ProFootballSim is 4 years today!

Thank you all for your support. I know I haven't posted in a while, but I'm working on the new version, and updates will be coming soon.

Hey guys,

Hope you guys have been doing well. I would like to apologise for the lack of communication from my side for the last few months. I’ve been busy with some other projects beside the game, and lately, with the game itself.

Now, I have some news I would like to share about the game, and what I am hoping to achieve in the near and far future.
1. Not sure how many of you know, but the game is made entirely by a single person (me!). Its been more of a personal hobby than anything for me, because I always wanted to play an online football manager that it’s interesting, and I always thought I could at least try to make something that could work. Believe it or not, but I’ve started work on the game around 2012. The one you guys are playing is like the 3rd or 4th version (I’ve done a lot of reworks).
2. I managed to get the courage and finally launch the game in January 2019, 7th of January being the 1st day of the now Profootballsim. It’s been a bit of a journey since then.
3. Unfortunately, it wasn’t very easy to take care of it once launched. From the always low number of people playing, to the various bugs or people complaining about the game in various ways. I tried to not allow it to bring me down that much.
4. Unfortunately, after almost 3 years and a half of dedicating my time to it, the game is not even close to where I was hoping for it to be. Both features wise and financial wise. With the years passing by, it’s getting increasingly harder to invest my personal time into something that is played by a small amount of people (not to say you guys are not important, but that the game is not attracting other people in) and also that the game is not attracting people willing to invest in the game, and both of these dissappointing in their own right.
5. I’ve been thinking for months now (pretty seriously) of simply waiting out the remaining of the paid subscriptions and just close the game, and to try something else with my free time, something that hasn’t happened in almost 10 years.
6. The fact that I’ve been receiving a lot of emails from you guys discussing about people that are cheating has made this feeling even worse - simply analyzing player behaviour, going through hundreds of transfers and stuff like that takes hours & days of my personal time, a time I am not willing to invest as it’s extremely difficult for one guy to simply do.

So, I can think of only 2 options: either close the game and be done with it, or try to do something different, in the hope that from my experience with PFS I could do something that can be at least a bit more interesting, that can potentially attract more people.

I’ve been dwelling on the thought a bit, and here’s what I would like to do in the near future:
1. I’m going to try something different - stop support for the current version of the game, and start a new game (let’s call it PFS2).
2. Include from the beginning some ideas I couldn’t finish - National teams & Federations being some of them.
3. I would like to change the technology of the game - instead of a standard website, I’m going to build the game in a different sort of technology - namely React Native. This is a sort of technology that is going to allow me to make the game and publish it into more environments (I would like to make a mobile version - iOS and Android, a desktop version - Microsoft store, and also - Steam). Apparently, there’s a possiblity to do that. The general idea is to get the game to potentially new people that could make the game grow.
4. I’ve reinvested all the game income in the past months working with a designer to make better game graphics - better player faces, better jerseys, soon better team logos and some other things. I will include these in this new version.
5. I would like to do something like an Early Access version of the new game which I can make public, and grow the game from there. I think this will give me the possibility to see if this new road will be more successful, or I can spend less time in building something that most people are not interested in.
6. I have some ideas I want to make - new Match Engine, Transfer Windows, National Teams, Federations. I also want to limit transfers in the future by a Team Board. And some other ideas that I would like to run with the people that are interested in helping build something with me. I would like the game to be less prone to cheaters, and more focused on doing fun stuff into the game.
7. Match Engine - some of you know I’ve been working on a better version of it. I’m happy to let you know that I have finished something that I am somewhat happy with (if someone is interested, I can give you access so you can help me test), that will be included in this next version of the game. I am going to add a lot more tactical options in the game, and I’ll be working to improve it with whomever is interested in helping.
8. I am going to try to be available every Monday on Discord (evening Romania time) to discuss with you guys about the game, starting next week.

So… yeah! That’s what has been through my mind lately. Let me know your thoughts. I tried to explain as best as I could my state of mind, and what my feelings are at the moment.

Cheers!
Cosmin

Hello,

A new set of updates today (a few bigger ones)!

