FM 2014 is so, so difficult

[Rogvi]

I don't often post here, but I like reading this forum. It's quite an interesting topic, I'm currently moderating on a French forum and it's really the same there... Many people arrive with complaints, questions, problems, or they are just moaning or screaming their frustration about this 2014 version. But in my opinion the discussions here are a lot more constructive, maybe it's a French tendency to moan about everything (I'm not French ).

For me, this FM 2014 is not the hardest, it's just different. Each version has its own specific features, and each player has to adjust his style to the requirements of the game. The tactical part is now more instinctive than rather "numerical" like it was before (it still is, but it's hidden behind the instructions), and it takes some time to adapt, even if you have experience with the FM series. I played a couple of seasons (approximately 10) with Dunajská Streda, an awful team in the Slovakian top tier, and at first I struggled to avoid relegation. I changed my playing style several times, sold underperforming players, tried different approaches during the pre- and post-match team talks, and I eventually managed to slowly find some kind of form. With patience (very important, people nowadays are so impatient), general football knowledge and a little bit of common sense, it's not so difficult to improve your results. Now we are the defending champions and we play the group stage of the Champions League, with some epic wins against higher rated teams. So don't give up immediately when things aren't going the way you would like, take some time to think about what you're maybe doing wrong, and calmly ask for help to sort it out if you can't find a suitable solution yourself.

However, I returned to my good old FM 2012, the most enjoyable version in my opinion. It's just a matter of personal preferences, no more than that. Ok, there was no collision detection, there were bugs you could exploit very easily (but I never do it, although intentionally), you could sign huge players for ridiculous fees if you knew where to search, but it's still great to play. The overall behaviour of the players on the pitch was good, there was a good response to tactical changes, the ball physics was quite realistic and watching a game in 3D with extended highlights was very immersive. I'm the typical lower league manager who loves being in charge of unknown clubs in obscure countries, and taking them to the glory, no matter how many years it will take. My current save is already 72 seasons old, I'll certainly give a push to the 100 seasons.

But again, there are a lot of improvements in this last version, it just needs some polishing and refining of differents aspects of the match engine. I'm definitely looking forward to the future versions of it

[wez007]

On one hand FM have handed simple tactics on a plate but on the other hand they have completely overdosed on mind numbingly boring stat/training and all the other bits that supposed to add "realism". Must be horrific for any noob trying to get to grip with (i gave up after a month).

I really tried to love 14 but a little part of my FM heart died with the new tactic (spoon fed) creator, i dont even know my ass from my elbow anymore and too many options feel like im contradicting everything i do. I gave up in the end, didnt see the fun in hours and hours of getting my head round it. Went back to 13 where i dont need a degree in number crunching.

[Beltsu]

I agree. FM 2014 has something wrong. I've been playing CM/FM since the first game (yes, the FIRST Championship Manager), and since CM turned into FM, I've only skipped FM 2012.

This year, I already have more hours played than last year's version (which I found to be great and balanced, post-mid February patch), but I haven't been having fun. I've started games with 5-6 teams, from lower leagues to top leagues, but I'm yet to have a save that I find fun to play. The game is too unbalanced. On most games, I suffer goals, and lose most of the times, on 2-3 shots they made, against the +10 shots I make. On a season, with Rio Ave (a decent Portuguese team), I've suffered goals on 28 out of 30 matches. The team seems to crumble after the smallest of adversities. Call it what you may, but that is not simulation for me. A harder game is not always a simulation.

Playing Sporting Lisbon against a lower league team on the cup, they made 1 shot not the whole game. I've made 27, 16 of them on target. We drawed 1-1. I lost on penalties (Btw, don't you guys think that penalties kickers don't fail often enough? On most penalties shoot-outs I have, both teams end up with more then 6-7 goals scored).

People may say what they want. Maybe they really are great players and some of us suck. Maybe most people reload when they have a bad score (I don't). But the amount of my failures is so high on this year's version and I've been good, and title winning in the past games, that this must not be normal.

And that is too bad. I really like the idea of the shouts/indications instead of the sliders.

[Imortal]

I used to play the older versions up to FM 08,and around january i got the new one.

I started with my beloved L'pool,and the instictive reaction of a newbie when setting up the tactic is to think about real life football and to tick all the fancy instructions like very fluid,hassle oponents and so on..How did it go?Horrible,i was losing and drawing with the relegation teams,blowed away by any decent side,getting out of cups early and so on...

I was really really frustrated,because u know,the quality of my players should be enough to get at least some decent results.

