Football Manager so far

by dzek, Oct 30, 2023

Hi everyone!

What do you think of the game so far? Do you think it is improving year by year or not and why?

I'm very curious to hear your opinions. :)

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For me FM24 is an improvement comparing with FM23.

The M.E. of FM24 looks better.

More different tactical approaches are working well in FM24.

Finally, you can emulate Pep's tactical approach which wasn't possible in FM23.

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Lapidus said: For me FM24 is an improvement comparing with FM23.

The M.E. of FM24 looks better.

More different tactical approaches are working well in FM24.

Finally, you can emulate Pep's tactical approach which wasn't possible in FM23.

I agree with you in general but did you notice any bugs in the ME so far?

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dzek said: I agree with you in general but did you notice any bugs in the ME so far?

Of course, there's a lot of UI and M.E. bugs... for God sake it's a beta. :)

We'll get a finished product not yearly than Feb/Jan as it's always was in the past.

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Lapidus said: Of course, there's a lot of UI and M.E. bugs... for God sake it's a beta. :)

We'll get a finished product not yearly than Feb/Jan as it's always was in the past.

My honest opinion is that we will never have a finished/full product from SI at least for now :D

Every year they close the update cycle when they feel it's a good starting point for the next release. There are some UI & ME issues from previous years that they still haven't managed to fix. I don't blame SI and especially the Match Team for not fixing them, because I'm also a developer and I know the difficulty of these tasks. There are some bugs that are not easy to spot and fix right away. But the game needs to move forward and we all demand more and more every year, which I think is normal as passionate gamers.

But what worries me is the fact that we are buying a product with its good and bad that we all know 6 months from its release will no longer be supported by the company. This has always been the problem I've had. I'd rather they put out small little updates that fix the game's problems instead of waiting every December and March for them to put out 2 big updates.

What do you think?

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dzek said: Every year they close the update cycle when they feel it's a good starting point for the next release. There are some UI & ME issues from previous years that they still haven't managed to fix.

No, you're mistaken if you think SI works like that.

They have strict deadlines when they have to stop working on the current year FM and start working on the next year FM. They might be "unhappy" about the current year M.E. but if they hit the deadline then they just have to seal whatever they got and start working on the next year M.E..



dzek said: But what worries me is the fact that we are buying a product with its good and bad that we all know 6 months from its release will no longer be supported by the company. This has always been the problem I've had. I'd rather they put out small little updates that fix the game's problems instead of waiting every December and March for them to put out 2 big updates.

What do you think?


Honestly, it doesn't matter what "we think" because obviously, their business model works for them and makes them money and they're happy about it so they'll keep doing that way in the future until it stops brings money or they will find anything different that will bring more money. :D

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Lapidus said: No, you're mistaken if you think SI works like that.

They have strict deadlines when they have to stop working on the current year FM and start working on the next year FM. They might be "unhappy" about the current year M.E. but if they hit the deadline then they just have to seal whatever they got and start working on the next year M.E..

We are saying the same thing :D
Almost all companies with developers in it have deadlines.

Lapidus said: Honestly, it doesn't matter what "we think" because obviously, their business model works for them and brings makes them money and they're happy about it so they'll keep doing that way in the future until it stops brings money or they find anything different that will bring more money. :D
Yes for sure. It’s a company after all and they want to increase their income! But we as a community ( i speak about every person that plays FM games and participate in a forum related to the game ) have to put pressure for better things to come. I've seen other games change their strategy because of the pressure from their fans. Now if SI doesn't want to listen or at least explain some things so as to clear the field it can only hurt them in the long run.

Don't be fooled that FM23 had an increase in sales because it was a top game. It was a year that it returned to other platforms as well as received some new "unhappy customers" from other games like FIFA/eFootball ( PES - for old school gamers ) and in the end they get our money. We have to put pressure!

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Football Manager 2024 is OUT NOW! :)

There aren't any bug fixes with full release.
What are your thoughts?

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dzek said: Football Manager 2024 is out! :)

There aren't any bug fixes with full release.
What’s your thoughts?


Where does it say that there aren't any?

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Steelwood said: Where does it say that there aren't any?
Here is the link to the official feedback thread for FM24 release - https://community.sigames.com/forums/topic/579205-football-manager-2024-official-feedback-thread/

..and here for bug fixes.

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I play FM since 2016. I am always enjoying the new version and live financially on the rather sunny side of life. What i don´t understand is, that with such a strong community, they still didn´t fix basic bugs (Training schedule, all weeks take one week and u have to switch back and forth and redo it for instance). Some user experiences also could have changed in seconds. Like having team talks to multiple players who did well in training.

The new set piece section is an absolute horror to me. Again, way too complicated to set your players to the positions and assistance wouldn´t do anything logical at all.


