Football Manager 2010

[Illusion]

The demo is out..

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.footballmanager.com/index.php?p=demo" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.footballmanager.com/index.php?p=demo</a>

It comes in two flavours, Vanilla (stripped out, small download) and Strawberry (more nations, bigger download).

The interface will take a little getting used to but from what I've played so far it's certainly better than 2009.

 

[DREVAK]

I'm going to hate it. As it will provide me with the most difficult question of them all. Do I play as Ipswich? Or Cardiff? Or should I pick a completely different team!?

 

[Clrnc]

I think after playing for a couple of hours, its much better than CM for sure

 

[entropy13]

I'm going to hate it. As it will provide me with the most difficult question of them all. Do I play as Ipswich? Or Cardiff? Or should I pick a completely different team!?

Try going lower. Luton for example. :wink:

 

[Illusion]

I'm enjoying it a lot more than FM 2009, but the press conferences still annoy me.

They put the 'Confirm' button miles away from the answers so you are forever moving the mouse back and forth to answer each question. I know this sounds like a trivial matter, but next time you attend a press conference just look at how much extra work is involved, especially if you play on a widescreen monitor. It's just poor interface design and it's something I complained to them about in FM2009. Just give us a 'Confirm' button right next to the answers or let us use the space bar, or just automatically confirm once we tick one of the boxes.

This small hassle ends up causing further problems because you end up not wanting to attend every single conference, that's fine the game says, just send your assistant. So yesterday I decided to send old faithful Pat Rice to the pre-season conference (yes I recognise this is a big one I should really do, but it was my first game and I just wanted matches). It turned out to be a mistake to trust my faithful assistant Pat Rice since he decided to tell the worlds media that Man Utd were certain to win the title and we had no chance. Cue a nice reduction in squad morale and another feeling of frustration at the hands of the silly press conference system.

However, I am very pleased with the new tactics system, it's so much more intuitive and I feel like I have more control over my team through less effort. The touchline shouts are also excellent if you spot a weakness in your opponents (or your own team) as they allow you to swiftly change your teams tactics on the fly with noticable results.

Transfer negotiations are slightly better, but still ridiculous. If I bid on a player that's worth £15m and the club comes back asking for £68m I find myself wishing they'd just say "this player is not for sale" rather than mocking with me a stupid negotiation. I managed to get them down to £40m after haggling for testing purposes, but only in up front money and this still seems completely ridiculous to me. I already know that any player is available if you pay ridiculous amounts of money up front, I don't need the computer to play hardball with me when I'm willing to pay more than double money.

 

[DREVAK]

I'm going to hate it. As it will provide me with the most difficult question of them all. Do I play as Ipswich? Or Cardiff? Or should I pick a completely different team!?

Try going lower. Luton for example. :wink:

I shy away from no challenge but to tell the truth, in all the past games I have found a lower than top tier but still very decent enough team – just like the aforementioned Championship outfits – to provide the most lasting fun. Lower leagues tend to be rewarding in the long run which doesn't suit me the best, top teams have little appeal to me (though I don't subscribe to the school of thought saying it's always easy as them) and with midtable or lower clubs from the top flight I found that I missed a really 'big' goal (winning the league/getting promoted/staying up). Though I haven't played as a team like that since I don't know when. I also wouldn't know who to pick.

 

[Clrnc]

Its seriously hard to sign quality players in this game, not as easy as CM. Cassano and Jovetic are rated as fantastic signings

 

[Jasard]

Walcott's stats are dire

 

[CKD39]

Championship Manager is a joke.

And the demo is brilliant, they've really stepped up the tactics. I don't want to get too immersed due to the fact that it is only a demo and also all the numerous deadline-monkeys (now fully grown silverback gorillas) on my back.

 

[Clrnc]

I think most of their stats are spot on, Walcott's a little harsh but he according to reports are still my best right winger even after i signed mata and ben arfa.

The demo is sooo good. I already pre-ordered my copy. Every single thing is brilliant in this

 

[entropy13]

The "best" comparisons are always through current ability and current potential anyway and not stats.

 

[Illusion]

Walcott's stats are dire

That's because he's fast and the game (and researchers) have a problem with giving any fast player good technical abilities for the sake of 'balance'.

In FM2009 our team was rated very accurately, but due to the nature of the match engine and the tactics the AI Wenger kept employing, Arsenal were regularly winning the league or challenging strongly in most peoples games.

This caused whining en masse about how overrated Arsenal were, how unbalanced their team was and how all of their players should be rated down. A few intelligent people such as myself chose to point out that it was actually the match engine which was susceptible to the AI Wenger's tactics and not the fault of the researcher who did a good job.

When they got around to releasing their data update after the January window Arsenal were 'nerfed' and many players were downrated to cater for the constant complainers. In reality they should have just tweaked the AI Wenger and the match engine, but it was easier to reduce stats and abilities.

Now Arsenal have a different researcher and I think he's being too critical of our team, especially when you look at how highly some of our rivals are rated.

The arrogance and poor attitude of the researchers on their forum has also started to become annoying. Even last year you could have a good conversation with the researcher about the team and he'd take notes based on your opinions and compare it to his view on the players as he watches them. These days you get talked down to by a wide variety of researchers (of other clubs) who are all too ready to give their opinion on why you are wrong and everything is perfect.