After a while i got it.You can't traslate real life football in to the game,to get what you want the only way is to play by ME rules.That's why in the tactic section the most shared tactics are the one wierd looking,they would not make sense IRL,but by ME behavior they work well.

Someone mentioned Civ 5.Well that game is telling u pretty fast if something is wrong..To much unhappiness?Dude build some temples.FM is far from being so straightforward,it requires allot of efort to be successful.

[baronia]

I generally rotate between 3 different tactics; one when I'm against a team I should beat, one where I keep possession and maybe nab a goal, and another one where I sit back and counter when I'm trying to keep hold of a lead. I've also worked out the best way to adapt one of my tactics in the event of going 1 man down.

I occasionally tweak them here and there, but not to any major extent.

I do find this game difficult, and I do find it frustrating. I hate it when I've had an awesome season, strengthen the team, and suddenly can't buy a win the following season. I also hate how the "you must get 11 points in 5 games" ultimatum always comes up just before a run of particularly hard games (haven't survived that threat yet) - BUT I can almost always pinpoint where I've gone wrong, and know that it's too late to do anything about it. I've been guilty of buying in too many players when they've been available for cheap, selling too many influential players without suitable replacements, and I've played people out of position or in roles they're not suited to. I've had times where I've become lazy and just clicked 'continue' without changing my team. I've recycled old tactics in the vain hope of getting some form back, but to no avail.

The more I play however, the more I learn... then one of these days, maybe - just maybe - I'll find consistency and strength.

[Andyh21]

It has been more difficult than previous verisons but for me it was a huge "co-incidence" (or not) was until start of Feb I never won the CL having tried hard with likes of Real Madrid, Man City and Juventus, yes got all the respective league titles.

However new patch came out and thought right lets do PSG/French league and no suprise I got ligue 1 in first season but I WON CL IN 2ND season, hmm taken like 20+ to get CL and now do it in 2 with PSG.

[shirajzl]

The game has evolved into something entirely different from what we're used to in FM 12 and all CMs/FMs before. (Dis)liking it is just a matter of preference.

I can still achieve success, but it takes so much more effort. After a few so-so saves, I had two successful saves where I won PL with Stoke, and La Liga and CL with Valladolid. I tweaked my tactics to the opposition, I was making in-game changes, paying attention to all the tactical details and hated every single second of those saves.

It's just not what I want from FM. It simply stopped being a relaxing, relatively stress-free game for me. The amount of focus and energy I have to invest now to be good at it is simply not worth it.

I respect the fact some people adore the direction this game seems to be taking, but it's just not my thing anymore.

I just wanted to point out that it's not a simple matter of "oh I'm bad at it thus the game is at fault". Regular defenders of the game can't seem to concede the fact you can dislike the game for what it's become.

[shirajzl]

I see what you are saying, but in all fairness you don't have to constantly switch and change things and you can still relax. I've got my team set up with a tactic that plays good attacking football, but if we drop off the pace and start losing, I switch to my other tactic which is on standby for such occasions (and consistently works). Therefore, this idea that you have to watch every single bit of detail and make changes constantly is a load of rubbish to be frank...

Using my method has gotten me into 2nd place in the league with a team predicted 14th out of 22.

Yeah, I know it's possible, but long term you still have to invest far more attention, focus and energy on the game than before. Of course, it varies from person to person.

When it comes to what I personally want from this game, things have gone too far. That's why I said it's a matter of preference.

[wwfan]

On one hand FM have handed simple tactics on a plate but on the other hand they have completely overdosed on mind numbingly boring stat/training and all the other bits that supposed to add "realism". Must be horrific for any noob trying to get to grip with (i gave up after a month).

I really tried to love 14 but a little part of my FM heart died with the new tactic (spoon fed) creator, i dont even know my ass from my elbow anymore and too many options feel like im contradicting everything i do. I gave up in the end, didnt see the fun in hours and hours of getting my head round it. Went back to 13 where i dont need a degree in number crunching.

This confuses me. It spoon feeds you but you don't understand it? It requires more number crunching than the sliders?

This thread is quite surreal. There are so many people who seem to assume that you must do certain things do succeed in FM. We have the old standards of 'playing against the ME', 'having to make tweaks every single game', and 'fancy instructions = real life tactics' from someone managing Liverpool (give Shankly's famous quote, "Football is a simple game based on the giving and taking of passes, of controlling the ball and of making yourself available to receive a pass. It is terribly simple") and the age-old 'only weird tactics can be successful, take a look at the downloads forum'.

