[Do you immerse in the game world?]

1 hour ago, FlorianAlbert9 said:

I would love have it.

But the fact is that FM fails to create an environment. And you notice that 'cause once you move forward and real player begin to disappear, you don't perceive the different level of importance/capacity, cause the news you get is about raw facts.
For example there aren't  anymore the feeling of great players era like Messi and Cr7. You don't feel the sense of great newcomers like Haaland or Mbappe. And even legends are something that doesn't exist (it's foolish that a young player could be dubbed the new Pelè or Maradona in game but the news doesn't spread globally - think about Adu or the same young Messi). 
Teams are teams. But great teams are made by great players and FM fails to recreate this. When I face Barcellona (for example) in the game I feel to face Barcellona while I would love to feel I face Barcellona of Messi,Suarez,Griezmann,etc.. (or the newgens). 

( and same with Managers )

I do agree with you here but the game does make some efforts to change this. There's of course World footballer of the year awards still and the various player of the season, top goalscorer etc. of the tournaments and leagues. On a week by week level for your club, players you're coming up against will be highlighted as threats and small things like this do help. They should definitely be looking at more emergent storytelling in the game through as the players we know and have hear of retire and the game ticks over to the regens. In the end, like many of these types of games, it is a fancy statistic simulator and much of it can be up to you to read into as much as you desire or have the patience to do. 

I keep a player search condition that's basically the world's most expensive players at that time so if I'm curious at any point I can just go see who is the most valuable, where they play, their records and history etc. As a small example, not saying it is amazing in any way but I find it interesting enough. 

I agree more on the managers, while there can be exceptions, and I think especially when they are still characters with photos, real world history etc. it's rare you'll see a long term success story from a lower league to the top come from an AI manager. Some will stay a while and you'll notice and that can be fun, but definitely it's just name A in at Job B because they finished 7th and he'll be gone again in 6 months because they're 8th, it can get numbing really. Would love to see more attention paid to the manager characters in the game, absolutely. 

[Attributes]

This will largely be personal preference / voodoo science and the difference it really makes is debatable but for me. 

Assistant - I'll be looking for Motivating, Man Management, Tactical Knowledge, Judge PA, Judge PP. If they fit my personal preference for tactics (at that given time) then that's a bonus. 

Reserves Manager- Same as above really but if they have fitness training / focus that's preferable to me as my reserves is mostly for senior squad players out of the first team to keep their fitness / morale up

Don't really need a reserves assistant, but if you can find a good coach this can be useful extra slot.

U19 Manager, same as above but with Working with youngsters, Under 19 assistant, same advice as above but of course - working with youngsters

I tend to go for fitness based training across the board so I'm looking for that in the majority of my coaches and staff. 

Coaches obviously you're looking to specialise in as much as there are slots available for coaches. If the options are there, then I have two fitness coaches, two GK, 1 each for attacking and defense specialty and 2 or 3 general more focused on mental and technical. Don't need so many for the reserves as they are the senior squad pretty much, for the U19 you're looking at bringing the best available with Working with Youngsters trait with an emphasis on technical coaching stats and for me, fitness as above. 

Hopefully helpful mate

[Do you immerse in the game world?]

I would say on your topic directly, it's not always that you're using everything available to you but the fact that it's there and you could, if you wanted, go and explore the last ten years of the welsh second division, already adds to the feel of a real world around you and build immersion without you having to actively engage with it. 

It's what makes managing your own team all that more engrossing, knowing it is yours, out of many many others. 

[Do you immerse in the game world?]

I try to, depending on the current circumstances. 

Because I'm doing a one club save I have shortlists for former players / former staff so I get alerted on their progress and moves, and retirements as well which are always of note to me. I find it interesting to follow. 

I wouldn't say I dive too much into it but of course as the game ticks over I will scan the headlines that pop up and social media that the games lands on from time to time, it does help the overall 'story' in my head for the game so I find it's appreciated even if I would never get to everything that's there! 

I'll look out for my real life club, Newcastle, who have completely imploded unfortunately and are currently a Championship side alongside us with a stream of different managers and big name players ditching the sinking ship. 

It's never dull even in a fictional world it seems. 

 

 

[Can't sign Youth Team Coaches]

Offer bonuses, yearly wage rise, promotion wage rise, bonus for cup success, promotion, avoiding relegation etc. As much as needed for them to sign. 

Continue to bother the board for coach wage rises. 

Other option is to bring in less talented / reputation staff until you can get the wage rises done. 

