Obviously I want all the variables to a minimum so I want to be exactly the same team with the same players for each tactic. Should I just re-load the same match over and over again to see which tactics gives the best results?

I know doing this may be seen as cheating or whatever. I'd like to try different tactics out over the course of a season but with how long it takes to learn Tactic Familiarity now it would be so painstaking, plus variables like Morale, different players and different opponents would make it harder to gauge if it's my tactics that are working or other forces at work.

How do you try out and compare new formation/tactics to each other?

[Ackter]

I pick how I want to play, and then develop towards that. I rarely use more than one tactic at a time.

I just play through the game with it.

The only way to properly test and tweak a tactic is to watch it perform against different teams and situations.

If you just reload the same match you end up with the sort of "super tactic" that's great half the time but fails in others.

[Dench57]

I usually just play through the game with one tactic as well. However after finishing 5th in League Two with Cambridge using one tactic, I stuck with the exact same tactic and players and in the next season I'm currently 22nd after 20 games. It can't be the tactics or players since I've kept them exactly the same, but obviously something needs to change.

[RocheBag]

I analyse my players and come up with a "style" I want to implement in my head. I then throw together a tactic that matches the picture in my brain, keeping instructions to a minimum at first. I then just play through the season and make small changes as I see things that need to be addressed.

[Cleon]

Reloading a game and replaying it is kinda pointless because all the media/morale etc will be set and if you've got that totally wrong in the build up to the game then you might be struggling because of none tactical reasons.

When I create a tactic I make the tactic from inside the game. So I'll start a game with the settings I think as a kind of 'base' then I'll watch the match on full and adapt the tactic via what's happening during the game. So you could say I have a base tactic that gets adapted depending on what happens in a game. So I might tweak it once then not have to do it again for 5 games etc or vice versa.

[reece1973]

Reloading a game and replaying it is kinda pointless because all the media/morale etc will be set and if you've got that totally wrong in the build up to the game then you might be struggling because of none tactical reasons.

When I create a tactic I make the tactic from inside the game. So I'll start a game with the settings I think as a kind of 'base' then I'll watch the match on full and adapt the tactic via what's happening during the game. So you could say I have a base tactic that gets adapted depending on what happens in a game. So I might tweak it once then not have to do it again for 5 games etc or vice versa.

Very interesting because after struggling initially i have started doing this now.

I never used to watch the full match but now i do. And however its going depends on what i change. Seems to be working so far.

[thomit]

I pick something I think will work, and play a full save up to around christmas time. At that time, I usually will have several ideas for improvement. So I start again, new save, with improvements implemented. As soon as I find a basic setups that "clicks" into the most important points (taking unfamiliarity at the start of the season into account), I start the "real" save. This year it has taken 4 "false" starts. Earlier I have even used FMRTE to make my team totally familiar with formations/tactics from the get-go, to shorten this trial-and-error phase. Have not done so this year. Don't cheat in any way with the "real save" though.

The "real" save is of course not static; improvements/changes to basic setup is continuous.

PS. This method needs watching many matches in full or comprehensive mode, and a lot of patience. So not for everyone, I'm aware of that.