Football Manager 2014 Discussion

[KyzBP]

Decided to try Oxford City in Skrill North.

1st friendly, I go up 1-0 and then my vice-captain own goals and we settle for a draw.

I went with the Concord Rangers in the Skrill South.  I think I'm screwed because they only have a 1600 seat stadium.  It's only October and I'm 25k over budget and 35k in debt.  I may not last a full season without the board axing me.  :(

I added the Lower League pyramid mod.  If I get canned I may look even lower to start my career.  Love this game.

[KyzBP]

Well, I've decided to dive into the Editor and create my empty, fictional team.  I'll keep you guys posted if you're interested.

[Grim.Reaper]

Spent all night downloading the player pictures, woke up and the darn thing was corrupted....gosh darn it!  Try it again tonight:(  Eating up my bandwidth:)

[KyzBP]

Spent all night downloading the player pictures, woke up and the darn thing was corrupted....gosh darn it!  Try it again tonight:(  Eating up my bandwidth:)

Mine didn't work either  :(.

[Nefaro]

....very well done and has about everything anyone could imagine (i.e. presentation, stats, easy to use, actual gameplay engine, etc.)...if only this could be applied to other sports....

The old Eastside Hockey Manager from around 2007 obviously used a much more primitive version of this same engine, except for hockey.  The developers have made massive improvements over the years because that old game's interface was a goddamn nightmare.  Would be nice if they did another with the latest and greatest.

[KyzBP]

....very well done and has about everything anyone could imagine (i.e. presentation, stats, easy to use, actual gameplay engine, etc.)...if only this could be applied to other sports....

The old Eastside Hockey Manager from around 2007 obviously used a much more primitive version of this same engine, except for hockey.  The developers have made massive improvements over the years because that old game's interface was a goddamn nightmare.  Would be nice if they did another with the latest and greatest.

It's funny you mention EHM.  I was just playing that before I bought FM14.  There's a small but enthusiastic community still supporting EHM.  OOTP is trying their hand at a Hockey Manager sim, Franchise Hockey Manager ( http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/franchise-hockey-manager/ ) but they released it way too soon.  It may eventually catch up but they have some work to do.

[Grim.Reaper]

....very well done and has about everything anyone could imagine (i.e. presentation, stats, easy to use, actual gameplay engine, etc.)...if only this could be applied to other sports....

The old Eastside Hockey Manager from around 2007 obviously used a much more primitive version of this same engine, except for hockey.  The developers have made massive improvements over the years because that old game's interface was a goddamn nightmare.  Would be nice if they did another with the latest and greatest.

It's funny you mention EHM.  I was just playing that before I bought FM14.  There's a small but enthusiastic community still supporting EHM.  OOTP is trying their hand at a Hockey Manager sim, Franchise Hockey Manager ( http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/franchise-hockey-manager/ ) but they released it way too soon.  It may eventually catch up but they have some work to do.

One of the worst releases of all time was the OOTP hockey game....I joined at first but ended up getting a refund....hopefully a few versions down the road they'll get it, but far from playable in my mind.

[Grim.Reaper]

Grim- Would you be interested in an MP game?  I've never played one but, with a few more people, it may be interesting.

Hey KyzBP, I appreciate the offer, but with my schedule (once back at work) and the fact that I am still wrapping my head around this beast, probably will hold off on any MP at this time.  Maybe once I am more knowledgeable in it and time is more available, could consider giving it a whirl.  I have really appreciated all your help with this game so far and the tips for the mods. I will be checking them all out.  Thanks!

The pleasure has been mine.  I wish more Americans would give this a try.  Even if you don't like soccer it's still a top notch sports management sim.

Can't argue that at all....very well done and has about everything anyone could imagine (i.e. presentation, stats, easy to use, actual gameplay engine, etc.)...if only this could be applied to other sports....

The only thing that keeps messing me up in this game is setting up your league to start with....I know folks have provided some thoughts, but I get hung up choosing the right leagues, nations, database sizes, etc.  So afraid that I will choose the wrong setup and have to start over again....once I get past this mental block, I will be fine:)

I think it's all just personal preference.  If you want to go for a big club then make sure you make the world big enough to find players.  You can scale down if you want to start at a smaller club. 

The beauty of the engine is that you can change which countries and leagues are active even after you've started a game.  I think the only thing you can't change is the database size.  I always start with the largest data base.  If the game tells you the game speed will be slow then just turn off leagues and countries until you need them.

