Manipulation

[legendqueen]

I'm writing this to describe how this game manipulates people to buy/spend tokens.

I'm not gonna talk about a single match with troll resul, it's too classic here, and it's quite normal in real football. But im studying this game on a more logical method. Let's see if it can be persuasive.

And please, we shouldnt talk about strategies/formation here, i dont need people to enlighten me about it, i just want to dig into the "secret" mechanic of this game - the mechanic of making people spend.

Background
Last season, everything was OK, i got lost because i was unlucky, and i accepted that. This season, i started to think let's buy some tokens to contribute to the dev team, then i, for the first time, bought 150 tokens.

Story 1
In the last season, i bought a scout player (AMR), and he was amazing, best scorer of my team.

I was pleased, so at day 1 of this season, i bought another scout player (Striker), after 1 or 2 matches with acceptable score/assist number, he's become another Manchester-United's-Wayne-Rooney.

Additionally, my formiddable AMR last season has become another Chelsea's-Eden-Hazard.

The fact is, Top 11 persuade us that Scout players are exceptional not only in rating but also in performance, by giving the first scout a lot of goals/assists/MoM. But from the 2nd scout, they become nothing special but a random 6 star player.

Story 2
I was surfing the transfer market, refresh like every 30 mins, looking for an AML (young, fast train, expensive), because i had a lot of cash sparing for him. But after 7 days of waiting and waiting, that AML (or even ML) didnt show up.The only option here is to spend token Then i decided to buy an AML from scout, and RIGHT AFTER i bought that guy, AMLs from auction all came back, not 1, but 2,high cost, promising, and no one even put a bid for him. But i didnt have enough cash for any of them. The only option here is to spend token

It's ok, i was unlucky, then in the evening, they gave me 3 offers of recommended players, they are all AML. One guys is 18 YO, very high market value, Shadow Strike special ability. I was like "seriously???, why the hell dont you guys come sooner, half a day sooner and i was saved" I wanted that AML so much, but The only option here is to spend token

Story 3
So i spent like 200 green packs to build my team, upgrade them to 6 stars, i got 6 star striker, 6 star midfielders. But i didnt upgrade the defensive line (however they are all 5 star with SAs). In very easy match (with 2,3 star team), i got good results, and nobody cares about those defenders, they may have 6-7 rating but its ok, the team still win.

But when fighting the 4 star team (4 ONLY, and my team's start up rating is 6 star), My defenders started to screw everything up, every match i got bad result, i have a 5 note rating Defender, and EVERY match like that the opponents had more shots than me. Not 1, NOT 2, but 5 matches like that already. HOW???

So the only option here is to spend token to strengthen defensive line. Yet they noticed that i still have 200 token in disposal they're doing everything they could to make me spend those token (although i'm saving that budget for the next seasons)

Story 4
I once or twice mentioned a friend of mine who spent many tokens to upgrade his team to FULL legend quality, and you can't be more surprised, he can't win the champion league tittle (got eliminated in quarter final by the team (another friend of mine) which is 15Q lower than him. Nordeus knows that people like that will do everything they could to win triple crowd so Nordeus wont let that happen easily.

Conclusion
We all know that this game is 6 year old, pretty amazing for a mobile game to last that long, nevertheless there must be a drop in profit for the company after such a long time (due to competitions, many hard core players stopped playing...) So they must be smart enough to somehow manipulate players to spend, with many hidden techniques, mechanics... It's totally reasonable.

But just like Mourinho, i feel like betrayed, after i spent real money things just go very wrong to me, then the question is WHY SHOULD I SPEND just to make the game harder and more frustrating.

My advice is quite obvious for currently non spenders of this game - just dont spend, or they will make you spend MORE.

[Teda]

Great post, thank you! I am happy to be the first to respond your thread.

I can not agree more with you and yes I completely understand all the stories you described and have personally experienced some of them.

