Really need help as this game is driving me away

[Zerachiel]

I love the game concept and have kept coming back but seriously I've had it up to here with the game.

Nothing I try works. During the cloudy weather when my bowlers should be doing well and the AI bowlers destroy my batting line up, I can take only a few wicket max (see the Australian screenshot below which was done under cloudy conditions where my bowlers should have had the advantage). On a turning pitch when the opposition spinners annihilate my batting line up my spinners get smashed around and only take a few wickets (see the New Zealand innings screenshot which happened on a turning pitch)

I try over the wicket, around the wicket, varying the length and it does almost nothing and my bowlers are battered around the park. I can't load enough screenshots to show many examples so the screenshots I've included are the worst losses. On the New Zealand example both teams were ranked at exactly 4 stars so it should have been a close game. The pitch was not good (3 green bars on both).

I'm at my wits end and seriously considering quitting the game. On cricket captain 2017 I tried some user defined field placings but these were next to useless. There are no user guides on steam and I can't even find a manual for CC18 since the latest one I can find is CC15 so I don't know where to go other than asking here.

I'm not playing ball by ball as each test would last for days in RL. I play over by over and try something different if it's not working (which is usually doesn't work). There is no clear way for a bowler to change ends as there is no indication of which end a bowler is bowling from within the game. Half the time skipping the match produces better results than playing it manually.

I start bowling at 5 bars aggression, when the batsmen have made about 25 I drop it to 3 bars and when they inevitably hit 50 or more I drop to 1 bar since they pretty much always go on to make a hundred if I don't drop aggression and in the past aggression only results in them getting more runs more quickly. Ie they make 100 off 80 or 90 balls instead of 100 off 150 balls.

When batting my openers start on 1 bar, rising to 2 when about halfway settled and then up to 3 when settled. 4 or more bars result in them getting out straight away. Batsmen 3,4,5,6 and 7 start on 2 bars aggression which rises to 3 if they get settled and my bowlers start on 1 bar as any higher and they get out for less than 5 usually. The tailenders almost never get any runs and my innings is as good as done as soon as I'm 7 down.

I really hope someone can give me some help with bowling, batting, training, everything since I'm useless at it all.

[Zerachiel]

Next test match, same old same old. Same pitch, same conditions. Absolutely pathetic

[Zerachiel]

Next test match, same thing happens. Same pitch, same conditions, they hit over 600 and win by an innings. My team was rated 4.6 stars they were 5 so I could accept a defeat but not like this.

[Sureshot]

What tactics do you use? Sounds like you struggle with bowling the most.

There are some user guides on Steam, I put them up a week or so ago.

Have you seen this thread?

https://childishthings.com/forum/forum/current-and-future-games/cricket-captain-2018/61731-rough-guide-to-formats

(Which is what I've based the Steam user guides on)

The manual is available as help files, press F1 on the game screen to access the manual for that page.

[Zerachiel]

Thanks for your response the link. I have seen the forum thread already however nothing in it helps me win anything. Having lost to Ireland and Zimbabwe in a previous save shows how bad certain aspects of the game code are.

The tactics I use are as follows:

When batting my openers start on 1 bar, rising to 2 when about halfway settled and then up to 3 when settled. 4 or more bars result in them getting out straight away. Batsmen 3,4,5,6 and 7 start on 2 bars aggression which rises to 3 if they get settled and my bowlers start on 1 bar as any higher and they get out for less than 5 usually. The tailenders almost never get any runs and my innings is as good as done as soon as I'm 7 down.

I start bowling at 5 bars aggression, when the batsmen have made about 25 I drop it to 3 bars and when they inevitably hit 50 or more I drop to 1 bar since they pretty much always go on to make a hundred if I don't drop aggression and in the past aggression only results in them getting more runs more quickly. Ie they make 100 off 80 or 90 balls instead of 100 off 150 balls.

I actually thought I might win a series as I was 1-0 up with 1 test to play against a poor (3 star compared to my 4.5 star) West Indies team and then this happened. Another series thrown away by pathetic batting and pathetic bowling when again nothing works on an uneven pitch with sharp turn from their 1st innings they make 391 and then on the same pitch they bowl me out for 112 and then when I bowl my spinners on a sharp turning pitch they make their target only losing 1 wicket. I give up

Thanks for the thread but it simply doesn't work like you've said. For instance:

"Numbers 4 and 5 are usually the 'best' batsmen and should be making an absolute ton of runs."

