+- Simulation Soccer League (https://forum.simulationsoccer.com)
+-- Forum: Player Development (https://forum.simulationsoccer.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=5)
+--- Forum: Capped Point Tasks (https://forum.simulationsoccer.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=23)
+---- Forum: Articles (https://forum.simulationsoccer.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=46)
+---- Thread: The Great SSL Trait Test (Part 1 of 4) (/showthread.php?tid=10705)
The Great SSL Trait Test (Part 1 of 4) - Rezo950inat0r2 - 2026-09-01
For the last month or so, I have been doing a lot of testing in my spare time as how the traits available to us actually affect our players. This was inspired by the testing done on the FMArena community on attributes, and I noticed a distinct lack in this sort of testing done in the traits department, as they have been largely written off as "permanent player instructions". I believe this to be a gross oversimplification of things, for reasons beside the fact that non-instruction traits exist, and I will expand on that in the individual blurbs I write for each trait. As a caution, this article will be a long read (if I'm doing my job right), as I wish to squeeze all the money I can out of all the time I've invested.
Now before we get started, I'd like to give some special shoutouts to the people who made this possible, and then get down to my methodology.
Thanks to @McLumberjack who was a massive help in setting up a macro and image scraper, and made a test of this scale possible in the first place.
Thanks to @xyan , with whom I had many discussions with about the ins and outs of the Football Manager game engine, and what makes the tactical side of the game work.
Thanks to @Canadice, who sent me the FM24 SSL Database, which this test was entirely built upon and would be impossible without.
Now for the methodology. To start, I needed to level the playing field for all teams. Using the pregame editor on the SSL Database, I was able to create a set of players which will be copied onto every team to ensure that competition is fair. I did not want to just be running a simulation of S26 over and over again, I needed every team to have an equal chance in the standings. In previous articles I've wrote, I made an analysis of which teams in the SSL are the most TPE-efficient. I used this to find what an ideal SSL player may look like in each position by averaging attribute spreads from these players. For the sake of creating a more accurate attribute chart, I did bias towards the teams in the majors division, just to ensure that I wouldn't end up with a situation of "the ideal AM" having 12 speed/acceleration from Min D2.
I then used these players as a template for an effective SSL player, and copied them to every team, banishing all other SSL players to a team in Bulgaria, who is now sure to be dominating the Champions League. The formation I settled upon for this test was a 424, modelled after FMArena's top tactic, as I figured the best players should also use the best tactic. This may end up causing some issues later, which is why I must remind everybody that this is not a perfect test. In order to do a perfect test, I would need years of spare time and access to around 6 PCs, and despite what this article may imply, I do value my time a bit more than that.
As for the other teams, I opted for a variety of tactics. This was recommended by Xyan, who pointed out that if all opposing teams use a 424, there will be a bias in the data which will suggest how well a trait works against a 424, not against any tactic. We can use the trait "Cuts Inside from Both Wings" as an example for this. When playing against a team with 4 defenders, the trait causes a winger to cut between the fullback marking them, and a centreback. This causes a player advantage in the box for the attacking team, leaving an attacker unmarked who can likely find the back of the net. In order to apply a fix for this, I equipped all other teams with a variety of tactics, including 2 types of 343, and one type of 4231, 433, and a 442
Another fix for the test that was introduced to me by Xyan was the affect of player role instructions on a player when combined with a trait. It has been long believed in the analytical side of the Football Manager community that a trait doesn't really do anything unless it compliments a player instruction. Normally, this wouldn't apply to the SSL, since players are not allowed individual instructions. However, some roles in the game give a default positional trait in order to push a player in the direction the role wishes. To use a previous example, an Inside Forward gets the instruction "Cuts Inside from Both Wings" by default. In order to accommodate this, I will test every trait twice, once in a tactic that features all possible roles that have that instruction but doesn't have the trait applied to the players, and one that has the trait applied. I also will not apply each trait to every single position on the field, because that is simply unrealistic for an actual match, and will likely mess with the game engine. I don't want to know what happens when centrebacks are given the trait "Likes to Try To Beat Offside Trap"
Now for the equipment I used for the test. All credit to this goes to McLumberjack for helping me macro and telling me about image scrapers, and The Universities of Helsinki and Harvard for putting together the python courses I used.
