How do you play the game?

[El Payaso]

Might be that this kind of thread already exists but a simple start to a conversation. 

I always play with 2D (never even tried 3D) and with comprehensive highlights. 

It takes me 40-50 hours to complete full season. And I very rarely even complete a full season and usually lose interest in the save game after the first proper transfer window. 

[Rodrigogc]

That discussion is very interesting, because what makes FM so special is people can play the way they want. I'm an experienced player, been playing FM since 06, and over the years I've grown tired of winning trophies and it's been years I just play FM to carry the save on. If I win a Trophy I lose interest in the save. 

My best saves are the ones I don't win anything, because I keep building the squad the way I want to get my players to play the way I expect. The fun in FM to me these days is basically build a team that I like and watch the matches and see that all I planned is happening on the pitch. Which sometimes leads to frustration, because in many occasions I have ideas that the game cannot reproduce hahaha. 

In FM23 I had one of my best saves, managing St Pauli. Got them promoted to Bundesliga in the 1st season, and spent 9 seasons in Bundesliga without winning anything, just building a team and keeping the job. Not having pressure to win to me is vital, because I like to do things patiently and hate players and the board buzzing on my ears because I'm not meeting expectations. Regarding areas of the game, I basically play like: 

 

Teams: I don't like training low league teams, like 3rd division or below. I tend to pick a good team in 2nd division or a struggling team in 1st division, because my aim is to build the team the way I like and watch them play the way I need them to. 

Transfers: I usually use DoF, only buy scouted players and players I've played against and saw in a match. I'm a bit a strict on nationalities, probably due to roleplaying. Like, I like to see past squads and build teams according to traditions. For instance, if I'm managing AC Milan, I'll definetely buy Brazilian and Dutch players. Managing Basel, I'll buy Egyptian players. Managing Catania or Sampdoria, I'll buy Argentinian players... 

 

Tactics: I avoid playing tactics like 4-3-3, because I find it too easy to set it up, but if I'm struggling and need quick results, It will be my go-to tactic. After I build a team the way I want, I like to play 4-2-3-1, which is a hard tactic to master. Standard 4-4-2 and diamond 4-4-2 are tactics I like to use as well. 

Matches: I like watching the full match, especially when the team has been built by me, this is where I derive satisfaction from FM. Watching a full game and seeing my St Pauli playing in equal force against a Borussia or Bayern gives me a lot of pleasure, more than trophies. This is all I play FM for. But of course, I can't watch all games, so I tend to watch many games in Comprehensive and around the end of the season key highlights if I'm not fighting for anything in the league.

 

Scouting: I like to scout nations that are not very popular in football, because you can find great youngsters for a bargain. In my St Pauli save, I found 2 wonderkids in Chile and 1 in Slovakia. Brought them straight from the source, which I find quite cool. The day I scout a player like George Weah from Liberia I'll buy myself a cake hahaha.

 

In the end, I usually have to find reasons to keep the save alive because if it becomes easy I'll lose interest, so I tend not to buy top players, only if they are old because that is something I find cool, like when I managed AIK in FM23 and bought 42 year old Ibrahimovic. This is amazing haha. But usually I like to buy underrated players or develop youngsters. What Brighton has done in the last few years is basically how I play FM.

[El Payaso]

All good additions above! 

I also tend to like the saves where I don't win anything. I actually like losing games more than winning. 

I tend to lose interest really easily. For example with Chelsea this happened when I happened to win the first four games in a row and was able to purchase a few players with no competition from the AI. 

I also hate buying players and the less I buy, the more motivated I will be to continue my save. 

I play the game with skins that hide the attributes. Either with Mustermann or Statman in this version. I have also deleted player and staff search options from the skins completely. 

Instead of using myself as a manager, I always pick a realistic real-life option as my manager profile. 

[alian62]

Some people don't actually play the game . There are many who just make Skins for the game and even more who make fantasy leagues and enhance real leagues using the Pre-Editor . 

[rp1966]

I play on 3D and comprehensive highlights (TV as main camera and vertical scroll for replays). I almost always choose a team that is mid-table in whatever league I want to play in - I like to have a comfortable first season where I can shape the team to my liking without worrying about promotion or relegation. As far as transfers go I always set no transfers in first window and I take a slow evolving approach to recruitment - I'll only bring in 2-3 first-teamers per season unless forced to buy more because of unavoidable sales.  Regardless of where I start I generally end up as a journey man as I find it difficult to resist job offers unless I have grown especially attached to my squad at a particular club.  For scouting I always use the scouts - no player search or trawling international squads for me.  

 

 

[Guest]

I play in 2D with comprehensive highlights. I just cannot stand 3D.

I almost always play with clubs that changed manager in real life and/or performed badly in the previous RL season. I tend to reverse all transfers in and out via the pre-game editor. When transfers have competition bonus clauses (which cannot be edited out) I leave those transfers in place or avoid playing with the club.

Sometimes I holiday till the end of season and take over a relegated club (e.g. my favourite FM19 save was with a relegated Everton).

Saves do not last very long. When I achieve success consistently, I quit the save and start a new one with a different club.

[Etebaer]

3D all the way - iso 2,5D like in Kick Offs Player Manager (by Dino Dini) would work also - top down bubbleball is a nogo for me.