1. You can now create 2 different training schedules: For your Main Squad and for your Reserves. This will allow you to take care of both of your teams and their needs. This feature will be available for everybody!
2. I've reduced by 20% the how players recover after a match. This shold make it a bit more difficult for managers playing daily matches
3. Added a new weekly finances metric. This will be empty this week, and will start populating next week.
4. Added a way for PRO Managers to view when a new youngster is available to be promoted.
5. Added a way to filter Forums descending or ascending (check your Preferences).
6. Added a minimum selling price for Staff
7. Added an easy way to set players Individual Training in Training
8. Various bug fixes

As a bit of extra information - I am currently working on adding Asian countries into the game, starting with next season. I will keep you posted how it goes.

Hello,

Another set of updates is coming up!

1. Reduced all the injuries time, and the maximum amount of time for an injury will be a maximum of 50. Also, Bot teams will avoid making bids for players with injuries > 30, in order to descourage straight selling players with longer term injuries by managers
2. Fixed a bug where bot teams would overwrite transfer listed players
3. Updated how bidding works. You will now view the current bid, not the max bid. When making a bid, you will be notified you need to increase your bid. This will also increase the current bid amount
4. Fixed a bug in the Match Engine, where Goalkeepers would be sent off at the same event
5. Fixed an issue with Team History - For International Cups trophies were not saved correctly
6. Injured players will lose only in Physical attributes and in Workrate and Anticipation in Mental
7. Modified the way the general search works. Instead of taking you to the transfer market for players, I've added a general search that will search for all players/staff/managers
8. Added a notification display for for new posts in the Forum
9. Fixed a bug, where the Cup final wouldn't update the Country Coefficient
10. Decreased the rumour generation when bidding on players
11. On the League fixtures for Reserves, the position for teams was incorrect. This has been fixed
12. Added a 4-3-1-2 Tactic, selectable in the Tactics area
13. Fixed a bug with Downgrading a team facility
14. Fixed a bug when players that would finish a bidding at the same time would be randomly ordered
15. Other general bug fixes

Hello everyone,

It's been a bit of time since the last update, so I'm happy to let you know that update 1.4.5 is out!

First of all, I would like to thank Requiao that helped with translating the game in Portuguese. The language is available now! Thank you very much for your help!

As for the update, here's what's changed:

1. Changing player numbers will now show the correct names for players with more then 2 names
2. Fixed the amount issue on Ongoing transfers
3. Fixed a bug when Bot teams didn't make bids on players on the TL because they had too many players in their squad
4. Decreased by 20% the probability of getting a high or medium injury for players
5. Fixed the double-yellow bug that happened sometimes to GKs
6. Removed existing transfer bans for new players
7. Removed the birthday from the manager page
8. Fixed the Reputation on the Manager page
9. Fixed the fans not getting updated weekly
10. Fixed other smaller various bugs

I'll continue working on bug-fixes in the upcoming weeks, and I'll let you know what has been changed!

Hello,

I've promised I'll get back to you guys with a detailed explanation on how the new Match Engine works.
It's quite a lot to explain, si I took a bit of time to write it as detailed as I could. Any questions you have, please let me know. I might've missed something :-)

Players

When a team is loaded for a new match, the ME checks for valid players, and if a player is missing for ANY reason, a random player will be assigned to that position (field or sub), or to a Role (Captain, Set Piece Taker, etc).

A few things happen before the match can start:

1. Adaptability - Adaptability is used as is in the ME. So if a player is 80% adapted, he'll start with 80% of his attributes. So a 20-pace player will have 16 in the ME.
2. Morale - Morale influences up to 20% the attributes negatively. So a player with 50% morale, will decrease 10% in attributes. A player with 100% morale won't get his attributes decreased.
3. Consistency - The max consistency number will be calculated for the player. This will be a number between 0 and 45. 100 consistency means 0, while 1 means 45. This is the MAX consistency a player can have. So a 50% Consistency means his max will be 22.5. Once this is calculated, a random number between 0 and that max is picked. That number represents the % that is deducted for that player's attributes. In the example above, the player will have his attributes decreased between 0 and 22.5. This means that consistent players will have a higher chance to get lower max numbers, meaning they play close to their attributes, while inconsistent players can vary between 55-100% of their attributes.
4. Fatigue - Player fatigue is calculated based on his Stamina attribute. The higher his Stamina, the less he will get tired during the match (the penalty added to his physical attributes). The max a player can decrease via Fitness is 20%.
5. Determination - His determination is calculated, based on his Determination attribute. The higher the Determination, the more he will use his mental attributes in the game (the penalty added to his mental attributes). The max a player can decrease his mental attributes is 6.
6. Interactions - There is a 20% bonus added to the group of attributes you as a manager picked for the player when interacting with him.
7. Captain - The Captain contributes up to 5% to all the players' attributes on the field, depending on his Determination and Team Work.
8. Match Importance - Attributes receive bonuses depending on the Match Importance (match type), up to 30% (for international matches).
9. Versatility - If a player plays off-position, he'll use 25% of his attributes (for a low-versatility player) and up to 50% (high-versatile player).

