Because I never did it before, I tried Legend level and I'll keep playing it for a while just for "educational" purposes on my ML.
I find it weird and at the same time interesting, as the CPU is way more nervous and agressive at all levels, but this also creates more open spaces and oportunities to explore.
This morning I played my belgium cup final and it was a massacre, ending with 17 shots/11 on target from the CPU vs 8/6 for me. Normally you would've guessed they won the match easily because on higher levels the CPU is so effective and clinical, but I won the match 2-4. So I don´t really know what to think sometimes, I belive that dificulty doesn't really affect the final result of a match... I think it's based on "oportunities" and it's up to you to take advantage of those moments.
I almost believe that my own players are more responsive on higher levels... Playing on Pro with FUMA, most times I feel my players are a tad slower and have bad awareness, maybe to compensate the dumber CPU... maybe.
I also felt that CPU was a bit less agressive on second half, like they were a bit tired or something, even though they almost made a comeback from 0-3 to 2-3, but my last goal killed their hopes.
It is interesting after all, as long as you don't get too angry with the moments were the CPU clearly as the advantage like some kind of boost or God Mode. Truth is, this boost won´t last the whole match, and that's when you can strike back. I'll play a couple more matches and see how it goes.
For a while I only played friendly matches on FUMA legendary, like, i would take on from top to bottom all the Serie A teams with Sampdoria and later on with Fiorentina, only allowing myself to continue to the next opponent after a victory.
So, after all that training, I thought I would try and mix it up a bit and started a new Europa Cup journey with "I Gigliati". Naturally, I anticipated a tougher challenge and made sure to see how we would fare on Superstar first. Indeed, immediately the contrast with friendlies was apparent when it comes to team spirit (aka boosting, aka scripting), which is a lot more pronounced.
After getting through the group stage with some trail and error, my first game in the finals I won pretty comfortably with 1-0 at home against Real Sociedad. But then came the away game, which I went in feeling all too confident. After mere 5 minutes i was 2-0 behind - they completely overrun me whereas my players seemed to be walking in mud. My second attempt went the same - my players felt so lethargic i could only absorb the blows.
On the third attempt, I decided to just accept an ugly draw - park the bus and get the points. By changing my objective and expectations, instead of being annoyed by the very rigid and artificial CPU boosting and de-boosting, I accepted it as fact and integrated it into the story in my head, changed my tactics and starting eleven accordingly, and actually quite enjoyed the battle to keep a clean sheet, in which i succeeded.
Now, is this the most sophisticated way of simulating the mental challenges we have to deal with during competitions? Absolutely not. You think all is fine and dandy until suddenly it flips and everything is sluggish as hell. Not only do you start to doubt your own brilliance but also that of the game. Because, while you seem to be doing the same things, the output is completely different and this is incomprehensible - and perhaps inexcusable from a game design point of view.
If there is *something* going on under the hood which impacts gameplay, shouldn't the player be at least informed, however subtle? If only there would be some feedback hinting on the status of the TS, like players energizing the home crowd with arm gestures indicating a high TS, or your CV shouting in frustration - indicating low TS, it would be far easier to accept and anticipate the flows in TS.
It's like playing a boxing game where your health meter controls the power and speed of your punches, yet the health meter itself is not displayed on the screen and there is nothing to visually tell you how your player is doing other then the barely noticeable fact that your punches are less fast and powerful then before. Furthermore, it could well be your health is half full from the beginning - with no apparent reason. Good luck with that.
Whenever a narrative element is inserted through gameplay, but not trough presentation, this creates a disconnect between the player and the game. Which is a shame because, as i experienced, as soon as you fill in the blanks yourself by learning to deduct the narrative based on the output, the game becomes enjoyable again.
). One mate played with a flat 5 in the mid (I think he was France) and the CPU knocked a bunch of over the top balls that left his 3-man defence buggered in the second half.
(with an external editor, of course)