This only works for the AI. As you can see my 4-5 batsmen got out cheaply and this happens 90% of the time but I can't upload enough screenshots as evidence.

"Although the modern FC/Test game is all about speed, batting at 4 an over, it is still viable to play traditionally with a batsman who 'anchors' the entire innings."

This is good in theory but in practice they generally get out cheaply having made less than 20 runs

"Bowling is part individual flair and ability and part team-work; Bowl as a 'unit', bowl in partnerships, don't stick to the boring 'five on, five off' routine. Bowl a guy for three overs, watch how he is, if he's doing ok but the opposition have a huge partnership, swap him around, change ends, vary the bowling attack, keep the batsmen on their toes. Normally, you can get by with standard bowling schemes; That is, two bowlers bowling the 'channel' at 3 aggression."

As I've said before you don't know which end a bowler is bowling from since it's not indicated anywhere in the game. Trying to remember which end a bowler has been more successful at is impossible in a long innings. I bowl my bowlers for around 8 over each since it says in the CC15 manual that they get into their rhythm the longer they bowl for.

I can't keep a batsmen on my toes since nothing I change works. I can change from over to around the wicket, change from bowling full to yorkers to short and still they smash me off the park. How precisely do you keep a batsmen on his toes?

Your two opening bowlers should usually open at 4-5 aggression at the off stump (middle setting). Use your judgement as to when to drop to 3 aggression, the AI usually drops to 3 around 20-30 balls faced or around 20 runs scored. As a rule of thumb, I drop a bowlers aggression level to 3 when the batsman scores 25 runs, this is mostly because the field setting is linked to aggression and the standard field templates for FC/Test matches are suitable for achieving victories. (Note; I mentioned the AI dropped aggression very early, this is why some users see the AI score in FC at a higher run rate in the early phases, the AI seems naturally defensive - That doesn't mean it won't attack, but it usually picks its moments; Usually it will attack at 4-max aggression at the start of the day, before a break and just after a break - it will bowl at max if it has a 200+ lead in the second innings in most cases, or if it forces you to follow on.)

This is precisely how I bowl and you can see the results in the screenshots. I agree with your comments on the AI bowlers but they're always more effective in any case.

Bowling full during cloudy weather can entice edges to the slips/gully area, however here's another thing to take note of; Just because a batsman favours an 'area' doesn't mean that he's weak in the opposite area. I might favour the back foot, but it doesn't mean I'm uncomfortable with front foot shots. 9/10 you should be 'line and lengthing' the ball, the 'Ricky Ponting's weak area' as he freely admitted. The correct time to focus on an individual weakness is when they are getting settled; You target individual 'weaknesses' for about 5 overs when the batsman is settled at around 30-40+ runs. Don't persist forever with it though as it becomes predictable.

I agree about your advice on the favourite areas information. I think it's a massive red herring in the game serving no purpose at all. Bowling yorkers at someone who favours either the front foot or back foot has no effect (I hardly ever get anyone out bowled) and bowling short almost never gets me wickets. I don't see the point in being able to select these since there seems to be something in the game code which means they never produce wickets unlike in RL where either a well placed yorker or hostile short ball can produce wickets.

Often batsman number 6 and 7 are aggressive or super-aggressive, this is because they need to score quickly before the bowlers get out. Now-a-days, bowlers need to be able to bat 10-20 runs on average, so tactically you can be a bit more varied. I wouldn't put a defensive batsman here as he may very well lack the mentality to score well before running out of partnets.

I pretty much always follow this and they simply throw their wickets away in most games. For instance Ben Stokes was averaging 32.79 in batting and 48.14 in bowling so you can see why I dropped him. He's not a good enough specialist batsmen to stay in the squad and was bowling abysmally. Johnny Bairstow did better averaging 40.62 which kept him in my squad. Ben Duckett averaged 32.22. Of the aggressives Root averaged 49.81 since he's a superstar and Malan averaged 39.43. However the others were failures: Vince averaged 33.67 and Hind averaged 33.31

I just wish I knew why others seem to be able to crack how to win (playing as England I'm not exactly playing as an underdog) and yet the game is simply laughing at me. The AI seems to operate on different rules to my players and the AI can manipulate everything to it's advantage.

How to develop youth: The younger, the better in my opinion as you get more time to train them up and usually have longer to tie them down.