Attributes are calculated every second of the match, and all penalties are applies one after the other.

Starting the match

A random team is picked, and the weather for the match is calculated. If the team doesn't have a proper installation on the field, the players will receive extra damage bcause of it.

Playing every second

Every second of the match is played, and it has the following sequence:

a. Player decides what he wants to do;
b. Player executes what he decided on;
c. Opposing team reacts.

Making a decision

The player with the ball will make a decision. How this works:

1. His Decision attribute is checked. The better the attribute, the more likely he is to make a good decision. The worst his attribute is, the more he is likely to make a poor decision.
2. The ME checks if the team wants to Retain Possession or wants to Counter Attack. These are taken into account in step 3 (he will try to choose more pass options).
3. The player assesses his options. He can Shoot, Pass, Dribble or Clear.
a. Shooting - If the player has enough space for a shot, he will attempt it. This available spacing is based on the attributes of the players around him (Positioning, Marking & Anticipation). A % is calculated based on these (let's say it's 80%) and that's basically the chance for that player to not leave a space open for a shot. And now, every player near the shooting player has a chance to not let the player shoot. The better a player is, the less players are going to be able to shoot around him.
b. Dribbling - Same as shooting, but the attributes used are Speed based (Acceleration, Pace & Anticipation).
c. Clearing - ME checks if the player wants to clear - The inverse value of Bravery, Agility & Anticipation. So the better the attributes here, the less likely he'll try to clear.
d. Passing - Creativity is used to determine what teammates he can "see". So, the better Creativity, the "larger" the distance he can see, and the more options he can think of. A low Creativity player will see just his closest teammates. Distance is used is a factor as well here.

The likelyhood of a good pass is also given by the capabilities of players to make themselves available for passes (Work Rate, Off the Ball & Positioning).
Passing preference is then modified by team tactics, through Passing and Passing Focus. These tactical options convert every pass option into a "Good" or "Bad" one, and they're organized into a list by their chance of success.
Team Shape is also applied. This simulates how players move on the field. A fluid approach makes the player more/less likely to be selected for a pass, while a more structured play adds no randomness in the selection.
After all these are calculated, his Decisions attribute comes into place. The worst this attribute is, the more jumbled these options are for him.
So an option that is 100% good, can be a random number between 70 and 100%. This means he'll make more mistakes in judgement over the course of the game.

All of the options then are finalized, sorted, and the BEST decision is picked.
Sidenote: If the player doesn't "see" an option, he will just clear the ball.

The opposition strikes back

Once the player decides on an action, the other players (but not for a clearing decision) have the opportunity to try and stop him (Positioning, Work Rate & Team Work).
For every player close enough to the ball, he will have a chance to mark the player.
Marking is based on Team Width (width players contribute less when the play is in center, and vice versa) and the player's attributes (Marking, Tackling & Anticipation).

If the tackle is in defense, the keeper will be able to help and coordonate the players (Communication) - up to 10%.
If the marking is successful, he will have a chance to make a tackle.

The success of the tackle is based on the Team Tackling - Stay On Feet vs Get Stuck In. Stay on Feet has a lower chance of success and a lower chance of fouling, while Get Stuck In is the opposite.
After the type of tackle is decided, the player Bravery and Dirtiness decides the % of a clean tackle or foul.

If a foul is successful, a FK is fiven, and the player has a chance of getting a card. The Dirtiness of the player is the one deciding on the chance of that player getting a yellow/red card.
Regarding the Injury - a damage value is calculated based on the weather and the field. This damage will be calculated based on the Injury Proneness of the player. The lower the value, the higher the possibility for him to be injured.

Anyway, even if a player managed a tackle or not, the closest player will compare his physical attributes (if the ball is high - Header & Jumping, if a dribble - Acceleration & Pace, if not - Strength) and the difference will be used to give an advantage or a disadvantage to the player with the ball when he's making a decision.

