Fm20 or an older version for a 5 year (real life time) save?

[Mikeonhisboat]

So. I admit it. I don't get to play FM much. When I do play I tend to pick one version, add in the lower league editted databases. Make extra cup competitions. Tweak the skin. And edit the database to make the game harder. Usually takes me months. Then pick a minnow like Harrogate Railway Athletic and try fight my way to glory. I get very involved, usually keeping a notebook of lineups for key matches etc. Yes. Geek. I usually play one version, usually on the same save after a few false starts, for 4-5 real life years, on and off. I used to buy every version yearly from 97-98 up to about 2008 or so. But then adulting took over. The last full version I owed was fm12 or 13. Though I dabbled with the Touch version in 2016 or 17.

Now I'm on furlough from work, I'm wanting to set up my next longterm save. I'm old and crumbly enough to know that for every version there are posts on here decrying the game as broken and this year's match engine the worst ever. But there do seem an awful lot tihs year. I enjoy watching matches on full detail, tweaking instructions to try iron out kinks. So a responsive ME is important to me getting fulfillment from my long term save. As is general 'immersion'. For me, waiting till fm21, which really means waiting a year by the time the editted lower league databases and the early tweaks are ironed out with patches, isn't an option - I only have time to do the setup now. I'd merrily started this at Xmas, assuming this year would be like any other and patches would be out early spring to make the ME shiny and good. But there still seems 'a general air of discontent'. Yet, millions around the world seem to be playing the game happily too. I play (very) lower league where I guess some of the issues may be less apparent. But I don't want to spend 3 real life years working my way to the Prem only to get disheartened by the ME issues. A quick demo run of 10 games doesn't really simulate the way I play - so it's hard to know what to think based on that limited test.

I liked the club vision, development centre and other 'immersion' features on the FM20 demo.

So FM hive mind. What do I do? Go for it with FM20? Or pick a previous version? And if so which? FM18? Or 19? 

I've read the many similar threads (though many are pre-patch 20.2.4 and ME 2039 so not relevant) but I'm after something a bit more indepth from folk who play in a similar long term way, probably at a low-ish level. How are you folk enjoying FM20 match engine on the current version?

All things being equal I'll go for fm20 as I've started the work. But am increasingly woried all things may not be equal...

[Ultras500]

Go for FM20, only feedback I have on the ME is the ref is trigger happy with yellows and penalty's but since 20.4 it seems to have eased off a bit. Certain match events like VAR decisions can end up being rather predicable after a few hours in the game but I am loving the graphics this year, although that could just be football withdrawal.

[bigmattb28]

Go for FM17 aka the best FM there is.

I've got 20, can't get on with it, for whatever reason it just feels such a slog to play. It's not my laptop as that's less than a year old and a gamin laptop, but just the processing from 1 match to the next takes what seems like ages. I do like the club vision thing and the dynamics are good but it just seems too much to play. Same with 19 and 18, but in both of those I had game breaking glitches, on 19 I was 7 or so seasons in and the game wouldn't generate new fixtures for me (I had no additional leagues or skins loaded) and in 18 the game wouldn't progress into a Europa League game.

But 17 is just so complete, no bugs no lag between screens, the matches themselves flow really well. For me at least it doesn't feel like such an effort to play, I can just crack on and enjoy at my leisure, but the newer ones I just don't have any fun with and that's the main thing isn't it.

[Overmars]

The data update means too much to me. I am playing FM20 despite enjoying FM15 far more than any other version. The half of the game that doesn't involve the match engine is wonderful in FM20. The FM20 match engine is frustrating, but it isn't bad enough to completely undo all of the fun that can be had outside of it. Even my favourite FM15 had match engine issues (too many goals).

[Mikeonhisboat]

51 minutes ago, Overmars said:

The data update means too much to me. I am playing FM20 despite enjoying FM15 far more than any other version. The half of the game that doesn't involve the match engine is wonderful in FM20. The FM20 match engine is frustrating, but it isn't bad enough to completely undo all of the fun that can be had outside of it. Even my favourite FM15 had match engine issues (too many goals).

What part of the ME is it you find frustrating? What i'm trying to boil down to is - are there inconsistencies/unworkaroundable issues that will wreck my minutae based approach? eg things that will occur frequently whatever I do and dominate my experience (as, from reading older posts re/FM20, it seemed like the long all over top and 1v1 ME issues were doing) if it's just to many goals or yellows etc, but spread across all matches then that's the kind of thing I think i'd just get used to as 'normal' as time ticked on.

 

[Mikeonhisboat]

I should also say - I actually quite like loading plenty of leagues and having slow continue between games tmes. I remember as a kid I'd have a book I'd be reading at same time. Got through so many of the Terry Pratchett books that way.

[Overmars]

On 07/04/2020 at 08:11, Mikeonhisboat said:

What part of the ME is it you find frustrating? What i'm trying to boil down to is - are there inconsistencies/unworkaroundable issues that will wreck my minutae based approach? eg things that will occur frequently whatever I do and dominate my experience (as, from reading older posts re/FM20, it seemed like the long all over top and 1v1 ME issues were doing) if it's just to many goals or yellows etc, but spread across all matches then that's the kind of thing I think i'd just get used to as 'normal' as time ticked on.

Minor things, but they all add up to be frustrating if I start focusing on any of them:

1. AMCs disappear
2. Good strikers in poor form can go months without scoring just because they are in poor form
3. Goals from corners are too common (ex. my central defender was my leading scorer in a recent save)
4. Attributes don't seem to translate well to outcomes (ex. tiny wingers with poor heading scorer well placed header goals and players with poor long shots can hit screamers)
5. Many AI teams have a tendency to defend unrealistically narrow, often leaving both flanks completely open, which means the only way you can attack them is by passing out wide and hitting crosses
6. It is ridiculously difficult to score one on one chances

Honestly, the game is still fun, but you have to let some weird things go to enjoy it. You'll eventually notice that you become much more scored of corner kicks than one on one chances.