OI Instructions

[r1niceboy]

I tried playing the same game several times to see whether the OI makes much difference with the same tactic. I let two different coaches (12 & 13 Tactical knowledge respectively) each pick the OI against the team (not the individual) for three of the first six games. The games were all the one Hearts vs Rangers fixture with all the players fit, so the teams were evenly matched. Then I went and did three games of tight marking of the strikers and wingers, then closing down of everyone, then tight marking of the strikers and wingers and closing everyone down while showing everyone in defence and on the wing onto their weak foot. Each instruction was given three goes and there were no tactical changes done in any one except for injury. Tactical changes by the opposition saw the staff member choose the OI against the new tactic by the opponent.

The long and short is that the more you tell the people to mark skill players tight, close everyone down, have them pass with their weaker foot towards the centre of the pitch, the more they cede possession. The two OI by the staff saw games that were 2-1, 2-2, 2-0 with one, and 2-4, 3-1, 1-1 with the other. Possession averaged 54-46

Tight marking only saw similar results to these, although a recurring theme in all games I play is the non-sensical AI of the keeper and defenders, who often don't react to rebounds or spilled shots. Posession actually dropped to 51-49.

Closing down only of the whole team saw 1-1, 2-1, and 3-0 wins. Possession was 57-43 on average.

Tight marking of the strikers and wingers, closing down of everyone, and showing onto weaker foot of the entire defense and the wingers saw very marked results. The games finished 6-1, 3-0, and 6-1 again. The possession was a remarkable 68-32.

What was noticeable was how much the team, shown onto their weaker foot, would force unwise passes into the middle of the park. This may not happen with every tactic, but I've decided that I'm not letting the staff do any OI, as they don't do that good as good a job as I do.

 

[Kyanite]

So you're saying employing:
- Tight marking to All Strikers + Wingers
- Close Down Always to All Opposition
- Show on to weaker foot to All Opposition Defence

Was what created such a significant variation in statistics?

Has it not occurred to you that this might be a bug?

 

[r1niceboy]

So you're saying employing:
- Tight marking to All Strikers + Wingers
- Close Down Always to All Opposition
- Show on to weaker foot to All Opposition Defence

Was what created such a significant variation in statistics?

Has it not occurred to you that this might be a bug?

It's more likely to be exaggerated weight given to certain abilities, and it will be toned down by reducing numbers in the code. However it will still be somewhat of an issue in future engines when the player in question being closed down has poor dribbling and technique stats. At EPL level, it won't be that noticeable, but if you ply your trade in the lower leagues like I prefer to do, it'll definitely be interesting to watch how much they tone it down, or whether they write new code. I doubt the latter, so your lower league managers will want to keep an eye open for winger's and full back's passing efficiency.

My intention also was to rate how effective the coach AI is, and the answer right now is not very. That can also be changed, but when I look back through games, I realise I've never seen an opposing coach change formation during a game. SI might want to look at that too.

The tactic page is all about finding holes in the match engine, and all this will likely be revisited in due course. I think that knowing how the engine changes from version to version helps us develop our strategies when putting out a team. It worked for me in the last few versions, and I know others track the changes in order to keep a step ahead.

 

[zahn82]

I think the most important thing when managing OI is to look at opposition players' attributes. In FM15 I'm following Seanhrfc's rules for Arrigo Sacchi's 4-4-2 for FM14:

Close down always - slow players in midfield or attack and players with poor composure/concentration/decisions in defence or midfield.
Tight Mark - midfielders or attackers with poor pace.
Hard Tackling - any players with Bravery under 10.
Show onto weaker foot - any player who has reasonable or less for their weaker foot ability.

To be honest, I haven't tested particular behaviors (loading a save x times on one match) however it does look good and I wouldn't start a game without setting it up this way.

 

[r1niceboy]

seanhrfc came up with the same conclusions I did on FM14 although reaching them with a different method. He based them on the opposition alone, whereas I looked at my players and how likely they were to be faster than the opposition wingers. For midfielders (and central defenders) I always based it on how the technique, bravery, and determination of the opponent was. In FM14, unless you had a world class coach with high technical knowledge, they never set instructions for defenders.

 

[GodCubed]

Interesting stuff. One important thing to note is that there is a downside to all this: your players can make worse decisions, concentrate less, make more mistakes and follow your tactics to the letter less. All makes sense, of course, but just be careful with assigning if your squad is a bit mentally weak or if you're using highly structured tactics.

 

[r1niceboy]

Weaker foot will also not fly too well against the likes of an EPL team where the players have skill with both feet. I haven't used highly structured tactics in this ME yet because the beta issues with the keeper's and defender's AI means sitting too deep is asking for trouble. I play fluid attacking, and the added possession from the pressure means I'm scoring a barrel load. I do concede, usually from a rebound of a shot after a break. This is a known issue.

 

[schreiber77]

Is it possible to see a screenshot of how you set your oi?