Wasting time

Every Set Piece generates a 'dead' period - a keeper catching a ball, a Corner, a FK generates a few seconds where play is stopped.
For every action the Team Tempo is added - if a team plays quicker, they'll spend less time here, while playing slower means the opposite.
Sidenote: An Offensive Mentality will make the play slower.

Making a shot

Depending on where the ball is (High - Heading, Jumping & Finishing, Out of the Box - Long Shots & Finishing or Inside Box - Finishing & Agility) the ME will decide on a Target %. It will then decide if the shot is on target.

If the ball is close, Composure will be used to determine how well he copes under pressure. This is a percent removed from the accuracy of the shot (between 0 and 50%).
First Touch is used to determine how well he manages to control the ball. This is a percent removed from the accuracy of the shot (between 0 and 25%).
Concentration is used to determine how well he concentrates in the game. It starts at 100%, and it gradually decreases to 60%. The rate of decrease depends on his Concentration attribute. This % removed from the accuracy of the shot.
Flair is the final attribute applied. It's a bonus percent (up to 20%) added to the accuracy of the shot, and it's random, depending on the Flair attribute. The higher the attribute, the more likely he's able to do something unexpected.
Distance is a factor as well - the more distance to the goal, the harder it is to be accurate.

If the shot is inacurate, it will generate a missed event, and the play will resume from the opposing keeper.

If it's accurate, Technique will be used to determine what shots the player 'knows'. There are 7 types of shots, and Technique establishes which can be used. A low-technique player will shot typically with low-chance of shots, while high-technique players will get a chance to execute higher-accuracy shots.
This will add to the accuracy of the shot.

Once everything is calculated, the Keeper's save value is calculated. This will decrease the chance for the player to make the goal.
Once this is calculated, the shot is made, and the ME decides if it's a goal or the keeper manages to save it.

How the keeper works

The Keeper will first position himself depending on where the ball is. If the ball is High, he will decide (Command of Area, Positioning & Anticipation) if he wants to go out of the post or if he wants to punch it (Punching, Bravery & Strength).
If the ball is on the ground, he decides if he wants to Rush Out (Rushing Out, Acceleration & Pace) or stay on the line.
Once this is done, he will perform a dive. If the ball is High, and he is out of the post, he will use his Aerial Ability (Aerial Ability, Jumping & Balance).
If the ball is low and he is out of the post, he will use his One on Ones ability (One on Ones, Anticipation & Reflexes).
If not, he will use his Reflexes (Reflexes, Anticipation & Agility).

If he manages a save, he'll use his Catch ability (Handling, Positioning & Anticipation) to either catch the ball or send it to a Corner.
If he decides to Punch the ball, he will deflect it. Depending on his Strength, he will be able to punch it far or close.

If a keeper tries a pass, he will use his Kicking ability (Kicking & First Touch), and if he tries to Throw the ball, he will use his throwing ability (Throwing).

Making a dribble

Dribbling works similar, with the following changes:
a. There are 4 types of dribbles, unlocked by Technique.
b. Accuracy is based on Dribbling, Agility & Anticipation.
c. If a dribble is missed, the possession is lost.

Making a pass

Passing is similar to shooting or dribbling, with the following changes:
a. There are 5 types of passes, unlocked by Technique.
b. If a ball is on the flanks - Crossing, Anticipation & Agility is used to determine accuracy.
c. Accuracy is based on Passing, Anticipation & Agility.
d. Distance is used for accuracy.
e. If the ball is close to the opposing area, there's a chance of an offside, depending on the defence of the opposition (Positioning, Work Rate & Off the Ball) and the Team Tactic.
f. A missed pass will trigger a Deflection.

Making a clear

Clearing is simple - the ball is deflected.

What's a deflection?

When a ball is Deflected for any reason, there's a confrontation between all the players in the area. The ball is randomly moved in an adjacent area far or close to where it was previously.
Based on the positioning of the players - Defensive (Positioning, Work Rate & Team Work) and Ofensive (Positioning, Work Rate & Off the Ball) - the best player is going to win the ball.
If there's a chance for a Counter Attack (depending on the Team Tactics), the ME will check and trigger or not a Counter Attack event.