Yep, I will definitely start with a large database, appears my machine can handle.

This is the kind of setup I want.

- I only want to coach/manage in the English league
- I want to be able to scout/loan/buy/transfer players from all over the world
- I would like to see game stats of the players from across the world...don't want to control them, just see them to help determine how good they are

So "I think" if I only select England I would get this setup.....at least I hope:)  If not, would love to hear how my setup should be.

For what you want I'd set the countries to England. 
Make it playable down to the Skrill N/S level. 
Set the database to Large.
When selecting a team, pick one from either Barclays Premier or Blue Square Championship.
From here it's up to you.  If you want a big transfer budget and no debt then take a team like Chelsea in the Premiership or Nottingham Forest in the Championship.  Neither team has any debt.  If the finances don't scare you then just chose whoever catches your eye.

Once in the game, subscribe to the top leagues in some of the bigger countries Spain, Brazil, Argentina, Italy, and Germany for example.  That should give you news reports from those leagues allowing you to follow international players.

Hire as many scouts as your board will allow.  Make sure they have high marks in judging potential and current ability.  Then send them out to do your dirty work.

That should give you a pretty good start.  Let me know if that works like you want.

Ok, played around with settings a bit and still trying to figure out the right way too go......

I just selected England with large database option and it roughly got me 14,000 players to start with.....

I went to the extreme and selected every nation and it roughly got me 155,000 players to start with....

I hit the recommended option (button at bottom of setup screen) and it selected the nations of England, mexico, brazil, argentina, Germany, Italy, usa, mexico, and spain with 45,000 players....with this option I went down to 3.5 stars of system game speed...computer performance stayed at 5 stars.

So here comes the questions....

1)  What is the recommended option basing their recommendations on?  These are the main nations involved with football?  They think my computer can handle this setup? etc.

2)  If I just go with the England only option, is 14,000 player pool enough to have a good game that has all levels of players for many years of a career?

3)  If I just go with England, will I still have enough international players to choose from?

4)  Should I go with the recommended setup?  I don't plan on coaching outside of England, but I guess one never knows.

My biggest concern is starting with the wrong options that either is going to limit my flexibility later in my career and system performance/speed.  Don't want to get into something and find out 20 years later it takes hours to sim a day.

Now I remember why I never fully got into the game since I can never get out of the starting blocks.  I know I am likely over thinking this stuff, but I take my sports sim seriously, especially a career sim.

[Nefaro]

You will still have players from other countries available if you only select England.  I believe they are randomly generated and progress via a more simplified advancement scheme than the ones in England who would be actively tracked in all ways.  They're just different levels of detail IIRC.

In my last FM2013 game, I only had the US selected as the focus but I ended up getting some extra talent from Mexico and a few other countries.  In fact, that was where most of my non-draft players came from.

[Grim.Reaper]

You will still have players from other countries available if you only select England.  I believe they are randomly generated and progress via a more simplified advancement scheme than the ones in England who would be actively tracked in all ways.  They're just different levels of detail IIRC.

In my last FM2013 game, I only had the US selected as the focus but I ended up getting some extra talent from Mexico and a few other countries.  In fact, that was where most of my non-draft players came from.

Thanks Nefaro....so dumb question....when they say the database has 14,000 players, what does that really mean?  Does it mean at any given time (players on teams and available players from around the world) equal roughly 14,000 and won't exceed that?  Just trying to understand the difference between selecting one nation and getting 45,000 and selecting them all getting you 155,000.  obviously seems like you have more variety with the larger database, but in reality does that really matter much in this game?  Don't know:(

[Nefaro]

You will still have players from other countries available if you only select England.  I believe they are randomly generated and progress via a more simplified advancement scheme than the ones in England who would be actively tracked in all ways.  They're just different levels of detail IIRC.

In my last FM2013 game, I only had the US selected as the focus but I ended up getting some extra talent from Mexico and a few other countries.  In fact, that was where most of my non-draft players came from.

Thanks Nefaro....so dumb question....when they say the database has 14,000 players, what does that really mean?  Does it mean at any given time (players on teams and available players from around the world) equal roughly 14,000 and won't exceed that?  Just trying to understand the difference between selecting one nation and getting 45,000 and selecting them all getting you 155,000.  obviously seems like you have more variety with the larger database, but in reality does that really matter much in this game?  Don't know:(

I'm not really sure about this whole subject, but I think that's just the amount of players that it habitually tracks stats and such for.  Others may be randomly generated as you play, but they're not actually playing in simmed games and doing all the detailed stuff that your team's players are doing (unless you hire 'em).   IIRC?..