Positive to me (mac version) is the improved performance somehow. I am still using the same Macbook pro i played 2023 with and I felt a much better performance in the beta at least.

All in all a 7/10 for me. I am extremely looking forward to the next one, which is ought to be revolutionary. There we will see how much they really listened to the community, since right now it´s more or less milking the old cow which is understandble since there is no competition to FM series.

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This is what matters for SI most, including incomes. Reviews..

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From what I've read most people are enjoying it a lot, much more than last few years

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The newcomers playing the game will clearly like it. I'm not saying the game isn't very good in general but for the old gamers who play the game and see the changes happening very slowly year after year, also with so many bugs in the game then yes I can have second thoughts.

I have played several games and got bored of them, either fast or slow, but FM is what still keeps me playing games because I can see it at some point when it is actually complete. It really will be the ultimate game by far at least for football fans.

The reason a lot of hardcore fans are "screaming" at SI is because there are a lot of things that aren't fixed and the company just keeps coming up with new features every year that sometimes (at least in the last 2 years) aren't even functional or complete. We are not idiots after all and we are paying for their product.

That's about it in general. I can say a lot though the important thing is that we want the game to progress and fixing bugs is progress too.

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There will be a minor update next week addressing the issue with GKs injuries for ME.

Here is the link - https://community.sigames.com/forums/topic/579605-fm24-information-for-upcoming-updates/

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I like this new direction they are taking, it may be filled with loads of apology but it's good to know what happening rather than kept in the dark.

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A bit sad for those that remember when SI had a policy to only release when the game was ready.  Last year we find out that they removed features so they could launch on time. This year they launch with the most bugs I can remember.  It’s the price of becoming a larger company, more overhead, more employees to get disgruntled if they don’t get their bonus $$$.

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MeanOnSunday said: A bit sad for those that remember when SI had a policy to only release when the game was ready.  Last year we find out that they removed features so they could launch on time. This year they launch with the most bugs I can remember.  It’s the price of becoming a larger company, more overhead, more employees to get disgruntled if they don’t get their bonus $$$.
My thought in the last few days is that SI intentionally made the game easier this year with more goals in matches (i.e. 6-4, 5-5, etc.) so that new players to the game could enjoy it more.

I wrote above that one reason more people bought the game was because they were/are not satisfied with FIFA or PES and this one with lots of goals would keep them more excited rather than seeing 1-0, 2-1 scores etc.

I also continue to think that the dates they release updates to the game to be the wrong approach. A better approach in my opinion would be the following:
  - Separate the ME with the data updates (fixes/upgrades to the database such as new signings, league rules, improvements to player skills etc.).
  - Push out more frequently new small updates/improvements all at once that fix minor issues that are compatible with existing saved games.

Another thing they didn't understand though I think is that by increasing their customers, the pressure will also increase. I'm not sure SI was ready for this and it's already showing in the game release that it's below expectations.

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MeanOnSunday said: A bit sad for those that remember when SI had a policy to only release when the game was ready.  Last year we find out that they removed features so they could launch on time. This year they launch with the most bugs I can remember.  It’s the price of becoming a larger company, more overhead, more employees to get disgruntled if they don’t get their bonus $$$.

They always released buggy games since FM 12 first game i played there, always dunno why, but every FM is good to play 1-2 months after release then you can enjoy best out of the game, i have high hopes for fm 25 i only care about ME and Unity will be a huge upgrade to the old engine, the movements and coding can be much more better we will see, i think FM apart from few stuff need to focus on ME because it is the most important and the thing which can be improved more and more

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Avenger22 said: They always released buggy games since FM 12 first game i played there, always dunno why, but every FM is good to play 1-2 months after release then you can enjoy best out of the game, i have high hopes for fm 25 i only care about ME and Unity will be a huge upgrade to the old engine, the movements and coding can be much more better we will see, i think FM apart from few stuff need to focus on ME because it is the most important and the thing which can be improved more and more Probably the reason why it's good to play it in the first 1-2 months is because ME and the things that happen in it in general are a matter of probability. What do I mean? For example, the developers have set goalkeepers to have a 5% chance of injury, and when you fall within that chance (in whatever part of the game you're in) that's where the bugs start to appear. Number and case is just an example here.

It is true that every year they release buggy games because there are problems unsolved from previous versions that SI never talks about. Did you imagine FM25 with the Unity Engine to be just a variation of the same UI and ME? :D

ME is the core element of the game. Without it there is no FM. All the groundwork (team building, training, player improvement, staff appointment, etc) is to get a better result within the ME so I too therefore totally agree that they should put more emphasis on the ME.

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dzek said: Probably the reason why it's good to play it in the first 1-2 months is because ME and the things that happen in it in general are a matter of probability. What do I mean? For example, the developers have set goalkeepers to have a 5% chance of injury, and when you fall within that chance (in whatever part of the game you're in) that's where the bugs start to appear. Number and case is just an example here.