Extended Highlights in Directors Cut - sometimes Key Highlights.

Edited February 2 by Etebaer

[Brother Ben]

I play standard LLM, can't imagine any other way to be honest, my method mainly consists of:

• Avoid the feedback thread for my own sanity ☢
• Blue Llama picks me a random semi pro/part time team 🦙
• Use my own tactics & training 🏃‍♂️
• Spend hours tinkering with both of the above and sorting out scouting 🔎
• Only sign players within an hour drive of my club 🚗
• forensically pour over the highlights of my friendlies in comprehensive 3D 🔎
• make pages and pages of notes 📜
• get sacked by Christmas 🎄😢
• Apply for a new job ✏
• Sign players from previous club(s) for irrational sentimental reasons 🤦‍♂️
• Rinse and repeat until something sticks 🔁

[Brother Ben]

4 hours ago, Etebaer said:

3D all the way - iso 2,5D like in Kick Offs Player Manager (by Dino Dini) would work also - top down bubbleball is a nogo for me.

Extended Highlights in Directors Cut - sometimes Key Highlights.

Kick off 2 has just brought back some amazing memories!

[tropicsafc]

I find it impossible to continue a save after getting sacked/bored. I will never resign and continue in the same game world. Not sure why.

[NineCloudNine]

I play alternative realities that I create in the editor, almost always involving Barcelona, Roma or Liverpool, three clubs for which I have a long-standing affection.

I always undo all incoming/outgoing transfers, pick a youth team player to be the reincarnation of a player I admire (eg Marc Casado = Sergio Busquets) and build a team around them using very strict transfer rules. In my current Roma save this is youth team and South Americans with Italian passports (“oriundi”, which is a term with a lot of historical meaning in Italian football).

I almost always play with a squad significantly weaker (in CA terms) than the default one, but with an emphasis on team cohesion, affection for the club and tactical / positional familiarity. I am always positive, full of praise and friendly and I am always a fan of the club & local to the area.

Saves usually last 3-4 seasons before I either decide to start afresh with a different idea, or I lose control of the narrative. I never move on to a new club in a save.

[Gh0zt]

Always play 3D with key highights with speed up a few notches.

I'm a one club man, don't like abandoning a team I created and letting the AI ruin it.

I love having tonnes of affilate clubs, makes me feel like I'm running a football empire.

I spend a lot of time sending scouts to national youth teams, I usually have a lot of leagues running so I check player stats in the youth divisions and cups and scout anyone with analytics that stand out as well.

I'm pretty tight with wages, if someone wants too much, I ship him out. I freshen up the squad often, keeps it interesting.

I also don't like overpaying for players, but when I'm in the financial position to do so, I break this "rule" by making one marquee signing every couple of seasons, Real Madrid style.

Will sign former club legends as backroom staff, even if they're rubbish.

Don't stand for any nonsense from players, if they complain, they can either deal with it or get transfer listed. I've transfer listed players for getting defensive too many times after I've praised them for playing or training well, I don't like whiners.

I will make a keeper do the walk of shame and sub him off if he's having a bad game.

[NineCloudNine]

24 minutes ago, Gh0zt said:

Will sign former club legends as backroom staff, even if they're rubbish.

Don't stand for any nonsense from players, if they complain, they can either deal with it or get transfer listed. I've transfer listed players for getting defensive too many times after I've praised them for playing or training well, I don't like whiners.

I will make a keeper do the walk of shame and sub him off if he's having a bad game.

High fives all round for these three !

[rusty217]

I don't. I just edit it.

Seriously though, 3D. Always 3D. Haven't used 2D since 3D became a thing. Only key highlights as well. I typically manage 20+ teams at a time, so often have like 6 matches back to back. Certainly don't want to be watching extensive highlights of each one or anything. Takes me 1-2 months per season. Typically play 1 save for 6-18 months, depending on whether I get the next year's FM or decide to skip a year. Also affected by how long it takes me to start a save (still haven't started an FM24 save yet, didn't start an FM23 save until May last year either).

[gggfunk]

13 minutes ago, rusty217 said:

I don't. I just edit it.

Seriously though, 3D. Always 3D. Haven't used 2D since 3D became a thing. Only key highlights as well. I typically manage 20+ teams at a time, so often have like 6 matches back to back. Certainly don't want to be watching extensive highlights of each one or anything. Takes me 1-2 months per season. Typically play 1 save for 6-18 months, depending on whether I get the next year's FM or decide to skip a year. Also affected by how long it takes me to start a save (still haven't started an FM24 save yet, didn't start an FM23 save until May last year either).

Do you know how does FM 24 behave when playing multiple managers? Are there similar minor issues as with previous versions, like screen stucks before a match, etc? or everything works perfectly?

[rusty217]

41 minutes ago, gggfunk said:

Do you know how does FM 24 behave when playing multiple managers? Are there similar minor issues as with previous versions, like screen stucks before a match, etc? or everything works perfectly?

No, sorry. "still haven't started an FM24 save yet"

On FM23 at least getting stuck before a match was easily avoidable. It'll never happen if you load the save just before the match. So when setting up your squad just save/re-load and there won't be an issue. Additionally getting stuck didn't stop you from saving, so even if you did get stuck you could then just save/re-load and the issue would be gone so you could continue again.