I have to confess and i'll be saying this alot in reguard to also the striker issue(worldclass strikers who couldn't hit a cows backside with a banjo) When S.I. produce a new game why do they alway feel the need to tinker with the basic logic behind each position. Judging what constitues a good performance in each position was perfect in FM07(after all the patches) so why change it surely S.I must realise that by the time they finish releasing patches they have a perfect game on their hands so why dismantle that(which is what they seem to me to be doing) and start again it ludicrous. What actually surely S.I realise that spendind time on making the computer oponents more intuitive(more able to counter your plans) and working on the interface of the game(actual back and forth dialogue between you and the players).

Don't get me wrong this isn't a rant based on lack of sucess, i've just ran through one season with Newcastle and finished second which is pretty good sucess within a first season with them. But please undestand that I have owned every version of the game from CM98 through to FM08 and it is the feel of the game which is paramount.

I use a 4-1-2-2-1 formation which is designed to utilise quick stiker speed especially away from home. I currently have Jimmy Briand up and Jermaine Defoe up front both bought in first season now in my second season. The problem I have is that the tactic works fine, it allows me to control the flow of most games and creates chance upon chance for either paccy striker. The problem is that despite the fact that both stikers have 15+ composure and 14+concentration not to mention 17+ finishing they still continue to fire straight at the keeper, at the moment I would say that on average they finish 1 in every 8 chances that come their way. Now for those who have played the games as obsessively as I have they will know that a player like eddie johnson(american) should produce those type of stats(perhaps even better) but when we're talking paccy strikers with excellent composure and concentration then there must be something fundermentally wrong with the match engine. don't get me wrong they are both still capable of hitting 20+ goals each season, the frusration comes from the fact that they continously waste one on ones. If anything I would actually prefer less chances and more clinical finishing from top strikers.

My simple question is why must the match engine be redesigned in terms of ratio of chances to goals. It was perfect at the end of FM07's lifespan why not carry forward the logic behind that engine and simply introduce more freedoms outside of the match engine. If the engine has to be changed to maintain challenge then why not attempt to keep ratio the same. Surely once an engine is perfected as it was at they end of FM07 it should be fairly straight forward to take that engine look at it and then tweek it just to add more challenge.

I hope people will see that this is a genuine question from a fan of the series(right from CM days). So please all opinions welcomed(especially those of S.I.).

Why redesign the match engine?

They change it because its the heart of the game- its where all our hard "work" comes to fruition, and imo after FM07 it need work.

From where this player is standing the main issue is that SI chose to nerf the strikers rather than totally fix the defensive issues that are still there for all to see, and cause under certain conditions a ridiculous number of chances to be created.

Hopefully for 8.0.2 they are addressing the real issues in that the defensive side of the game is very poor- and this is why the patch is still a month off.

If they'd done this in the first place on top of what looks like being the best match engine yet then we wouldnt be discussing this.

Also I think that there is still too much emphasis on the tactical side over your players abilities.

Im not discounting the importance of tactics but until SI improve the range of tactical options and deliver a more intuitive way of allowing us to put across our tactical ideas then the swing should remain towards player ability.

Slightly off-topic, but from which thread have SI told us about 8.0.2? (release date etc)

You make some excellent points about the defensive issue and I have said I would like to see less chances(better defenses as you put it) and more clinical finishing from top rated players.

I don't however agree that FM07 needed that much tweeking I think it was fine after all the patches and only required a little work, not a complete statistical overhall which is what seems to have happened. I also think the unfortunate thing is that FM08 will probably be fine after all the patches, then come FM09 S.I will overhall the engine again and make the similar mistakes.

They haven't.

All they have said is they are reviewing things at the moment.

In fact postings from SI staff have been VERY scarce since patch 8.01 has been released.

Very very disappointing from them.

Scarce, Did you see what Miles was doing on Xmas day.

Yes I saw the test he ran to prove a point against another poster but NOWHERE have they said ANYTHING about the Spanish regsitration problem or goal shots/ration problem.

Miles was fast to disprove something he KNEW he could but when it comes to other real bugs then SI are quiet.

Credit to Miles to doin that on Xmas day though

You've gotta wonder why S.I. go through the trouble of looking at the problems with the engine through patches and then after all that problem solving they start a totally new engine only to begin the process of fine tuning again.

Simply take the engine after all the patches for the previous version(in this case the engine for FM07) and work from that starting point.

They haven't.

All they have said is they are reviewing things at the moment.

In fact postings from SI staff have been VERY scarce since patch 8.01 has been released.

Very very disappointing from them. </BLOCKQUOTE>

They have, the new patch will come in Febraury, soo much to late

miles had barely posted on the forum since the patch was released. suddenly and rather randomly posting a lot on christmas day does not make up for it

i'd much prefer si to respond consistently and fairly regularly than to have heard very little from them for months and then see a flurry from one staff member, over one issue, on one day