It is true that every year they release buggy games because there are problems unsolved from previous versions that SI never talks about. Did you imagine FM25 with the Unity Engine to be just a variation of the same UI and ME? :D

ME is the core element of the game. Without it there is no FM. All the groundwork (team building, training, player improvement, staff appointment, etc) is to get a better result within the ME so I too therefore totally agree that they should put more emphasis on the ME.


I am curious the ME will be from scratch ? because ofc Unity is a whole different level and stuff, very interesting how it will behave for me graphics are just a bonus but is the movement, intelligence, i mean EA and PES have amazing graphics but are horrible horrible in AI and intelligence, tactics etc FM outclasses them in terms of simulation by far

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Avenger22 said: I am curious the ME will be from scratch ? because ofc Unity is a whole different level and stuff, very interesting how it will behave for me graphics are just a bonus but is the movement, intelligence, i mean EA and PES have amazing graphics but are horrible horrible in AI and intelligence, tactics etc FM outclasses them in terms of simulation by far
FIFA and PES use different engines and also have difficulty in managing players by users, so with this element it is more difficult to code. Unity is definitely a step forward, but to be a step forward you have to manage it properly. To be honest, I don't know the capabilities of Unity but we'll see. I'm keeping my expectations low as I do every year ;)

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dzek said: FIFA and PES use different engines. Unity for sure is a step forward but to be a step forward you have to managed it properly. I'm not aware of Unity's abilities to be honest but we will see. I keep my expectations low as every year ;)

Yeah ofc but when i play FIFA i never in my life see so worse logic in tactics like crazy and FM is miles above both of them in simulation even though can be improved alot but fifa and pes are arcade games

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NEW UPDATE IS COMING!
Here is the SI announcement for those who have not read it.
----------------------
Good afternoon,
We would like to thank everyone in the community who have given us feedback on Football Manager 2024 to date.

Content Update – Early December

We are working extremely hard behind the scenes ahead of our next content update with an early December target-date to address some of the feedback we have received including:

- Improvements to AI team selection , substitutions logic & transfer behavior
- Further updates to the match engine
- Updates to player interactions
- Quality of life improvements
- Additional stability updates & bug fixes
- Localization fixes and updates
- Data and competition updates

Please stay tuned for further updates, we will be able to confirm the final change list and update information closer to the time.

Thank you for your patience and continued support.

----------------------
Any thoughts?

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dzek said: Any thoughts?

They should released that patch earlier. IMHO, releasing it in December is too long.

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Rince said: They should released that patch earlier. IMHO, releasing it in December is too long.

I know im going to get a lot of hate here, but: gaming community is so toxic at the moment.. if companies put the effort to release updates every now and then, they get hated because it takes too long, if they dont release any update they also get hate because they dont care about the community, if they go on a weekly update system, they also get hate because they launched a unfinished product..

You guys are never happy

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Gracolas said: I know i'm going to get a lot of hate here, but: gaming community is so toxic at the moment.. if companies put the effort to release updates every now and then, they get hated because it takes too long, if they don't release any update they also get hate because they don't care about the community, if they go on a weekly update system, they also get hate because they launched a unfinished product..

You guys are never happy

First of all, I want to say that I am glad that we are discussing some issues other than tactics (and around them) here at FM-Arena. :)

I totally respect your opinion and I see no reason for someone to hate you because you have a different opinion but I want to emphasize some things. I will speak for myself and in no way represent the opinion of others in the community.

We need to understand from the start that SI, Activision etc are companies first and foremost and then anything else so in order to survive they need money. When a company officially announces to you that on a certain date they will release their new game with its new features, the excitement starts to grow among the fans around the game (see Rockstar and GTA VI). We all want to buy it and play countless hours for many reasons, someone because it escapes reality, someone because they had a dream of becoming a coach in real life and didn't, someone because they like football in general and so on.

The day of the game's release comes (you are full of excitement and looking forward to it) and you start your first save. During the game you notice that features that were advertised to you as being new/improved in the game are broken/incomplete or only half working and sometimes weird or even worse than before. What will you feel at that particular moment? Quite possibly badly but you'll keep playing. But when this has been happening for years? When every year you spend money to buy something that was promised and not delivered and worse yet not communicated to you in the first place? This paints a picture of a company that only cares about money and not their community, which in essence if it wasn't for all of us there would be no FM, but anyway let's skip that.

We get to the community thing where there are two categories of players. The casuals and the hardcores. Without the casuals the game(and the company) can survive because there are the obsessive hardcore players who will pay every year to get the new version. But without the hardcore gamers do you think any gaming company can survive in the competition? I'm afraid not. So then we who are not just casuals gamers and play the game for countless hours and know the game and its capabilities have some requirements. If that sounds toxic to you then you are entitled but know that thanks to hardcore gamers the game got here with all the upgrades it has had over the years through suggestions and discussions on the official forum and beyond.