I suggest the Shankly quote be first and foremost in your minds. A solid tactical set-up and motivational strategy should guarantee good performance in 60-70% of your games. You really shouldn't need to tweak anything if you have this down pat. The other 30-40% of your games require some kind of in-match management, which might relate to adjusting your style because of the weather and pitch conditions, targeting an opposition weakness, or dealing with a complacent or nervous team. The problem seems to be that people panic when they get a couple of bad games and change everything up in the vain hope it fixes things as the AI has 'cracked your tactics'. What it actually does is set you up for the next fall while teaching you nothing.

As I said in my earlier post, it looks to me like scene myths really undermine the possibility of getting to grips with FM. Too many people are reading too much conjecture and taking it as truth. FM is not rocket science. It requires a bit of thought and patience, but is hugely rewarding once you've put that in.

[El Presidente]

It's a game not real life. Bring in difficulty levels and let people play it how they want instead following the rules of the hardcore.

[themadsheep2001]

It's a game not real life. Bring in difficulty levels and let people play it how they want instead following the rules of the hardcore.

So? Just because its a game doesnt mean it must have difficulty levels ( ignoring the fact that its actually incredibly hard to code such a thing into FM as it is, and also its not a path they ever have, or indeed want to go down)

[wwfan]

It's a game not real life. Bring in difficulty levels and let people play it how they want instead following the rules of the hardcore.

You can play as you want. You might not win doing so though.

Not a satisfactory argument anyway. Monopoly is a game, but you have to wait to pass Go to collect $200. You can't just take it every time you throw the dice or just decide you'll own Mayfair.

There are difficulty levels of a sort already in the game via manager reputation. Set it high and the players respond to you. Set it low and you have to win their respect.

[El Presidente]

So I shall not buy FM15. It's completely lost it's appeal to me. Unless there is some kind of difficulty level I'm unlikely to change my mind. Cheers SI. It was mostly great from CM2 onward but for me it's just not fun any more.

[El Presidente]

And this is just it, down to a tee... You can't help them or reason with them. You can offer them help or an explanation and they just won't listen.

Give me the game save that you struggle with so much, I bet I could fix it for you to enjoy within minutes.

It's not you I want explanations from. It's the game. There is literally no help tactics wise from the assistant or backroom staff. The assistant can pick the team but will he select a tactic or give credible tactic advice before or during a game? No. The assistant manager has always been useless. It is time that changed.

[smp20]

The moment they stop making fm more difficult is the moment I stop buying the game

Though the 12-0 battering I've just got against Wolves in the FA Cup was pretty brutal. Worst I've ever had. I am Salford mind.

[qwertyuiop12]

Am I the only one that completely ignores all the stats- form, shooting accuracy, passing accuracy etc, and lets my assistant do half my work for me?

At the start of a game I'll look through a squad, decide on players I need (generally always sign an attacking player or 2 and ignore the defense), create a tactic I want to play or know is decent and just go for it. I'll rotate a squad based off form (last 5 games), condition and morale. I have never looked at in-depth stats on players, pay little attention to my next opposition scout report, ignore all tactical advice from my backroom staff. The only real tactical changes I'll make during a game are go more defensive or more attacking depending on the situation.

This all seems fairly stand-off in approach but its worked pretty well for me in general at some clubs. My best games have been in FM11- started with Dundee, 2 1/2 seasons, did great. Moved to Bristol City, signed great players (Fernando Gago in the Championship) but never did better than mid-table. Quick few months with Mallorca, did terrible, before moving to Catania and having my greatest game ever becoming world beaters in a few seasons from mid table Serie B to a 100+ game unbeaten streak and something like 12 consecutive Serie A's.

FM14 (missed 12 and 13), start with Wolves, did well, left for Ukraine, did well, then terrible spells at Austria Wien, FC Sion, 6-months average with FC Gronigen before dominating with Galatasary for 4 years then having one average season half-season with Arsenal (9th, they were 17th) before winning the league first full season.

I guess my point is that I have personally found your methods sometimes just work and sometimes they just don't. Its all about finding the right club, the right player(s), the right tactics and not to quit during the depressing times. I once went through a season with Sheffield United winning one game in the premiership after a ridiculously lucky promotion, that was a bad year! And at the end of the day we buy this game to have fun and for a challenge which it is, its always difficult getting it right. But when it is its so much more satisfying watching that flashing text as your 16-year old Peruvian gem scores in the 93rd minute in the Champions League final on his debut...

[dominicf]

Threadstarter, I feel your pain. I agree with basically everything you said about FM 2014.