This ME is TERRIBLE

Well this exact post got me banned on the SI forums for a week... The ME is an embarrassment and they ban anyone who points it out.

Think you need to add a little more than that mate?

No I dont, if you've played the game you'd see that this ME is lacking.. And the fact that they considered it good enough to release, despite beta testers saying otherwise, is a joke.

I've been playing it since the Beta was released and i would say that it is much better now than what it was back then. Though personally i always play 2D anyway as the animations for 3D are still terrible.

ME gets shredded to pieces every year. It seems OK to me.

I personally dont see anything wrong with it

I strongly suspect you were suspended for not actually offering anything constructive, rather than daring to criticise SI

Yeah I find it fine. If you'd build on what it's 'lacking' or atleast show some sort of raitonale I'm sure people would listen

It'll be the usual. The OP will be someone used to winning the league every year with his super team sourced from downloadable shortlists, using downloaded tactics, and a few 'tweaks' to the editor.

How DARE SI bring out a game where you actually have to work at building a team. Shame on them.

The ME is fine this year, bar a couple of minor glitches which will be ironed out, in fact it's probably better this year than it has been for many incarnations of the game.

Very well put @StewartyMac

As soon as you realise the issues are the same for both teams, you'll appreciate it a lot more.

The ME is reflecting what has already been calculated by decision, stats and figures. It's why you see players stand off an obvious tackle attempt or let a ball slip through he could've got to but this happens for both teams. It's looking alot better and is definitely a joy to watch when you're used to the 'issues' you pick up on first glance.

Give it a try. There's no such thing as a perfect game as the casei s subjective to each and every gamer, but I think FM2013 is closer than any previous titles by a good fucking margin.

I'm finding that the ME has real problems - I can cruise to second in the PL with Liverpool's base squad (and Wellington Nem, in fairness) but I can barely get a win for love nor money against EL group sides or in any cup match. I dominate possession in the PL games, but get dominated against these 'weak' teams.

It's either that, or the squad bonuses are waaay overpowered - I always set the league one to large.

Try scouting the opposition and tweaking where appropriate. Are you not scoring? Conceding? Losing the midfield battle? Pause every now and then and look over some stats, shouts work well for fixing these issues as does the quick 'mark player' etc options. Tactics are more important than ever imo and as we all know well, europe is a completely different neck of the woods to your domestic league.

I would have thought that would help, but every part of the team's game gets worse, even without rotating for these games. They run in big groups after the ball (which they don't do in the PL), they don't make enough proper attacking runs, nor pass for them when they do happen. The finishing is abysmal, but these crappy teams bury them into the goal from all angles. Passes are worse and defenders don't anticipate runs as well.

All this is to a team which is only a little worse than the worst PL teams, which are easily crushed by the exact opposite of what is described above.

They did fix the crossing issue, though, so maybe this is an issue like that. Next season I play, I'll put on high squad bonuses for every tournament and see what that does.

You never have and never will get a game of FIFA/ProEvo-style visuals.

They're slowly adding different features and dynamics to the match engine, it's a 3D visual representation that was added for people that didn't want to just see dots flying around. The only issue I had was that it was running insanely slow and was jumpy, but I just turned my graphics settings down and it's fine.

I don't mind it, I would like to see more accurate stadium builds though such as Easter Road not being a single-tier stadium with all the corners filled.

The issue isn't with graphics here, it's with gameplay.

The best example of this was reported early in the beta, where wingers would always easily beat the full back and put in a cross which defenders would promptly avoid so that strikers could score very many easy goals.

It is frustrating, though, when animations don't match what the players are doing - for example standing tackles which leave the tackler immobile for several seconds afterwards so that the 'tacklee' can just casually reclaim possession.

The match and it's happenings is worked out from tactics, shouts, player stats, form, morale and a million other subjectives. The match engine is trying to portray this by giving you something fancy to look at and not just a bar of text on a shit background. So if, for example, Messi makes a break down the left and shoots, which is saved, Villa follows up and skies it. The match engine will make you feel he's missed a complete sitter. If someone beats someone, it'll portray that as best as possible, but it's almost impossible to show all these amazing tricks and fluent moves to do that so you'll kinda see defenders do nothing.

I dunno. Sounds to me like you don't wanna be playing the game. Try the 2D match engine and you might warm to it a bit more.

I did just say frustrating - there's plenty of fun in this game. You have described the problems very succinctly, and it's just something players have to deal with.

I totally appreciate the support for the ME this year, but it's throwing up totally unbelievably unrealistic situations.
I play in 2D and always have, but don't be fooled by the claims that the 2D ME fixes the majority of these, it's simply not true.

Things such as, I'm finding a lot of 'miss hit' crosses going straight over the goalkeeper and in, without any supposed 'attempt' to save it.
Now we all love football, that's why we play this great game. BUT how many times would we see that in the Premier League or in Europe for instance? maybe once/twice a season at a push? possibly less than 15 times in a decade?
But yet the ME throws this in every few games.

Also, when will it be possible to win a game away in Europe comfortably two or three nil, and then play the second leg with the losing team suddenly turning into the new Barça and going 4-0 up in 30 mins? it's just a farce.

I love FM, and have played every game to breaking point since '05, but the latest instalment really confuses me as to what's happened with the ME.
I hope SI come out and address this issue.

As far as I was aware there is no actual difference between 2d ME and 3d ME other than graphics. The game plays in the exact same way regardless, only with 3d you get subjected to unbearable animation.

I've found the ME in a lot of ways has improved, for example I think they have fixed how when a striker is in a one on one or in a position they are expected to score, they will often put it away, rather that hit it straight at the keeper. Also some of the short passing play and through ball mechanics with player runs etc. look much nicer than before and it is possible to make a tactic that isn't lump it forward to your star player and wait for him to do something.

There are a few annoying little things I have found however, players do run to an extent like they are escort vans. A defender will go for the ball, not win the ball and run about 10 yards away from the play before being able to slow down, turn around and run after the ball again. I would also say there is a significant gulf in being a home team and away team. Ofcourse you tend to be stronger playing at your home stadium, however in my Arsenal game I can be dominating near enough every home game comfortably and then lose 2-0 away to Reading. This includes making changes to your tactics and set-up to adapt for an away game. It just seems out of nowhere lesser teams will knock in goals regardless.

As I read that last post Borini butchers two one on ones in a row lol.

Important part in bold for you.

The only problem I have is how bad full backs play, no matter who plays there, they're always awful.
This is after the first full season, terrible ratings with the full backs set as automatic, cost me so many goals crazy.

My fullbacks have averaged over 7.1 in each of the last 3 seasons.

I'll have to re think my defensive tactics then

I've adapted The Better Half's 2-7-1 formation which basically uses full backs as wingbacks and employs a holding midfielder. I do get caught out down the wings sometimes, but both fullbacks are regularly scoring goals, getting assists and notching ratings between 7-9.

Back on topic though...

Is anyone else finding they are conceding a ridiculous number of goals from stupid angles where the opposition just runs along the byline and literally through their goalkeeper? I have a feeling it may have been flagged on SI, but not sure?