Rating players

The player rating at the end is solely based on their performance. The best they play, the best the ratings will be.

Hello,

I wanted to share with you guys a few updates that I've implemented today and yesterday in the game.

I would also like to thank you for the feedback regarding the Match Engine. You guys were right - there was an issue with the Match Engine.

After receiving feedback from you on the forum, I decided to check what exactly was happening wrong (he inconsistencies reported). I digged a bit through the ME code, and found 2 issues (reported as well by you guys).
These were:
1. A lot of wrong passes that led to interceptions with goals scored against human teams
2. A bad conversion rate - a lot of shots and not many goals scored by human teams.

So - the 1st was caused by the reset - in the ME, players were mostly based on players generated via the old system. With the new system, players are more varied, less skilled somewhat, so I needed to tweak the ME to take this better into account. Also, I made the passes be more secure when the ball was into the teams own half.

Now, this doesn't mean you'll win every match, but the ME should be more consistent. Feel free to let me know if you notice something wrong.

3rd, based on feedback, I trimmed the text on the Report section to display text only for match events, and not for other events, like subs, changes in tactics, etc.

I've changed visually how passes are viewed in the Match Engine - Instead of passes made/missed, I've decided to add a percentage - so you can see easier and decide if a player did a good or bad job.

I've also fixed the Contract Offer that wasn't working properly. If you try to offer a new player a new contract, it will work as supposed.

I've also added a player/staff export feature. This will allow you to download a .CSV file you can use to sort/track changes for your players.

Hello,

I would like to thank you guys first for your help in fixing any outstanding bugs and issues that I missed in development. Unfortunately, I was hoping for a more smooth transition, so thanks again! :-)

Secondly, I would like to do a quick update to the latest changes coming this evening:

1. There's going to be an update to the values of the players, that will fix some issues with some values that were inconsistent.
2. Modified the AI of the Bot teams on the Transfer List. They're going to be less-aggressive when biding on players.
3. I implemented an automatic system that will look into missing Staff or Players, and will take care of any issues with player/staff generation.
4. Countries in Scouting will show only countries with at least 1 player. I'll be adding a few countries every week (so more players from more teams are available).

Third, what's coming up next?

Well, I would like to focus next week on any bugs that might appear + some new things.

1. Player Page - I'll move the Career Stats from the player page into a new page (for staff as well).
2. A possibility to downgrade already built Facilities.
3. Some other minor updates.

Thanks!

1. What do you think about the reset? Where you looking forward to it?
I think that reset has been necessary due to the situation created by excessive money flow and inquiries to bot teams, and also other problems already discussed. During the last "dead" season, however, the opportunity was lost to fix a lot of existing bugs, which reappeared in the post-reset.

2. What do you think about the changes to the game so far?
It seems that the worst problems have been fixed, but time is needed for the last word. In particular I refer to economical balance, that is always the hardest task to handle in this kind of games. But I understand that bugfixing is hard work that steals time for new features implementation.

3. Did the update change your strategy in any way? Will you be playing differently now?
Yes it did. In the past it was easy to find good players through enquiries. Now that enquiries are gone, we've got to count only on market and scouting. It's a way slower work, but it's way better especially for players with not much time to pass on the game. It's a great step ahead.

4. How much time do you put into playing PFS?
It depends. At this moment, when I desperately need new players, I'm forced to scan the market twice a day minimum. In normal phases of the game, logging in once a day is enough.

5. What would be your advice for new managers that are starting now the game?
Simply use the forum to ask advice prior to do anything. Don't use the market until you've mastered a little how the game works.

6. What’s your favorite real-world football manager? Did they inspire your strategy on PFS?
I don't play those games. I'm an old-school player playing only web base management games.

Hello,

We're almost ready for the reset!

So what will happen tomorrow: Around 06:00 GMT the game will be put into Maintenance Mode and will be unavailable for a while. I expect the game to be offline for about 4 hours, time I'll use to reset the teams, players, update the database and make all the requirements.

Once this is done, you'll be able to login as usual, but you'll be taken to the page where you'll be able to create a new team! Once you've chosen everything, you'll be given a new team! I'll save all your team images, so if some of you guys want to use the current team image, I can update it for you, just email me via the contact page.

The help page has been already updated with information related to the new changes, and most likely I'll go through the Forum and remove old questions or information that is not relevant anymore.

See you guys tomorrow!