My simple conclusion to corresponding to yours is this: if you are a man then treat this game as a bitch; if you are a women, treat this game as a jerk. Playing it hard is OK, but please never play it seriously!

[Tyltyl]

I really have no idea how this game works, but I don't know why I keep playing! I started playing in june 2014, I played for some months and then I rage quit. I started again this year and in just 10 levels I won a lot! Guess what? I spent nothing at all! It's my own personal politic, I never spend a buck in pay to win games, or whatever. I would rather buy the game once.

Of the 5 leagues I've won, 2 have been for accident. I didn't really plan or concentrate on winning them. Last season I've been on top from the first game to the last, with many troll results even happening to my opponents.
Every Champion's League I've took part to (except one), I at least arrived to the semifinals, winning 3 trophies in total. The last one not planned at all again, and my opponent in the final was much stronger than me. I was already resigned to lose, and guess what? I won 1-4! I didn't spectate until 70' in the game and I was already 0-3.

I could never do anything to win the cup, early eliminations, troll results (I've lost 1-7 to a much weaker team in a single match!) and everything negative that could happen. Only one final that I could win and led me to the triple crown...and I lost to the penalties! I had a penalty kick specialist and he missed.

This season I wanted to concentrate on the cup and leave the league alone, not even looking for a 7th place. Guess what? I was eliminated very early in the cup and I've trouble losing games in the league! Yesterday I messed up the formation on purpose, I placed 2 GK in the game and mixed every possible position. The ball possession turned in my opponent favour, but the game still ended 1-1

At first I also thought the game wanted you to spend money on it, and it's perfectly acceptable since Nordeus lives over it. But looking at my "mostly" random successes and defeats I don't really don't know what to think of it.

If they put Top Eleven for sale, even at 9-10-15€ I consider buying it for once, but I'm never gonna spend bucks on tokens if I have no certainty that they are gonna make any difference at all.

[Arion]

Just don't buy tokens, spend them wisely, don't rush for titles, and you'll be a happy person. Look at the Spurs.

[Bill Shankly]

I recognize story 3. When the system wants me to lose a game, it's generally with 2 def and GK having bad ratings. Very difficult to fight againts this during the game.

[cookizzz]

Unless someone pay really huge amount of cash on the game, I don't believe Nordeus assign a staff to monitor activities of teams and makes market or other changes in order to similar token buying. In addition, some action which will trigger Manager A to pay, Manager B may be discourage to pay at the same time. So I assume that any events which are looked unfair or purposely simulate token buying are general system events.

If we feel that our teams cannot win even if we pay more, I think that the next step is not trying to pay more to strengthen the team. We may need to identify the tricks to win the game e.g. how to manage tactics, player conditions, morale etc.

In fact, I never pay in this game. I just think with my imagination. I am sorry if my above opinions above are bad as I misunderstand something or many things.

BTW, this is slightly out of topic but relates to the winger situation mentioned above. I also build full young player teams, and I also look for good young wingers all the time. Comparing with some positions like MC or ST, wingers are forever rare. Because of lack of young wingers, I acquired several old ones in order to fulfill my team needs. These old (I mean 22-26) wingers usually good. Even though they train slowly and have lowest quality among the players, they always performs well and are consistent. These wingers become old brother leading my young teams to play. So I think old wingers are worth to try. But these slow training wingers give me headache when they are 1 sp from next star. If I let them add a star, they will be hard to sell for a long time.

[nikolgiorgos]

Socrates, a Greek philosopher (and country man) wrote :
"Employ your time in improving yourself by other men's writings, so that you shall gain easily what others have labored hard for ".

My first advice for all the new players and members of the forum is to read a lot the posts of the forum. That helped me a lot when became a forum member, not only to improve as a player but saving my sources too (I also bought a pack at lv2).
So, trying to help others, I wrote a thread about how to find the fast trainers (including the exact hours you can find them in the market).
Suppose you didn't read it.