First, I used the program Macro Recorder, set to the task of simulating a season, taking a screenshot of various team stats, and then loading a preseason save and repeat 49 more times. This ends up taking 800 screenshots by the end of a test, and I simply don't have the mental fortitude to go through those manually. So what did I do to combat this? I learned python and built an image scraper which looks for the row of the team I was testing, writes down the stat measured and stat value, and then exports the results to an excel spreadsheet. Did this take a lot of time? Yes. Was it worth it? Yes. Does it work? Ehhhh sometimes. If a 0 is the only number present, it can't read it because FM's font is too skinny. If a team's goal differential is specifically -21, it will be read as -71 and must be manually corrected. And yet, it works well enough.
Now for my spreadsheet. This is where I keep track of all my results, and do some extra work to find out what actually makes a difference. I created various ranges for random statistical deviation to ensure that a change made by a trait is real, and not just a statistical anomaly. Here are the following categories:
Efficiency (1% range) - Covers the percentage-based stats, such as Tackle Win %, Pass Completion %, etc.
Mechanical Volume (3.5% range) - Covers the majority of "real" stats, such as xG, Passes Completed, Shots On Target, etc.
Positional Luck (7% range) - Covers the more chance-based stats, including Pts, GD, and Shutouts.
Additionally, the specific stat of GD can be ignored for the most part, as a small average value in both the positive and negatives means that a small change in value will often result in a number outside of the range I've set up.
Now that we have all that out of the way, let's get to:
RESULTS!!!
Hello to everyone that skipped here! Let's get to the real meat and potatoes of the test, the first 12 of 48 traits
CUTS INSIDE FROM BOTH WINGS
Tested on: FB, W
Roles used: IWB(a), IF(s)
Trait Category: Movement
"Cuts Inside from Both Wings" encourages a player on the wing to make a run towards the centre of the pitch when either they or their team are in possession. This often positions the wide players to overload the middle of the pitch, causing odd man situations that open up an unmarked player for an easy pass.
Positive Stat Changes:
PTS (18.48->20.4)
GD (-4.38->0.76)
xG (28.65->30.2)
Chances Created (64.06->66.86)
Shots (219.34->239.78)
Shots on Target (93.06->99.22)
Negative Stat Changes:
Crosses Completed (71.86->69.98)
Conclusion:
POSITIVE
Closing Thoughts:
This trait seems to be the definition of a positive one, although it always depends on a team's tactical requirements. The negative result of having less crosses completed is entirely negligible considering the positives you get in return, and crossing less when most of your players play inside anyways makes perfect sense. This trait really shines on the offensive side, with all the right results in all the right places.
RUNS WITH BALL OFTEN
Tested on: FB, DM, W, ST
Roles used: IWB(a), W(s), CF(a), F9(s)
Trait Category: Movement
"Runs With Ball Often" does exactly what it says on the tin. When a player with this trait is in possession of the ball, the instruction to dribble may overwrite the instruction to pass. Every player is likely more individualistic, and may be a big greedy with the ball
Positive Stat Changes:
N/A
Negative Stat Changes:
PTS (18.28->17.3)
Conclusion:
NEUTRAL
Closing Thoughts:
This trait seems to really affect nothing of value, with nearly every stat staying identical. What surprised me the most in this instance was that the amount of dribbles completed did not increase. This leads me to suspect that the players were already taking every dribble they saw fit, and the trait layering on top of that lead to taking risky dribbles that oftentimes ended in failure.
ARRIVES LATE IN OPPONENT'S AREA
Tested on: DC, FB, DM, W
Roles used: FB(a), VOL(a)
Trait Category: Movement
"Arrives Late in Opponent's Area" applies when a player's team is in possession of the ball, and nears the box. The player will then attempt to separate themselves from a defender, and arrive unmarked at the top of the box, where they can receive the ball and take a chance on net. If you love a Segundo Volante, this is your trait.
Positive Stat Changes:
GD (-0.28->1.44)
Negative Stat Changes:
Dribbles (258.80->247.06)
Conclusion:
NEUTRAL
Closing Thoughts:
This trait seems to have no real effect on a team's offensive capabilities, beyond having a GD increase and dribbling less often. I suspect that this result means that due to the number of players in the opposition area, passes open themselves up more often, and dribbles are hard to come by when the entire field is so compressed in a small area. Perhaps this trait could work well when used beside a winger that likes to stay wide and makes use of all the extra space in the field.
