Ease of Play and the "feel"

After being ultra-critical of FM11 (upset lots of people, infraction etc etc). I think FM12 is going to be a masterpiece. What's doing it for me is the how easy it is to play for such an immense game. I dont mean in a winning matches sense, but the lay-out, menu's and general "feel" of the game has blown me away. You can tell a lot of effort has gone into this, and credit where it's due, it's bloody good. Ive only played pre-season but haven't found any bugs or problems and I think the data accuracy is really good aswell.

Congratulations SI, my faith is fully restored, really, really looking forward to the full game ( said passionately lol )

Agreed!

Based on the demo, this game is MASSIVE

Stunning, fantastic, brilliant... quite close to perfect to be honest

Agreed!

Based on the demo, this game is MASSIVE

Stunning, fantastic, brilliant... quite close to perfect to be honest

I second this

I skipped FM11 as I wasn't all that impressed with the demo. It was good, but it wasn't enough to make me buy it (I'd bought 9 and 10).

I played 3 hours of FM2012 last night, and wow. Impressive to say the least. Good, good stuff.

I'm loving the instant feedback from team talks. While it's still somewhat difficult and confusing to tell why they reacted a certain way (for example, passionately "if you play like that all the time, we're in for a great season" made them angry???), by and large it makes way more sense now, and the options to choose from are great! Being able to praise a players for turning his performance around in the second half and see that he appreciates it is huge.

Really enjoying the locking aspect of certain contract items too. No Mr. Agent, you cannot have 750,000 dollers. You can have 300,000, because I don't want you, I want your player. I will pay your player a higher bonus for 30 goals if you ask for it instead though! Brilliant, brilliant addition to let me lock that in.

The one thing I'm -not- liking is on the tactics screen, you can't tell what positions your bench players play from the right side of the pitch layout. I seem to recall their positions being noted below their jersey previously, but I could be wrong.

I -do- like the info pop-ups that have been added. Way better than having to open profiles, or swap attribute views. I -do- like that when open scout reports, they tell me what TYPE of player at the position he is, or at least that the report is for. For example, advanced playmaker, support. That is incredibly useful.

All around, I am just thoroughly impressed.

One thing I would like to see improved though is the highlight uploading. It took me a bit to figure out how to get it to upload (there is no upload button, you have to choose the option again from the drop-down). Plus, the lead-in SI logo is almost half the youtube clip when all you're showing is the goal. It'd also be nice to be able to preview what you're uploading (ie. test the camera angle) from that screen, instead of having to view all highlights, etc... I uploaded one goal last night, and it's so zoomed out you can barely see the ball, even in 720p.

Nonetheless, fantastic, fantastic, fantastic. I will be buying this year.

I have to agree with this, fm11 lost the magic with me, 1 or 2 little things that were less important than the big things tended to be too important (if that makes any sense), and lus like i said, it just didnt have the magic, this year, not only is it very approachable but it is also very enjoyable, if i lose i dont mind, I accept it as i can see my team is trying and i cant see any of the constant stupidity that spoiled fm11 for me ( i know i know, its my tactics ).

Another big plus is the polish, the game seems to be very well optimized and relatively trouble free.

BIG THUMBS UPTO SI

...and i cant see any of the constant stupidity that spoiled fm11 for me ( i know i know, its my tactics )...

If only I had a dollar each time I had or saw that reply...if only...it's good to know that this is not the case anymore though.

Err... it's the exact same game as the previous versions showing the exact same information in a different layout. You guys are too easily impressed.

One thing I would like to see improved though is the highlight uploading. It took me a bit to figure out how to get it to upload (there is no upload button, you have to choose the option again from the drop-down). Plus, the lead-in SI logo is almost half the youtube clip when all you're showing is the goal. It'd also be nice to be able to preview what you're uploading (ie. test the camera angle) from that screen, instead of having to view all highlights, etc... I uploaded one goal last night, and it's so zoomed out you can barely see the ball, even in 720p.

There are buttons to view the goal or preview it, from the upload screen. You can change the camera in the dropdown and then view it to see what it'll look like.

Err... it's the exact same game as the previous versions showing the exact same information in a different layout. You guys are too easily impressed.

I dont think Youve played the football manger 2012 demo yet, i was about to type everything that was wrong with your comment but , i just cant be bothered lol

I have to agree, I really think SI have hit the nail on the head with the UI in 2012. It's very very intuitive, really lets you feel involved in the game and looks great as well. It gives great ease of access to some of FM's best features, a lot of which have always been there but which are really allowed to shine in the new UI.

Could cm 01/02 and fm 2007 finally be dethroned as best ever? Im not placing bets as that is a tall order for any management sim, but, I think it could finally happen.

Agreed!

Based on the demo, this game is MASSIVE

Stunning, fantastic, brilliant... quite close to perfect to be honest

While I see a lot more in this version that turns me onto the game than I did in previous FMs, this is also the only version I personally have noticed bugs that really **** me off (except the Spanish league yellow card bug early on in FM11). Despite these issues, they seem very minor and are easy to get past, and I do feel that this version is the best I've played.

I started with FM09 which I could never quite figure out. Then, FM10 came out and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I liked FM11 even more, and FM12 seems to have improved a bit on that- the major issue is that I need to get a bit more used to the new setup. Again, there are a few minor problems I have noticed but, even if they are never addressed, I feel like this is the most complete and best overall edition of FM I have played. Still, before I call that, I need to finish my demo and see what the original version is like when it's released.

I second this

I third this lol!

While I see a lot more in this version that turns me onto the game than I did in previous FMs, this is also the only version I personally have noticed bugs that really **** me off (except the Spanish league yellow card bug early on in FM11). Despite these issues, they seem very minor and are easy to get past, and I do feel that this version is the best I've played.

I started with FM09 which I could never quite figure out. Then, FM10 came out and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I liked FM11 even more, and FM12 seems to have improved a bit on that- the major issue is that I need to get a bit more used to the new setup. Again, there are a few minor problems I have noticed but, even if they are never addressed, I feel like this is the most complete and best overall edition of FM I have played. Still, before I call that, I need to finish my demo and see what the original version is like when it's released.

Such as which bugs mate?

Totally agree - the first couple of hours on the demo I was wondering 'what's all the fuss, surely this is just fm2011.4?'. Then i started realising that EVERYTHING is exactly where I wanted it, that it's intuitive, that it feels smooth, that basically, SI have nailed it this year!

totally agree - the first couple of hours on the demo i was wondering 'what's all the fuss, surely this is just fm2011.4?'. Then i started realising that everything is exactly where i wanted it, that it's intuitive, that it feels smooth, that basically, si have nailed it this year!

*hits 'like' button*