Test parameters in the custom database
1. Using the same savefile for every tactic tested (so they get the same schedule)
2. Used FMRTE to set all players’ age to 17 in order to have 40 available players. This is because I want every tactic to have the same chances in regard to player types.
3. All players are real players from the EPL with CA ranging from 135-145.
4. There are lots of different player types available, and several of each type.
5. Used FMRTE to freeze players fitness and morale to 100%, so that “bad luck” in one game doesn’t affect the next. Equal chance every match for every tactic.
6. Used FMRTE to set tactics to 100% fluid before the first league match.
7. Since the tactic test is set in the EPL, the test results are limited to that league. However, this is usually a pretty good indication anyway, since the EPL has a lot of different formations to face.
8. There are no team talks, as this is a random element that I want to omit.
9. Assistant manager does not do OI’s, as this is also a random element that I want to omit.
10. Removed all players’ preferred positions in the FM Editor, so that all tactics have an equal starting point.
11. Removed all players’ ppms in the FM Editor, also to make sure all tactics have an equal starting point.
12. Reputation of test team set to 7000, to resemble a mid-table / sub-top team in the EPL
13. Only testing one tactic at a time, to avoid tactics facing each other, as that would result in less accurate results for players who don't play online (like myself).
14. Used FMRTE to set the stat “injury proneness” to “1” for all players.
15. Media prediction is 7th.
16. Due to the randomness of the game, if you test tactics in a normal game, without any altering, then it would probably take around 500 matches to get accurate test results. With a custom database and the help of FMRTE, you can reduce this number multiplicatively many times. This also means that if you decide to test a tactic yourself, in a normal game, even a season-long result may be misleading as to whether it's a good tactic or not. A good way to see this is to make 2 savefiles in the same game. Play a season on both savefiles. Then you will most probably see quite different results, but if you COMBINE these two season-long results, and divide everything by 2, this average will be the most accurate result of the three options. To achieve test results that are as accurate as my tests, you would have to play through that same season on many more savefiles, then find the average.
In addition, there are no teams in the game which have more or less equally good players for all positions. Thus, any real team will favour some tactics more than others, which then results in very inaccurate test results.