I don't agree with not releasing updates but also with releasing one every week just to release one. The wiser thing is to put it out when and if they feel it's ready (i.e. as SI has been doing for the last three years). You know what the issue is? Communication. That's my complaint myself but I can say that they have improved quite a bit over the last few years. Just that. Anyway we look forward to the sequel then.

Thanks for reading!

3

dzek said: NEW UPDATE IS COMING!
Here is the SI announcement for those who have not read it.
----------------------
Good afternoon,
We would like to thank everyone in the community who have given us feedback on Football Manager 2024 to date.

Content Update – Early December

We are working extremely hard behind the scenes ahead of our next content update with an early December target-date to address some of the feedback we have received including:

- Improvements to AI team selection , substitutions logic & transfer behavior
- Further updates to the match engine
- Updates to player interactions

- Quality of life improvements
- Additional stability updates & bug fixes
- Localization fixes and updates
- Data and competition updates

Please stay tuned for further updates, we will be able to confirm the final change list and update information closer to the time.

Thank you for your patience and continued support.

----------------------
Any thoughts?


oh god, let's pray altogheter they don't mess it up then

1

dzek said: First of all, I want to say that I am glad that we are discussing some issues other than tactics (and around them) here at FM-Arena. :)

I totally respect your opinion and I see no reason for someone to hate you because you have a different opinion but I want to emphasize some things. I will speak for myself and in no way represent the opinion of others in the community.

We need to understand from the start that SI, Activision etc are companies first and foremost and then anything else so in order to survive they need money. When a company officially announces to you that on a certain date they will release their new game with its new features, the excitement starts to grow among the fans around the game (see Rockstar and GTA VI). We all want to buy it and play countless hours for many reasons, someone because it escapes reality, someone because they had a dream of becoming a coach in real life and didn't, someone because they like football in general and so on.

The day of the game's release comes (you are full of excitement and looking forward to it) and you start your first save. During the game you notice that features that were advertised to you as being new/improved in the game are broken/incomplete or only half working and sometimes weird or even worse than before. What will you feel at that particular moment? Quite possibly badly but you'll keep playing. But when this has been happening for years? When every year you spend money to buy something that was promised and not delivered and worse yet not communicated to you in the first place? This paints a picture of a company that only cares about money and not their community, which in essence if it wasn't for all of us there would be no FM, but anyway let's skip that.

We get to the community thing where there are two categories of players. The casuals and the hardcores. Without the casuals the game(and the company) can survive because there are the obsessive hardcore players who will pay every year to get the new version. But without the hardcore gamers do you think any gaming company can survive in the competition? I'm afraid not. So then we who are not just casuals gamers and play the game for countless hours and know the game and its capabilities have some requirements. If that sounds toxic to you then you are entitled but know that thanks to hardcore gamers the game got here with all the upgrades it has had over the years through suggestions and discussions on the official forum and beyond.

I don't agree with not releasing updates but also with releasing one every week just to release one. The wiser thing is to put it out when and if they feel it's ready (i.e. as SI has been doing for the last three years). You know what the issue is? Communication. That's my complaint myself but I can say that they have improved quite a bit over the last few years. Just that. Anyway we look forward to the sequel then.

Thanks for reading!


By all means, i was not targeting my opinion to you! I was just general criticizing the gaming communities (not only FM community) because companies cant fill everyone's joy, unfortunately.
I prefer to assume positive intent and always look to the positive things around. SI could be better? Yes, of course! But looking at the football/soccer videogames (which really resumes to 3 games: Fifa/FC + PES + FM), SI is waaay better than their rivals.

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Gracolas said: By all means, i was not targeting my opinion to you!
Me too! I just took you as an example to make my point. :D

Gracolas said: I was just general criticizing the gaming communities (not only FM community) because companies can't fill everyone's joy, unfortunately. I prefer to assume positive intent and always look to the positive things around. SI could be better? Yes, of course!
I never said that they have to do everyone's will. The point is to hold a general attitude that satisfies the majority of their audience. Especially the hardcore's ones.

Gracolas said: But looking at the football/soccer video games (which really resumes to 3 games: Fifa/FC + PES + FM), SI is waaay better than their rivals.
I agree 100% with you here! Take the example of PES. They made so many changes that it's no longer the game we knew (for those who played it) and I really don't know anyone today of all the people who played the game who still play it today. Look at the example of Activision with Call of Duty, who released 3-4 series of games where the characters fought in space. They took the criticism of the century and changed their approach and went back to the good old formula.

I mean it's not hard to lose your audience.

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