Asunto: Match Engine Change 06/12 and 13/12

For those who skip the news page... It should be an interesting wednesday...

In NT friendly matches starting Saturday December 6, 2008 we will test the following engine modifications:
- Instead of trying to pass to the strikers right away, no matter the distance, players will more often try to use combination passes.
- Players will now consider if pass recipient is offsides prior to making a pass (the correctness of this judgment will be based on playmaking).
- Players will less often tackle from behind. Instead, they will try to move in front of the player in possession and look for a more favorable angle.
- Experienced defenders near the goal may be able to clear the ball immediately if a tackle was not effective.
- Players will now determine dribbling direction somewhat more effectively, instead of proceeding directly towards the goal in most cases.
- It will be harder to pass an opponent in the way of an attacker. A good defender will be able to either block or at least slow the attacker somewhat.

Any changes to this new engine will be assessed during NT friendlies and club friendlies, with this version of the engine being official starting next season. Playoff games will still use the current version of the match engine.

Bugs reporting: please report all engine bugs in the Bugs / Ideas (en) forum. Please include one topic for each type of bug, always include match and minute. Notice that we have changed player position evaluation, which has not really been modified since Sokker started, so input is especially needed in this version (e.g. if a player always tries to pass to wrong positioned partner). Any testing done now improves the quality of the engine for next season!

I'd say this update will take a couple of goes to get right, but I like the direction they're trying to go. These are things we've been requesting for a while.

i'd want to see how it affects my first team. hardly ever watch my friendlies :P

ah well, guess it'll just have to wait until week 15. be ready minkee! :)

do you need a friendly wk15?

lol i thought we've agreed to play against each other first XI week 15?

Sounds good, I was proposing some of them, especially the more playmaking in the midfield thing.

The question is how will it affect Aussie NT...I'm kinda afraid. Wasn't too many good central mids in the history...

Yeah no problem...
I thought it had never been firmly confirmed but yeah ok... week 15 1st XI :)

not our midfield I'm worried about. I'm more worried about how this is likely to affect Willis. There were an awful lot of backpasses from wingers on the weekend instead of the usual running to the corner and crossing. I'm positive it will be tweaked but I can't see why this change won't actually increase our competitiveness.

Actually there's another area I'm concerned over regarding our defenders and that's probably the major one which is going to be hard to hide under the carpet.

loadsa of people are concerned caus its going to strenghten bigger teams probably... but on the plus side it shud make the game better...

its also been pointed out pace is going to become more important than tech (players get blocked and slowed passing others)

also PM is going to be massively important in the centre of the pitch?? and as a result new tactics are going to have to be selected too...

When they get these changes right, it will be great for the game. We'll just have to bear with it while they're tweaked.

I think we'll do pretty well, because we have one of the best tacticians in the game and an enthusiastic brains-trust.

For mine, this is a great step forward because it encourages managers to send more players forward and pass the ball to goal, instead of relying on long-balls and barnstorming runs down the wing. Teams with strong midfields will do very well. It should also reward teams for dominating possession/territory as well.
We will wait and see.

In one way it's a shame, 'cos I was quite liking the way my team was able to exploit the pattern of play in the old ME.
(editado)

If the changes turns out to be what it says then it's all very welcome in Minkeeland...
I never understood why PM was underused in the ME before...

oh dear, more TBF dominance? ;P

don't think anymore than currently :p.

the Roar midfield's shown them up this season :P

Even after just one friendly I think its fairly safe to say these changes are going to take some time to get used to.

I know not many other teams use two wings as much as I do, but having them trying to pass to each other when they are level with the box (or higher) is a bit disconcerting.

It should make more attacking midfielders an option which might bring defenses out a bit which would be a good thing. (I mean defenses needing a bit of depth and not just being 5,6 or 7 men in a line)

Interesting times.

I quite like the changes. There are some short-comings for sure, but the game looks a lot better, flowed nicely. It was nice to see some exchanges between the AMs and strikers.
I was opened up like a can of worms by a 1-2-3 drawing out my CB then sliding in behind him.