Tomorrow I will be getting CM 03/04

[sabotai]

I hope. I ordered it from GoGamer and as of right now, it's in New Jersey. The FedEx guy usually gets to my house early and since I'm off from work until next Tuesday, I'll have plenty of time to put into it.

Some questions though. I like to play as LLM, so how is it in that respect? I know there are problems with the database size. Have people found ways around it? (Hardrive space is not an issue. I have PLENTY of it).

Also, I never really got into CM tactics before. I usually just picked 4-4-2 and had everythign at default. Any good tactic tips? I know I could go to SI's forums but with so many people there it'll be hardwork just to sift through all of the stuff there. I'm not looking for "Well if you want to run the Belgium version of the 3-5-2..." stuff, just general tips.

[Desnudo]

General tips:

Play on Medium database. I don't think a Cray supercomputer could run Large database at any reasonable speed. I have high end computer and it crawls on Large. Medium will provide a large enough selection of players to make a go of it. With LLM it will be something of a challenge, but you can manage. The main problem with Medium is the lack of coaches, not players.

Tactic tips - With an uber team, there's a few tactics that work wonders. Specifically 3Towerz (3-5-2 with wingbacks) and PB_El_Asesino (4-4-2). Both can easily be found on the SI site Tactics section. The common thread in successful tactics in 03/04 are that they are very aggressive. Unfortunately these tactics require high teamwork, decisions pace, dribbling, crossing, etc., which you won't have in LLM.

With LLM I'd focus on keeping the instructions simple since your players likely won't have great mental stats. The basic 4-4-2 still works well. I've been playing with Forest Green for a while and I started out using a 4-4-2 and only adjusting the team instructions as needed, not worrying about individual instructions.

[Glengoyne]

My Dag and Red team has done pretty well with just minimal changes to the 4-4-2. In fact when I changed the individual player instructions to the preset tactic for each players position, I started a big time slide in form. I have gone back to more default tactics, and the team seems to be starting back on the winning way. I hadn't considered that I might be overdoing the individual instructions until I read that previous post.

I really am hooked on CM. It is the only reason I don't have any of the other text sims that have come out recently.

Oh and Sabotai. I am using the medium database. I don't have any trouble with speed. If I were you I would try a game with the large database. Stick with it some, because the big slowdown occurs at the start of each season, and to some degree during each of hte transfer windows. A lot of people say it runs fine on less than state of the art machines even. Even on the medium db I have gotten used to reading briefly or otherwise occupying my time while churning away between matches.

[MrBug708]

The wrong tactic will get destroyed, I've found that out

[SirFozzie]

My Cambridge is doing fine (Lost in the Playoff Semi-Final year one, just about a guaranteed promotion with 15 games to go in my year two).

4-4-2.. wide midfielders making full runs, and your strikers just need good finishing, a lot of it comes from crosses. Attacking outlook (I'd rather win 3-2 than 1-0, weird, I know ;)).

[3ric]

Search for a thread where klayman and Godzilla Blitz are discussing how to add players to a medium database - there were some good hints in it.

[Kosta]

The large database is playable, but only if you are willing to go with one nation... say the English leagues Div 3 and above. Once you start adding other leagues then as has been pointed out a large database is impossible to use.

Make sure you get the latest patch from www.sigames.com (links on their main forum).

[BreizhManu]

for LLM way the best thing is one league (two at max) medium database with DDT files :

- 2,3 retain nations (which keeps all players from a nation including those on free transfer : good for llm way)
- 4,5 retain leagues

like that you get a more than decent database and the game is quite fast.

[sabotai]

Damn you FedEx guy! He usually comes around 10 or 11 AM. Today, I had to take my sister to the doctor at 1:20...we get back at around 2 and there's the damn door tag. I hate you! FedEx is conspiring against me!

I remember that thread now and will go look it up. Can someone tell me what these files are and exactly how they work? (What is it about them that gives you a lot of players and coaches but doesn't slow down the speed.)

