Game engine tweaks - you thoughts?

[SimplySimon]

Things that I have noticed:

Weaker teams achieving more good results than would be expected (even given the random nature of football)

Abandoned, unwatched teams doing better than those with active managers

Illegal formations are penalised in possession, but that has no impact on result


My thoughts:

On the first two points, basically from a business point of view Nordeus wants to keep the game competitive so that you can't just by your way to the top. If you could, F2P players would just abandon the game and it would become a token spending pissing contest

Instead they want F2P players to be encouraged to spend money to improve their team when it is doing well, rather than abandoning it because it loses all the time. Also, they need to encourage people who already spend money to keep spending it. If your team kept winning, with all your scouts playing well and training well, you wouldn't do this

For those who play and watch matches regularly, Nordeus knows you have an interest in this game, that you are invested in it and will earn them money (either buying tokens or through their sponsors, I doubt they care which). You keep doing this and they are happy - even if you go through a season or two of not being happy

To me that seems like punishing your regular users when you should be rewarding them

To Nordeus (honestly, I hope MDK reads some of these posts; many are irate, but often make reasonable points within an angry diatribe)

I understand why you would want to maximise your revenue, I have a business background myself, but this seems to be pushing the approach quite far. I know your userbase is growing and no doubt your revenue too, but what about your per customer earnings and your customer retention rate?

Do your care about existing customers, those that put time an effort into the game, those that build communities around the game such as on this form and other platforms?

Many are extremely frustrated because despite their commitment, you seem to be treating a lot of people like schmucks. Sometimes your tweaking will throw up anomalies - how about some PR to keep your diehard fans informed?


And also, illegal formations - why define something as illegal, fix a possession penalty of 20%, but then effectively have that make no difference whatsoever to the result?

Not only is the PR quite bad, but the actual in game communication is terrible. I've seen many possession focussed threads on here because that is the only dynamic indicator we have as to how our team is doing. If that is essentially worthless, then the game is reduced to pure luck in the eye of the user

When you get to that position, people will think there is no point playing the game because they cannot impact the result. When people feel like that, I'm quite sure they will leave

Bigger companies than this one have lost their way, losing their userbase and collapsing spectacularly. We are all invested in this, I think every regular on this forum wants you to succeed as a business and to keep playing a game they are passionate about - passion that is expressed in commitment but also anger when the feel something is amiss


Honestly, I don't expect anyone to read this or it to have any impact on anyone from Nordeus. It has helped me to get it out of my system, and I think it's a well reasoned post

If anyone read this far - thanks!

[magic3]

I know I'm in minority but between my 3 teams, my brother's 5 teams and few other ones I follow, I'm not seeing any issues with recent results or possession. Based on 'how are you doing' thread, I see that I'm in minority. I've watched probably around 500 T11 matches and I can maybe count on one hand the number of games that completely shocked me. Maybe I've just been lucky, idk.

P.S. I have always thought that possession and statistics in general do not mean much in this game so I am never paying too much attention to it to evaluate the game, my team, etc.

[magic3]

My interest in the game has not declined due to results. I don't like the way servers are set up. I don't like that with my main team I can never see any 5* players in the transfer market and I have to buy scouts only so I need tokens. Kind of boring. Transfer market is way more enjoyable with my other teams who are on the same server but due to being few levels lower, they have access to young 5* players.

[FCB]

I agree with you SimplySimon ... Nordeus just care about money nothing else but in the long it will lose the regular ones and they will only have the inactive people ....

One more lose or draw in any game ... I am out ... as I am stronger than all teams in my league and CL ...

[xingular]

Things that I have noticed:

Weaker teams achieving more good results than would be expected (even given the random nature of football)

Abandoned, unwatched teams doing better than those with active managers

Illegal formations are penalised in possession, but that has no impact on result


My thoughts:

On the first two points, basically from a business point of view Nordeus wants to keep the game competitive so that you can't just by your way to the top. If you could, F2P players would just abandon the game and it would become a token spending pissing contest

Instead they want F2P players to be encouraged to spend money to improve their team when it is doing well, rather than abandoning it because it loses all the time. Also, they need to encourage people who already spend money to keep spending it. If your team kept winning, with all your scouts playing well and training well, you wouldn't do this

For those who play and watch matches regularly, Nordeus knows you have an interest in this game, that you are invested in it and will earn them money (either buying tokens or through their sponsors, I doubt they care which). You keep doing this and they are happy - even if you go through a season or two of not being happy

To me that seems like punishing your regular users when you should be rewarding them

To Nordeus (honestly, I hope MDK reads some of these posts; many are irate, but often make reasonable points within an angry diatribe)

I understand why you would want to maximise your revenue, I have a business background myself, but this seems to be pushing the approach quite far. I know your userbase is growing and no doubt your revenue too, but what about your per customer earnings and your customer retention rate?

