TCM 2005 Tactics Special
Today we`d like to go over the new TCM 2005 Tactics including a bunch of new illustrative screenshots.
On the Formation screen it is now possible to define the positions of the players depending on the ball position. Player names and player graphics can be switched off if need be.
To start with you have to select whether you want to define the positions for your own ball possession or for the possession of the opposition.
To let you achieve this we have separated the pitch in 25 sections that are labelled by a ball in the background. On the following two screenshots we have selected a ball left of midfield.
When you click on the ball, you can define the target positions of all your players for this area. This means that the players will try to run to these positions if they are not prevented from doing so by more urgent tasks, like intercepting a pass or making a tackle. Needless to say, tasks like these always have the highest priority.
To give you an impression how well this works, we have a created a really extreme formation just for this special. In this formation all players run after the ball all the time.
On the pitch this looks like this:
Of course this is not very successful in the long run.
Additionally to the running paths of the Formation screen, there are of course still many more orders to the team or to individual players.
For example, your selection under "Passing" will determine which type of pass a player will prefer to play as soon as he is in ball possession.
Of course, both the Formation screen and tactics section work together very closely. For example, "Long Balls" are only useful if you position your players in a way that takes advantage of them. Otherwise the player will try to play a long ball, will find no one to play to and has to look for a Plan B.
Other examples for individual player instructions are "Dribbling" or "Run with Ball". They cause the player to do more on his own. At the same time the other players use the paths that are set for them and go to their positions, e.g. to receive a through pass or to back up the player with possession if he looses the ball.
In the same way the selection of the Playing Style (such as controlled attacking) plays an important role, especially for the selection of the ball recipients and for the risk of the passing game. If "Full Attack" is selected the players will not pass backwards but will play risky passes and try risky dribbles instead.
Of course, the formation has to fit to the Playing Style. It is useless to play Full Attack, but to field only one attacker and to set defensive running paths. This means that the attacker will receive a lot of passes, even if a safe pass would have been the better solution.
The new Formation screen gives you the full control over your team. Everybody who was frustrated about missing players on the wing, about the rare crosses, about the fact that the defenders do not move back fast enough, that players do not attack but wait in the defence… now you can create formations that solve all of this in no time at all. All of these issues are of course solved with the standard formations that come with the game too.
In addition, in support of these tactical controls are team-oriented manager shouts that replace the current shouts that affect only one player (as used in TCM2004). Some examples of these shouts (this list is incomplete) are:
Full Attack
Full Defend
Sit Back
Clearance
Out and Out Defence
Push Forward
Keep Ball
Long Ball
Kick the Ball Out
Play Through the Middle
Play Down the Wings
Counter Attack
Play Dirty
Pressing
It is possible to combine team instructions that are only related to the playing style of the team with other commands, like Full Defend with Counter Attack or Play Dirty.
That`s it for today. Keep an eye out for the next special!