[ice4277]

Sab,

The best thing to do tactics-wise, I think, normally is to start out with something close to the base formation, then gradually change it as you discover what does and does not work best for your team. Personally, I have never used anybody else's tactics; it makes me feel like I've 'earned' it more by experimenting myself.

[Fonzie]

sabotai-

The .ddt files they're talking about are simple text files that you put in the "db" directory. Or I think that's where it was supposed to go - I don't have CM on the machine I'm typing at or I'd check. The .ddt files simply tell the program which nations' players you want retained in the database. Very handy for improving the available player pool, without the headache of actually simming those leagues. I believe it also improves the coaching pool.

When I get home I'll post an example .ddt file with instructions on how to use it.

[Fonzie]

Dola-

Here's an example of the content of a .ddt file:

"RETAIN_NATION_PLAYERS" "Denmark"
"RETAIN_NATION_PLAYERS" "Ireland"
"RETAIN_NATION_PLAYERS" "England"
"RETAIN_NATION_PLAYERS" "Norway"
"RETAIN_NATION_PLAYERS" "Wales"
"RETAIN_NATION_PLAYERS" "Scotland"
"RETAIN_NATION_PLAYERS" "Sweden"

And that's it. Just open up notepad, copy in whatever nations' leagues you don't plan to sim but whose players you'd like to remain available using the above formatting, and then save the file with a .ddt extension in the data/db subdirectory of CM. When you start up a new game you'll see an option to include the .ddt player file. Just make sure its selected and off you go.

Hope that helps!

[Glengoyne]

My Cambridge is doing fine
Damn cambridge!!! I have NEVER beaten them! They promoted with me(Dag and Red) from the conference the first year. The second year they eeked out a narrow win of the third division over me. We still both promoted though. In year three they won the second division running away, leaving me a division behind. I thought I wouldn't have to play them, but I drew them in the league cup! I had them three nil, but they came back to draw. Damn Cambridge!!!!

[SirFozzie]

*grins*

*starts humming "I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts..." (one of Cambridge's many themes)

[BreizhManu]

Dola-

Here's an example of the content of a .ddt file:

"RETAIN_NATION_PLAYERS" "Denmark"
"RETAIN_NATION_PLAYERS" "Ireland"
"RETAIN_NATION_PLAYERS" "England"
"RETAIN_NATION_PLAYERS" "Norway"
"RETAIN_NATION_PLAYERS" "Wales"
"RETAIN_NATION_PLAYERS" "Scotland"
"RETAIN_NATION_PLAYERS" "Sweden"

And that's it. Just open up notepad, copy in whatever nations' leagues you don't plan to sim but whose players you'd like to remain available using the above formatting, and then save the file with a .ddt extension in the data/db subdirectory of CM. When you start up a new game you'll see an option to include the .ddt player file. Just make sure its selected and off you go.

Hope that helps!

that's it you can also retain players from a club (regardless of their nation, usefull if you want to keep all players in teams playing a continental competition) with :

"RETAIN_PLAYERS" "Arsenal"
"RETAIN_PLAYERS" "Manchester United"

There was a zip file with full .ddt for every country made for cm4, it should be available somewhere.

Oh and if with the RETAIN_NATIONS_PLAYERS, you retain France :

1) Part of the job will have be done by me (around 25%)
2) Try to buy Manuel Martin a GK/Scout on free transfer, he's a nice guy :)

[BreizhManu]

Dola the zip file can be found Here (http://romjetweb.free.fr/cm/working_nations.zip)

all you have to do is extract files to your /data/db/ directory and when starting a new game you select which ddt files to use.

Be careful this ddt files will only retain players from clubs, if you want to retain players from nations (usefull for free transfer ones) you must create your own ddt with RETAIN_NATION_PLAYERS.

[Marc Vaughan]

Regarding ddt files - we're looking to make such 'retentions' part of the user interface for our next game as they've proven popular and useful (and doing this should make it easier for non-techy people to configure things).