I also wrote recently a thread about STs failure the last seasons.
Mentioned that with this situation, nobody should invest to STs - specially buying scout list or academy players.
I also wrote there that if you find a fast trainer ST, buy him and give him winger position (AML or AMR). This works too.
Suppose you didn't read it either.

I don't know if there is a manipulation or not but for sure Socrates has named as one of the greatest philosophers in history.

[El Pistolero]

Here is my team. I haven't spent a single penny on this game. All my tokens, all my green packs are free.
I watch videos for green packs, i watch videos for tokens, i download and run numerous apps for tokens.

If you spend right, and buy the right players, you wont need to spend anymore than 25 tokens a season.
Parkin, Jacobs and Escobar i got from recommended player list.
Mendiguchia and Psiloudis are low value but their previous form before signing was too good to pass on.
The rest are high value under 21s

My team is crying out for a fast training left back, but I am yet to find one. I wont just bid for the first one i see, yet Mendiguchia has decent ratings so I'm in no hurry.

I also need a new DMC, but yet again no rush because my low quality DL and DMC are playing really well. If i need, I'll power train my reserve Oger.

Follow these methods.
-Don't get into bidding wars.
-Look out for high value U-21s
-Always check the players previous form
(example. Strikers games to goal ratio)

Akabla, he had very good goals per game ratio so i signed him, tested him out, 3 goals in 5 SUB appearances. The following season, i decided to power train him from 4 stars to not far off 6 and gave him one on one ability. Costing me 2 tokens and 180 greens.

All games put pressure on you to pay but if you put the time in, you wont have to. I don't think the game knew you wanted a AML, i don't think they hid them from the market, i think you missed a good opportunity when more players were selling players and thus an influx of AMLs. I think that list of AML of recommended players was always going to show up, had you just been a bit patient. I would advise you to buy him and use the other one you got as a super sub?

[Brian Dang]

Every season, u will see our legend queen have learn something new...glad to that..3 seasons he joints, each season he has learn a new lesson...

[legendqueen]

I'm sorry i was in an uncontrollable anger last night, after my team's 5th draw this season. Also thanks for your sympathy.

I know experienced players always find good ways to cope with the game's spend commanding system. And you tend to look everything with easy eyes, Like mr. Klopp and Nikol

But we can not deny the fact that there is a systematic way that this game makes people spend, and make the ones who spend spend more. It is IMPOSSIBLE to say that the match's result is generated purely by team's figures and the matter of luck. There must be a considerable percentage of "manipulation" that affects the results.

I have a habit of sending friend request to any token buyer that i see in transfer market, then i study their behavior and their results (no kidding - my current job is educational analyst)

This is how i learned: Once you spend, you get good results at first, but "surprises" will happen that makes you spend more, and by any chance if you stop spending, this game will challenge you by forcing you to make a decision whether or not to QUIT playing. Nordeus teaches Top 11 to study and understand our behaviors, our spending habit, then one way or another Top 11 makes us spend more and more.

I had a friend who comes from Japan, he was nice, he always watched my every match. He spent a lot at first season, buying scout, upgrading stadium. He got double tittles in the first season, then in the 2nd season, he stopped spending (but his team is still 5 star rating), he was still really active, but at the end, he ended up 3rd place in league, and a 3 star team won the tittle. And now i never see him again.

Another friend of mine, he's from Indonesia, he spent a lot in 2nd season, he built up a team of 5-6 star 18 YO players, they are all promising, his team value is almost double as mine. But now after 2 seasons, what he got is nothing but 2 league tittles, because in the previous 2 seasons, he didnt spend anything, and troll results came to him continuously.

I can give you more stories like this, about beginners like me who decide to pay cash for this game, they don't usually get "happy ending". And the only NERD in my friend list who won 2 treples in a round is the one who has spent NONE. You can call him lucky guy but i would rather consider him "smart" because he doesn't get himself into Top 11's manipulation.