GETS FORWARD WHENEVER POSSIBLE
Tested on: FB, DM, W
Roles used: FB(a), IF(a), VOL(a)
Trait Category: Movement
"Gets Forward Whenever Possible" asks a player to move forward more than they normally would when their team is transitioning to attack, and is often used to overload a team using sheer numbers
Positive Stat Changes:
GD (-1.2->018)
xG (31->31.8)
Crosses Completed (81.84->84.44)
Shutouts (2->2.18)
Negative Stat Changes:
Dribbles (242.84->234.34)
Conclusion:
POSITIVE
Closing Thoughts:
This result seems to once again fortify the belief that overloading an area in FM24 is very strong. While the offence did not change very much (besides a slight increase in xG), the defence did not falter whatsoever, which was a worry that I had about buying this trait for myself.
GETS INTO OPPOSITION AREA
Tested on: FB, DM, W, ST
Roles used: FB(a), VOL(a)
Trait Category: Movement
"Gets into opposition Area" is a very similar trait to "Gets Forward Whenever Possible", but perhaps is a more offensive version of the trait. While the latter is used in transition from defence to offence, the former is used when an offence has already been set up, once again compacting the field towards the opposition goal.
Positive Stat Changes:
Pts (21.0->22.2)
GD (-0.28->3.26)
Shots (249.76->256.76)
Shots on Target (108.20->111.58)
Negative Stat Changes:
N/A
Conclusion:
POSITIVE
Closing Thoughts:
As the last few traits have all been focused on player movement towards the other team's goal, this trait seems to take the crown over the rest. It actually managed to result in a higher number of chances on net with no drawbacks, which is very rare to come by
LIKES TO TRY TO BEAT OFFSIDE TRAP
Tested on: W, ST
Roles used: DEFAULT
Trait Category: Movement
This trait is very simple, in that it instructs forwards to stick closer to the opposing team’s defensive line in hopes of receiving a through ball and getting a clear chance on goal.
Positive Stat Changes:
Chances Created (70.36->72.48)
Negative Stat Changes:
GD (1.36->-1.5)
Dribbles (237.58->229.34)
Conclusion:
NEUTRAL
Closing Thoughts:
This is about what I expected in the results for this trait. The offensive line sticking to the opponent’s defence means that the wingers and strikers have less defensive responsibility, which results in a lower GD on account of the other team scoring more often. In return, the strikers do create more high-quality chances, but they fail to convert more often than not.
MOVES INTO CHANNELS
Tested on: DM, W, ST
Roles used: AF, DLF, R, MEZ
Trait Category: Movement
“Moves Into Channels” asks a player to find vertical space between defender, which they will then attempt to make a run through. This draws attention from defenders, leaving a man unmarked, as well as bringing central players a bit wider.
Positive Stat Changes:
Dribbles (246.42->264.18)
Negative Stat Changes:
GD (-2.42->-4.50)
xG (29.50->28.1)
Crosses Completed (74.74->71.08)
Chances Created (69.52->63.5)
Shots on Target (92.98->89.62)
xG Against (31.76->33.4)
Shutouts (2.42->2.04)
Shots On Target Against (96.76->100.26)
Final Third Passes Against (75.50->78.04)
Conclusion:
NEGATIVE
Closing Thoughts:
This was by far the most shocking result so far. “Moves Into Channels” is one of the more popular traits and is generally seen as one of the best, but this evidence is damning. It looks like the newfound width of the midfield simply allows other teams to walk right through the middle, which may explain the decreased defensive abilities of the team. What I have yet to understand, however, is the reason that the offence is also neutered. If you have any idea for why this may be, feel free to write a comment.
Dictates Tempo
Tested on: Only 1 DM
Roles used: DLP(s)
Trait Category: Movement
This trait encourages a player to take charge of the midfield and will then either slow the play or increase the tempo of the game depending on what they see the most fit.
Positive Stat Changes:
Crosses Completed (71.86->81.62)
Dribbles (237.58->251.48)
Negative Stat Changes:
Pts (21.6->18.8)
GD (1.36->-3.7)
Chances Created (70.36->67.86)
Shots (226.76->219.3)
Shots on Target (98.56->94.00)
xG Against (32.43->33.4)
Conclusion:
NEGATIVE
Closing Thoughts:
This trait gave some very strange results. Out of everything I expected it to do well in, I did not predict that the most improved stat would be the number of crosses completed. I suppose it does make sense that this trait would tend to slow down the game to the extent that their team would end up scoring less often, but I did not expect the difference to be so large. Either way, this trait seems to be negative when only using 1 player with the trait, it must be disastrous when multiple players have it and conflict in their decision-making.
