Few ideas

[LaUne]

Hello,

Here is a few ideas that come to my mind when thinking about playing FM. Do not hesitate to tell me what you think.

1) Improve tactical characteristics

One thing that has to be improved a lot is the immersion in the game. You can build a newgen 3D engine, you can propose anything, but playing the game will start being
boring after a while if you feel all of the matches are the same. When I play with my Leeds United team against Pep's City, I expect the opposite team to keep the ball
as much as it could. When I play against Bielsa, I expect man marking on each single player of my team. This is a thing I never saw until now. Most of the opposite
managers look the same for me. 

Ideas :

- Allow the editor to create cutomized tactics for ingame managers : the more complex the better (preffered types of players, preferred player moves, player changes,
set pieces, ...). Idea to explore : the way it is done in FIFA 'creation master'.

- Make the coaches characteristcs and 'preferred moves' much detailed and clearer (separate the tactical and non tactical ones)

- Might look a small thing, but when a person is switched from 'player' to 'non player' in the editor, just don't delete its player attributes. Maybe only hide them. 

2) Improve player positions 

In real football, players are not defined by numbers as attributes. I understand it is not possible in a game to attend to all of the trainings in order to define by
ourselves the characteristics of players, but there needs to be a better way to define player than 'position' and 'characteristics'.

Ideas :

- Replace positions by 'pitch zones' : it would for example avoid ridiculous cases where a player can play right back and right winger but not right midfield.

- Add 'preferred positions' of the player, while 'best position' is calculated through the attributes : we have the example of Angel Di Maria who is known to play
better in midfield, while he doesn't want to play there. Player style ('ball winner', 'regista', etc.) could also be calculated outomatically from those attributes.

- Increase the number of pitch positions : CD in a 2-men defence is not the same as CD in a 3-men one. COM can be n°10 but can also mean 9 1/2 and support striker
role.

- Allow full personalization of player roles : whatif I want to play with a defensive midfielder that dribbles along the pitch, or any other original role ? 

3) Improve ingame tactical engine

There is currently no way to create a proper tactic through FM. The game should allow much more customization.

- Allow the creation of movements. Those movements would improve after weeks of training. As an example, I could train Chelsea in my tactic so that he 1) runs along
the flank 2) Hazard comes inside the pitch 3) Pedro plays with Morata back to goal 4) Morate goves back to Hazard - Short offensive phases that players would follow
(or not!) according to the tactical freedom given. Something to explore might be the way tactics were handled in old "fifa manager series', with players positions for
each ball position.

- The set piece engine has to be reworked in order to be able to create some real tactics, with customized player moves, and without limiting the positions to 'first
post' or 'stay behind', nor limiting the number of players. Throws in takes could also change according the pitch zone. Also, introduce the possibility tick a 'change'
option, so that your team set pieces taker can change according to the players current stamina or grade in the game.

- Man marking has to be improved A LOT. We all know it is not working. How many times I ended up with 4 opposite players completely unmarked in front of my goal, only
because they escaped marking.

- Players switching positions is still quite limited, as we can only select two players to switch.

- Something to explore : intensity in the game. We know some managers choose to apply high pressure in the beginning of the game to impress the opponent, or on the
contrary some ask their players to lay back while observing how the game starts.

- Allow more pressing ! I hardly ever see two players pressing really high like in Klopp or Bielsa teams. More generally, it is difficult to play with a high pressing
or high defense line. 

- Allow more passing phases. Players are carrying the ball too much. On the opposite, I hardly seem some precise plays out of the defence.

- Improve the way players act while back to goal. This is very common in football, but in FM players seem to always play alone instead of protecting the ball and
waiting for teammates.

4) Non tactical related (because there's something else than blackboards in life !)

- Allow some players to come back to playing after stopping for a while ? I have Robert Pires or Ronaldinho in mind. More generally, allow more 'exotic' destinations
for close-to-retirement players ?

- There is an issue with national team captains with retirement date already planned. Somehow, they cannot be selected as captains or vice captain.

- Staff roles need to be less limited. There are now assistant football directors in some teams, assistant youth academy managers, etc. What about international
managers ?

- Also, preferred staff roles might want to change (a club manager ageing might want to become a national team coach, or a scout, a football director)

- We are all aware of the role of agents nowadays. This simply doesn't exist in FM. Football director Henrique was brought to Paris because he knows the powerful
Zahavi who knows Neymar. Same thing with team and player sponsors.

- Sometimes, the difference between agent and scout is really unclear in real life. Some teams use certains recruiters only, because their agent role helps in getting
other players.

- Players could help in recruiting other players : To continue with my example, Neymar convinced Dani Alves in joining him to Paris. Same thing for Maxwell (even
though he turned into an associate-sporting director meanwhile)

- Increase the 'attraction power' of some coaches/managers. If Bielsa was suddenly taking a scottish league team, I am sure many first class players would chose to
join him.

- Allow some assistants to always work with the same coaches. For example, coaches could be either assigned to the 'club' (permanent staff) or to the 'manager'
(temporary staff).

- I understand FM want to be a football simulation, so I am sure this will never be implemented in game. But what would football be without its scandals ? Where are
the game fixing or doping rumours, strange bets on some games... Those could psychologically impact on the players and their performance on the pitch. This would add a
lot to in game immersion.

- Improve the editor A LOT to make it easier to use (but that's another topic !)

- ... And many others things I don't have time to talk about for now !

Thanks for reading, eager to read your opinions.

Laune

[LaUne]

[Neil Brock]

Reviewed so locked.