Some improvement suggestions on game difficulty and AI

[y0lo]

1. Two or three difficulty settings

2. Some ways to improve AI difficulty

Most AI do not rotate well enough. I think a large part of winning can come from having a much fitter team. So either you decrease the effect matches have on condition or make AI use smart rotation (e.g. field a weakened side before a bigger game in a few days - use opponent reputation variable). Smarter substittions too - perhaps you want a few key players in before the big game, but allow the AI to sub them off after 45/60 minutes to save condition. Also do not allow AI to always fill a completely weakened side - leave some first team players in.

Get AI managers to time waste more to close out victories, sometimes bring on more defensive players etc. Same for when losing.

Squad building is improving a bit, but still could be better. I find a lot of AI do not reinvest money from selling their best players. Ajax were completely drained in my game and have bought no one. I think it should be harder for teams to sell all their best players in one season unless they are in financial difficulty. I also think the hidden personality attribute Loyalty needs to be buffed and have stronger effect so that 'Reputation' does not weigh so heavily.

I think in real life managers are also more flexible than made out in the game - they also can often change formation to suit the players they have. Every version there are many managers who have different favoured formations to other versions. So it would also help AI squad building to be more open minded with the formations they use..  As you see with many managers including Pep - their footall style evolves and changes.

To help adjustments to shape you can allow faster training of players in positions that are similar and based on stats e.g. allow a left winger with good tackling, marking, positioning to be trained faster as a left wing back or left back. Allow a left winger to be trained more easily as a right winger. All players should be easy or hard to train in new positions based on i) versatility stat (as used) and ii) calculate 'role suitability' attributes for different positions - e.g. a right back with highly suitable 'deep lying play maker' or 'defensive midfielder' ROLE attributes can be MUCH more easily trained as central midfielder (Lahm/Kimmich/Fabinho) ~ with the variable of versatility making this easier. This means versatility should probably be buffed (e.g. 10 versatility can be weighted a bit higher) and the COST of a new position to CA should be lower.

[Neil Brock]

Reviewed so locked.