Not sure how to develop players playing as an international team since you get so few training sessions in a year. Also,do I try and remove their preferences to make them more balanced (ie if they have a strong front foot preference do I make them train back foot technique or general technique?

For bowlers - The main thing to keep an eye on is average and economy rate, strike-rate is useful as well. Young bowlers tend to be inexperienced and lack control, they can often go for 5-6+ an over in FC games, be prepared to analyse *why* they're going for that amount of runs, is it because of good shots or poor balls? Switch their training as needed to fix it, bowlers need a lot more attention than batsmen do in my opinion.

Same as above, not sure how to develop players playing as an international team since you get so few training sessions in a year. I've had a lot of luck giving Dominic Bess aggressive bowling training but it doesn't work for anyone else? Do I give them general, defensive or aggressive technique training?

Bowling:

A good mix of bowlers is always a handy thing to have.

Why? The greatest West Indies team of the 80s were supreme with 4 fast bowlers? The great Australian team was built around 2 supreme fast bowlers in McGrath and Lee, 1 supreme spinner in Warne and 1 backup fast bowler in Gillespie. England don't produce any decent fast bowlers (not fast mediums) and fast mediums simply aren't good enough outside the UK, especially in Australia, South Africa and the West Indies where the ball doesn't move. This has been proved over and over in test matches but isn't accurately depicted in the game but that's a separate complaint against the game.

ALWAYS check your field settings before passing judgement, sometimes a bowler will go for 14 in an over, if you have all 9 outfielders in the slips it probably isn't his fault!

Since I follow the bowling rules you've given I know where my fielders are, in the standard field positions as per the aggression settings. No-one has posted any decent better field settings that I can find which aren't several years old and don't work in the updated games.

I really appreciate the work you've done in your guide and I hope it works for some people. Most of it simply doesn't work for me as you can see from the latest test result attached.

[Zerachiel]

Just when I thought this game couldn't hit a new low. This game is simply f**ked up. I give up.

[muzzy]

Figure out how to play then through trial and error. The game would get boring if it was easy to win every match. Your wondering why your struggling to bowl teams out, for starters stop picking Tim Bresnan also stop picking so many regens.

[Sureshot]

That is quite incredible, normally only see back to back totals like that on Android when people haven't bought the game.

What batting aggression were you on? If I lose early wickets, I tend to keep the incoming batsman on 1 bar, but it is important to increase batting aggression as batsmen get more settled so that you can sscore runs. When my batsman settle in FC they'll be on 4 bars, but it's important to adapt to conditions.

Muzzy has a good point on Bresnan, I think Helm is an odd selection too (though he's got talent). What year ar you in?

The game is difficult on Normal level, in my first season with Sussex I finished bottom of both groups in FC and 20 Over, and then 2nd from bottom in One Day. I like that Normal is difficult though, it forces me to make all the right decisions.

Please also note the use of words like usually, etc, in the game. It doesn't mean it's always the same all the time, the game adapts and users need to as well. If sport is predictable, it isn't sport. I still remember Tino Best scoring 96 against England, or Broad scoring 160 odd against Pakistan, if that sort of thing happens in-game, some

The AI doesn't manipulate anything against you, it sounds like it might be able to pick better teams than you. It normally takes me a good 2-3 years in-game to work out my players.

Bowling lengths - fuller lengths can see more bowleds/lbws than other dismissals, but it's not a full on dramatic change and it shouldn't be, because it isn't in real life, or yorker would be the length most bowled, it isn't.

Personally, I keep it at the good length in First Class matches, I go full at end of One Day games and I'll mix up lengths in First Class when I can't get someone out.

[Zerachiel]

I think I was in around 2025 hence a few unknown players but the ones I picked had been selected by the AI at the start of the season. However the AI didn't select an all rounder at all since Stokes and Woakes were in terrible form, and Jofra Archer (another all rounder who'd come on the scene in the future) he was in terrible form. Bresnan was in reasonable form so I picked him. All the rest weren't good enough.

I don't expect to win all the time, otherwise it wouldn't be a challenge. However when 2 team are closely matched in terms of number of stars (in the Pakistan example they were 5 stars and I was about 4.8) and I was playing at home with home advantage, I wouldn't expect to be bowled out for such low scores.

I was playing on a low aggression since the pitch wasn't the best but it didn't matter. All my players played on 1 bar or zero bar aggression to try to survive and make some runs and you can see the results.