I dunno.. maybe others know better.

I had really thought about picking up FM2014 on sale (is it still on sale?) but decided that I'd be fine just using FM2013 for another year, since I only play it on occasional stretches and I don't watch the game itself to be concerned about updated rosters & such.  Anyway, my point here is that I'm also not sure if they changed anything in this regard.  Sounds like the way it's always been, but I'm still not sure exactly what happens with the initial setup selections and what the player amounts listed actually entails. 

[Grim.Reaper]

You will still have players from other countries available if you only select England.  I believe they are randomly generated and progress via a more simplified advancement scheme than the ones in England who would be actively tracked in all ways.  They're just different levels of detail IIRC.

In my last FM2013 game, I only had the US selected as the focus but I ended up getting some extra talent from Mexico and a few other countries.  In fact, that was where most of my non-draft players came from.

Thanks Nefaro....so dumb question....when they say the database has 14,000 players, what does that really mean?  Does it mean at any given time (players on teams and available players from around the world) equal roughly 14,000 and won't exceed that?  Just trying to understand the difference between selecting one nation and getting 45,000 and selecting them all getting you 155,000.  obviously seems like you have more variety with the larger database, but in reality does that really matter much in this game?  Don't know:(

I'm not really sure about this whole subject, but I think that's just the amount of players that it habitually tracks stats and such for.  Others may be randomly generated as you play, but they're not actually playing in simmed games and doing all the detailed stuff that your team's players are doing (unless you hire 'em).   IIRC?..

I dunno.. maybe others know better.

I had really thought about picking up FM2014 on sale (is it still on sale?) but decided that I'd be fine just using FM2013 for another year, since I only play it on occasional stretches and I don't watch the game itself to be concerned about updated rosters & such.  Anyway, my point here is that I'm also not sure if they changed anything in this regard.  Sounds like the way it's always been, but I'm still not sure exactly what happens with the initial setup selections and what the player amounts listed actually entails.

Yep, I hesitated when I purchased too...but after purchasing, does seem to look and play very nice compared the last version I tried.  I picked it up for $19, so not a big investment.  To be honest, it really is all these options/setup stuff and not a great explanation in the manuals to really know what your getting always makes me go crazy with this game.  I think once I can figure this out, I can actually start enjoying it for once.

[Nefaro]

You'll be just fine picking only one or two countries.  You'll still be able to recruit players from elsewhere.  No worries!

One thing I certainly didn't want to happen is having too much being simmed every day, the database getting overly bloated to no extra immediate effect I will ever see, and the daily simming taking a long time.  I'd rather the game just vaguely track the bajillion leagues I don't bother paying attention to in the most basic way, along with the players in them.  They're still there but when you only advance the game by a day at a time, it certainly pays to have it run as smoothly as possible.

[Grim.Reaper]

You'll be just fine picking only one or two countries.  You'll still be able to recruit players from elsewhere.  No worries!

One thing I certainly didn't want to happen is having too much being simmed every day, the database getting overly bloated to no extra immediate effect I will ever see, and the daily simming taking a long time.  I'd rather the game just vaguely track the bajillion leagues I don't bother paying attention to in the most basic way, along with the players in them.  They're still there but when you only advance the game by a day at a time, it certainly pays to have it run as smoothly as possible.

Agreed...I don't need the same detail from all the leagues, but I do want where it tracks the player stats so I know how well they are doing as I recruit them.  I don't want to rely solely on ratings.

[vyshka]

You'll be just fine picking only one or two countries.  You'll still be able to recruit players from elsewhere.  No worries!

One thing I certainly didn't want to happen is having too much being simmed every day, the database getting overly bloated to no extra immediate effect I will ever see, and the daily simming taking a long time.  I'd rather the game just vaguely track the bajillion leagues I don't bother paying attention to in the most basic way, along with the players in them.  They're still there but when you only advance the game by a day at a time, it certainly pays to have it run as smoothly as possible.

Back when I first started playing with CM 00/01 I would throw in everything and it would take forever to sim a day. Now, especially since I normally play lower league sides, I will probably only put a couple of countries in.