Do your care about existing customers, those that put time an effort into the game, those that build communities around the game such as on this form and other platforms?

Many are extremely frustrated because despite their commitment, you seem to be treating a lot of people like schmucks. Sometimes your tweaking will throw up anomalies - how about some PR to keep your diehard fans informed?


And also, illegal formations - why define something as illegal, fix a possession penalty of 20%, but then effectively have that make no difference whatsoever to the result?

Not only is the PR quite bad, but the actual in game communication is terrible. I've seen many possession focussed threads on here because that is the only dynamic indicator we have as to how our team is doing. If that is essentially worthless, then the game is reduced to pure luck in the eye of the user

When you get to that position, people will think there is no point playing the game because they cannot impact the result. When people feel like that, I'm quite sure they will leave

Bigger companies than this one have lost their way, losing their userbase and collapsing spectacularly. We are all invested in this, I think every regular on this forum wants you to succeed as a business and to keep playing a game they are passionate about - passion that is expressed in commitment but also anger when the feel something is amiss


Honestly, I don't expect anyone to read this or it to have any impact on anyone from Nordeus. It has helped me to get it out of my system, and I think it's a well reasoned post

If anyone read this far - thanks!

+1

I'm not planning to leave the game but definetly I would stop buying more tokens. I miss the last cup for a change of a injured player that cost me 6 minutes and a goal in this (I've never seen a red car for a player who injures another).
And today I was eliminated by a team that I totally dominated the previous match but I only scored 1 goal. Today, same players, (in my stadium, with support) same morale, fisical condition and I lost 1-2.

I always see my matches, the other no, I always have irregular results. I can see how a player can win the league with only 1 lost match with a team like mine. And off course, he never see his match and he never have support.

That's unfair.

[Raykco]

I have always thought that possession and statistics in general do not mean much in this game so I am never paying too much attention to it to evaluate the game, my team, etc.

I agree totally with this. Why so many people take notice of ANY of the statistics is beyond me. Whether its possession or anything else, they just don't make sense or add up. Take my match this afternoon.

The stats said there were a total of 26 fouls (both teams combined), and yet there were only 3 free-kicks. (what happened to the other 23?

Then the stats said there were 17 shots on target (again both teams), yet there were 2 goals and just 4 saves. That means there were 11 shots on target, unaccounted for. I never bother even looking at the stats as a rule, because they are farcical.

[xingular]

I agree totally with this. Why so many people take notice of ANY of the statistics is beyond me. Whether its possession or anything else, they just don't make sense or add up. Take my match this afternoon.

The stats said there were a total of 26 fouls (both teams combined), and yet there were only 3 free-kicks. (what happened to the other 23?

Then the stats said there were 17 shots on target (again both teams), yet there were 2 goals and just 4 saves. That means there were 11 shots on target, unaccounted for. I never bother even looking at the stats as a rule, because they are farcical.

A Fault =! free kick.

17 shots on targets. 2 goals, 4 saves due to the GP and 11 shots that went directly outside the field. Near the goal, for example.

And this is supossed to be a Manager. So statistics are quite important.
If the game is only buy tokens for the best players and nothing else... I prefer Angry Birds <_<

[Raykco]

A Fault =! free kick.

And this is supossed to be a Manager. So statistics are quite important.
If the game is only buy tokens for the best players and nothing else... I prefer Angry Birds <_<

I don't understand the point of your reply.

[SimplySimon]

I agree totally with this. Why so many people take notice of ANY of the statistics is beyond me. Whether its possession or anything else, they just don't make sense or add up. Take my match this afternoon.

The stats said there were a total of 26 fouls (both teams combined), and yet there were only 3 free-kicks. (what happened to the other 23?

Then the stats said there were 17 shots on target (again both teams), yet there were 2 goals and just 4 saves. That means there were 11 shots on target, unaccounted for. I never bother even looking at the stats as a rule, because they are farcical.

My point wasn't that the stats mean anything - it was what else are we supposed to go on if they are completely meningless? How are you supposed to have an idea of how to improve your chances of winning a game?

How can a team which is on paper much worse than yours dominate the key stats (like number of shots) when you're at home?

Basically, the latest tweaks seem a bit screwed up, which I say as a football person not a game developer

[July Fourth]

I agree totally with this. Why so many people take notice of ANY of the statistics is beyond me. Whether its possession or anything else, they just don't make sense or add up. Take my match this afternoon.

The stats said there were a total of 26 fouls (both teams combined), and yet there were only 3 free-kicks. (what happened to the other 23?

Then the stats said there were 17 shots on target (again both teams), yet there were 2 goals and just 4 saves. That means there were 11 shots on target, unaccounted for. I never bother even looking at the stats as a rule, because they are farcical.

I think the "free-kicks" stat is the free-kicks where the team has a chance of producing a goal from it, whether it be indirect or direct, other free-kicks would of been the simple ones that occur a long distance away from goal.