TRIES KILLER BALLS OFTEN
Tested on: FB, DM, W
Roles used: W(s)
Trait Category: Passing
“Tries Killer Balls Often” encourages a player to make high-risk long-distance passes that may result in a high-quality chance. Whether or not this trait ends up being a good one, it is fun to watch.
Positive Stat Changes:
GD (-1.12->-0.02)
Cross Completion % (14.68->15.02)
Negative Stat Changes:
N/A
Conclusion:
POSITIVE
Closing Thoughts:
At the end of the day, this result is to be expected. A player that is smarter with their long-distance passes will often make a risky cross, and it is impressive to see that not only the crossing percentage didn’t decrease, but it in fact increased.
TRIES LONG RANGE PASSES
Tested on: DC, FB, DM, W, ST
Roles used: NFB(d)
Trait Category: Passing
This trait is essentially the equivalent of using the more direct passing style on an individual player. Of course, that means that you get from this trait differs based on the passing style you opt for, but it may be a good thing to have a few long-distance passers on a tiki-taka team.
Positive Stat Changes:
PTS (15.12->16.7)
GD (-11.9->-7.8)
Crosses Completed (60.40->63.1)
xG Against (34.64->32.7)
Shutouts (1.7->2.04)
Shots Against (248.8->240.18)
Shots On Target Against (106.62->101.82)
Negative Stat Changes:
Chances Created (52.82->51.08)
Conclusion:
POSITIVE
Closing Thoughts:
The results here are more positive than I expected but still do make sense. The tactic I used for this test used the middle option for passing length, and I suspect that giving the players more freedom in their passing length is a good thing, especially since it seems to have drastically improved the defence of the team.
PLACES SHOTS
Tested on: ST
Roles used: DEFAULT
Trait Category: Finishing
Now this is the definition of a simple trait. It encourages players to place shots more accurately at the corners of the net, and works best with strikers that have high finishing, such as the ones I used in this test
Positive Stat Changes:
N/A
Negative Stat Changes:
GD (1.36->-1.1)
Conclusion:
NEGATIVE
Closing Thoughts:
Since there is no defensive setback from using this trait, it must be assumed that a lower GD represents a lower number of goals being scored. This is very surprising to me, but perhaps players placing shots means that they take more time in front of the net, and open themselves up to being tackled?
TRIES FIRST TIME SHOTS
Tested on: ST
Roles used: DEFAULT
Trait Category: Finishing
To follow the trend of finishing traits, we have the opposite of the previous one. This trait asks a player to shoot the ball the moment they encounter it, whenever they see fit.
Positive Stat Changes:
GD (1.36->1.88)
Negative Stat Changes:
N/A
Conclusion:
POSITIVE
Closing Thoughts:
Using the logic from the last trait, it looks like more goals end up being scored when a striker shoots it off their first touch. This seems to be because so many strikers in the SSL have high finishing attributes (Finishing, Composure, Long Shots, etc.) that taking a shot the moment it becomes available is worthwhile.
That brings us to the end of the first set of traits I’ve tested! This is a project that will take me months, so do not expect the next installment of this series to come soon. I have 36 traits left to test, meaning running a set of 50 seasons 72 times. Seeing as I can do a max of one per day, assuming everything goes right, this will take me a minimum of 2.5 months to complete.
This means that if you have any traits you’d like me to put up on a priority list, either add a comment under this post or reach out on discord and let me know! I’ll to try ensure it ends up in my next set.
Thank you all for reading this long article, and I hope you all have a great day!
(3400 words)
RE: The Great SSL Trait Test (Part 1 of 4) - Sizz - 2026-09-01
This is such a cool idea. As someone who's both new to the league and completely unfamiliar with FM, this is really helpful. I have a wish list of traits I'd certainly like to put on your list. I understand if you can't prioritize all of these but I figured I'd try.
- Runs with ball down left/right (interesting if it's different than runs with ball often)
- Brings ball out of defense
- Crosses early
- Hits free kicks with power
- Shoots with power
- Shoots from distance
- Curls ball
- Uses outside of foot
Thanks for taking the time to do this.