I really think they should release the game early on in August since all of the ratings are done based on the previous season. Letting everyone see their teams perform for 10-12 games in the new season before releasing a game that's rated every single player based on the past years football is asking for people to complain.

 

[CKD39]

Walcott's stats are dire

That's because he's fast and the game (and researchers) have a problem with giving any fast player good technical abilities for the sake of 'balance'.

In FM2009 our team was rated very accurately, but due to the nature of the match engine and the tactics the AI Wenger kept employing, Arsenal were regularly winning the league or challenging strongly in most peoples games.

This caused whining en masse about how overrated Arsenal were, how unbalanced their team was and how all of their players should be rated down. A few intelligent people such as myself chose to point out that it was actually the match engine which was susceptible to the AI Wenger's tactics and not the fault of the researcher who did a good job.

When they got around to releasing their data update after the January window Arsenal were 'nerfed' and many players were downrated to cater for the constant complainers. In reality they should have just tweaked the AI Wenger and the match engine, but it was easier to reduce stats and abilities.

Now Arsenal have a different researcher and I think he's being too critical of our team, especially when you look at how highly some of our rivals are rated.

The arrogance and poor attitude of the researchers on their forum has also started to become annoying. Even last year you could have a good conversation with the researcher about the team and he'd take notes based on your opinions and compare it to his view on the players as he watches them. These days you get talked down to by a wide variety of researchers (of other clubs) who are all too ready to give their opinion on why you are wrong and everything is perfect.

I really think they should release the game early on in August since all of the ratings are done based on the previous season. Letting everyone see their teams perform for 10-12 games in the new season before releasing a game that's rated every single player based on the past years football is asking for people to complain.

Interesting.

 

[Original_AAA]

So, 12 games into my first season as Arsenal I must admit that I am pleasantly surprised by this game so far. Of course it might be connected to the fact that I have won 10 of these games. :wink:

Some of my immediate thoughts:

1. Denilson, Diaby and especially Song is to underestimated in my book. Right now they are rated as somewhere between good Championship player(!) and decent Premier League player. Now, they might not be quite good enough for Arsenal as of now, but to say that most Premier League and many Championship midfielders are (way) better then them is way off.

2. The new part were you can consult with your staff is just brilliant and a fantastic time saver.

3. I love the new tactical aspect of the game. I feel that finally they have gotten some realism into the tactic department and a lot more logical then before.

4. No longer are players of equal skill recommended as "fantastic signings". This is good.

5. Press conferences and communicating with other manager is still to similar and lacking of depth and choice.

6. All in all it looks like a much better game then 09 and 08. Possibly as good as 07 if the demo is anything to go by.

 

[ivansen]

I've pre-ordered it. Have had every single version of this game going back to the early nineties. Spent more time playing this than I have talking I reckon.

On the bright side, it has probably kept me off the heroin seeing as I've learned from cm/fm that I get addicted, and love being addicted. So heroin would just be too time-consuming if I ever tried it.

 

[DREVAK]

I haven't properly played the demo yet but I read somewhere that people are better off judging players' skill only after a few weeks ingame, as at the start they might still be feeling the effects of the off season. Now I don't know whether that's true or just something a SI fanboy wrote but it doesn't sound too far fetched.

 

[True Gooner]

1. Denilson, Diaby and especially Song is to underestimated in my book. Right now they are rated as somewhere between good Championship player(!) and decent Premier League player. Now, they might not be quite good enough for Arsenal as of now, but to say that most Premier League and many Championship midfielders are (way) better then them is way off.

Definitely been spending too much time on A-M.

More importantly, is steam still as dodgy as it was last season?

 

[entropy13]

Slightly OT, I wouldn't want to revive the FM09 thread since the last post there was last July and it's just a small thing really.

It's almost 3 weeks since I last played my Arsenal game, so I started at it again earlier. Then when international break came I put it on holiday, so I ate some snacks downstairs first. Then I returned to see that I've just finished my holiday and I'm about to attend my press conference against Wigan. But then I noticed there were more mail in my inbox than usual. Then I realized they were for the France team, I forgot that I'm also the French NT manager. And we lost 2-1 to Poland in the WCQ for 2014.

 

[gunnerGH]

I've pre-ordered it. Have had every single version of this game going back to the early nineties. Spent more time playing this than I have talking I reckon.

On the bright side, it has probably kept me off the heroin seeing as I've learned from cm/fm that I get addicted, and love being addicted. So heroin would just be too time-consuming if I ever tried it.

You, my friend, need to play Football Manager LIVE!

Much more addictive than FM

 

[Clrnc]

Slightly OT, I wouldn't want to revive the FM09 thread since the last post there was last July and it's just a small thing really.

It's almost 3 weeks since I last played my Arsenal game, so I started at it again earlier. Then when international break came I put it on holiday, so I ate some snacks downstairs first. Then I returned to see that I've just finished my holiday and I'm about to attend my press conference against Wigan. But then I noticed there were more mail in my inbox than usual. Then I realized they were for the France team, I forgot that I'm also the French NT manager. And we lost 2-1 to Poland in the WCQ for 2014.

Did that result matter?