[Why would a CPU team sign someone and immediately transfer list him?]

I'm wondering if they are perhaps signed by Director of Football and then transfer listed by the manager

[Develop Youth Players Promise?]

17 minutes ago, Tyburn said:

Yeah, it’s frustrating after a simple chat with a player to find out you’ve actually made them a promise!

Did you say to the promised player, in a chat, that we’ve got some good kids coming through and the sold player won’t be missed?

Exactly that option, mate.

I have two interesting young strikers out on loan for the season and in my mind I was thinking well they're a good loan season away from pressing for first team action so it made sense as an answer. 

Not to mention the player sold played 5 times, scored 0 and when an offer came in to basically refund what I paid I took it.

My main striker has been here since league 2 and is a consistent 15 goal championship player at the minute, and for us bottom half/mid-table side establishing ourselves at this level, that's going to be hard to dislodge.

Saying that one of the loanee's just scored a hat-trick in his debut for Port Vale so things are looking up!

[Develop Youth Players Promise?]

Hmm, thanks for the responses guys. 

We will see how it goes, I wasn't anticipating it actually being a promise haha. Maybe 3 young players but they aren't quite ready for me and my first team is set and needs to be played as much as possible to give us the best chance of top half so, no intentions to change things up with young players until next season earliest. 

I am a club legend from national north to top half championship so I don't anticipate a major issue (knocks on wood)!

[Develop Youth Players Promise?]

So I've inadvertently been lumbered with a promise to 'Develop youth players' after my squad / captain complained about me selling a crap striker.

I have about 250 days to achieve this, but what is classed as keeping this promise and being successful at this? 

I have two or three young players out on loan this year that I have an eye on for next season but it's not something I've been focusing on specifically in this save.

Is there somewhere I've missed I can see the actual conditions for these promises? 

Cheers.

[Having Problems Sticking To A Save]

Starting unemployed like above is a great way to do it, a bit like Loki's Journeyman series. 

I find what helps is the kits, badges, faces and stadium packs. It gives a real feel to the clubs beyond just names on a list and it helps me identify with the club I'm managing. 

In my York save what keeps me going is the overall picture. I'm not just aiming to win matches, I'm building a club from scratch, staff, facilities, stadium expansions, club legends and heroes, rivalries etc. If my manager is sacked I will retire and make a new one and continue at York, it's about the club rather than the results. I want to make a 1billion club out of the vanarama north one. 

I know everyone at the club, I brought in all the staff and players, it runs itself practically, but I appreciate this because it means everything that happens has character behind it that I relate to and can enjoy. Everything is building a story to be appreciate in the future. 

[Silly question: When you decline a job offer, the offering club "keep a record"?]

For a short time perhaps, but I rejected the Newcastle job and then applied for it when it became available again the following season and got it. 

[I give up]

Much is fixed over time by familiarity with the tactic and comfort playing in the selected roles I find, consistency is key. 

Some of what you mention is engine limitations as well, things are happening in the background, but the animations are lacking / not there to reflect on screen so some you must fill in yourself in your head. 

My biggest recommend though when your tactics are seemingly feeling useless and you are frustrated is to download some other players tactics, hit the steam workshop and see which ones close to the style you want are highly rated / shown to be successful. Test them out, what have they done to achieve what you are wanting to? Many times it can be a case of knowing how to express your wants to the game using the instructions available, it is not always as it may look to you.

Try out others tactics, learn why things work for them and how they have instructed the game to make this happen, take from them and use what they have done well to build your own tactics, there's no shame in it!

If everything fails, take over Darlington, choose 4-4-2 and smash balls forward at every opportunity with get stuck in turned on. Have at it. Have some fun!

[The small stories that make the game]

As a returning FM player, last played 17, it's not until I dived in did I remember all the small details I had been missing that make this game so immersive.

I'm currently on a golden run with York City, from the Northern to the Championship at the moment.

In the National I bought two young centre backs, Akin Odimayo and Timi Odusina and had wanted them to develop together. By pure chance they're both Nigerian nationality, not planned just they were the two best options in that window.

I'm so pleased with the results!

Both are still first choice in the Championship. Both are each others best mates.

And the thing that makes me smile every time it happens for the loveliest of details in the game, is whenever one is mentioned in the press or I praise one of them, they BOTH react to it. Every time.

It's the kind of realistic fist bump relationship you'll never see in other games. Makes this kind of tiny club to major force game that much more interesting, realistic and entertaining.